2003 Toyota Land Cruiser problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (2) · Structure (1) · Steering (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Land Cruiser model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Air Bags:side/Window 2016-02-05 · campaign 16V065000 · 320,409 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently.
Risk: If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB.
Service bulletins (117)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Structure:body 2024-07-12 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Showing the 6 most recent of 117 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2021-09-19 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components“braking system failed. unable to stop operating vehicle traveling 30 mph without downshifting and allowing vehicle’s momentum to dissipate. vehicle towed to repair facility. repair has been completed. repair facility, love field auto, in dallas, tx diagnosed concern (master cylinder +’abs system failure) and replaced components. vehicle had appr…”
2020-04-13 · Air Bags · 307,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota land cruiser. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph and making a left turn, a second vehicle crashed into the front of the vehicle. the front driver side and driver side curtain airbags did not deploy. during the crash the vehicle was destroyed and towed away. the driver sustained injuries to …”
2020-01-07 · Unknown Or Other · 96,000 mi“excessive underbody rusting. i have a tundra whose underbody was changed upon recall by toyota. car is garaged or left in driveway. every mechanic comments on excessive rusting including prestige toyota but they maintain it's satisfactory. i had to change the thing holding the tire because it rusted through creating the danger the spare could break…”
2016-09-26 · Service Brakes · 223,000 mi“as i was driving, the vehicle's abs, vsc trac, vsc off, and brake light all came on at the same time, with an audible buzzer. once i approached the intersection, i realized that the vehicles brakes were not working and had to push the pedal hard all the way to the floor and prayed that the vehicle stopped. i had just dropped my son and my neighbo…”
2016-07-14 · Service Brakes · 205,000 mi“during normal driving and braking conditions, the anti-lock brake system activates, extending braking distance.…”
2013-01-29 · Steering · 100,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota land cruiser. the contact stated that while traveling 30 mph and attempting a left turn, the steering wheel turned but the wheels did not respond. the contact had the vehicle towed to a mechanic and was told that the steering shaft was fractured. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and the current mileages were …”
2006-04-03 · Air Bags:side/Window · 60,081 mi“dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked the side/ curtain airbags deployed. the contact sustained minor injuries. there had been no prior accident. the vehicle was driven to the dealership, but no defect was determined. the contact was injures when the air bag deployed and was seen by hospital and primary care physician. *ak…”
2004-04-21 · Structure“from the toyota invoice: "customer states the back of the center console facing the rear seats gets very, very hot...almost burning fingers." and this statement is correct. the folks at clearwater, toyota say there is nothing mechanically incorrect with my automobile, but i am telling them, clearly there is something incorrect with my vehicle. t…”
2004-04-07 · Unknown Or Other · 10,000 mi“unexplained acceleration in my 2003 toyota landcriuser. once in a parking lot almost pushing me into pedestrians while my foot was on the brake. another time when making a turn and almost pushed me into a car - my foot was on the brake and i didn't have a foot on the accelerator. i heard you were loooking into this on a camry - i have this also a…”
2004-01-15 · Unknown Or Other“i recently purchased a toyotal highlander which has a headrest problem - it is so large that it pushes the head of the person in the seat forward to the point it is very very uncomfortable - in my case very painful. neither the dealer nor toyota will help me with the problem. i am not the only one who is having a problem with the headrest - neigh…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.