5th Gen Toyota 4Runner: Disappointing 3 Year Ownership Experience

3 year review of my unfortunate experiences owning this 2020 4Runner. Hopefully this will assist anyone looking at buying the last year of the 5th Generation 4Runner. And current owners who are still under warranty.

[@fritty9927]

A bad dealership can just ruin your whole buying experience. Love your truck.

[@mosthated8190]

Yes , stay away from used car dealerships. Those guys don’t know what professionalism or mannerism is.

[@handle1x1]

I bought a 2020 4runner SR5 premium four years ago. 33,000 miles currently. I am a mechanic. I have zero issues. It has never been back to the dealer since I bought it with 17 miles. I do my own maintenance.

[@DearbornJohn]

I think dealerships are the problem, and intend on doing all my own maintenance soon as can. I don't trust the quality of work their mechanics may do to my new 4Runner.

[@wally6193]

@@DearbornJohn I've never taken my 4R to the dealer, except when I first got it I had them change all of the lubricants to Amsoil, never been back.

[@wpcnola]

Dealerships often are the manufacturers’ problems when they screw the brand’s loyal buyers!

[@Baebon6259]

2022 4Runner LTD. 30k miles also. No problem since day 1 beside some rodent damages which I repaired myself.

[@tomkluding]

What should of been the purchase of a lifetime to enjoy the outdoors and make memories. I’m sorry man. I’ve delt with dealership issues before and it’s a nightmare. Hope all is well from here on out!

[@Mario-lj7gm]

My inlaws had issues with their VW Toureg some years back. It was all said to be normal under warranty. As soon as warranty ran out, they miraculously diagnosed the problems and asked for thousands for the fix even though we complained about the same issue many times under warranty. I emailed VW USA and they just said pay up. So, I then emailed VW in Germany. They immediately apologized and contacted VW USA telling them to take care of it free of charge. They did and the problem never came back. Sometimes, you have to escalate the problem directly to the factory. That’s my 2 cents. Btw, the army green looks great.

[@AliAlo-pc5ud]

German cars are second only to American cars in maintenance headache

[@nomusicoffroad]

But thats a headache. The stress you get cuz of the poor management of the dealerships is pathetic.

[@robmalcolm8042]

Germans are similar to the japs European cars made over there are even better similar to Japan made cars. That's probably why the apologized compared to the American facilities. Still they fell off compared to how they were back in the day particularly Mercedes Benz.

[@ZACH_95_]

@@nomusicoffroadwell you can’t escape that. Pretty much every dealer is like that.

[@nomusicoffroad]

@@ZACH_95_ yeh, that's inevitable. Part of the package.

[@genevicente]

You’re being way to generous not disclosing dealers and reps. As another 2020 4RORP owner I appreciate all the info.

[@HolmanMoody-r6z]

If Toyota Japan wants to make this right, they can easily look him up just on the brake thing alone. He cleverly left a lot of hints…his mileage and you can tell he is in British Columbia probably not too many 2020 AG Pros there. Hopefully Toyota does after all that crap you can tell he loves his truck, and hopefully they’ll reprimand the dealer and Toyota Canada holy crap

[@briananderson6142]

Take it to a different dealership if you get the runaround, your warranty is the same at all dealerships. This could be just an unqualified shop foreman who said nothing wrong. The worst thing you could do is put a hood protector, They vibrate and flex and touch the fender at high speeds. You need 3m films applied to the front end, problem solved. The paint cracking on the tailgate is from the vibration of the plastic pieces touching the paint. I had the exact same 2020 Army Green Toyota TRD Pro as you and just traded it for a 2024 TRD Pro. This 2020 4Runner 33000 KM ran flawlessly.

[@danieldytchkowskyj3152]

The dealership sounds unethical. I would send a letter to Toyota Headquarters!

[@wally6193]

I'll take a guess it that was "Open Road Toyota" in Vancouver.

[@Guerrero3546]

Dealership’s are not your friend. Ever. I’m sorry about the truck. At least it has good value if you have the means to swap it for something else.

[@Notification93]

I see that you are in Surrey. I visited many Toyota dealerships in the Lower Mainland before I made a purchase for a 2023 4R TRD OR and I learned that all these dealerships are ran by people who should be in jail.

[@daletidy.]

Which lower mainland dealership do you think is the best?

[@markdillard4422]

I'm so sorry to hear about all the issues you've had. Sadly, this is becoming all too common. I've had such bad experiences at my dealership with oil changes and tire rotations that I finally just went out and bought about $500.00 worth of tools and do all my maintenance myself. In the last month I have changed the engine oil, air filter, cabin air filter, rotated the tires, cleaned the throttle body, changed oil in both differentials, changed oil in transfer case, and installed new front brake pads. Next up is a transmission fluid change. The dealership missed out big.

[@tengvue9474]

I had the same experiences as you too. Found out the dealership wasn't rotating my tires, etc...Doing it myself now.

[@briancoleman971]

In my experience, Toyota dealers are the absolute worst.

[@wally6193]

@@tengvue9474 I've never rotated my tires in 20 years on my 2003 4R and never had uneven tire wear or even a wheel alignment. I guess they built them better back then.

[@shnerp]

I wish I had a garage, I am a condo owner so not an option.

[@carpenoctem]

Can’t even find a small shop that will do honest work. Always missing something, messing stuff up or charging way too much for small services.

[@bettysmith4527]

Yikes, your dealership sounds terrible!! I just tried to switch to a closer dealership for my 2020 Tundra for oil changes, while there I asked them to drop the spare tire and check it because I will be taking a long road trip in a couple months. I waited for the vehicle in their waiting room and the service guy comes out and says "your spare tires has some sort of weird keyed hole to drop it, we haven't seen that before, and we cannot find any of the tools Toyota usually provides to get the spare tire down". Then he offered to charge me 1200 to cut the bed off or something like that to force the tire down, or he said I could pay 300.00 for a new tool kit (you can get them for 60 bucks online). I said no, I'll research things at home and figure it out. Took me 30 seconds with a flashlight to find the bag of tools right where Toyota placed them, and another 2 minutes of online searching to figure out that my spare just has a security key SOLD BY TOYOTA, and it was in the bag of tools the dip shits didn't look hard enough for!! Needless to say I will be driving farther just to go back to the other dealership that has competent staff!! I hope you find a better dealership to help you!!

[@justtl5885]

Wow!

[@arrowhead455]

They knew exactly where that tool kit was, they didn’t want to pull the tire down and it wasn’t making them any money. Service advisor was just trying to put money into his forecast. That’s why as soon as the vehicle is out of warranty, take it to an independent shop you TRUST to work on it. Biggest enemy to the dealership now is an internet search, it exposes all of their shadiness in a matter of seconds. Knowledge and any service you can do on your own is infinitely better.

[@wally6193]

I guess they have earned the name "stealership not dealership"

[@Moondoggy1941]

Wow that is outrageous.

[@joeblow1934]

Some of these "technicians" are really unqualified to work on most anything. The dealers must be either really desperate for employees or don't want to pay for good help. Toyota needs to step in and remedy the situation. In the USA we have the BBB (Better Business Bureau) as a place to officially complain.

[@Seashed]

4Runner is built in Japan, they spray an undercoating on the vehicle to protect it from sea moisture on the voyage over. Yes, it will burn off within a 1K miles and smells like burnt plastic and it smokes.

