Toyota Tacoma Engine Problems by Year
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not unusually. Owners have filed 386 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2008–2025 Toyota Tacoma. For the Toyota Tacoma, that's 0.1 engine complaints per 1,000 sold across the 2015–2022 cohorts, below the 0.44 median of the 53 models we can rate. The worst years are 2012, 2016 and 2017.
Engine complaints
386
Filed with NHTSA, 2008–2025 models
Per 1,000 sold
0.1
2015–2022 cohorts
Share of all complaints
11.1%
of 3,489 complaints for this model
Engine recalls
2
NHTSA campaigns, all years
Toyota Tacoma engine complaints by model year
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA whose component list includes Engine and Engine Cooling, and per 1,000 vehicles sold where a published U.S. sales figure exists. Worst years are highlighted.
| Model year | Engine complaints | Per 1,000 sold | Share of all complaints | Crash / fire / injury | Engine recalls | Engine TSBs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 19 | — | 4.3% | 3 | — | 11 |
| 2009 | 16 | — | 3.1% | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2010 | 9 | — | 3.1% | 0 | — | 48 |
| 2011 | 5 | — | 2.7% | 1 | — | 44 |
| 2012WORST | 124 | — | 42.2% | 1 | — | 67 |
| 2013 | 7 | — | 5.6% | 1 | 13V557000 | 46 |
| 2014 | 7 | — | 7.6% | 0 | 13V557000 | 43 |
| 2015 | 12 | 0.07 | 12% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2016WORST | 47 | 0.25 | 14.6% | 0 | 17V356000 | 33 |
| 2017WORST | 36 | 0.18 | 15.2% | 3 | 17V356000 | 16 |
| 2018 | 26 | 0.11 | 13.1% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | 27 | 0.11 | 12.9% | 3 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | 14 | 0.06 | 16.5% | 1 | — | 22 |
| 2021 | 12 | 0.05 | 15.8% | 0 | — | 8 |
| 2022 | 7 | 0.03 | 12.7% | 0 | — | 7 |
| 2023 | 9 | — | 18.8% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | — | 3.6% | 0 | — | 7 |
| 2025 | 4 | — | 5.8% | 0 | — | 4 |
- Per 1,000 sold = complaints ÷ published U.S. calendar-year sales × 1,000. Calendar-year sales stand in for the model-year cohort. A dash means no published figure or fewer than 5,000 sold, too small to divide by.
- Older model years have had more time on the road to collect complaints, so compare neighboring years, not 2010 against 2024.
- Crash / fire / injury = complaints where the owner reported a crash, a fire or an injury.
- *Technical service bulletins in the year's leading TSB categories that name the engine.
Common Toyota Tacoma engine problems owners describe
We searched the narratives of all 386 engine complaints for symptom keywords. One complaint can mention several, so the shares don't add up to 100%.
Toyota Tacoma years to avoid for the engine
2012 Toyota Tacoma
124 engine complaints (42.2% of the year's 294). Most often described: loss of power or limp mode.
2016 Toyota Tacoma
47 engine complaints (14.6% of the year's 323), 0.25 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: stalling or shutting off while driving. Covered by engine recall 17V356000.
2017 Toyota Tacoma
36 engine complaints (15.2% of the year's 237), 0.18 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: misfire or check-engine light. Covered by engine recall 17V356000.
Worst years are those with at least 10 engine complaints and at least 1.5 times the model's median year. For every year's overall verdict, including other systems, see the Toyota Tacoma years to avoid.
Toyota Tacoma engine recalls
NHTSA recall campaigns filed under Engine for any Toyota Tacoma model year. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check a specific car by VIN on NHTSA's site.
Related research
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2012 Toyota Tacoma have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 124 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 Toyota Tacoma, 42.2% of all 294 complaints for that year. The most common description is "loss of power or limp mode" (74 complaints). 1 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Does the 2016 Toyota Tacoma have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 47 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, 14.6% of all 323 complaints for that year, or 0.25 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "stalling or shutting off while driving" (10 complaints). One engine-related recall covers it: 17V356000.
Does the 2017 Toyota Tacoma have engine problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 36 engine complaints with NHTSA for the 2017 Toyota Tacoma, 15.2% of all 237 complaints for that year, or 0.18 per 1,000 sold. The most common description is "misfire or check-engine light" (8 complaints). One engine-related recall covers it: 17V356000. 3 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Which Toyota Tacoma years have the most engine complaints?
2012 (124), 2016 (47) and 2017 (36), by owner complaints filed with NHTSA that name the engine. Raw counts favor older and higher-selling years, so compare the per-1,000-sold column too.
What are the most common Toyota Tacoma engine problems?
In the 386 engine complaints, owners most often describe misfire or check-engine light (27.5%), loss of power or limp mode (24.6%) and stalling or shutting off while driving (14%). One complaint can mention several symptoms.
Is this a engine failure rate?
No. These are complaints owners chose to file with NHTSA. Many failures are never reported, and one complaint is not a confirmed defect. Dividing by sales shows how often owners complain relative to how many were sold, which makes models of different sizes comparable.
How we count
Counts are unique owner complaints (by NHTSA ODI number) filed with NHTSA for each Toyota Tacoma model year, from NHTSA's public complaints data fetched July 2026 to November 2026. A complaint counts as a engine complaint when NHTSA's component list for it includes Engine and Engine Cooling.
Per 1,000 sold divides complaints by published U.S. calendar-year sales for that year. A year needs at least 5,000 sales to get a rate, and a model needs at least 3 such years for its overall rate. The comparison median covers every model with at least 50 engine complaints that clears those floors.
These are complaint rates, not failure rates. Owners report some problems more than others, and a complaint is not a confirmed defect.
Sources
- NHTSA complaints by vehicle (owner complaints API) — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report a vehicle safety problem — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration