What 323 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Tacoma

The contact owns a 2024 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking while driving. The contact noticed there was fluid emerging from the rear of the vehicle near the tire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed there was no recall or leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11738757

2016 Toyota Tacoma is known to have an issue with the timing cover leaking oil. This is a Fire Hazard: Oil leaking onto hot engine components can vaporize and ignite, posing a fire risk to the vehicle and surrounding areas and can cause environmental pollution.

NHTSA ODI 11722712

I purchased the vehicle new and noticed right away that the transmisson would clunk right away when I put it into gear[ it's an automatic]. I asked the dealership about it and they said it was normal and no issues. Now I'm [XXX] and have owned many cars so.... Anyway, over the years I've asked several times and they say no issue. Now, just this morning, my wife found an article about the issue and Toyota is finally admitting there IS an issue. What can I do? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11614574

AT shifter was stiff from purchase. I thought this was normal. Sometimes it shifted OK, most times not. Had independent repair shops lubricate the shifter multiple times to no avail. Then the shifter wouldn't move at all and I was in a traffic lane causing a dangerous situation. Had truck towed to an independent repair shop that found a second way to lubricate the shaft. Curious how many trucks left the factory without AT shaft lubricated.

NHTSA ODI 11561317

My 2016 Toyota Tacoma has had multiple oil leaks in the timing cover. The dealer has already fixed this issue twice and the timing cover is currently leaking oil. This leak is expensive to fix because it involves removing the engine and the transmission to properly seal the timing cover. This is a know defect that poses a serious safety concern as the oil leak may go from a small leak to a large leak quickly, causing the engine to fail. Additionally the air pressure from driving can cause the oil to end up everywhere which can lead other components to degrade and fail. Because the fix is so complex, the process to remove and reinstall the engine and transmission may result in other mistakes. During one of the attempts to fix the issue, the dealer forgot to replace an engine bolt and forgot to hook up a vent hose. The cost to fix this issue is so high that it makes it too expensive for many to fix.

NHTSA ODI 11529214

Timing chain cover is leaving oil.

NHTSA ODI 11507715

Vehicle made a loud bang from the rear of the vehicle , then started to slow down slightly without brakes applied. And then suddenly within a few more feet the Rear wheels locked up without brakes applied. Traveling at between 35- 45mph the vehicle skidded causing vehicles behind me to also skid to avoid hitting me. Truck would not move from this position , I was stuck in the lane without a shoulder to move close to . I was shaken pretty bad, out of fear I popped the truck into reverse and the rear of the truck made a loud bang or loud pop noise. It wouldn’t move back so I put it back in drive and it made another bang noise and started to roll forward with a lot of resistance . There was no safe place to park, I was close to home so I continued home driving very slow with my hazard lights on . Please help. I towed the truck to Servco Kauai Toyota 9-23-2022, they did not look at the truck until 10-20-2022 almost a month it sat at the Toyota. I went home and checked online to see if anyone had the same problem and found Tech. Bulletins and a Recall for this problem, I did not receive a letter for this recall. I had no idea there was even a Recall. Service advisor [XXX] and Service Manager [XXX]told me my vehicle does not fall into the criteria of this recall. Service Manager [XXX] said they are not part of Servco and this dealership would not perform this recall because it is a maintenance issue ( What ?) Please help . I towed My truck home , I m trying to sell my truck as is because the dealership gave me a quote of over $7000 to fix this problem. No one wants to buy my truck in this condition. Aloha [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11491128

Vehicle pulls or skips a gears when driving

NHTSA ODI 11472718

I brought my truck into Miller Toyota of Anaheim due to a violent shuddering and acceleration at about 40 to 50 mph. This could have caused driver to lose control and injure themselves, passengers, and other drivers on the road. Dealership diagnosed the problem as a bad torque converter in the transmission and said it would cost about $3200.00 to repair. Couldn't afford that so I took vehicle to an independent repair shop and they notified me that there was a Toyota Service Bulletin that addressed this concern and that they would have to do a complete reprogramming update of Transmission Control Module. I haven't had any issues since this was done but the dealership should have been aware of this problem which could be potentially fatal. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to this failure or during the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11465484

