2018 Toyota 4Runner

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Failed door lock actuator All years

  What to check: Unlock with the fob, then open every door from outside.

  The outside handle stops opening the door. Trail4Runner's writer calls it common among owners, and CarComplaints lists broken door locks among the worst 2010 and 2014 problems.

  Sources ^1,2,3

• X-REAS shock leaks Limited

  What to check: Look for wet, oily shocks.

  Two owners of 2011 4Runners in one thread had leaking shocks, at about 86,000 and 125,000 miles. CarComplaints ranks X-REAS leaks third among 2016 problems.

  Sources ^4,5

• Rust All years One source so far

  What to check: Look at the frame, the door bottoms, the liftgate and the door sills.

  Three members in one thread agree that salted roads will rust any 4Runner that is not undercoated and washed. They name the door bottoms, liftgate and sills as places to look.

  Sources ⁶

• Slow or freezing touch screen All years One source so far

  What to check: Switch between screens and sources, and watch for lag or a freeze.

  Autotrader reports complaints that the Entune system freezes or is slow.

  Sources ⁷

Recalls

• 17V831000 2017–2018

  The load capacity label can be wrong, so the truck could be overloaded.^8,9

• 20V682000 2018–2020

  The low-pressure fuel pump in the tank can fail and stall the engine. This widens recall 20V012000.^9,10,11

Complaints

Owners filed 59 complaints about the 2018 with NHTSA.

7 said there had been a crash and 1 a fire.

The parts named most

• Steering 12
• Unknown or other 9
• Air bags 8
• Service brakes 6
• Engine 5

and 15 other parts

Counted from NHTSA's complaints on 23 October 2026. These are owners' own reports, counted by the parts they named; one complaint can name several. NHTSA's list

Crash-test stars

• 2018 Toyota 4Runner SUV 2WD Overall 4 of 5. Front: driver 4, passenger 3. Side: driver 5, passenger 5. Rollover: 3.
• 2018 Toyota 4Runner SUV AWD Overall 4 of 5. Front: driver 4, passenger 3. Side: driver 5, passenger 5. Rollover: 3.

Copied from NHTSA's ratings on 23 October 2026.

Sources

1. Trail4Runner (door lock actuator)
2. CarComplaints (2010 4Runner)
3. CarComplaints (2014 4Runner)
4. Toyota-4Runner.org (2011 struts)
5. CarComplaints (2016 4Runner)
6. Toyota-4Runner.org (5th gen frame rust)
7. Autotrader best years
8. NHTSA recalls (2017 4Runner)
9. NHTSA recalls (2018 4Runner)
10. NHTSA recalls (2019 4Runner)
11. NHTSA recalls (2020 4Runner)