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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

What owners actually said

323 reports
59,900 miles · Feb 28, 2020
Power TrainSuspensionVehicle Speed Control

TRANSMISSION SLIPS WHEN SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE. HAS A 1-3 SECOND DELAY. IN ADDITION THIS SLIP MOTION CREATED A LOUD GEAR CRANKING NOISE AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE ON A U-TURN. THE TRUCK DID NOT MOVE OR SHIFT DESPITE HEARING THE ENGINE ACCELERATE ACCOMPANIED BY THE METALLIC GEAR-LIKE GRIND SOUND. SOUND VERY …

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TRANSMISSION SLIPS WHEN SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE. HAS A 1-3 SECOND DELAY. IN ADDITION THIS SLIP MOTION CREATED A LOUD GEAR CRANKING NOISE AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE ON A U-TURN. THE TRUCK DID NOT MOVE OR SHIFT DESPITE HEARING THE ENGINE ACCELERATE ACCOMPANIED BY THE METALLIC GEAR-LIKE GRIND SOUND. SOUND VERY SIMILAR TO A STICK CAR WHEN YOU TRY TO ENGAGE A SHIFT WITHOUT THE CLUTCH (BUT MY TRUCK IS 2016 AUTOMATIC TRD-SPORT). LASTLY, WHEN TAKING SPEED BUMPS OR HARD SHIFTING MOTION (UP-DOWN) YOU CAN HEAR THE SUSPENSIONS MAKE A LOUD CLANK NOISE AS THE TRUCK SHIFTS IN THE SPEED BUMP MOTION.

NHTSA ODI #11311986

16,000 miles · Feb 13, 2020
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

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.

NHTSA ODI #11308914

35,000 miles · Jan 28, 2020
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

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.

NHTSA ODI #11302524

40,400 miles · Jan 23, 2020
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

CAR HESITATES WHEN NEEDING TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. WHILE SLOWING DOWN THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS PUSHING ,NOT DOWN SHIFTING FAST ENOUGH. THE DIFFERENTIAL BANG AT TIME WHEN COMING TO A STOP, IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS NOT DISENGAGING. I THINK THERE IS A PROGRAMMING ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ADMITTING TO. I ALSO HEARD THAT THERE IS A BLOWER …

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CAR HESITATES WHEN NEEDING TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. WHILE SLOWING DOWN THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS PUSHING ,NOT DOWN SHIFTING FAST ENOUGH. THE DIFFERENTIAL BANG AT TIME WHEN COMING TO A STOP, IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS NOT DISENGAGING. I THINK THERE IS A PROGRAMMING ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ADMITTING TO. I ALSO HEARD THAT THERE IS A BLOWER ISSUE. THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS WHEN YOU GO TO ACCELERATE THEN DON'T AND THEN DO. CAR GOES INTO NEURTAL HUNTING FOR A GEAR

NHTSA ODI #11301459

49,000 miles · Jan 8, 2020
Fuel/propulsion System

I LEFT MY CAR RUNNING ENGINE AND STAR SMELLING GASOLINE.

NHTSA ODI #11297840

65,469 miles · Dec 27, 2019
Exterior Lighting

THIRD LIGHT LEAKS WATER DAMAGED WIRING/ DAMAGED CARPET / MILDEW PROBLEM

NHTSA ODI #11291554

52,500 miles · Dec 2, 2019
Electrical SystemSeats

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.

NHTSA ODI #11286497

75,000 miles · Nov 7, 2019
Structure

TRAVELING ON I95 IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA AT APPROXIMATELY 60MPH WHEN MY SUNROOF SUDDENLY EXPLODED WITH A LOUD BANG. BROKEN PIECES OF GLASS RAINED DOWN IN THE CAB OF MY TRUCK AND ON ME. NO OBJECTS STRUCK MY VEHICLE NOR WAS I TRAVELING UNDER AN OVERPASS AT THE TIME. I HAD OPENED THE SUNSHADE SEVERAL MINUTES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT BUT …

