One problem related to ball joint has been reported for the 1998 Toyota Tacoma. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Driving down a busy boulevard, my wheel fell off and my vehicle slammed on the ground. I am lucky to not have killed anyone, and am still afraid to drive my vehicle. Faulty ball joints + rusted frames make this vehicle potentially very dangerous. Toyota initiated a program to buy Tacomas back directly from consumers, but I was not notified of the program. Now I am stuck with a potentially incredibly dangerous truck.