2021 Toyota 4Runner problems, complaints & recalls
Far fewerToo few recent reports to judge
NHTSA has received 36 owner complaints about the 2021 Toyota 4Runner, or 6.2 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.15, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #13 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Toyota models its rate is 82% lower; against other Off-road SUVs it is 90% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2020-12-25 and 2026-09-03. Median delay from incident to filing: 6 days.
36Complaints
6.2Complaints per year on the road
0.15Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
11.1%Share involving a crash or fire
9Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2020) drew 4.9 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2022) drew 8.1 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 18 complaints, 71% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Steering (33.3% of complaints), followed by Brakes (16.7%) and Electrical (13.9%). Steering complaints are 5.2 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 4 reports (11.1%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 25 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (39% of incidents). 9 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall for this model year.
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.15
vs. other Toyota models0.18
vs. other 2021 models0.16
vs. other Off-road SUVs0.1
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (18)0.29
Rear backup camera has been failing or intermittently working, it is available for insp[ection upon request. This has created a situation upon reversing in driveway where I expect it to be on and dont see a vehicle or trailer behind me.
Electrical · 2025-12-27 · ODI 11707218 · Crash
While pulling this vehicle in to my garage about halfway in the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle hit a bench on the opposite side of the entrance. After pumping the brakes after waiting about 10 minutes they seemed to work normally.
Brakes · 2024-01-28 · ODI 11568310 · Crash
While vehicle was parked and not in use, upon entering the vehicle, the steering wheel/column dropped out of its locked position on its own.
Steering · 2026-09-03 · ODI 11761925
The power door lock actuators on both front doors of my 2021 Toyota 4Runner have failed. The problem developed progressively. The front door locks initially began working intermittently and became less reliable over time.
Body & structure · 2026-08-25 · ODI 11759381
The interior of both headlights have the interior coating peeling in the first 20k miles
Lighting · 2026-06-22 · ODI 11745613
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2020-2022 4Runner vehicles equipped with 20-inch Black Gunner Wheels. The load carrying capacity modification labels are incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will mail replacement labels to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 4, 2022. Owners may contact SET's customer service at 954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET22A.
