Toyota 4Runner vs Volkswagen CC: which is more reliable?
The Toyota 4Runner and the Volkswagen CC are level on the federal record — 78/100 against 76/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
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)
Volkswagen CC
- 7 model years scored
- 604 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 33 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (89/100) · worst 2012 (36/100)
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 CC
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
Volkswagen CC
- Air Bags — 279 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 119 complaints
- Engine — 119 complaints
Both nameplates have Air Bags as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Toyota 4Runner — avoid: 2025.
Volkswagen CC — avoid: 2012.
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 Volkswagen CC at about $21,800 — the Volkswagen CC is roughly $19,000 less, and they return 22.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota 4Runner or the Volkswagen CC more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota 4Runner scores 78/100 against the Volkswagen CC's 76/100, 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 Volkswagen CC years should I avoid?
Toyota 4Runner: 2025. Volkswagen CC: 2012. 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 Volkswagen CC?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota 4Runner is Air Bags (238 complaints); on the Volkswagen CC it is Air Bags (279).
Is the Toyota 4Runner or the Volkswagen CC cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota 4Runner prices at about $40,800 and a Volkswagen CC at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.