2016 TOYOTA TACOMA Complaints

Fuel injector(s) leaked without any warning, causing engine to loose power on freeway. We were fortunate to be able to move over to the shoulder before the truck lost all power. Vehicle was towed to dealer and it was determined that the injector leaked fuel into engine causing engine failure. Repairs needed include engine block, heads sub assembly, injectors and assorted other parts total for parts and labor $19,256 No warning lights or symptoms prior to this problem. Truck has been running fine with no problems, only has 41,000 miles.

On 10/30/2023 Toyota stopped supporting Scout GPS Link. This is the Toyota installed navagation system and the only navagation system that works with the Toyota display/audio system. All other navagation systems are blocked from the Toyota system. Navagation is now reduced to using a Cell Phone display and audio. Well this option works it is much less safe as the display is much lower beneath the driver's normal line of sight. Eyes must be taken off the road for a much longer period and looking at a much smaller display. While not as big a safety risk as other vehicle problems this may provide NHTSA with the opportunity to track the safety impact of vehcile navigation systems vs hand held nagivation systems.

Truck had to be abandoned after I attempted to start it and the brake pedal was stiff and the ignition would not allow starter to function. Dashboard message indicated a brake problem with transmission interlock. The next day, after viewing a U-Tube video on the problem (same make/model/year) I held the starter button in for 12-15 seconds with no foot on the brake. The engine started but the transmission remained locked in Park. Tow truck operator was able to release the shifter using an access port and screwdriver and found that he could drive it up onto the inclined platform. Once in place on the platform he shifted to Park and found it was again locked. This issue disabled the truck in a traffic area where it could not be started or shifted into Neutral to move it...a dangerous situation.

White paint is peeling off in multiple places on the body of the vehicle. There is a change.org petition with 5,000+ signatures, yet Toyota has refused to do anything about the issue. https://www.change.org/p/toyota-motor-company-hold-toyota-accountable-for-2008-2022-tacoma-super-white-peeling-paint

My 2016 Toyota Tacoma has had multiple oil leaks in the timing cover. The dealer has already fixed this issue twice and the timing cover is currently leaking oil. This leak is expensive to fix because it involves removing the engine and the transmission to properly seal the timing cover. This is a know defect that poses a serious safety concern as the oil leak may go from a small leak to a large leak quickly, causing the engine to fail. Additionally the air pressure from driving can cause the oil to end up everywhere which can lead other components to degrade and fail. Because the fix is so complex, the process to remove and reinstall the engine and transmission may result in other mistakes. During one of the attempts to fix the issue, the dealer forgot to replace an engine bolt and forgot to hook up a vent hose. The cost to fix this issue is so high that it makes it too expensive for many to fix.

Vehicle is designed in such a way as to allow moisture accumulating in drivers side floor mat and carpeting to wick upward and be deposited on the primary vehicle wiring harness located in the drivers side kick panel. The moisture collected travels down into the backside of the various female connectors and corrodes the conductors and receptacles that result in short circuits between the various vehicle components including the ignition, engine shutoff, temperature sensors, Antilock Breaking, Blind Spot Monitoring, Fuel Gauge, Forward Vehicle Lighting (high and low beam), Security, Traction Control and other critical vehicle systems. On February 5th, 2023 I returned to my vehicle to find the security alarm sounding in the parking lot of a local business, both the keyless entry system and key-fob were unresponsive and would neither silence the alarm or unlock the vehicle. After manually unlocking the door handle the alarm ceased, the vehicle started as normal and then began indicating a failure of the BSM system, while underway the ABS indicated it had also failed and upon arrival at our destination the engine would not turn off even with the emergency shutdown routine prescribed for unintended acceleration cases. In addition, the high beams would be triggered by unrelated button operation occasionally fail to turn off, the fuel gauge, temperature readouts and climate control provided unintelligible values. The vehicle was returned to to dealership where it was determined that water from the floormats was able to contaminate and cause systemwide failure. The repair was to replace the entire wire harness which would not be covered by warranty. On 3/15/2023 I reached out to Toyota Headquarters' Customer Engagement team and was advised that Toyota was aware of the problem and had no interest or obligation in rectifying the situation, regardless of my concerns that this presented a clear safety hazard to both operators and the general public.

POWER STEERING ISSUES, LEAKS, CORRODED. CAN LEAD TO ENTIRE RACK AND PINON REPLACEMENT. STEERING IS TIGHT, ACTIVE FLUID LEAK(S); TOYOTA DEALER THAT IT WAS PURCHASED FROM KNEW IT WAS LEAKING BUT REFUSED TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER. PER TOYOTA, POWER STEERING LEAKS CAN CAUSE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL LEAK IS REPAIRED. HOWEVER, TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT WOULD NOT LOCATE THE LEAK AND REMEDY, LET ME DRIVE KNOWING IT COULD BE POTENIALLY HAZARDOUS.

Toyota has a recall for all of the White vehicles EXCEPT for the tacoma. The tacoma has the same issues with paint flaking off in sheets yet they will not cover the repairs or extend the recall to include the truck. There are thousands of us that have signed a change.org petition and complained to toyota but haven't received any support. My paint started flaking when it was just past the 36 month warranty. currently this flaking is on 9 of my body panels. Link to the online petition with photos. https://www.change.org/p/toyota-motor-company-hold-toyota-accountable-for-2008-2022-tacoma-super-white-peeling-paint

Driver’s side front seat not delivering heat despite switch lamp indicating it’s on and working. Further exploration reveals passenger side seat heater working as it should. I checked wiring harness and connections under driver’s seat only to discover plastic connector entering amplifier scorched and melted with two of four pins destroyed (Red and Green wires). I believe the wire gauge sized for this system is improper and therefore represents a fire hazard. About the time the seat heater failed, I smelled a burning odor inside the car for a short time but didn’t associate the two events until later. The vehicle has 135,998 miles on it and therefore out of warranty. I spoke to the dealer who explained he’s had similar issues from other customers and added there is no recalls at this time.

Recent in December wife said there’s a musty odor in truck. While vacuuming carpet on Friday 1/6/23 water came to surface. Searched everywhere for leak and found the 2 vents behind back seats had bad gaskets and leaking bad. After getting access under carpet, passenger side was dry but growing mold and drivers side is holding slimy water. The back seats are a little higher and we’re dry but signs of mold as well. These vents pop out through the cab outward but the bed has to be removed to replace them. I used silicone to seal from inside to stop water intrusion. Dealership no help, report and claim filed with Toyota corporate, insurance company and waiting for response. During the holidays, wife road in my truck several times and ended up spending a week in the hospital due to a fungal infection in her lungs and may be linked to the mold. While on a chat group, Tacoma Owners Group and Tacoma World, there are numerous other owners with the same issue and no help from Toyota.