[@Moondoggy1941]

That is why they should have told him prior to him driving off. Great info thanks. I used to do a little HVAC on new homes, I would tell the homeowner to open all of the windows and go for a long walk and turn the heater on, that way it will burn off all of the oil in the piping.

[@joeblack1052]

Yeah it takes a long time to wash it off

[@RobertDowling-h4q]

Thank You 4 posting this!!! I have 2018 TRD orp, no issues what so ever. You didn't deserve this! & Toyota is 2 blame! Period!!! I bought mine during Pandemic, 2yrs old. I have NEVER bought a brand new vehicle in my life & never will 4 this very reason. Billionaire taught me 2 always buy yachts,jets,cars @ 1 - 2yrs old. Brand new they depreciate 30% when U sign contract! Biggest scam in the world,Dealer owners R richest in this world, thanks again 4 educational post!!

[@fernandosousa2402]

@@RobertDowling-h4q that applies in every realm but toyota

[@ArmchairInvestigator411]

@@fernandosousa2402 @moondoggy1941. It takes a span of 10 years for the 4-runner to depreciate 35-45%.

[@freetoroam7769]

In 1988, I bought a new GMC 3500, and took exceptional care of it for 32 years. I finally sold it in 2021, and it still looked nearly new, except for the damage caused by the dealer many years prior. They needed to lift it to do some service underneth, but lifted with the bumpers instead of the frame, where it should have been. Of course, the front bumper was tweeked, and the rear bumper was bent outward very noticeably. I took it back and they did their best to fix them, but it never looked the same. After that incident, they lost my business for good. I've had quality control issues with many auto shops over the years, so do as much as I can in my own garage. It's even more frustrating when they damage a new vehicle.

[@f5fstop]

Had a neighbor once tell me, Toyotas were trouble free; however he could never explain why they needed a service area. A few weeks afterward, I saw his car being towed. I asked him if it was being repossessed and he got all hot and said no, it would not start. So much for the trouble free statement. Not knocking Toyota, but there is not an object manufactured by any company that cannot have a problem or more. Dealer does not sound like a winner, bump shop, I assume NOT Owned by Toyota, needed a sudden adjustment to correct very poor customer assistance. However, hate to say it, not unusual for any vehicle manufacture. As for Honda's. They are well noted to have fuel migration into the crankcase causing the oil to dilute and diluted oil is far from good for the engine. In some cases that requires oil changes every 2-3K miles. So do not believe Honda's are perfect...they are not.

[@wally6193]

haha too funny, if it's a vehicle it will a problem at some point, even Toyota/Lexus.

[@rodgerwoods4971]

Purchased a 2024 SR5 Premium about a week ago. Encountered the smoke smell you referenced. Possibly labels on exhaust pipes burning off. Next day i really didnt notice it any further. By the sound of it you've had your hands full with yours. I can understand the discouragement. I did opt for the extended warranty on mine. Hopefully it'll cover anything that goes awol. Thanks for the review 👍

[@dattape2828]

It’s probably the protective film burning off. Dealer should have warned you

[@rodgerwoods4971]

@@dattape2828 Have not smelled it since. 248 miles and going 😊💜

[@jeremyborgen2385]

There is a protective film sprayed on the underside of the vehicle and engine compartment to protect the exposed metal while in shipment. These are Japanese built trucks and have to cross the ocean by boat. It burns off after a short while. Sales could be better about explaining this.

[@creamer350]

That's a normal thing with brand new vehicles

[@butfah04]

2022 TRD Premium @ 20K , i notice the smoke only at start once in a while . But I thought it was my imagination 😮

[@배성훈-v2s]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I bought limited last December as retirement gift by myself. I noticed tire pressure 10 PSI above as recommended 2K miles. Called the dealer they don't care about it. Finally went to dealer, they damaged my running boards both sides while lifting. I found at my driveway..

[@stevenhuss2753]

That’s really disappointing how that dealership trashed the interior and exterior addressing the tailgate. I heard about the garnish problem before taking delivery of my ‘23 Off Road last March. Upon inspection I noticed it had a very thin rubber gasket for protection. I believe I had read a gasket was added to address this very recently. Incredible they waited so long to add the gasket. I wasn’t crazy about the electric brake booster. But in my research it appeared failures were very rare. And, if they did occur it’s usually the electric motor and that it’s possible to do some diy repair if the motor is at fault. That’s, amazing both the original and first replacement failed. I hope time will heal some of that disappointment. I still continue to have a big grin on my face when I’m behind the wheel of mine.

[@kevins.1752]

Thank you for producing this video. It’s important to share experiences even if it’s a Toyota. I am in the same province and had paint / rust issues on the hatch of my Rav4. Dealer installed the plates on the hatch metal to metal. No foam protective strips or pieces. And guess what the plate rubbed the paint down and formed rust. Went through the same process as you and even had over spray on both sides of my vehicle near the hatch. ICBC Dealer approved repair shop. And then they couldn’t even re attach the awd rav4 badges in the correct position on the hatch. I am sorry to hear that you experienced these issues especially from the dealership that you dealt with. I figured out which dealer you used and sad given their size. One should not have to deal with these kinds of issues on a brand new vehicle. Doesn’t appear that Toyota Canada and Toyota Japan are taking quality seriously for the 4Runners. May as well have purchased a Ford. Good luck in the future with the TRD Pro

[@healthybeans]

Pretty sure the dealership is Toyota Open Road Peace Arch in Surrey, BC. It says on the license plate holder when the truck was brand new in the dealers lot at 6:04 😬.

[@JoshuaGeers-os3hf]

Sorry for your situation. But thank you for your real life experience. It’s not always unicorns and rainbows. Thank you for sticking up not only for yourself, but the rest of us customers. I own a 2022 TRD PRO 4Runner. 21,000 miles and so far so good. BUT, I like to hear from those that have had any issues to look out for. Thanks again my fellow 4Runner owner.

[@keithmichael5839]

Ive had three 4Runners in a row -- 2nd generation (by far the best), 3rd gen, and 5th gen -- and I have a 4th reserved with a refundable 500.00 deposit (2024 TRD Off Road Premium). You're video, and my own experience with my 2016 SR5 Premium has me reconsidering. The 2016 4Runner, BY A WIDE MARGIN, is the worst 4Runner Ive owned (the other 2 were varying degrees of great); a gasket seal leak at the transfer case (neither the gen2 or gen3 ever leaked a drop of anything); weather stripping under the roof rack that comes dislodged after every wash; black paint (yes, Ive owned black trucks before and I know how hard they are to aesthetically maintain) that was either poorly engineered or improperly applied, because if you even so much as brush a microfiber cloth on it there will be new swirls, scratches, and chips; a moonroof that jerks and stutters when opening and has required regular applications of lithium grease in the tracks for years; rubbing of the passenger side front tire on the mudflap when making a full turn to the right after a TRD wheel and tire package was purchased from and installed by the Toyota dealership (the service manager insists it's because the tires are too aggressive, but the tires weren't too aggressive before Toyota installed the TRD wheels, and they aren't too aggressive on the driver's side); and a vibration in my dash that appeared in year 5 at 50MPH... the Toyota dealership says it's a broken 'clip inside the dash,' and that they need a $1,000.00 parts and labor commitment before they can tear the dash apart and start replacing clips, and then they would need to test drive the truck after each new clip is installed to listen for the vibration, so the labor costs will certainly go up exponentially. I asked if they were certain it wasn't something hanging up in the brake assembly or a tire imbalance. They said, "we don't think so." Toyota, imo, is like Apple... they were once the STANDARD by which all competitors were measured, but now they're just the most expensive products in their respective areas with no reason anymore for being so. Steve Jobs was once asked what set Apple apart... he thought for a few seconds and replied, "We don't ship JUNK like the competitors do," and Jobs was right... way back then. Toyota has that same smugness and arrogance, but their products, like Apple products, no longer seem to have that same standard of quality they once had. The problem for me is that the 4Runner, imo, is the best looking truck in its class and it has the best resale value by far. Im not sure what to do now... on one hand Im happy I stumbled upon your video, and on the other hand I wish I'd never seen it.

