I drive a 2008 4runner SR5 4x4 and when im coming to a stop and right before im at a complete stop it feels like the car either shuts off or feels kinda like its switching gears or something or hesitation im not sure and then when i accelerate it kinda hesitates or has a very slight jerk kinda like its switching gears again but im not really sure. does anybody know what that might be?

 

That's not a real good description but I'll take a shot just for fun. Could it be that one of your brakes is locking up just before you come to a stop. When you take off slowly, maybe the brake is holding on that wheel until you put enough power to it to cause the stuck brake to release.

I once had a rear axle seal leaking into my brake drum which would cause the brake to lock up at very low speed causing the truck to feel like something suddenly pulled on it hard from behind and then, when I went to take off, it wouldn't roll forward in gear without pressing the accelerator hard. After forcing it to get rolling, it would run fine until I slowed down to stop again. That's just a shot in the dark guess. You're going to have to reword your description of the symptoms in order for us to make a more educated guess.

Does it feel like the truck is trying to steer one way or the other when you notice these symptoms you're describing?

 

I dont think its the brakes cause it doesnt feel like the brakes are grabbing it. it feels more of its like the engines or electronic kinda of thing. it doesnt do it all the time but most of the time it only does it right when i come to a complete stop like the very last second it feels like if the engine almost shuts off but the engine runs fine. id say it mainly feels like its shifting gears but i cant be too sure. but im also not an expert and it could be the brakes as you described, is there anyway i could check and see if thats the problem?

 

Ok, I understand what you are saying a little better now. I have had a similar symptom a couple times before. First of all, when the engine feels like it's about to die, do you get a check engine light? If so, I might suspect a dirty mass air flow sensor. I am not real familiar with the newer engines but on my 3.4 liter, it is a little sensor plumbed into the air duct between the air filter and the intake manifold. When these get dirty, the engine isn't able to accurately measure the amount of air going into the engine. Without this information, the engine does not know how much fuel to give it to match the air volume. If it senses half the air that it's actually getting, it will give it half the fuel and thus, the feeling that it's going to die. You can unplug the wiring connector from the sensor and take it out of the air duct with just a screwdriver on mine. You need to be very careful with it in your hand because it is very delicate. Parts stores sell a spray product specifically for cleaning these. Spray the sensor down per the instructions on the can, let it dry and reinstall it. These sensors getting dirty and causing poor performance is a common problem on some Toyota engines. Yours may be one of them. This solved my problem so well that I now clean my sensor periodically even if the engine seems to be running fine and it always seems to make it run better especially after coming to a sudden stop. By the way, you can have these symptoms due to a dirty air flow sensor even if your check engine light isn't on. Just thought I'd mention that.

Secondly, the dirt and crud that gets on these sensors has to come from somewhere. Check your air filter. If it hasn't been changed in recent memory, go ahead and change it and make sure it is installed properly. A plugged air filter will cause similar issues as well. That would be a good first step if you don't feel real comfortable with cleaning your sensor or if the sensor is going to be difficult to remove. It is super easy to take out and clean on mine but may not be on yours. Like I said, I am not familiar with the engines in the fourth generation runners as I have never owned one.

Best of luck and let me know how it turns out.

 

Alright so i took off the sensor and needed to be cleaned so i cleaned it and it defiantly does work better and i dont get the hesitation nearly as much so thank you for that! but it still happens a little bit. is there anything else that would cause it?

 

Air filter and spark plugs are a couple of things that you can do without any complex troubleshooting and are maintenance items anyway. How many miles are on your plugs? I true missfire would probably turn on your check engine light but a worn out plug would give you a hesitation without giving a fault code.

Oh and one more thing! Take your truck to a nice clean gas station that you normally don't fuel at and buy you a tall cool tank of premium gas. I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars I have spent on my fleet of trucks due to bad gas or diesel. Most gasoline is exactly the same everywhere you buy it however different places handle their fuel differently. Some clean their tanks, sample them and double filter the gas you get. Others have tanks that are half full of water and rust and don't care to maintain them whatsoever. You might even run a can of seafoam through it.

Give those three things a try. I can't say that they will completely clear up your problem but I can guarantee that each of them will make it run better to some degree and your truck will thank you.

 

I recently bought the car a month ago too and ive put in premium gas all the time they said they even put premium in as well. The air filter is brand new i already checked that so thats good and ive been thinking about checking the spark plugs so that probably what ill do next! The main problem is the brake so like right when i come to a complete stop it does the little stutter thing its not like its a super big problem its just annoying and doesnt seem like it would be good for the car over time so yea thats the main problem do you think the spark plugs would be that? and the check engine light has never come on either. Thank you for the help too! either way you have taught me something so thanks!

 

I'll give you one more for the road. Go ahead and change your fuel filter. I'm not sure where yours is or if it is even a replaceable part. The previous generation 4Runners had theirs behind the frame rail, mid way down the truck on the same side as the gas tank. A restriction in your fuel line could allow the engine to run good at mid range rpm but hesitate when you let off the gas.

Once you have changed all of the maintenance parts you can begin your journey into the magical world of troubleshooting your Toyota. I won't be much help on that 4th generation because I have never owned one. They are magnificent machines. I didn't fall in love with my first one until I had to take it apart. I have two older Runners now and I'm bored because I don't have anything left to fix.

Good luck! You'll get it.