There are 12 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2000 Toyota 4Runnerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
About 1 month ago the air bag light started flashing. It is available for inspection. It had not been in an accident. We took it to a local Toyota dealer. There are some middle of the story details, but bottom line is eventually they told me it could not be fixed secondary to inability to obtain a control module. This has been verified by Toyota Customer Service.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS NOT SURE IF A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED TWO SLIPPED DISCS IN THE LOWER BACK, A BRUISED LIVER, A FRACTURED VERTEBRAE, AND THREE MISSING TEETH. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS RECEIVED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.
TAKATA RECALL. I WAS DRIVING APPROX. 55 MILES PER HOUR ON HIGHWAY 138. I HIT BLACK ICE AND DROVE STRAIGHT INTO A TREE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I SUSTAINED INJURIES TO MY FACE AND HEAD, FROM SMASHING INTO THE STEERING WHEEL.
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY DOING APPROX. 60 MPH. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE WET FROM PREVIOUS RAINFALL. MY 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5 2WD HYDROPLANED AND CAUSED ME TO SPIN OUT MULTIPLE TIMES. I STRUCK THE CONCRETE CENTER DIVIDER TWICE AND CONTINUED TO SPIN AND FINALLY SLID ACROSS ALL FOUR LANES OF THE FREEWAY AND RESTED ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER. WHILE THE VEHICLE DID FEEL LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO ROLLOVER, I MANAGED TO STEER THE WHEEL OPPOSITE OF WHERE IT WAS PULLING AND KEPT IT UPRIGHT. HOWEVER, DURING THE ACCIDENT AND UPON IMPACT (TWICE) NEITHER ONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. BOTH MYSELF AND MY FRONT PASSENGER WERE INJURED WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE AIRBAGS FAILURE TO DEPLOY. I PLACED A CALL TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE ARE NOT ANY CURRENT RECALLS ON MY MODEL. *JB
MY WIFE TOTALED OUR 2000 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER, LIMITED. NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL FRONTAL IMPACT AND ROLLOVER. THE EMERGENCY WORKERS WERE SURPRISED THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE DIGITAL PICS OF THE WRECKED VEHICLE IF NEEDED.
I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE MY VEHICLE, 2000 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER, SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END. THE ACCIDENT DAMAGED THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOST PER THE INSURANCE COMPANY (STATE FARM). I WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS IN THE ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS THAT THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE VEHICLE AND THE FRAME DAMAGE I CAN E-MAIL TO YOU. *JB
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER ENCOUNTERED SEVERAL BLIND CURVES AND A SIGNIFICANT DOWNHILL GRADE, AS CONSUMER CAME AROUND THE CURVE THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AND REAR TIRES LEFT THE PAVEMENT ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER, IN ATTEMPTING TO RE-ENTER THE ROADWAY, CONSUMER SEEMED TO HAVE OVERCORRECTED AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHICH THEN CROSSED OVER THE CENTER LINE AND LEFT THE PAVEMENT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE HIT 2 SETS OF BANK TREES AND THEN ROTATED ANOTHER 90 DEGREES, AND MADE ITS THIRD AND FINAL IMPACT ON THE REAR TAILGATE, THE TRUCK THEN SLID TO REST DOWN A SLIGHT ENBANKMENT, FACING NOSE FORWARD TOWARD THE ROAD, CONSUMER SUFFERED SEVERE INJURIES AND CONSEQUENTLY DIED, CONSUMERS DAUGHTER BELIEVES THAT THE CRASH WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO WARRANT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT.(DAUGHTER ON BEHALF OF DECEASED JEANNE M. JOHNSON)*JB
FRONT CRASH AT 30-35 MPH, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *AK
MODEL, SIZE AND DOT # DA72C44 WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD A BLOWOUT, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2000, TOYOTA, 4 RUNNER. *AK THE CUSTOMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE TIRE BLEW UP, AND THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. *YH
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK *ML
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 25 TO 30 MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE RAN A STOP SIGN WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 70 MPH. AS A RESULT, CONSUMER'S VEHICLE HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK
THE SEAT BELT RELEASE MECHANISM FAILS TO RETAIN CHILD PROPERLY, IT ONLY TAKES A VERY LIGHT TOUCH TO RELEASE THE LATCH AND REMOVE THE SEAT BELT, THE 3-YEAR-OLD CHILD CAN AND DOES UNDO THE BELT THAT HOLDS THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT WHILE THE CONSUMER IS DRIVING. NLM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026