Complaints about the 2015 Toyota 4RUNNER peaked in 2020, with 19 filed
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
SUV, gasoline, 4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4, built in Japan. Owner complaints on file from Feb 19, 2015 to Sep 20, 2025.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20V-012 | Jan 13, 2020 | On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser,… | Fuel system | 1,830,752 | Part replacement |
| 19V-741 | Oct 17, 2019 | These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design | Airbags | 928,220 | Part replacement |
| 19V-005 | Jan 9, 2019 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014… | Airbags | 1,299,448 | Part replacement |
| 17V-763 | Nov 29, 2017 | U-nut that secures the overlay grille may fracture, allowing the Billet Grille Overlay to detach from the vehicle | Structure | 431 | Part replacement |
| 17V-425 | Jul 3, 2017 | Adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle | Equipment | 3,547 | Not stated |
| 16V-577 | Aug 3, 2016 | Affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly burn them while… | Engine and cooling | 425 | Repair or modification |
| 16V-228 | Apr 20, 2016 | Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories | Equipment | 844 | Repair or modification |
| 15V-515 | Aug 13, 2015 | Affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly burn them while… | Engine and cooling | 2,530 | Repair or modification |
| 14V-828 | Dec 30, 2014 | Affected vehicles may have accessories installed by SET, such as running boards or other items, that were incorrectly installed | Equipment | 3,958 | Repair or modification |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
86 complaints on file, page 1 of 5.
Drove the car on empty tank and I had issues the following day after I refilled $60 gas.Car stalling/ hard to turn on, doesn’t stay on.
NHTSA complaint 11688562Front Coil Spring Cracking (TRD Pro Models) I observed cracking of the front coil spring, a design defect in the spring's termination and how it sits on the top hat and bottom perch. This can lead to a sudden loss of control and a crash. Furthermore, pieces of the broken spring coil can fly out underneath the vehicle and cause serious injury to person and/or damage property, when vehicle is driven at highway speeds.
NHTSA complaint 11666476My transmission went off with no warnings and my vehicle has been serviced at the Toyota dealer since I bought it and they never mentioned to me there was an issue with my transmission which is very odd. So I was wondering is this is normal or if there others owners with the same problem. Now I don’t have a vehicle because the transmission is in back order and I can’t even get a rental car because it wasn’t an accident or a recall. So I would like for you to look into this issue for this Toyota model.
NHTSA complaint 11660130The contact owns a 2015 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that on four occasions while diving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after approximately 10 minutes after each failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,400.
NHTSA complaint 11620980I was just in my second front end collision and for the second time, my front airbags did not deploy. The first instance, I hit a deer head on going 75 mph on the interstate. Last week, I T-bone F150 at 35mph - hard enough to make that truck spin around - and had injuries to my head, knee, and hand, and yet the airbag did not deploy once again. In both cases, my car sustained over $10,000 and damage to the front end.
NHTSA complaint 11582973All of a sudden it was so difficult to steer I ended up off my driveway and almost took out my chain link fence. Two hands on left side of the steering wheel and yanked with all my strength. Then across my drive to the left. If this had happened turning onto a highway someone could have been killed.
NHTSA complaint 11573296The door lock actuators have failed on both the driver side and passenger side front doors. Unfortunately this is a know issue across this model along with others and can be found in several forums. The problem is that the actuator gets stuck and at one point I was locked inside my car and once I was locked outside my car. If there was an emergency it could put mine and others safety at risk if the lock fails. The vehicle was inspected by Toyota who stated the actuators need to be replaced at $805 a piece and will not fix it themselves even though it is a known problem. This happened within the last month.
NHTSA complaint 11557501Rusted Frame and radiator support cross member!
NHTSA complaint 11549070My 4 runner was hit on the passenger side while crossing a intersection. The truck that hit my 4 runner was going at least 40 miles per hr and was a heavy duty pickup truck. On impact the airbags did NOT deploy but the 4 runner went haywire.
NHTSA complaint 11515049Steering shudder at 58-70 MPH has become almost unbearable. No warning lights whatsoever - ever! Vehicle has had this issue since 30K miles (110K currently) and Toyota always is "unable to replicate the issue" or tells people this is common on the 4 Runners and Tacoma's. I won't go to dealers anymore since Toyota knows it's a problem and they direct the dealers not to report to keep the issue cluster diluted. Any visible wheel shake, no matter what speed should not be considered "common". Just replaced all 4 tires with Pirelli Scorpions, did the recommended Toyota road force balance and had everything aligned. Doesn't drive any differently than with the old tires and out of alignment. Perhaps if the Toyota brass had to drive their OWNfamily in this vehicle, they would take a different position. Guess it will unfortunately take some highway fatalities in these vehicles before manufacturer or governments act. I'm praying for a class-action suit as there are 1000s of 4 Runner customers experiencing the same issue. Many of whom have sold at a loss just to get away from an unsafe vehicle. First Toyota I've owned and it will be the last.
NHTSA complaint 11506610Three of the four locks do not work on a consistent basis. The fourth lock works on occasion. Neither the key fob or the actual key will open the doors on the vehicle. The front driver door lock was replaced while under warranty, but broke again in under a month. The front passenger door lock was replaced at an out of pocket cost, but it also in a stopped working in a matter of weeks. There are times when the only access to the vehicle is through the trunk. The safety for all passengers is at risk because you cannot enter the vehicle in case of emergency or even on a daily basis. Also, the locks may not work when you are inside the vehicle and need to exit. This is an extreme safety issue in case of emergency. The locks have been replaced twice and the dealer acknowledged there is an issue with this year and model. The locks were inspected by the Toyota dealership when they had to be replaced. It is a well known defect which is commented on countless vehicle websites. There were no warning messages, the locks just stopped working. The date listed below is an approximation. I am aware of the year.
