2021 Toyota Tacoma: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
79 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
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. Read the full note on the model page. 2021 specifically: a year the record favours — 79 complaints, score 86/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Toyota Tacoma: the years to avoid and the years to buy, including 2021 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 79 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 15.8
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The cabin air pressure vents behind the back seat are leaking letting water into the vehicle. The seals have dried up. It's causing a moldy smell in the vehicle.
Having two issues major issues that’s causing me a $10,000 bill. The timing cover is leaking and there is a coolant bypass hose that is leaking. I have spend a lot of maintenance on this truck on maintaining it to have to remove the engine. As for the forward collision warning ive had it go off multiple times witout a vehicle there. While in cruise control ive had it unexpectedly break on me when there was no visible…
Brake master cylinder is leaking in the interior of truck on driver side floor mat. Oil is come from brake master cylinder seal.
Recalls: 0 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
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What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a pickup of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 21 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,950
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Power Train13 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Service Brakes12 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Unknown Or Other12 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Engine11 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Forward Collision Avoidance9 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
- Electrical System9 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
Other Toyota Tacoma years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Toyota Tacoma?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Power Train (13 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2021 Toyota Tacoma a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 86/100, computed from 79 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2021 Toyota Tacoma's most common problem?
13 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2021 Toyota Tacoma sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is transmission service or clutch-pack repair: about 7.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,290–$4,040 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2021 Toyota Tacoma cost to run per year?
About $4,619 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $23,098 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Compare with
Other pickups of about the same age.
What will a 2021 Toyota Tacoma really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 79 complaints, 0 recalls on record
- 79 NHTSA complaints on record (15.8/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (16.7/yr)
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems