The 1998 Toyota 4runner has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 273,743 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 168 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION02V0210002002-01-18273,743 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN 2-WHEEL-DRIVE (2WD) AND 4-WHEEL-DRIVE (4WD) 4RUNNER SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF HEAVY LOADING (SIMULTANEOUS LOADING TO REAR GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATING AND GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING) AND SEVERE STEERING MANEUVERS COULD CAUSE THE 2WD 4RUNNER TO LOSE DIRECTIONAL STABILITY.
Consequence
THIS MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE REAR SUSPENSION PARTS. ALTHOUGH THE 4WD 4RUNNERS DO NOT EXHIBIT THE HANDLING CONDITION, TOYOTA WILL RECALL THESE VEHICLES TO AVOID ANY PUBLIC CONFUSION AS TO WHICH VEHICLES SHOULD RECEIVE THE REPLACEMENT PARTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 28, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN…
Complaints by component
STRUCTURE:BODY
46
SUSPENSION
35
1crashes
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
19
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
14
STEERING
6
2crashes1deaths
POWER TRAIN
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
3
2crashes
STRUCTURE
3
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
3
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
3
Total complaints168
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The rear end suspension is sagging on my vehicle. When I look up the vin number on the nhtsa website it says that there is not a recall, but when I look up my vehicle by year it says that all vehicles of this year should be recalled for rear suspension repair/check. I called usa toyota and they…”
“The drivers side front lower ball joint completely sheared off at around 15 miles an hour. The wheel and tire separated from the vehicle.”
“Critical frame rust causing trailing arms to detach under normal use.”
“The driver's side rear control arm mounting bracket that is welded to the frame has rusted and completely fractured off of the frame. The failure occurred while I began to accelerate from a stop light on a city street at normal speeds. I felt and heard a loud pop, then had severe rear end…”
“The frame is rusting out and broke while driving. The frame is almost totally destroyed from rust . The rear started swinging violently but luckily got it stop without crashing. The entire frame is a joke. I can't believe it hasn't been recalled still. The body is in perfect shape but a frame that…”
“The frame is rusting out and broke while driving. The frame is almost totally destroyed from rust . The rear started swinging violently but luckily got it stop without crashing. The entire frame is a joke. I can't believe it hasn't been recalled still. The body is in perfect shape but a frame that…”
“Rusted frame. Hole right through it. Can't sell, register or do anything with it. Car has 188k miles, drives like a tank, and has years left in it, but not with a rusted out frame. No one showed it to me before I tried to sell it. I have owned for 7 years, 2nd owner.”
“1998 toyota 4 runner starting to sway side to side. The rear axle support frame is rusted thru the box tube. Called toyota to report the issue and did not seem to be concerned that the issue is serious. No recommendations given.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Toyota 4runner as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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