[@wally6193]

My 2003 4R LTD V8 has been stellar and still going strong.

[@DJR5280]

Toyota sure doesn't have a problem charging an insane amount of money for these trucks. Sad that Toyota didn't step up and own this

[@wally6193]

they have the same problems with the USA units too.

[@DJR5280]

@wally6193 I would assume they do considering they come from the same factory as Canadian units

[@wally6193]

@@DJR5280 Yes of course they do, that's what I was implying.

[@tescoshortage]

If it’s a dealership issue, they don’t have a lot of options

[@lvsqcsl]

I'll bet there was nothing wrong with the money he paid for the vehicle. Yet, they dispensed a defective product.

[@Nexgeninfi]

Smoking from a brand new car is usually from oil residue on the manifold, exhaust pipes, and brake rotors. It does happen from 0-50 miles depending on the brake compound. My 2018 Jeep Cherokee, 2022 Nissan Frontier, 2023 4Runner all smoked from fresh brakes and smelled like burning plastic on the way home, this is normal. After 75 miles and you still see smoke then there is a problem. I need to emphasize my Jeep had 14 miles on the ODO and 4Runner only had 5 miles when I drove them off the lot. Water based paint was introduced due to EPA regulations, Toyota with flat base color were the most problematic (white, army green, cement), very prone to chipping. Your brake failure however, is unique. My experience on higher level trim is complexity = more problems. Your trim level with KDSS suspension, crawl control, fox shocks = complexity. Although tons of TRD Pros were manufactured, defect does slip thru especially on high level trims. Fox performance shocks (search forums) have a much shorter service life than stock Toyota, lots of problems. Your stealership experience can't be at a worse time. 2020-2023 has hit hard on dealerships and mechanics, experienced ones are leaving by the droves (due to poor treatment and low pay). Experienced master mechanics are practically non-existent in dealerships now.

[@thepitpatrol]

In this guys defense, and I hate to do that because he seems a little obnoxious, I don't think the trim level is a problem with the brakes. We own 2 third gens and they have a brake control that looks a lot like that. It works the anti lock. We had trouble with erratic braking. Like he said, it would just dart at random times when you hit the brakes hard. We simply unplugged it and have never had anymore trouble.

[@neil431]

KDSS is not an option on the Pro trim

[@Nexgeninfi]

@@neil431 My bad. The Fox shocks I've read on the forums are not very durable and prone to leaks, is that assessment correct?

[@neil431]

I’ve always had Bilsteins, so I don’t have any first hand experience with Fox. For normal use I think they’re all going to do fine. If you’re building a desert racer then it could be a different story.

[@Kdavis8377]

Did he ever say what caused the smoke? Because all the other problems seemed like dealer workmanship issues and not Toyota necessarily. Fox shocks aren’t great. That’s no surprise. The rusting issue on the back door is kinda ridiculous on Toyotas part. Most all 5th gen’s have that. The other stuff sucks but every manufacture has problem vehicles. Toyota just has much much less than everyone else.

[@Tingolicious1]

Wow, what a series of unfortunate events. We own a 2017 limited w/125,000 miles and have been fortunate to only have to change tires, brakes and fluids. We love ours so much we just purchased a 2024 TRD off-road, and gave the 2017 to our daughter. If we have a different experience with this one I will be sure to look this video up again and leave an update.

[@TruckCamperBooBoo]

I am so sorry that you had to go through all that trouble. I own a 2020 TRD Offroad. I might be a lucky owner because there isn't a single thing wrong with mine. Every Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, and 4Runner that I've owned had no issues whatsoever. I installed a hood wind deflector from the "Weather-Tech" brand. I'm completely satisfied with it. It leaves about an inch and a quarter gap. Again, so sorry for your bad experience with a crappy dealer, the service manager, the body shop, and the poor-quality wind deflector. I hope you have a good day!

[@thestateofdec4y]

I really appreciate you making this video. Without going into all the details I had a very similar experience with Honda. Many common strands between our two experiences - strange early failures in a supposedly reliable, naturally aspirated (not turbo charged), manual transmission Honda (that I purchased new). Trouble getting the dealership to the address the problems, ensuing further damage once work was actually carried out in a shoddy fashion. Zero help from Honda in extending good will. My conclusion is that every time a vehicle goes into the dealership for service, there is a good chance it is getting fucked up in some way. Unfortunately for the two of us, even very reliable models have a few lemons and you have little to chance of getting help from unscrupulous dealers or the manufacturer. Not sure if it will make you feel any better but if you browse some of the Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon forums you’ll run across lots of premature failures in those vehicles where a computer issue de facto bricks the vehicle. The stuff of nightmares for a new vehicle owner. Again thanks for the video.

[@JoeMandel-e3n]

A calm and detailed explanation of your unfortunate ownership experience. No vehicle is 100% perfect and you of course have had a run of rotten luck in what should have been an enjoyable experience. Thanks for the warning.

[@novatraxx2000]

I’ve got a 2015 4Runner Limited 4X4 with Xreas. It has 225,000 original miles that I put on since buying it brand new. At 90k I had to replace the torque converter, most likely went bad due to towing around my atvs, and some metal scrap runs. Driver front calipers seized at around 120,000.and the right side a few thousand miles later, Aside from that, regular oil changes by the dealer, and I actually did the tune up myself, already on my third set of plugs. Did transmission drain and fill at around 130,000. The dealer did screwed up my rear footwell lighting when doing an airbag recall at around 45,000 miles, and they couldn’t fix the issue with the lighting, so I just gave up on them. They also scratched a few interior panels while doing the recall service, and they replaced them at no cost to me. Other than that, the truck has been good to me, I drive it everyday. If I could rate the truck, I would give it a 7.5 out of 10. Some dealerships have really crappy techs, just gotta ask around the community and find good techs and service managers, one that actually cares about your vehicle, usually the ones that have been around for a long time.

[@charlesrogers8420]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve been fortunate with zero issues with my 2022 4Runner Limited.

[@billricheter5678]

Part of the reason Toyotas have supposedly high reliability is because their owners tend to take care of their vehicles more . That’s really never consodered

[@briancoleman971]

100% true. Funny people don’t see the correlation. I have owned about 30 vehicles over the years, keeping some 20+ years. Never had much problems with any because I am a maintenance fanatic. Ironically Toyota was my only lemon.

[@JonDoe-oz6ds]

@@briancoleman971Same here. 22 Corolla Se manual transmission had so many odd issues I ended up getting rid of it. It was always something with that car.

[@MrFg1980]

Only vehicle ever left me on the side of the highway stranded-'08 Corolla with 64,000 miles... Current vehicle-'07 GMC Sierra with 196,000 miles...

