2008 Toyota Land Cruiser: common problems

Owners of the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 8
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Air bags 63% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 25% of all complaints
3 Vehicle speed control 25% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints

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

Air bags: 5 complaints (63% of all).
Seat belts: 2 complaints (25% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (25% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (13% of all).

Engines and transmissions

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

5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
automatic, 6-speed

Drive: AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 8 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts3 · 38%
headlights and tail lights1 · 13%
knocking, grinding or other noise1 · 13%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 13%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	5	0
Seat belts	2	0
Vehicle speed control	2	1
Electrical system	1	0
Engine and cooling	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.

Crawling during heavy traffic on highway and vehicle was stopped. Break pedal released and was moving slowly. Car accelerated suddenly and caused a rear end collision. Panic breaking wasn't adequate because of the proximity. Toyota technician downloaded the edr. Awaiting results.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2016-07-31 · NHTSA complaint #10891870
The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 18v887000 (air bags, seat belts). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair as the recall notice was received over a year ago.
Air bags · 2019-08-20 · NHTSA complaint #11245298
Toyota issued a recall on their faulty passenger seatbelt and it's rendering of the passenger side seatbelt useless late in 2018. When/how can nhsta encourage or force toyota to take corrective action on this safety problem?
Air bags · 2019-07-23 · NHTSA complaint #11234227
The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 18v887000 (air bags, seat belts). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Air bags · 2019-06-17 · NHTSA complaint #11220621
I have had your assistance in the past with a bmw 2002 3 series with failed rear tail light wiring. As a result, I know that this will not be ignored, and am hopeful that your investigation will save lives or prevent injury.
Electrical system · 2014-12-17 · NHTSA complaint #10664844
During entire episode, accelerator was free moving and made audible "clunk" sound when foot rapidly removed from petal. When vehicle was in neutral on the side of the road, the engine oscillated from 8000 rpm to 7000 rpm.
Vehicle speed control · 2010-01-31 · NHTSA complaint #10303485

When owners complained

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

20101
20141
20161
20195

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 11,896 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 32% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Land Cruiser has 7 complaints (43 years in the data). This year has 8, above average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (38%), headlights and tail lights (13%), knocking, grinding or other noise (13%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2008 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 2008 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 2008 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.