2009 Toyota 4RUNNER problems, complaints & recalls
Updated from NHTSA data · How we count
Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota 4RUNNER, most often about airbags. There are 6 recalls for this model year.
- Complaints
- 3
- Recalls
- 6
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Median mileage
- 129,500 mi at time of problem
Key facts
- Airbags is the most-reported problem area, named in 1 of 3 complaints (33%).
- Body & Structure (1) and other areas follow.
- Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 129,500 mi.
- Owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries.
- The 2009 Toyota 4RUNNER has 6 recalls on file.
- NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation covering this vehicle.
- It ranks 21st of 22 Toyota 4RUNNER model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
- That is 77% fewer complaints than the 2008 model year (13).
2009 Toyota 4RUNNER problems by category
- Other / Unknown1 complaints
- Airbags · 1 crash1 complaints
- Body & Structure1 complaints
A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.
Most-reported components
| Component (as filed with NHTSA) | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Air bags | 1 |
| Structure:frame and members | 1 |
| Unknown or other | 1 |
When problems happen (mileage)
2009 Toyota 4RUNNER recalls (6)
- SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
- SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
- AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE · SEATS
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 had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk: 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.
- VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 lexus lx570, 2003 through 2009 toyota 4runner, and 2006 through 2010 rav4 vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Remedy: The remedy is now available. The safety recall began early april 2011. The remedy will involve modification or replacement of the accelerator pedal and replacement of any toyota all-weather floor mat. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
- EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
- EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
NHTSA defect investigations
Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration
On February 16, 2010, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened RQ10-003 to determine whether the scope of prior Toyota recalls relating to potential unintended acceleration were sufficiently broad, including, among others, Toyota recalls 07E-082, 09V-388, 10V-017, and 10V-023.NHTSA also requested information regarding potential electronic causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota and Lexus vehicles.I. Pedal Interference from Floor mats, Carpet Covers and Plastic Pads in Carpets.During the RQ10-003 investigation, ODI reviewed a large volume of documents to assess whether additiona…
Recent 2009 Toyota 4RUNNER complaints
Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
- Filed Jun 13, 2024114,000 miRITowedBody & Structure
The contact owns a 2009 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while pulling out of a driveway, the contact observed a grinding noise coming from the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel violently yanked to the right. Additionally, the contact stated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle pulled to the left inadvertently. The vehicle was stopped and inspected. The contact observed that the front passenger’s side tire was dangling by the rocker arm and…
NHTSA complaint #11594145 · source - Filed Apr 19, 2022TXOther / Unknown
On 4/8/22, the rear window of our 2009 Toyota 4runner just shattered and fell apart for no reason. We took it to get replaced at Safelite on 4/13/22 and one of their techs asked if we knew what caused the glass to break and we told him we had no idea. We told him it just broke out of nowhere from some strange reason, and he told us that it looks like the window breaking was caused by the overheating of the rear defroster and that it was a common issue with 2009 4runners. We…
NHTSA complaint #11461419 · source - Filed Dec 3, 2020145,000 miLACrashTowedAirbags
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota 4runner. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, they crashed into a cow which caused damaged to the front of vehicle. The contact was concerned the air bags failed to deploy. There were no reported injuries. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted.the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent lot. The manufacturer was contacted however no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage…
NHTSA complaint #11377705 · source
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Other 2009 Toyota models
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology