CarComplaints.com Notes: Although the 2003 model year is the "worst" model year for the 4Runner, it's not really bad at all -- mainly it's just that the other 4Runner model years are even better. Howver the 2003 model year has no major problems & no unexpected problems for a 17-year old vehicle. We award the 2003 4Runner our Seal of Awesome, since overall versus other comparable models of the same age, it's very reliable.
Initially the 4th generation (2003 - 2009) 4Runner didn't earn our top "Seal of Awesome" rating because it received poor crash test ratings for rear impacts. However it's proven to have one of the lowest driver death rates out of all vehicles (not just SUVs), so we've bumped it back up to our top award.
1.8
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
90,000 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota 4runner. While attempting to lower the front driver side window, the contact heard a popping sound as the glass became stuck midway and did not move up. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.
Toyota installed a sunroof that had known design defects in the 2003 4runner, the first model year of the 4th generation 4runner. The sunroof would eventually stop working, and the drainage tubes in the sunroof would clog and back up. This would cause water to rain down on the head of the driver and front seat occupants during acceleration or a sudden stop. Toyota has known about the sunroof issue since at least 2006, and had issued multiple Toyota service bulletins on the assembly without initiating a recall.
- Washington, DC, USA
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- Belle Fontaine, OH, USA