Every week someone orders a 99-02 part for a 97 truck, or the other way around, and every week a courier carries it straight back. The 3rd Gen 4Runner looks like one truck, but Toyota facelifted it for the 1999 model year, and a surprising amount of the nose stopped interchanging that day. This is the reference guide: what changed, what swaps, and how to know for certain which parts your truck takes.
What Toyota changed in 1999
The facelift gave the truck a smoother, wider face: new headlights, a new grille opening, a new bumper with signals moved down into it, and new corner lamps. Under the skin very little moved, which is why people assume the panels swap. Most of them do not.
The interchange table
| Part | 96-98 | 99-02 | Interchange? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlights | Composite, flatter face | Larger, swept back, bulbs included in ours | No |
| Corner lights | Two designs (see below) | One design | No |
| Turn signals | Fender-mounted (diamond or OE style) | Bumper-mounted | No |
| Grille | 96-98 opening | 99-00 and 01-02 designs | No |
| Front valance | Slim primed strip | Tall textured panel with fog openings | No |
| Headlight filler panels | Same part all years | Yes | |
| Tail lights | Split at 2001, not at the facelift (see below) | Partial | |
| Door hardware, cooling parts, struts | Same all years | Yes | |
The mid-97 corner lamp trap
The one that catches everyone. Toyota changed the corner lamps mid-1997, so a 1997 truck can take either design depending on the month it was built. Your build date is stamped on the plate in the driver's door jamb. Built 01/97 or later through 1998: you want the 97-98 option on our Corner Light Set. Built before 01/97: different lamp again, message us and we will point you at the right one. Thirty seconds at the door jamb saves a return trip for both of us.
Tail lights split in 2001, not 1999
The rear did not follow the facelift schedule. Trucks built from 01/97 through 2000 take one tail lamp, and 2001-2002 trucks take the later crystal clear-and-red design. Both live on one listing with a fitment dropdown: the Tail Light Set. Same build-plate rule applies to early trucks.
Three grille eras
The grille is the fastest visual tell. 96-98 trucks take the narrow-opening grilles: the Grey Grille or the Chrome Grille Assembly. The 99-00 trucks got their own short-lived design, and 01-02 trucks take the last version, which we stock in textured black or chrome shell.
How our listings handle all this
Where two designs cover one part, we sell them from a single listing with a fitment dropdown: corner lights, tail lights, headlights, and front valances all work this way. Pick the option that matches your build date and front, and the right part ships. Every listing repeats its own fitment warning, so if you read one thing before ordering, read that.
Doing the whole nose at once? The 99-02 Front End Refresh Kit and 96-98 Front End Refresh Kit bundle the matched set for your front at around 16% off the singles.