[@vm2003]

💯 facts. Many Toyota owners are so blinded to past Toyota reliability that the car can do no wrong. They are emotionally attached to the car and will do whatever it takes to keep the car running. And the other extreme are Nissan Cars and trucks driven by new or aggressive drivers with minimal regard to meticulous maintenance required once the miles straight to rack up. But as far as the trucks made in Japan, Nissan offers slightly better overall product than Toyota version and cost way less. Check out 2025 Nissan Armada/QX80 coming after Landcruiser 300 (not sold in NA) and LX600. Way better, more everything and way less $. Times changed. Toyota is on the way down (with Subaru) while Nissan going up (alongside Mazda and Mitsubishi). Honda more of the same. That's basically the Toyota secret to reliability 😂😂😂

[@billricheter5678]

@@vm2003 you are exactly correct

[@sugargold4126]

I really appreciate this video. I put a deposit on the new TRD Pro - Terra( new color). I was excited to pick it up. Anyways, I drove off without purchasing it tonight because they jacked up the price $10,000 over sticker price! I am still planning on getting another 4runner, keeping my current 2014 Limited( giving it to my kid). I never had a TRD Pro. I am on my 3rd Limited and have never had so many problems like you! What a nightmare! Thank you for your very informative video! So happy I came across your video. Did they jack up your price over sticker? The dealership treated me like a stupid old lady. After hearing about your crappy dealership experience, happy I walked away from them. I am thinking I may get a certified preowned w/ low mileage with a clean car fax record. Your rig is gorgeous. I am your age and I was prepared to pay full price because this may be my last new car purchase, but not $10,000 over sticker ringing up over $70,000! They stopped making your green color which is my favorite color. Anyways, thanks for the info. I am going out to my garage right now to see if my 2014 Limited has rust on it, lol. 25:26

[@eyesea123]

If you're in CA I know a dealer that doesn't mark up the pro's. Longo Toyota in El Monte, CA. They will ship it to you too. I had one on reserve but passed on it because of the loud exhaust. I bought a TRD Off Road Premium instead and got $3,000 off msrp. Call them. No pressure from these guys and they didn't try to sell me the bs stuff either. I was amazed because everyone else tried to ream us.

[@joeschlepp]

been on the fence about a new 2024 5th gen forerunner. after watching this i'm having second thoughts. contacted a toyota sales guy in my town and brought up all of these issues with him . he wouldn't address any of these issues. that's enough to raise a bunch of red flags with me. thanks for sharing your experience with your vehicle.

[@TheKingInHiding]

Oh wow, interesting that he would not address anything. I thank you for bringing it to his attention. Maybe he’ll run it up the Toyota food chain. I wish you all the best in whatever you decide 👊🏻

[@CDub-np1cc]

Sorry to hear you're having these issues; I have a '16 T4R SR5 Premium (bought new), 160K on it and no issues. Stick with it; I think you'll be happy in the long run. Where I noticed the difference is when the truck turned 100K, then 125K and so on, I noticed it was still driving like new, seats were like new, engine still running like new, no squeaks, suspension still like new, no oil seepage, etc. When other cars are heading to the junk yard, the 4Runner will still be going strong.

[@ejshelby5460]

When I bought my 2023 TRD Offroad, I paid special attention to the rear gate garnish, it looks like mine has a gasket that provides a 1.5mm gap between the sharp plastic edge and paint. The most common area of contact are the two end lower corners and my theory is that when lifting open the gate while holding the center portion of the garnish, the whole thing bend outward following the force, that causes he two ends to deflect down and dig into the paint. So first thing I did was installing a circular PpF under the corners, due to the gasket, I can’t insert the PPF too deep, just about 2mm maybe, but should be enough to prevent contact.

[@HondaSolutions]

I’ve owned 3 4Runners including 2 Pros. An 02’, 15 Pro, and 21’ Pro. My 02’ was the least problematic, owned for 120k (from 100k to 220k) and had zero issues. My 15’ Pro had several issues, all fixed under warranty/extended warranty including transmission at 4700 miles, front shock, and upper control arms. My 21’ just had its drivers front shock replaced under extended warranty. That’s all the trouble I’ve had with my 21’. My point is, no manufacturer is perfect, none. Sorry for your troubles.

[@HondaSolutions]

If anyone questions the value of the extended warranty, I recommend they get it on the pro. Absolutely 100%.

[@nathanielkelley4056]

Kinda sad to hear about the issues with the Pro’s. Manufactured in Japan and then converted and upgraded to TRD Pro’s in the USA. Americans are going to half ass things, sad but true.

[@Gravityforce70]

I am currently considering a 2024 4Runner to replace my 2008 Subaru Outback… bought the OB w 28k miles and have had to put that purchase price back into the car for repairs over the years. Your truth is a huge help in weighing the pros and cons of moving to Toyota, albeit the “reliable” flagship of their line . Thank you.

[@ziv2liv]

I own the same 4Runner 2020 TRD PRO down to the Army green color. Technically, I did not buy it new, it had 800 miles on it, but I took this vehicle through very harsh off road trails and long drives, and aside from some minor electrical issues, I did not have a single problem. I am extremely surprised listening to your experience. Btw, this is my second 5th gen 4Runner (My previous one was 2015 model year) and again, no problem at all.

[@TheKingInHiding]

Thanks, glad you’ve had a great experience…that’s the way it’s supposed to be 👊🏻

[@IBRAKEFORBEDROCK]

I have the same hydraulic brake system in my 06 4Runner. It’s all kinds of problematic but it still works mostly. I also have a 24 TRD off road , so I’m glad your posting this

[@wally6193]

I have a 2003 4R LTD V8 and have never had a brake problem, just changed the rotors(and pads) after 200K kms.

[@zalllon]

Glad to see your post, hopefully that is the last of your issues. Make sure you rust proof the undercarriage (Woolwax or some yearly treatment) for rust prevention. I used to sell cars way back when, and always tell folks to avoid the bug / stone deflector due to risk of paint rubbing off. I have a 2022 TRD Off Road (Toronto area) that just hit 16K kms. I plan to tackle the hatch rust logo area myself as I have a ladder installed on the hatch. I haven’t experienced any brake issues, and that is with doing some true off-roading, added weight (skid plates, front bumper/winch, roof rack) and bigger tires (285/70s) … so additional rotational mass. There have been a couple of guys in the local group that have had lengthy braking experiences which start out with bite and then almost let off to 20% of the initial … dragging out there stopping distance.

[@DearbornJohn]

I was the proud owner of a 2007 4Runner SR5 AWD, I did have rust issues with my hatch door in back, but the reliability and durability of the overall vehicle after 16 yrs of use gave me the long term assurances to buy my new 2023 Toyota 4Runner limited. Hopefully, the issues you experienced with your 2020 4Runner have been cleared up on my 2023. I have my 2023 4Runner in a rust proofing program for additional backup on that hatch. All in all, I still feel the 4Runner is a better quality vehicle than the American SUV'S.

[@EthCepher]

Modern Hondas ain’t what they used to be. My family had 3 new Honda SUV’s in the last decade. All 3 had dead batteries within the first couple weeks to 6 months of ownership. I’d still trust a made in Japan Toyota/lexus over anything else made today. YMMV ❤

[@davidf9027]

So sorry you’ve had to deal with all of that. You are surely an exception regarding the brake-system, for sure, but as for the rest (paint repair damage, the mess left behind, denial of things/help, etc) sorry to say you’re not alone. That said, I have a ‘17 ORP which just turned 100k mi and I’ve had zero issues. I hope things get better for you and your truck. There is a reason it’s rated so well and is legendary but there are always exceptions, as you demonstrate here.

