2010 Toyota 4Runner problems: recalls, complaints and whether this is a year to avoid
The 2010 Toyota 4Runner has 145 owner complaints on record with NHTSA, which ranks it 2 of 7 Toyota 4Runner model years by complaint volume. The worst year is 2011 (163); the cleanest is 2018 (58). 12 recall entries cover this year.
Is 2010 a good year for the Toyota 4Runner?
Complaint volume is fairly even across this nameplate, so the model year is a weaker signal here than it is on many cars. Read the components below rather than the totals.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recall entries |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 58 | 5 |
| 2016 | 79 | 8 |
| 2015 | 85 | 9 |
| 2014 | 77 | 7 |
| 2012 | 96 | 8 |
| 2011 | 163 | 10 |
| 2010 ← this page | 145 | 12 |
Older years have been on the road longer and collect more complaints for that reason alone, and a year that sold in higher volume collects more while being no worse.
This retrieval holds 7 of the nameplate’s model years. 2013, 2017 are absent, which means no records came back for them — not that they were clean. The ranking above is among the years shown.
The 2010 accounts for 21% of every complaint filed against the Toyota 4Runner in this retrieval, which works out to 9.1 complaints per year on the road across the 16 years since it was sold new — the figure to compare against other years, because it removes the advantage a newer car gets simply from having had less time to accumulate reports.
Which recalls cover the 2010?
Air Bags
Free 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.
Air Bags
Free 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.
Engine and Engine Cooling
The affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly…
Free 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.
Take the campaign number to any franchised Toyota dealer. Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit, and they follow the car rather than the owner, so a used 2010 with an unrepaired campaign is a free repair you can claim. How recalls work.
Recall text is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice and affected VIN ranges.
What do owners report on the Toyota 4Runner?
Across every Toyota 4Runner year, not the 2010 alone — NHTSA does not split component totals by model year.
- Air Bags — 314 reports
- Electrical System — 69 reports
- Steering — 45 reports
- Unknown or Other — 44 reports
Which other Toyota 4Runner years should you compare?
2011 Toyota 4Runner → · All Toyota 4Runner years
If you are deciding between years, the table above is the short answer and the Toyota 4Runner page carries the full run with the component breakdown. Before money changes hands, run the VIN for open recalls and read the inspection checklist — ten minutes in the seller’s driveway finds most of what matters.
Check a 2010 before you commit
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