2005 Toyota 4RUNNER Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 4RUNNER years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 425 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Toyota 4RUNNER. That ranks 4th out of 32 4RUNNER model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is structure (185 complaints, 44%), typically at around 128,000 miles. Complaints mention 19 crashes, 3 fires, 13 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 425owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 19complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Toyota 4RUNNER problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure problems | 185 | 44% | 128,000 | “frame rust” (14%) | — |
| Suspension problems | 77 | 18% | 127,500 | “frame rusted” (14%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 67 | 16% | 150,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 29 | 7% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 29 | 7% | 48,675 | — | — |
| Power Train | 25 | 6% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 21 | 5% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 19 | 4% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16 | 4% | 53,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 15 | 4% | 166,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 3% | 106,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 12 | 3% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 12 | 3% | 115,063 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 10 | 2% | 13,550 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 9 | 2% | 160,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 7 | 2% | 47,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 6 | 1% | 500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 1% | 108,953 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 1% | 44,027 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 0% | 6 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | 59,114 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | 90,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Toyota 4RUNNER recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler
Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Air bags:side/window
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently.
Risk: If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB.
Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 lexus lx570, 2003 through 2009 toyota 4runner, and 2006 through 2010 rav4 vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Fix: The remedy is now available. The safety recall began early april 2011. The remedy will involve modification or replacement of the accelerator pedal and replacement of any toyota all-weather floor mat. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Frame corrosion (DP18002) — opened Aug 17, 2018, closed Mar 18, 2022.
- Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration (RQ10003) — opened Feb 16, 2010, closed Mar 1, 2011, led to recall 11V112000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Head gasket failure. 2005 toyota 4runner generation are notorious for head gasket failure. Due to the poor manufacturing of the gasket it has been deteriorating and has allowed coolant to leak into the cylinder causing misfires and possibly more damage internally. including permanent mechanical…
I have a 2005 Toyota 4runner with frame rust that has caused everything under my 4runner to rust. Toyota knows these frames have problems with rust and corrosion and have done nothing, I am far from being the only one with this complaint or problem. It is up for inspection anytime. I have taken it…
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2005 Toyota 4Runner. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 217,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 342,912.
Premature/unsafe frame rot
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and was unable to accelerate, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an…
Other Toyota 4RUNNER years
← 2004 4RUNNER · 2006 4RUNNER →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 4RUNNER | 7 | 2 |
| 2025 4RUNNER | 60 | 1 |
| 2024 4RUNNER | 9 | 1 |
| 2023 4RUNNER | 32 | 1 |
| 2022 4RUNNER | 39 | 3 |
| 2021 4RUNNER | 36 | 1 |
| 2020 4RUNNER | 33 | 1 |
| 2019 4RUNNER | 65 | 4 |
| 2018 4RUNNER | 58 | 5 |
| 2017 4RUNNER | 36 | 5 |
| 2016 4RUNNER | 79 | 8 |
| 2015 4RUNNER | 86 | 9 |
| 2014 4RUNNER | 77 | 7 |
| 2013 4RUNNER | 36 | 6 |
| 2012 4RUNNER | 96 | 8 |
| 2011 4RUNNER | 163 | 10 |
| 2010 4RUNNER | 146 | 12 |
| 2009 4RUNNER | 22 | 6 |
| 2008 4RUNNER | 96 | 5 |
| 2007 4RUNNER | 154 | 5 |
| 2006 4RUNNER | 381 | 5 |
| 2005 | 425 | 5 |
| 2004 4RUNNER | 678 | 2 |
| 2003 4RUNNER | 695 | 3 |
| 2002 4RUNNER | 225 | 1 |
| 2001 4RUNNER | 185 | 1 |
| 2000 4RUNNER | 483 | 0 |
| 1999 4RUNNER | 330 | 0 |
| 1998 4RUNNER | 250 | 1 |
| 1997 4RUNNER | 261 | 1 |
| 1996 4RUNNER | 161 | 2 |
| 1995 4RUNNER | 172 | 1 |
See all Toyota 4RUNNER problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
Similar Toyota models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Toyota 4RUNNER?
Owners most often report structure, suspension, unknown or other problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 185 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Toyota 4RUNNER?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Toyota 4RUNNER a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 4RUNNER model years, the 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.