Electrical System Problems of Toyota Tacoma - part 1

The master cylinder is leaking brake fluid into the cab and is dripping behind the brake pedal. There is brake fluid in the wiring harness that goes to the brake switch as well. This is a known fire hazard from other vehicle manufacturers.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Clock spring has failed. I've lost all steering wheel button controls as well as cruise control. Air bag light has now come on. I am afraid that if I get into a wreck, the airbag will not deploy. This seems to be a common issue with this select year for this Tacoma.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Loss of brakes.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

I am reporting a persistent and unsafe issue with the factory-installed entune infotainment system in my 2016 Toyota Tacoma. While driving — whether locally or on the highway — the system frequently freezes, becomes unresponsive, or abruptly resets itself, often multiple times per drive. This directly affects my ability to safely use the navigation, backup camera, and audio controls while in motion. The system’s crashes divert my attention from the road, especially when I’m relying on navigation and it either stops functioning or forces me to interact with the screen to regain control. These interruptions increase the risk of distracted driving and could easily contribute to an accident. I have attempted to install the software update provided on Toyota’s official website, but the update is older than the version already installed on my vehicle (0101a0), so the system blocks the update. There is no way for a consumer to reinstall or flash the current version, and any potential resolution is only available at a dealership for a fee, effectively putting the fix behind a paywall. Toyota has not issued a recall or service bulletin for this issue, despite dozens of reports from other owners on Tacoma and prius forums describing the same crash behavior and software version conflicts. This is a significant safety concern, especially when the infotainment system is used for navigation during high-speed or complex driving conditions. The inability to maintain consistent functionality puts drivers and others on the road at risk. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this widespread issue and press Toyota to issue a free repair or software patch for all affected vehicles. Symptoms: •frequent infotainment restarts while driving •frozen or unresponsive touchscreen •glitched navigation system and lost gps routing •driver distraction due to repeated system failure.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced due to an oil leak. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the speedometer gauge failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the instrument panel had a factory defect. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact was informed that the rear axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the rack and pinion recently failed. The contact stated that the vehicle veered to the right and the left independently while driving with an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Blower fan had been cutting off. Only running intermittent on high. Took to Toyota dealer June 2025. Was told it was a cabin air filter clogged. Paid for replacement and clean out of system. Continued to not work. Called a mechanic and asked for a diagnostic. Was told it was a “known issue” with Toyota Tacomas. Had been a recall in later years. I ordered the blower motor resistor and wiring harness from Toyota parts department. It was on back order due to the issue being widespread. July 2025 parts came in. Returned truck to the shop. The techichian replaced the motor blower resistor and the new wiring harness. However, he cut the burnt wires off and spliced the new wires into old wires back to the motor. Aug 2025 motor has stopped working again. Back to the Toyota shop. The truck needs a new blower motor. The labor will be 1200. Plus the labor I’ve already paid for three other shop visits plus parts. The motor blower is on back order till mid September. The motor has been let unplugged due to “risk of fire”. But I’ve been given the vehicle again to drive. It has had a risk of fire since June. The wires have been overheating and smelling. This should have been a recall in 2011. Just as it was in the later Toyota Tacoma. Pleas investigate.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

My check engine light came on when I was traveling in oregon. I didn't notice any major changes in my vehicle's performance. Drove it all the way back to colorado without issues. It went off and came back on several times. I replaced the cabin air filter, engine air filter and put fuel injector cleaner in the vehicle. Finally I took it in to the Toyota dealership to get an oil change and then the check engine light came back on. I paid for them to do a diagnostic test and they stated they were almost certain it was the 2nd fuel injector running rich. Brought it back a week later for the repair. Fyi. . . I was still getting 20 mpg in fuel and I wasn't noticing anything major in performance. They replaced the fuel injector and then the check engine light came back on with a different code. They are now running "another" more expensive diagnostic test and I still don't have my truck. They are saying it could be the 2nd cylinder or the engine and claiming it has 150,000 miles so I should expect these issues (and conveniently my warranty has run out).

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Truck has 33,xxx miles. Was driving and the fuel gauge needle dropped to e. Dash screen stated 225 miles till empty please refuel. I tried turning it on and off, no change. Filled the gas tank numerous times, no change. Needle remains on e with warning message to please refuel. Mechanic checked and there are no codes or cels.

