Overview & Reviews

Since its introduction in 1995, the Toyota Tacoma has been a mainstay of the compact and midsize pickup segments. The original Tacoma fell into the compact category, while the second-generation truck's 2005 debut marked the transition to midsize dimensions. Typical advantages to a new or used Tacoma include a variety of body styles to choose from, useful off-road abilities, strong resale value and a better than average reputation for reliability.

Downsides are few. Even when modestly appointed, this Toyota often costs more than competing trucks and prices are high on the used market as well. In addition, taller drivers might feel cramped inside the first-generation Tacoma's compact cab. Otherwise, the Toyota Tacoma is a very capable pickup that's highly recommended for nearly all truck shoppers.

User Reviews:

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  A Little Disappointed - 2007 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ray - September 5 - 5:46 am

  After having owned several toyotas in the past Im somewhat disappointed. 1) Idle indictates only around 600 rpm; however vehicle lunges and you find yourself "riding" the brakes. This is especially uneasy in stop and go traffic. 2) Brakes have a "spongy feel" and require a lot brake pedal force. 3) When driving with hand on the automatic transmission shift lever, centrifugal force when making a right turn will cause the shift lever to move from the "D" (drive) to "4" (gear) automatically. 4) Seat position is too low. No adjustment. 5) Steering wheel radio controls designed top/bottom (together) rather than left/right (separated). This causes you to take your eyes of road to use controls.

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  One tough little truck. - 2003 Toyota Tacoma
  By autow - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I traded an 02 tundra 4x4 for this 03 tacoma dbl cab 4x4 w/trd and i couldnt be any happier with my decision. It fits me a little better than the tundra but i do miss the v8 pwr. The truck has plenty of room and my wife can drive it much easier than the tundra. I have always been a toyota truck person and will continue to be in the future. Only 1 issue i have with this truck is that it does need a bigger v6 with at least 225-250 h.p.

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  No real issues after a year of ownership. - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Zak - September 2 - 4:38 am

  I know there are a several people that are not happy with their 2016 Tacomas for various reasons posting here. One of the consistent reasons that come up is the transmission shifting issue. I noticed the same issue after my first week of ownership. Driving from Dallas to Shreveport, the transmission was constantly hunting for gears and if I was using cruise control, the slightest incline would cause it to downshift and stay stuck in 4th gear. This was incredibly annoying, but I knew Toyota would fix it. Now that Toyota has finally fixed this issue, my truck is perfect. If you are having the transmission issue, ask your service dealer to apply the T-SB-0077 transmission update. I own the double cab TRD off road model and it performs very well on the road and trails. If I had it to do all over again, I would probably just buy the 4x4 SR model and do all of my own customizations instead of buying the Toyota upgrade models.

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  Best compact truck ever - 2000 Toyota Tacoma
  By dannybayless - September 1 - 11:43 pm

  Ive owned several compact trucks and this is by far the best all around. The 2.7 pulls the rather heavy truck very well even with the 33" tires on 18" heavy rims Ive put on. The motor has potential to have much more power with a few minor adjustments, which I have done and am very pleased with. This truck has done all thats been requested of it while getting competitive gas mileage (19-23). Ive pulled over 10,000 pounds long distances over rugged terrain with ease, climbed the Smokey mountains, and taken 1000 mile trips with only the extremely uncomfortable interior to complain about. Other than uncomfortable ride, it beat expectations by far. I look forward to the next generation.

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  Toyota Misses The Mark - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By TK - September 1 - 6:17 am

  I was prepared to sell my 2005 TRD Tacoma for a new 2016 TRD Pre-runner Sport until I drove one. The new engine is supposedly from a Lexus. Gives Lexus a bad name. Actually the engine is probably fine, but in the interest of CAFE mileage requirements Toyota has crushed the spirit of the previous model Tacoma. The drivers seat bottom cushion isnt as long, sits flatter, seems thinner and harder, thereby offering far less thigh support, appearing as though the change was to reduce weight. Push the pedal for rapid acceleration and you get a 25 yrs. ago bad case of turbo lag while the computer appears to be giving you time to decide whether you really want to jeopardize your attempt at breaking your previous mileage record. In like kind, it is geared for mileage and therefore downshifts at the slightest throttle advance. I like mileage, but this is a pickup truck. There are way to defeat some of this, but then Im pushing this 3.5L engine most of the time in an attempt to get what I got from my previous 4L version. There are some nice techy items if you want your medium size truck to feel more like your, I dont know, Lexus. When I asked whether Toyota was fixing some of this on the soon to be released 2017 I got the, "Toyota puts a lot of engineering, money and thought into their designs and then sticks with them". Hmm, a tone of "Wed agree with you if we werent senior sales staff". So I bought the newest version of Tacoma similar to my 2005, a 2015, only to find that rather than have improved power and torque over 10 yrs. of refinement, my "visually identical" 4L engine now had 236 HP instead of 245 HP, and 266 ft.lb torque instead of 282 ft.lb, but perhaps 1-2 mpg improved mileage. Im for mileage, but many companies appear to have figured out how to achieve both. I have not yet determined where the power and torque went other than likely remapping at Toyota, where they lock you out from youthful and less youthful free thoughts of tailoring your truck to fit your needs. Wait, for only $6,000 or a little more you can buy and install a supercharger from TRD for your 4L engine, which confirms that the engine can handle a lot more power. Toyota appears to understand what a quality truck is, just not yet the true spirit of a truck owner/driver. At this point I remembered the rest of my conversation with the sales guys and former car leader Bob Lutz. The days of our most satisfying autos are already behind us. Just wait another few years as CAFE pushes the cars and truck to autonomous pods with no heart and soul. As Bob Lutz said, the industry as we knew it will be dead and gone in 20 years (I say 15 yrs) and replaced with Uber-style, give me my tablet so I can order a ride. But why? That debated but likely true global warming thing is forcing us to protect the world from us and us from ourselves. So, if you believe any of this, buy your last vehicle youre likely to enjoy very soon, some critical spare parts, and nurse it until you can longer remember where it was you wanted to go or how to get home from there. Oh, and hope the govt doesnt impart penalties to encourage you to turn it in to your local recycling plant. Just had a vision of camo tarp covered, lifted, 6.X L diesel rock crushers hidden in the forest.

