Toyota Land Cruiser Is Tough, But One Crash Test Exposed A Weak Spot
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released new crash-safety scores for 16 models this month, and only two of them managed to achieve a safety award. This comes as the authority's safety tests are made progressively more challenging. One notable vehicle that missed out on a safety award is the Toyota Land Cruiser, a model more closely associated with durability and toughness than most others. While not as large as the previous Land Cruiser, the new one's more modern design was expected to attain perfect safety scores, so where did it fall short?
Toyota Land Cruiser Safety Scores
First, we'll start with the good news. The 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser excelled in the small overlap front and side crash tests, where it achieved the highest possible ‘Good' ratings. The former test represents a crash whereby the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or object, while the side test represents a T-bone crash. The Toyota held up well in both tests, with no elevated risk of injury for the driver or passenger.
The moderate overlap front test was another story, though. In this test, an offset crash is represented between two vehicles traveling at just under 40 mph in opposite directions. In 2022, the IIHS updated this test to evaluate rear-seat protection, too, and this is where the Land Cruiser struggled. It achieved only a ‘Marginal' overall score for this test. While the structure and safety cage remained intact, there was a raised injury risk for the driver's legs and feet, along with an increased risk for head/neck and chest injuries for those at the back. The rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics were only rated as Marginal. In the test, the rear passenger dummy's head approached the front seatback and the lap belt moved from the ideal position on the pelvis to the abdomen.
This result prevented the Land Cruiser from attaining a safety award, as a Good rating is required in all three crashworthiness tests.
Related: Toyota Corolla Misses IIHS Top Safety Pick Over One Rear-Seat Weakness
A Possible Weak Spot For Toyota?
We took a look at ratings in the moderate overlap front test for other Toyota/Lexus models and noticed a bit of a trend: The Land Cruiser wasn't the only Toyota to struggle in this test. The Highlander, Sienna, and 4Runner were also rated as Marginal; the 4Runner shares its platform with the Land Cruiser. An Acceptable rating was given to the Corolla Cross, bZ, and bZ Woodland, while another SUV from the Toyota family, the Lexus RX, was rated as Poor. One Toyota SUV did well, though, and that was the Grand Highlander.
Toyota isn't the only automaker to struggle with the tougher moderate overlap front test; the popular Honda CR-V also got a Poor rating. However, in the midsize SUV segment, the Land Cruiser is one of the few vehicles to be marked down.
While the Land Cruiser remains a safe vehicle overall, this gap in its level of safety protection is something for Toyota to pay attention to in a forthcoming update, as it'll bring the vehicle up to the level of similar models like the Jeep Wrangler and Honda Passport.
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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:15 AM.