← 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

Unknown Or Other complaints

50 reports
Clear category filter
40,000 miles · Jul 25, 2019
StructureUnknown Or Other

I WAS DRIVING MY 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA THROUGH A DRIVE-THRU CAR WASH AND WATER STARTED TO DRIP THOUGH THE CEILING. MY TOYOTA TACOMA WAS IN MOTION AS IT WAS ROLLING THROUGH THE CAR WASH CYCLE. AFTER READING MULTIPLE FORUM POSTS, OTHER TOYOTA TACOMA OWNERS DESCRIBED THAT THEIR VEHICLES LEAKED WATER FROM THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ON TOP O…

Read full complaint

I WAS DRIVING MY 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA THROUGH A DRIVE-THRU CAR WASH AND WATER STARTED TO DRIP THOUGH THE CEILING. MY TOYOTA TACOMA WAS IN MOTION AS IT WAS ROLLING THROUGH THE CAR WASH CYCLE. AFTER READING MULTIPLE FORUM POSTS, OTHER TOYOTA TACOMA OWNERS DESCRIBED THAT THEIR VEHICLES LEAKED WATER FROM THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ON TOP OF THE CAB BECAUSE OF A A DAMAGED SEAL OR BEING IMPROPERLY SEALED.

NHTSA ODI #11234952

34,000 miles · Jun 5, 2019
Unknown Or Other

MY VEHICLE IS JUST OVER 3 YEARS OLD WITH ABOUT 34000 MILES. I'VE HAD MULTIPLE VEHICLES PRIOR TO MY TACOMA AND HAVE NEVER HAD TO CHANGE THE EVAPORATOR CORE. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT A LOT OF TACOMAS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. MY CONCERN IS THAT FROM 2016 AND UP THE TACOMAS STARTED USING THE NEW FREE ON, TYPE 1234YF, WHICH I BE…

Read full complaint

MY VEHICLE IS JUST OVER 3 YEARS OLD WITH ABOUT 34000 MILES. I'VE HAD MULTIPLE VEHICLES PRIOR TO MY TACOMA AND HAVE NEVER HAD TO CHANGE THE EVAPORATOR CORE. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT A LOT OF TACOMAS HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. MY CONCERN IS THAT FROM 2016 AND UP THE TACOMAS STARTED USING THE NEW FREE ON, TYPE 1234YF, WHICH I BELIEVE IS FLAMMABLE, UNLIKE R134. TOYOTA SHOULD REALLY LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AND IT SHOULD BE A RECALL.

NHTSA ODI #11218158

8,000 miles · May 9, 2019
Unknown Or Other

WE LIVE IN A BORDER TOWN WITH MEXICO AND GOING AND COMING BACK SOMETIMES THERE ARE LONG LINES AT THE BRIDGES SO IN ONE OF THOSE TIMES TEMPERATURE STARTED TO GO UP IN THE TRUCK IT WAS OVERHEATING

NHTSA ODI #11206501

35,000 miles · Mar 12, 2019
Unknown Or Other

MY WARNING LIGHTS ON MY SIDE MIRRORS THAT TELL ME THERE IS A VEHICLE ON MY LEFT R RIGHT AND WARNING LIGHTS AND ALARM THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO SOUND WHEN SOMETHING IS BEHIND ME WORKS INCONSISTANTLY SOMETIMES THEY WORK AND A MAJORITY OF TIME THEY DO NOT WORK CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES I AM RIDING IN CAR OR BACKING UP

NHTSA ODI #11186134

Mileage unknown · Jan 22, 2019
Unknown Or Other

I HAVE NOT BEEN INFORMED ABOUT A SAFETY RECAL UNTIL I CAME TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME.

NHTSA ODI #11171398

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…

Read full complaint

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

38,000 miles · Sep 5, 2018
Unknown Or Other

I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK IN JUNE 2018, USED WITH 32000 MILES ON IT. I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY IN A THUNDERSTORM ON 7/25/18, AND THE KIDS IN THE BACKSEAT SAID THEY WERE GETTING WET, AND THAT THE WATER WAS COMING THROUGH THE HEADLINER. LOOKED THIS UP ONLINE WHEN I GOT BACK HOME AND IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE OF THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT ON THE C…

Read full complaint

I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK IN JUNE 2018, USED WITH 32000 MILES ON IT. I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY IN A THUNDERSTORM ON 7/25/18, AND THE KIDS IN THE BACKSEAT SAID THEY WERE GETTING WET, AND THAT THE WATER WAS COMING THROUGH THE HEADLINER. LOOKED THIS UP ONLINE WHEN I GOT BACK HOME AND IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE OF THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT ON THE CAB LEAKING THROUGH THE SEAL. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND THEY SAID THE REPLACEMENT SEAL WAS ON BACKORDER 2-3 MONTHS, AND THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF TRUCKS ALL OVER THE US WITH THIS PROBLEM, WHICH WAS APPARENTLY REENGINEERED IN THE 2017 MODEL. I MADE A CALL TO TOYOTA CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND A SEAL MIRACULOUSLY APPEARED AFTER 3 WEEKS. AFTER THE SEAL WAS REPLACED THE DEALER SAID THAT, UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THEY FOUND MOLD, AND IT WAS THE WORST THEY HAD EVER SEEN. THEY TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF THE CAB AND THEY HAVE TO SCRAPE ALL OF THE SOUND DEADENING MATERIAL OFF THE FLOORBOARD WHERE THE MOLD HAS CONCENTRATED. THEY WILL THEN HAVE TO HAVE AN OUTSIDE COMPANY COME IN AND TREAT THE VEHICLE FOR THE MOLD ISSUE. THEN THEY WILL HAVE TO ORDER REPLACEMENT PARTS AFFECTED. I WAS ADVISED THIS MORNING IT WILL BE ANOTHER 2-3 WEEKS BEFORE THE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETE. THANK GOD I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH A CERTIFIED WARRANTY. OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE BEEN SCREWED. WITH THE MOLD ANYONE WHO RODE IN MY CAR COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME SICK. I WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A NEW MODEL INSTEAD TO AVOID MY KIDS GETTING SICK, BUT THE DEALER SAID IT WOULDN'T QUALIFY ON THE ARKANSAS LEMON LAW. WHY THE HELL HASN'T THIS ISSUE BEEN RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER???

