Total Complaints
8 filings
TOYOTA PRERUNNER · model year
1999 TOYOTA PRERUNNER
8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1999TOYOTAPRERUNNER carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1999 PRERUNNER is unknown or other with 2 filings, followed by air bags:frontal (1) and suspension (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 1999 PRERUNNER, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
8
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:REAR | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20170603UNKNOWN OR OTHER
PURCHASED SECOND SET OF TIRES FOR MY TRUCK FROM DEALERSHIP. MICHLIN LXT M/S2 TYPE. HAVE 81,000 MILES ON MY TOYOTA PRERUNNER PICKUP AT THIS TIME. HAVE HAD THE TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED AT DEALERSHIP ON TIMELY BASES. LAST TIME IN FOR MAINTENANCE THE SERVICE REP POINTED OUT THAT THE TIRES HAD "DRY ROTTED". TREAD THICKNESS IS VERY ACCEPTABLE. PHOTOS ATTACHED.
Mileage: 79,000
20161127AIR BAGS
I PURCHASED TRUCK USED 2012. THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT WAS ON MOST OF THE TIME. I TOOK IT TO AURORA COLLISION IN SEATTLE , WA. THEY COULDNT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG SO THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE AIRBAG UNIT. WITHIN 1 YEAR THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON AGAIN. I CALLED THEM TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SAID A NEW COMPANY BOUGHT THE BUSINESS SAME PHONE NUMBER 206 522-0493 AND THEY DO NOT HAVE MY RECORDS. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE TOLD ME THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO KEEP CUSTOMERS RECORDS FOR 10 YEARS AND PASS THEM ON TO THE NEW OWNER. NEW BUSINESS OWNER SAYS HE DOES NOT HAVE THEM. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE SAYS THEY CANNOT DETERMINE WHAT AIRBAG I HAVE WITH OUT TAKING THE TRUCK APART. WHAT CAN I DO?
20160311UNKNOWN OR OTHER
FRAME HAS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT AND VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS PA INSPECTION AND IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. RECEIVED "PROGRAM NOTICE" FROM TOYOTA AND TOOK TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION IN 2008 AND VEHICLE WAS FOUND TO HAVE NO RUST IN FRAME. NEVER RECEIVE ANY SUBSEQUENT NOTICE FROM TOYOTA REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF A RUST "SPRAY". VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 90K MILES.
20061107ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
A ROD WAS THROWN THROUGH THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE DEALER CLAIMED IT WAS A MAINTENANCE PROBLEM WHERE THEY REFUSED ANY RESPONSIBILITY. 80,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. PURCHASED NEW ENGINE AND $8,000 HAD A NEW ENGINE WITH A PERMANENT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DEALER CLAIMS CHECK LIGHT WAS A NEW PROBLEM AND OFFERED TO FIX FOR SOMEWHERE NORTH OF $1,500. REFUSED THIS FIX. OIL WAS CHANGED AT REGULAR INTERVALS. BOO TOYOTA. *NM
Mileage: 80,000
20040714SUSPENSION:REAR
MY 1999 TOYOTA TACOMA PRERUNNER WITH LADDER RACK AND 3 LADDERS, SWAYS DANGEROUSLY, AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.IT CAN BE CAUSED BY CONCRETE BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. IT SWAYS SIDE TO SIDE. MY TOYOTA DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG.*AK
Mileage: 53,000
20010924SUSPENSION
BED OF TRUCK SWAYED WHEN A LOAD WAS IN BED, DEALER HAS CHANGED RACK & PINION STEERING/TIE ROD ENDS/SPRINGS AND SHOCKS, BUT THAT HAS NOT REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CAUSING THE PROBLEMS, THE TIRES WERE THEN BALANCED AND ROTATED, CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WITH THE SWAYING WAS STILL THERE, CONSUMER REALIZED THAT WHEN WEIGHT IS ON BED OF THE VEHICLE, THAT IS WHEN THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO SWAY, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS NO PLACE OF ALLEVIATING THE PROBLEM. *JB
20010924TIRES
BED OF TRUCK SWAYED WHEN A LOAD WAS IN BED, DEALER HAS CHANGED RACK & PINION STEERING/TIE ROD ENDS/SPRINGS AND SHOCKS, BUT THAT HAS NOT REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CAUSING THE PROBLEMS, THE TIRES WERE THEN BALANCED AND ROTATED, CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WITH THE SWAYING WAS STILL THERE, CONSUMER REALIZED THAT WHEN WEIGHT IS ON BED OF THE VEHICLE, THAT IS WHEN THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO SWAY, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS NO PLACE OF ALLEVIATING THE PROBLEM. *JB
20001219CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WHILE TRAVELING AT 64 MPH ANOTHER DRIVER CROSSED CONSUMER'S PATH, AND CONSUMER HIT OTHER DRIVER HEAD-ON. CAR WAS TOTALLED. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER FELT THIS WAS UNSAFE. *AK
Compare 1999TOYOTAPRERUNNER to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1999 TOYOTA PRERUNNER have?▼
The 1999 TOYOTA PRERUNNER has 8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 TOYOTA PRERUNNER?▼
The most-complained component for the 1999 TOYOTA PRERUNNER is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS:FRONTAL and SUSPENSION.
Is the 1999 TOYOTA PRERUNNER safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.