Toyota 4Runner Years to Avoid: No Year Stands Out

Years to avoid: No year stands out Every ranked year drew 0 to 38 complaints, under twice the 25.5 complaints of a typical 4Runner year.
Best years: No year stands out No 4Runner year since 2016 drew under three quarters of the 25.5 complaints of a typical year.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 23 mpg combined, arrived in 2025 and has held since.

4Runner problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical 4Runner year drew 25.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (21). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (25.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	38	66	4
2018 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	32	60	5
2022 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	30	39	3
2015 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	28	87	9
2016 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration and wiring, fuse or short-circuit problems	26	81	8
2023 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	25	33	1
2020 4Runner Most reported: air bags	21	33	1
2021 4Runner Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	21	36	1
2017 4Runner Most reported: brakes	20	36	5
2011 4Runner Most reported: air bags	19	163	10
2010 4Runner Most reported: air bags	17	147	12
2014 4Runner Most described: door lock or latch problems	15	77	7
2012 4Runner Most reported: air bags	10	96	8
2013 4Runner Most reported: air bags	0	36	6

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your 4Runner for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Hybrid	2	9
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Hybrid	1	65
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	1	10
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	1	33
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	3	39
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	1	36
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	1	33
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	4	66
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	5	60
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	5	36
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	8	81
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	9	87
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	7	77
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	6	36
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	8	96
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	19 mpg Gas	10	163	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	20 mpg Gas	12	147	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 66 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Toyota 4Runner
Model year	Complaints
2010	147
2011	163
2012	96
2013	36
2014	77
2015	87
2016	81
2017	36
2018	60
2019	66
2020	33
2021	36
2022	39
2023	33
2024	10
2025	65
2026	9

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 17 to 22 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 22 since 2025. Hybrid: 23 mpg (2025 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 22 mpg · hybrid 23 mpg

Show as a table

Toyota 4Runner best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	20	–
2011	19	–
2012	19	–
2013	19	–
2014	19	–
2015	19	–
2016	19	–
2017	18	–
2018	18	–
2019	18	–
2020	17	–
2021	17	–
2022	17	–
2023	17	–
2024	17	–
2025	22	23
2026	22	23

Every 4Runner year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Toyota 4Runner vs Jeep WranglerMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Toyota 4Runner years should you avoid?

No Toyota 4Runner year stands out enough to avoid: none drew twice the 25.5 owner complaints of a typical 4Runner year or more in its first three years. Counts ranged from 0 to 38. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Toyota 4Runner years?

No year stands out as best. No 4Runner year since 2016 drew under three quarters of the 25.5 complaints of a typical year. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Toyota 4Runner years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (38) drew the most, then the 2018 (32). Owners of the 2019 most often describe shaking, shuddering or vibration.

Which Toyota 4Runner years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (12), then the 2011 (10). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Toyota 4Runner problems?

In the 1,074 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe shaking, shuddering or vibration (96 complaints); airbags not deploying in a crash (36 complaints); and rust or corrosion (34 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Toyota 4Runner year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 23 mpg combined, first reached by the 2025 hybrid version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.