2003 Toyota 4Runner Toyota 4Runner 2003

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2003 Toyota 4Runner repairs by problem area

Engine (14%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (14%)

Brakes and Traction Control (16%)

Suspension and Steering (13%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (7%)

Other (6%)

Chart based on 113 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2003 Toyota 4Runner.

2003 Toyota 4Runner repair cost distribution

$2500+ (3%)

$1000 - $2499 (12%)

$500 - $999 (11%)

$100 - $499 (34%)

< $100 (41%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 104 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2003 Toyota 4Runner 4dr SUV

245-horsepower 4.0L V6 4-speed automatic RWD

Toyota 4Runner in Alabama, United States
Jul 2017 - Jun 2018
Oct 2017

233000 mi

US $12000
idler bearings, water pump, radiator 
Toyota 4Runner in Arizona, United States
- Jan 2006
Jan 2006

23000 mi

US $150
Replacement of both front struts. Under the extended warantee, but with deductable. 

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2003 Toyota 4Runner 4dr SUV

245-horsepower 4.0L V6 4-speed automatic 4WD w/low range

Toyota 4Runner in New Mexico, United States
Dec 2010 - Apr 2012
Jan 2011

121000 mi
Bad O2 sensor 
Toyota 4Runner in Michigan, United States
Jun 2016 - Sep 2017
Mar 2017

272000 mi

US $400
Head gasket replacement 
Toyota 4Runner in Ontario, Canada
Oct 2010 - Oct 2015
Jun 2011

126480 mi

C $200
replaced transmission cooler lines.rusted out and leaking 
Dec 2011

133920 mi

C $60
spare tire carrier seized,most likely due to non use. had to cut it off and repair with new cable.new assy at dealer too expensive.added grease fittings to prevent problem again. should be there from new. 
Apr 2012

138260 mi

C $400
center exhaust section replaced.(muffler) replaced front pads rotors and calipers. calipers siezed. service rear e-brake shoes and rear calipers. 
Dec 2012

145700 mi
rear hatch power window regulator rusted out and inoperative vsc lights on after emission test.test erased settings in ecm and required a dealer reset.zero point calibration..after several calls to dealer and drive clean was cost covered 
May 2014

159340 mi
free up stuck caliper slider pins on both front calipers 
Jun 2014

159340 mi

C $450
repl front calipers again...seized and service rear,repl all brake fluid 
Dec 2014

164300 mi
fluid hose fell off washer pump.trimmed the end and reinstalled hose and replaced lost fluid.all good. 
Mar 2015

167400 mi
another washer fluid hose off pump.trimmed and reinstalled with zip-tie 
Toyota 4Runner in Ontario, Canada
Nov 2009 - Jun 2011
Dec 2009

97960 mi

C $851
Replaced steering shaft 
Jun 2010

106020 mi

C $550
front calipers replaced for the 3rd time! 
Dec 2010

109120 mi
rear oxygen sensor malfunction; will live with check engine light for a bit 
Toyota 4Runner in Colorado, United States
Mar 2007 - Mar 2014
May 2007

65000 mi

US $450
A/C blew warm air intermittently - replaced o-ring and recharged. 
Toyota 4Runner in British Columbia, Canada
Jun 2013 - Jul 2013
Jun 2013

88598 mi

C $80
only diagnose was done, no repair attempted. only diagnose was done, no repair attempted. 
Jul 2013

88660 mi

C $2300
Transmission failed and a full rebuild has to be done. Transmission failed and a full rebuild has to be done. 
Toyota 4Runner in Alberta, Canada
Dec 2013 - Jun 2016
Jun 2014

150040 mi

C $300
front passenger side CV joint leaked, bought a remanufactured CV joint and had it installed by mechanic. 
Feb 2016

159340 mi

C $50
Visual check of Serpentine belt discovered minor crack, which caused squeaking sound when first started the car, replaced the serpentine belt by myself, took 20 minutes 
Toyota 4Runner in Idaho, United States
Jan 2015 - Mar 2015
Jan 2015

124000 mi

US $500
cv boot tear 
Toyota 4Runner in Missouri, United States
- Jun 2007
Jun 2007

130000 mi

US $1500
Had to replace two front catalytic converters. 
Toyota 4Runner in Utah, United States
Jul 2013 - Mar 2018
Mar 2015

100000 mi

US $430
Had front struts replaced. 
Mar 2018

130000 mi

US $395
Brake pads were worn and needed replaced 
Toyota 4Runner in West Virginia, United States
Sep 2006 - Oct 2011
Oct 2006

38000 mi
Part of drivers seat weld broke. Dealership fixed out of base warranty at no cost. As of 67,500 (5 years old) miles, this has been the ONLY repair to this vehicle. 
Toyota 4Runner in Arizona, United States
Jun 2009 - Oct 2012
Oct 2010

70000 mi

US $2100
Broke the rear differential pinion gear. My 4runner is heavily modified for 4wheeling and runs on oversized tires, so failure was not a big surprise. Gave me the opportunity to upgrade gearing to 4.88 
Toyota 4Runner in Illinois, United States
Aug 2009 - Sep 2012
Dec 2009

79000 mi

US $2400
They use some sort of 4 prong caliper in the brakes for the 4 Runner along with some Lexus models. The calipers on both wheels dug into the drum ruining the pad, rotor etc. Entire new brake assemblies had to be ordered. About $1200 for just the brakes. 
Toyota 4Runner in Michigan, United States
Feb 2008 - Apr 2010
Jan 2009

115000 mi

US $400
Vehicle stability control light on, dealer replaced sensor $165 plus labor 
Toyota 4Runner in Arizona, United States
Jan 2009 - Sep 2014
Jul 2014

170500 mi
Rear brakes were dragging. Pins in callipers were replaced. 
Toyota 4Runner in Alberta, Canada
Mar 2008 - Jun 2011
Jun 2009

63240 mi

C $306
AC would not operate. 
Toyota 4Runner in Colorado, United States
Feb 2008 - Mar 2010
Jan 2008

60000 mi

US $45
rear oxygen sensor, this is first repair ever for this vehicle 
Dec 2009

85000 mi

US $400
4wd actuator on front differential failed. Dealer diagnosed problem, owner bought part and did the labor. 
Toyota 4Runner in New York, United States
Feb 2008 - Jun 2015
Jul 2008

34000 mi

US $125
Rear windshield wiper. The arm became brittle and broke off. Both the arm and wiper blade needed to be replaced. (Parts + Labor $125) 
May 2009

41000 mi

US $165
Some "Electrical Relay" failed in Air conditioning system. So it stopped working. Relay had to be replaced and "Computer Reset" 
Mar 2011

60000 mi

US $1450
Brake Rotors and Drums damaged. Front Caliper seized. No brake warning light was ever noticed. Took car to Mechanic because braking took longer. 
Jan 2012

84000 mi

US $50
Traction control and stability control lights were on. Mechanic diagnosed the code and reset the computer 
Oct 2013

84500 mi

US $600
Pulleys needed to be replaced because there was a lot of noise when engine runs 
Oct 2014

93200 mi

US $1500
Check engine light. Traction control stability control stopped working. 
Jun 2015

95000 mi
Right side Catalytic Converter abd Exhaust failure 
Toyota 4Runner in California, United States
Feb 2009 - Nov 2010
Mar 2009

100000 mi
Fixed a switch that was not lighting up. Repairs: all paid for by carmax! I LOVE carmax and don't think i will ever buy a new car again!!! 
Apr 2009

102000 mi
Lumbar support motor replaced. Took extra day because Toyota sent Carmax the wrong part. But had free rental car. 
Nov 2010

127000 mi

US $50
An AC circuit went out, It's a very common issue with this year and it was as simple as replacing a fuse. The fuse is over $100 so I used my $50 deductible on an extented warranty. 
Toyota 4Runner in Nevada, United States
Apr 2009 - Jun 2012
Sep 2010

83000 mi
Seat Belt tensioner system on drivers side. Still wainting on parts to repair. 
Jan 2011

86000 mi

US $691
Airbag warning sensor was blinking. Found out the seat belt retracter sensor went bad and damaged the air bag sensor. Previously had replaced the seat belt sensor but had to wait for the air bag sensor. Replaced the air bag sensor. 

