Does the 3rd Gen Tundra Recall Spell Doom for the 6th Gen 4Runner?

[Blackteqrunner]

As you have probably heard, Toyota voluntarily recalled over 98,000 Tundras because of machinery debris causing knocking and eventually engine failure. They have yet to state what the remedy for this problem will be, but either way it will be an expensive and time consuming recall nonetheless. A common issue that has come up in the new 3rd Generation Tundra is a main bearing failure. The new turbo engines have metal bearings as opposed to a resin overlay coating, this was because of the expected increase in wear and tear with the increased torque. Photos have shown the metal bearings to have worn down due to the machined debris. Another expected cause of the engine failures is a newly designed crank cap that aren't designed and fitted individually, rather they are what Toyota calls a "ladder frame" in a one piece cast aluminum block (as seen below).



In a Youtube video by "The Car Guy Online", he brought up an anecdotal example of a Toyota Tundra owner who had an engine failure and his nightmare experience to get it fixed. He had a 2024 Tundra that had 7500 miles when he brought it in to fix a blown engine. Instead of getting a new engine, Toyota pulled it apart to replace the parts that failed. Not only are you out of your vehicle for a number of days if not weeks, but you also have a vehicle that has now been pulled apart and put together again by possibly the same kid that over torques your oil filter. One of the very unfortunate things is that this type of issue shows up on your car fax when and if you try to sell it. In this specific instance, this guy tried to trade in his Tundra but he upside down in value on it. Possibly due to the direct result of these issues, the 2022-2023 Tundras depreciated 14-15%. As a comparison, the previous generation Tundra depreciated only 7-11%, seemingly holding their value better than the new generation.



With all this information, what are your feelings on the new 4Runner?? Personally, I am still in a wait and see mode. Having the 4Runner be one of the last new engine model refresh to be released, I am hopeful that a lot of the initial mistakes were made and rectified before they begin production on the 6th Gen 4Runners. If I were to give Toyota the benefit of the doubt, I think that they released the 4Runner last because that is their bread and butter and any mistakes that were made with the Tundra, Sequoia, Tacoma, LC etc. would hopefully be addressed and a smoother roll out would occur.

 

[4Runner ops]

I too hope that the engine issue is solved in the future as the Four Runner hits the trails.