2023 Toyota 4runner problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Tires (4) · Exterior Lighting (3) · Suspension (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota 4runner model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (1)
Equipment:other:labels 2023-10-12 · campaign 23V680000 · 13 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota 4Runner vehicles. The load carrying capacity modification label states the incorrect load carrying capacity, which can result in an overloaded vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An overloaded vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC will mail a new modified label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 1, 2023. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET23A.
Service bulletins (96)
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 2026-08-10 · T-SB-0002-25 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2019 – 2024 model year 4runner vehicles may exhibit an abnormal noise that may be described as cracking, clicking, or creaking from the driver and/or passenger front seat cushion track. this condition may occur when the front seat cushion track is at the rearmost position.
Service Brakes 2026-01-30 · T-TT-0788-25 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers state parking brake efficiency concerns. the conditions can include the following: • the parking brake pedal feels loose or requires full depression for proper engagement. • when not fully depressed, effectiveness on steep surfaces may be reduced, allowing the vehicle to roll with transm
Electrical System 2026-01-30 · T-SB-0106-22 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice january 30, 2026: this bulletin is now obsolete. please see t-sb-0001-26.
Electrical System 2026-01-28 · T-SB-0001-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2018 – 2024 model year toyota vehicles equipped with a premium audio with dynamic navigation system require a special service tool (sst) usb flash drive to update the map, points of interest, and system software.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Service Brakes 2025-08-15 · T-TT-0788-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
customers state parking brake efficiency concerns. the conditions can include the following: • the pkb pedal feels loose or requires full depression for proper engagement. • ineffective on steep surfaces, allowing the vehicle to roll with transmission in neutral. • ineffective on steep surfaces, all
Showing the 6 most recent of 96 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-14 · Suspension“vehicle component: solid rear axle assembly / rear suspension geometrydefect summary: the vehicle exhibits a factory manufacturing defect causing severe rear axle misalignment. at approximately 350 miles from new, an official dealership hunter alignment report documented out-of-spec rear alignment parameters (-0.16° rear total toe) on a non-adjusta…”
2026-09-04 · Latches/Locks/Linkages · 77,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 toyota 4runner. the contact stated that the driver's side door failed to lock using the key fob or the buttons on the door. the doors had to be manually locked and unlocked. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed to be a known issue, and the locks were replaced. shortly after the vehicle was repaired, th…”
2026-08-25 · Tires“purchased size 265/70r17 tires (michelin defender ltx m/s2) exhibiting severe highway vibration immediately post-installation. the vibration persisted continuously for two years across every rotation, posing serious handling and steering risks. for two years, local shop staff gaslit the customer, claiming an "out-of-round" tire or casing defect wa…”
2026-05-21 · Service Brakes“new, strange noise started in dec'25 (41k miles; 2yrs 9 months). no warning lights. diagnosed as failed brake accumulator (first at an independent shop, later at the dealer). apparently the accumulator is part of the full master cylinder assembly which must be replaced. toyota has quoted $3,200 to complete this repair and is telling me it must …”
2026-03-03 · Steering“i was driving the vehicle and suddenly the steering wheel started to getting hard to turn it and the dash board doesn’t show any failure i went right away to dealership close by they inspected the vehicle they states there is a power steering failure but the car never showed any failure on dashboard or safety system …”
2026-02-06 · Visibility/Wiper“windshield cracked approximately 2” from the bottom all the way across while using the defroster to clear ice from it. i was still parked at the time. i am unsure how long it will stay water tight or become worse. one concern is the crash avoidance and the automatic high beam sensor are both attached to the windshield and don’t want them to fail. i…”
2026-02-04 · Seat Belts · 10,000 mi · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2023 toyota 4runner. the contact stated that while her father was driving under 30 mph on a side road, the driver swerved to miss a deer. the vehicle drove off a hill, rolled over and landed on its top, and all the seat belts simultaneously unbuckled, causing all the passengers to hit their heads against the roof simultaneously.…”
2026-01-30 · Unknown Or Other“the rear manual tailgate has opened 3 times while the vehicle was at highway speeds and the doors would be locked. the latest incident happened on 1-30-26, at highway speed (70mph) the tailgate opened completely without warning. the indicator on the dash did light up and an alarm did sound. i had been on the road approximately 10 miles without i…”
2025-08-25 · Unknown Or Other“started driving on the freeway when we heard something on the roof of the car and when i opened the moonroof cover from inside the car i could see that the entire moonroof had shattered. all the glass was flying off the car and onto the freeway.…”
2025-08-13 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:lock“after adjusting the vehicle lock sound level in the settings, it completely disabled my key fobs and the panic function on the key fob. had to take to dealer to fix. dealer had never seen the issue before. been reported online many many times. dealers and toyota refuse to acknowledge a known issue.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.