[@wally6193]

according to "The Car Care Nut" the brake problem is NOT uncommon in that gen of 4R.

[@BabakPA]

I am so sorry to hear about your experience with Toyota Canada! I have had my issues over the past 2 decades with them as well! Greetings from Ontario and cheers

[@alberthechme4001]

I bought a 2023 TRD OR Premium and I have 21000 miles on it, and I love the vehicle. I change the oil every 5000 miles, my dealership has been amazing to be honest. I’ve done a lot of research before I decided on the 4 Runner, I’m sorry for your frustrating experience.

[@ericdelrosario6779]

Thanks for sharing the challenges you had with your 5th gen 4Runner. Hopefully, you’re now in a much better circumstance. I was contemplating getting a 4Runner too as my last vehicle but then I decided to get instead a used 2021 Lexus GX460 last year. I’m glad I did that. The 4Runner and GX460 (having identical platforms with different powertrains)are both built in the same plant in Japan; so it’s not far fetched to think that the GX460 can have similar issues as that of the 4Runner. But then again, your Toyota dealer seems more to blame for the dilemma you faced. Appreciate what you do. Thanks again. 🇨🇦

[@MichaelFrancis-p5p]

Wow! Thanks for presenting a thorough, fair report of your experience. I am planning on purchasing a 6th generaton 4Runner probably in 2025. I've been saving for over seven years in prepaation. Your balanced assessment was sobering. For what it's worth, this is the first time I ever took the time to actually respond to a report such as yours.

[@coniccinoc]

Well made value added video. Thank you. My friend took his Corolla in for routine service. The next day he noticed he no longer had cruise control. Older model, the control was on a stalk on the steering wheel. They took the stalk, replaced the cover with one that had no stalk hole and told him his car never had the optional cruise. He had over 150k miles, bought it new, still had the window sticker, used the cruise often but they held firm. Best guess is the tech had the same model and wanted the option on his car.

[@marcpikas2859]

Frustrating to say the least. I had a cracked windshield replaced at a national brand specialty place and found dirty fingerprints on the ceiling lining. Went back in right away and told them that I had brought them a clean interior truck. They corrected the mess right away but I realized that my expectations of quality work should be kept low nowadays

[@gooeybeast74]

Sorry for your pain with the dealership. Once the dealership nick up my matte black pro wheel. I will never go back there again and will file a complaint report.

[@rblbatb]

As a Jeep owner, I appreciated the funny gladiator story. Hope the rest of your 4runner ownership is better than the beginning. it is a great looking suv. p.s. dont buy a jeep. you will have a heart attack. they are wayyy worse than this.

[@billwaterhouse5894]

Sorry you had all these issues with your 4Runner, thank you for sharing. I’ve owned 5 and zero issues (two 5th gen’s). I’ll forward your video to my son and son in-law who both have 5th gen’s. Thank you

[@70diezel]

The dealership should be mentioned because other s may go through the same troubles. That’s bad customer service , bad techs and shop service. You should bring to light the dealer. They should be put on notice for other customers to avoid them. That’s really bad. I a, sorry you had to go through that.

[@scraigjohnson]

What a horror story! I purchased a 2024 TRD Pro earlier this year and this video has helped me tremendously Thank you for taking the time to make this video and I am so sorry for your experience.

[@crazytrain591]

My 2015 Mazda 3 is not an expensive car. It was barely expensive new. But to this day I still park at the back of grocery stores and away from any direct path where carts could roll out of their bays, and always drop off my wife before parking far away from other people at events. People say I’m crazy but it’s my car and I want it to look good for what I hope is a long ownership period. It’s nice to look at your car 9 years later and it doesn’t look 9 years old. Don’t let anyone tell you what your car should look like. I would’ve fought that body shop who made that dent even harder. And the people who fixed it and dirtied it up? Same deal. Thank you for making this video. Very well put-together and well-spoken. It appears you are in the minority with regards to the ownership experience with these but nonetheless, it’s terrible and I hope things improve from here on out if you plan on keeping the vehicle. You’re certainly one master cylinder away from exercising your lemon law rights if Canada is similar to how it is here in the US. Unfortunately a large majority of companies since Covid are not what they used to be. Employees no longer take pride in their work and companies no longer stand behind their products. Especially during the first couple years of Covid, I myself noticed many service-oriented businesses I dealt with were using their “Plan C” crew, a skeleton crew of newly-hired, still-working-on-tutorials type of folk who have no business dealing with customers until they are more trained and better exhibit the ability to do good work. Things haven’t fully recovered even now unfortunately. A lot of businesses used Covid to skyrocket their bottom line at the expense of hiring weak, cheaper workforces after mistreating and underpaying the veterans and laying them off to the point where talent is low and everyone is just trying to get to quitting time. Even on the white-collar side, a lot of us were/are quiet-quitting because we don’t feel our companies are loyal to us anymore as many companies may have once been where you had people working 30+ years for the same company.

[@monoped_adventures]

Ive had the opposite experience with my TRD-Pro. Dealer has been amazing. Fixed my garnish under as soon as i pointed it out. 73000km now. Shout out to the staff at Lagley Toyota!

[@TheKingInHiding]

Excellent. I assume you are referring to Langley Toyota on the Langley Bypass? Be sure to keep an eye on the garnish repair. Some 4Runner owners report the rust comes back even after the Toyota fix.

[@monoped_adventures]

@TheKingInHiding yes. I had the repair done a year ago and it's been fine ever since.

[@BGood496]

2017 4Runner TRD Pro. 75,000 miles. Not one single issue. None. Nada. Truck has been perfect. Dealer is outstanding. Sorry to hear of your issues. May want to try a Ford next time. 😂

[@richardeicholtz4868]

For not being a KZbinr that video was awesome. It really sucks that you had to deal with all that but thank you for sharing your experiences. I was looking at 4runners and you have me a lot to consider.

[@Wildwoodjake]

Knock on wood I have a 2014 4Runner w/140K miles and have had zero issues. We did upgrade the suspension ditching their very expensive system for a nice off road suspension with minor lift that’s east and cheap to service. No rust, smoke, nothing. I change oil every 5K no matter what and do brakes and fluids myself. It’s been a very reliable ride I’ll never part with.

[@arrowhead455]

You are absolutely justified in keeping this vehicle as immaculate as you desire, it is YOUR vehicle. Do not let anyone tell you that you should “let it slide, it’s just a 4Runner”. It is your vehicle, and I can tell you take pride in it and are doing an amazing job taking care of it. Sorry to hear of the substandard customer care, we can only hope Toyota and other manufacturers do what is right by their customer. Your Honda experience is refreshing to hear and a model for the others.

[@MrWahtda]

I'm sorry about your Mom, My mom passed away too.

[@peterromano1911]

Hello, I am one of those prospective 4Runner customers you mentioned. I am going to shop for a 2024 4Runner Limited because I don't want to be a Beta Tester for the new 2025 Restyling. I want something built Old School. I will definitely look into an extended warranty. Financing interest rates are about 8.49% right now. WOW !!!

[@RickActual]

Man! I can hear the frustration in your voice. I sympathize with all of it. You search long and hard for the right vehicle that ticks off the most boxes in the “I need,” “I want,” and the “nice to have” columns. Then you realize that it’s so nice that you went over budget. You stretch your finances and drive it home after spending four and a half hours at the stealership. But it’s frigging awesome, and it’s yours! That’s when the problems start. That’s when you get to know the service people way more than you ever wanted to. You have to keep calling and chasing them just to get a status on your damn truck! Ask me how I know.

