The 2001 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 206 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
53
1fires2injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
22
SUSPENSION
21
POWER TRAIN
17
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
17
STEERING
7
1crashes1injuries
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
7
ENGINE
5
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
5
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE
5
Total complaints206
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2001 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, there was a thumping and clicking sound coming from the front of the vehicle before the front passenger’s side of the vehicle unintendedly lowered. The vehicle was stopped and inspected, and the…”
“Rusted frame cracked by back driver side tire”
“The contact owns a 2001 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that he noticed a swaying while driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who stated that the sub frame was severely rusted between the sway bar and the differential. The certified mechanic referred the contact to…”
“The frame is rusting out and is deemed unsafe to drive”
“I bought my 4runner in 2021 and am just now getting ready to sell it. Did a carfax report and it shows a possible odometer rollback that the previous owner did in 2020. When I bought the vehicle it was my understanding that the vehicle had only 160,000 miles on it but it apparently had 236,900…”
“The vehicle frame has rusted through. My mechanic says this is unable to be inspected and should not be driven.”
“The vehicle frame has rusted through. My mechanic says this is unable to be inspected and should not be driven.”
“The frame of my 2001 toyota 4runner is rusted to the point that you can break some of it off in our hand. Recently took my vehicle in for an oil change and was told that it would not pass inspection in its current condition. This required welding to some sections in order to keep driving. The…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Toyota 4runner as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.