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TRAVELING ON I95 IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA AT APPROXIMATELY 60MPH WHEN MY SUNROOF SUDDENLY EXPLODED WITH A LOUD BANG. BROKEN PIECES OF GLASS RAINED DOWN IN THE CAB OF MY TRUCK AND ON ME. NO OBJECTS STRUCK MY VEHICLE NOR WAS I TRAVELING UNDER AN OVERPASS AT THE TIME. I HAD OPENED THE SUNSHADE SEVERAL MINUTES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT BUT THE GLASS ITSELF WAS FULLY CLOSED. THERE WERE NOT ANY CRACKS, CHIPS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND TO THE GLASS BEFORE THE SUNROOF FAILURE OCCURRED. AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY I INSPECTED THE GLASS AND FOUND THAT THE EDGES AROUND THE JAGGED HOLE PROTRUDED OUTWARDLY. I AGAIN FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF THE VEHICLE BEING STRUCK BY ANY FOREIGN OBJECTS.THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 6TH, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 1:00 PM. WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND 60 DEGREES.

NHTSA ODI #11278606

67,000 miles · Sep 14, 2019
EnginePower TrainSuspension

TRANSMITION SLEEP ALSO PUSH GAS PEDAL AND GO DOWN SPEED AND JUMP ASTER ACELERATE AND DELAY WENT I STAR 1RS GEAR NOT MOVE AFTER FEW SECONDS MOTOR MAKE WEAR NOISES LIKE NOKING ONLY HAVE 67000 MILES SUSPENTION IS BAD SEP ON CURVES AND TURN AT 25 MIKES PRE HOURS SO BAD SCARRY BACK PART IS MOVING SO BAD AND PULL ME OUT THE RO…

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TRANSMITION SLEEP ALSO PUSH GAS PEDAL AND GO DOWN SPEED AND JUMP ASTER ACELERATE AND DELAY WENT I STAR 1RS GEAR NOT MOVE AFTER FEW SECONDS MOTOR MAKE WEAR NOISES LIKE NOKING ONLY HAVE 67000 MILES SUSPENTION IS BAD SEP ON CURVES AND TURN AT 25 MIKES PRE HOURS SO BAD SCARRY BACK PART IS MOVING SO BAD AND PULL ME OUT THE ROAD AND I SEE THE ON OTHER TACOMA SAME 2016

NHTSA ODI #11255469

5,900 miles · Sep 9, 2019
Unknown Or Other

BUEN DIA HACE UNOS MESES CUANDO DESCUBRI QUE MI CARRO TENIA UN RECALL DEL ABANICO DEL BLOWER DEL AIRE ACONDICIONADO HABLE A TOYOTA DE MI LOCALIDAD Y AGENDE UNA CITA, CUANDO ME RECIBIERON EL CARRO Y EMPEZARON A INGRESAR LA INFORMACION, ME DIJERON QUE NO PODIAN REPARAR ESE RECALL DEBIDO A QUE MI CARRO ERA SALVAGE, POR LO QUE NO HI…

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BUEN DIA HACE UNOS MESES CUANDO DESCUBRI QUE MI CARRO TENIA UN RECALL DEL ABANICO DEL BLOWER DEL AIRE ACONDICIONADO HABLE A TOYOTA DE MI LOCALIDAD Y AGENDE UNA CITA, CUANDO ME RECIBIERON EL CARRO Y EMPEZARON A INGRESAR LA INFORMACION, ME DIJERON QUE NO PODIAN REPARAR ESE RECALL DEBIDO A QUE MI CARRO ERA SALVAGE, POR LO QUE NO HICIERON LA REPARACION. MI PREGUNTA ES PORQUE OTRAS AGENCIAS SI HACEN LAS REPARACIONES AUN SI EL CARRO ES SALVAGE, TUVE HACE UNOS AOS UN PROBLEMA SIMILAR CON UN CARRO NISSAN Y ELLOS SI ME LO REPARARON SIN IMPORTAR QUE FUERA SALVAGE EL TITULO DEL CARRO.

NHTSA ODI #11254128

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.