Land Cruiser Prado 120 years to avoid, and the best years to buy
Every Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 model year: which ones owners and specialists recommend, which have documented problems, which carry recalls, and what they sell for now.
For a V6, anything from late 2005: 4X4 Australia says to skip the earlier four-speed autos and buy a five-speed. For the 1KD-FTV diesel, AustralianCar.Reviews says aluminium injector seats replaced the failure-prone copper ones from August 2007, so a later truck, or an earlier one with receipts for new seats, is the safer buy. 4X4 Australia calls the 2006–08 trucks the high point of the model's reputation. Either way, service records beat the build date.
At a glance
Land Cruiser Prado 120 year by year
| YEAR | VERDICT | WHAT CHANGED |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | — | Development begins; design work follows in 1998, and Lance Scott's ED² (France) proposal is picked in late 1999 |
| Oct 2002 | — | Launched in Japan on 7 October; production began in September. Lexus starts US sales of the GX 470 twin in November |
| 2003 | — | Australian launch with the new 4.0 L 1GR-FE V6 (179 kW), the 1KZ-TE diesel and the 2.7; 4-star ANCAP. 14,639 sold in Australia that year |
| April 2003 | Recall | Australian recall PRA 2003/6123 for the fuel pulsation damper on early GRJ120s |
| July/Aug 2004 | — | Japan: 1GR-FE replaces the 5VZ-FE, and the 2TR-FE replaces the 3RZ-FE |
| Late 2005 | Sweet spot | Five-speed automatic arrives for the V6. 4X4 Australia says to skip the earlier four-speed V6 autos and buy a five-speed (or the rare six-speed manual) |
| May 2006 | — | Toyota Auto Body joins production |
| Late 2006 | Beware | Euro IV 1KD-FTV (127 kW, 410 Nm) with 5AT and 6MT; Australia's diesel switches from the 1KZ-TE. Until August 2007 the 1KD has copper injector seats, which can fail and let blow-by gases carbon up the oil pick-up, so ask whether they have been replaced |
| Aug 2007 | Sweet spot | Aluminium injector seats replace the failure-prone copper ones on the 1KD-FTV; equipment and safety upgrades. 4X4 Australia rates the 2006–08 trucks as the high point of the 120 |
| Aug 2009 | — | Production ends; the J150 Prado replaces it in September |
| Aug 2024 | — | Every J120 is now at least 15 years old, the threshold for Canadian import |
| Sept 2027 | — | The first J120s turn 25 and become eligible for US import |
“Sweet spot” means owners and specialists recommend those years; “Beware” means documented problems; “Recall” means check the recall was done rather than walk away.
Recalls by year
- Fuel pulsation damper assembly (Australia) ↗ GRJ120 built 29 October 2002 – 22 March 2003
Best years are buyer consensus from owners, specialists and forums, not spec sheets. See all Land Cruiser years to avoid across every generation.