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#BS-2012-TOY4RU-3361

2012 Toyota 4runner

Based on reports from 111 owners and 8 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
111
Crashes
7
Fires
1
Recalls
8
TSBs
356
🟑

Preliminary Verdict

Think Twice

Based on 111 complaints, 7 crashes, 1 fires, and 8 recalls.

Top reported problems

1

seats very uncomfortable

2 complaints β€’ Severity 9/10

$X,XXX
2

transfer case is popping

1 complaints β€’ Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
3

engine blew up

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the AirbagsHIGH

70 owners reported airbags issues β€” failures commonly reported around 45K miles.

!Inspect the BrakesMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

12
0–30K
15
30–60K
10
60–90K
6
90–120K
120–150K
1
150K+

Peak failure range: 30–60K miles (15 reports) β€’ Median: 45K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Airbags (70 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Airbags70 (63%)
Brakes7 (6%)
Electrical6 (5%)
Other6 (5%)
Engine5 (5%)
Steering4 (4%)
Fuel System4 (4%)
Speed Control2 (2%)

2012 Toyota 4runner: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 63% of all reports filed for the 2012 Toyota 4runner, with 70 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 45,144 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 45K-mile mark.

Brakes Issues

Brakes complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2012 Toyota 4runner, with 7 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to brakes-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2012 Toyota 4runner, with 6 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2012 Toyota 4runner, with 5 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

4
12
4
13
8
14
5
15
5
16
69
17
1
18
4
19
7
20
2
21
2
22

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2012 Toyota 4runner. Recent trend: stable.

Don't negotiate blind β€” know what this car costs to own

Repair costs β€’ Negotiation scripts β€’ Mechanic checklist β€’ Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (8 recalls)

12V120000Jun 2012

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 4RUNNER AND SIENNA VEHICLES, EQUIPPED WITH NON-ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT REMOTE ENGINE STARTERS. A MALFUNCTION IN THE AUDIOVOX ELECTRONICS BRAND REMOTE ENGINE STARTER MODULE CAN PREVENT NORMAL COMMUNICATION OF THE VEHICLEΒ’S CONTROLLER AREA NETWORK (CAN).

13V014000Mar 2013

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.

15V515000Sep 2015

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Toyota 4Runner vehicles manufactured March 29, 2010, to July 30, 2015. The affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly burn them while they are standing behind the vehicle.

16V577000Sep 2016

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2015 Toyota 4Runner vehicles manufactured September 3, 2009, to December 1, 2014. The affected vehicles may be equipped with accessory exhaust tips installed by SET or SET dealers that may contact people and possibly burn them while they are standing behind the vehicle.

17V006000Feb 2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

+ 3 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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2012 Toyota 4runner vs. Class Average (Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD)

This vehicle

111

Class avg

313

Below the class average β€” fewer complaints than typical sport utility vehicle - 2wd vehicles. A good sign.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume β€” popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 111 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 8 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

2012 Toyota 4runner: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2012 Toyota 4runner?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2012 Toyota 4runner is related to the airbags, with 70 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2012 Toyota 4runner reliable?
The 2012 Toyota 4runner has 111 complaints, 7 crash reports, and 1 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is below the class average β€” a positive sign for reliability.
How much does it cost to fix 2012 Toyota 4runner problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2012 Toyota 4runner have any recalls?
Yes, the 2012 Toyota 4runner has 8 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Toyota 4runner problems start?
Based on 44 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 45,144 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 30–60K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records β€” then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence β€” what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you β€” no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 111 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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