Toyota Tacoma: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Toyota Tacoma: 15 model years scored from 2,085 NHTSA owner complaints and 61 recall campaigns. Worst year 2024, best year 2014.
Toyota Tacoma: which years to avoid
Across 14 scored model years the Toyota Tacoma ranges from 38/100 in 2024 to 90/100 in 2014 — a 52-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Tacoma at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Power Train (52 of them).
Avoid: 2024, 2025 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2016, 2017 and 2019 Tacoma (323, 239 and 217 complaints, scores of 55, 61 and 54) and the 2024 and 2025 fourth-generation trucks, which score 38 each at 72.5 and 86.0 complaints per year on the road, the highest rates on record. Buy a 2013 to 2015, scoring 85, 90 and 89 on 124, 93 and 101 complaints, or a 2020 to 2023, all at 76 or better on 87 complaints or fewer. The third generation launched for 2016 and Power Train went from 13 complaints on the 2014 to 136, with campaigns 17V285000 for rear differential oil leaks and 17V356000 for a crank position sensor that can stall six-cylinder trucks. The 2019 is a brake and fuel year, Service Brakes 56 and Fuel/Propulsion System 55, with 18V888000 for the brake master cylinder and fuel pump campaigns 20V012000 and 20V682000. The 2024 has Power Train 52 and Service Brakes 34. The 2012 is a CAUTION at 67 on 122 Engine complaints with no campaign to close them.
Read the guide
Used Toyota Tacoma: the years to avoid and the years to buy — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
How the Tacoma changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 4 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2015
Mean score 82/100, about 12 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (134 complaints). 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2016–2017
Mean score 58/100, about 29 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (204 complaints). The record falls 24 points against the years before it. 3 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2020–2023
Mean score 83/100, about 16 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (45 complaints). The record improves by 25 points against the years before it. 3 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2024–2025
Mean score 38/100, about 79 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (71 complaints). The record falls 45 points against the years before it. 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2014 (score 90). Worst: 2024 (score 38, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 38 | AVOID | $4,814 | 86 | 5 |
| 2024 | 38 | AVOID | $4,698 | 145 | 5 |
| 2023 | 76 | BUY | $4,096 | 53 | 4 |
| 2022 | 85 | BUY | $4,170 | 57 | 3 |
| 2021 | 86 | BUY | $4,340 | 79 | 0 |
| 2020 | 85 | BUY | $4,456 | 87 | 1 |
| 2019 | 54 | CAUTION | $4,909 | 217 | 4 |
| 2018 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,460 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 61 | CAUTION | $5,104 | 239 | 5 |
| 2016 | 55 | CAUTION | $5,353 | 323 | 4 |
| 2015 | 89 | BUY | $5,054 | 101 | 4 |
| 2014 | 90 | BUY | $5,167 | 93 | 4 |
| 2013 | 85 | BUY | $5,341 | 124 | 6 |
| 2012 | 67 | CAUTION | $5,700 | 295 | 7 |
| 2011 | 79 | BUY | $5,675 | 186 | 9 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Tacoma, through the years →
Tacoma sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Tacoma on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Tacoma
Across every Tacoma model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train439 complaints across all Tacoma years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine285 complaints across all Tacoma years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other270 complaints across all Tacoma years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Service Brakes222 complaints across all Tacoma years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Fuel/Propulsion System151 complaints across all Tacoma years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Structure140 complaints across all Tacoma years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Toyota Tacoma years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2024, 2025 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2024 is the weakest at 38/100, with its complaints concentrated in Power Train.
What are the best Toyota Tacoma years to buy?
2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2014 at 90/100, on 93 complaints and 4 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Toyota Tacoma problem?
439 of the complaints filed against the Tacoma across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04