← New search

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 →

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.

4 crash reports4 fire reports1 injury reports

Power Train complaints

136 reports
Clear category filter
9,850 miles · Mar 18, 2017
Power Train

HAVE A SERIOUS VIBRATION IN THE TRANSMISSION. HAVE TOOK THE TRUCK IN 4 TIMES THEY DID THE UPGRADE ON THE COMPUTER IT DID HELP. NOW THE PROBLEM IS BACK THEY HAVE NO ANSWER'S FOR ME. GOT TOLD BY 50,000 MILES IT SHOULD WORK ITSELF OUT. CALLED TOYOTA TO COMPLAIN THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. I GOT TOLD THEY HAVE NO ANSWER'S HOW HO…

Read full complaint

HAVE A SERIOUS VIBRATION IN THE TRANSMISSION. HAVE TOOK THE TRUCK IN 4 TIMES THEY DID THE UPGRADE ON THE COMPUTER IT DID HELP. NOW THE PROBLEM IS BACK THEY HAVE NO ANSWER'S FOR ME. GOT TOLD BY 50,000 MILES IT SHOULD WORK ITSELF OUT. CALLED TOYOTA TO COMPLAIN THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. I GOT TOLD THEY HAVE NO ANSWER'S HOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. MY COMPLAINT IS THEY HAVE ISSUES WITH THE 2016 AND 2017.THEY ARE NOT FIXING THEM BUT YET STILL RIPPING PEOPLE OFF BUY SELLING TRUCKS WITH A MAJOR PROBLEM. I USE TO LOVE MY TOYOTA BUT NOW I'M DONE AND WILL NEVER BUY ONE AGAIN SINCE THEY DON'T BACK THEM UP ANYMORE AND RIP PEOPLE OFF.

NHTSA ODI #10966682

10,000 miles · Feb 6, 2017
Power Train

THIS VEHICLE HAS A PRONOUNCED VIBRATION IN THE GAS PEDAL, FLOOR AND STEERING WHEEL BETWEEN 2,000 AND 2,400 RPM WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN GEAR AND UNDER LOAD. IT ALSO VIBRATES WHEN IN GEAR AND AT IDLE.

NHTSA ODI #10949871

Mileage unknown · Jan 31, 2017
Power TrainSuspension

TRANSMISSION HAS A FLARE,SHUDDER, JERKY AND CLUNK. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH IT SINCE 07-16-2016

NHTSA ODI #10948753

500 miles · Jan 27, 2017
Power Train

I HAVE A VIBRATION THAT COME THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL AND GAS PEDAL AT 2,000 - 2,500 RPM. IT IS VERY PRONOUNCED AND DISTRACTING WHEN DRIVING. TOYOTA HAS DRIVEN AND IDENTIFIED THE ISSUE BUT SAYS IT IS "INHERENT" TO THE VEHICLE AND IS "OPERATING AS DESIGNED". PLEASE CHECK THE FORUMS ON THIS ISSUE, MAINLY TACOMA WORLD. SEEMS …

Read full complaint

I HAVE A VIBRATION THAT COME THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL AND GAS PEDAL AT 2,000 - 2,500 RPM. IT IS VERY PRONOUNCED AND DISTRACTING WHEN DRIVING. TOYOTA HAS DRIVEN AND IDENTIFIED THE ISSUE BUT SAYS IT IS "INHERENT" TO THE VEHICLE AND IS "OPERATING AS DESIGNED". PLEASE CHECK THE FORUMS ON THIS ISSUE, MAINLY TACOMA WORLD. SEEMS TO HAPPEN, AS MINE DID, STARTING AT AROUND 500 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. SPOKE WITH TOYOTA CORPORATE AND SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY WOULD DO SINCE A TSB HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AS IT LITERALLY NUMBS YOUR FINGERS DRIVING FOR LONGER PERIODS IN THAT RPM RANGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10947987

12,500 miles · Jan 8, 2017
Power Train

THE REAR WHEELS ON MY 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA LOCKED UP AS I WAS TRAVELLING STRAIGHT AT APPROX. 55 MPH ON THE 110 NORTH FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. THE TRUCK WENT INTO A FISHTAIL WHICH I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL AND BRING TO A STOP THE DEALER TELLS ME THE BOLTS ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL CAME LOOSE AND THE OIL DRAINED OUT CAUSING THE REAR…

Read full complaint

THE REAR WHEELS ON MY 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA LOCKED UP AS I WAS TRAVELLING STRAIGHT AT APPROX. 55 MPH ON THE 110 NORTH FREEWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. THE TRUCK WENT INTO A FISHTAIL WHICH I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL AND BRING TO A STOP THE DEALER TELLS ME THE BOLTS ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL CAME LOOSE AND THE OIL DRAINED OUT CAUSING THE REAR DIFF TO SEIZE AND STOP THE TIRES FROM ROTATING. TRUCK HAS 12,500 MILES ON IT AND JUST A YEAR OLD. NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED SO NO REPORT WAS FILED. CHP WAS ON THE SCENE UNTIL A TOW TRUCK CAME TO TOW ME OFF THE HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ODI #10943716

325 miles · Dec 23, 2016
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE AN ABNORMALLY LOUD NOISE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT BETWEEN GEARS INDEPENDENTLY AND THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE FEATURE WOULD NOT ENGAGE AFTER BEING ACTIVATED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOFTWARE FAILED FOR …

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE AN ABNORMALLY LOUD NOISE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT BETWEEN GEARS INDEPENDENTLY AND THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE FEATURE WOULD NOT ENGAGE AFTER BEING ACTIVATED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOFTWARE FAILED FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 325.

