Between the two body-on-frame Toyotas, the record ranks the Toyota 4Runner first and the Toyota Tundra second, and the gap is wide. The 4Runner is a BUY in twelve of its fourteen scored years, with only the 2011 (57, CAUTION) and the redesigned 2025 (44, AVOID) falling short; the Tundra is CAUTION in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and AVOID in 2023, where 394 complaints at 131.3 per year on the road make it the worst year either truck has produced. The 4Runner years to buy are 2017 and 2020 to 2024; the Tundra years to buy are 2013 to 2015 and 2020. The 4Runner record is 817 complaints and 62 recall campaigns; the Tundra's is 1,320 complaints and 79 campaigns.
The 4Runner: air bags early, then very little
The 4Runner's only bad stretch is at the start. The 2011 has 163 complaints, and 112 of them are Air Bags — no other component reaches 10. The 2012 is the same story at 70 Air Bags out of 96. Six air bag campaigns fall on these early years: the passenger-side frontal inflator module campaigns 16V340000 (23/05/2016) for the 2011, 17V006000 (09/01/2017) for the 2012, 18V024000 (09/01/2018) for the 2013, and 19V005000 and 19V741000, both from 2019, reaching 2011 to 2015, plus the distributor sensor campaign 13V014000. The 2011 carries ten recalls, four of them safety-critical, and scores 57; the 2012 scores 70 with five safety-critical recalls, the most of any 4Runner year. By 2013 Air Bags is down to 9 and the whole year has 36 complaints.
After that the record is a list of small numbers. From 2013 to 2024 no 4Runner year has more than 85 complaints (the 2015) and most have fewer than 60. Electrical System leads the 2014 at 24, the highest single component in that stretch. Steering appears at 11 on the 2018 and 10 on the 2019, and campaign 19V670000 (20/09/2019) fits it: steering and suspension components on 2018 and 2019 trucks that a distributor may not have tightened properly. The same two years fall inside the 20V682000 fuel pump campaign. The 2016 has no record at all and is DATA PENDING. The 2017 scores 89 on 36 complaints with no safety-critical recalls; the 2020 scores 90 on 33 with one recall; the 2024 scores 90 on 8. Most of the campaigns from 2020 on are distributor label and accessory notices — 22V480000, 22V310000, 23V680000, 24V548000 — that a dealer can close in minutes. The caveat is evidence: from 2017 the counts are small enough that the site rates most years low, so the scores are strong but not yet settled.
The 2025 4Runner
The 2025 is a new generation and the record has turned on it immediately. It has 56 complaints in its first year, 56.0 per year on the road, and Service Brakes is the top component at 23, a count no 4Runner year has produced for brakes before. Electrical System follows at 8, and the one campaign on file, 25V595000 (11/09/2025), is safety-critical and concerns the instrument cluster. Score 44, AVOID, with medium evidence. A buyer who wants a 4Runner has thirteen better years to choose from.
Toyota 4Runner: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 44 | AVOID | 56 | 1 |
| 2024 | 90 | BUY | 8 | 1 |
| 2023 | 80 | BUY | 31 | 1 |
| 2022 | 79 | BUY | 39 | 3 |
| 2021 | 87 | BUY | 35 | 1 |
| 2020 | 90 | BUY | 33 | 1 |
| 2019 | 74 | BUY | 64 | 4 |
| 2018 | 78 | BUY | 58 | 5 |
| 2017 | 89 | BUY | 36 | 5 |
| 2016 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 71 | BUY | 85 | 9 |
| 2014 | 76 | BUY | 77 | 7 |
| 2013 | 84 | BUY | 36 | 6 |
| 2012 | 70 | BUY | 96 | 8 |
| 2011 | 57 | CAUTION | 163 | 10 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Toyota 4Runner model page.
The Tundra: engines, then electrics, then the 2023
The second-generation Tundra has three phases in the record. The 2011 to 2013 trucks complain about the engine: Engine is the top component at 35, 57 and 23, with Fuel/Propulsion System second on the 2012 at 25 and the 2013 at 13. None of the campaigns on those years is an engine campaign — the 2011 has 11V254000 for a propeller shaft slip yoke that may break, and every Tundra from 2011 to 2020 is inside 21V920000 (23/11/2021), a safety-critical campaign for a power steering gear that may leak oil, which fits Steering at 19 on the 2011 — so the engine counts stand as a symptom without an official cause. Scores: 70, 71 and 81.
