CSR

Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2018 Toyota 4Runner

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

58

Complaints

7

Crashes

1

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 Toyota 4Runner have filed 58 safety complaints with NHTSA between March 2018 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 11 of them (19%). The typical failure was reported at 20,500 miles, the median across the 36 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (5)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

20V682000 · November 4, 2020

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The risk
If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 1,525,742 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

19V670000 · September 20, 2019

The defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner vehicles. During installation, certain steering and suspension components may not have been properly tightened.
The risk
Loose fasteners may cause a loss of vehicle control, or cause an accessory to detach from the vehicle and become a road hazard. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and re-tighten the steering and suspension fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 19, 2019. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET19B.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 34 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

18V753000 · October 25, 2018

The defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota 4Runner vehicles that SET modified to be equipped with a TRD wheel package. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) on the certification label may be incorrect, possibly resulting in the vehicle being overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
An overloaded vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
SET will notify owners and mail them corrected certification labels, free of charge. The recall began November 28, 2018. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET18A.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 1,295 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

17V831000 · December 20, 2017

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 649 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD

17V763000 · November 29, 2017

The defect
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Toyota 4Runner vehicles equipped with an accessory Billet Grille Overlay installed by SET or provided by SET and installed by SET dealers. The U-nut that secures the overlay grille may fracture, allowing the Billet Grille Overlay to detach from the vehicle.
The risk
If the Billet Grille Overlay detaches while driving, it can become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
SET will notify owners, and dealers will replace the securing U-nuts with upgraded hardware, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 26, 2018. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET17C.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 431 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 58.

STEERING 11 19%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 16%
AIR BAGS 7 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 10%
ENGINE 5 9%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 5 9%
STRUCTURE 5 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 7%
SUSPENSION 4 7%
POWER TRAIN 3 5%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2020 at 14.

2018 2020 2026
2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

My vehicle was in a collision at 55 miles an hour. Hit 3 grown cows in the highway at nighttime. Totaled my vehicle in the airbags, never deployed period Turn off.

NHTSA complaint 11580036. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · 1,400 miles

VEHICLE HAS CONSTANT TRANSMITTED ENGINE VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL. VIBRATIONS ARE CAUSING TINGLING, NUMBNESS AND JOINT PAIN. VIBRATIONS ARE WORSE WITH INCREASED ENGINE RPM. VIBRATIONS HAVE BEEN CONSTANT SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN APRIL, 2018. CAR HAS 2400 MILES ON IT CURRENTLY, 5/23/18. LONG TRIP (900 MILES) WAS FIRST TIME THERE WAS TINGLING AND NUMBNESS WHICH WERE UNBEARABLE AT THE 450 MILE MARK AND THE RETURN TRIP WAS QUITE DISTRACTING AND UNCOMFORTABLE TO SAY THE LEAST. FOR 2 WEEKS AFTERWARDS, TINGLING AND NUMBNESS REMAINED. NOW AFTER APPROX. 3 WEEKS, IT TAKES ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING FOR THE TINGLING AND NUMBNESS TO RETURN NOW FEELING MILD JOINT PAIN AS WELL. VEHICLE HAS BEEN

NHTSA complaint 11097675, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

I do not know what component or system failed. I was at an appointment with my son when the receptionist informed me that my car alarm was going off and there was smoke coming out of it. I went out to investigate and it sounded like the engine was attempting to start continuously. My key fob would not unlock the car. The engine continued to attempt to start and i was certain the car was going to start fire. We called 911 and went back inside to avoid anyone being hurt. The car then caught fire and burned until the fire department put it out. It was towed to an impound lot where it caught fire again and was destroyed. See pictures for more information.

NHTSA complaint 11583941. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed · 9,600 miles

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I CAME UPON A DEER JUST STANDING THERE. I SWERVED TO AVOID HITTING IT AND HIT THE GUARDRAIL AT APPROX 60MPH.

NHTSA complaint 11205442. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

86,000 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Toyota 4Runner. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy per a Carfax report. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the vehicle mileage was 65,862. However, the Carfax report indicated that the mileage was 61,000 in April 2022; 90,000 in February 2023; and 54,000 towards the end of the month in February 2023. The contact stated that the current approximate mileage was 86,000.

NHTSA complaint 11750896. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The dealership Direct Motor, located in Manassas, Virginia, sold me this car in poor condition. On Sunday the 22nd, I picked up the car around 10 PM. They didn't show me any information about the car. When I picked it up, I saw that the front bumper and rear door were damaged, and the airbag lights were on, which is dangerous. I returned the car first thing Monday morning and asked them to exchange it. They refused. I asked for my money back, which is $3,000, and they refused again. Then I went back on Wednesday and filled out a form explaining why I returned the car. They said they would return my money, but now they're not responding. They're trying to scam me.

NHTSA complaint 11727554. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
this vehicle was purchased from Don Chalmers Ford in Rio Rancho on 1129, 2025, upon purchasing a 2018 Toyota foreigner Limited I traded in a 2020 Acura RDX with only 50,000 miles. The salesman seemed to trustworthy. He showed me the Carfax Clean had no accidents no recalls then I receive some paperwork stating this vehicle is eligible for a buyback. I still have not received the license plate or registration. No one informed me that this vehicle is eligible for a buyback meaning I paid way too much for this vehicle. I’m having problems with suspension brakes steering wheel shaking at high speeds leaks lights on several problems. The dealership promised they would fix everything they have

NHTSA complaint 11710152, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

crash

While my father was exiting his 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5, the vehicle unexpectedly started reversing fairly quickly, despite no foot being on the brake. He was dragged by the vehicle while attempting to stop it outside the car, and it continued moving backwards then down a hill before crashing into a fence, causing significant damage to both the car and the fence. This vehicle should not have rolled back at this speed, and it appears to be related to a potential design flaw in the vehicle’s brake-shift interlock system or automatic reverse functionality. This incident is concerning, and after reviewing discussions in various forums, it seems that similar issues may not be isolated to this

NHTSA complaint 11650452, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel pump make noises and I can hear it

NHTSA complaint 11648461. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
The front shock springs cracked and snapped due to cold weather. I have been waiting for 2 months for the replacement parts and cannot drive my vehicle. The parts are 4 months out on a waiting list. The vehicle is not safe to drive. The dealer has inpected the vehicle and said it is not safe to drive for safety reasons. There were no warning and I only found out when I went to replace the original tires. The car has 25K miles.

NHTSA complaint 11611918. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota 4Runner

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 54 1
2024 8 1
2023 30 1
2022 39 3
2021 34 1
2020 31 1
2019 64 4
2017 36 5
2016 78 8
2015 86 9
2014 77 7
2013 36 6
2012 96 8
2011 163 10
2010 145 12

Other 2018 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 272 vehicles, 370 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst