Driver side Heated seat connector has evidence of burning. Seat not working.
2016 Toyota Tacoma
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Toyota Tacoma do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 228.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tacoma years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
189 reports with mileage · 134 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 136 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 36 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
36 reportsVehicle has been jerking itself while driving at both low speeds and high speeds. Had taken it to the dealership Sept.2020 in order to get the ECU/PCM reflashed/updated to resolve issue; issue persists. Now, at highway speeds, 80% of the time it will be jerking itself, as off being momentarily shut off and on. Caused my rear end…
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Vehicle has been jerking itself while driving at both low speeds and high speeds. Had taken it to the dealership Sept.2020 in order to get the ECU/PCM reflashed/updated to resolve issue; issue persists. Now, at highway speeds, 80% of the time it will be jerking itself, as off being momentarily shut off and on. Caused my rear end to fish tail on highway.
IN THE MIDDLE OF FEB 2021 THE DRIVER'S SIDE (FACTORY) SEAT HEATER STOPPED HEATING. THE SEAT HEATER BUTTON STILL OPERATED NORMALLY WITH REGARD TO LIGHTS, ETC. I REMOVED THE SEAT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CONNECTOR BETWEEN THE SEAT HEATER WIRING HARNESS AND THE SEAT HEATER AMPLIFIER HAD ELECTRICALLY ARCED (RED WIRE) AND MELTED THE …
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IN THE MIDDLE OF FEB 2021 THE DRIVER'S SIDE (FACTORY) SEAT HEATER STOPPED HEATING. THE SEAT HEATER BUTTON STILL OPERATED NORMALLY WITH REGARD TO LIGHTS, ETC. I REMOVED THE SEAT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CONNECTOR BETWEEN THE SEAT HEATER WIRING HARNESS AND THE SEAT HEATER AMPLIFIER HAD ELECTRICALLY ARCED (RED WIRE) AND MELTED THE CONNECTOR TOGETHER. (NOTE: THE PASSENGER SIDE HEATER IS UNAFFECTED. ALSO NOTE: THE FUSE FOR THIS CIRCUIT DID NOT BURN UP AS IT SHOULD HAVE WHEN THE CURRENT SURGED CAUSING THE MELTED CONNECTOR.) UPON DOING RESEARCH THIS IS APPARENTLY NOT AN UNHEARD OF PROBLEM ON THIS YEAR/MODEL TACOMA. I HAVE UPLOADED PHOTOS. THERE ARE THREE ISSUES HERE: 1) A CLEAR DESIGN FLAW, 2) THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A FIRE, AND 3) IT LIKELY AFFECTS THE ENTIRE FLEET OF TACOMAS IN THIS YEAR RANGE. MY BELIEF IS THAT THIS RISES TO THE LEVEL OF A RECALL AND HAVE TALKED TO BOTH THE DEALER AND CORPORATE ABOUT IT. TOYOTA HAS AGREED TO PAY HALF THE COST OF REPAIRS, AND I HAVE AGREED TO THIS, (ALTHOUGH THEY ALSO CLAIM TO HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE). TOYOTA CASE #: 2103011304
WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC THAT THERE WAS A BULLETIN TO REPLACE IF AN ISSUE BEFORE THE 3 YEARS 36,000 MILES. HAVE HAD THE TRUCK FOR 4.5 YEARS AND NOW THE BSM LEFT SIDE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ONLY HAVE 26,567 MILES ON THE TRUCK! IF THEY HAD AN ISSUE, WHY AREN'T THEY REPLACING THEM IF THE ISSUES HAPPEN WITHIN THE 36,000.
THE TRAC OFF AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON PERIODICALLY. I HAVE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND TAKE THE GAS CAP OFF AND PUT IT BACK ON AND RECONNECT THE BATTERY WHEN IT HAPPENS. ITS A PAIN IN THE BUTT. I THOUGHT I SAW A RECALL FOR THE GAS CAP SEAL TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, BUT THE DEALERSHIP SAID NOPE.
TOYOTA PUSHED AN OTA (OVER-THE-AIR) THAT CAUSED FIRMWARE AND COMPLETELY DISABLES THE ONBOARD NAVIGATION. PRESENTLY, I NOW HAVE 'DRIVER EASY SPEAK' OUT OF THE BLUE AND THAT THE 'SOFTWARE IS INCOMPATIBLE' ON MY HEAD UNIT'S DISPLAY. THIS UPLOAD HAS DISABLED VARIOUS TOYOTA MODELS ACROSS THE BOARD. CONTACT WITH VARIOUS TOYOTA DEALERS…
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TOYOTA PUSHED AN OTA (OVER-THE-AIR) THAT CAUSED FIRMWARE AND COMPLETELY DISABLES THE ONBOARD NAVIGATION. PRESENTLY, I NOW HAVE 'DRIVER EASY SPEAK' OUT OF THE BLUE AND THAT THE 'SOFTWARE IS INCOMPATIBLE' ON MY HEAD UNIT'S DISPLAY. THIS UPLOAD HAS DISABLED VARIOUS TOYOTA MODELS ACROSS THE BOARD. CONTACT WITH VARIOUS TOYOTA DEALERS HAS BEEN A WASTE OF TIME. A LETTER SENT TO TOYOTA CORPORATE HAS BEEN FRUITLESS. THE DEALER WANTS TO REPLACE THE NAVIGATION UNIT FOR $1000!
ELECTRICAL WIRING/CONNECTOR FOR THE HEATED SEAT MODULE LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT OVERHEATED OR ARCED CAUSING THE CONNECTOR (S) TO MELT POSING A SAFETY HAZARD AND RENDERING THE HEATED SEAT INOPERABLE.
THIS CAR HAS SHUT OFF TWICE WHILE DRIVING. FIRST TIME WHILE TOWING A BOAT... WHILE TURNING LEFT ON A HIGH SPEED TWO LANE ROAD AND SECOND WHILE GOING 45 TOWARDS A GREEN LIGHT. BOTH TIMES THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED...TWICE! TOYOTA SAYS "FIXED' THE PROBLEM "TWICE". WE ASKED THEM TO BUY THE CAR BACK AFTER …
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THIS CAR HAS SHUT OFF TWICE WHILE DRIVING. FIRST TIME WHILE TOWING A BOAT... WHILE TURNING LEFT ON A HIGH SPEED TWO LANE ROAD AND SECOND WHILE GOING 45 TOWARDS A GREEN LIGHT. BOTH TIMES THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED...TWICE! TOYOTA SAYS "FIXED' THE PROBLEM "TWICE". WE ASKED THEM TO BUY THE CAR BACK AFTER THE SECOND TIME, AS WE NO LONGER FELT SAFE IN IT.......THEY REFUSED. AS A GESTURE OF "GOOD WILL" THEY OFFERED US AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, WHICH WE HAD ALREADY GOTTEN WHEN WE PURCHASED THE CAR SO IT WAS POINTLESS. WE CREATED A CASE WITH THEM AFTER IT OCCURRED THE SECOND TIME. THE MOST RECENT RECALL THAT ADDRESSES THIS ISSUE DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS MODEL YEAR AND IT NEEDS TO. SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE..THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. WE ARE NOW STUCK WITH A CAR THAT WE DON'T FEEL SAFE IN BUT TOYOTA WOULD NOT DO THE RIGHT THING. HOPEFULLY BY US REPORTING OUR PROBLEM IT WILL SAVE SOMEONE ELSE LIFE.
