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Toyota Land CruiserModel year report

1998 Toyota Land Cruiser Problems

Complaints
16filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
140,000miles, 9 complaints with mileage
Recalls
0campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
14 mpgcombined, 4.7L 8-cyl 4WD/AWD · 12 city / 15 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error

NHTSA recorded 16 consumer complaints for the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser. The part named most often is brakes, with 7 complaints (44% of the total), followed by body and structure (3) and transmission and drivetrain (3). 9 of the complaints include a mileage, and 0% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 140,000 miles. Of all complaints, 3 involved a crash, 2 an injury, 1 a death, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 0 recall campaigns and 49 technical service bulletins for this model year. Brakes complaints overlap with 6 technical service bulletins filed under the same part. Body and structure complaints overlap with 1 technical service bulletin filed under the same part.

This model year has fewer than 25 complaints on record, so the numbers below can change a lot with a few new reports.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Example complaints

Brakes: “I was in a drive thru and as I approached the car in front of me, I pressed my brake pedal and had zero resistance as my pedal went to the floorboard and zero response from brakes. As I depressed pedal, my ABS light went on the dashboard and a beep alarmed. I tried hitting the pedal again to no avail and turned to attempt to miss the vehicle and pulled my emergency brake. I was moving at a low rate of speed and had zero history of brake system issues. …”

NHTSA complaint #11329566, filed 2020-06, 177,224 miles

Body and structure: “Experienced spontaneous sunroof explosion. Driving from estes park, co to louisville, co with my 9 year old son in back seat. Heard loud explosion overhead about 5 miles north of boulder, co on hwy. 93. Nearest car was 6-7 lengths in ahead and traveling at 60 MPH. It was a warm september day with intense 2:00p sun. We were finally able to safely pull over after 5 minutes. There was a nickle sized hole in the sunroof.”

NHTSA complaint #11323307, filed 2020-05, 200,000 miles

Transmission and drivetrain: “My 1998 lc470 has had two front diffs. Fail now. Both times the ring gear failed, once going through the housing. I tried to contact Toyota but no answer. Anyone else with this problem????”

NHTSA complaint #10259675, filed 2009-02, 80,000 miles

Air bags: “The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser. The contact was driving approximately 30 MPH under black ice road conditions. The vehicle began to slide uncontrollably and crashed into a concrete support column. The air bags failed to deploy with the impact. The driver sustained multiple injuries. There were fractures to the ribs, sternum and left tibia. The vehicle was completely destroyed and towed to a collision center. The dealer was notified and stated that the occupant was not in the properly seated position for the air bag deployment to occur. The failure and current mileages were 140,000.”

NHTSA complaint #10319845, filed 2010-03, 140,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

0% of the 9 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 80,000 and 200,000 miles.

0%0–100%10–250%25–5022%50–7511%75–10022%100–15044%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (9 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 140,000 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

1998520072010201620192021
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Land Cruiser Wagon 4WD4.7L 8-cyl4-speed automatic121514$4,800

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser in the data used here. A recall can apply to some vehicles of a model year and not others, so check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 49 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 49 bulletins →

Other model years of the Toyota Land Cruiser

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2013671,1252—15—Not enough data
200963,6007—15—Not enough data
2008892,2505—15—Not enough data
2006962,3962—13—Not enough data
2005976,4243—13—Not enough data
20045156,0001—13—Not enough data
200310100,0001—13—Not enough data
20021256,7120—13—Not enough data
20019118,1000—13—Not enough data
200025111,0000—13Not compared (before 2008)Rising
199923179,5260—13—Rising
199816140,0000—14—Falling
199717156,8950—13—Falling
199612119,2500—13—Not enough data
19958159,7780—13—Not enough data
199420100,0000—12—Stable
19938137,0000—12—Not enough data
199210115,0000—11—Not enough data
199111180,0000—12—Not enough data
19905—1—12—Not enough data
198810—2—12—Not enough data
19845—2—11—Not enough data

All Toyota Land Cruiser model years

Frequently asked questions

How many NHTSA complaints does the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser have?

NHTSA recorded 16 consumer complaints for the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser as of Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser is reported most often?

Brakes is named most often, in 7 complaints (44% of the total), followed by body and structure with 3.

Has the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser been recalled?

NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year in the data used here. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser get?

The EPA rates the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser (Land Cruiser Wagon 4WD, 4.7L 8-cyl) at 14 mpg combined, 12 city and 15 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,800 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 1998 Toyota Land Cruiser reported?

Among the 9 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 140,000 miles and the middle half falls between 80,000 and 200,000 miles; 0% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.