Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
21–23 mpgcombined; city 19–23, highway 24–26; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$14,120–$15,470U.S. average; Ohio $12,620–$13,820 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists no trims for the 2026 4Runner, so these are the versions EPA tested, by its names. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 4Runner. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power train
3
0
0
0
Unknown or other
2
0
0
0
Electrical system
1
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
1
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Wheels
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2026 4Runner over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid, 2025 Tundra Hybrid, Tundra, 2026 RAV4 Hybrid, 4Runner i-Force Max Hybrid, and 4Runner vehicles. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added weight values. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the load carrying capacity modification label, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 18, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 26TA18.
Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain 2026 4Runner vehicles. The load carrying capacity modification label states the incorrect load carrying capacity. 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 load carrying capacity label may lead to improper loading of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will mail a new modification label to owners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2026. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 26R1.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 30 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2026 4Runner, the latest on Jul 20, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: unknown or other (24), service brakes (5), wheels (1).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2026 4Runner.
EPA class: standard sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
4Runner Rear-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 26 / 22
4Runner Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
19 / 25 / 21
4Runner 4-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 24 / 21
4Runner Hybrid Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
23 / 24 / 23
4Runner Hybrid 4-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
22 / 24 / 23
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data