general problems of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma

Heated seat had stopped working, checked and found the problem. The module that controls the heated seats had a melted connector and wires, causing the seat to no longer be able to have heated seats.

The seat heater thermostat under the driver’s seat melted and charred while heater was in use fire danger. Dealer said this happens to a small number of vehicles of similar age and manufacture date. This was inspected by the dealership. No lights or warns came on before, during or after. I noticed the seat heater stopped working. I inspected the fuse. The fuse was not burned out. I found the melted part under the seat in the heater wiring harness assembly. I have removed the fuse at this time to prevent energizing the harness further.

Seat heating module for my driver seat has melted and is further irrepairable without buying the entire harness to fix the issue. There are multiple reports of this happening across forums.

I had a heated seat failure. I do have the parts available for inspection. I removed the seat to find that the sub assy-seat heater and connecting wiring harness had been burnt which could potentially cause a fire. Toyota part numbers effected are: sub assy - 87501-0c020, wiring harness in the heater assy - 87510-04040 which was replaced by 87510-04050. I reported the issue to Toyota. There were no warning lights or indicators that there was an issue. The heated seat indicator light still shows the seat as on even though it was not heating. Toyota service bulletin t-sb-0130-18 has been issued about this issue, so Toyota obviously knows there is an issue. I've read in forums online that the root issue is the wiring not being large enough to handle the power to the seat, so ultimately replacing the factory parts would not guarantee the issue will not happen again.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? heated seat heating module. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? module burned out during usage and emitted fire odor and smoke when burnt out (potential fire hazard if kept on). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? t-sb-0130-18 has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? unknown. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? none. 2016 Tacoma limited heated seat heating module overheated/burned out with slight smoke under seat during minimal usage (texas based). T-sb-0130-18 released in October 2018, about the time most of the 2016 (produced in 2015) are going out of warranty, and based on frequency of usage and locale (warmer climates observe less usage) - also even though parts used are the same, VIN is apparently not affected. Toyota will not honor TSB even though the burn out can be a potential fire hazard if not known/smelled especially while traveling and buckled into seat belt (similar to mercedes heated seats caught on fire). No notice provided by Toyota of TSB at time of issue. Item should be a recall as it affects many 2016-2018 Tacoma's and is a fire safety and burn hazard.

Driver’s side front seat not delivering heat despite switch lamp indicating it’s on and working. Further exploration reveals passenger side seat heater working as it should. I checked wiring harness and connections under driver’s seat only to discover plastic connector entering amplifier scorched and melted with two of four pins destroyed (red and green wires). I believe the wire gauge sized for this system is improper and therefore represents a fire hazard. About the time the seat heater failed, I smelled a burning odor inside the car for a short time but didn’t associate the two events until later. The vehicle has 135,998 miles on it and therefore out of warranty. I spoke to the dealer who explained he’s had similar issues from other customers and added there is no recalls at this time.

While driving down the road with my driver seat warmer on, the heating element and/or associated electronics burned a hole in the seat canvas and through the jacket I was wearing. I think a small fire started which I put out with my finger and then I turned off the seat heater.

The driver's side seat heating element failed due to a defective seat heater amp. When independently researching the failure, which could have simply been an unconnected wire, I discovered the amp and wiring had an electrical seizure and the wiring had burned the amp. The heating amp sits underneath the seat and with the right conditions could cause the seat to catch fire. The issue has been reported to Toyota corporate.

3rd generation (2016+) Toyota Tacoma's have a known technical service bulletin regarding leaking of the 3rd brake light. During rainfall and driving through a carwash, water will leak into the drivers compartment resulting in water damage and potential for mold and mildew. A quick internet search will result in thousands of owners reporting this issue. Toyota refuses to cover this issue if you are outside of their warranty period, which can result in $1000+ labor bill to replace a faulty gasket. Seeing as this is a potential health risk to owners, this should be a mandatory recall to replace for owners outside of the warranty period.

Electrical wiring/connector for the heated seat module located under the driver seat overheated or arced causing the connector (s) to melt posing a safety hazard and rendering the heated seat inoperable.

Driving home approximately 20 miles on a 2 lane highway (speed limit of 50mph) and noticed the oem/factory installed driver heated seat stopped working. Proceeded to smell burnt plastic but it was late at night and I convinced myself that nothing out of the normal had occurred since my passenger did not seem concerned. The following day I did a bit of research and tested the heated seat which no longer got warm like the passenger side. Underneath the seat is an "amplifier" for the heated seat which looks to have shorted out. Both the amplifier and the male electrical connector had burnt/melted on one of the terminals. The plug looks completely ruined and I presume the amplified is now broken. All other fuses and electrical connections appeared fine.