Faults:

My cylinder head gasket blew after owning this car for 1 week.

It was a relatively easy repair that cost under $200.

General Comments:

This 4Runner is a 4 cylinder model and is great on highway, not so terrific in the city. My previous vehicle was also a 4Runner, but a 3.0L V6-a truly magnificent engine that cannot be killed.

4Runners seriously need larger gas tanks, a 50L tank is a real pain for a vehicle of it's size.

My other 4Runner a 1990 has 363,000 on the engine and it runs like clockwork. It has had a few age associated problems, but I cannot complain. I bought it 10 years ago for $6500 and I am selling it now for $3000.

4Runners are difficult to kill, but I would highly recommend you choose the V6 engine with manual transmission.

Faults:

Blown head gasket!

I heard about the recall on these engines when it came out and asked three differnt dealers if my vehicle was included. All of them assured me that the bad engines were built three months earlier and I didn't have anything to worry about!

Guess what?

At 139,000 miles the head gasket is gone. Water passage portion sucked/blown into the water passage and deposited in the radiator!

Gee, had an '87 4Runner, put 290,000 on it in 7 years and never had a problem.

Has anyone out there had any luck getting these "supposedly OK" engines covered by Toyota?

General Comments:

Fabric has worn prematurely!

Faults:

Head gasket was replaced under the recall, but never actually failed.

A small oil leak has started from the driver's side of the engine. The dealer quoted a new rear main seal, not cheap.

Poor power from the 3.0.

Rear coil springs weaken after a short time causing the 4Runner "lazy butt".

Idler arm worn out at 80k.

Small electrical draw. Whenever there's a load (turn signal, head lights) the amp meter pulsates until the RPMS increase.

Annoying noise from the air intake cover. The flapper makes a vibrating noise with the RPMS from 1k to 2500.

General Comments:

Overall the 4Runner has done well. I've spent money doing the typical maintenance, but nothing major yet. The rear main seal will end up costing a few dollars, but I will probably do the work myself. I do not baby this vehicle either. I've got a 4x4 for a reason and I intend to use it, from the beaches of North Carolina to the mountains of West Virginia. I plan to go another 100k or more before even thinking about another vehicle.

Faults:

Another 1995 4 Runner gasket problem.

General Comments:

Well at 72000 miles. my faithful 4 Runner has a head gasket leaking. Was told there was no recall on it. So it will be going to the used car lot, so I don't have to deal with it. Will I buy another Toyota? Call me stupid, but YES!!! I also own a 1986 Toyota pickup and a 1995 Tacoma pickup with no problems. Plan to buy a new Tacoma or 4 Runner.

Faults:

Engine check light came on, but it was my fault. I pulled a connection loose that I shouldn't have and it threw the computer off. That cost me $45 bucks to reset.

Head gasket was covered under factory recall. This was an on going problem with Toys because of the temperature difference between the cast iron block and the aluminum heads. They finally solved it with about the seventh generation of gaskets.

General Comments:

Solid 4-wheeler, will climb trees if needed!

3.0 a bit underpowered, but can be improved with minor modifications.

For starters, lose the stock muffler and open up the exhaust from the converter back. I went with a dina max muffler and a 2.5 exhaust pipe to the rear.

Next put in a K&N air cleaner.

Gap the plugs about three thousands over stock and you will be amazed at the difference.

Keep it tuned, and don't forget the all important valve adjustment at the specified time. The "Hockey Puck" adjustment must be done by a trusted pro. I wouldn't recommend a dealer. I had mine done by a trusted friend who has been a pro mechanic for years. When he was done with it, the performance blew my mind. It runs like a pup with 106,000 miles.