The 2002 Toyota 4runner has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 768,379 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 261 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION05V2250002005-05-17768,379 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SURFACE OF THE BALL OF THE JOINT MAY HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED. THE BALL JOINT MAY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND LOOSENESS, RESULTING IN INCREASED STEERING EFFORT.
Consequence
THE LOWER BALL JOINT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE KNUCKLE CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Complaints by component
STRUCTURE:BODY
74
2crashes5injuries
SUSPENSION
35
1crashes4injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
30
POWER TRAIN
24
SERVICE BRAKES
10
STEERING
9
1crashes
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
8
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
7
2crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7
2crashes2injuries
AIR BAGS
5
4crashes4injuries
Total complaints261
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“This is for tire size p265 75 16. To start, I've seen multiple other complaints describing the same scenario and type of incident. Driving along the highway at appropriate speeds, I hear a whoosh/deep pitch rumble, then my vehicle began to vibrate violently. I was luckily able to pull over but had…”
“Frame rot”
“Frame rot”
“The contact owns a 2002 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while inspecting underneath the vehicle, he noticed that there was a hole in the subframe and that the subframe and sway bar were corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The…”
“The contact owns a 2002 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while inspecting underneath the vehicle, he noticed that there was a hole in the subframe and that the subframe and sway bar were corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The…”
“The contact owns a 2002 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph through a slight right curve, the vehicle independently shifted from side to side without warning nearly causing the vehicle to flip. The contact had an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle and the mechanic…”
“The contact owns a 2002 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph through a slight right curve, the vehicle independently shifted from side to side without warning nearly causing the vehicle to flip. The contact had an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle and the mechanic…”
“Frame rust saftey hazardous? Midas mechanic pointed out to me while work being done on exhaust march 2022”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP18002 Opened 2018-08-17 · closed 2022-03-18
Frame corrosion
On August 7, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition from Mr. Gary Weinreich alleging premature frame corrosion failure in model year (MY) 2002 - 2006 Toyota 4Runner vehicles. The petitioner based his request upon a corrosion-related front suspension failure he experienced in his MY…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Toyota 4runner as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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