[@guyjordan8201]

Such a sad experience. All the talk of legendary Toyota products and million mile engines were from days gone by. Toyota’s reputation is theirs to lose on bad accessories, service, and turbo engines. Show me a few 500,000 mile Toyota turbo engines before I’ll trust their turbo engines.

[@wally6193]

yeah I'm waiting to see how their turbo versions hold out before I buy one. So far the Tundra's new engine has had rod bearing problems requiring a new short block-NOT GOOD.

[@vm2003]

Doesn't exist. Nissan GTR engineer made a video, basically secret on how to make Nissan engines, even the Turbos used by Nissan since 2007 to last beyond 500k miles or over million on their V8 trucks. 🤫

[@vm2003]

​@@wally6193Get a 400hp+ V8 NA titan truck with Toyota transmission with 9 speed gearing, 5 figure towing capacity, 20 mpg highway, etc. Last year a V8 NA truck will be offered by a Japanese manufacturer. That's it

[@firstnamelastname9661]

Man you have a good story telling voice. I enjoyed listening to this episode and fall asleep like a baby after the episode. And I don't even own a 4runner 😂

[@harrypenn8375]

I have a 2020 TRD OFF ROAD PREMIUM I have 23,000 miles like you. I also have the extended warranty. I have had ZERO problems I keep up to date on the maintenance schedule. ZERO problems but sorry to hear about yours. It's not good on gas but when I bought it, it cost about 30 dollars to fill, but do to inflation in America it's 70 dollars now....BUT I love the truck and it's my 3rd one..

[@therealone886]

Thanks for sharing. I was looking to purchase a 4Runner later this year because of the “Toyota reliability” but the rust and master cylinder are headaches I do not want to deal with. Sorry for experience you had with this PRO.

[@briandorsey6437]

Any vehicle on the road can have issues and lemons and you will find stories like this across all manufacturers….Doesnt change the statistics about Toyota being the most reliable and having the LEAST amount of stories like this…My 2023 has been perfect for 8 months

[@chibbyylol]

@@briandorsey6437 yeah if the 4runner isn't reliable than nothing is

[@billricheter5678]

Toyotas rust more than any other make

[@chibbyylol]

@@billricheter5678 spend a hundred or two and an evening coating it and never worry about it

[@billricheter5678]

@@chibbyylol true. I learned my lesson there. Just not sure why Toyotas have such rust issues

[@MVRWC]

I drove my 2006 SR5 v6 off the dealer lot and 205,000 miles later i never looked back. All my service was done either by myself or various local mechanics. I am sorry to inform everyone that my rear hatch is rusted too. At this point I'm just going to sand it down, prime it and use some touch up. ***Just some advice, keep an eye on your rear license plate screws, they will rust and cause you issues if you do not change plates often. Get some stainless steel screws and routinely loosen and tighten them with oil changes! 👍

[@jimmyamico4713]

BUY A LEXUS 2023 GX 460❤ That is the last year they’re making this phenomenal model… I wish you the best, and I’m so sorry for everything you went through…❤

[@TheKingInHiding]

Thanks, I’ve considered a GX. However the price gap between the 4Runner & GX is quite big here in Canada…is it true the GX with V8 all require premium fuel?

[@kyletennant4730]

You’ll most likely deal with KDSS lean on the GX and vibration at certain speeds on the highway and the same poor service.

[@Tomorrow32]

Man, this video is like a documentary. I really enjoyed watching it and also learnt a lot from it. Thanks!

[@OnDownTheRoadProductions]

Dr. Color Chip will fix those paint chips. Sorry to hear about all this. My understanding is that 4Runners are converted to TRD Pros at the Atlanta Port, I heard this years ago. Once you buy a vehicle you are stuck and dealers do not care. Who ever installed the brake master cylinder the second time did something wrong. We have had yearly polishes on our 2022 TRD ORP, zero rust around the tailgate garnish. You made a great video! I wish we had spoken before you took it in for painting. I work in automotive coatings. Finding a good painter is literally impossible. 4Runners are painted in Glasurit by BASF, if they did not use this no paint match. Most paint shops, especially dealer paint shops are high turn over low quality work, with inexperienced bump and paint people. So sorry this happened to you. Your problems are due to a crappy dealer, Toyota Brass in Japan should be involved. Can I reference your video in a new video. @ToyotaUSA @Toyota

[@TheKingInHiding]

Thank you for your kind words and knowledge. Indeed if we could have spoken earlier. Yes, feel free to forward this on to Toyota brass….yeah, they should probably know. I’m getting far more views & comments than I ever expected lol

[@OnDownTheRoadProductions]

@@TheKingInHiding Am also off for DAYTONA BIKE WEEK end of this week, will make this a prio. I know some things to say and do and get traction, that will be my focus. Thank you for your trust

[@golferpro1241]

Have a ‘21 Highlander Platinum. 40,000 miles on it, so far so good. I have a Jeep too. It’s in the shop for the oil cooler at 85,000 miles but I have a lifetime warranty on it… thank God! lol. I bought the Toyota extended warranty too. 125,000/10 years.

[@deVrieco]

I’ve got the same one, same color. It’s amazing. I sleep in it, drive trails, camp in amazing places etc. pull a nice off road trailer with it. No issues so far. 71k miles already.

[@TheKingInHiding]

@@deVrieco that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Thankfully, everything has been just fine since I made this video last spring.

[@pacu7102]

Sorry to hear you had these issues but I really appreciate you posting this. It’s almost impossible to find real reviews that cover any potential flaws over all the positive Toyota fan boys and girls that worship these things. I have a 2022 TRD Pro (Unfortunately at 43K miles so past the bumper to bumper) and will be checking for these issues. The only issue I’ve had so far is a slight ticking when the air conditioning is on low. Dealership pretends not to hear it but I got them to put in writing they’ll cover the climate system if anything fails before 60K miles. Oh and as for your funny story about the Jeep I guess I can laugh at myself because I have both a Wrangler and 4Runner haha.

[@Gaarasanhao]

Thanks for sharing! I’m sorry you had to go through this with your 4Runner and Toyota. Similar to your thinking, and at that point in my life too, I was considering a 4Runner, buying into the “bullet proof” engine and longevity of the vehicle. Your video has helped me to remain rational when looking at the 4Runner.

[@sozoxd3754]

Dealerships always take advantage of older people. My grandparents would take thier jeep in for a an oil change my gramps is 83 years old he cant do it himself anymore. The dealership never changed the oil and the jeep blew up. I always offered to change the oil for them but they never wanted to bother me. Im a mechanic so if the dealership says thats normal i can always say "no it isnt im a mechanic so fix it." I feel bad for you man given your age this should be your last truck.

[@Dirk-my2zf]

I love my 2016 4Runner TRD PRO, it is bullet proof! My 2020 TRD Tacoma is absolutely reliable AF.

[@jfscotch]

First of all, beautiful truck and I hope you have better luck with her moving forward. Thanks for sharing your very detailed and comprehensive review of your experience with it. This is very timely as I have been considering the purchase of a 4-Runner before the new generation comes out this year. This is the first I have heard of any ABS issues with this but I have heard of the rust issues on the tailgate and especially on the frames underneath if you live in areas with snow. And, I have also heard of the Toyota paint easily chipping on these so if I do buy one, and after watching this review, it is unlikely, I would certainly get the bottom hit with some fluid film or other protectant and also get some paint protection. Thank you for the time and attention you have put into this video and I will say that you are a gentleman considering you didn't throw anyone under the bus on this. Believe me, they certainly deserved to be.