NHTSA ODI #11124670

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2018
Unknown Or Other

THE BLOWER MOTOR ON MY TRUCK FITS THE ISSUED RECALL. HOWEVER ITS ONLY ELIDGABLE FOR CERTAIN VINS AND MINE IS NOT COVERED. HOW CAN I GET COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL. THE WINDOW IS JUNE 2016 TO 2017. I PURCHASED MY TRUCK IN MARCH OF 2016. THE BLOWER MOTOR HAS BEEN LOUD SINCE I BOUGHT THE TRUCK AND DIED A MONTH AGO. I SAW THIS RECA…

Read full complaint

THE BLOWER MOTOR ON MY TRUCK FITS THE ISSUED RECALL. HOWEVER ITS ONLY ELIDGABLE FOR CERTAIN VINS AND MINE IS NOT COVERED. HOW CAN I GET COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL. THE WINDOW IS JUNE 2016 TO 2017. I PURCHASED MY TRUCK IN MARCH OF 2016. THE BLOWER MOTOR HAS BEEN LOUD SINCE I BOUGHT THE TRUCK AND DIED A MONTH AGO. I SAW THIS RECALL RELEASE AND DO NOT KNOW WHY MY TRUCK ISN'T COVERED. I BELIEVE THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED.

NHTSA ODI #11123794

45,000 miles · Jul 23, 2018
SuspensionUnknown Or Other

THE CAR IS SQUEAKING FOR NO REASON. LOOKED ONLINE AND MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN TALKED ABOUT THROUGH FORUMS AND YOUTUBE. THE DEALER REFUSES TO FIX IT FOR SOME AND SAYS IT IS A KNOWN COMPLAINT, NOT SURE IF ITS SAFETY RELATED

NHTSA ODI #11113058

Mileage unknown · Feb 9, 2018
EngineUnknown Or Other

THE PROBLEMS DESCRIBED BELOW HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO MY DEALER GULLO TOYOTA IN CONROE, TX. THE DEALER IS AWARE THAT THIS MODEL TRUCK HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE AND MISFIRING AND STALLING. WHILE DRIVING EAST ON FM1097 BETWEEN LAKE CONROE AND WILLIS, TX ON 2/06/18, I WAS REQUIRED TO MAKE A QUICK STOP. A LOU…

Read full complaint

THE PROBLEMS DESCRIBED BELOW HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO MY DEALER GULLO TOYOTA IN CONROE, TX. THE DEALER IS AWARE THAT THIS MODEL TRUCK HAS BEEN RECALLED FOR REAR DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE AND MISFIRING AND STALLING. WHILE DRIVING EAST ON FM1097 BETWEEN LAKE CONROE AND WILLIS, TX ON 2/06/18, I WAS REQUIRED TO MAKE A QUICK STOP. A LOUD BUMP SOUND CAME FROM BENEATH THE TRUCK. PRIOR TO THIS STOP, THE ENGINE HAD BEEN MISFIRING FROM-TIME-TO-TIME. AFTER THE QUICK STOP AND THE BUMP SOUND CAME FROM BENEATH THE TRUCK, THE ENGINE STARTED MISFIRING AT A CONSTANT AND VIOLENT RATE FOR A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 1 MILE. MY TRUCK HAS BEEN MAKING AN UNUSUAL BUMP SOUND WHICH OCCURS SHORTLY AFTER COMING TO A STOP SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN 2016. THE TRUCK HAS ALSO BEEN MISFIRING FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE OWNED IT. I AM AFRAID THAT THE BUMP MAY BE DUE TO LOOSE OR BROKEN MOTOR OR TRANSMISSION MOUNTS, LOOSE SUSPENSION BOLTS OR THE GAS TANK MAY BE SHIFTING. THE MISFIRE MAY INDICATE THAT A FUEL LINE IS BEING RESTRICTED WHEN THE GAS TANK SHIFTS POSITION. A PINCHED OR DEFORMED GAS LINE MAY BE STARVING THE FUEL PUMP AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO MISFIRE. SINCE THE BUMP SOUND IS DELAYED AND OCCURS AFTER COMING TO A STOP, IT SUGGEST TO ME THAT THE GAS TANK MAY BE THE CAUSE SINCE THE GASOLINE IN THE TANK IS IN MOTION AFTER THE TRUCK COMES TO A STOP. I NEED TOYOTA TO TAKE THIS DEFECTIVE TRUCK IN AND REPAIR IT FOR THIS AND ALL THE OTHER PROBLEMS I HAVE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED TO TOYOTA. TOYOTA NEEDS TO PROVIDE ME WITH A LOANER TRUCK WHILE MY TRUCK IS BEING REPAIRED. I HAVE LEFT MY TRUCK WITH TOYOTA 5 TIMES FOR THE MISFIRE AND TOYOTA HAS NOT EVERY PROVIDED ME WITH A LOANER VEHICLE. I NEED A LOANER TRUCK WHILE MY TRUCK IS BEING REPAIRED.

NHTSA ODI #11071960

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.