Toyota 4Runner reliability by year
15 recalls and 2,092 owner complaints across 21 model years. Best year to buy: 2009. Year to avoid: 2016.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 21 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the 4Runner aggregated across 21 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Toyota 4Runner?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2009 Toyota 4Runner scores 8.6/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 22 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Toyota 4Runner year should I avoid?
The 2016 Toyota 4Runner scores 6.2/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 77 owner complaints with NHTSA, 5 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2016 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Toyota 4Runner should I avoid?
No Toyota 4Runner model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the Toyota 4Runner are tracked?
21 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 15 recalls and 2,092 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Toyota 4Runner?
airbags is the most-reported category — 391 complaints across 16 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.