300/600/700 Issues, problems and solutions

[henke]

At what milage did it fail?

Last (and only) time I used it was for 2 days of offroading at around 4k miles. Next time I had to use it I found that it wouldn't engage, at around 5k mileage.

I'm trying to bug the service advisor for more info but he's been pretty tight lipped so far...

 

[GXTOLX]

far far too many issues with this LX and regretting my purchase.

 

[MRego]

far far too many issues with this LX and regretting my purchase.

On a different perspective, I am not regretting my purchase one bit and love the LX OT. Everything just works from lockers to AHC to engine. Going 6k miles and haven’t had any issues so far - just smooth and next level ride.

 

[Docyota]

far far too many issues with this LX and regretting my purchase.

It is definitely a niche vehicle. The Grenadier does rough and tumble and dirty better. The Defender does the complete package well but resale value is poor, premium feel is not as good, and reliability is a major concern. The Range Rover is certainly a well put together luxury package but lacks the formidability of a solid, body on frame suv.

I for one agree with MRego. I like the slot that the LX700 OT falls into, with the luxury ride and interior features of the Range Rover and the tank-like presence and durability of the grenadier.

 

[billjamin]

I’m 15k miles in and no real complaints. It just does everything really well. The issues are minor annoyances in design choices mostly.

 

[henke]

I don't want to be too negative - even with a nonfunctional center locker (and as a result, no front and rear lockers either) the LX cleared 4 days and 100+ miles offroad including a couple of difficulty 6 trails with just with low range, atrac, and the all time 4wd. So it is reassuring that even if some systems break she'll get you back to civilization.

 

[hawkQTR]

far far too many issues with this LX and regretting my purchase.

I don't want to be too negative - even with a nonfunctional center locker (and as a result, no front and rear lockers either) the LX cleared 4 days and 100+ miles offroad including a couple of difficulty 6 trails with just with low range, atrac, and the all time 4wd. So it is reassuring that even if some systems break she'll get you back to civilization.

Meanwhile people in the GCC region have already approach the 400k miles territory... The 300 definitely has it unique problem, issues, stupid choices.. yet, nothing is a deal breaker... For most issues ..you can find a workaround... In my views, you buy a 300 series because you want a 300 series

 

[MRego]

Meanwhile people in the GCC region have already approach the 400k miles territory... The 300 definitely has it unique problem, issues, stupid choices.. yet, nothing is a deal breaker... For most issues ..you can find a workaround... In my views, you buy a 300 series because you want a 300 series

View attachment 4113668

WOW...Is this a Gas V35A? Must not be, unless it has been rebuilt at least 3 times.

In my views, you buy a 300 series because you want a 300 series

Yes. I bought it because I wanted a 300 Land Cruiser to enjoy and pass along as a family heirloom. I firmly believe this will go 300kmiles strong, the same as the old V8. In the end, this is still a Toyota/Lexus J-VIN made in Japan at the same plant that built the 200.

 

[hawkQTR]

WOW...Is this a Gas V35A? Must not be, unless it has been rebuilt at least 3 times.


Yes. I bought it because I wanted a 300 Land Cruiser to enjoy and pass along as a family heirloom. I firmly believe this will go 300kmiles strong, the same as the old V8. In the end, this is still a Toyota/Lexus J-VIN made in Japan at the same plant that built the 200.

It appears to be the F33A

 

[henke]

Center diff locker stopped working. Thought it was a battery issue, took it to the dealer. Diagnosed with an "internal failure" in the actuator. Getting a replacement under warranty. Will see how it turns out next week!

Message from dealer:

"As far as the center diff lock not operating. The technician was able to verify the concern. The health check came out good. The tech then proceeded to test actuator connectors and all checked out good. He then checked and tested the harness and found a connector was reading abnormal. Found an open circuit before and after diff activation. At this time, the tech proceeded with replacing the actuator, drained and refilled fluid, and re-sealed the transfer case and re-checked for proper function which passed."

Still kinda vague, but I guess it's an electrical gremlin? This dealership is one of those which gives you nice little video walkarounds for routine service, kinda wish they did this for the non routine stuff too.

 

[Hundy]

Yeah, that's pretty bad. I would start with taking EVERYTHING out of the car - any and all knick knacks you might have...to the smallest one and test it again to make sure it is nothing foreign to the car. Also check inside between the windshield and dash for anything that might have fallen there. If nothing works, I would just take it to the dealer and let them sort.

