Faults:

This is the my first 4WD, and so far I am pleased with it. I take it to camping and fishing, and have never had a problem.

The manual gear box is tight and the steering is fine. I've replaced all the oils and idler arm.

General Comments:

Great car. Toyota is not about performance and power, it's all about reliability!! The car is slow at traffic lights, but as soon as it takes off, no problem setting at 110km/h for long distances.

Change your engine oil every 5000km, and the rest of the oil every 10k, and you will have a very reliable Toyota for a long time.

Faults:

When I first bought my 1990 4runner SR5 3.0 L V-6 auto, it ran pretty good for it being only a 3.0 V-6.

The mileage on fuel wasn't too bad til I threw on some 31x10.5 Yokohama Geolandar treads, then the mpg along with the power lowered a noticeable amount, but it still did alright.

Then I rolled it on the freeway, which caused oil to leak into the top of the piston rings, but after removing the oil and a few days of smoke coming out of the exhaust, it still ran pretty good. Later I changed some of the parts that I thought could be damaged from the oil leaking (i.e. spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor, cap & rotor, oil & oil filter, etc...), and it eventually ran better, and is still running today almost at full power.

I think I'm averaging about 13 mpg hwy with the 31's, and around 200 +/- on a full tank.

General Comments:

I'd prefer to put a five speed in, along with a bigger V-6 and manual locking hubs on it.

Faults:

Steering parts, head and head gaskets at 200,000 sunroof failed at 200,000, air conditioning failed at 180,000.

Starting problem when hot, 5 repair facilities have never found it. Starters burn up quickly.

Bought for $7800 with 157000 miles, have put $8000 into it in the 7 1/2 years I've owned it just to keep it running.

General Comments:

Pathetically underpowered, terrible gas mileage, shines the best in the snow or mud.

Don't try keep up with traffic in the mountains, you won't. Flat-lander SUV only.

Sits up high and is narrow, which makes it nice in town, just don't swerve at high speed, my friend rolled his.

Faults:

The head gasket blew on the 4runner 3 litre V6. Sure, it is an old vehicle. But these are notorious for blowing head gaskets.

I phoned Toyota Canada and they say there is not recall on this engine. The person I spoke with could not tell me why some 1990s are recalled while others are not. She basically acted as if she did not know that Toyota had ever had a problem with head gaskets. This is an early 1990, built before the end of 1989.

So, what did Toyota do - just arbitrarily pick a date after which they would cover head gasket repairs? I doubt if there are any differences between the block, heads, and gaskets used on early or later 1990 V6s.

Has anyone managed to obtain the free repair from Toyota for a 1990? If so, could you tell me the manufacture date of your vehicle?

Is this engine worth fixing? Or is it a waste of money; can this again happen at any time?

(My other Toyota V6, a 1993 T100, was covered by a recall.)

General Comments:

Toyotas may be nice, but it seems that many have serious weak points. Once Toyota recognizes the problems, the company should stand behind their products. I have bought a few new Toyotas, but am not sure that I would do so again, especially after talking to the so-called "Customer Service" rep.