The owner and operator of the vehicle, stated that they were driving the vehicle on the interstate when they noticed white smoke and ashes emanating from the steering column. They pulled into the parking lot to investigate and opened the hood to see no smoke or fire. When they returned to the passenger compartment, the smoke turned black in color, and they observed fire emanating from the steering column. I am the lead fire investigator on this incident for the edmond fire department. The electrical components in the area observed with fire contained electrical arc sites and melting. No other accidental heat sources were present, and natural causes and human involvement were ruled out as well. Incident number is [xxx] in edmond, ok. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Wire connection on passenger side, under carpet. It is to the heater temperature control. The heater only works on high until you hit a bump or move the connector then it will start working until you bump it again. It is available for inspection upon request. A certified mechanic told me, it could potentially cause a fire by shorting out. I have two other friends with the same issue on their Toyota Tacoma's. .

I have a new 2024 Toyota Tacoma that I purchased December 2024. My dashboard lit up the morning of Thursday, April 17. Drive start warning on the dashboard and a secondary breaking malfunction warning I contacted my local Toyota dealer and informed him that my vehicle is giving me warnings and I only have 13,000 miles on the vehicle. I took the vehicle and they told me that it was the fuel pump they replaced the fuel pump return the vehicle to me, and before I could leave the parking lot both codes on the dashboard shut up again and the vehicle would not move. I am writing this report to document what is going on with the vehicle. I believe that it is a lemon and there’s something majorly wrong with it. I brought the vehicle brand new in December and again it’s only has 13,000 miles on it right now.

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Brake booster failure. When pressing and holding onto brake, it makes a buzzing/clicking noise. Just like the Toyota prius brake booster recall/failure. Toyota claimed to be normal.

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle. The contact became aware that the battery terminal was corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced, and the repair was partially covered; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the infotainment system turned off and on independently. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the battery needed to be replaced, and the contact was informed that the repair would be partially covered. The contact stated that the battery failure had caused further electrical damages to the vehicle and was concerned that the battery replacement would not correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Vehicle fuel pump went out without any notice and fuel gauge and cluster not showing any data on the instrument cluster. Vehicle loss power and would not go over 40mph on the freeway take over 5 minutes to reach 60 mph per hour. Always serviced at the Toyota dealer and they won't help to fix the problem since its over 49k. They won't even look at emissions problem even it under warranty for 8 year/ 80k per emission warranty for ecu.

Started my truck up to go to the store started driving and all of a sudden it acted like it was running out of fuel check engine light came on and a ! symbol came to barely make it back home it sat for three weeks and had to have it towed to dealer they diagnostic on it and said it was a fuel pump problem the thing is there's a recall on this same vehicle but not mine $1400 is what they want to fix there problem my truck should on the recall.

All the windows make a rattling noise when they're rolled halfway down when hitting bumps.

Gas gauge is showing the incorrect amount of fuel left. I filled up for gas 3 days ago, my commute is very short so I know I didn't burn through that much gas in 3 days. I was in between 3/4ths and full with 229 dte before leaving. Got to my destination and I now had a full tank of gas and 246 dte. I reset the gauge per the manual and it now shows 3/4ths with 176 dte. Many people with tundra's have had the same issue. Some say its due to filling up the tank past 3/4ths and parking on an incline. I would really hate to get stranded or run out of fuel driving around town. It has not been brought to the dealer yet I'm waiting to get an oil change. No warning messages or any kind and this is the first time happening at around 830 miles.

I bought a 2024 Tacoma trd off road premium package through mas ( military auto source ). I picked the vehicle up from the bremerhaven port in germany on 08 July 2024 it was missing the back bed charging adapter box but mas said they would cover the cost in writing to fix no big deal and I drove it back to weiden germany. Today 09 July 2024 I lost the ability to shift into 2nd, 4th, and 6th gear. There is only 2 of these vehicles in the country of germany right now. The vehicle has approximately 735 km on it. It probably would have happen early had I been shifting more but the majority of my first in it was on the autobaun in 6th gear going roughly 130 km most of the way with no down shifting or ciry driving. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a Toyota tech due to the vehicle not being produced in germany but it doesnt take a genius to look up the issue your having and see the exact thing from multiple other Toyota owners. Toyota would be best to buy this vehicle back and reach out to me. VIN [xxx] below is the customer care email I requested be sent with my reference number and case number. Reach out to me upper mangment. Hi ×××× ××××××, we appreciate you taking the time to contact the Toyota brand engagement center. We are dedicated to providing superior service. Your case is filed at our headquarters office under your name and file [xxx]. If you require further assistance, please send us a message by adding a comment here, or give us a call at 800-331-4331. Case managers are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a. M. – 8:00 p. M. Et. Thanks! - xxxxxx Toyota brand engagement center hq 469-292-4000 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Rodents ate through eleven soy base coated wires. These wires just so happen to go to the fob, my air conditioning, and one headlight. This is obviously a safety issue. I contacted Toyota and filed my concerns. They told me that there is nothing they could do. I at the least would like a reasonable explanation why they engineered food into their electrical system. Thanks for listening.

