"How reliable is the 2005 Toyota 4 Runner?"

"Based on 20 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Toyota 4 Runner has a median complaint mileage of 1250 miles. The most common issue is SEATS."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Toyota 4 Runner?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Toyota 4 Runner is SEATS, accounting for a significant portion of the 20 total complaints filed."

2005 Toyota 4 Runner: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 20 complaints

Total Complaints

1,250mi

Median Mileage

SEATS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

32 25th Percentile

1,250 Median Mileage

4,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEATS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

SUSPENSION

STEERING

POWER TRAIN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHEELS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"NEW 2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4X4 STARTED TO SHOW SEAT RATTLES AFTER 500 MILES. TALKED TO DEALER AND TWO SERVICE DEPARTMENTS, TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS HAS DEEMED THE SEAT RATTLE AN "INHERENT TOYOTA" PROBLEM. NO SERVICE CAN BE DONE UNTIL TOYOTA ISSUES TSBS. SINCE ALL NEW 4RUNNERS COME FROM JAPAN WITH THE RATT..."

"STEERING VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS - 2 DEALERSHIPS UNABLE TO BALANCE WHEELS - POSSIBLE TIRE/WHEEL DEFECT. *JB"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 3 FL: 3 NH: 2 GA: 2 NY: 2 MD: 2 LA: 1 NV: 1 DE: 1 OH: 1

Who Files Complaints?

95%

Original Owners

Second+ Owners

Toyota 4 Runner — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1994	61	110,334	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	9
1995	149	104,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	12
1996	111	113,413	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	14
1997	163	86,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	30
1998	134	65,000	TIRES	17
1999	134	72,505	TIRES	22
2000	118	47,150	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR	26
2001	34	48,000	TIRES:TREAD/BELT	4
2002	45	19,800	TIRES	12
2003	188	600	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM	1
2004	76	969	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR	6

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