TOYOTA LAND CRUISER · model year

2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER

17 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002TOYOTALAND CRUISER carries 17 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2002 LAND CRUISER is vehicle speed control with 3 filings, followed by latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch (2) and engine and engine cooling (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2002 LAND CRUISER, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

17
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

17 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR1
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS1
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
SEAT BELTS1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
SERVICE BRAKES1
STRUCTURE:BODY1

Recent Complaints

20230709STRUCTURE:BODY

I have purchased this vehicle from the dealer at prestige toyota in ramsey NJ 2002- it was a certified dealer car. I have maintained my car and it still rides well, until about 2 weeks ago i felt the back of the car while driving 65mile hr highway that was curvy,felt like i was going to go out of control and it's never done that before. I took it to Toyota june 8th 2023 to get an oil change, and mechanic said my rear stable bar is missing due to excessive rot and the entire frame is rotted out and is not safe to drive, I am spending $1800.00 to get the AC recharged and rear brakes done. Come to find out that Toyota had recalls on the tundra and sequoia but if they used the same frame, why did they not recommend a fix before this happened, thousands of dollars later. I am not ready to give up my car, I have taken it there many times now my car is unsafe to drive. I am very upset and not ready to put out money for a new car. https://app.mykaarma.com/service-cart/mpi/p9qdyu1adwH03b-7zCmY

20200504SERVICE BRAKES

DURING NORMAL LOCAL DRIVING, TRYING TO STOP MY 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER REQUIRES AN IMPOSSIBLE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. ON THE PHONE THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER SAID ELECTRIC BRAKE BOOSTER HAS FAILED, AND THE COST TO FIX IT IS ABOUT $4500--A HUGE AMOUNT FOR A 18-YEAR-OLD CAR THAT IS WORTH ONLY $7,000 OR $8,000. IT'S AN AMOUNT THAT IS DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO AFFORD. SO WHEN I NEED TO DRIVE, I HAVE TO DRIVE VERY SLOWLY.

Mileage: 239,000

20170928ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

A FEW TIMES WHILE TRAVELING AT FWY SPEEDS, AS WE START TO GO UPHILL THE CAR VIOLENTLY SHAKES BACK AND FORTH (STEERING WHEEL HARD TO HOLD ON TO). VSC, TRAC AND THE LIITLE CAR WITH THE SKID MARKS BEHIND IT FLASH ON THE DASH ALONG WITH AN ALARM THAT LASTS FROM 3-5 SECONDS. WE HAVE HAD A HARD TIME KEEPING THE CAR IN THE LANE. ALMOST RAN INTO THE CENTER DIVIDER. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO OUR PERSONAL MECHANIC, CALLED TOYOTA, TAKEN IT TO TOYOTA OF SAN LUIS DEALERSHIP AND NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. IT IS IN OUR OPINION THAT THIS CAR IN UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND UNSAFE TO SELL.

Mileage: 209,000

20170928UNKNOWN OR OTHER

A FEW TIMES WHILE TRAVELING AT FWY SPEEDS, AS WE START TO GO UPHILL THE CAR VIOLENTLY SHAKES BACK AND FORTH (STEERING WHEEL HARD TO HOLD ON TO). VSC, TRAC AND THE LIITLE CAR WITH THE SKID MARKS BEHIND IT FLASH ON THE DASH ALONG WITH AN ALARM THAT LASTS FROM 3-5 SECONDS. WE HAVE HAD A HARD TIME KEEPING THE CAR IN THE LANE. ALMOST RAN INTO THE CENTER DIVIDER. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO OUR PERSONAL MECHANIC, CALLED TOYOTA, TAKEN IT TO TOYOTA OF SAN LUIS DEALERSHIP AND NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. IT IS IN OUR OPINION THAT THIS CAR IN UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND UNSAFE TO SELL.

Mileage: 209,000

20150901SEAT BELTS

FIRST, MIDDLE SEAT BELT AT THE BACK WERE THE FIRS ONE THAT GOT STUCK, MEANT THE PERSON HAD FASTEN SEAT BELT AND WHEN HE TRIED TO UNFASTEN THE LOCK GOT STUCK WON'T OPEN AND SO WE HAD TO PULL HIM OUT ON THE SIDE TO GET OUT FROM THE SEAT BELT. AND NOW ALMOST ALL THE SEAT BELTS AREN'T WORKING PROPERLY.

