YearToAvoid

2009 Toyota Land Cruiser Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Avoid The 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser ranks 3rd worst out of 16 model years, with a complaint index of 87 and an Avoid verdict. Engine complaints, mainly unintended acceleration reports, make up 67% of its complaints, with a median failure mileage of 1,200 miles.

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
87/100
#3 of 16 Land Cruiser years
Verdict
Avoid
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
6
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
7
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
0
reported in complaints
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Top issue
Engine
Best nearby year
2006
lowest-risk (no Good/Best year)
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
15
13 city / 18 hwy
Injuries / deaths
0 / 0

Top 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Engine4 (67%)
  2. Electrical System1 (17%)
  3. Transmission & Powertrain1 (17%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Owners report the accelerator pedal sticking or engaging without driver input, unrelated to floor mats.
  • Some drivers experienced sudden unintended acceleration events happening more than once over a few months.
  • Engine RPMs reportedly rise abnormally and the engine sounds louder than normal right after starting.
  • One owner described the vehicle surging forward at highway speed and needing heavy braking to stop.
  • A transmission complaint described slipping and hesitation in low gears at low speeds, plus a momentary drop out of gear at cruising speed.
2009 Toyota Land Cruiser complaints: complaints filed per month2Oct 2008Feb 2010Mar 2010Jun 2010Nov 2010
6 complaints filed with NHTSA from Oct 2008 to Nov 2010; peak Mar 2010 (2).

2009 Toyota Land Cruiser recalls

7 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 18V887000Dec 13, 2018Airbags89,740 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2019 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX 570 vehicles. Over time, the seat belt tension sensor wire harness may break and deactivate the front passenger air bag, knee air bag, and passenger seat-mounted side airbag.

    Risk: In the event of a crash, deactivated air bags can increase the risk of injury .

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the front passenger seat belt assembly or replace it with an improved one, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are Lexus Interim J2L and Remedy JLL, Toyota Interim J15 and Remedy J05.

  2. NHTSA 17V548000Aug 31, 2017Airbags21 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2016 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2006 Lexus LX470, and 2008-2013 Lexus LX570 vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with an incorrect driver or front passenger air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Risk: An incorrect driver or front passenger air bag may not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bag assemblies, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0S. Lexus' number for this recall is HLD.

  3. NHTSA 12V305000Jun 29, 2012Engine164,601 vehicles

    Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 Lexus RX350 and RX450h vehicles, manufactured from November 28, 2008, through September 1, 2010, and model year 2008 through 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles manufactured from September 1, 2007, through September 5, 2011. In July 2012, Toyota filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2010 Lexus RX350 and RX450h vehicles. In November 2012, Toyota informed the agency that it was including an additional 10,565 vehicles including certain model year 2008 through 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 164,601. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.

    Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota and Lexus will notify owners of affected vehicles and dealers will modify or replace the accelerator pedal and replace any driver's floor mat not specified for the vehicle. Owners of the Lexus vehicles were notified during August 2012. Toyota has not yet provided a notification schedule for the additional Land Cruiser vehicles. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987.

See all 7 recalls for the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser →

2009 Toyota Land Cruiser fuel economy and fuel cost

City
13 MPG
Highway
18 MPG
Combined
15 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$4,300
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2009 compared with other Land Cruiser years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’21
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2007No verdict273113
2008Avoid938515
2009Avoid876715
2010No verdict733615
2011No verdict334515

All Toyota Land Cruiser years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2009 Land Cruiser ranks 3rd worst of 16 model years for this model, with a complaint index of 87 and an Avoid verdict.
What is the main problem with the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser?
Engine issues dominate, accounting for 67% of complaints, mostly related to unintended acceleration and abnormal RPM increases, with a median failure mileage of 1,200 miles.
Does the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser have recalls?
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2009 Land Cruiser, covering airbags, an accelerator pedal issue, tire pressure monitoring, and tire labeling, though none are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2009 Land Cruiser compare to other years?
Its complaint index of 87 is higher than most other years shown, including 2005 (60), 2006 (67), and 2013 (53), though the 2016 model has the highest index at 100 and 2008 is also rated Avoid with an index of 93.
What is the fuel economy of the 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser?
EPA rates it at 15 mpg combined (13 city / 18 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,300.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.