Fault File
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Toyota Land Cruiser

All generations and engines together · 6,866 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 68k

First-time failure at age 7
15.5%
Across 497 tests. The average across all tracked models is 19.5%.
Rank at age 7
68 of 239
1 = lowest failure rate among the models tracked.
Typical mileage at age 7
68k miles
Check the mileage view below; low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

How this model wears

Toyota Land CruiserClass average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 2,209 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
7.6%class 6.3%
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
Advisory
1.9%class 0.7%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Advisory
1.4%class 1.3%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
Minor
1.3%class 0.6%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Fail
1.0%class 0.4%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
Advisory
0.9%class 0.1%
Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced
Advisory
0.9%class 0.1%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
0.9%class 1.9%
A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
0.8%class 0.7%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
13.0%class 22.9%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
12.6%class 8.7%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
7.8%class 12.7%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
3.8%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
3.1%class 1.6%
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
Minor
2.8%class 2.0%
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
Minor
2.1%class 1.2%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
1.8%class 1.7%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

EGR cooler and pipe fouling on the D-4D diesels

Emerging

The EGR cooler and the pipework around it clog with soot over time on the 2.8 and 3.0 D-4D engines, and the heat coming off a blocked cooler has been known to cook the wiring loom running past cylinder six. Owners report rough idle, a smoky exhaust or a check-engine light as the first signs, usually well past 80,000 miles. Cleaning or replacing the cooler and associated pipework is not a quick job on this platform because of what has to come off to get at it, so labour adds up on top of parts.

Reported from 80k miles · sources: Land Cruiser Club forum, Toyota Owners Club

Piston cracking on early 3.0 D-4D (1KD-FTV) engines

Disputed

The 1KD-FTV 3.0 diesel used in Land Cruisers up to around 2015 has a documented history of piston cracking, showing up as a loud knock at idle, a sudden loss of power or the engine running rough on three cylinders. Toyota addressed it with a service campaign in some overseas markets, but UK owners and club members report no formal UK recall for it, so it sits in a grey area: real fault, unclear whether it was ever officially owned up to here. Repair means a new piston and liner at minimum, engine-out labour, so budget four figures if it happens.

Affects pre-2016 3.0 D-4D · sources: Land Cruiser Club forum, overseas Toyota service bulletins

Automatic gearbox shudder and torque converter wear

Automatics only

Owners of both the 150 and 200 series describe a shudder or rumble-strip feeling on light-throttle downshifts, most often 5th to 4th, which points to torque converter lock-up clutch wear or a failing oil pump seal letting fluid leak into the mix. It tends to show up from around 100,000 miles onwards and gets worse if fluid changes have been skipped. A full transmission and torque converter rebuild is the fix if it's gone too far, and that runs into thousands rather than hundreds. Manual cars are unaffected.

From ~100k miles on automatics · sources: Land Cruiser Club forum, IH8MUD forum

Active Height Control (air suspension) faults on 200-series

Partly in the MOT data

Higher-spec 200-series cars with Active Height Control ride on air springs, and owners report the system failing to hold height, dropping overnight, or refusing to respond to the height switch, usually traced to aged air springs, a height sensor or the compressor and its relay. This lines up with the measured MOT data for the model, where suspension is the standout failure category, though the AHC-specific complaints reported by owners are a different mechanism to the coil springs and bushes that dominate a standard MOT suspension check. Failed height sensors or a compressor are the cheaper end of the fix; leaking air springs cost more.

Reported 80-120k miles · sources: Land Cruiser Club forum, IH8MUD forum

DPF regeneration problems and limp mode

Diesel only

Diesel Land Cruisers used mainly for short, low-speed trips struggle to complete a passive regeneration, and owners report the DPF warning light coming on followed by limp mode until a proper motorway run (or a forced dealer regen) clears it. It's the same story as most modern diesel SUVs rather than a Land Cruiser-specific weakness, but it catches out buyers who assume a big 4x4 is immune. No parts failure is usually involved, just a filter that needs a proper burn, though a badly neglected one can mean a costly replacement.

Reported at all ages/mileages on town-driven diesels · sources: Land Cruiser Club forum, Toyota Owners Club

Infotainment screen dropouts and blank navigation display

Disputed

Some 200-series owners report the central touchscreen going blank intermittently, which also takes out the reversing camera and parts of the climate control that are routed through it. Others never see it in the same car's lifetime, and there's no single agreed cause among owners, some blame a loose connector, others a firmware fault. When it does happen it's a dealer visit rather than a DIY fix, since Toyota diagnostic access is usually needed.

Intermittent, any age · sources: Toyota Owners Club forum, IH8MUD forum

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Ask for the full service history and check for any diesel engine-related campaign or recall work on pre-2016 3.0 D-4D cars. No record of it means you can't rule out the piston cracking fault, and a rough idle or knock at start-up is your own warning sign.
Drive it long enough to force a downshift at light throttle, ideally 5th to 4th around 30-40mph. A shudder or rumble-strip feeling under the automatic points to torque converter wear.
On any 200-series car with Active Height Control, cycle the ride height switch through low, normal and high and leave it parked for a while. A height that won't change, or that sags back down on its own, means air spring, sensor or compressor trouble.
Check the dash for a DPF or check-engine light after a longer run, not just on the driveway. A light that comes straight back after clearing suggests a regen problem rather than a one-off.
Poke around the touchscreen menus and switch the reversing camera on and off a few times. Any freezing, blanking or slow response is the reported infotainment fault, not just an old system being slow.
Get underneath if you can and look at the pipework around the EGR cooler for weeping or heat-stained wiring nearby. Sooty residue or scorched loom insulation points to the EGR fouling issue rather than a simple service item.
Check the MOT history for repeated suspension advisories rather than just the current pass. Suspension is the fault this model fails on most in the real MOT data, so recurring advisories are worth taking seriously even if the car passed.

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