Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Toyota 4Runner owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Fuel gauge seems to be malfunctioning or inaccurate. My concerns for it being inaccurate are that when refueling the tank after 8-10 miles the yellow light has come on, the tank only "fills up" with 13.2 gallons where the manual states that it has a fuel capacity of 18.5 gallons (page 261 of manual). After filling up the tank, the needle seems to be at the "full" line. However, after only driving 5 miles on a residential road of at a maximum 40 MPH, the needle of the gauge "comes off" full quickly. Only driving 26 miles, the needle is at the 1/4 line of gauge. Estimating the car to getting 104 miles per tank.
Readings fluctuates, or indicate more gas than actually in tank. I was on the freeway in motion and the truck stopped working. I lost power steering and power breaks. It was a dangerous situation and lucky nothing happened. It turns out the quarter tank reading was false. The tank was empty.
While having my 2000 4runner serviced recently, my mechanic advised me that my carriage frame was cracked and rotting. I took it to Toyota dealer in bristol ct, who put vehicle on hoist and confirmed the problem. I was advised there was no recall or TSB on my SUV, and probably nothing they could do. They said they would send info & pictures to district office for review and advise when they heard back. I asked them about fixing it in the meantime, but they said they couldn't accept the liability? I can email pictures if you want to review these as well. I am having it welded in the meantime, as the crack was rather severe. My mechanic and Toyota both advised that if the crack broke thru while driving, the rear axle would come loose from the frame. The estimate to fix my SUV is apx. …
2000 sport edition 4 runner, all working components and frame are badly rusted. Nothing can be worked on without breakage of parts and bolts. There has been a recall on tacomas and tundras from the east coast where salt is used on the roads. Customers have been given replacement frames or their vehicles have been purchased back from Toyota. Our car is from vermont and new york where I am sure they used road salt and this is why the untreated frames of these vehicles corroded so badly like our 4 runner. I believe Toyota should give the same offer for the 2000 4 runner. My son worked for two years and at 18 years old purchased this vehicle for $9000.00. We were crushed when we realized the extent of rust damage on the underside of this vehicle. Nothing can be repaired without huge expense, and every thing on the underside of this car needs replaced. …
The vehicles fuel sending sensor is malfunctioning causing the fuel gauge to read inaccurate fuel quantities. This has LED to fuel starvation which could be a serious safety issue should it happen at highway speeds. No corrective action taken as of yet. This has already been identified by Toyota as a known defect in Toyota service bulletin el010-00. Since Toyota has identified this as a known defect issue; manufacturer should be ordered to recall and replace defective parts.
The fuel gauge reads empty when there are 5 gallons left in the gas tank. Toyota says TSB el010-00 addresses known defective 1999 and 2000 4runner fuel gauges. My vehicle is a few months and miles out of warranty so toy will not pay for fix. Some addressed there is no fuel in tank even though fuel gauge reads 1/2. This cause vehicle stalls and dies on freeway almost causing wreck.
2000 Toyota 4runner fuel gauge not working. Toyota has issued a bulletin and basically redesigned the parts for a faulty system and expects the consumers to pay for their engineering problems. I don't think it's fair to have consumers pay 800 to 900 dollars as quoted from my dealer for a design flaw for Toyota.
Vehicle stalls and dies on freeway almost causing wreck. Find out there is no fuel in tank even though fuel gauge reads 1/2. Toyota says TSB el010-00 addresses known defective 1999 and 2000 fuel gauges and also addresses some gauges inaccurately reading empty when 4 gallons remain, vehicle is out of warranty.
I recently bought this car and noticed that the fuel gauge is reading full tank. After driving the car for about 00 miles, my car stalled on me in the middle of a busy highway. Only to find out that I was out of gasoline. I was lucky, I did not get hit.
Specifications on vehicle indicate 18.5 gal. Tank, but only can fill to 15 gals. Fuel gauge warning light comes on with 3-5 gallons still in the tank. Fuel gauge indicator not proportionate with gas left in the tank.
Fuel System complaints in other 4Runner years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2000 Toyota 4Runner?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2000 Toyota 4Runner, 5% of the model year's 483 complaints. The component named most often is storage › tank assembly (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Toyota 4Runner fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2000 Toyota 4Runner. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Toyota 4Runner fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles.
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.