"How reliable is the 1998 Toyota 4Runner?"

"Based on 168 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Toyota 4Runner has a median complaint mileage of 170000 miles. The most common issue is STRUCTURE:BODY."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Toyota 4Runner?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Toyota 4Runner is STRUCTURE:BODY, accounting for a significant portion of the 168 total complaints filed."

1998 Toyota 4Runner: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 168 complaints

168

Total Complaints

170,000mi

Median Mileage

STRUCTURE:BODY

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

130,000 25th Percentile

170,000 Median Mileage

222,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE:BODY

SUSPENSION

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STEERING

POWER TRAIN

STRUCTURE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"***SECOND OCCURRENCE ON SAME VEHICLE*** WHILE TRAVELING STRAIGHT, A VEHICLE TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF OUR 4RUNNER. WE BRAKED FAIRLY HARD. UPON BRAKING, THE LEFT REAR SEAT BELT MADE A WHIRLING NOISE AND COMPLETELY LOST TENSION WHILE UNRAVELING. THIS CAUSED THE REAR OCCUPANT (PROPERLY BUCKLED IN) TO MO..."

"I LOVE MY 1998 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER SR5 - BUT I HATE THE EXPENSE OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM. IN THE 5 YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED MY VEHICLE I HAVE HAD TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM PADS, ROTORS, DRUMS, CABLES ETC FOUR TIMES. IT IS NEVER JUST THE PADS. EVERY SINGLE TIME I'VE TAKEN IT IN FOR A BR..."

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