What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
← All Toyota Tacoma generations
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing fall from 6.31 for 2005 (707 complaints across 112 listings) to 0.34 for 2015 (102 across 304), against a generation median of 2.40. 2005 is 2.6 times that median and 14 of 83 enriched ads (16.9%) mention a problem against a 12.3% median; with the 'rust' flaw excluded it is 7 of 83 (8.4%) against about 2%. 2006 is 1.8 times the median (4.37; 782 across 179), so it is not flagged. 2010 shows no rate because NHTSA's complaint service returned an error for our 2010 Tacoma request, so we have no 2010 complaint count and say so rather than guess. NHTSA owners name structure, suspension and vehicle speed control most often in 2005-2008.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not verified | Frame rust on 2005-2010 trucks (class settlement, free inspection and frame replacement) | Free under the settlement while it applied. Autoweek puts the Tacoma frame part at $4,338-$4,889 and one unnamed dealer at $15,000 or more total per truck; a northeast Toyota store tech told Automotive News its bills to Toyota averaged about $15,000 | BHO Law and Autoweek report a settlement of up to $3.4 billion covering 2005-2010 Tacomas, 2007-2008 Tundras and 2005-2008 Sequoias, about 1.5 million vehicles, for up to 12 years from the day of sale. Autoweek says the frames came from Dana and that plaintiffs' counsel expected about 15% of inspected frames to need replacing; a store tech guessed 7 in 10. Motorverso names the leaf spring mounts at the rear of the frame as the weak spot. Twelve years from sale puts every 2005-2010 truck at or past that line, so ask Toyota to confirm any remaining coverage by VIN, and inspect the frame yourself. Rust on the frame is a real failure here, and we count it in the timeline even though we leave 'rust' out of the ad-mention test. |
| Not verified | Frame corrosion on 2011-2017 trucks in cold-climate states (limited service campaign K0D, 2020) | Free: inspection, corrosion-resistant coating and frame plugs, with a free frame replacement if the frame is severely rusted (SlashGear) | SlashGear reports about 320,470 trucks built from late June 2010 to early June 2017 and says it mainly affects trucks run in states that salt roads. Toyota's own notices on NHTSA's site describe more-than-normal frame corrosion in cold climate areas with heavy road salt, on 2011-2017 Tacomas. Motorverso says 2011-2015 trucks show fewer corrosion problems than 2005-2010, which fits this campaign being narrower. Ask whether the inspection was done and get the record. |
| any | Recalls on file: rear leaf spring fracture on Pre-Runner and 4x4 (14V604000, 2005-2011), steering wheel clockspring (12V092000, 2005-2009), rear propeller shaft (07V324000, 2007; 10V042000, 2010), valve springs (13V557000, 2013-2014) | Free at a Toyota dealer when open | 14V604000 covers trucks built September 14, 2009, to October 11, 2010, where a leaf spring may fracture from stress or corrosion, and the broken leaf could contact the fuel tank. 12V092000: steering wheel vibration can damage the clockspring and disable the driver air bag. 13V557000 covers trucks built July 1 to October 11, 2013. Confirm each by VIN. |
A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car.
Complaints add up over a car's whole life, so older years in a generation can look worse here than they are. Read this flag next to the complaint details below.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 707 | Structure, Suspension, Vehicle Speed Control | |
| 2006 | 782 | Structure, Vehicle Speed Control, Suspension | |
| 2007 | 541 | Suspension, Vehicle Speed Control, Structure | |
| 2008 | 449 | Suspension, Vehicle Speed Control, Structure | |
| 2009 | 520 | Suspension, Exterior Lighting, Power Train | |
| 2011 | 186 | Suspension, Exterior Lighting, Structure | |
| 2012 | 295 | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2013 | 125 | Power Train, Steering, Suspension | |
| 2014 | 93 | Structure, Service Brakes, Power Train | |
| 2015 | 102 | Unknown Or Other, Air Bags, Structure |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule, and two Tacoma years trip it: 2005 and 2016. 2005 has 6.31 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing (707 across 112 listings) against a 2005-2015 median of 2.40, and 14 of 83 enriched ads (16.9%) mention a problem against 12.3%. 2016 has 1.44 (324 across 225) against a 2016-2023 median of 0.57, and 12 of 147 ads (8.2%) against 3.4%. 2006 has a high rate too (4.37, 1.8 times its median) but does not reach 2.0x.
Sources name 2005-2010 first. Toyota's class settlement covers 2005-2010 Tacomas for up to 12 years from sale (Autoweek, BHO Law), and Toyota's 2008 program covered 1995-2000 trucks for 15 years from purchase (SlashGear). A 2020 campaign covers 2011-2017 trucks in cold-climate states (SlashGear, NHTSA). Motorverso adds that 2011-2015 trucks show fewer problems than 2005-2010.
Under the settlement it was free to the owner. Autoweek reports Toyota's frame part at $4,338-$4,889 and an unnamed dealer putting the total at $15,000 or more with labor. Out of pocket, Tacoma World posters guess $7,000-$10,000+ at a dealer for a 2001 truck, and one lists a 2001 frame at $5,542.95 list. Those are forum guesses and a dealer's remark, not shop quotes.
Possibly, but time has run out for many trucks. The settlement runs 12 years from the day of sale, the 1995-2000 program ran 15 years from purchase, and the 2011-2017 campaign has its own dates. We could not read Toyota's current notice text, so ask a Toyota dealer to check any remaining coverage by VIN.
TransmissionAudit lists Toyota bulletins T-SB-0077-16 and T-SB-0058-18 for harsh or delayed shifts and a 40-50 mph surge on 2016-2017 trucks with the 6-speed automatic, fixed by a software reflash. Pickup Truck +SUV Talk blames the new 6-speed and V6 for owner complaints. We found no source that prices a repair, so we show none.
We found no complaints filed under TACOMA HYBRID for 2024 or 2025; the 155 and 116 complaints we count are all under TACOMA. NHTSA's recall records do name the Hybrid, for example 26V514000 for 2024 Tacoma Hybrid and 2024-2025 Tacoma shocks.