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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.

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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
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24,500 miles · Dec 22, 2018
Power Train

TRANSMISSION SHAKES VEHICLE IN LOWER GEARS WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP. TRANSMISSION HESITATES AND HARD JERKS WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE .

NHTSA ODI #11163157

68,000 miles · Dec 21, 2018
Power TrainUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING IN CITY MY TRUCK SHAKES AND VIBRATING HORRIBLY WHEN GOING INTO 2ND GEAR. AND CONTINUES TO SHAKE LIGHTLY AS I CONTINUE DRIVING. DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK COULD BE A TIRE ISSUE. SO GOT MY TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED. PROBLEM STILL RESUMES. AND STILL NO ANSWER AS TO WHAT THE ISSUE IS. I HAVE ONLY 69,2…

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WHILE DRIVING IN CITY MY TRUCK SHAKES AND VIBRATING HORRIBLY WHEN GOING INTO 2ND GEAR. AND CONTINUES TO SHAKE LIGHTLY AS I CONTINUE DRIVING. DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK COULD BE A TIRE ISSUE. SO GOT MY TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED. PROBLEM STILL RESUMES. AND STILL NO ANSWER AS TO WHAT THE ISSUE IS. I HAVE ONLY 69,276 MILES ON THE TRUCK BUT IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY APPARENTLY. ON HIGHWAY DRIVING THE PROBLEM IS LESS NOTICEABLE BUT CAUSES NO POWER TO CLIMB HILLS OR PASS OTHER MOTORIST.

NHTSA ODI #11162967

Mileage unknown · Oct 5, 2018
Power Train

THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL IS MISALIGNED AND THE CURRENT SOLUTION DOESN'T RESOLVE THE NOISE. I'M AFRAID EXCESSIVE WEAR IS HAPPENING AND ISSUE WILL ARISE MUCH SOONER

NHTSA ODI #11133596

12,500 miles · Sep 18, 2018
Power Train

ON LONG TRIPS WHERE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN FOR SEVERAL MILES IN ONE GEAR IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PULL IT OUT OF 4TH, 5TH OR 6TH GEAR IN ORDER TO CHANGE GEARS. THIS RESULTED IN DANGEROUS SPEED CONTROL ISSUES (BOTH TOO FAST AND TOO SLOW FOR TRAFFIC) WHILE DRIVING ON MOUNTAINOUS HIGHWAYS. THE PROBLEM AND ITS REPAIR ARE EXACTLY …

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ON LONG TRIPS WHERE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN FOR SEVERAL MILES IN ONE GEAR IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PULL IT OUT OF 4TH, 5TH OR 6TH GEAR IN ORDER TO CHANGE GEARS. THIS RESULTED IN DANGEROUS SPEED CONTROL ISSUES (BOTH TOO FAST AND TOO SLOW FOR TRAFFIC) WHILE DRIVING ON MOUNTAINOUS HIGHWAYS. THE PROBLEM AND ITS REPAIR ARE EXACTLY DESCRIBED ON TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-0088-16. IN MY OPINION THE BULLETIN SHOULD BE ESCALATED TO A RECALL BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY CONCERNS. THE PROBLEM IS REPEATABLE BUT DIFFICULT TO DEMONSTRATE TO A TECHNICIAN BECAUSE IT REQUIRES A LONG DRIVE TIME AND UNDER CERTAIN TERRAIN AND/OR DRIVING CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ODI #11130279

1,000 miles · Sep 13, 2018
EnginePower Train

VEHICLE LUNGES LIKE A BUCKING BRONC AT WOT FROM STOP OR ROLLING START. IF IT WAS A CARBURETED VEHICLE (PRE-COMPUTER DAYS) I WOULD CHECK TIMING, CARBURETOR JETS,FUEL FILTER,ETC. SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BETTER IN SPORT MODE OR ECT IN DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI #11129250

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2018
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

MY CAR 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA HAS REBUILT TITLE AND VOIDS THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. TOYOTA CORP HAS TSB 0077-16 SHIFT FEELING ENHANCEMENTS FOR THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO: DELAYED ENGAGEMENT PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE. HARSH 1ST - 2ND UPSHIFT. DELAYED UPSHIFT WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL. I EXPERIENCE HARSH UP SHIFT AND DOWN…

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MY CAR 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA HAS REBUILT TITLE AND VOIDS THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. TOYOTA CORP HAS TSB 0077-16 SHIFT FEELING ENHANCEMENTS FOR THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO: DELAYED ENGAGEMENT PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE. HARSH 1ST - 2ND UPSHIFT. DELAYED UPSHIFT WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL. I EXPERIENCE HARSH UP SHIFT AND DOWNSHIFT IN THE TRANSMISSION WHILE DRIVING. IT NEEDS SIMPLE SOFTWARE UPDATE, BUT THE TOYOTA COP DECLINED THIS UPDATE FOR MY VEHICLE (CASE# 1808271028 ON 08/28/2018) IF THE PROBLEM PERSISTS IT MAY MAKE TRANSMISSION UNCONTROLLABLE ORE DELAYED AND VEHICLE MAY GET INTO THE ACCIDENT. WE HAVE ONE SCHOOLED BOY AND INFANT GIRL. I WANT TO INFORM ABOUT THE ISSUE SO THAT ALL VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND BRANDED TITLES ARE TO BE CORRECTED BY TOYOTA CORP AT NO EXPENSE TO THE OWNERS. I WILL ATTACH THE TSB TOYOTA DOCUMENT THAT EXPLAINS WHAT IS THE PROBLEM

