CriticalCommonSuspension

Toyota Land Cruiser 70: Rear leaf spring sag and chassis cracking at the spring hanger

Rear leaf spring sag and chassis cracking at the spring hanger is a common suspension fault on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 on the 2000 onward cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 20 documented faults on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70.

Vehicle: Toyota Land Cruiser 70
Years: 2000 onward
System: Suspension

This page covers the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Toyota Land Cruiser 70 faults20 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Rear leaf spring yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

Factory rear leaf springs on 76/78/79 models sag with sustained heavy loading, dropping ride height and travel, and the more serious follow-on is chassis cracking at the weld where the rear spring hanger meets the rail - a known failure on heavily loaded touring and farm utes, driven by over-GVM loading and corrugated-road pounding. Once a crack starts it spreads quickly, and a cracked or previously welded chassis is a walk-away item on a used truck unless certified engineering repair paperwork exists. Sagged springs alone are a routine, moderately priced fix.

What you would notice

Rear sits visibly low with the tray empty
Clunk from the rear under heavy load
Frequent bottoming-out on bumps
Hairline crack or weld repair visible near the rear spring hangers
Harsh ride at full compression

How to check it

Where to look. Rear leaf springs and the chassis rail welds at the rear spring hangers, viewed from under the rear of the vehicle

Stand back and check the truck sits level unladen - rear sag is obvious. Then get under with a torch (or have your inspector do it) and examine the chassis rails around the rear spring hangers for hairline cracks, fresh paint or non-factory welds. Ask what loads the vehicle carried and whether it ran over GVM with a service body or camper.

Parts involved: Rear leaf spring.

What it costs to put right

$900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has the chassis ever been welded or repaired? Is there engineering certification?”
“What sort of loads or canopy/service body did it carry?”
“Have the rear springs been replaced or upgraded?”

Now check the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

70 Series Store: Top 10 common 70 Series LandCruiser problems (chassis cracking at rear spring hanger, leaf spring sag)
I Love Cruiser (AU): Common issues & fixes for the LandCruiser 70/75/79 Series
4X4 Australia / Unsealed 4X4 70 Series buyer coverage of GVM and suspension upgrades

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 buyer questions

Is rear leaf spring sag and chassis cracking at the spring hanger serious on a Toyota Land Cruiser 70?

We rate it critical and common on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70. Factory rear leaf springs on 76/78/79 models sag with sustained heavy loading, dropping ride height and travel, and the more serious follow-on is chassis cracking at the weld where the rear spring hanger meets the rail - a known failure on heavily loaded touring and farm utes, driven by over-GVM loading and corrugated-road pounding. Once a crack starts it spreads quickly, and a cracked or previously welded chassis is a walk-away item on a used truck unless certified engineering repair paperwork exists. Sagged springs alone are a routine, moderately priced fix.

How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Land Cruiser 70?

$900 to $4,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Toyota Land Cruiser 70 years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2000 onward Toyota Land Cruiser 70. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.