Toyota Land Cruiser Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability
Year-by-year breakdown of safety recalls, NHTSA owner complaints, reported deaths, injuries, crashes, and worst problem areas. Updated daily from federal databases.
Recent Safety Incidents — Last 5 Model Years
Own a Toyota Land Cruiser? Check your specific VIN for a full history report.
Toyota Land Cruiser — Year-by-Year Problem Comparison
| Year | Verdict | Recalls | Complaints | Crashes | Injuries | Deaths | Top Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026Best | Excellent | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2025 | Excellent | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2024 | Excellent | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2021 | Excellent | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2020 | Excellent | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2019 | Good | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2018 | Good | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2017 | Good | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2016 | Good | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | Back Over Prevention | Full report → |
| 2015 | Good | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2014 | Good | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | Service Brakes | Full report → |
| 2013 | Good | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2012 | Good | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2011 | Caution | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | Engine | Full report → |
| 2010 | Caution | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2009 | Avoid | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | Vehicle Speed Control | Full report → |
| 2008 | Avoid | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2007 | Excellent | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full report → |
| 2006 | Good | — | 5 | — | — | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2005 | Good | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | Air Bags | Full report → |
| 2004 | Good | — | 3 | — | — | — | Electrical System | Full report → |
| 2003 | Good | — | 5 | — | — | — | Unknown Or Other | Full report → |
| 2002 | Caution | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | Vehicle Speed Control | Full report → |
| 2001 | Good | — | 6 | — | — | — | Equipment | Full report → |
| 2000Worst | Avoid | — | 18 | 3 | 6 | — | Structure | Full report → |
| 1999 | Avoid | — | 14 | 2 | 4 | — | Service Brakes | Full report → |
| 1998 | Caution | — | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | Service Brakes | Full report → |
27 model years shown. Crashes, injuries, and deaths from NHTSA complaint filings. Click any year for full details.
Most Common Toyota Land Cruiser Problems
Based on 105 owner complaints filed with NHTSA across all model years.
Recent Safety Recalls — Toyota Land Cruiser (2024–2026)
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain Toyota 2023 GR Supra, 2024 4 Runner, Corolla, Grand Highlander, Grand Highlander Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Tacoma, Tacoma Hybrid, 2023-2024 BZ4X, Corolla Cross Hybrid, GR Corolla, GR86, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime, Sequoia Hybrid, Tundra, Tundra Hybrid, Venza Hybrid, 2023-2025 Crown, and 2025 Camry Hybrid vehicles equipped with GST accessories. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added weight values. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Remedy: GST will mail new labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2024. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 24R2.
Showing 1 recall from 2024–2026 model years. See the full year-specific pages for older recalls.
Recent Owner Complaints
Direct reports filed with NHTSA by Toyota Land Cruiser owners — 2024–2026 model years.
Truck has 11000 miles. Waiting in drive thru, felt a jolt, like someone rear ended me. 3 warnings came on “system malfunction, Hybrid system malfunction , and drive/start malfunction. Truck was stuck in 2nd gear. Drove to parking lot, turned truck off. Was able to drive to dealership. 23 days at dealership, replaced transmission under warranty. Solenoid problem.
Several of us on the Toyota forum are noting that the portion of the sunroof positioned toward the rear seat does not form a proper seal and is letting water into the vehicle. This in turn puts electronics at risk or being compromised and unsafe driving conditions.
Spontaneous shatter of rear passenger tempered glass. No prior damage to window.
The owner reports that at slow, consistent speeds [approx. 1–10 mph] on an incline, including steep paved city roads and well-maintained alpine roads, the transmission/EV temperature increases quickly. Under similar low-speed inclines where speed fluctuates [approx. 1–25 mph], temperatures rise rapidly and result in overheating. This occurs both on-road and off-road. Once the transmission exceeds normal operating temperatures, reverse, 1st & 2nd gears exhibit abnormally harsh engagement, often with an audible thud and a physical impact felt by the driver and passengers. Multiple diagnostic attempts have been made at the dealership level. The only confirmed finding was elevated transmission temperatures. Because the transmission has not fully failed, no diagnostic fault codes are stored and no warnings have been logged by the vehicle, including the overheating transmission alert, no repair or corrective action has been offered. The only recommendation has been to operate the transmission manually and use 4L during slow-speed driving. Attempts were also made at the corporate level, which resulted only in redirection back to the dealership with the same workaround having been advised. When the owner asked whether 4L should be used during stop-go traffic on an incline while on a freeway, a Toyota representative confirmed that it should. This guidance is considered misinformation, as it contradicts Toyota’s 4WD user manual and could result in catastrophic engine and transmission damage. The owner has remained in communication with the dealership; however, no meaningful efforts have been made to resolve the issue. As Toyota has stated there is no available fix, the owner has been advised to pursue arbitration.
Everytime I put my car in reserve the brakes screech so long. I have noticed it on other Land Cruisers as well. I am fearful of something happening with the brakes. Safety is obviously a priority and I have not seen anything from Toyota on this.
