New 4Runner Air Conditioning

I have new 2024 SR Premium with 500 miles on it....Just a quick question...Are 4runners air conditioning considered to be good...I have to wonder if my ride might be low on Freon....It does blow cold...But on a 85 degree day...I had to leave it on full and i have to say i was never cold being blown directly on me...and i was in car for 20 minute drive...concerning or am i blowing smoke?....Also off topic...The paint protection film seems to lifting on the edge of mirror (was done at factory)....is it just settling or is it an issue...Jeez...really never wanted that stuff on my car anyways...Thanks for opinion people

 

The AC in my 2020 sucks on setting thats not full blast upper vents ONLY open.

 

On a hot day parked outside the first thing I do is drive a little with rear glass open to suck out the hot air out of the vehicle. After that I feel the air-con is pretty good.
But I'm a tropical island boy, so my expectation of cold air might be different from others.

 

I've got a 2023 Limited - so not exactly the same as yours since it has the dual climate control - but I would think the A/C cooling capacity would be the same? I have to say the A/C in my 2023 Limited gets cold quickly - and with the fan turned up and set on recirculate and the thermostat turned all the way down to LO it cools the cabin pretty quickly. In terms of how quickly it cools down the cabin it is probably the best A/C system I have ever had in a vehicle. It is noticeably better that the 2010 Tacoma I drove for ~13 years - and I never thought the Tacoma's A/C was bad. I do have to say though - I've never really driven super nice vehicles. The 4Runner I have now, and the Tacoma before it, are the nicest vehicles I've ever owned. Before that I mostly drove small, economical cars (base model Civics/Integras) - although I bought them all new - and really never had issues with how the A/C worked. I'm thinking my observation that my 2023 4Runner's A/C is awesome may not match the thinking of people who have owned really high end vehicles.

 

I do know that if you use any other air filter other than the oem Toyota one, it is likely to be more restrictive and reduce air flow. At least that has been my experience

 

I put the right rear window down about 4 inches and driver's window down an inch or so. In 1/4 mile, all the hot air is replaced by ambient.

 

They stopped using R134a, and now use 1234yf. It’s not as cold.

 

Thanks all for the replies....I think may have been reading into this.....I took it for a longer ride...and it got plenty cold...I may have not given enough time to get cold....I swear the older i get the more anal i become....that did not sound right...anyways Thanks all

 

In addition, the blower on my 23 is nowhere near as powerful as my old 13. I used to never have to turn the knob past two clicks, now you have to go well past that to get the same air flow. Stock oem cabin filter, so not a restriction issue.

 

My wife's Honda CRV blows my 4runner out of the water on AC. Like it's not even close.

 

It does take a while to get real cold, It’s a big box. I’m used to a Tacoma , so I figured it would take longer to heat and cool.

 

My 2010 Tacoma was weak and now my Runner has what seems like weak AC. In my Tacoma it would get warm at times and I thought about adding an electric pusher fan but I never did. At some point I’ll get ceramic tint on the windows but the tint guy said even just getting the windshield done makes a big difference.

 

I don’t think I would call my 21MY AC’s particularly cold so same here.

 

It’s ticking since day 1 and weak on hot days. Especially in the second row. I have to put it on max and upper vents only with inside circulation to cool down the cabin. Yes I start with all windows down but still. My Gen4 was much stronger and even the SR5 had auto AC.

 

AC isn't great on my 24 4Runner. I did notice they have new refrigerant sticker under the hood, so lack of performance might be compliance issue.

 

The question is how can we fix it? I don’t care about the baby seals but I need ice cold AC in my car especially with 5 people. I think it’s the weak ac blower motor.

As of January 1, 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency mandated that all passenger cars and light-duty trucks coming off the assembly lines must utilize R-1234yf as their HVAC system refrigerant. The European Union forced this changeover on January 1 of the previous year.

 

I dealt with post-Freon cars around switchover, and it exactly this all over again. When they switched from R-12 to R-134, any car that was originally designed for R-12 had weak AC. It is weak because it uses R-1234yf but HVAC is not designed for it. I don't think there is a fix.

 

It does get plenty cold (eventually) but IMO the blower capacity is poor considering the 4Runner's volume.

 

For $300? On a brand new car? No thanks.
I agree with 5thToy that it’s the blower motor. How can the same motor cool down the GX460 and be completely quiet?

 

I just tested the system. 93F outside and it blows 42F on 2,000rpm max AC. That’s 5C which is the standard on Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz so the temperature is good. The problem is the AC motor which is loud but weak.

 

Another possible factor is sizing and/or routing of ductwork. If the "plumbing" is restrictive, the blower can only do so much.

 

What yr did they change the Freon

 

2021 in the US.

 

Makes sense as I have noticed the 4 runner is not as cold as my other 4 runners

 

Maybe it was the change posted above, or maybe it just doesn't get hot enough in the midatlantic summers, but even in the 90's with tons of humidity my 2019 gets ice box cold after a while

 

My 19 and 21 was fine 23 not so much just takes longer to cool I noticed this on a few trips to FL

 

Add rear AC from a Previa.

 

To get the best performance out of my 23 ORP I have found the following settings work the best: (1) Fan motor full speed (2) A/C setting one above Max A/C to keep it from recirculating (3) Upper vents only (4) Windows open initially until ambient temperature is reached. (5) Once ambient temperature is reached windows closed and A/C setting changed to Max A/C. I have found this can cool the vehicle fairly quickly even in 100+ degree weather, though I don't think I ever take the fan off of full blast, even on my 45 min commute.

What I found later on in the summer to be key, is the use of the WeatherTech full sun shade kit. Keeps the interior temperature way cooler, and all the touch points cooler, including the dash. With the sunshades installed, the amount of time between starting the rig, it blowing cool air, and the cabin being comfortable is almost cut in half. Typically, with the sunshades installed I start the car, turn A/C to full blast, then remove the sunshades. By the time everything is rolled up and put away (2 mins or less) the system is already blowing cold air and the cab is already starting to feel comfortable. One of the best purchases for a car I have ever made.

 

To me this is unacceptable from a $50k vehicle. Max fan speed is loud as hell and I never had to use it for more than a few minutes in my cars. As I said it’s not the Freon because the AC is ice cold as it should be. It’s the air flow/duct work which is under engineered.

 

Question: Was your previous car American? (i.e. Ford, Chevy)


Reason I ask is that Japanese cars in general have always had weaker AC than American cars. That goes for Toyota, Honda, Mazda, etc... Ive driven far more Japanese cars than anything else so I'm used to it but if you are coming from an F150 with AC designed to refrigerate beer in Phoenix then it may take getting used to.