"How reliable is the 1997 Toyota 4Runner?"

"Based on 200 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Toyota 4Runner has a median complaint mileage of 175000 miles. The most common issue is SUSPENSION."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Toyota 4Runner?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Toyota 4Runner is SUSPENSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 200 total complaints filed."

1997 Toyota 4Runner: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 200 complaints

200

Total Complaints

175,000mi

Median Mileage

SUSPENSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

149,112 25th Percentile

175,000 Median Mileage

210,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION

STRUCTURE:BODY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

STEERING

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

POWER TRAIN

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

SUSPENSION:REAR

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 97 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4WD THAT APPEARED TO HAVE A LOWER BALL JOINT FAILURE. I HAVE NOTIFIED TOYOTA AND WAS ISSUED A CASE NUMBER- INCIDENT: 061011-000352. OUR VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 133,000 MILES ON IT AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY OFF ROAD CONDITIONS. VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN O..."

"ON DECEMBER 27, I RECEIVED NOTICE THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION ON MY 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER HAD BEEN RECALLED. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN ROSEVILLE AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING MY CAR IN FOR THE "ONE HOUR SERVICE" TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AFTER TAKING FRIDAY, JANURAY 5 OFF WORK, I MADE ARRANGEMEN..."

"I HAVE BEEN SENT MANY NOTICES FROM TOYOTA INDICATING A RECALL ON MY 1997 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER. THE DEALER REFUSED TO FIX THE RECALL SINCE IT INVOLVED REMOVING AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT IN THE AREA OF THE DEFECT. I WROTE TOYOTA AND TOLD THEM THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THEY REPLIED BY PHONE THAT I WOULD HAVE TO R..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28