2017 Toyota 4Runner: Premature piston ring failure
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2017 4Runner report: premature piston ring failure. CarComplaints.com lists 1 owner complaints, average mileage 114,000 miles.
NHTSA has 2 owner complaints for the 2017 4Runner in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11649210 (filed 03/19/2025): “Throttle has a lag when depressing gas pedal (occasionally a dead petal symptom) research indicates a tsb t-sb-0166-10 exist that relates to this issue. lack of toyota dealer assistance with this issue when contacted (toyota of round rock texas 78664) this …”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11051617 (filed 11/30/2017): “Car stalled on the free way while driving . the dash board had a warning to check engine at dealer. the car was towed to the dealership (tansky sawmill, dublin oh). they reset the car and it was returned to us. according to dealership, diagnostics dete…”
Likely causes
Sources do not establish a single root cause; diagnosis is needed. Owner-reported fixes are listed below.
Fix, in plain English
Most common owner-reported solutions on CarComplaints.com: replace the engine (1 reports). Check for open recalls and extended warranty coverage with a dealer before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Pro
Internal engine work (lifters, oil consumption, fuel dilution diagnosis) requires engine teardown or dealer software/tests. (Our assessment.)
Cost
CarComplaints.com owners report a typical repair cost of about $15,000 (owner-reported average, not a quote).
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
AutoZone · O'Reilly · Advance · RockAuto
Sources
Page last updated .