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  Absolute Garbage! - 2011 Toyota Tacoma
  By mongre - August 31 - 11:41 pm

  I have now owned 4 Toyotas. Excluding a late 80s base model Tacoma, this is the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I will be slow to purchase a Toyota again. Cheap materials, cramped and awkward interior, an endless supply of mechanical failures. I am happy to say goodbye. I spent hours haggling over the Cruise Control failing at 70. Toyota made every excuse yet blamed me & the terrain (small incline). 1 engine out of 12 takes synthetic. Of course my dealership filled it with standard and replaced it so the engine could sound like a VW bug for a while. Two...yes TWO rear bearings, a differential and a front strut later and this has been in the shop more than my last 3 cars combined!

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  Vibrations, Howls, Squeaks, Failed Rear Diff - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By SAS99 - August 28 - 3:42 pm

  Transmission and Engine combo feels very weak. It shifts erratically. It will downshift when coasting through the neighborhood at random. It will not hold 6th gear with even the slightest hill or head wind. The transmission will shift flare from 2nd to 3rd gear often when cold. The transmission also has a slipping sensation from time to time. The engine feels weak with this transmission. You have to floor it to get power out of it. The fuel economy is about the same as previous generation Tacomas at about 18.9 MPG....really not a major improvement when considering the step down in performance with this new trans and motor. The rear leaf springs squeak like crazy at only 10,000 miles and have been to the dealer three times for it. I also have a case with Toyota Corporate they are saying there is no fix for it and to live with it. It is embarrassing to drive through a parking lot and people look at your brand new nearly $40K truck because it squeaks like a rusty box-spring mattress. There is a noticeable vibration at highway speeds felt in the Steering wheel and in the gas pedal, if you let off the gas it goes away but if you apply gas it vibrates/buzzes. It is very annoying and almost makes my hands numb while driving. The rumor is that this is a Design oversight/glitch that Toyota dropped the ball on. I drove another brand new 2016 Tacoma and it exhibited the same traits. Finally the rear differential was making a howling noise at 50 to 60 mph if you are feathering the throttle or lightly applying throttle on a downhill stretch of freeway. I took it to the dealer and they said it was not normal so they kept my truck for 3 days and replaced the entire rear differential already, with less than 12K miles on it. I couldnt believe it. Now not even 300 miles later I hear the noise coming back again in the rear differential. I would have a hard time recommending the 2016 Tacoma to anyone. It seems like Toyota Quality Assurance has really dropped the ball and Corporate is slow to release any information or resolutions for these issues. Driveline vibration has been an issues for years past on previous generation Tacomas as well so this is very troubling.

• 

  Excellent - 1998 Toyota Tacoma
  By Helen - August 28 - 3:10 pm

  We have 220K and still going with no major repairs, just the basics.

• 

  You wont like the lugging - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Eric Chartrand - August 27 - 9:27 pm

  You know that feeling you get when driving a car/truck with a manual transmission and you shift too early. Thats what this truck does constantly. To try and maximize mpg, Toyota designed it to shift into a higher gear early which causes the rpms to drop to the low 1000s and results in that lugging/stuttering feeling. I have over 6000 miles on my truck now, this sole issue drives me crazy. It is something to be aware of during your test drive. You will notice it when maintaining speed only; not when accelerating. I notice it most when going 40-50mph. On my 5K scheduled maintenance, I told the service mechanic and they told me that is normal for all automatic tacomas. He said that he hears these complaints several times a week from owners. I will say that I love everything else about the truck. If they could fix this one problem, i would be so happy.

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  I Walked Away from This Thing - Fast - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By MRamirez - August 26 - 9:47 am

  I’ve owned several Tacoma trucks, including my current 2010, which I love. I discovered the new 2016 during a dealer for service department. I wasn’t too interested in upgrading before, but I took a very quick test drive and thought I was sold. I liked the interior and exterior re-design. So I ordered a Limited and waited several months for it. But I began doing my homework and reading reviews, which raised a few flags. Regardless, the truck came in at the end of January and I was excited. I asked the dealer to let me take it on an extended test drive before I took delivery. I had it for over an hour on city and highway speeds. That test drive changed everything and confirmed many of the reviews. The engine was very under-powered. It worked too hard on the highway, the transmission shifting was awful, and the engine was very coarse and loud. The brakes pulsated, like the ABS was engaging, with normal light braking. And there was this strong, high-frequency buzz that transmitted through the steering wheel, pedals, and seats at highway speeds and certain acceleration points on side roads. I could even hear the buzzing vibration rattle the interior components. That was the killer for me. I thought perhaps these were isolated problems on that truck. So the dealership let me take another Limited out for a spin. Same problems on that one! The dealership’s explanation? “Sounds like they all do it, so it must be a normal. Plus, we’re selling them like hotcakes so it must not bother everyone.” Very well, but they bother me. I walked away from the deal and got my deposit back. I was very disappointed but glad I didn’t spend the $38K on that. My 2010’s engine is more refined and owns the highway with its power. No issues with shifting, excessive engine noise, or uncomfortable vibrations. I will hang on to my 2010 for another year or so and hope Toyota gets it right in a few years.