As someone who grew up in a shop, I’ve come to respect a fear most mechanics carry with them every time they walk under a car. It’s little-known to customers. While safety measures should always be taken, and lifts regularly inspected, mistakes happen. For a Toyota dealership in Atlanta, the risk became a panic-inducing reality.

There’s something deeply unsettling about hearing your car fell off a lift

Especially when that car is a Toyota Land Cruiser, an overlander built to crawl across boulders. 

Still, it’s never meant to drop nose-first in a service bay.

That’s exactly what happened to one Atlanta-area owner, who says their dealer called to break the news.

During a transmission replacement, the SUV somehow came off the lift and crushed its front driver-side headlight and bumper.

The owner posted about the experience on Reddit

He explained that the dealership initially left him hanging. When he asked for photos or video of the incident, despite repeated requests, he got crickets. Same thing when he inquired about insurance coverage.

The shop manager told them the Land Cruiser’s bumper and headlight would be replaced, and the frame would be inspected.

Thankfully, no one was hurt. Just the Toyota’s front end, and I’m sure, the mechanic’s pride.

When the owner eventually visited the Toyota dealership in person, they found the SUV back on the lift, the floor spotless, as if nothing had ever happened

The manager admitted the shop hadn’t seen an accident like this in 20 years and said the technician involved was their most senior mechanic.

The dealership’s insurance adjuster was scheduled to review the damage, and the service team promised to use OEM Toyota parts for every repair.

The customer reported feeling reassured, even grateful, after seeing how embarrassed the staff were. They still planned to keep bringing the SUV in for future service.

How does something like this happen?

As someone kindly pointed out in another thread, technically speaking, a Toyota Land Cruiser is not an easy vehicle to balance on a two-post lift.

Between its skid plates, high ground clearance, and unusual frame geometry, even experienced techs can struggle to find safe lift points.

A single misaligned arm or uneven hydraulic release can send the entire truck shifting forward or backward. And gravity does the rest.

More than one commenter said large SUVs like these are notorious for slipping off when their weight isn’t evenly distributed, particularly during transmission work, when parts are being removed from underneath.

In another thread the same owner posted to, mechanics chimed in with similar stories

One said they’d seen a Land Cruiser tumble six feet to the floor when a lift arm snapped, totaling the vehicle.

Another recalled a Jeep Wrangler flipping forward when its rear tires were removed.

Others mentioned mishaps involving a BMW X5, a C5 Corvette, and even a Grand Cherokee. It’s all proof that while rare, these mistakes aren’t unheard of.

In the original thread, one shop owner said he’d serviced 7,000 cars before having any such incident.

Luckily, in 40-plus years of business, I haven’t heard of this happening at my family’s shop. I have some stories, believe me…

Anyway, most seasoned mechanics in the discussion agreed on two things: first, it almost always comes down to human error or faulty equipment. Second, reputable shops own their mistakes. They fix what’s broken, call their insurance, and face the customer directly.

For the Land Cruiser owner, the best news is that everyone walked away unharmed. It’s certainly a small miracle considering what could have gone wrong under that lift.