NHTSA ODI #11123596

51,900 miles · Apr 13, 2018
Power Train

TRANSFER CASE GETS STUCK IN 4 LO. SEEMS THAT TOYOTA IS PRODUCING DEFECTIVE ACCUATORS THAT , ONCE PUT IN 4LO WONT SHIFT BACK TO NORMAL DRIVING STATE. IN THIS GEAR, TRUCK RUNS 35 MPH AT 4000 RPM MAKING IT UNSAFE FOR HIGHWAY DRIVING AND LEAVING CONSUMERS STRANDED. REPAIR COST OVER $2300.

NHTSA ODI #11084869

12,000 miles · Feb 7, 2018
Power Train

TOYOTA RECALL #17V-356. THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO CROWN TOYOTA IN DECATUR ILLINOIS SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE CRANKSHAFT IS MAKING NOISES.

NHTSA ODI #11067377

100 miles · Feb 5, 2018
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

ALL OF THE PROBLEMS LISTED BELOW HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, GULLO TOYOTA, CONROE, TEXAS. 1) ENGINE MISFIRES (5 ATTEMPTS AT REPAIR. STILL MISFIRES.). 2) VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO TRANSMISSION SEARCHING FOR THE CORRECT GEAR (DEVELOPED AFTER THE LAST ATTEMPT TO REPAIR MISFIRE IN SEPTEMBER 2016). 2) …

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ALL OF THE PROBLEMS LISTED BELOW HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, GULLO TOYOTA, CONROE, TEXAS. 1) ENGINE MISFIRES (5 ATTEMPTS AT REPAIR. STILL MISFIRES.). 2) VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO TRANSMISSION SEARCHING FOR THE CORRECT GEAR (DEVELOPED AFTER THE LAST ATTEMPT TO REPAIR MISFIRE IN SEPTEMBER 2016). 2) ENGINE HAS DEVELOPED A RATTLE AFTER 20,000 + MILES AND SOMETIMES SOUNDS LIKE A ROD IS KNOCKING. SOUNDS LIKE ENGINE IS NOT BEING LUBRICATED PROPERLY. THIS MAY LEAD TO EARLY FAILURE OF THE SMOG CONTROL SYSTEM AND EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION (TOYOTA CLAIMS THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS TRUCK). 3) BUMP SOUND COMES FROM BENEATH TRUCK WHEN STOPPING AND MAY BE LOOSE OR BROKEN MOTOR OR TRANSMISSION MOUNT (TOYOTA STATED THAT THE TRUCK IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED). 4) GRINDING SOUND COMES FROM REAR END WHEN REAR WHEELS SLIP AND AUTOMATIC LIMITED SLIP IS SELECTED (TOYOTA HAS STATED THAT THE TRUCK IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED). 5) ENGINE REVS UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN BACKING OUT OF OR DRIVING INTO GARAGE (TOYOTA HAS STATED THAT THE TRUCK IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED). 6) LOUD BANG COMES FROM BENEATH TRUCK WHEN COMING TO A QUICK STOP. SOUNDS LIKE THE GUTS OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT FORWARD (DEALERSHIP HAS NOT ARRANGED TO PROVIDE A LOANER TRUCK SO THAT THIS PROBLEM AND ALL THE PERSISTENT PROBLEMS LISTED ABOVE CAN BE REPAIRED. TOYOTA INSIST THAT I BRING MY TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND DRIVE MY TRUCK AROUND AND DEMONSTRATE THE EXISTENCE OF THESE PROBLEMS TO THE TOYOTA'S FIELD SERVICE TECH. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE THAT THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR REAR DIFFERENTIAL PROBLEMS AND ENGINE MISFIRE AND STALLING. I NEED THE DEALERSHIP TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE TRUCK AND TAKE IT INTO THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND KEEP IT UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED. I NEED A LOANER TRUCK WHILE THE REPAIRS ARE MADE. I HAVE PUT MUCH NEEDED WORK ON-HOLD FOR A YEAR DUE TO THIS TRUCK.).

NHTSA ODI #11066956

30,000 miles · Jan 29, 2018
EnginePower Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MOSS BRO TOYOTA OF MORENO VALLEY (12630 MOTOR WAY, MORENO VALLEY, CA 92555) FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND MENTIONED T…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MOSS BRO TOYOTA OF MORENO VALLEY (12630 MOTOR WAY, MORENO VALLEY, CA 92555) FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND MENTIONED THE FAILURE TO THE TECHNICIAN. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 17V356000 (ENGINE) AND 17V285000 (POWER TRAIN); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ODI #11065696

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.