Mileage: 97,000

20100707VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2002 LANDCRUISER FROM A TOYOTA DEALER IN GREENSBORO NC. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLES SUDDENLY STOPPED RESPONDING TO THE GAS PEDAL...THE ENGINE WAS STILL ON BUT THE CAR WAS NO LONGER GETTING POWER. WE HAD TO PULL OVER, STOP THE CAR. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR...THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, BUT HE CAR WAS RESPONSIVE AND I DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID IT WAS THE THROTTLE HOUSING THAT NEEDED A CLEANING. THE ISSUE SEEMS SIMILAR TO THE RECENT LEXUS RECALL . WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PULL OVER BUT IT WAS FRIGHTENING NONETHELESS. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO IT. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 69,000

20100707ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2002 LANDCRUISER FROM A TOYOTA DEALER IN GREENSBORO NC. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLES SUDDENLY STOPPED RESPONDING TO THE GAS PEDAL...THE ENGINE WAS STILL ON BUT THE CAR WAS NO LONGER GETTING POWER. WE HAD TO PULL OVER, STOP THE CAR. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR...THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, BUT HE CAR WAS RESPONSIVE AND I DROVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID IT WAS THE THROTTLE HOUSING THAT NEEDED A CLEANING. THE ISSUE SEEMS SIMILAR TO THE RECENT LEXUS RECALL . WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PULL OVER BUT IT WAS FRIGHTENING NONETHELESS. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO IT. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 69,000

20100224CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 40 MPH CRASHING INTO HER SPOUSE WHO SUSTAINED A BROKEN LEG. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSURED WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

20071019VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS

CAR WAS NEW WHEN I PICKED UP AT DEALER. HAVE BEEN BACK WITH DRIVER DOOR WINDOW PROBLEM OVER SIX TIMES. AT THIS TIME THE WINDOW SEAL IS LOOSE AND THE WINDOW WILL NOT CLOSE. IT IS SAD TO PAY 56K AND STILL CAN'T GET THINGS FIXED...SECURITY IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND I HAVE IT.

Mileage: 5,000

20071019STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

CAR WAS NEW WHEN I PICKED UP AT DEALER. HAVE BEEN BACK WITH DRIVER DOOR WINDOW PROBLEM OVER SIX TIMES. AT THIS TIME THE WINDOW SEAL IS LOOSE AND THE WINDOW WILL NOT CLOSE. IT IS SAD TO PAY 56K AND STILL CAN'T GET THINGS FIXED...SECURITY IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AND I HAVE IT.

Mileage: 5,000

20070817SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE DEAR SIRS, THIS MONDAY OF THIS WEEK (13 AUGUST 2007) WHEN I WAS PUTTING MY 3-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER'S CARSEAT IN MY TOYOTA, THE PASSENGER SEATBELT JAMMED IN THE FULLY EXTENDED POSITION. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL DEALER (TUSCALOOSA TOYOTA) AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE SEAT BELT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED AND WAS NOT COVERED BY A CRADLE-TO-GRAVE WARRANTY, MERELY A 5-YEAR, 60K WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD THAT THE SEAT BELT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF NEARLY $300. I BELIEVE THAT LEGALLY REQUIRED SAFETY ISSUES ON AUTOMOBILES NEED TO BE COVERED CRADLE-TO-GRAVE AS THEY HAVE PROFOUND IMPLICATIONS IN THE SAFETY OF DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS. AS A SIDE NOTE, AFTER 21 YEARS OF SERVICE MY 86 HONDA CRX NEEDED SIMILAR SERVICE. THIS WAS IMMEDIATELY REMEDIED BY MY LOCAL HONDA DEALER (TOWNSEND HONDA) AT NO COST, WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED. JAMES WESTON *TR

