2008 Toyota 4RUNNER Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 4RUNNER years
- About as many complaints as other years 16th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 96 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER. That ranks 16th out of 32 4RUNNER model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (27 complaints, 28%), typically at around 23,678 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 2 fires, 9 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 96owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 27 | 28% | 23,678 | — | — |
| Structure | 16 | 17% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 16 | 17% | 20,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 12 | 13% | 129,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 11% | 83,600 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 10 | 10% | 103,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 7% | 119,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 5 | 5% | 95,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 5% | 31,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 5% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 4% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 4% | 27,301 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 3% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 3% | 112,250 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 2% | 23,711 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 93,463 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 115,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 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.
Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler
Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
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
- 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.
DIAGNOSIS FOUND TRANS FLUID WICKING UP HARNESS TO ENGINE ECM CONTAMINATING HARNESS AND ECU GIVEN FALSE/ABNORMAL READINGS AT ECM. EXTENSIVE REPAIRS NECESSARY W/ INTERNAL TRANS WIRE REPLACEMENT, ENGINE HARNESS REPLACEMENT & ENGINE ECU REPLACEMENT. OTHER CLEANING MAY BE NECESSARY OR OTHER HARNESS…
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking spot and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that she might have shifted into park(P) and stopped the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated while at a…
On August 11th 2024 at approximately 8:30PM I was hit on the passenger side of my vehicle. As a result both passenger doors were smashed in. And had also been shoved into the car and causing the passenger seat to be stuck between the doors and center console. There was ZERO airbag deployment. There…
Hitch bent when pulling small ATV trailer. Under inspection of vehicle found the frame rusted out at the rear crossmember. Called Toyota @[XXX], they stated no coverage for this condition. Case #[XXX]. If this broke off it could have killed someone. This was verified at a Toyota dealer at last…
The actuator in the transfer case went bad in such a way as to not allow the vehicle either move (under its own power) or to be in a parked state; though the shifter and indicator lights indicated PARK and although you could turn off the vehicle and also remove the key, the vehicle was actually in…
Other Toyota 4RUNNER years
← 2007 4RUNNER · 2009 4RUNNER →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 4RUNNER | 7 | 2 |
| 2025 4RUNNER | 60 | 1 |
| 2024 4RUNNER | 9 | 1 |
| 2023 4RUNNER | 33 | 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 | 80 | 8 |
| 2015 4RUNNER | 87 | 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 | 96 | 5 |
| 2007 4RUNNER | 154 | 5 |
| 2006 4RUNNER | 381 | 5 |
| 2005 4RUNNER | 425 | 5 |
| 2004 4RUNNER | 678 | 2 |
| 2003 4RUNNER | 696 | 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER?
Owners most often report power train, structure, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 27 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 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 2008 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.