2001 Toyota 4Runner

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Frame rust All years Walk away if found

  What to check: Inspect the rear axle area and the full length of the frame.

  Sources ^1,2

• Lower ball joints All years. The recall covers 2001–2002 only One source so far

  What to check: Raise the front wheel about an inch, pry under the tire and watch the joint for vertical play.

  Three members in one thread warn that a failed lower ball joint does wide damage, such as to the fender, tie rod ends and CV axle.

  Parts $80 to $150, about 2 hours

  Sources ³

• Coolant in the transmission ("pink milkshake") Automatics One source so far

  What to check: Look for pink, milky fluid in the coolant and the transmission fluid.

  Five owners in one thread report coolant in the transmission on their own trucks, four of them at about 160,000 to 275,000 miles. Others replaced the original radiator early and never saw it.

  Radiator about $110. Transmission $2,000 or more

  Sources ⁴

Recalls

• 05V225000 2001–2002

  Front lower ball joints can wear and separate.⁵

Complaints

Owners filed 190 complaints about the 2001 with NHTSA.

11 said there had been a crash and 1 a fire.

The parts named most

• Structure 81
• Power train 33
• Suspension 27
• Unknown or other 24
• Engine and engine cooling 14

and 17 other parts

Counted from NHTSA's complaints on 23 October 2026. These are owners' own reports, counted by the parts they named; one complaint can name several. NHTSA's list

Crash-test stars

• 2001 Toyota 4Runner 4-DR. Front: driver 4, passenger 4. Side: driver 5, passenger 5. Rollover: 2.

These stars come from NHTSA's tests before the 2011 model year. NHTSA says never to compare them with stars from its newer tests. Where NHTSA says so

Copied from NHTSA's ratings on 23 October 2026.

Sources

1. IH8MUD forum
2. Yahoo Autos
3. Toyota-4Runner.org (lower ball joints)
4. Toyota-4Runner.org (pink milkshake)
5. NHTSA recall records