Toyota 4Runner vs Ram Promaster City: which is more reliable?
The Toyota 4Runner is ahead of the Ram Promaster City on the federal record, 78/100 against 73/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Toyota 4Runner
- 14 model years scored
- 817 owner complaints on record
- about 11 complaints per year on the road
- 62 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (90/100) · worst 2025 (44/100)
Ram Promaster City
- 8 model years scored
- 234 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2016 (44/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: 4Runner against Promaster City
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Toyota 4Runner
- Air Bags — 238 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 122 complaints
- Electrical System — 79 complaints
Ram Promaster City
- Engine — 78 complaints
- Electrical System — 69 complaints
- Power Train — 57 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the 4Runner's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Promaster City's in Engine. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Toyota 4Runner — avoid: 2025.
Ram Promaster City — avoid: 2015, 2016, 2017.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Toyota 4Runner prices at about $40,800 and a Ram Promaster City at about $34,200 — the Ram Promaster City is roughly $6,600 less, and they return 22.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota 4Runner or the Ram Promaster City more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota 4Runner scores 78/100 against the Ram Promaster City's 73/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Toyota 4Runner and Ram Promaster City years should I avoid?
Toyota 4Runner: 2025. Ram Promaster City: 2015, 2016, 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Toyota 4Runner and the Ram Promaster City?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota 4Runner is Air Bags (238 complaints); on the Ram Promaster City it is Engine (78).
Is the Toyota 4Runner or the Ram Promaster City cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota 4Runner prices at about $40,800 and a Ram Promaster City at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.