I have three signifcant issues with my Tacoma: 1. A few months after purchasing my Tacoma in 2016 Toyota (no accidents to date & 95% highway driving) and one outside alignment shop had never been able to get the truck aligned properly so it would never keep its alignment more than 3-4 months; repeated visits to Toyota maintence for alignment over the years became as routine as an oil change, sometimes more frequently; the unaligned suspension constantly was causing unsafe handling and unintentional swerving. 2. Toyota missed, and maybe purposefully, identifying major engine, transfer case, and transmission leaks during regular and routine serivces (always serviced at Toyota dealerships) until my mileage exceeded 60,000 miles. Then when I asked the dealership to recheck a recent transfer case refresh because I saw leaks, I needed and got over $3,000 in repairs e.g. power steering pump, front and rear seals, differential gasket-- it was terrible. Toyota did give a good will reimbursment of $1,400. 3. Now ~6 months later and still under 80,000 miles, I just spent $4,100 for repairs on more engine leaks; Toyota will not tell me if my vehicle is safe to drive, tells me the truck is ourside its warranty period (as it was last year), and refuses any goodwill adjustment. Is this 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD a lemon?

NHTSA ODI 11449165

After starting the truck and idling for any length of time, I place my foot on the brake and shift into Reverse or Drive. The truck almost leaps if I don't keep my foot on the brake. There is a noticeable pause many times, so it seems to be electronically controlled transmission. I have read that dealerships can Flash the ECU module and it will resolve it, but I do not have any "unresolved recalls" at this time.

NHTSA ODI 11420431

Vehicle has been jerking itself while driving at both low speeds and high speeds. Had taken it to the dealership Sept.2020 in order to get the ECU/PCM reflashed/updated to resolve issue; issue persists. Now, at highway speeds, 80% of the time it will be jerking itself, as off being momentarily shut off and on. Caused my rear end to fish tail on highway.

NHTSA ODI 11419334

VEHICLE HESITATES FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND SLOWING TO TURN OR GOING UPHILL EVEN ON SPEEDS UP TO 50MPH

NHTSA ODI 11399585

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START-UP IMMEDIATELY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE NEEDED FOR THE VEHICLE TO START-UP. THE FAILURE RECURRED FIVE TIMES WITHIN THREE DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC NOR A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11396497

AFTER DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION GETS STUCK IN GEAR AND REQUIRES MUCH MORE FORCE THAN USUAL TO PUT THE GEARBOX INTO NEUTRAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11327193

OFF-ROADING, RESTARTED VEHICLE AFTER A STOP. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS TRAC OFF ILLUMINATED. TRIED TO DRIVE FORWARD AND TRUCK STALLED AND MESSAGE SAID HIGH TRANSMISSION TEMP. GOGGLED ISSUE TO DISCOVER A RECALL FOR CRANK POSITION SENSOR FAILURE. LOOKED UP MY VIN AND I DON'T HAVE THAT RECALL ALTHOUGH I HAVE THE STATED YEAR AND MODEL. HAD THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11321537

TRANSMISSION SLIPS WHEN SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO DRIVE. HAS A 1-3 SECOND DELAY. IN ADDITION THIS SLIP MOTION CREATED A LOUD GEAR CRANKING NOISE AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE ON A U-TURN. THE TRUCK DID NOT MOVE OR SHIFT DESPITE HEARING THE ENGINE ACCELERATE ACCOMPANIED BY THE METALLIC GEAR-LIKE GRIND SOUND. SOUND VERY SIMILAR TO A STICK CAR WHEN YOU TRY TO ENGAGE A SHIFT WITHOUT THE CLUTCH (BUT MY TRUCK IS 2016 AUTOMATIC TRD-SPORT). LASTLY, WHEN TAKING SPEED BUMPS OR HARD SHIFTING MOTION (UP-DOWN) YOU CAN HEAR THE SUSPENSIONS MAKE A LOUD CLANK NOISE AS THE TRUCK SHIFTS IN THE SPEED BUMP MOTION.

