Toyota Land Cruiser 300: Common Problems & Reliability Guide (South Africa)

Symptoms to watch for

• Engine knocking, rough running, difficulty starting, or a stall while driving on a 3.5T (V35A-FTS) petrol example built 13 December 2022 to 7 May 2024 - the exact, real symptom set named in the National Consumer Commission's own recall notice for the engine-machining-debris/bearing-failure defect.
• On the 3.3D (F33A-FTV) diesel: power loss, a check-engine light, limp mode, visible smoke, and higher fuel/oil consumption from DPF and EGR carbon fouling on vehicles used mainly for short, urban trips - per unsealed4x4.com.au, the same short-trip-driving pattern already documented for other Toyota diesels in this library.
• On the 3.3D: a real, low-incidence but serious failure mode under sustained heavy load (deep sand, towing, steep sustained climbs) where heat-soak from the turbo's position between the cylinder banks (the 'Hot-V' layout) can cause piston rings to lose their end gap, leading to inadequate lubrication and bearing damage - per unsealed4x4.com.au.
• On the 3.3D: engine oil consumption of up to 1.7 litres between services on a small percentage of vehicles, nicknamed 'three-hungies' by the source, which states Toyota acknowledged the pattern via an internal memo - per unsealed4x4.com.au.
• On the 3.3D towing 3 tonnes or more: a power drop/hesitation in the 2,200-2,500rpm range under acceleration, caused by a sequential-turbo ECU software issue - Toyota's fix is described as an ECU update, with some owners reportedly needing an aftermarket tune - per unsealed4x4.com.au.
• On the 3.3D: 'seventh (additive) injector' faults causing limp mode, excessive smoke and a stored code - a senior technician is quoted by unsealed4x4.com.au as reporting this occurs 'around the 20,000km mark' on close to every vehicle to some degree, fixed via Toyota ECU tuning, with some reports of recurrence.
• On automatic diesel examples used for heavy/extended towing (3 tonnes-plus, sustained long hills): transmission temperature warnings and limp mode on the shared 10-speed automatic (the same unit used in the Tundra) - per unsealed4x4.com.au.
• Thin factory paint prone to premature stone-chip damage and clear-coat peeling - a real cosmetic quality finding per unsealed4x4.com.au, notable given the vehicle's price point.
• An exposed plastic fuel filter housing at the rear wheel arch, at real risk of impact damage during off-road use (a rock or stick strike can rupture it, risking an engine cutout and diesel leak) - per unsealed4x4.com.au; aftermarket protection plates are noted as available.
• Inconsistent infotainment behaviour - random reboots, radio drop-outs, touchscreen faults, and Bluetooth connectivity loss on some examples, described by the source as ranging from flawless to 'chock full of problems' between individual vehicles, mostly resolved under warranty/goodwill.

What To Check

The recall's own symptom set (knocking, rough running, hard starting, a stall) may not be present before a failure occurs, and a stall is inherently something to check for via a VIN lookup, not to provoke during a test drive. Turbo hesitation under towing load and transmission overheating under sustained towing both require an actual loaded tow test to reveal, not a normal unladen test drive. Paint condition and the fuel filter's physical protection are directly visible on inspection. DPF/EGR fouling and injector faults are best assessed via service history and a diagnostic scan rather than a short test drive alone.