2012 Toyota 4RUNNER: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER
On the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER, the failure owners report most often is airbag inflator rupture, with 52 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 45,000 miles. Overall it scores 73 out of 100, high risk for a 2012.
High risk for a 2012 — 87th riskiest of the 271 2012 vehicles we can rate. 112 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER
Owners have reported 20 named failure modes on the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER, and the three most-reported carry 54% of everything filed.
Airbag inflator rupture leads with 52 reports and about 2.4 per 1,000 vehicles.
ABS module or sensor failure follows with 5 reports, median 100,000 miles.
Fuel pump failure follows with 4 reports, median 10,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (53), brakes (9) and fuel (9).
The mileage the reports cluster at
44 of the reports on the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 45,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 59% by 50,000 miles, 91% by 100,000 miles and 98% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 16% of the dated reports.
36% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 20. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 4 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 4 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.87, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: airbag inflator rupture at $0–$0, ABS module or sensor failure at $500–$2,400, fuel pump failure at $600–$2,600 and other engine problem at $300–$4,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
5% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 52 | 6 | — | 61k | — | 2.4 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 5 | 5 | — | 98k | — | 0.2 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 4 | 3 | — | 11k | — | 0.2 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 4 | 3 | — | 47k | — | 0.2 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 3 | 3 | — | 63k | — | 0.1 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 3 | 2 | — | 34k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 3 | 2 | — | 19k | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 3 | 3 | — | 4k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 135k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 2 | 2 | — | 85k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 2 | — | 16k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 1 | 1 | — | 300 | — | 0.0 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 28k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 16k | — | 0.0 | $200–$900 | High |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 32k | — | 0.0 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 1 | 1 | — | 45k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 44k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Unclassified problem | other | 19 | 5 | — | 50k | — | 0.9 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER draws about 5.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 85th percentile of complaint rates among 2012 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 21,302 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2012 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Airbag inflator rupture
Takata recall. Toyota's response to the recall is unacceptable. I simply do not understand how they can justify telling people not to use their cars, without offering an solution, compensation or even an estimated timeline for the fix. How is it that they will offer a buy-program to tacoma and tundra owners over some rust, but I am offered nothing for a car that is inoperable?
Takata recall-our 4runner has been judged unsafe to drive and toyota has not yet offered an eta for the required repairs while every other brand affected by the recall has either provided repairs to their owners or reached out to schedule them. I have contacted toyota by e-mail and phone only to be advised a remedy was not yet available with no eta projected. No mishap involving this vehicle yet.
ABS module or sensor failure
Applied brakes firmly at yellow light and vehicle nose dived, brakes locked and vehicle stated to skid. Let up on pedal and applied brakes again and vehicle stopped without further drama. Did not feel the antilock brake system pulse the pedal or hear the system growl. Second time this has happened under same circumstances. Plenty of room to stop before the light changed from yellow to red. Light brake application always required to avoid vehicle nose diving. Light application of brakes doesn't slow it very well. Brakes seem to be very touchy. Last vehicle was a toyota highlander which had no brake problems. *tr
Applied brakes firmly at yellow light and vehicle nose dived, brakes locked and vehicle stated to skid. Let up on pedal and applied brakes again and vehicle stopped without further drama. Did not feel the antilock brake system pulse the pedal or hear the system growl. Second time this has happened under same circumstances. Plenty of room to stop before the light changed from yellow to red. Light brake application always required to avoid vehicle nose diving. Light application of brakes doesn't slow it very well. Brakes seem to be very touchy. Last vehicle was a toyota highlander which had no brake problems. *tr
Fuel pump failure
I came home last night at about 9:30 pm and parked the car in the garage. This morning at 7:30 am I went into the garage and heard a buzzing sound coming from near the rear wheels of the car. My best guess was the fuel pump was still running (I had a different problem with a fuel pump not running when the ignition was turned on with a 2000 jaguar about a year ago). I turned the ignition on and off without cranking the engine, the buzzing continued. I started the 4runner, ran it for about 20 seconds, and shut the engine off. Buzzing stopped. *tr
I came home last night at about 9:30 pm and parked the car in the garage. This morning at 7:30 am I went into the garage and heard a buzzing sound coming from near the rear wheels of the car. My best guess was the fuel pump was still running (I had a different problem with a fuel pump not running when the ignition was turned on with a 2000 jaguar about a year ago). I turned the ignition on and off without cranking the engine, the buzzing continued. I started the 4runner, ran it for about 20 seconds, and shut the engine off. Buzzing stopped. *tr
Recalls on the 2012 model year
NHTSA has issued 8 recall campaigns covering the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER, affecting an estimated 48,405 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module, air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module and structure:body:hood:hinge and attachments. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
928,220 vehicles 2019-10-17- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may…
- Consequence
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
1,299,448 vehicles 2019-01-09- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner…
- Consequence
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began February 15, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
3,547 vehicles 2017-07-03- Defect
- Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
- Consequence
- If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
577,875 vehicles 2017-01-09- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla…
- Consequence
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
425 vehicles 2016-08-03- Defect
- Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Toyota 4Runner vehicles manufactured September 3, 2009, to December 1, 2014. The affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly burn them while they are standing behind the vehicle.
- Consequence
- Contact with an exhaust tip may result in personal injury.
- Remedy
- SET will notify owners, and dealers will install a re-designed exhaust tip that is smaller in diameter and is more recessed behind the bumper, free of charge. The recall began September 15, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET16D.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
2,530 vehicles 2015-08-13- Defect
- Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Toyota 4Runner vehicles manufactured March 29, 2010, to July 30, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly burn them while they are standing behind the vehicle.
- Consequence
- Contact with an exhaust tip may result in personal injury.
- Remedy
- SET will notify owners, and dealers will install a re-designed exhaust tip that is smaller in diameter and is more recessed behind the bumper, free of charge. The recall began on September 22, 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for the recall is SET15D.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
3,235 vehicles 2013-01-16- Defect
- Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have…
- Consequence
- If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
- Remedy
- Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
363 vehicles 2012-03-23- Defect
- Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 4runner and sienna vehicles, equipped with non-original equipment remote engine starters. A malfunction in the audiovox electronics brand remote engine starter module can prevent normal communication of the vehicles controller area network (can).
- Consequence
- If this condition occurs, antilock braking and stability control may be lost, increasing the risk of a crash. Drivers should receive dashboard warning lights warning them of a malfunction.
- Remedy
- Gulf states toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the remote engine starter with a new one free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about june 4, 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-444-1074.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2012 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2012 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2012 — 87th riskiest of the 271 2012 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 29 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 1996 comes out best at 52 and 2021 worst at 84, with 2012 itself at 73.
If the model year is negotiable, 1996, 1998, 2001, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2003, 2005, 2025, 2007, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2014, 2013 and 2008 score lower than 2012 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2010–2016 generation specifically, 2014 is the strongest year at 68 and 2016 the weakest at 77.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2010-2016 generation, 2014 Toyota 4RUNNER scores best at 68 and 2016 Toyota 4RUNNER worst at 77.
Where these figures stop being useful
112 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 112 reports, 44 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 39% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER?
The most-reported failures are airbag inflator rupture (52 reports, median 60,000 miles), abs module or sensor failure (5 reports, median 100,000 miles) and fuel pump failure (4 reports, median 10,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER reliable?
It scores 73 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 87th riskiest of the 271 2012 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2012 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Toyota 4RUNNER is best?
Within the 2010–2016 generation, 2014 scores best at 68 out of 100 and 2016 worst at 77. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed