Toyota Tacoma reliability by year
25 recalls and 5,191 owner complaints across 21 model years. Best year to buy: 2022. Year to avoid: 2005.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 5 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and others. Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 21 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Tacoma aggregated across 21 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Toyota Tacoma?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2022 Toyota Tacoma scores 8.0/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2025 range. 55 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Toyota Tacoma year should I avoid?
The 2005 Toyota Tacoma scores 6.4/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 706 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2005 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Toyota Tacoma should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2017 (avoid — the powertrain — powertrain: 63 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 1,800–17,614 mi); 2009 (avoid — the lighting — 15 fire-related complaints on the lighting); 2008 (avoid — the suspension — 2 fatality reports and 1 fire-related complaint on the suspension); 2007 (avoid — the cruise-control — 2 fatality reports and 28 crash-related complaints on the cruise-control); 2006 (high-risk ownership — cruise-control: 116 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 18,000–72,571 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2025, 2024. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Toyota Tacoma are tracked?
21 model years (2005 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 25 recalls and 5,191 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Toyota Tacoma?
suspension is the most-reported category — 753 complaints across 15 model years. Average shop repair runs about $900.