Best and worst Toyota Tacoma years — which to avoid

Toyota Tacoma is often unreasonably left out of the choice of the best pickup trucks considering its 25 years of production and great reliability overall. However, there comes a time when you have to decide on one of the Tacoma models, and it comes in useful to know which to avoid at this point.

Since some models have demonstrated less than great reliability, our team has compiled a list of the best and worst Toyota Tacoma years. We’ll tell you exactly which years to avoid based on their reliability ratings, NHTSA complaints, and negative ownership reviews as we go through their common problems and recalls.

Why you can trust REREV’s advice on which car model years to avoid: Our car experts look at official data, ask real drivers what they think, and talk to experienced mechanics to make sure our list is useful. This reliable info can make buying a car easier for you. Want to know how we do it? Find out more about our research methodology.

How we rated the best and worst Toyota Tacoma years

You can trust our guides including this one regarding the best and worst Toyota Tacoma years since our team always uses double-checked and verified information including NHTSA submissions and ratings. Not only did we check the driver complaints filed for particular Tacoma years, but we also went through the reports on common Toyota Tacoma recalls to see which issues were the most persistent ones.

Finally, we considered official driver ratings on trustworthy platforms like Consumer Reports, Edmunds, and Kelley Blue Book, as well as Toyota Tacoma forums to form our final opinion. Based on all these, here’s what we figured out about the best and worst Tacoma years:

Most common Toyota Tacoma problems

It’s widely known that Toyota stands for a car brand among the most reliable ones, if not the most reliable in the world. So, drivers could have high expectations of Tacoma, but these are often shattered by frequent issues that certain model years have been known to experience. So, we’ll outline all of those and explain which years were affected to help you make the best purchase decision.

1. Transmission-related issues

One of the most expensive repairs that you wouldn’t expect of a Toyota Tacoma is the transmission fault. While completely seized transmissions are rare, there have been some reports of electrical systems and sensors tampering with the performance of the transmission overall.

So, you may experience rough shifting and whining noises coming from the transmission, especially for the first-generation Tacoma or the early second-gen models. Eventually, it was established that the solenoid was problematic for these model years. So, if a problem was reported upon the initial symptoms of a bad shift solenoid, it could be handled easily by replacing the solenoid and sensors.

2. Ball joints and suspension issues

Suspension issues aren’t that uncommon for off-road capable SUVs and trucks, but some Tacoma years have struggled with a bit too much of these. Most importantly, there was the infamous ball joint problem with excessive wear of these joints, making the vehicle harder to steer and control.

Besides the ball joints, there’s also a problem with the axle assembly shaft that was prone to cracking. These are all dangerous problems if not treated right on time since they could lead the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

3. Tire pressure monitoring system faults

This one may sound a bit odd but the tire pressure monitoring system could also lead to some unwanted difficulties while driving. Toyota even issued an official recall to fix the vehicles that had this problem, mostly concerning the 2008 to 2011 Tacoma trucks.

The problem was that the faulty sensors wouldn’t provide accurate readings about the lowered tire pressure. So, you would just drive on regularly while the tire pressure would get lower and lower, making the vehicle more difficult to control. Thanks to the recall, drivers of the fixed models could once again measure their tire’s pressure and reset the tire pressure light to get the warning displayed once the pressure gets low.

4. Electrical problems

Finally, we have to deal with the infamous electrical issues that affected this model. Tacoma had problems with electrical shorts and faulty circuits in the second generation and it even led to malfunctioning sensors. So, the tire pressure sensor or a faulty throttle body position sensor was affected by bad connections.

On top of that, we’ve found a fair share of driver complaints about the faulty starter. So, even having a reliable engine like Toyota’s 2.7-liter or 3.6-liter V6 wouldn’t help if the starter can’t crank the engine.

Worst Toyota Tacoma years to avoid

After hearing about all the listed problems that Tacoma had in certain generations and model years, it’s time for us to see exactly which model years were the most problematic. Here’s our overview of the model years you should watch out for according to Toyota Tacoma generations:

• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2005
• 2006
• 2012
• 2016
• 2017

Most of these faced at least one of the issues outlined above, so we’ll take an in-depth look by specific model years.

First-generation Toyota Tacoma (model years 2001-2003)

While the final model years of a car’s generation are usually the best with all the mechanical years sorted out, it’s not the case with first-gen Tacoma. Sadly, the 2002 and 2003 models had issues with the automatic transmission and these two models received the most complaints.

However, the first generation is overall the best one in terms of reliability, at least when it comes to driver complaints and types of issues.

Second-generation Toyota Tacoma (model years 2005-2006 and 2012)

For the second generation, Tacoma received the lowest ratings for the 2005, 2006, and 2012 models. Once again, transmission problems were quite frequent, as well as issues with the suspension. Even some oil leaks were reported, although these claims haven’t been confirmed by the manufacturer.

Still, the worst production year for the second-gen Tacoma is by far 2006, so it’s best to steer away from this model.

Third-generation Toyota Tacoma (model years 2016-2017)

When it comes to the third-gen of the Tacoma, things are looking pretty solid except for two model years – 2016 and 2017. Along with the 2009 model, these two received the most complaints from drivers and previous owners in more than 25 years of production. So, it’s safe to say that you should avoid these model years completely.

The reason for such poor ratings is mostly the frequent electrical issues and problems with the engine’s valve springs. Also, there’s the issue with the A/C in this generation that supposedly failed within just 50,000 miles even on new cars, so that’s another thing to keep in mind.

What are the best Toyota Tacoma years to buy?

Before we get the hate from Toyota fans, it’s time we cleared the doubts about Tacoma in general. It’s a reliable car overall, and the previously mentioned years to avoid are just so you can stay clear of the common issues. That being said, you are probably wondering – what are the best Toyota Tacoma years?

The best Toyota Tacoma years are 2011, 2014, and 2015, but here’s a full list:

• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2004
• 2008
• 2010
• 2011
• 2013
• 2014
• 2015
• 2018
• 2019
• 2020
• 2021
• 2022

As you can see from this list, there are numerous Tacoma years you can buy without any regret in terms of reliability. The first generation is sturdy enough to make nearly all the model years reliable, except the 2002-2003 model. We’ll also discuss the two most reliable models more closely so you can compare their ratings with the worst-rated models we’ve mentioned before.

2011 Toyota Tacoma

The 2011 Toyota Tacoma is overall a decent-rated model with little to no issues from the severe category. The most important thing for you as a potential buyer is knowing that this model year didn’t face many engine or transmission-related issues, but only some interior accessory faults and A/C or electrical issues.

Most of those could easily be fixed and the model also received a superb safety rating which makes it one of the best picks out of the Tacoma lineup.

2014 Toyota Tacoma

The 2014 Toyota Tacoma combines useful and affordable as one of the pickup trucks with the best purchase value currently. It manifests great dependability through a low number of driver complaints, and once again none of these are related to the vital systems of the vehicle.

It also achieved excellent reliability scores and driver reviews confirming its great quality in millions of sold units.

Is Tacoma worth buying?

To give you a quick answer – yes, Toyota Tacoma is worth buying as a used car, especially when it comes to affordable first-gen and second-generation models. However, you must avoid the 2002-2003 and 2006-2007 models to cut the worries about automatic transmission short.

It’s a great budget pickup truck for the early models, and the new generation offers everything you’d expect to find in an F-150 or similar trucks at a fair price.