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NHTSA vehicle safety data

2002 Toyota 4Runner Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

The 2002 Toyota 4Runner has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns and 193 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Toyota dealer.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2002 Toyota 4Runner, plus NCAP crash-test ratings. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

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2002 Toyota 4Runner owner complaints

Owners have filed 193 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota 4Runner, describing incidents dated May 5, 2002 to April 1, 2026.

Most-cited components

  • Structure 88 complaints
  • Suspension 43 complaints
  • Power Train 30 complaints
  • Unknown or Other 30 complaints
  • Service Brakes 17 complaints
  • Engine 12 complaints

Of the 193 complaints on file, 12 report a crash and 2 a fire; across all 193 complaints, owners report 13 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

  • ODI #11769948 · Filed

    The contact owns a 2002 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle lost power while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure initially occurred without warning; however, the VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) message was displayed with an audible beeping sound coming from…

  • ODI #11594739 · Filed

    THIS IS FOR TIRE SIZE P265 75 16. To start, I've seen multiple other complaints describing the same scenario and type of incident. Driving along the highway at appropriate speeds, I hear a whoosh/deep pitch rumble, then my vehicle began to vibrate violently. I was luckily able to pull over but had…

  • ODI #11531971 · Filed

    Frame rot

Read all 193 complaints

Owner-reported

2002 Toyota 4Runner mileage at failure

142 of the 193 complaints on file for the 2002 Toyota 4Runner give the vehicle's mileage when the problem happened.

Mileage at failure by component, from owners' complaints to NHTSA
StructureMedian 140,000 milesMiddle half 115,000–175,000 milesBased on 63 complaints
SuspensionMedian 140,000 milesMiddle half 100,000–195,000 milesBased on 31 complaints

A component's median is its 50th percentile, and its middle half runs from its 25th to its 75th percentile.

Owners give the mileage themselves, often as a round number, and NHTSA doesn't check it. A complaint that names several components counts under each one, and mileages that can't be right, such as 999,999, or 50 miles on a five-year-old car, are left out.

These figures describe the complaints owners filed. They don't predict when a particular vehicle will have a problem, and vehicles that never had one aren't counted.

Most complaints NHTSA received since May 17, 2021 give no mileage. So that they aren't undercounted, each one received since then that gives a mileage also stands in for those that gave none, which can put a component's median above most of the mileages it is based on.

Mileage from NHTSA's complaints file of October 31, 2026. How these figures are worked out

NHTSA defect investigations

NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2002 Toyota 4Runner in 1 investigation. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.

Open and recently closed NHTSA defect investigations

FMVSS 108/AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS

NHTSA #06E049000 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA notice

Reported May 24, 2006 · CK MOTORSPORT, INC.

Potentially affected: 27,176 vehicles

Owners notified July 1, 2006

Defect description

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Safety consequence

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Manufacturer remedy

CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.

Notes

THIS RECALL ONLY PERTAINS TO AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT AND HAS NO RELATION TO ANY ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT INSTALLED ON VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS.FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LAMP MODEL NUMBERS, CLICK ON DOCUMENT SEARCH AND VIEW DOCUMENT TITLED "LAMP MODEL NUMBERS."CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

FMVSS 108/AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS

NHTSA #06E026000 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA notice

Reported March 23, 2006 · PRO-A MOTORS, INC.

Potentially affected: 61,944 vehicles

Owners notified April 3, 2006

Defect description

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Safety consequence

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Manufacturer remedy

PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.

Notes

THIS RECALL ONLY PERTAINS TO PRO-A MOTORS AFTERMARKET LAMPS AND HAS NO RELATION TO ANY ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT INSTALLED ON THE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES.FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LAMP MODEL NUMBERS, CLICK ON DOCUMENT SEARCH AND VIEW DOCUMENT TITLED "LAMP MODEL NUMBERS."CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

BALL JOINT FAILURE

NHTSA #05V225000 · Suspension — Front — Control Arm — Lower Ball Joint · NHTSA notice

Reported May 17, 2005 · TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Potentially affected: 768,379 vehicles

Toyota campaign 50J · Owners notified July 5, 2005 · Vehicles built May 22, 2001 – August 23, 2001 (per NHTSA) · Recall influenced by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation

Defect description

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SURFACE OF THE BALL OF THE JOINT MAY HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED. THE BALL JOINT MAY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND LOOSENESS, RESULTING IN INCREASED STEERING EFFORT.

Safety consequence

THE LOWER BALL JOINT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE KNUCKLE CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Notes

TOYOTA RECALL NO. 50J.CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

Other Toyota 4Runner model years

Check your 2002 Toyota 4Runner VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Toyota 4Runner at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

Check a Toyota VIN