NHTSA complaint 11474476Noticed the frame on the passenger side of the vehicle is rusting and I’m concerned about a safety issue. I know there was a rust-related class action on earlier model Toyota’s. The rust is most prevalent on the solder joints, which has me concerned about driving safety.
NHTSA complaint 11468597'The "KDSS" (kinetic dynamic suspension system) valve located on the frame under the driver's door had corroded to the point where the oil in the system had begun to leak out. The warning light did come on the dashboard days prior to the leak. Vehicle was taken to a Toyota dealership, where they assessed there was low pressure in the system. The service advisor advised that if the system loses all the fluid, the suspension and handling may be affected when steering or braking at high speeds or when making sharp turns.
NHTSA complaint 11465154Steering wheel shake and vibration at approximately 55-65mph. Alignment and multiple wheel balancing appointments have not fixed this problem.
NHTSA complaint 11445060This is our third Toyota 4Runner with the "X-REAS Sport Enhancement Suspension System". There has been some type of failure of this system on all 3 of the 4Runners we have owned. The latest problem with this suspension system on our 2015 4Runner was discovered during a Toyota dealership service appointment at 42,091 miles. It was recommended the full X-REAS system, front and rear shocks with lines and actuators be completely replaced since both front shocks are leaking fluid at a cost of $4,000. Since this is our third 4Runner with this suspension and related problems it is our fear that this suspension system might fail when driving and possibly cause an incident with who knows what could happen. We have brought this to the attention of the Toyota Customer Experience Center and in communication with them they offered to minimally assist financially with repairs, but provided no acknowledgement as to our experience with three 4Runners and this problem plagued suspension system we have encountered. We declined their assistance since we felt repairing this system and possibly in two or three years being faced with similar repair bills it would be a waste of money on their part as well as ours. In the meantime we continue to drive this vehicle as we need it and we are hopeful that our safety will not be compromised.
NHTSA complaint 11442519Toyota 4 runner had a recall for the fuel pump. I have been having starting issues with it ever since. The power is good and the starter tries to turn the vehicle over. But the vehicle won't start. I have taken it to multiple locations for service through out the chicago land area. Also once the vehicle finally does start. The R.P.M.s will suddenly increase and decrease to the point that the vehicle turns off while in drive. I can provide print outs when the vehicle gets fixed, if ever. I purchased the vehicle as CPO.
NHTSA complaint 11434690THE DEALERSHIP IS NOT RESPONSIVE TO OUR REQUEST TO HAVE THE CAR REPAIRED.
NHTSA complaint 11384748THE FUEL PUMP FAILED DURING DRIVING WHICH WAS DESCRIBED IN A RECALL BUT TOYOTA WILL NOT FIX OR REIMBURSE THE REPAIR
NHTSA complaint 11363259TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO LOCK AND UNLOCK THE PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR. THE CONTACT CONTACTED KERRY TOYOTA SERVICE FLORENCE (6050 HOPEFUL CHURCH RD, FLORENCE, KY 41042; (859) 371-1518) AND THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER'S SIDE LOCK ACTUATOR. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE LOCK ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO THE NHTSA FOR ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.
NHTSA complaint 11362165MY CHILDREN AND I ALMOST DIED TWICE! 4 RUNNER ALMOST CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. 9/24/20, 6:15 PMISH, VEHICLE IN MOTION FOR APPROXIMATELY OVER AN HOUR, 70MPH CRUISE CONTROL SET, BEGINNING TO CLIMB UP A LARGE MOUNTAIN WESTBOUND INTERSTATE 8. ENGINE HESITATES/STALLS BRIEFLY, STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT, CAR SHUDDERED, WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE, ONLY LASTED SECONDS. AT A SLOWER SPEED ENGINE BACK UP AND ALL WAS FINE, ASSUMED IT WAS NOT A MAJOR ISSUE. CONTINUED DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS AT SAME HIGHER SPEEDS AND FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. 9/26/20, AROUND 6:30 PM, VEHICLE IN MOTION FOR OVER AN HOUR, ABOUT 70MPH FLOW OF TRAFFIC, NOT IN CRUISE CONTROL, FLAT ROAD, EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 8, LEFT LANE OF 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC. ENGINE STALLS/HESITATES FOR ABOUT 10 LONG SECONDS, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, ALMOST RAN INTO BARRICADE ON LEFT, ALMOST RAN INTO CAR ON RIGHT, LUCKILY NO ONE BEHIND US. SAW BLACKISH SMOKE OUT REARVIEW MIRROR. LOUD SOUNDS, SHAKING AND GRINDING. AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS AND CRYING/SCREAMING KIDS, ENGINE NO LONGER STALLED AND WAS ABLE TO CONTROL VEHICLE TO TURN ON HAZARDS. WE ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! SAFETY EXITED, CONTACTED TOYOTA SERVICE TO INFORM THEM. VEHICLE TOWED 161 MILES TO DEALERSHIP, THEY SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND WERE READY TO RELEASE IT TO US. BACK STORY, MOST ALL SERVICE PERFORMED BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND DID WHAT WAS SUGGESTED. 8/31/20 TOYOTA POWAY INSTALLED FUEL PUMP SAFETY RECALL (PRIOR TO THIS I HAD NO ISSUE, THIS WAS PREVENTATIVE) A WEEK LATER ENGINE LIGHT ON, ALEXANDER TOYOTA, FINDS MY SAFETY RECALLED PART WAS INCORRECTLY SECURED/INSTALLED. THEY FIXED IT AND RETURNED THE CAR. SINCE THE FUEL PUMP SAFETY RECALL PART WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING ENGINE HESITATION/STALLS, OUR VEHICLE IS UNSAFE CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OF DEATH.
NHTSA complaint 11361932Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.