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 1.44 for 2016 (324 complaints across 225 listings) to 0.29 for 2023 (54 across 187), against a generation median of 0.57. 2016 is 2.5 times that median and 12 of 147 enriched ads (8.2%) mention a problem against a 3.4% median; with the 'rust' flaw excluded it is 3 of 147 (2.0%) against 1.1%. 2018 is 1.5 times the median and 2019 1.2 times, neither flagged. Power train leads the 2016 and 2017 complaint lists; fuel and propulsion leads 2018 to 2020.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not verified | 2016-2017 6-speed automatic (AC60): harsh or delayed shifts, 40-50 mph surge | Free software reflash under Toyota bulletins T-SB-0077-16 and T-SB-0058-18 (TransmissionAudit); one owner reports a 2020 reflash program for trucks under 80,000 miles (CarComplaints) | TransmissionAudit lists the symptoms Toyota documented: delayed engagement from Park, harsh 1-2 shifts, hunting at highway speed, a 3-4 flare when cold, and a surge at 40-50 mph in 4th or 5th gear. Pickup Truck +SUV Talk blames the new 6-speed and the 3.5L V6 for owner frustration. Both describe calibration, not failed transmissions, and neither prices a repair. Ask for the bulletin work on the service record. |
| Not verified | Frame corrosion in cold-climate states, 2016-2017 trucks (campaign K0D) | Free: inspection, coating and plugs, with a free frame replacement for severe rust (SlashGear) | The 2011-2017 campaign covers trucks built through early June 2017 (SlashGear), and Toyota's notices on NHTSA's site name 2011-2017 Tacomas. Motorverso says the third generation shows no frame rust problems, which sits awkwardly with a campaign that names 2016 and 2017 trucks. We show both and name no later year, because no source we read does. Ask whether the inspection was done. |
| any | Recalls on file: crank position sensor engine stall on V6 (17V356000, 2016-2017), rear differential oil leak (17V285000, 2016-2017), brake master cylinder seal (18V888000, 2018-2019), axle shaft separation (24V152000, 2022-2023) | Free at a Toyota dealer when open | Toyota's rear differential recall is filed as 17V285 (TransmissionAudit calls it H0G): oil can leak where the rear differential carrier joins the axle housing, and driving on can damage the differential. Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 324 | Power Train, Unknown Or Other, Electrical System | |
| 2017 | 244 | Power Train, Service Brakes, Structure | |
| 2018 | 209 | Fuel/propulsion System, Service Brakes, Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2019 | 219 | Fuel/propulsion System, Service Brakes, Power Train | |
| 2020 | 90 | Fuel/propulsion System, Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2021 | 81 | Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other, Power Train | |
| 2022 | 59 | Structure, Power Train, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2023 | 54 | Unknown Or Other, Air Bags, Engine |
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.