2002 Toyota 4RUNNER Structure Problems
Owners have filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER, 39% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 142,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “excessive rust” (11% of reports).
- 88structure complaints
- 142,500median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Excessive rust: mentioned in 10 of 88 complaints (11%)
- Frame rear: mentioned in 9 of 88 complaints (10%)
- Rusted through: mentioned in 8 of 88 complaints (9%)
- Routine maintenance: mentioned in 5 of 88 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 64 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 88 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Toyota 4RUNNER structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 4RUNNER | 7 | 12% | — |
| 2024 4RUNNER | 3 | 33% | 2,038 |
| 2020 4RUNNER | 2 | 6% | 4,550 |
| 2019 4RUNNER | 3 | 5% | 25,250 |
| 2018 4RUNNER | 5 | 9% | 15,000 |
| 2017 4RUNNER | 2 | 6% | 28,000 |
| 2016 4RUNNER | 8 | 10% | 25,000 |
| 2015 4RUNNER | 8 | 9% | 41,916 |
| 2014 4RUNNER | 8 | 10% | 29,750 |
| 2013 4RUNNER | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2012 4RUNNER | 2 | 2% | 54,072 |
| 2011 4RUNNER | 9 | 6% | 29,998 |
| 2010 4RUNNER | 12 | 8% | 101,550 |
| 2009 4RUNNER | 3 | 14% | 114,000 |
| 2008 4RUNNER | 16 | 17% | 90,000 |
| 2007 4RUNNER | 40 | 26% | 85,000 |
| 2006 4RUNNER | 143 | 38% | 126,728 |
| 2005 4RUNNER | 185 | 44% | 128,000 |
| 2004 4RUNNER | 310 | 46% | 137,000 |
| 2003 4RUNNER | 284 | 41% | 138,500 |
| 2002 4RUNNER | 88 | 39% | 142,500 |
| 2001 4RUNNER | 81 | 44% | 129,000 |
| 2000 4RUNNER | 256 | 53% | 145,000 |
| 1999 4RUNNER | 112 | 34% | 176,500 |
| 1998 4RUNNER | 78 | 31% | 170,000 |
| 1997 4RUNNER | 76 | 29% | 177,304 |
| 1996 4RUNNER | 42 | 26% | 185,000 |
| 1995 4RUNNER | 4 | 2% | 110,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists structure for the 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Frame rot
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while inspecting underneath the vehicle, he noticed that there was a hole in the subframe and that the subframe and sway bar were corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The…
Frame is excessively rusted. The recall that already exists for this issue only covers certain frames from Japan made with this steel. However, the same frames were imported to America and a large percentage of 4Runners were made with the same steel and didnât receive a recall. Mine is one of…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Toyota 4RUNNERs have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 88 owner complaints about structure for the 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER (39% of the 225 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER structure?
No recall currently lists structure for this vehicle.
At what mileage do structure problems start?
The median reported mileage is 142,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about structure problems on the 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER?
The most frequent phrase is “excessive rust”, in 10 of 88 complaints, followed by “frame rear” (9).
See all 2002 Toyota 4RUNNER problems or structure problems across all 4RUNNER years.