Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Toyota 4Runner owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that the vehicle was swaying while driving approximately 35 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the subframe was corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The Undercarriage of my 2007Toyota 4runner sport has irregular rusting issue. The truck has 128,000 miles on it and has been well maintained and garaged most of its life. I was under it the other day to check the exhaust system and noticed the frame is rusting like no other car I know of. Even cars that sat in junkyards for decades. I know they had a recall for similar issues with other vehicles within the same year. However, when I spoke with Toyota they were uninterested in helping me and told me it was my problem. Other than the frame rust the truck is in perfect condition. Is this something that you can help me with. I see I am not alone having this issue and that it is well reported. Please let me know what my options are for getting this defect corrected by Toyota. Thanks, [redacted]
I was having front brakes repaired, and mechanic called me over to lift to see under the car. Extremely rusty, flakes of metal coming off. He advised I do not even try and put it on a lift again, as he does not trust the structural integrity. He advised that it was definitely not normal, and not in keeping with the otherwise excellent and well cared for car.
The frame on my 4-Runner is rusted out to the point of being borderline unsafe, as per the Toyota Dealer. I don't have a scanner otherwise I would upload the pictures. The invoice from the dealer has my contact info. Not sure if you want that info.
I was driving with my child in the car and lost control of steering and heard loud noise. I had no control of steering and the car crossed lanes luckily missing other vehicles. It stopped on the side of the road and a body shop happened to witness the whole thing. He tried to drive it into his shop (two driveways away) but ended up having to drag/tow it in because the front end frame had rusted and fallen from the vehicle. That body shop looked at it and I also got a second opinion and they told me the same thing. The front end of the car needs to be replaced. The front steering rusted so badly it disconnected completely and fell out from the frame. It is also so rusted there is not enough metal to re-weld it too. The car is totaled when the car has been properly maintained. It was terrifying and was lucky I happened to only be going 25 MPH down a straight road and no one was hurt. …
The rubber on the inside the tailgate handle has melted and eroded. It is sticky to the touch and consists of a black tar-like substance. Year round the handle is difficult to latch and May cause tailgate to open unexpectedly. This complaint involves the 2007 4-runner. This May pose a serious safety issue should the tailgate open while transporting cargo on the road. This is an obvious faulty part on the vehicle. Understanding that this model year is out of warranty, it should still be corrected as the manufacturer is well aware of this issue.
The hatch latch has melted and presents problems in unlatching. The dealer denies this is a problem. Especially in cooler weather, I am often not able to open the rear hatch. My research indicates that many owners of this model experience the same issues. There is some concern that the cause is faulty wiring that overheats the material. Also, the replacement part is the same as the original; therefore, not resolving this issue. This should be a safety concern and should be remedied by the manufacturer.
My rear window shattered after using the defroster. Once I got out of my car after parking it in my job's garage it busted on it's own. I found out that this has happened to many 4th generation 4runner owners but Toyota won't recall or extend the warranty for this issue any longer. Now I have to either never use my rear defroster again while living in colorado or risk it shattering again and hurting passengers in my car. I would have never bought the vehicle if I had knowledge of such a dangerous issue.
Vehicle frame is extremely corroded to the point where replacing necessary items such as shocks/struts/steering components is not possible without irreparable damage. Factory welds at critical points of the frame structure are starting to fail and causing safety concerns. This vehicle is regularly garaged and only has 85,000 miles. This is unacceptable, there have been previous recalls and for other models that share this exact same frame and suspension.
The whole area of exposed steel has been so corroded with rust that I acnnot even remove bolts to service several of the key components in the engine compartment. The frame, cross members, suspension etc. Are also affected in this way.I'm no expert but it is progressively becoming more and more unsafe to drive especially if I lose brakes or some other necessary function. Please help, is this a bad batch of cheap steel?
Body complaints in other 4Runner years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2007 Toyota 4Runner?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the body & structure of the 2007 Toyota 4Runner, 26% of the model year's 154 complaints. The component named most often is body (24 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Toyota 4Runner body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2007 Toyota 4Runner, though it has 5 recalls for other components. 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 2007 Toyota 4Runner body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 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.