Home · 2016 Toyota Tacoma · Complaints

What 323 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Tacoma

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (323)Crash / fire / injury (9)Transmission & drivetrain (136)Engine (47)Electrical system (36)Body & structure (22)Seats (22)Brakes (18)Lights (17)Fuel system (14)Suspension (14)Speed control (10)

9 of 323 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 13, 2025Fire

The seat heater pins have melted, leaving black residue. thus showing possibilities of a fire

NHTSA ODI 11699183

Jan 9, 2023Body & structure1 injury

Recent in December wife said there’s a musty odor in truck. While vacuuming carpet on Friday 1/6/23 water came to surface. Searched everywhere for leak and found the 2 vents behind back seats had bad gaskets and leaking bad. After getting access under carpet, passenger side was dry but growing mold and drivers side is holding slimy water. The back seats are a little higher and we’re dry but signs of mold as well. These vents pop out through the cab outward but the bed has to be removed to replace them. I used silicone to seal from inside to stop water intrusion. Dealership no help, report and claim filed with Toyota corporate, insurance company and waiting for response. During the holidays, wife road in my truck several times and ended up spending a week in the hospital due to a fungal infection in her lungs and may be linked to the mold. While on a chat group, Tacoma Owners Group and Tacoma World, there are numerous other owners with the same issue and no help from Toyota.

NHTSA ODI 11500806

Nov 11, 2022Electrical systemSeatsFire

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.

NHTSA ODI 11493228

Jul 18, 2022AirbagsCrash

I was involved in an accident and the airbags on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma did not deploy.

NHTSA ODI 11474608

Oct 21, 2021Electrical systemSeatsFire

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, the contact noticed their front driver seat warmer stop operating and started smelling an electrical burning. The contact continued to drive to their residence where at that time the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the seat heater amp connection wiring was burned out. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,404.

NHTSA ODI 11437706

Dec 17, 2018Body & structureCrash

WAS HIT BY A DIFFERENT DRIVER IN A PARKING LOT.

NHTSA ODI 11162083

Aug 22, 2018Electrical systemSeatsFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WITH THE DRIVER'S SEAT HEATER IN THE ON POSITION, THE HEATER FAILED TO OPERATE. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ELECTRICAL MODULE FOR THE HEATED SEAT HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND MELTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (SUMMIT TOYOTA, 1535 VERNON ODOM BLVD, AKRON, OHIO). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 11121570

Jan 20, 2017AirbagsCrash

MY HUSBAND AND I WERE DRIVING HOME ON A SNOWY NIGHT WHEN OUR CAR SLIPPED AND SLID DOWN AN EMBANKMENT ALMOST INTO A RIVER. LUCKILY, OUR CAR WAS STOPPED BY A LARGE BOULDER RIGHT AT THE WATERS EDGE. UNBEKNOWNST TO US AT THE TIME, WE HAD STOPPED COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WATER HOWEVER WE WERE NOT SURE BECAUSE EVERY AIRBAG IN OUR CAR DEPLOYED, COVERING ALL OF THE WINDOWS. IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE HIT THE BOULDER, WE TRIED RELENTLESSLY TO GET OUT OF BOTH FRONT DOORS AS WELL AS THE BACK DOOR, HOWEVER WE WERE UNABLE TO GET TO THE DOOR HANDLES BECAUSE THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEFLATE AS THEY SHOULD HAVE. AT THAT POINT, MY HUSBAND WAS ABLE TO RIP THROUGH HIS FRONT DOOR AIRBAG TO REACH THE HANDLE AND GET BOTH OF US OUT OF THE CAR SAFELY. MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT IF WE HAD ENDED UP IN THE RIVER WE WOULD HAVE DROWNED DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING AIRBAGS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10946799

Oct 9, 2016Crash

AS TRUCK WAS COMING TO A SAFE STOP, THE TRUCK QUICKLY ACCELERATED INTO A SMALL TREE AND CAUSED DAMAGE. SAME SYMPTOM LATER ON HIGHWAY AND ALMOST HAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT SO I PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND CALLED FOR WRECKER SERVICE. TRUCK NOW AT PANAMA CITY TOYOTA STILL WAITING FOR CODE READING.

NHTSA ODI 10914929

Working with the data? Download all 323 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Toyota Tacoma verdict →