NHTSA ODI 11311986

CAR HESITATES WHEN NEEDING TO ACCELERATE RAPIDLY. WHILE SLOWING DOWN THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS PUSHING ,NOT DOWN SHIFTING FAST ENOUGH. THE DIFFERENTIAL BANG AT TIME WHEN COMING TO A STOP, IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS NOT DISENGAGING. I THINK THERE IS A PROGRAMMING ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ADMITTING TO. I ALSO HEARD THAT THERE IS A BLOWER ISSUE. THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS WHEN YOU GO TO ACCELERATE THEN DON'T AND THEN DO. CAR GOES INTO NEURTAL HUNTING FOR A GEAR

NHTSA ODI 11301459

TRANSMITION SLEEP ALSO PUSH GAS PEDAL AND GO DOWN SPEED AND JUMP ASTER ACELERATE AND DELAY WENT I STAR 1RS GEAR NOT MOVE AFTER FEW SECONDS MOTOR MAKE WEAR NOISES LIKE NOKING ONLY HAVE 67000 MILES SUSPENTION IS BAD SEP ON CURVES AND TURN AT 25 MIKES PRE HOURS SO BAD SCARRY BACK PART IS MOVING SO BAD AND PULL ME OUT THE ROAD AND I SEE THE ON OTHER TACOMA SAME 2016

NHTSA ODI 11255469

BSM SENSORS STOP WORKING AND AFTER FEW BACK TO WORK WEEK LATTER STOP WORK AND DEALERS CAN NOT FOUND THE REASIN TO FAIL 3 TIMES ON DEALERS STILL NOT FOUND THE PROBLEM AND SAY ONLY TOYOTA HAVE THE SOLUTION TO APROBE A RECALL FOR THESE ISSUE

NHTSA ODI 11246607

TRANSMISSION SHAKES VEHICLE IN LOWER GEARS WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP. TRANSMISSION HESITATES AND HARD JERKS WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE .

NHTSA ODI 11163157

WHILE DRIVING IN CITY MY TRUCK SHAKES AND VIBRATING HORRIBLY WHEN GOING INTO 2ND GEAR. AND CONTINUES TO SHAKE LIGHTLY AS I CONTINUE DRIVING. DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK COULD BE A TIRE ISSUE. SO GOT MY TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED. PROBLEM STILL RESUMES. AND STILL NO ANSWER AS TO WHAT THE ISSUE IS. I HAVE ONLY 69,276 MILES ON THE TRUCK BUT IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY APPARENTLY. ON HIGHWAY DRIVING THE PROBLEM IS LESS NOTICEABLE BUT CAUSES NO POWER TO CLIMB HILLS OR PASS OTHER MOTORIST.

NHTSA ODI 11162967

THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL IS MISALIGNED AND THE CURRENT SOLUTION DOESN'T RESOLVE THE NOISE. I'M AFRAID EXCESSIVE WEAR IS HAPPENING AND ISSUE WILL ARISE MUCH SOONER

NHTSA ODI 11133596

ON LONG TRIPS WHERE THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN FOR SEVERAL MILES IN ONE GEAR IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PULL IT OUT OF 4TH, 5TH OR 6TH GEAR IN ORDER TO CHANGE GEARS. THIS RESULTED IN DANGEROUS SPEED CONTROL ISSUES (BOTH TOO FAST AND TOO SLOW FOR TRAFFIC) WHILE DRIVING ON MOUNTAINOUS HIGHWAYS. THE PROBLEM AND ITS REPAIR ARE EXACTLY DESCRIBED ON TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-0088-16. IN MY OPINION THE BULLETIN SHOULD BE ESCALATED TO A RECALL BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY CONCERNS. THE PROBLEM IS REPEATABLE BUT DIFFICULT TO DEMONSTRATE TO A TECHNICIAN BECAUSE IT REQUIRES A LONG DRIVE TIME AND UNDER CERTAIN TERRAIN AND/OR DRIVING CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ODI 11130279

VEHICLE LUNGES LIKE A BUCKING BRONC AT WOT FROM STOP OR ROLLING START. IF IT WAS A CARBURETED VEHICLE (PRE-COMPUTER DAYS) I WOULD CHECK TIMING, CARBURETOR JETS,FUEL FILTER,ETC. SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BETTER IN SPORT MODE OR ECT IN DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11129250