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.

Driving at approximately 55 mph and dash lights started flickering, radio went off, reset to 530 (am radio). Vehicle started sputtering and slowing down in traffic and completely shut down. Lost all power and coasted to side of road. I had no or little control of vehicle. I have "connected services" that was to warn me about mechanical and electrical failures and no warning of this happening. This enrollment was to give me "services designed to help keep you safe, secure and in control of your Tacoma from almost anywhere". "brand engagement center" not concerned of the incident. Apparently two and half year old battery failed. Replaced by myself.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Wiring harness on the vehicle is being completely replaced due to "rodent damage" according to the dealer. I am not an automotive engineer but if compromised wiring finally fails while driving I suspect a number of systems could be affected. There was no indication of this problem during vehicle operations. My insurance company agreed to pay for this about $7200. I have owned the vehicle for ten months.

Bearing failure inside heater blower motor causing fan motor to burn out and filling the cabin with toxic electrical smoke.

The cabin vent system appears to have a design defect, specifically the passenger-side vent located in the back of the cabin. This component is available for inspection upon request. The dealership, santa cruz Toyota, has declined to replace the part despite acknowledging the issue. The concern lies in the vent's design, as it allows water to enter the cabin instead of just expelling air. The water intrusion caused by this malfunction poses a safety risk in two ways. First, the presence of water on the floor increases the chance of an electrical fire due to the numerous electrical wires running underneath. Second, mildew spores can grow on the wet undercarpet padding, creating a health hazard. This problem has been confirmed by santa cruz Toyota, and we have video evidence to support the claim. While santa cruz Toyota has inspected the vehicle, our request for a direct inspection from the manufacturer, Toyota, has not been successful. There weren't any warning lights or messages prior to the failure. However, the issue became apparent after the heavy rains of 2023 in California, when we discovered water accumulated under the passenger-side carpet padding.

Display a message in screen "pre-collision system malfunction", lost power and start blinking light in cluster.

The frame is rusted and I don't feel safe driving it at highway speeds. The electrical system the horn, air bags and radio don't work. Toyota said they had a program to repair the frame but they no longer honor it.

See all problems of the 2000 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

This Toyota Tacoma's soy based wiring attracts rodents and I have had to have repairs for the wiring. My 2 other older vehicles in the same location that does not have the soy based wiring there no problem. This is a world wide issue and no one has done nothing about. This is a safety issue that can be potentially dangerous, if some of the safety systems fail due to soy based wiring attracting rodents.

I currently own a 2019 Tacoma with around 70,000 miles on it. I keep up with all the Toyota recommended maintenance services to make sure my vehicle is well taken care of. So, while driving the vehicle on the interstate it drastically slowed down on its own and I could not get the gas pedal to engage almost causing a rear end collision. This also happened on two other occasions at lower speeds. My display stated I was having issues with abs, collision, and that I was pressing the gas pedal and break at the same time. My vehicle has been at the dealership for 4 days now with no resolve or any answers to why the vehicle is slowing down on its own. I feel the vehicle is a health/safety issue and I will not drive it until the issue is resolved. The computer was also flashed by Toyota a year earlier as I was experiencing a lag in engine engagement and high rpm's when the vehicle shifted from first to second gear. Something the tech noted he experienced driving it. It's also an issue I've had since purchasing the vehicle. I had to bring the vehicle back a month later as it started doing the same thing but was told they could not find any issues. I have found many other forums and spoke with other Tacoma owners who have had similar issues. I feel Toyota is definitely aware of the issues but not addressing them! I hope to get some answers soon!.

