The 1995 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 52 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
17
1crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
14
ENGINE
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
2
STEERING:LINKAGES:ROD:RELAY:CONNECTING
2
1crashes1deaths
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1
POWER TRAIN
1
1crashes
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
1
Total complaints52
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Engine, no sign of overheating ... Overheated within 3 months of ownership on my way to work with my wife's conclude the headgaskets were blown. Toyota doesn't acknowledge recall. . Plus send a recall for v6 4runners headgaskets”
“Blown head gasket on 3.0 v-6”
“Toyota 4runner 1995 blown head gaskets”
“May 2015 on way to drs and then oil change at pep boys. Head gasket on car blew for 2nd time (6000 and 2 years, since first time). Driving on freeway proceeded to overpass and in the middle of this extremely high, curved overpass, bridging the 23 to the 101, driving at highway speed, the car…”
“May 2015 on way to drs and then oil change at pep boys. Head gasket on car blew for 2nd time (6000 and 2 years, since first time). Driving on freeway proceeded to overpass and in the middle of this extremely high, curved overpass, bridging the 23 to the 101, driving at highway speed, the car…”
“My head gasket is blown. The dummy panel did not show overheating but steam or smoke was visible coming out from under the hood. Coolant was leaking when parked but the radiator is full. Toyota says my vin says it was manufactured in nov 1995 my registration paperwork says it was first registered…”
“Engine exhaust smoky. Coolant level drops. Steam and water emitted from exhaust pipe. Cause seems to be due to a failed head gasket(s) or failure of aluminum cylinder heads to mate to cast iron engine block. Other possibility is cracking in water jacket of heads. This is a 3.0 liter v6 engine and…”
“Blown rod . Bad motor .. The 4 runner had a 4 wheel drive engine in it that came stock in a 2 wheel drive 4 runner? It blew out a rod on me and these sr5 motors are suppose to last a long time? 98,432 is low for me. *tr”
Defect investigations
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 1995 Toyota 4runner as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.