I have a 2003 4runner V6 which was made in June last year. I have
no problems with it and I have 20,000K's on it. The engine is very
quiet. I took a friend out for a drive (he has a Mazda Tribute) and he
going to turn the engine on and I said it was. He couldn't believe
it. I have no idea what the Consumer Report is talking about. I think
that they won't stick there neck out on anything new. They did give
the engine a full red circle.
I have had 2 other 4runners before. A 1986 sr5 4X4 pickup and a
1990 SR5. The 1990 I just traded in for my 2003 and was very happy with it and the service I got from Toyota. The headgasket
(normal for the 1990-95) went but then the whole engine had to be
rebuilt which Toyota paid for after 6 years of driving.
Good Luck