Case file · TOYOTA-4RUNNER-2010-2024 · Field document

Toyota 4Runner 2010–2024 · Pre-purchase checklist

Bring this to the inspection. Every check below is specific to this generation's documented failure modes — not generic used-car advice.

1. Check 01

   Scan for stored codes and check CEL history. P2440/P2441/P2442/P2445 point to the secondary air injection (smog pump) fault on 2010–2013 cars — verify whether Toyota's warranty enhancement already covered it.

2. Check 02

   Fill the tank at the test drive. If the pump keeps clicking off or fuel backs up, the EVAP vent filter behind the rear wheel is clogged — cheap to fix but a useful negotiating point and a sign of heavy dusty-road use.

3. Check 03

   Work every door lock from the fob and the switch. Dead or intermittent actuators are extremely common; budget one or more.

4. Check 04

   Look hard at the frame, control arms, and brake/fuel lines on any truck from a salt-belt state. 5th-gen frames are far better than the recall-era 2003–2010 trucks, but surface-to-structural rust still happens.

5. Check 05

   Check the passenger-side dash near the airbag for cracks; confirm the open Takata airbag recall (2010–2016) was performed via VIN.

6. Check 06

   Feel for power-steering fluid weeping at the rack on higher-mileage or heavily off-roaded examples.

7. Check 07

   On 4WD trucks, engage and disengage 4HI/4LO on a test loop and confirm no warning-light cluster (VSC/A-TRAC) — usually a calibration or sensor issue, but verify.

8. Check 08

   Confirm transmission fluid has been serviced at least once on cars past ~90k; 'lifetime fluid' is a marketing term, not a maintenance plan.