Just to close this out, I ended up taking it to the dealer and had to make a pretty big stink to get them to take it seriously. They ended up keeping it for almost a week and finally determined (shockingly) that it was something to do with the passenger sun visor. I've had it back for a few weeks now and it does seem to be resolved, thankfully.

They encouraged me to let them do an alignment though, and for some reason they decided to push the caster to 5 degrees + and they ended up tearing a hole in the wheel liner due to serious rubbing when at full tilt and reversing. Super annoying. They said they'd replace it but they worried it would just happen again with my 285/75/18 tires. They ended up heat molding them and bending it back to clear the tires better, so I'm just gonna let it ride.

 

[hawkQTR]

Alright, let me share my personal take on the Lc300 after +2 years of ownership. I'll only address my rants but also the workaround the issues for general benefit.

Comfort & Usability

• Ventilated seats: fan noise is loud and distracting. Sometimes gets to my head on longer drives.
• Camera view button: awkwardly placed behind the steering wheel. LC200 had it much better near the cluster. LX600 has a smarter setup and it seems to be not an issue for RHD markets.
• Front camera cover: weak and easily damaged. Mine got chipped just from normal use over 2 years. I PPF’d it, but too late.

View attachment 3976685

• Speed warning at 120 km/h (75 mph): completely blocks fuel/trip data. Really annoying in the GCC where highways legally go up to 140 km/h.
• 360° camera system: feels outdated. Shame, because I think the hardware is decent. The real problem is Toyota’s poor software, which they still haven’t fixed in 2026 models.
• Auto Hold turns automatically off every time you turn off the car.

Air Conditioning & Cooling

• AC performance weaker vs LC100/200. I currently drive both LC200/300 and used to own LC100. The older generations were noticeably better.I know this point may trigger some but hear me out. The AC cooling performance is good, but in my region, LCs are known to "best in class" when it comes to that and I don't believe the LC300 carried this legacy unfortunately. Above 40°C (104°F), the LC300 starts struggling, while the 200 keeps strong airflow and cooling.
• V35A-FTS fan clutch noise: excessive in hot weather even under light load. I support the idea of mechanical fans for off-road reliability, but Toyota should’ve tuned it better. Sounds like a turbine, kills performance, and feels unnecessary. Aftermarket fixes already exist, which says a lot. I think Toyota should have tuned it for selective markets where this is actually needed. Perhaps a modded thermostat design or even have an active fan on the intercoolers vs the current passive solution (perhaps cheaping out)

View attachment 3976688

Safety & Driver Assistance (2022–2024 models)

PCS (Pre-Collision System):

• Overreacts to pavements/bricks as “objects.”
• Slams brakes when reversing slowly near cars. Happened to me holding coffee… you can imagine the mess.
• As @Joe T mentioned, it cuts throttle input when it happens.. so if you are living in a region where roundabouts are common.. if this get triggered (which happened to me quite often) it will leave you stuck for 1–2 seconds in the middle of the roundabout. Nearly got rear-ended because of this.
• At least you can disable PCS permanently, though you’re stuck with a warning light.

Other safety systems

• Lane Departure Assist (LDA) in the LC300: resets to ON after restart.A,s aftermarket dongle just to fix Toyota’s stubborn default. Permanently disabiling LDA. - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/permanently-disabiling-lda.1337058/#post-16001951
• Auto start/stop: also defaults to ON. Same aftermarket dongle fix needed. Super inconvenient without it. Auto Start/Stop module - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/auto-start-stop-module.1349184/ (LC/LX)

MTS

• Sand mode is ok for normal sand cruising/overlanding.. but cripples the car going up to sand dunes. I found that keeping the car at H4 and S+ is significantly better for going uphill than MTS. The only thing that worries me is that we had the RSCA disable button in the LC200. Hence, I'm not sure what will happen if i go beyond the 45 degrees in a sand dune with "street driving modes".. like does it know I'm off-roading hence the side airbags doesn't need to be triggered .. it doesn't sound very assuring (LC/LX)

Child/Family Practicality

• Rear console fan controls: no child lock. Kids can mess with them anytime, which drives me crazy. (LC/LX)
• Child seat fitment: bulky seats don’t fit well with rear entertainment screens in the way. It’s so annoying we now use the LC200 when the child seat is needed. (LC/LX)

