2008 Toyota 4Runner: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 134 complaints
134
Total Complaints
59,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
15
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

18,700 25th Percentile
59,000 Median Mileage
119,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
16
STRUCTURE:BODY
14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
13
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
12
SUSPENSION
11
SERVICE BRAKES
10
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10
ENGINE
7
STEERING
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
5

Severity Assessment

15
Crashes
2
Fires
11
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN WEARING SUNGLASSES (POLARIZED) THE VEHICLE'S RADIO AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL DISPLAYS CANNOT BE READ. THIS CAUSES THE DRIVER TO TAKE OFF OR LOWER THEIR PRESCRIPTION OR REGULAR SUNGLASSES IN ORDER TO READ THE DISPLAYS. DOING THIS WHILE DRIVING SEEMS TO ME TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS ADDITIONAL DISTRA..."
"NEW, FROM 15,000- 25, 000 MILES, 2008 TOYOTA FOUR RUNNER, JERKING WHEN ACCELERATED ON THE FREEWAY. IT IS AS IF THE SHIFT GEAR OR TRANSMISSION IS NOT PROPERLY WORKING. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES AFTER THE 15, 000 MILE SERVICE. FIRST DEALERSHIP WORKERS STATED NOTHING WRONG. CURRENT DEALERSH..."
"EVERY TIME I TAKE A TIGHT LEFT U TURN, WITH MY 2008 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, A METAL TO METAL THUMPING SOUND OCCURS. MY TOYOTA SERVICE MAN SAID THAT THIS IS NORMAL. THAT TOYOTA NO LONGER PROVIDES A RUBBER PIECE BETWEEN THE TWO OFFENDING METAL PARTS LIKE IT DID IN THE PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF 4 RUNNERS. *TR"

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