Problems with 2003 Toyota 4Runner ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I bought my 2003 toyota 4runner less than a year ago from an auto group (toyota, honda, ect) and had them perform a safety inspection. since it was used i knew there would be some issues, the only problem it had was the recommended service wasn't completed at 90k miles (timing belt, water pump, ect). i worked that into the deal an was on my way. after departing the u.s. and shipping my car to hawaii, the inspectors here found a lot of rust on the frame and said it could be an issue getting an approved safety inspection (required for registering the car in hawaii). they said it isn't severe now, but can be living in this state as it is very rusted and will continue to do so in such a humid environment. they also said that tacomas for that year had a recall due to excessive frame rust (similar if not the same frames) but 4runners do not, so they recommended i talk to toyota about it. i called the toyota service center here and they said there is no recall and if i wanted the frame fixed or replaced, it'd ...

While in process of replacing serpentine belt and idler pulleys on engine, i noticed (after removing lower engine shield under vehicle) significant rust damage to front frame segment under radiator support. the right side tow hook and corner of frame it was mounted to fell off in my hand when i touched it. upon further inspection, there are other parts of vehicle frame with rust damage, though none appear to be as severe as area of frame underneath radiator. this portion of frame appears to connect the two side frame rails together. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota 4runner. the contact stated that the vsc tracking light illuminated, causing the vehicle to violently jerk when applying pressure to the brakes. neither the dealer nor manufacturer had been notified. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the current and failure mileages were 100,000. the vin was unavailable.

The check engine light came on and the vsc trac turned off, the day after the light came on and the traction turned off...the toyota 2003 4runner flipped over. the vsc traction should not be turned off when a check engine light comes on because it provides the necessary stability of the vehicle that a suv needs no matter what is wrong with the car. the car is now totaled and one passenger still suffering from injuries from the accident. *tr

Bought a 2003 toyota 4runner v6 4wd 2 1/2 years ago as a toyota certified used vehicle..within a year i needed a new serpentine belt due to excessive noise at start up. the dealer told me there was a tsb for this and to bring the car back if i had further issues. the noise came back but was irregular, it would come at start up every day for a couple weeks and then disappear for another few weeks. the noise got louder and sounded somewhat different a couple weeks ago. brought it to the dealer and they replaced the idler pulley on friday 07/16/10. it sounded loud again at start up after i picked up the vehicle but the noise eventually went away. however my serpentine belt actually ripped less than a week later (07/21/10) while i was driving 45mph on a curvy road. i first lost my ac, quickly followed by my power steering...somehow managed to pull over but by then smoke was coming from underneath the hood due to the fact that in the ripping process the belt broke a coolant hose. i have been without a vehicle for 5 days now and am waiting on ...

My vehicle seemed to become louder when idling over the past 2 years that i've owned it. a couple months ago i noticed it being noticeably much louder. the noise could be heard while idling (red light, drive thrus...) and would become louder with acceleration up to about 40mph. this was a rattling noise located on the driver's side of the underbody, somewhere between the driver's and the passenger's seats. it sounded like loud heavy vibrations, metal on metal. i asked the toyota dealership service department to check out and they found that the heatshield was seriously rusted. they had to order the part in order to replace it but said it was rusted so badly that they had to remove what was left of the original heatshield to prevent further damage to other components. once the new part was received they were able to put on the new heatshield. *tr

2003 toyota 4runner sport ed, 6 cyl.- at 100,400 miles, both my catalytic converters went out. also the check engine light goes on which disengages the vehicle skid control, so i hear. repairs are costly. can't smog car on the first time car ever needs to get smogged. seems like a recall issue to me? *tr

Model : 2003 toyota 4 runner v8 issue : automatic acceleration while a/c on how to duplicate the issue : option 1] while the engine is running and the vehicle is in drive with brakes depressed turn the a/c "on", the vehicle would try to suddenly move forward. the tachometer also shows higher readings. option 2] turn your a/c off drive for a while and then turn your a/c on, the moment you turn your a/c on the vehicle accelerates on its own for a while. this problem is magnified especially in summer and hotter climates and does not fail to occur in summer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota 4runner. the contact stated that when driving above 25 mph, the check engine light would illuminate on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 30,000.

Toyota 4-runner 2003 six cylinder. excessive sulfur dioxide odor. no events leading up to failure. sporadic. dealerships gave me a hard time, wanted $150.00 to run test even though toyota headquarters informed me that the dealer should just replace parts, so i never have had it fixed but i am concerned. i changed gas stations numerous times and still receive the odor. odor comes and goes and can be strong at times especially in cold months. concerns are that it will become worse and the smell is toxic. *tr

Chirp noise from engine area on cold start--this has repeated 5 times since vehicle purchase--each time the local toyota dealer has repaired under warranty--replaced tensioner and belt--chirp sound returns repeatedly after approx 6 mths operation. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph uphill, a strong odor was noticed. there were no warning lights illuminated prior to the incident. the dealership was contacted, who determined the catalytic converter was producing the odor. the extended warranty covered the replacement. also, the contact was alerted by an independent mechanic about the front brakes. the mechanic machined the front rotors and installed new pads. as a result of the brakes repair, the pedal was too low when depressed. the brakes were rechecked and the mechanic informed all the brake standards were correct. the contact assumed this was a manufacturer defect. the dealership had not been contacted yet for the brake problem.

I own a 2003 toyota 4runner and have been experiencing a sulfur/rotten egg smell since i got it. it is intermittent and seems to occur most frequently upon acceleration. there have been times while driving that i get very dizzy. after researching i found there a quite a few complaints about this very problem. it seems along with the sulfur dioxide there is carbon monoxide inside the cabin, regardless if the windows are up or down. toyota's response is that this is due to bad gas. i like my 4runner but there is no way i can drive it knowing that not only me, but my son also are being poisoned. toyota must be held accountable and fix this immediately before someone gets seriously hurt!!!! *tr

Foul smelling exhaust - ammonia smell - very strong on accelerations uphill or freeway on ramps. *jb

I own a 2003 toyota 4runner and have been experiencing the sulfur/rotten egg smell for several months. it is intermittent and seems to occur most frequently upon acceleration. the smell can get quite bad at times, and has caused my eyes to burn and other passengers to feel nauseous. my 3 year old son has complained several times that it makes his tummy hurt. taking it in to toyota has not helped - they state that toyota is aware of the problem and is taking a look at it. hopefully they will look quicker and find a solution. i have owned several toyotas (this is my second 4runner in a row) and have always found the cars and service to be exceptional. however, this has soured me on my wonderful 4runner and i will most definitely look at other suvs - perhaps sooner rather than later now. *nm