1998 Toyota Land Cruiser: common problems

Owners of the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser filed 16 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 16
involving a crash: 3

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 44% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 19% of all complaints
3 Structure 19% of all complaints
4 Air bags 6% of all complaints
5 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
6 Seat belts 6% of all complaints
7 Steering 6% of all complaints
8 Suspension 6% of all complaints

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

Service brakes: 7 complaints (44% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 3 complaints (19% of all).
Structure: 3 complaints (19% of all).
Air bags: 1 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 1 complaints (6% of all).

Engines and transmissions

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

4.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 16 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

airbags did not deploy1 · 6%
brake failure1 · 6%
rust, corrosion1 · 6%
seat belts1 · 6%
unintended acceleration1 · 6%
vibration1 · 6%
warning lights, check engine1 · 6%
windows, sunroof1 · 6%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	7	1
Powertrain	3	0
Structure	3	0
Air bags	1	1
Electrical system	1	0
Seat belts	1	0
Steering	1	0
Suspension	1	0
Wheels	1	1
Other	1	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 was in a drive thru and as I approached the car in front of me, I pressed my brake pedal and had zero resistance as my pedal went to the floorboard and zero response from brakes. As I depressed pedal, my abs light went on the dashboard and a beep alarmed.
Service brakes · crash · 2020-06-18 · NHTSA complaint #11329566
The air bags failed to deploy with the impact. The driver sustained multiple injuries. There were fractures to the ribs, sternum and left tibia. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to a collision center.
Air bags · crash · 2010-03-15 · NHTSA complaint #10319845
My father was driving a 1998 toyota landcruiser which he had had for about three months, and had alredy taken on couple of long trips. In the police report of the accident it sited that the cause ofthe accident was that the left front wheel of the car broke off due to a fault in the manufacturing of the car.
Wheels · crash · 1999-08-02 · NHTSA complaint #709474
Experienced spontaneous sunroof explosion. Driving from estes park, co to louisville, co with my 9 year old son in back seat. Heard loud explosion overhead about 5 miles north of boulder, co on hwy. 93. Nearest car was 6-7 lengths in ahead and traveling at 60 mph. It was a warm september day with intense 2:00p sun.
Structure · 2020-05-04 · NHTSA complaint #11323307
While servicing the vehicle, the contact noticed that part of the frame was corroded. The contact also stated that the cross member that attached near the suspension mount and transmission cross member and the frame rail were all corroded through. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.
Structure · 2017-01-11 · NHTSA complaint #10944453
Total brake failure without warning - when the abs and brake light came on and the buzzer sounded there were zero brakes. Just starting out in the morning. As we live on a long twisting road that is mostly downhill into town, this could have been catastrophic. Who designs a brake system that fails to zero???
Service brakes · 2016-05-11 · NHTSA complaint #10864483
My 1998 land cruiser is also on its third front differential. Both had ring failure with one of them going through the case. This has to be a factory defect which the dealers will not address.
Powertrain · 2011-07-06 · NHTSA complaint #10410772
My 1998 lc470 has had two front diffs. Fail now. Both times the ring gear failed, once going through the housing. I tried to contact toyota but no answer. Anyone else with this problem????
Powertrain · 2009-02-23 · NHTSA complaint #10259675

When owners complained

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

19981
19995
20071
20091
20101
20111
20161
20171
20191
20202
20211

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 9,040 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 25% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Land Cruiser has 7 complaints (43 years in the data). This year has 16, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, powertrain, structure. Total complaints: 16. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (6%), brake failure (6%), rust, corrosion (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 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 1998 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 1998 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.