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2003 Toyota 4Runner 4dr SUV

235-horsepower 4.7L V8 5-speed automatic RWD

Toyota 4Runner in North Carolina, United States
Jun 2013 - Jun 2022
Oct 2021

200000 mi

US $400
Fuel (oxygen) sensor replacement 
Apr 2022

216000 mi

US $500
Power steering motor and hose replacement 
Toyota 4Runner in Texas, United States
Jun 2014 - Jan 2022
Oct 2015

170000 mi

US $80
Bank 1 upstream o2 sensor went out. 
Sep 2016

172000 mi

US $200
battery, tires 
Feb 2017

175000 mi
Tensioner Pully Hood lift drivers side went bad 
Dec 2021

213000 mi

US $300
Drivers side control arm (bushings were out) replaced entire arm Replace all tie-rod ends, inner and outer 
Jan 2022

214000 mi

US $20
Pass side Hood lift strut went bad 
Toyota 4Runner in Texas, United States
Jan 2008 - Jun 2018
Feb 2008

64000 mi

US $1500
The sport model has a hydraulicly boosted suspension which had a leak. Eventually the fluid would all leak out and the suspension would be terrible. 
Toyota 4Runner in Louisiana, United States
May 2004 - Aug 2010
Jul 2004

18000 mi
Dealer replaced under warranty 2 front door lock actuators. 
Sep 2005

25000 mi
Dealer replaced the 2 back door actuators. 
Nov 2005

40000 mi
All 4 door actuators began misoperating intermittently. They would not electrically lock or unlock. Dealer refused to fix this problem as I was just out of mileage warranty - all failed and they remain broken today. Est. repair cost - $1600 
Aug 2008

75000 mi

US $950
Replaced AC compressor due to failed sensor that is built into the compressor.  
Sep 2009

99000 mi
Air conditioner fan intermittently refused to come up to proper speed and often would produce little or no air flow. Problem could not be diagnosed although removing glove box and jiggling connectors seemed to improve operation. 
Jan 2010

105000 mi

US $180
Replaced climate control panel with used part via parts dealer. New part was $900 but I paid $180 for good used part. Microswitch appeared to break in old unit and no repair was effective without the replacement part. 
Mar 2010

110000 mi

US $20
Replaced relay that engages the AC compressor clutch. Failed relays were common on this model according to internet research that provided the insight to this problem. 
Aug 2010

118000 mi
All 4 electric door lock actuators out when traded - would cost $1000 in parts or possibly about $1800 total repair bill. 

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2003 Toyota 4Runner 4dr SUV

235-horsepower 4.7L V8 5-speed automatic AWD w/low range

Toyota 4Runner in New Jersey, United States
Mar 2007 - Jun 2016
Jun 2007

57000 mi

US $50
A/C Compressor Sensor - Replaced myself 
Toyota 4Runner in Kentucky, United States
Sep 2017 - Jun 2018
Oct 2017

73000 mi

US $20
AC relay was replaced. AC was blowing warm air out of one side of vents. Ordered part from Amazon. 
Toyota 4Runner in Ontario, Canada
Jun 2016 - Jun 2017
May 2017

90520 mi

C $500
Rust repair to liftgate and rear right wheelwell 
Toyota 4Runner in California, United States
Jan 2006 - Oct 2017
Oct 2006

65000 mi

US $400
Differential seal replacement 
Toyota 4Runner in Ohio, United States
Aug 2017 - Jun 2022
Jun 2018

171000 mi

US $200
AC recharge, but evaporator is leaking. Looking at a 2,000 repair 
Jan 2019

176000 mi

US $2200
Full AC replacement 
Toyota 4Runner in Massachusetts, United States
Jan 2017 - May 2018
Apr 2018

103000 mi

US $600
front calipers seized again.. 2nd time owning vehicle, 
Toyota 4Runner in California, United States
Jun 2012 - Mar 2016
Mar 2015

155000 mi

US $193
moon roof malfunctions 
Toyota 4Runner in Massachusetts, United States
Mar 2008 - Mar 2010
May 2008

95000 mi

US $1200
Right and left front brake calipers replaced. Remanufactured parts used. 
Toyota 4Runner in Connecticut, United States
Feb 2009 - Jun 2011
Mar 2009

