2009 Toyota Land Cruiser: common problems

Owners of the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 6

What fails most often

1 Vehicle speed control 67% of all complaints
2 Exterior lighting 17% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 17% of all complaints

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

Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (67% of all).
Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Powertrain: 1 complaints (17% 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 6 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

unintended acceleration2 · 33%
hesitation when accelerating1 · 17%
headlights and tail lights1 · 17%
transmission slipping1 · 17%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Vehicle speed control	4	0	0
Exterior lighting	1	0	0
Powertrain	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.

While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly surged forward. The vehicle would not stop until the contact applied great pressure to the brakes and pulled the accelerator pedal up with his foot. The failure occurred twice.
Vehicle speed control · 2010-11-24 · NHTSA complaint #10367785
2nd request fwd on behalf of (ny) re his 2009 toyota land cruiser, his wife experienced sudden unintended acceleration two times in the last 3 months, reply to massepequa park district ofc
Vehicle speed control · 2010-06-14 · NHTSA complaint #10335954
Tl contact owns a 2009 toyota land cruiser. Upon starting the vehicle, there was an unusual increase in engine rpms. The engine was louder than normal and the contact immediately shut off the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for further inspection.
Vehicle speed control · 2010-03-17 · NHTSA complaint #10320397
Transmission is slipping. Transmission hesitates in low gears going around corners at low speeds. Also, transmission at 75mph cruise momentarily dropped out of gear, engine rpm went up by 500 rpm, and then dropped back into gear. These are have at infrequent and random times.
Powertrain · 2010-02-28 · NHTSA complaint #10314993
New cars with the headlights that come on when the car is started. On 10/12/2008 I found three cars driving with just the front driving lights on at night in lexington, ky. The new cars have the front driving lights that are turned on when the car is started.
Exterior lighting · 2008-10-13 · NHTSA complaint #10245231

When owners complained

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

20081
20105

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 13,278 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 36% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Land Cruiser has 7 complaints (43 years in the data). This year has 6, about average.

What to check before buying

Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, exterior lighting, powertrain. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: unintended acceleration (33%), hesitation when accelerating (17%), headlights and tail lights (17%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 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 2009 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 2009 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.