1999 Toyota Land Cruiser: common problems

Owners of the 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser filed 23 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 23
involving a crash: 4

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 39% of all complaints
2 Vehicle speed control 17% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
4 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
5 Air bags 4% of all complaints
6 Fuel/propulsion system 4% of all complaints
7 Structure 4% of all complaints
8 Suspension 4% 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: 9 complaints (39% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 3 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (9% of all).
Air bags: 1 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

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 23 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

brake failure2 · 9%
unintended acceleration2 · 9%
knocking, grinding or other noise1 · 4%
overheating, coolant loss1 · 4%
rollaway, parking brake1 · 4%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 4%
windows, sunroof1 · 4%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	9	1
Vehicle speed control	4	2
Powertrain	3	1
Engine and cooling	2	0
Air bags	1	1
Fuel/propulsion system	1	0
Structure	1	0
Suspension	1	0
Tires	1	0
Other	3	0

What owners report

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

The brakes failed completely with the pedal going to the floor and I rear ended the car in front of me. Had it towed to a toyota dealer repair shop. Told that the abs activator master cylinder failed.
Service brakes · crash · 2014-11-10 · NHTSA complaint #10654053
Car accelerated to about 25 mph and struck a telephone pole. Drivers fault. The indent from the damage of hitting a pole that did not move was 12 to 18 inches directly in the middle of the bumper. No air bags deplolyed.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2012-12-29 · NHTSA complaint #10490472
Vehicle all of a sudden came out of gear, rolled backwards, engine sounded like it was racing. Contacted the dealer. Second time this happened was may 1999. Backed the vehicle out of the garage into the driveway, put in park to help daughter get something out the back, and the vehicle came out of gear, engine sounded…
Powertrain · crash · 2000-02-14 · NHTSA complaint #856851
Throttle accelerates on its own when cold. This especially happens when vehicle has not fully warmed up in weather below freezing. I will let off the throttle and vehicle will continue to accelerate for several seconds before seemingly getting unstuck.
Vehicle speed control · 2023-02-21 · NHTSA complaint #11508363
This can be from a faulty evap system, an overheated fuel system, ethanol in the gasoline, etc...
Fuel/propulsion system · 2019-07-23 · NHTSA complaint #11234144
I was told it was inspectable. I had it shipped to vermont and my local inspection station explained that the frame is completely missing in certain areas and the vehicle can not be inspected or driven.
Suspension · 2019-06-25 · NHTSA complaint #11222599
I have a set of tire I purchased dot b73r c4ux 3111 ltx/ms size: p275/70r16 one tire has exhibited tread/belt separation. I have a large bulge in the center of the tread with excessive air loss. I have read that there are several recalls on this type tire although this size is not listed.
Tires · 2015-12-15 · NHTSA complaint #10810603
Never had complete brake failure. I think about the possibility if I was on highway doing 65mph with no shoulder or traffic ahead. This problem should be rectified as there are numerous cases I've been reading about regarding this particular model and the years 1998-1999.
Service brakes · 2015-07-28 · NHTSA complaint #10744424

When owners complained

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

19981
19991
20002
20011
20021
20031
20071
20102
20122
20142
20154
20171
20193
20231

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 7,735 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Land Cruiser has 7 complaints (43 years in the data). This year has 23, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, vehicle speed control, powertrain. Total complaints: 23. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (9%), unintended acceleration (9%), knocking, grinding or other noise (4%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 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 1999 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 1999 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.