Infotainment & Tech

• AC controls stuck on-screen (2022–24): takes up valuable space. Out of 12.3", I only get ~8" usable for CarPlay. Fixed in 2025, but frustrating for earlier buyers. (Lc300)
• No wireless CarPlay/Android Auto (2022–24): I had to buy an aftermarket dongle. Toyota finally added it in 2025, but feels like too little too late. (LC300)
• Premium lighting package excluded from LC300 GRS trim. Toyota’s excuse was the metal skid plate, but the lights are actually super useful off-road. I retrofitted them myself since wiring is already pre-installed. Should’ve been standard. See below

View attachment 3976701View attachment 3976702View attachment 3976703

ToyotaConnect App

• Remote start shuts off when you unlock the car.
• No AC controls.
• Frequent “recalibration” prompts.
• Allows remote lock but not unlock. Honestly, the app feels like a tick-box gimmick. When I compare it to German cars or Tesla apps, Toyota’s effort is embarrassing.
• Not sure how other regions have different implementations

Other Known Issues / Fixes

• Shaky hood: common LC300/LX600 issue (well documented here with partcial solution 700 hood shake elimination - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/700-hood-shake-elimination.1359524/)
• Oil smell (early 2022–23 models): under full throttle, smell enters cabin. Toyota is fixing it under warranty. Happened to me too — waiting for my fix.
• Sunroof clicking noise: when fully open. Haven’t seen many others complain, but mine does but haven't taken it to the dealer yet.

Quick update regarding 2 problems that I have reported a while ago.. given that my 3 years warranty is going to expire pretty soon, I dropped the car at the dealership technical branch before it's tool late

(1) Happy to report that the burned oil smell have been rectified. It appears to be caused by leaky rear flapper vents. The dealer have told me this is very common for 2022-2023 models but not sure if Toyota have fixed that permanently with the new models (perhaps new part revisions or something).

(2) Sunroof clicking noise: unfortunately this still an issue. Although that they acknowledge that it sounds weird, it looks like they aware and Toyota have bluffed it as "normal". The dealer also mentioned that "all LC have this noise" and suggest to " not fully open the Sunroof" as a solution. I'll find the time to test it in other land cruisers and if they don't click, we are to going to escalate things

 

[MRego]

Quick update regarding 2 problems that I have reported a while ago.. given that my 3 years warranty is going to expire pretty soon, I dropped the car at the dealership technical branch before it's tool late

(1) Happy to report that the burned oil smell have been rectified. It appears to be caused by leaky rear flapper vents. The dealer have told me this is very common for 2022-2023 models but not sure if Toyota have fixed that permanently with the new models (perhaps new part revisions or something).

(2) Sunroof clicking noise: unfortunately this still an issue. Although that they acknowledge that it sounds weird, it looks like they aware and Toyota have bluffed it as "normal". The dealer also mentioned that "all LC have this noise" and suggest to " not fully open the Sunroof" as a solution. I'll find the time to test it in other land cruisers and if they don't click, we are to going to escalate things

View attachment 4116168

Is this gas or diesel? How many miles you have?

 

[hawkQTR]

Is this gas or diesel? How many miles you have?

Gas (V35A), around 49k.

 

[MRego]

Gas (V35A), around 49k.

Great to hear. That GR Sport is a beauty.

 

[dms]

Today the tailgate on my 24 LX600 won't go down. It just beeps a couple of times. It opens fine but has to be shut manually (all the while it beeps in anger). Any ideas on how to rectify the problem will be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Oakleyguy]

If the hatch is open for a prolonged amount of time, sometimes it will require you to manually close. Close it. Lock. Count to ten. Unlock. Start the truck and the fold and open the mirrors. This should reinitialize the hatch.

 

[Sinister]

Today the tailgate on my 24 LX600 won't go down. It just beeps a couple of times. It opens fine but has to be shut manually (all the while it beeps in anger). Any ideas on how to rectify the problem will be greatly appreciated!!

Does it start to close they opens, Or you just get a series off beeps? Also if you’re using the credit card key and try to lock and walk away, it’s range is lame and it doesn’t always work.

 

[dms]

If the hatch is open for a prolonged amount of time, sometimes it will require you to manually close. Close it. Lock. Count to ten. Unlock. Start the truck and the fold and open the mirrors. This should reinitialize the hatch.

Thanks for the info. I tried this several times to no avail. I will try again tomorrow.

 

[dms]

Does it start to close they opens, Or you just get a series off beeps? Also if you’re using the credit card key and try to lock and walk away, it’s range is lame and it doesn’t always work.

It does not move. It just beeps twice. I switched to the regular key to see if that would make a difference and opened the hatch with the button but I still had to shut it manually.