2025 Toyota 4Runner: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
56 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2025 4Runner, the first year of a new generation, which scores 44 on 56 complaints at 56.0 per year on the road, with Service Brakes at 23. Buy a 2017 (89 on 36 complaints) or any year from 2020 to 2024, which score between 79 and 90 on 39 complaints or fewer. Read the full note on the model page. 2025 specifically: this is one of the years the note above says to approach with care — 56 complaints on record, verdict AVOID.
Read the guide
Used Toyota 4Runner and Tundra: the years to avoid, including 2025 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 56 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 56.0
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
As a capable Vehicle of towing 6000 lbs off road. The spare is a temporary spare with warnings to drive at max 50 mph no longer 50 miles. This a truck body on frame. The Limited 4runner is equipped with the Temporary while the same exact truck in the Platinum Trim, both with stock 20 inch wheels , is a Full Size Spare. Logic and safety concerns make it a dangerous situation!
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that the message “Headlights On” was erroneously displayed. The fuel gauge indicated 71 percent. Additionally, the 12-volt charging system malfunctioned with the message “See the Dealer” displayed. Several unknown orange warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the warning lights turned off. The window on the passenger’s side was violen…
The driver’s side window rattles in its tracks when open 2-3”, and when all the way down. Any rough roads will induce the rattle. Toyota master technician has confirmed the rattle in my vehicle and a new 4Runner, which displays the same problem. It appears to be a defective design.
Recalls: 1 campaigns (1 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 25V595000 | Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software… |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 22 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,800
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Service Brakes23 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Unknown Or Other9 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Electrical System8 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Structure7 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
- Steering4 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Engine2 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
Other Toyota 4Runner years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2025 Toyota 4Runner?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Service Brakes (23 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2025 Toyota 4Runner a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 44/100, computed from 56 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2025 Toyota 4Runner's most common problem?
23 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2025 Toyota 4Runner sit in the Service Brakes group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $580–$1,140 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2025 Toyota 4Runner cost to run per year?
About $4,674 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $23,370 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2025 Toyota 4Runner have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 11/09/2025. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other midsize suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2025 Toyota 4Runner really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 56 complaints, 1 recalls on record
- 56 NHTSA complaints on record (56.0/yr of exposure) — worse than a typical year of this model (7.1/yr)
- 1 recall campaigns, 1 touching safety-critical systems