1985 Toyota Land Cruiser: common problems

Owners of the 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and wheels. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 4

What fails most often

1 Seat belts 75% of all complaints
2 Wheels 25% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Seat belts: 3 complaints (75% of all).
Wheels: 1 complaints (25% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

4.2 L · petrol · 6 cyl
manual, 4-speed

Drive: AWD

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Seat belts	3	0	0
Wheels	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

I can't have my children ride on that side of the car b/c the seatbelt doesn't operate.
Seat belts · 2008-09-22 · NHTSA complaint #10243040
The front driver side tire broke free crossed the median and struck the front end of another vehicle. (ohio traffic crash report) yh
Wheels · 2000-05-22 · NHTSA complaint #552212
Rear seat belt failed prior to/after recall repairs (89v-155).
Seat belts · 1995-01-23 · NHTSA complaint #959108

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19952
20001
20081

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 15,521 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 42% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Land Cruiser has 7 complaints (43 years in the data). This year has 4, below average.

What to check before buying

Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Wheels. Wheel runout, cracks, signs of a wheel strike.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, wheels. Total complaints: 4. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (75%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1985 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.