Not to jinx it but how prevalent is starter failure on these cars?

They put the starter in between the cylinder blocks making it a PITA to get to...

 

greatly depends on how many times you started the car

i would say if youre near the 150k range with lots of short drives... expect to change it soon... however if you commute far then its nothing to worry about. When my starter died on my 1uz motor (SC400).. it does a slow crank instead of just the death ticks... im hoping the GX does the slow/weak crank when the starter is on its last leg since that at least gives you some wiggle room to get home or help... instead of being left stranded.

 

Btw, if you youtube "GX470 Secondary Air injection pump" you can find a guide on how to remove nearly everything up until the starter.