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2004 Toyota 4runner Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

847 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.20 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious16V065000

Air Bags:Side/Window

If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can raises the risk of occupant injury.

Remedy & full details

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently.

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.

Complaint volume

847 this model-year 6 median, same year

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

What owners reported happened

33Crashes
6Fires
21Injuries
0Deaths

Across 847 complaints. Severity Index 0.20.

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 · Body260 · 31%Unknown Or Other115 · 14%Suspension106 · 13%Service Brakes57 · 7%Vehicle Speed Control29 · 3%Steering25 · 3%Air Bags25 · 3%Structure22 · 3%
  1. Structure:Body — 260 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 115 reports
  3. Suspension — 106 reports
  4. Service Brakes — 57 reports
  5. Vehicle Speed Control — 29 reports
  6. Steering — 25 reports
  7. Air Bags — 25 reports
  8. Structure — 22 reports
  9. Electrical System — 19 reports
  10. Power Train — 18 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. 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 (3) · 2004 · 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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