Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Toyota 4Runner owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The frame is rusting out and broke while driving. The frame is almost totally destroyed from rust . The rear started swinging violently but luckily got it stop without crashing. The entire frame is a joke. I can't believe it hasn't been recalled STILL. The body is in perfect shape but a frame that can snap at any moment....I thought Toyota put safety first?
The rear end suspension is sagging on my vehicle. When I look up the VIN number on the nhtsa website it says that there is not a recall, but when I look up my vehicle by year it says that all vehicles of this year should be recalled for rear suspension repair/check. I called usa toyota and they said that they could not send the ticket to my local toyota dealership to for repair because my vehicle was imported from japan to canada. I have tried calling canada toyota but they have not picked up their phone. Reaching out to determine if the nhtsa can help with getting my vehicle suspension checked/repaired. Below is the message/link I receieved from NHTSA when I looked up my car's production year. ----- [redacted] January 18, 2002 NHTSA Campaign Number: 02V021000 TOYOTA/REAR SUSPENSION THIS MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH. …
I was traveling on the highway, when all of a sudden my car started to move violently to the right. I almost went under a commercial truck as I could not control the movement of my truck.. I managed to exit the highway and stopped and checked underneath my truck for damage , but could see nothing. I drove slowly to my local mechanic and my car still kept moving to the right at 20mph. My mechanic looked at it and said the rear trailing arm had broke due to rust, and I was very luck to be alive. (it happened on a Saturday morning with little commuter traffic otherwise I might have been killed) he said it was a common problem with 4 runners 1998 and later years.I called Toyota but they said they were not obliged to issue a recall from NHTSA?? Or whatever it is called. My mechanic did a welding job to repair the issue which cost me $750.00 to fix. …
I was in reverse and a jolt and pop occurred in the rear passenger seat where my son was seated. He felt it at his feet and all other passengers heard and felt a jolt. When I returned home I crawled under the vehicle and noticed rust and stress cracks on the inside of the rear passenger torsion bar.while applying pressure with my two fingers I pushed through the bottom of the frame rail. The vehicle is not road worthy. My braking problem occurs when I have to stop suddenly in snow or extreme wet road surfaces there is a metal grinding an no brakes. When this occurs in snow I was in 4wheel high. I had no brakes so I put the vehicle in 2 wheel and had brakes. In rain I pumped the brakes until I was able to get brakes. All driving brakes occurred at 35 MPH in city driving with no one in front of me.
I was on my way to the store with my wife and all of a sudden the truck started to sway wildly , good thing there was no oncoming traffic at the time since the truck swerved into the opposing lane , I pulled over and thought at first the lug nuts came lose but when I crawled under the truck I had found that the frame is rotted away, apparently Toyota has an issues with there frames and I was asked by people online if I got a recall notice which I did not , I had bought the truck used from a used car dealer so im not sure if it was in the system , in any event I would like to know what are my options on this , the rest of the truck is in great shape and runs fine , I should not have to ensue a financial lose if this was a known issue , thank you
I was driving on the interstate at 65 MPH and I went over an overpass with a bump at the beginning of it, I heard a clunk then my car started swaying back and forth very badly,I managed to pull over on the emergency pull off, I thought a wheel had come loose,I found no loose wheel so I started looking underneath and wow!!!!!..the torsion bars had both rusted off the frame and both sway bars were broke off,the only thing holding the back axal on was the back of the torsion bars,,,needles to say my favorite car is out for the count.
While on a city street with a 45mph speed limit, when the accelerator was pressed the back end of the car started to fishtail to the side. The vehicle was taken to a Toyota dealership where they discovered the frame of the vehicle had rusted and broke where the rear control arm to the driver side rear axle attached. The vehicle had been well maintained by the only owner and the body is in near excellent condition with no accidents.
My 1998 Toyota 4-runner went to the left side of a highway that had rumble strips. The driver swerved to the right to get off the strips and the car tipped and then flipped over 3 times. It was the new york state thruway so the speed was approximately 65 MPH. I read an article in USA today recently that without the anti-stability system the Toyota 4-runner could acutally flip at speeds of 35 pmh.
I was informed of and shown excessive frame rotting/rusting through from a mechanic. The frame looked relatively normal roughly 6 months ago. I am aware that some of their other trucks have recalls due to the same issue, and I am seeing instances of this on the internet for this vehicle.
Rear passenger side sway bar attachment rusted through and snapped from frame. And on other side sway bar link snapped. In addition the frame near it is rotting away. Noticed it while driving it was swaying badly. In addition the driver side seat belt will unlatch occasionally while driving.
Related recalls
Suspension
On certain 2-wheel-drive (2wd) and 4-wheel-drive (4wd) 4runner sport utility vehicles, a combination of heavy loading (simultaneous loading to rear gross axle weight rating and gross vehicle weight rating) and severe steering maneuvers could cause the 2wd 4runner to lose directional stability.
Remedy: Dealers will replace rear suspension parts. Although the 4wd 4runners do not exhibit the handling condition, Toyota will recall these vehicles to avoid any public confusion as to which vehicles should receive the…
Suspension complaints in other 4Runner years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1998 Toyota 4Runner?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 Toyota 4Runner, 24% of the model year's 250 complaints. The component named most often is rear (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Toyota 4Runner suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-021 (suspension, Jan 18, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Toyota 4Runner suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 170,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.