The 2014 and 2015 are the good years. The 2015 has 48 complaints, 4.4 per year on the road, and scores 86, the best Tundra figure; Service Brakes leads at just 10. The 2014 scores 79 on 92 complaints with Electrical System at 18, and its one campaign of note is 14V556000 for a side air bag on CrewMax and Double Cab trucks.
The 2016 to 2019 trucks are the electrical phase. Electrical System is 26, 27, 26 and 13 across the four years, Service Brakes reaches 34 on the 2016 and 22 on the 2018, and Fuel/Propulsion System runs 14, 16 and 15 on the 2017 to 2019. The campaigns are plentiful: 17V416000 for a passenger knee air bag on the 2016, 17V051000 for a resin rear step bumper on 2016 and 2017 (Structure is 21 on the 2016), 18V122000 for stability control that can be deactivated on the 2018, 18V685000 for the air bag control unit on 2018 and 2019, 21V688000 for headlight circuits that can overheat a connector on 2018 to 2020, and the fuel pump campaigns 20V012000 and 20V682000 covering 2018 to 2020. The 2018 carries nine recalls and the 2019 ten, five of them safety-critical. Scores: 67, 77, 61 and 64. The 2020 recovers to 78 on 45 complaints, evidence low.
The 2023 Tundra
The 2021 and 2022 trucks are not on record. The 2023 is, and it is the reason this guide exists. It has 394 complaints, more than two and a half times the 2012's 155, at 131.3 per year on the road. Engine is the top component at 161, Power Train second at 83, Fuel/Propulsion System third at 60, and Engine And Engine Cooling adds 44. Twelve recall campaigns touch it, two safety-critical: 23V566000 (10/08/2023) for a plastic fuel tube that can chafe against the brake lines and leak, and 23V111000 for an instrument panel that can go blank. Campaign 24V125000 (21/02/2024) addresses a transmission that can allow unexpected movement in neutral, which speaks to the Power Train count. Nothing in the campaigns on file addresses the 161 Engine complaints. The record shows the symptom cluster — engine, drivetrain, fuel — without a campaign that closes it, and the score is 32, AVOID, with high evidence.
Toyota Tundra: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 32 | AVOID | 394 | 12 |
| 2020 | 78 | BUY | 45 | 5 |
| 2019 | 64 | CAUTION | 72 | 10 |
| 2018 | 61 | CAUTION | 99 | 9 |
| 2017 | 77 | BUY | 78 | 6 |
| 2016 | 67 | CAUTION | 119 | 6 |
| 2015 | 86 | BUY | 48 | 5 |
| 2014 | 79 | BUY | 92 | 5 |
| 2013 | 81 | BUY | 84 | 6 |
| 2012 | 71 | BUY | 155 | 4 |
| 2011 | 70 | BUY | 134 | 11 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Toyota Tundra model page.
What to check before you buy
- On any 2011 to 2015 4Runner, confirm every inflator module campaign for the year is closed against the VIN. Air Bags is 112 complaints on the 2011 and 70 on the 2012.
- On a 2018 or 2019 4Runner sold through the Southeast Toyota region, confirm 19V670000 and have the steering and front suspension fasteners checked. On either year, confirm 20V682000.
- On a 2011 to 2020 Tundra, confirm 21V920000 for the power steering gear and look for oil on the steering rack boots.
- On a 2018 to 2020 Tundra, confirm 20V012000 and 20V682000 for the fuel pump, 21V688000 for the headlights and, on the 2018, 18V122000 and 18V685000.
- On a 2023 Tundra, ask for the full engine and transmission service history and confirm 24V125000, 23V566000 and 23V111000. With Engine at 161 complaints and no engine campaign on file, a documented history matters more here than on any other year of either truck.
- On a 2025 4Runner, check 25V595000 and drive it with attention to the brakes; Service Brakes is 23 complaints in its first year.
Summary
The 4Runner is the better used truck by the record: buy a 2017, or any year from 2020 to 2024, and treat the 2011 and 2012 as air bag campaign checks rather than years to avoid. Skip the 2025 4Runner until its record settles. The Tundra to buy is a 2013 to 2015, the 2015 above all at 86, or the 2020 at 78; the 2016, 2018 and 2019 are CAUTION years with a long list of campaigns to verify. Avoid the 2023 Tundra, which at 394 complaints and a score of 32 is the worst year of either nameplate.