THE BLUETOOTH ON THE IPHONE 11 PRO MAX AND THE TACOMA ARE NOT COMMUNICATING CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE, BECAUSE I CAN NOT TALK HANDS FREE AS I AM SUPPOSE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO. THE ENTIRE HEADSET WILL TURN OFF AND ON CONSTANTLY , THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS IS TO EITHER TURN OFF THE BLUETOOTH ON THE IPHONE OR REMOVE THE IPHONE F…
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THE BLUETOOTH ON THE IPHONE 11 PRO MAX AND THE TACOMA ARE NOT COMMUNICATING CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE, BECAUSE I CAN NOT TALK HANDS FREE AS I AM SUPPOSE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO. THE ENTIRE HEADSET WILL TURN OFF AND ON CONSTANTLY , THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS IS TO EITHER TURN OFF THE BLUETOOTH ON THE IPHONE OR REMOVE THE IPHONE FROM THE TACOMA. I HAVE READ ON LINE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND EITHER TOYOTA OR APPLE IS DOING ANYTHING TO RESOLVE IT, CAUSING A SAFTEY ISSUE.
DRIVING HOME APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY (SPEED LIMIT OF 50MPH) AND NOTICED THE OEM/FACTORY INSTALLED DRIVER HEATED SEAT STOPPED WORKING. PROCEEDED TO SMELL BURNT PLASTIC BUT IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND I CONVINCED MYSELF THAT NOTHING OUT OF THE NORMAL HAD OCCURRED SINCE MY PASSENGER DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED. THE FOL…
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DRIVING HOME APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY (SPEED LIMIT OF 50MPH) AND NOTICED THE OEM/FACTORY INSTALLED DRIVER HEATED SEAT STOPPED WORKING. PROCEEDED TO SMELL BURNT PLASTIC BUT IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND I CONVINCED MYSELF THAT NOTHING OUT OF THE NORMAL HAD OCCURRED SINCE MY PASSENGER DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED. THE FOLLOWING DAY I DID A BIT OF RESEARCH AND TESTED THE HEATED SEAT WHICH NO LONGER GOT WARM LIKE THE PASSENGER SIDE. UNDERNEATH THE SEAT IS AN "AMPLIFIER" FOR THE HEATED SEAT WHICH LOOKS TO HAVE SHORTED OUT. BOTH THE AMPLIFIER AND THE MALE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAD BURNT/MELTED ON ONE OF THE TERMINALS. THE PLUG LOOKS COMPLETELY RUINED AND I PRESUME THE AMPLIFIED IS NOW BROKEN. ALL OTHER FUSES AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS APPEARED FINE.
Official recalls
417V425000 · Equipment; Structure:body:hood:hinge And Attachments
Jul 3, 2017
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
Structure:body:hood:hinge And Attachments
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.
17V356000 · Engine
Jun 1, 2017
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tacoma vehicles equipped with a six-cylinder engine. The affected vehicles have a crank position sensor that may malfunction, potentially resulting in an engine stall.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine stall may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the crank position sensor with an improved design, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0H.
17V285000 · Power Train:driveline:differential Unit
Apr 27, 2017
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tacoma vehicles. Oil may leak from the area where the rear differential carrier is assembled to rear axle housing.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the vehicle is operated with an insufficient amount of oil in the rear differential, the differential may seize and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear differential for oil leakage. Based on the inspection, dealers will either tightening the fastening nuts or replace the fastening nuts and gasket. If the rear differential components are damaged, the rear differential carrier assembly will be replaced. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall June 19, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0G.
15V656000 · Air Bags:knee Bolster
Oct 14, 2015
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Tacoma trucks manufactured August 20, 2015, to September 10, 2015. In the affected vehicles, incorrect bolts were used to install the driver's knee air bag module.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The incorrect bolts may loosen over time and affect the performance of the driver's knee air bag, increasing the risk of driver injury during a crash that necessitates deployment of the air bags.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install the correct driver's knee air bag module mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall began on November 19, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is F0T.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA19001 · Electrical Overstress
Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW. The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications. The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU. In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment. FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle. Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW. These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes. An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time. In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners. Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW. The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation. The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage. There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation. The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU. If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC. Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC. All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled. In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024. With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
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