119000 mi

US $260
Left CV boot leaking grease. After having brakes flushed, ABS and Traction control lights came on. 
Oct 2010

155000 mi

US $400
Replaced Front Right wheel bearing. Replaced Hub and seals during bearing replacement. 
Toyota 4Runner in Georgia, United States
Jan 2008 - Jun 2018
Jul 2008

146000 mi

US $71
A/C clutch compressor relay went bad. Flashing a/c light inside the cabin, alerted me of the problem. The a/c was not blowing cold air. Online forums were searched and the problem was found. 
Jan 2010

165 mi

US $459
Replace driver side front wheel bearings. 
Toyota 4Runner in New York, United States
Feb 2008 - Oct 2011
Oct 2011

68000 mi
Sunroof stuck open. Dealer wanted $3,400 to fix it, though only that the teeth on the belt had worn away so there was no way to even crank the dang thing closed. Dealer was willing to let us trade it for full blue-book, so did, for a 2011. 
Toyota 4Runner in California, United States
Jan 2008 - Aug 2016
Jul 2008

48000 mi
a/c went out, discovered prob was in tsb, fixed. 
Jun 2013

56000 mi
sunroof would not close 
Toyota 4Runner in Minnesota, United States
Mar 2010 - Apr 2012
Sep 2011

154000 mi

US $189
cracked CV boot replaced 
Toyota 4Runner in South Dakota, United States
Apr 2011 - May 2015
Oct 2014

146700 mi

US $238
CV Boot on Driver's side was ripped, and it is as much for labor to change out the whole half shaft, so it is the proper way to do it. 
Apr 2015

154000 mi

US $240
Replaced Passenger Front Half Shaft 
Toyota 4Runner in Ohio, United States
Oct 2013 - Sep 2014
Sep 2014

167000 mi

US $460
Boots on both front axles were shot. I had both axles replaced 
Toyota 4Runner in Massachusetts, United States
Oct 2014 - Mar 2015
Nov 2014

151000 mi

US $500
Right wheel bearing replaced. 
Dec 2014

152000 mi

US $3000
Frame replaced due to rust. Replace driver side seat belt buckle. Replaced shocks, tie rods, etc. 
Toyota 4Runner in New Jersey, United States
Sep 2013 - Jun 2018
Jan 2015

170200 mi
Rear liftgate lock assembly was replaced Damage to lock likely caused by water/condensation in hatch due to water entering near rear power window. 
Sep 2015

178000 mi

US $303
2 oxygen sensors replaced. 
Toyota 4Runner in California, United States
Mar 2013 - Jun 2022
Apr 2014

177500 mi

US $15
Ac relay failed, quick swap to a new one 
Oct 2015

193300 mi

US $90
Power door lock fail 
Nov 2015

194000 mi

US $90
2nd power door lock failure 
Mar 2016

197000 mi

US $60
3rd power door lock failure 
Apr 2017

210000 mi
Dealer replaced dash for free due to cracking 
Nov 2017

215000 mi

US $500
Replaced CV joint with CVJ 4th power door lock replaced 
Dec 2019

225756 mi

US $400
Replaced both front wheel bearings 
Toyota 4Runner in British Columbia, Canada
Feb 2008 - Oct 2014
May 2008

93000 mi

C $650
seized RF caliper 
Jul 2011

91760 mi
Front suspension rubber isolators on top of shocks. Requires disassemble front suspension. Decided not to pursue. Living with noise. 
Apr 2012

99200 mi

C $1000
Hood struts.  Front suspension noise. Nothing wrong found, clunking noise persists. E-brake adjustment. Low beam headlight harness melt. 
Aug 2012

116020 mi
HVAC lights 
Jul 2013

153000 mi

C $400
water pump leak + timing belt 
Oct 2014

170500 mi

C $450
seized right front caliper outside bushings replaced 
Toyota 4Runner in Wyoming, United States
Dec 2015 - Apr 2017
Mar 2016

214000 mi

US $1500
Piston ring seized and scored cylinder wall. 

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2003 Toyota 4Runner Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2003 Toyota 4Runner problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.