# Toyota 4Runner 2025–2026 Pre-Purchase Checklist

Canonical: https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/toyota-4runner-2025-2026/checklist/

> Printable pre-purchase inspection checklist for the 2025–2026 Toyota 4Runner: the generation-specific checks that separate a good one from someone else's problem.

Case file · TOYOTA-4RUNNER-2025-2026 · Field document

# Toyota 4Runner 2025–2026 · Pre-purchase checklist

Bring this to the inspection. Every check below is specific to this generation's documented failure modes, not generic used-car advice.

[← Full case file](https://carcasefile.com/vehicles/toyota-4runner-2025-2026/)

Check 01

Run the VIN for recall 25V595000 (instrument panel software) and confirm the update was done. It's a free OTA/dealer fix.

Check 02

Ask the dealer to check the VIN for open TSBs. First-year trucks accumulate them fast, and the fixes are free under warranty.

Check 03

Back up slowly with the windows down and listen for front brake squeal. It's the #1 early complaint, covered by TSB T-SB-0046-25 under the 3yr/36k warranty.

Check 04

Drive over rough pavement and listen for the rear spoiler/liftgate rattle and window/trim buzz. These are known first-year build-quality gripes; fixes are cheap but you want them documented before purchase.

Check 05

Feel for harsh or delayed 1–2 shifts, hesitation from a stop, or clunky low-speed behavior from the 8-speed. It's the same transmission family that generated a replacement TSB on the 2024 Tacoma. Any doubt: have the dealer scan for codes.

Check 06

Check the front air dam and underbody panel fasteners are all present and tight. NHTSA complaints include hardware backing out and panels dislodging at speed.

Check 07

On hybrids: the 12V battery lives in the rear cargo area and lot queens can run it down. Watch for slow starts or electrical weirdness on the test drive.

Check 08

Sit in the second row and load the cargo area. The 6th gen's hybrid battery raises the load floor, and space is a common owner disappointment versus the 5th gen. That's a fit issue, not a defect, but find out before you sign.

Walk-away signals

None proven bad, but early-production 2025s carry the most first-year TSB/recall exposure

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