There are 2 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2009 Toyota 4Runnerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I AM FILING MY SECOND COMPLAINT ABOUT MY 2009 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. MY FIRST COMPLAINT WAS FILED IN FEBRUARY 2010. I COMPLAINED TO MY DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM SINCE RIGHT AFTER PURCHASING THE 4RUNNER WHICH WE BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN MAY 2009. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO TURN CORNERS TO ABOUT 15 MPH, AND THEN STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR TO SPEED UP, THE CAR REVS, SOMETIMES 2500-3000 RPMS BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGES AND WE LURCH FORWARD. NOW, 17 MONTHS LATER AND MANY TRIPS AND E-MAILS TO MY DEALERSHIP, WHO CAN'T GET A RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA THAT MAKES SENSE, AND MY 4RUNNER STILL EXHIBITS THE SAME PROBLEM. MY HUSBAND HAD A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT IN AUGUST 2009, WHICH REQUIRES TRAVEL TO A BIG CITY ABOUT 90 MILES FROM HOME SEVERAL TIMES A MONTH, THAT HAS HEAVY TRAFFIC FLOW. LAST WEEK, I HAD TO MAKE A QUICK ACCELERATION TO MERGE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE 4RUNNER ACTUALLY DID THE SAME THING IT DOES ON TURNS. WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS TO MERGE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THE 4RUNNER JUST REVVED FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN LURCHED FORWARD INTO TRAFFIC. LUCKILY, NO ACCIDENT RESULTED, BUT WE WERE VERY SCARED. I PARTICIPATE IN FORUMS ON DIFFERENT CAR SITES AND THERE ARE MANY OF US HAVING THE EXACT PROBLEMS AND YET TOYOTA HAS NO ANSWER OR PUTS US OFF WITH SOME LAME EXPLANATIONS OR WORSE, TELLS US THAT IS JUST THE WAS THE 4RUNNER IS BECAUSE OF THE COMPUTER. MY DEALERSHIP HAS RESET THE COMPUTER AND DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I AM REPORTING THIS NEWEST INCIDENT FOR DOCUMENTATION IN CASE THIS PROBLEM ACTUALLY CAUSES AN ACCIDENT, MY COMPLAINT WILL BE ON FILE. THANK YOU UPDATED 09/28/10 *BF UPDATED IVOQ 09/29/10 *TR
I PURCHASED MY 2009 4RUNNER NEW LAST YEAR. FROM THE MINUTE I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT I NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. ANY TIME THE VEHICLE SLOWS BELOW 15MPH AND THEN THE ACCELERATOR IS DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE REVS TO A HIGH RPM AS IF SEARCHING FOR A GEAR AND DOES NOT ACCELERATE AS COMMANDED. THIS IS VERY PREVALENT IN SLOW TRAFFIC, SLOWING FOR A YIELD SIGN OR TURNING CORNERS. THE BIGGEST SAFETY CONCERN IS IN SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS. WHEN THE VEHICLE FINALLY DOES FIND A GEAR TO SHIFT INTO, IT LURCHES FORWARD. THE SHIFTING INTO GEAR FROM A HIGH RPM ON SLICK SURFACES COULD CAUSE THE WHEELS TO SPIN OUT. I ALMOST EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS. I'VE BROUGHT IT IN TO GET REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP TWICE. ALL THEY DO IS FLASH THE ECM AND THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM ON THE 2010 MODEL BY ISSUING A TSB. (TSB-0166-10) FROM READING SEVERAL TOYOTA 4RUNNER FORUMS, THIS TSB FIXES THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PUT PRESSURE ON TOYOTA TO ISSUE A FIX FOR THE 2009 MODEL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED. *TR
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