1995 Toyota 4Runner Limited from North America - Comments

I have 275,000 miles on my 1995 4Runner and have had nothing but amazing service out of it until now. It's been so reliable, I'm shocked that there's now a problem (no compression). I got 175,000 out of a little Tercel wagon before I gave it to a friend who's still driving it; I'll never drive anything but a Toyota again.

Original owner of a 94 Toyota 4-Runner SR5 V6 4X4 standard transmission. I had the head gasket replaced as part of a warranty recall back in 98 (about 50K to 60K miles on it).

It now has 177K on the car and I noticed a weird sound (like water running through pipes) when I would accelerate in first gear up to 10MPH. The it would stop. No other symptons (no overheating, no loss of coolant, no rough riding, etc.). In fact it just passed it's emissions test here in WA state.

I brought it in and the service guy immediately said, you have air in the coolant line. Most likely caused by a leaky head gasket. They did a pressure test and noticed water coming out the front of the block (as opposed to the rear where they would expect it). This confirmed I have a leaky gasket. I don't have the final estimate yet, but I had no other symptons so I'm hoping it won't run more than 2K.

I've gone through 2 clutches with the car and normal stuff like a starter, shocks, brakes, etc. Other than this problem, the car has been great for 15 years (got it in November 93).

We will see what they say.

I came onto the page looking for advice on a check engine light, and found a lot of sad 4Runner owners. Scares me some that my days might be limited with my car. I've got the 3.0 V6 95 2WD, and just recently turned 250,500 miles. Had the head gaskets replaced back around 90,000 but been good since. The seals on the gaskets and the oil pan do leak (about 1 quart every other week) but aside from that I'm happy with its performance to-date. Still getting >20mpg highway. I guess I am lucky (and not paid by Toyota) so I'm not set on what kind of car I will get next.

Original owner of a well cared for 1995 Tacoma 4x4 3.0 V6. This truck has been great for the past 13 years with the exception of the head gasket.

At 12,000 miles, the engine overheated and steam was everywhere under the hood. Problem was a blown head gasket. That was replaced under warranty.

At 70,000 miles, a recall notice from Toyota was received by me. Promptly took my truck to Toyota and had the head gasket replaced.

At 197,000 miles, truck began loosing coolant. No visible leaks anywhere. 2 months later, foamy, milky substance became visible in the oil. Coolant is now mixing with the oil! A sure sign of a blown head gasket. Dealership wants $2,500 to fix it. Ouch! Found independent mechanic. Will cost me a thousand less than the dealer's quote to fix (OEM head gasket kit alone costs $400 from dealer). While in the process of replacing head gasket, mechanic discovers one of the cylinder heads is cracked. Ouch!!! Will try to locate a replacement head tomorrow.

I have a 95 4Runner. I bought this vehicle about 8 months ago. When I first bought it, it wouldn't shift into overdrive. After researching I found that Toyota has a sensor or something that prevents it from shifting until reaching a certain temperature.

I then checked the thermostat, the previous owner cut it in half and replaced it. I am guessing that's why he did it so to not restrict water flow and prevent the coolant from ever getting hot. Now I replaced the thermostat (because I can't drive it like that in 3rd gear) and now it is overheating. Also my oil pressure gauge falls to 0 when I come to a stop. Can anyone help me with this?

I too have fallen victim to Toyota's so called Great Reputation. I bought the 95 4Runner back in May of 08. 2 weeks after purchase my check engine light came on. Took it to the dealership and they said "we can't find a problem". On my way home from the dealership it overheated. When I parked the car coolant was pouring out of the overflow. I took the car back to the dealership told them what happened and again they said they didn't know. So I decided to replace the thermostat, radiator and the water pump. Needless to say 3 days later it all started happening again. No one seemed to be able to tell me what was wrong. About 3 weeks ago I started noticing an oil leak and low and behold a few days later I noticed coolant was leaking also in the same place. Started the truck and white smoke and coolant came flooding out the tail pipe. Now they decided to tell me I have a blown head and it will cost me about 2200 to fix it. I still owe on this truck and it is very frustrating. I will never by another Toyota. Wish I would have found these reviews before I purchased the truck.