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Hybrid equipped with Yokohama Tires, Tire Line: Geolandar X-CV, Tire Size: 265/60/R20, DOT Number: 14UOHY6L2462. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 60 MPH, the rear driver's side tire unexpectedly experienced a blowout. A tire message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact's wife pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the rear driver's side tire. The tire was original equipment. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The tire manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The tire and vehicle failure mileage was 5,000.
As I was driving with my family at normal freeway speeds, a loud explosion rang out from the top of vehicle. The sunroof glass exploded and fell onto us below. There was no other cars near us, and no overpass. When the glass exploded, it sounded like a bomb, and appeared pressure was the reason, as it exploded upward, leaving the shape of an exploded volcano on the top of the sunroof. No rock or other object could have caused this from the outside: the impact would have had to come from inside of the vehicle. The vehicle is currently at the dealership being inspected.
We have a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser which is roughy two months old with just over 2000 miles on it. The plastic on our side views mirrors are literally melting as is the plastic on the side of the doors. The dealership refers to this as a “common” Toyota compliant called solar convergence which is NOT covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. While the immediate damage is not causing a loss of visibility as the distortion continues it certainly will at some point. We have yet to receive a cost repair: Toyota should be forced to recall all Land Cruiser which use plastics known to be prone to solar convergence and replace all plastic at no charge. This is simply appalling that they are allowed to use these cost cutting materials in something as important as a side view mirror.
The driver’s side mirror vibrates at highway speeds (to the point of blurriness, distortion, distraction). My local Toyota dealership confirmed the issue, however they said it happens on all land cruisers so they aren’t willing to repair it. It’s a manufacturing defect and safety issue. It’s totally unacceptable and if the issue exists across the entire product line, Toyota should be held responsible for fixing the issue through a recall process.
The Land Cruiser sent me to the ER for 6 staples in my head. When reaching in through the rear window I hit my head on the sharp camera mount. It has a very hard edge that is also mounted much lower than the window opening.
Lane Keeping assistance and Lane Departure warning include components that allow the vehicle to steer itself. They may be subject to cyber-attack and/or otherwise malfunction. it is my experience that one or the other is causing my vehicle to veer into other lanes of traffic as well as oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. I own the vehicle outright and it is available for inspection upon request. I have expressed my concern numerous times to Toyota. as an aside, on a second Toyota I owned, the hydrogen Mirai, I had similar concerns. and the dealer said it was the alignment and showed me a report stating that it was out of alignment and that they fixed the alignment. it did not resolve the problem, and I sold them the vehicle back at substantial loss to myself. I feel that I take my life in my own hands every time I get behind the wheel of the Land Cruiser, and I do not believe I can justify that risk anymore. No not with this vehicle. Allegedly Yes the vehicle has been inspected by the Manufacturer. It has certainly been to the dealership five to seven times since I bought it in March of 2025. There were no warnings of the failure.
2025 Land Cruiser bought 7 months ago constant rattling and tapping noise near passenger rear near pillar B and C. Brought to the dealer for corrective action to identify, address and to resolve the problem due to annoying ticking, rattling and tapping noise while travelling on a rough road. According to a service adviser their mechanics from dealer dismantled panels and head liners to pinpoint noise and find out that, the noises is located near pillar C and pillar B. As recommendation by the service adviser the Land Cruiser needed to be bring to a car body shop to reweld parts from both pilar B and C that was creating the rattling noise. I believe the 2025 Land Cruiser have a manufacturer welding defects that creating the rattling and tapping noise which is needed to be thoroughly investigated. Pillars a, b, c, and d on cars which have welding defects can compromise the safety of the vehicles and its occupants. 1. It weakens the structure and reduce crashworthiness. 2.Failure of welded components will reduce strength and load bearing. 3.Risk of cabin collapse. 4.It impact on safety features this areas is where airbags and safety belts been supported. 5. Welded defects will increase risk of accidents and injury.
23 total complaints retrieved from NHTSA for 2024–2026. For older model years, see individual year pages.
Land Cruiser Years to Avoid
Best Land Cruiser Years to Buy
Toyota Land Cruiser Problems by Year
Frequently Asked Questions — Toyota Land Cruiser Reliability
What year Land Cruiser has the most problems?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser had the highest combined complaint and recall count — 18 complaints and 0 safety recalls. See the full 2000 report for specific defects.
Is the Toyota Land Cruiser reliable?
The Toyota Land Cruiser has accumulated 105 owner-filed complaints and 37 safety recalls across all model years in NHTSA's database. The 2026 model year shows the fewest reported issues. Always run a VIN check before purchasing any used Land Cruiser.
What are the most common Land Cruiser problems?
The most frequently cited problem areas are: Air Bags (14 reports), Service Brakes (14 reports), Vehicle Speed Control (12 reports), Seat Belts (10 reports). Based on NHTSA complaints across all model years.
How do I check if my Land Cruiser has an open recall?
Use the vehicle's 17-character VIN at VinCheckEngine.com. Our free VIN report pulls the latest NHTSA recall data along with auction history, odometer records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
Check a Specific Toyota Land Cruiser VIN
Model-level data shows what can go wrong. A VIN-specific report shows what has gone wrong with a particular vehicle — including auction history, odometer discrepancies, open recalls, accident records, and 30+ intelligence signals.
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