The 1990 Toyota 4runner has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 977,839 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 95 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
STEERING05V3890002005-09-06977,839 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS REPEATEDLY TURNED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS WHERE HIGH STEERING EFFORT AND POWER ASSIST ARE REQUIRED, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN FULLY TURNING THE WHEEL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED, A FATIGUE CRACK MAY DEVELOP IN THE STEERING RELAY ROD.
Consequence
IF THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, THE RELAY ROD MAY FRACTURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING RELAY ROD. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
27
3fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
5
2fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
4
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:PEDAL/HAND LEVER(MOTORCYCLE)
4
1crashes
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
3
2crashes2injuries1deaths
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
1crashes1injuries
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
2
Total complaints95
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Clutch/brake pedal bracket broke/cracked after pressing the clutch pedal. Was originally diagnosed as a bad clutch and almost pulled the plug to get the clutch replaced. Would have been a load of wasted money on a poor diagnosis. Pedal bracket cracked with clutch pedal was pressed to start the…”
“Clutch/brake pedal bracket broke/cracked after pressing the clutch pedal. Was originally diagnosed as a bad clutch and almost pulled the plug to get the clutch replaced. Would have been a load of wasted money on a poor diagnosis. Pedal bracket cracked with clutch pedal was pressed to start the…”
“This specific toyota forerunner model had a recall for gasket failure. We had it replaced at appx 74,000 miles done by toyota as a courtesy recall. This truck currently has very low mileage considering the age of the truck, about 148,000 miles. It recently almost caught fire overheating after…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the bracket sub-assembly that held the clutch and brake pedal was fractured. As a result, the contact was unable to depress the brake pedal or the clutch. The dealer repaired the failure at least three times in less than one year.…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1990 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the bracket sub-assembly that held the clutch and brake pedal was fractured. As a result, the contact was unable to depress the brake pedal or the clutch. The dealer repaired the failure at least three times in less than one year.…”
“Fan blade disintegrated at highway speed. Dented hood, cracked battery, ruined shroud and alternator belt. *tr”
“Dt*: the contact stated there was a problem with the rear end of the vehicle. The welds on the rear subframe of the vehicle popped and fractured which caused the read end to fall off. The weld did not fracture, but instead popped away from the rear end which held the rear sway bar onto the axle.…”
“I brought my toyota to the repair shop,the repairman told me my car has a defective head gasket and told me to call the toyota dealer for repair. I called the dealer they told me that the head gasket had been repaired. They will not pay for it again. I think that is not fair for a consumer to pay…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP02002 Opened 2002-03-26 · closed 2002-08-26
REAR SEAT BELT ROUTING
InvestigationEA92011 Opened 1992-03-24 · closed 1993-01-21
LOSS OF BRK EFFECTIVENESS
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE91147 Opened 1991-11-06 · closed 1992-03-24
LOSS OF BRAKE EFFECTIVENES
===
InvestigationSQ99003 Opened 1999-01-27 · closed 1999-04-22
CORRODED BRAKE LINES
TOYOTA IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL IN CANADA 98-253. CORRODED BRAKE LINES COULD FAIL RESULTING IN A PARTIAL BRAK SYSTEM LOSS AND INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1990 Toyota 4runner as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.