Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wheels and tires, exterior lights, and seat belts. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2023Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2023 Toyota 4Runner: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1
Engine off, key in hand0/2
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2023's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
Worth adding to your 2023 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2023 Toyota 4Runner. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0L 6-cyl | AWD, 4WD, RWD | 17 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Toyota 4Runner, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The steering wheel vibrates at highway speeds, sometimes hard enough to shake the driver's seat, with no warning lights. Reports involve the original Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 tires as well as aftermarket Falken and Nitto tires. In one case the vibration started right after a tire rotation at about 25,000 miles, and new rotors and pads did not fix it. Toyota has issued a tech tip on vibration from the Dunlop tires. Other cases trace to heavy spots that keep tires from balancing. Dealers sometimes send owners to the tire maker instead of repairing the car.
The low beams leave a dark shadow on the driver's side, around the 10 to 11 o'clock position and reaching into the oncoming lane. Because the spot is ringed by light, drivers keep mistaking it for an animal on the road. The soft suspension makes the shadow bounce over every bump. It shows up from delivery and disappears on high beam. Dealers say the pattern is by design and offer no fix, so buyers should expect it to stay.
In a low-speed rollover, every seat belt reportedly unbuckled at the same moment, and the occupants hit their heads on the roof. That crash also involved a fuel odor and a vehicle fire after everyone got out, with 4 people injured. A second report describes torn webbing on both outboard rear belts of a nearly new car, and those belts would not retract. Only 2 complaints are on file, but both bear directly on occupant protection.
Both complaints describe crashes where the airbags did not deploy. One owner saw no airbag warning before the impact, and an airbag malfunction message appeared only afterward. The other crash was a t-bone with a car turning across their path. There, the automatic braking also stayed off and the connected-services system recorded no accident. Neither owner has found anyone who can explain why the safety systems did not respond.
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2023 ranks seventh for owner complaints among 8 4Runner years, close to the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2023 is the 14th model year of the 4Runner's fifth generation (2010–2024).
It includes the 2013 update.
What changed for 2013
Recall repairs are free at any Toyota dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
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.
Cars shoppers compare with the Toyota 4Runner, with their own 2023 checklists.
2023 owner complaints, side by side
