How many recalls does the 2003 Toyota 4runner have?

3 open NHTSA safety recalls are on record for the 2003 Toyota 4runner, alongside 718 owner complaints.

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2003 Toyota 4runner Recalls & Complaints

open safety recalls on record

Critical

718 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.13 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical03V146000

Fuel System, Gasoline

THIS COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE IF A HEAT SOURCE OR AN IGNITION SOURCE IS PRESENT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PULSATION DAMPER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 5, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES, THE FUEL PULSATION DAMPER, LOCATED ON THE FUEL RAIL, MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED, CAUSING A DIAPHRAGM IN THE PULSATION DAMPER TO BE DAMAGED. IF THE DIAPHRAGM FAILS, FUEL MAY LEAK.

Serious11V113000

Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal

STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy & full details

THE REMEDY IS NOW AVAILABLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN EARLY APRIL 2011. THE REMEDY WILL INVOLVE MODIFICATION OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND REPLACEMENT OF ANY TOYOTA ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 LEXUS LX570, 2003 THROUGH 2009 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, AND 2006 THROUGH 2010 RAV4 VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT.

Moderate02V339000

Wheels

IF THE SPARE TIRE/WHEEL IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE USING THE WHEEL NUTS PROVIDED FOR THE UPGRADE ALLOY WHEEL, DAMAGE TO THE WHEEL COULD RESULT AND COULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A LOOSE WHEEL.

Remedy & full details

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH DIFFERENT STYLE LUG NUTS, A WARNING LABEL FOR THE SPARE RE/ALLOY WHEEL, AND AN OWNER'S MANUAL ADDENDUM.

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH FIVE FACTORY ALLOY WHEELS (MODEL 6934 AND 6936), WITH FACTORY LLAT, AND WITH PORT INSTALLED WR4, FOUR ALLOY WHEEL UPGRADE PROCESSED AT THE JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA PORT AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA, WHEN THE VEHICLES WERE PROCESSED AT THE PORT, AN ALLOY TIRE/WHEEL UPGRADE WAS INSTALLED. THE UPGRADE INCLUDED 4 ALLOY WHEELS. THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE/ALLOY WHEEL WAS NOT CHANGED. THE SPARE TIRE REQUIRES THE USE OF A DIFFERENT STYLE OF WHEEL NUT TO ATTACH IT TO THE VEHICLE.

Complaint volume

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

22Crashes

0Fires

12Injuries

0Deaths

Across 718 complaints. Severity Index 0.13.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Structure:Body — 246 reports
Suspension — 107 reports
Unknown Or Other — 97 reports
Service Brakes — 44 reports
Steering — 31 reports
Vehicle Speed Control — 23 reports
Structure — 17 reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 17 reports
Power Train — 14 reports
Wheels — 11 reports

What to do

Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (4) · 1996 (5) · 1997 (4) · 1998 (4) · 1999 (2) · 2000 (2) · 2001 (3) · 2002 (3) · 2003 · 2004 (2) · 2005 (5) · 2006 (5) · 2007 (5) · 2008 (5) · 2009 (6) · 2010 (12) · 2011 (10) · 2012 (8) · 2013 (6) · 2014 (7) · 2015 (9) · 2016 (8) · 2017 (5) · 2018 (5) · 2019 (4) · 2020 (1) · 2021 (1) · 2022 (3) · 2023 (1) · 2024 (1) · 2025 (1) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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