NHTSA ODI #10937293

4,000 miles · Dec 21, 2016
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 TO 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY UPSHIFTED AND/OR DOWNSHIFTED AND ACCELERATED OR DECELERATED ON ITS OWN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED. THE ISSUE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIM…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 TO 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY UPSHIFTED AND/OR DOWNSHIFTED AND ACCELERATED OR DECELERATED ON ITS OWN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED. THE ISSUE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.

NHTSA ODI #10936668

3,500 miles · Nov 22, 2016
Power Train

-TRANSMISSION IS TOO QUICK TO UPSHIFT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BOG DOWN. -TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE TUCK TO LURCH FORWARD AT LOW SPEEDS. -SHIFTING FROM R TO D ON A HILL CAN SOMETIMES CAUSE THE TRUCK TO ROLL BACKWARDS AS IF THE TRUCK WAS IN NEUTRAL -IN GENERAL, THE TRANSMISSION IS INCONSISTENT IN OPERATION. IN THE SAME SITUATI…

Read full complaint

-TRANSMISSION IS TOO QUICK TO UPSHIFT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BOG DOWN. -TRANSMISSION CAUSES THE TUCK TO LURCH FORWARD AT LOW SPEEDS. -SHIFTING FROM R TO D ON A HILL CAN SOMETIMES CAUSE THE TRUCK TO ROLL BACKWARDS AS IF THE TRUCK WAS IN NEUTRAL -IN GENERAL, THE TRANSMISSION IS INCONSISTENT IN OPERATION. IN THE SAME SITUATION IT MAY REACT DIFFERENTLY -DURING HARD ACCELERATION AFTER YOU LET UP ON THE GAS, THE ENGINE RPM'S WILL STAY HIGH AND SLOWLY COME BACK DOWN. IF YOU PRESS THE GAS AGAIN DURING THIS TIME THE TRANSMISSION WILL EITHER CAUSE THE ENGINE TO REV BUT THE TRUCK WON'T ACCELERATE, OR WILL SLAM INTO A GEAR CAUSING THE TRUCK TO LURCH.

NHTSA ODI #10927420

1,863 miles · Nov 10, 2016
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL, THE RPMS WOULD INCREASE TO APPROXIMATELY 200-300. THE FAILURE WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SURGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LOW ON TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED…

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL, THE RPMS WOULD INCREASE TO APPROXIMATELY 200-300. THE FAILURE WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SURGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LOW ON TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE NEEDED TO BE RE-FLASHED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING PROPERLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,863....UPDATED 12/12/16 *BF UPDATED 12/12/16.*JB

NHTSA ODI #10925412

Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 2016
EnginePower Train

NOTICED MY TACOMA BEING SLOW TO DOWN SHIFT TO A LOWER GEAR WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OR IT WOULD UP SHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR WHILE ACCELERATING/MERGING RESULTING IN AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE IN ACCELERATION. ALSO IF RIDING BETWEEN 20-40 MPH THE VEHICLE RIDES AT A VERY LOW RPM (~1100) AND SHIMMIES THE VEHICLE LIKE IT WILL STALL. VEHICL…

Read full complaint

NOTICED MY TACOMA BEING SLOW TO DOWN SHIFT TO A LOWER GEAR WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OR IT WOULD UP SHIFT TO A HIGHER GEAR WHILE ACCELERATING/MERGING RESULTING IN AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE IN ACCELERATION. ALSO IF RIDING BETWEEN 20-40 MPH THE VEHICLE RIDES AT A VERY LOW RPM (~1100) AND SHIMMIES THE VEHICLE LIKE IT WILL STALL. VEHICLE WILL ALSO "NOTICEABLY" DOWN SHIFT WHILE THE FOOT IS OFF THE ACCELERATOR RESULTING IN AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE IN DECELERATION. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE AND NOW THE SHIFTING IS STARTING TO JOLT THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING AT CONSTANT SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WILL RANDOMLY SURGE HIGH IN RPMS THEN COME RIGHT BACK DOWN. THE VEHICLE IS PRESENTING UNSAFE CONDITIONS. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES. 1ST TIME THEY TOPPED OFF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AS IT WAS LOW FROM THE FACTORY. 2ND TIME THEY ARE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND OTHERS WERE HAVING IT AS WELL AND THE TRANSMISSION ECU WAS RE-FLASHED. THIS STILL DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK A 3RD TIME AND THEY DIDN'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. BROUGHT IT BACK A 4TH TIME TO BE SEEN BY A FIELD SPECIALIST AND THE ISSUE COULD BE DUPLICATED BUT THERE IS NO FIX AT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS LESS THAN 2500 MILES ON IT. NOT SURE WHY YOU WOULD DESIGN A VEHICLE TO DO THIS.

NHTSA ODI #10910678

Official recalls

4

17V425000 · 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

1

EA19001 · 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.