2003 TOYOTA TACOMA Complaints

2 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT 03 TACOMA DOUBLE CAB W/ ONLY 3000 MILES ON IT I NOTICED THAT AROUND THE BOTTOM CORNERS OF BOTH REAR DRS AND THE FRONT BOTTOM CORNERS OF THE BED ALL THE PAINT HAD COME OFF ON A FAIRLY SMALL SECTION (BUT VERY NOTICABLE, EVEN FROM A DISTANCE).THE SERVICE WRITER THAT I WAS SPEAKING TO SAID THEIR WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DOUBLE CABS DOING THIS. AT THIS POINT THE SERVICE MANAGER CAME TO US AND TOLD ME THAT IT WAS CUASED FROM ME NOT INSTALLING RUNNING BOARDS ON THE VEHICLE. NEXT HE SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO GET IN CONTACT WITH THE REGIONAL MANAGER AND DISCUSS IT WITH HIM AND HAVE HIM TAKE A LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. AT THIS TIME I HAD A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT AND ALL THEY DID WAS GO LOOK AT IT IN THE PARKING LOT REAL QUICK AND NO RO WAS MADE MONTHS WENT BY AND I STILL GOT NO RESPONCE WHEN I WOULD CALL THEY SAID THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR THE REGIONAL MANAGER TO MAKE IT UP HERE. AGAIN MONTHS WENT BY AND STILL NOTHING. CALLED AND GOT THE SAME RESPONCE. AGAIN MONTHS AND I CALLED AND WAS TOLD THAT THE RM WAS GOING TO BE THEIR ON A CERTAIN DATE AND THEY SET ME UP AN APPT. BUT TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THEIR BODY SHOP FIRST TO GET A QUOTE TO FIX IT. I WENT TO THE BODY SHOP ON THE DAY OF MY APPT. AND GOT TO DEAL WITH THE MANAGER HIMSELF WHILE THEY DID UP THE QUOTE TO REPAIR THE MANAGER WAS TELLING ME THAT THEY HAD REPAIRED AT LEAST A DOZEN OF THESE SAME VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY. HE HAD SAID THAT DUE TO THE BODY CONFIGURATION AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE FACTORY MUD FLAPS THAT DEBRIS COMING OFF THE FRONT TIRES WEARS OFF THE PAINT CAUSING IT TO RUST AND ALSO RUINS THE FENDER FLARES WHICH HE LATER SHOWED ME. HE ALSO STATED THAT ALL OF THESE VEHICLES WERE DOING THIS. NEXT I WENT TO THE APPT. AND THE RM AND SERVICE MANAGER WENT TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE AND I WAS TOLD TO WAIT IN THE SITTING AREA. THEY CAME BACK IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES LATER AND THE RM TOLD ME THAT IT WAS DUE TO ENVIROMENTAL CONDITIONS AND IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S PARKING BRAKE CABLE SNAPPED. ALSO, THE PIN FROZE CAUSING THE CABLE TO SNAP WHEN TRYING TO APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE. THE SERVICE DEALER DETERMINED THE PINS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND THE NEW PINS WOULD CONTINUE TO FREEZE AGAIN AND WOULD CONTINUOUSLY NEED TO BE REPLACED.

CLUTCH PEDAL BUSHING IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC & SHOULD BE MADE OUT OF RUBBER, IT WEARS OUT & STARTS TO SQUEAK REAL BAD AND EVENTUALLY THERE IS METAL TO METAL CONTACT WHICH CAUSES THE WHOLE CLUTCH ASSY. TO FAIL. *NM

2003 TOYOTA TACOMA WOULD NOT STEER SAFELY. UPON INSPECTION MECHANIC DETERMINED THE VEHICLE NEEDED NEW TIRES DUE TO THE VEHICLE BEING OUT OF ALIGNMENT. CONSUMER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF A RECALL REGARDING THE BRAKES. *KB THE TOYOTA DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE RIGHT AND LEFT BALL JOINT USELESS THE CONSUMER PAID FOR THE REPAIRS. *NM

AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS, ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY LOSE SIGNIFICANT POWER. IT FELT AS THOUGH I HAD TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE THROTTLE. AFTER MY OWN INVESTIGATION, I LEARNED THAT TOYOTA HAS A HISTORY OF THIS PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY WITH THEIR 2003/2004 MODEL TACOMA'S. EVIDENTLY, THEIR ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR (PART OF THEIR THROTTLE BY WIRE DESIGN) FAILS. THIS CREATED A FEW SERIOUS SAFETY SITUATIONS FOR ME WHEN THE THROTTLE FAILED TO RESPOND WHEN NEEDED. AFTER REPORTING THIS TO THE DEALER, THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DID DETERMINE THE APPS WAS AT FAULT. NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS OF THIS HAPPENING WITH OTHER OWNER'S IS READILY AVAILABLE VIA THE VARIOUS BULLETIN BOARDS ON THE WEB. COMPOUNDING THE ISSUE, IS THE FACT THAT THIS SENSOR CANNOT BE REPLACED WITHOUT REPLACING THE ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF $1000 OR SO. TOYOTA INITIALLY RESPONDED THAT THEY'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS ISSUE YET OTHERS HAVE REPORTED TO THEM PRIOR TO ME WHICH INDICATES EITHER THEY HAVE A VERY POOR PROCESS FOR LOGGING ISSUES OR ARE TRYING TO AVOID ANOTHER RECALL. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE LIGHT COMING ON IN THE WINTER. WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKE THE FIRST TIME THE LIGHT STAYS ON UNTIL THE TRUCK WARMS UP; THEN GOES OUT. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO TOYOTA AND THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. NOW THE LIGHT IS PERIODICALLY COMING UP AND STAYING ON A COUPLE OF MINUTES IN THE WARM WEATHER. I AGAIN TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND THEY AGAIN COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA AND FOUND A WATER LEAK ON MY FLOOR MAT IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. APPARENTLY THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING EVERY TIME I TAKE THE TRUCK TO THE CAR WASH. IT SEEMS TO BE COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH; MAYBE THE FRONT WINDOW. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO TOYOTA BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS TO FIND THE LEAK WITH THEIR WATER HOSE THE LEAK COULD NOT BE FOUND. I HAVE NOTICED THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

AFTER MY PURCHASE OF A NEW 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA PRE-RUNNER I QUICKLY DISCOVERED MY REAR CHROME BUMPER WAS RUSTING AT THE AREA WHERE THE LICENSE PLATE IS DISPLAYED. I TOOK MY NEW TRUCK TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA RECOGNIZED THIS WAS A PROBLEM BUT THERE WAS NO RECALL ISSUED ON THE PROBLEM AND THAT I COULD CONTINUALLY USE A TYPE OF STEEL WOOL TO KEEP UP WITH THE RUST AS IT WAS HAPPENING. UNACCEPTABLE. *JB

NO INDICATION OF ANY PROBLEM PRIOR TO EVENT. TIRE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. CATASTROPHIC SIDEWALL FAILURE OF FRONT TIRE AT 65 MPH ON BUSY FREEWAY. TIRE COMPLETELY SEPARATED. ONE SIDEWALL COMPLETELY MISSING. TIRE RETAINED AS EVIDENCE BUT REPLACED AT OWNER EXPENSE. *NM

INTERMITTENT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ROUGH IDLE - 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA 2.7L AUTO, DOUBLE CAB, 55K MILES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK VEHICLE TO LOCAL CHAIN SHOP WHO DIAGNOSED ERROR CODE PO511 - IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE (IACV). TOYOTA PARTS DEPARTMENT PRICES THIS PART AT $226 AND SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED $249 FOR LABOR (NOT INCLUDING TAX). VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 55K MILES ON IT AND "ENGINE" SHOULD BE COVERED BY 6 YR/60K MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER (TO HAVE OTHER RECALLS CORRECTED) WHO INDICATED A $90 FEE WAS REQUIRED JUST TO DIAGNOSE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE INDICATED THE IACV WAS ONLY COVERED TO 3YR/36K AND THAT I SHOULD PAY DEALER FEE AND SEEK "FACTORY ASSISTANCE" FOR ANY COSTS TO REPAIR. I CONTEND THAT THIS TYPE OF A PART - NOT SERVICEABLE/MAINTAINABLE BY THE CUSTOMER, SHOULD BE GUARANTEED AGAINST FAILURE FOR MORE THAN ~50K MILES AND REPAIR SHOULD BE COVERED BY MANUFACTURER. *JB