Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 36 safety complaints
about the 2021 Toyota 4Runner with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering equipment.
The most complained-about system is the steering,
named in 13 complaints, 36% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers December 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
36 complaints on file
36
Complaints
3
Describe a crash
1
Mention fire
1
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
STEERING 13 · 36%
13 36%
SUSPENSION 10 · 28%
10 28%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 17%
6 17%
WHEELS 4 · 11%
4 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 8%
3 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 8%
3 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 6%
2 6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 6%
2 6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 6%
2 6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 · 6%
2 6%
AIR BAGS 1 · 3%
1 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 3%
1 3%
0815
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 36.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2021 at 12.
16 12 8 4
202020212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Toyota 4RUNNER, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SUV 2WD
SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
24.6%
24.6%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2020-2022 4Runner vehicles equipped with 20-inch Black Gunner Wheels. The load carrying capacity modification labels are incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
SET will mail replacement labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 4, 2022. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET22A.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 280 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · crash · towed
was going to work on rt 80 east had cruise control on and was getting off exit 45 in new jersey to get bus into manhattan at approx 430 amwhile getting off highway stepped on brakes pedal went to floor tried pumping nothing happened nor did criuise control disengage or collision warning come on a total collapse of system had this car for approx 1 month purchased used at paramus mercedes benz took this vehicle to my mechanic for a full inpection everything was good vehicle had approx 22000 miles on it at purchase lost all control and crashed going off roadway and sliding down bridge abuttment car is a total loss rushed to hospital car was hauled off abutment by wrecker company police fire …
NHTSA complaint 11505501, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
On 3/30/21 it was discovered that my 2021 4runner with 5500 miles caught fire while parked in my enclosed garage. This event happened while my family and I were sleeping. The fire was discovered @5am at which time the fire department was contacted. The fire was contained to the garage. The vehicle was a total loss and was determined to be the source of the fire that destroyed all of the contents in my garage and significantly damaged the garage structure resulting in a rebuild. The fire department performed an initial investigation, a 3rd party fire investigator performed an investigation, and State Farm along with a representative from Toyota conducted an investigation. Per my claims …
NHTSA complaint 11425082, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
crash · towed
While pulling this vehicle in to my garage about halfway in the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle hit a bench on the opposite side of the entrance. After pumping the brakes after waiting about 10 minutes they seemed to work normally. I backed the vehicle out of the garage and saw NO fluid under the vehicle. The next morning the vehicle was towed the the dealer collision shop and then taken to the service department at the dealer. This problem; ,after almost 2 months was never solved....corporate offices checked the data recorder...no conclusions.....and implied this problem did not occur. The body is now being repaired yet no brake problem has been ever repaired. ( under …
NHTSA complaint 11568310, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
crash
Rear backup camera has been failing or intermittently working, it is available for insp[ection upon request. This has created a situation upon reversing in driveway where I expect it to be on and dont see a vehicle or trailer behind me. I have hit a parked car because I was expecting it to work as I check rearview mirrors. This is now a habit and I did not realize it wasn't working at the time until i collided with the vehicle. The dealership will not confirm it or inspect it unless payment is rendered. No one has inspected it except for Virginia. Which I am unsure that is even something they inspect. They may have just inspected other things that allow for use on highway. No lamps or other …
NHTSA complaint 11707218, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
While vehicle was parked and not in use, upon entering the vehicle, the steering wheel/column dropped out of its locked position on its own. Disassembly of the steering column revealed that the tilt-lock mechanism's steering lock fracture bolt has broken in half on the right side. This cause the steering wheel to fall out of a locked position and allowed the entire column to rotate skewed to the left side. The steering wheel became dangerous to use as it was in a freed position that allowed the entire column to move while providing inputs into the steering wheel. Had this occurred while the vehicle was in motion, it could have caused a sudden loss of steering control and significantly …
NHTSA complaint 11761925, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
The power door lock actuators on both front doors of my 2021 Toyota 4Runner have failed. The problem developed progressively. The front door locks initially began working intermittently and became less reliable over time. Eventually, both front door lock actuators stopped operating. They have now been inoperative for more than six months. The front doors will not reliably lock or unlock using the vehicle's power locking system or key fob, while the rear power door locks continue to operate normally. I discussed the problem with a Toyota dealership and was told by dealership personnel that they have seen this door lock actuator failure happen countless times. Despite the apparent frequency …
NHTSA complaint 11759381, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The interior of both headlights have the interior coating peeling in the first 20k miles
NHTSA complaint 11745613. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
I just had the tires road force balanced on a haweka with lug-centric balance, and the steering wheel persists shaking from 55-65 mph. From what I have seen is this is a design flaw on this generation of 4 runners called the shimmy. For a newer vehicle this is not only dangerous, but unacceptable to not be considered for a recall when it is this widespread.
NHTSA complaint 11741081. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
Today while I was driving home from work, in a snow storm, suddenly a low braking power notification and ABS malfunction popped up on my console with loud beeping and my brakes completely stopped working. In order to avoid hitting the car in front of me I had to swerve to the shoulder and come to a stop.
NHTSA complaint 11722616. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
My backup camera does not work consistently. It will sometimes come on and show objects behind me; other times it is a black screen. I have read where Toyota models from 2022 to newer, but not including the 4 Runner, are having major issues with the back up camera and are under recall. I believe this recall should include the Toyota 4 Runner, as mine seems to be having issues which affect my safety and others. I called the nearest Toyota dealership to verify if my car was under recall and they said no. I have not taken the vehicle to be inspected by the dealership. This issue started about 6 -8 months ago. No lights or warning messages appear on the dashboard. I thought maybe my camera was …
NHTSA complaint 11712755, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed July 6, 2022.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst