26th Dec 2010, 23:27

Found this site and have an impending sense of doom. My 98 Tacoma got destroyed when a drunk driver crossed the center line. With the pittance that I was given for this vehicle, I bought a 95 4Runner. It has 135000 miles on it, and within a week quit going in to 4th gear. My Taco had 200000 miles on it and drove like a champ (4 cylinder...); I would not have though twice about driving it across the country. It had been that reliable.

Now that I have this 4Runner, I am nervous. I wish I had run across this head gasket info prior to making a purchase. Do not rely on Edmund's or other sites of their ilk for info on your automobile purchase other than street value. They are woefully negligent on information regarding reliability. It looks as though I have bought a hobby for my money. If the tests for the tranny turn up to be nothing more than wiring or sensors, I will try the headers and cross my fingers.

16th Feb 2011, 00:08

One more to the count. My 95 4Runner started to release white smoke and coolant started to leak inside of the engine at 142000 miles. I drove it for ten years before it broke down.

I am very mad at Toyota because they did not offer me any help when I asked. The cost to fix the head is about 2000 dollars.

I will not buy a Toyota again.

28th Feb 2011, 08:12

Same story with my 95 Toyota 4Runner.

Mine had 142000 miles when the HG blew. I am not going to fix it. It is too expensive and I prefer to buy another car instead.

No more Toyota for me either.

aavadrian7@hotmail.com.

6th Mar 2011, 22:39

I have a 95 4Runner with 172000 miles on it and the HG blew for the second time and to fix it it will be $1700. Not worth it.

So add me to the list as well. ivanarseniy@yahoo.com.

Hope they get this covered soon.

30th Apr 2011, 22:55

My 1995 4 Runner ran great and was reliable for the the past 11 years. But now, with only 140k, the head gasket blew.

I love the truck, but after reading these reviews, I am afraid to spend the 2,000.00 to have it repaired! If the repair doesn't hold up, then I'm really out of luck!!

Can't sell it the way it is... Probably use it as a trade in at a dealership, so I can get something out of it.

wendo@q.com

24th Dec 2011, 01:02

I'm on my 3rd 4-Runner of the 91-95 body style.

Kind of Crazy: My FIRST was a Silver '91 with 4 wheel drive. Bought in Minnesota and moved out to L.A. with it. Blew a head gasket at 160K miles on the odometer in L.A. I thought the car garage I brought it to for oil changes, may have been unethical.

My SECOND 4-Runner was dark green, and got keyed in a parking lot, and so I used it for a trade in on a White '95 4-Runner (Certified Used with 56K miles). I drove it for a decade, and moved back to Minnesota with it. Always changed the oil every 3 months, and got the recommended services.

With 153K on the odometer, my head gasket was leaking coolant, really bad. I need to replace the head gasket. If I had come across this site after my first 4-runner, I wouldn't have gotten 2 more of them.

Do we need to contact a lawyer and threaten a class action lawsuit in order to get some type of recall?

16th Nov 2012, 11:49

There was a RECALL from Toyota on the head gasket problem... The repair is free.

9th Jan 2013, 21:38

Well I called Toyota today because I have a blown head gasket as well UGH!!!!! My 1994 4runner was part of the recall, but they said it was replaced in 2000. I have 132k on it and can't stand not to fix it. I love this 4runner it, and has been very good to me =(

1300$ HERE WE GO =(

22nd Jun 2014, 02:02

My 95 was bad when I bought it at 145k, and I found the radiator was totally plugged, which led to excessive overheating, thus the head gasket issue. I have spent over 3k to date; have rebuilt the entire top end.

So now the question is how long should it last if properly maintained...

13th Oct 2015, 18:00

I have a 95 4Runner. I bought it 3 years ago for $3,200 with around 144,000 on it. It now has 164,000 miles on it and I think it needs head gaskets. It overheated and runs rough, and now I can't drive it. Was there a recall for this problem? Please contact me at smalltime123@aol.com and let me know.

Thank you. Alan.