Mileage: 54,047

20050428VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN EARLY DECEMBER 2004, 60 MPH AND CAR WENT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL AS IF A FRONT TIRE HAD BLOWN. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN 3 DAYS LATER, UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. THOUGHTS WERE THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WAS KICKING ON (FOR NOT APPARENT REASON) DUE TO A WIRING/COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. THIS MALFUNCTION HAS OCCURED AT LEAST 15-20 TIMES WITH US ON THE HIGHWAY - WE HAVE THE CAR PARKED, EXCEPT TO TAKE IT BACK AND FORTH TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO CANNOT SEEM TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP HAD IT 4 DAYS THE FIRST TIME AND 2-3 WEEKS THE SECOND AND THIRD TIMES. TOOK IT TO LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DUPLICATED PROBLEM WITHIN THE FIRST 15 MILES OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE (WHICH IS A 2002 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER). NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP, AS THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T "DUPLICATE CUSTOMER'S REQUEST". MANUFACTURER TOOK CLAIM BUT HAS DONE NOTHING. LOCAL MECHANIC NOTED ON HIS WORK ORDER THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY NOT BE FIXABLE AND THAT VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND IS GOING TO KI

Mileage: 56,712

20050428ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN EARLY DECEMBER 2004, 60 MPH AND CAR WENT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL AS IF A FRONT TIRE HAD BLOWN. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN 3 DAYS LATER, UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. THOUGHTS WERE THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WAS KICKING ON (FOR NOT APPARENT REASON) DUE TO A WIRING/COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. THIS MALFUNCTION HAS OCCURED AT LEAST 15-20 TIMES WITH US ON THE HIGHWAY - WE HAVE THE CAR PARKED, EXCEPT TO TAKE IT BACK AND FORTH TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO CANNOT SEEM TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP HAD IT 4 DAYS THE FIRST TIME AND 2-3 WEEKS THE SECOND AND THIRD TIMES. TOOK IT TO LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DUPLICATED PROBLEM WITHIN THE FIRST 15 MILES OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE (WHICH IS A 2002 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER). NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP, AS THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T "DUPLICATE CUSTOMER'S REQUEST". MANUFACTURER TOOK CLAIM BUT HAS DONE NOTHING. LOCAL MECHANIC NOTED ON HIS WORK ORDER THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY NOT BE FIXABLE AND THAT VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND IS GOING TO KI

Mileage: 56,712

20050428STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN EARLY DECEMBER 2004, 60 MPH AND CAR WENT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL AS IF A FRONT TIRE HAD BLOWN. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN 3 DAYS LATER, UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. THOUGHTS WERE THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WAS KICKING ON (FOR NOT APPARENT REASON) DUE TO A WIRING/COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. THIS MALFUNCTION HAS OCCURED AT LEAST 15-20 TIMES WITH US ON THE HIGHWAY - WE HAVE THE CAR PARKED, EXCEPT TO TAKE IT BACK AND FORTH TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO CANNOT SEEM TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP HAD IT 4 DAYS THE FIRST TIME AND 2-3 WEEKS THE SECOND AND THIRD TIMES. TOOK IT TO LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DUPLICATED PROBLEM WITHIN THE FIRST 15 MILES OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE (WHICH IS A 2002 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER). NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP, AS THEY CLAIM THEY CAN'T "DUPLICATE CUSTOMER'S REQUEST". MANUFACTURER TOOK CLAIM BUT HAS DONE NOTHING. LOCAL MECHANIC NOTED ON HIS WORK ORDER THAT THIS PROBLEM MAY NOT BE FIXABLE AND THAT VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND IS GOING TO KI

Mileage: 56,712

20040805LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

CONSUMER RECEIVED TWO COMPUTERIZED KEYS WHEN PURCHASED. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW DAYS THE KEYS DID NOT WORK, AND COMPUTER CHIP FELL OUT. DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT CONSUMER MUST ORDER NEW ONES AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE. THE OTHER KEYS TO ANOTHER VEHICLE WERE ALSO DEFECTIVE.*AK

Mileage: 49,500

20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN THE SPRING OF 2002 WITH A FULL WARRANTY. IN APPROXIMATELY THE SUMMER OF 2002, THE VEHICLE HAD AN OIL CHANGE. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO EMIT BLUE SMOKE AND THE ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THE OIL WAS REPLACED WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO TAKE THE VEHICLE FOR A LONG DRIVE TO BURN OFF THE OIL. WE DID SO. THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ENGINE IS RUINED AND WOULD COSTS APPROXIMATELY 6,000.00 TO REPAIR DUE TO OIL PROBLEMS.

20030720LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

THE POWER DOOR LOCKS INTERMITTENTLY LOCK WITHOUT MY PARTICIPATION.*AK

Mileage: 4,010

Compare 2002TOYOTALAND CRUISER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER have?
The 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER has 17 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER?
The most-complained component for the 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2002 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.