Truck will stall at random times and random speeds. All the engine lights will turn on and then the truck will shut off. Need to roll to a safe spot to stop the vehicle, put it in park, turn the engine off, then turn it back on.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Trac off & engine lights came on. Removed gas cap and put it back on. Removed cables to the battery and left them off. Replaced battery cables. Lights remain on. Went to dealership and they charged $100 to scan vehicle. They don't know what's wrong and said it'd be another $800 to check further. They said maybe a rodent had chewed through a cable??? have seen several reports of this vehicle condition and the battery cable resetting took care of the problem a lot of the time. Not this time. Don't feel comfortable a. Driving the truck with these lights on and b. Don't feel comfortable with handing over $800 for them to look into it. What to do?????????????.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota Tacoma 🔎.

Vehicle is designed in such a way as to allow moisture accumulating in drivers side floor mat and carpeting to wick upward and be deposited on the primary vehicle wiring harness located in the drivers side kick panel. The moisture collected travels down into the backside of the various female connectors and corrodes the conductors and receptacles that result in short circuits between the various vehicle components including the ignition, engine shutoff, temperature sensors, antilock breaking, blind spot monitoring, fuel gauge, forward vehicle lighting (high and low beam), security, traction control and other critical vehicle systems. On February 5th, 2023 I returned to my vehicle to find the security alarm sounding in the parking lot of a local business, both the keyless entry system and key-fob were unresponsive and would neither silence the alarm or unlock the vehicle. After manually unlocking the door handle the alarm ceased, the vehicle started as normal and then began indicating a failure of the bsm system, while underway the abs indicated it had also failed and upon arrival at our destination the engine would not turn off even with the emergency shutdown routine prescribed for unintended acceleration cases. In addition, the high beams would be triggered by unrelated button operation occasionally fail to turn off, the fuel gauge, temperature readouts and climate control provided unintelligible values. The vehicle was returned to to dealership where it was determined that water from the floormats was able to contaminate and cause systemwide failure. The repair was to replace the entire wire harness which would not be covered by warranty. On 3/15/2023 I reached out to Toyota headquarters' customer engagement team and was advised that Toyota was aware of the problem and had no interest or obligation in rectifying the situation, regardless of my concerns that this presented a clear safety hazard to both operators and the general public.

The airbag light first came on about 60 days ago, the first time I tried to use the cruise control after light was first noticed the cruise control did not work. My concern is that as long as the light is on the airbag(s) may or may not deploy. This airbag light has stayed on constantly since first appeared, the cruise control will work intermittently. The component has not been inspected but there is a recall, 12v092000:air bag clockspring replacement, that addresses this exact concern but appears my VIN is not included. This is obviously a problem on other VIN ranges because mine suffers from this and it is obvious Toyota is aware there is a problem but it just hasn't had enough complaints with my VIN range, likely because there are not as many on the road as the vehicle is 14 years old. I am concerned for my family's safety as well as my own if the airbag fails to deploy because of an accident.

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.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while reversing, the rpm and engine surged while turning the steering wheel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that there was no coverage for the failure of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB: 0125-18. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 300.

I purchased my vehicle (Toyota Tacoma trd pro) on September 23, 2022 and identified issues with all of the exterior cameras immediately. I scheduled an appointment with Toyota to inspect the problem with blurry cameras on September 29, 2022, but they advised that all 2022 vehicles have similar blurriness issues. I also own a 2018 Toyota highlander that has a much more crisp image, so I know Toyota has a problem with the cameras. Fast forward to approximately November 20, 2022 when my first problem occurred. I was backing into a parking space that had a shopping cart that was left on the sidewalk behind my parking space. Knowing that I was clear to park, I proceeded to back into the space, but as I started to back up, the already blurry camera flared up because of the direct sunlight and I could not observe anything. It so happens that the shopping cart started to roll towards my parking spot and hit the bumper of my truck, because of the high tailgate I was not able to observe this moving cart in my mirrors. Because of the flared and blurry camera image, I could not see the cart and the minor collision occurred. There was no damage to either my truck or the cart, but this could have been a child or animal and could have resulted injury or loss of life. As I have learned, this particular camera cannot be relied upon for the safe viewing behind the vehicle as it was intended. As my vehicle is equipped with multiple front, side, and rear cameras and they are all blurry, I would presume the problem lies somewhere with the computer or image controlling board that the cameras are attached to. This issue has not been inspected by the police or insurance company as no loss occurred and there were not faults indicated on the vehicle. Toyota did state that this was the normal operation for all 2022 vehicles and I presume this is a widespread issue what will inevitably have dire consequences down the road. Please evaluate and encourage Toyota to produce a fix.