13th Dec 2002, 14:54
I have had my 1990 4runner for only 14 months now and it has been a great vehicle. I have always been a believer in Toyota's and my 4runner has not hurt that feeling. I have needed to do some work on the truck, but mostly minor repairs like a/c and I also have a rear window motor out now. Other than that it's great.
30th Jan 2003, 14:44
Bought 1990 Forest Green 4runner new in southern Arizona. Never had any problems with it. Head Gasket blew, but was covered by a recall. Oil Changes and Gas are about the only expenses I have with it. Tranny and engine are both very sound. Back window motor stopped working after I moved to Ohio, probably from trying to get it unfrozen, and antenna doesn't go up or down anymore because I cut a wrong wire trying to hook up a new louder horn. Very very reliable though. 150,000miles.
20th Mar 2003, 21:55
1990 4-runner Very happy with truck. 170000 miles at 104000 replaced timing belt water pump...now replacing it again. kind of a big job 6-7 hours. back window motor very erratic. I think it should be replaced. stock steel wheels chipped badly and need resprayed. all in all one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned...
22nd May 2003, 13:39
Awesome SUV!!! Very, Very reliable. My 1992 Toyota 4-runner is currently just over 120,000 miles. I never fear a breakdown. No warranty can outlast the life expectancy of a 4-Runnneeerrr!!!
1st Dec 2003, 19:12
I'm the original owner of 1990 6 cylinder Toyota 4-Runner. with 150,000 miles. Great car except one thing--about 15,000 miles ago car started dying on occasion. Often it happens on a hill and during backing up, but can occur just going around corner. Had it to dealer 5 times--no repair fixed it. It started after I had it serviced and has never recovered. I've never read of this problem with anyone else.
6th Jun 2006, 09:17
I have a 91 4runner with a 90 engine. I ran it without knowing the water pump being bad and it died. I was working on it, but it won't start. It tries to, but backfires. Does anyone know how to fix this?
26th Aug 2008, 23:22
Owned my 90 V6 Automatic for 20 months. Bought it off a lot without any info from a previous owner, had 316,000KM so it really was an "AS IS" buy.
Laying on a bed of snow, I checked the frame for rust. UNDERCOATED! Sweet. Hmmm, not a drop of oil or fluid anywhere. Good sign. Pop the hood. New rad, and the engine looked like it had some work to it. On closer examination, I could see new head gaskets, which meant there were all the new parts that go along with doing that.
Later on, was told that the previous owner got rid of it after doing all the engine work, because the tranny started shifting hard into OD. This problem was easily solved by me, adjusting the kick down cable on the throttle body. No more hard shifts. In fact, this auto tranny has those sweet half gears that really get you up and going and sounds pretty good with a K+N filter.. For a 3000lb+ vehicle running 150 ponies, it isn't that bad at all for acceleration considering. But the fuel tank is a bit small for it.
All I've done to this is brakes all around, ball joints and a rear axle seal. It is my DD, and my weekend warrior.
This truck has been nothing but faithful, trusty and an all around excellent addition to our family. A true all season vehicle.
5th Nov 2002, 12:43
My 1990 Toyota 4Runner is the most reliable car I've ever owned. I bought it new in March 1990 and have, since then, put 212,000 miles on it and that figure is only climbing. It's not been absolutely trouble free after 12 years. I have had to replace the water pump (once, about 7 years ago) and the radiator (last year, when it was clogged). The finish has kept it's integrity as well after all these years. No body rust problems at all (I live in the DC area where our winters are mild, but we still get snow). While I did have some minor rust on my painted steel wheels, it was easy to address with a simple paint job. The 4WD has never required servicing and, after 12 years and 212,000 miles, the engine's a bit loose sounding, but that's not unexpected.