[@frb821]

Thank you for sharing. Like you I am nearing retirement and wanted a vehicle that would last as they are known for providing that you maintain them. So in 2023 I bought a TRD Off Road trim as you I do not plan on any rough trail balzing, just peridocally some moutain (forest road) drives and wanted the confidence that if I get into a situation I have the right options . I elected to have Toyota do the rust protection on the under body as the forums talked about of frames rusting out. When I got my truck back I was shocked at the sloppy job. There was many places that the was totally bare and the fenders had rust proofing spray on them. I contacted the dealership and they had it redone. Again when I got it back there was over spray on the body pannels. I have heard about the tailgate rust issues as well beneath the garnish and will keep a close eye on it as I purchased the extended warranty. It was alittle unsettling to hear about the barking issues that you encountered, so again I will be mindfull of this while it is still under warranty.

[@TheKingInHiding]

Sorry to hear about the sloppy workmanship you endured…thanks for the words of encouragement and I hope you have a great and retirement👊🏻

[@HolmanMoody-r6z]

TOYOTA OWES YOU A NEW TRUCK !!! Dude! They ruined your beautiful 4Runner AND treated you like GARBAGE !

[@TheKingInHiding]

Thanks man 👊🏻 Indeed I expected better from Toyota.

[@AG4runner]

This really sucks to hear. These dealerships really need to stand behind there customers. Good luck going forward.

[@vtlpluyr]

On my 4th 4Runner. It’s 9 years old with almost 300,000km. Mine has had a very hard life. Tailgate has been an issue with all of them but never until 200,000+. I change the oil every 20,000km and do almost nothing else. Sorry you had so many problems.

[@universalassociates6857]

I bought a 2012 4runner SR5 from a Dealer not in my area last year. I insisted that it be taken to a local mechanic for a pre-sale inspection before I would move forward on it. It checked out fine, but a few months later the code for a knock sensor tripped. I was shocked when my local mechanic told me how much it would cost to fix! In any event I needed to sell it for other reasons. Besides the knock sensor issue, it was fine. The frame rust was not bad when I bought it, but it surprised me how fast the rust advanced in just a few months. Look for that if you are in the market for one of these.

[@vincentl5363]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I wonder if car built in the 2020 and 2021 model year have a higher than "normal" defects. I can't imagine those assembling cars and trucks are doing it with their usual focus on quality during a time of global turmoil. It might "just be a 4Runner", but you deserve a 4Runner on your terms, that you paid for.

[@CaptainWillard830]

I own a 2020 TRD OffRoad Premium with Predator package. Barcelona Red. I’m sorry you got treated some poorly by the Toyota Dealership. That your Pro has had so many problems. Dealers are idiots for not always going above and beyond for every customer. That’s how they get customers to buy from them for life. Customers who refer other customers. Beautiful 4Runner, hopefully this issues are behind you. My condolences on the passing of your mother. She clearly made, and raised, a good person. A good man

[@michaelwas8549]

I bought a 4Runner brand new in 2017, best vehicle I've ever owned. 95k miles. No issues except hood latch cable. Sorry to hear about your issues with the Runner. Thats pretty crazy. About the trunk gate, we had a 2007 4Runner and we did replace the rear gate with a southern one as ours did rust through.

[@RoundEyeMood]

What a fantastic video. Great to hear the other side of ownership. It always amazes me these automotive reviewers speak so highly of these trucks but haven't actually own one for more than 1 day. Those testimonials seemed like paid advertising because they're buddies with the Toyota dealerahip. Thanks again, now at least i know what to expect.

[@GisonLee]

My experience with all dealerships reminds me of yours. I was going to purchase a 4Runner but opted for a Jeep Wrangler. Since my experience with dealership is so bad, I am just hoping that luck is on my side and that I never have to deal with any stealer ship from ANY car manufacturer. I presently own vehicles from several brands:Honda,Mazda,Toyota, GM, Ford and Jeep. I recently bought the Jeep 04/24. The best dealership experience was Honda. Toyota has always been ready to tell me no before I tell them what is happening. Mazda did everything to not honor a steering fault….I certainly believe that the auto industry needs a government body to PROTECT THE CONSUMER. Thank you for sharing your experience. Your 4Runner still looks great…

[@zackamanda9799]

7:29 I had a similar issue with my brand new 1998 4-Runner. To sweeten my deal the dealer thru in a couple extras like , Wheel Locks , Gold Plateing on the front grill logo and rear chrome 4-Runner and Toyota logo , and a hood wind deflector. The rubber grommets stuck to the hood fell off and without noticing , the wind deflector was now rubbing into the hood. I got lucky and caught it in time before it rubbed down to the bare metal. The dealer said the best they could do was to give me a bunch of new ruber grommets. I ended up just removing the hood deflector. Other then that I had no issues for 14 years before I sold it.

[@jmackd1]

goddamn, i was within hrs of purchasing a 2022 toyota certified 4 runner sr5 premium. like you i'm close to retirement, test drove it, liked it, was looking forward to use it for camping, cros country travels, etc. Dealership called me said someone came in, took one look at it and bought it. Thank god......After watching your video I'm glad they bought it....I know it's apples and oranges but i really like my 2016 honda civic 1.5 liter turbo, 175k of trouble free miles. I think I may go with a honda passport/pilot and stick with Honda.....Thank you for posting your troubles with Toyota / 4 Runner

[@tycotoys]

I have a 2020 4R TRD ORP W/KDSS Absolutely zero issues, most reliable vehicle I ever owned. Traded a 2013 Honda Accord that was one of the worse vehicles I ever owned, burned oil like crazy and Honda said that was normal oil consumption for the Earth Dreams engine. Refused to do anything about it. No more crappy Honda vehicles

[@spelisha]

So sorry you had all this happen man I’m on my 2nd 5th gen Hundreds of thousands of daily driver miles on fully built overland rigs with thousands of miles of cross country heavy towing, heavy snow use and Offroading All with zero mechanical issues other than a neutral safety switch that was seized on my 2013 My 2021 didn’t have these issues and I live in New England The vast majority of your problems are exacerbated by a dealer that is both incompetent and careless. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I had the choice with my 2021 to purchase a brand new 2022 or a 2021 with some miles on it that had gone through the certification process, and had , a couple modifications that I liked. Price was pretty much, the same, and I decided to go with a certified preowned because of the intensive process of the vehicle has to go through, even more so than a new vehicle. The smoking issue is common with most new vehicles, there are some dealers that will run the vehicle long enough for that to go away, so that it’s not an issue for the customer. The dent was completely caused by them, unfortunately, there’s no way of avoiding this other than taking time. Stamped photos right before it goes into the shop yourself. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. The tailgate, it is a pain to remove that plastic badge there on the back, but, some folks will get a clear paint protection film installed underneath that area, so it does not rust again. Interestingly enough, I have not had rust happen there, but rather only on the screw hardware for the license plate lights. The springs, that design has other issues as well, but this is not uncommon. I loved the JBL system, dual zone, climate, control, and sunroof in my limited, but I got an off-road premium because it was a better value. Unfortunately, they did not have one with KDSS in stock, which works out OK for me because of the heavy modifications I have done. For someone like you that is not heavily modifying, you would actually enjoy the KDSS much more on a daily basis than the fox suspension, which is low to midgrade at best. To be honest, I don’t know if too many guys in the groups that I follow in the channels that I watch that do the rock deflector stuff, a lot of those do have a tendency to tilt backwards, and I have seen it on sedan as well where the paint will chip, that Toyota accessory is not Toyota Japan, from what I understand, and I stay away from any accessories from Toyota that are not specifically designed by their Japanese group for this model. Rock deflectors can and will damage paint surfaces, on various vehicles. It’s just something that I avoid and prefer to apply PPF to the vehicle instead. Even with that deflector, your windshield will eventually crack and chip from highways. Anyway, it has limited effect in my experience, just my two. Cents. For the brakes issue, I suspect that they still have not discovered the root cause, and you might have further problems. Instead of dealing with Toyota corporate, I have dealt with them before, with a faulty airbag module that had a bracket and clips that were broken off After mild horn usage, I know that there is very little that they will do especially as a company that large. The kind of issues you were having with your brakes, I would’ve gone to another dealer, it’s actually find out what the issue was with the master cylinder, if at all. Those can go bad, but usually only on very high mileage vehicles, and it’s not something that’s common. I’m curious to know what actually happened and so sorry to hear that! Hope you’re enjoying the rig otherwise!

[@gnawty4662]

Unreal having to go through any of this. I’m tired of the whole “it’s normal. We can’t replicate the issue” BS. And then to only cover “half the cost” of your rust?! This video doesn’t get better. Sorry man Good on you for doing this video.

[@johns9150]

I bought a 2020 4Runner Venture package with KDSS, I have been fortunate I guess. I did; however, receive a letter from a law firm asking if I had experienced at death wobble with my 4Runner. Again, I have been lucky here too. I am going to check rust issue on tailgate in morning.

[@eyesea123]

I experienced the death wobble with my Jeep. It was scary. I just bought ORP with KDSS, is that a thing for 4runners with kdss?

[@MORES1971]

😎I think you were dealing with an unprofessional dealer, but Toyota's engine and transmission are number one when it comes to reliability! Apart from the problems you had, the Toyota should do at least 700,000 miles without any problems compared to other cars. Best wishes and thank you for this information because I like these cars, especially in UTAH, they are very good off-road🤠👍

[@vm2003]

Both Toyotas and Nissan have trucks that hit million miles without engine/transmission replacements. Toyota ain't the only one buddy 😅

[@johnkowalski5756]

I'm sorry to hear your story. Apparently, even Toyota quality and dealership service has gone down. I have a 2003 V8 4.7 liter 4 Runner Limited (2 wheel drive) which I bought used in Texas for $21,000 in 2006. It had 50,000 miles on it. I drive it on the weekends and on long drives out of state and so forth. It now has 142,000 miles on it. The following are the only major issues I've had thus far: 1. Master cylinder at 140,000 miles 2. AC recharging 2 years ago 3. Driver side door lock. The linkage broke inside. I've never had any engine, computer, suspension or transmission issues. Other than the above, it has just been regular maintenance. I am certain that quality control has indeed gone down along with dealership service. I had a similar experience with my 2008 Hyundai Accent. I had to constantly take it back to the dealership and they gave the same nonsensical/evasive answers that you were given. Only when I wrote a letter to the general manager of the dealership and demonstrated factually that this was a safety issue (brakes), did they finally correctly diagnose the problem and fix it. I did manage to find an independent small shop where the folks are honest and do good work. But it was trial and error. I hope your problems are fixed. This is unacceptable in a new vehicle.

[@Daniel-nr6iw]

Your video just happened to pop up and im glad it did. Im searching for my first new car in quite some time and recently decided on a new 4 Runner. This definitely gives me more to think about before buying. Gteat information in your video!

[@rj12345rj]

Thank you for sharing this, and sorry that you have to deal with all the hassle. I own a 2022 Tacoma TRD Pro- love the truck, but have had some issues as well. Haven’t had much luck with the dealer, but thankfully I haven’t had as many issues as you….

[@thepitpatrol]

We did have trouble with brake grab at times. We just unplugged the active brake system.

[@whozatwhatszat3312]

This was painful to watch since I also have a 2020 AG. I concur with the other comments saying to hold the dealership accountable by naming them, and the repair shop as well. That’s just poor quality workmanship/ethics all round. Thank you for bringing the brake issue to my attention. This is the first I’m hearing of it. Again, very sorry to hear you’ve had such a miserable experience with what should be a worry free truck.

[@allenmayer627]

I have a 2021 4 runner off road venture edition. No issues at all nothing. Best vehicle I have ever owned. I have been driving a car since 1967. Sorry to hear you have issues with your 4 runner.

[@phil6926]

Brother, feel your pain😢. I have owned 9 Toyotas including 3 4Runners and have had my share of experience with Toyota service departments. Most of them were positive since I was able to develop a good relationship with the service manager. I currently only own 1 Toyota, a 1996 4-Runner with 358k on the odometer that hasn’t seen a Toyota service department since 2010. The reason I stopped buying Toyotas was Toyota Canada and the “access Toyota” program introduced in 2003 where the MSRP became the selling price with very few negotiating options available. It was also about this time when Toyota began to follow the domestic manufacturers by transforming their interiors which had been the standard with soft touch surfaces, into seas of hard plastics prone to scratches, creaks and rattles. My 2002 Sequoia was full of them and I got rid of it after 5 years.

[@bonpecheur4565]

I dont know if I feel like crying or laughing , or both at the same time , but I hear you man , I know that feeling . Just purchase a new 2024 Crosstrek in last november. No issue until the temperature dropped under 0 degrees C . Than my suspension started making strange sounds as I hit any depressions on the road. Finally went for my oil change in march and told them about the sound . The advisor almost laughed at me , telling me its normal its a new car . I said that at 56 years old and not being my first car I would surely know if its normal or not . The technician took a look and reported it as there was no issue. Now thats its warmer , the noise is gone , but cant wait until next winter to see the same disturbing noise reapearing... I will ask my local mecanic to look after the problem , as a small business they are more sensible to the client than the dealership. Thanks for sharing

[@TheKingInHiding]

Sounds all so similar to my situation. Definitely doesn’t seem normal as you instinctively know. Document it all while it’s still fresh in your memory…just in case it happens again next winter. Unfortunately I didn’t react enough/soon ey with a couple of my issues. Thanks, and best of luck 👊🏻

[@bonpecheur4565]

@@TheKingInHiding thanks for the advise !

[@KamalaTheClown]

I’m sorry you went through this, friend. We have a 2019 Highlander XLE. About to hit 50,000 miles here soon. It’s never broken down on us and has been overall great. I was left with questionable interior build quality as the driver’s seat leather began to flake and was an absolute PIA dealing with toyota and the dealer but other than that has been great. We just purchased a 2024 Rav4 Limited Hybrid and about to hit 5,000 miles and has been great. The only issue is a creaking noise in the driver’s door which I will bring up at the dealer. What I can say (and may not be applicable to you as your 4Runner is such) is that in my experience so far, the Japanese built Rav4 is better built than our North American built Highlander but maybe it’s just me?

[@choncha23]

Bro! I got a 2021 4Runner on December 2020. Say your video about the paint when the rear 4 Runner sign is. Went to check and what do you know. Past the 3 year mark this past December.