Tacoma quality going down hill...

Hey, don't want to bash my own truck, but I am really disapointed with my Tacoma. I think Toyota is getting away with using their reputation for making good trucks to post big profits. Having owned one for a year, I must say that this is the biggest piece of junk I ever bought. Engine is good, but thats it. I refuse to say what a good truck this is. I had an 07 Frontier. It was so much more of a higher quality truck.

I'm sick of this cult following the Tacoma has. There really not that great. I was sucked in by it too.
Lets speak up. Don't let Toyota get away with this.

I have a trd sport 6spd 4x4

Just want to throw some stuff out there. Chime in if I missed something. Or if you just disagree.

6 speed transmition issues (squeaky throw out bearing) Bad pilot shaft
Transmition needing replace possibly
squeaky clutch pedal
lousy paint job (Underside of truck in grey primer, engine bay overspray)
really bad paint job (engine bay is discoloring) white, yellowing
Whining a/c compresser (had replaced)
1st battery lasted one year
Motor mounts on earlier 2nd gen Tacomas made poorly
Roof made too thin, most are dinged pretty good.
Tailgate too weak, bends easily, no lock
Cheap plastic bed, scratches so easily, leaves a white scratch
Cheap plastic bed, No good anchor points for a motorcycle
Truck bed lighting, none
4X4 switch, doesn't light up
Interior door panels, scratch easily, cheap armrest fabric
Interior not very durable, hard to keep in good shape
Truck looks good in and out, but made with thin steal and plastic


Just some things I have noticed or encountered. Not to mention all of your problems.

What did I miss?

 

I have literally none of the issues you have with mine.


Some of them are things that you personally don't like. Like no bed lighting. That'd be nice but I have it on our work truck and have never used it myself.


I had a 100 lb 3 foot long john deere tractor axle sliding around my bed and it didn't leave any scratches. Left some white marks but they wiped right away.

Get a bed mat, wtf?

Also I have no problem tieing a dirt bike...you've got 4 adjustable tie down points and two D-rings in the bed...

I don't have any engine bay overspray.

The new tailgates are reinforced, and there is a TSB for the older ones.

No problems with my paint job...

IDK...sorry for your issues, you have bad luck sometimes and some people just don't like what others do.

 

Same here, not one issue.

And no, it isn't a "cult following" the Tacoma has. It's a long history of solid build quality.

 

I would be upset if my truck had all those issues, but I havnt had a single one yet. I also got the base model, because I wanted the simplest truck possible. Even no carpeting would be a plus for me. Plus base model = less things to break

 

sell it if you hate it so much

 

Several of those things are covered by TSBs or warranty repair.
Some of them are not Toyotas fault- Batteries just crap out, Plastic dents/scratches.

I think you maybe bit off on the "Taco rep" and didn't think about what you wanted. Bed lighting, motorcycle tie downs are easy to fix or would have been better shopped for when you were buying the truck.

It's all about priorities...I'm totally happy with my truck.

 

I am just worried about the Paint thats all. I am begning to like my 2010 Taco.

 

My Point exactly....

 

None of those problems you have. Most of those problems can also be handled under your warranty. Look in the TSB (technical Service Bulliten) and you will see that you can basically get a brand new Tailgate and the other "problems" you've mentioned. Most Manufacturers try and hide that type stuff. At least Toyota has honesty and "whats best for our costumers" attitude.

2006 TRD Sport Prerunner with 84K miles.

Only thing Ive had to replace is the 3 year old battery.

I will the paint and the steel isnt the toughest... but its the same way with any truck or car. Your eventually bound to get scratches and dings.

and half of those things you listed are consumer opinions.

 

Yep, I'm convinced. There is obviously Toyota employees in TW. You can tell by the posts. There is a cult like following, all created by Toyota.

Nobody has issues???
Come on, alot of these trucks have issues... Not all, but some.

 

The paint... sounds like perhaps the truck was repainted or dealer resprayed or something... my engine pay is flawless. The paint looks great, but it is cheap paint on these trucks regardless. That said, Nissan, Honda, and any other japanese manufacture is no better for paint quality.

The bed isn't cheap plastic, it's a composite bed. It won't rust out, and there's been no reports that I've seen of it failing yet. I was skeptical at first but... I've yet to have issues.

The tailgate, as stated, has a TSB for that. I've yet to bend mine, even holding my buddy and a 700r4 on it.

The interior is superior to the Frontier IMO. The 3 I test drove rattled and had horrible fitment. Yea, the interior scratches and blemishes easy... but so did my G35. If it's not made of metal, it'll do that. They choose these materials for safety in a crash over anesthetics. The armrests I'll agree was a dumb choice, but do the leather mod... I'm gunna. Also, I have no probs keeping the interior in good shape. If I knick it... it'll almost always rub out. :shrug:

I dunno, it sounds to me like you abuse the truck hard. It's not an old 80's hilux... nothing is anymore. If you take care of it, it'll take care of you. If you abuse and beat the hell out of it, it'll break. They're not invincible, but they will take a hell of a pounding. Also, it sounds like you want a work truck, use it like a work truck, but you want it to always look like a show truck..... Good luck with that

 

LMAO Billy- You and your 7 posts are sounding a bit Tin Foil Hat Brigade.

Yeah..The metal is thin and the paint isn't amazing- but all the off roading I've yet to rack up any serious damage. It could use a better interior...but I don't want to pay more...

It's a truck- It's going to get beat up.

 

So your saying that Frontiers dont have issues either?? Come on, man. Every vehicle in the entire world coming off an assembly line will always have problems..

The bed is actually ALOT tougher than the steel bed brothers. 1: It wont rust or dent (I had to drill though my bed for my FireStik antenna- It was tough). 2: It already has a texture and has cubbys and storage.

 

I had a 02 Nissan Xterra. I owned that car for 3 months and got rid of it!
Horrible interior, horrible gas mileage, interior sucked, the car just sucked overall and it was almost "new" when I got it. Toyota quality> Nissan quality

If you hate the truck, then sell it. I'm sorry you got "sucked" into buy your truck by this forum. You obviously liked it when you test drove it! So, whats changed....It's still the same truck that you drove.

Also, allot of stuff that you're complaining about like the cheap interior and cheap door rests can be fixed as others have done this on this forum. Why don't you have fun working and modifying your truck rather than complain about it?

I didn't like the stock sound system, so I changed it and now I love it! It's better than all the other stock sound systems out there and I learned stuff about my truck and it also became sentimental to me because of the time I spent installing it.

Theres a million ideas on TW to change your truck or fix it. Why don't you try applying it to your truck?

 

frontier is better quality than toyota? You're craaaaaazzzzzzyyyyy!
You have no idea about quality that Toyota builds into their product.

 

x2! I had those in my ford ranger and it's the ONLY thing I miss from that truck.

 

Truer words have never been better spoken

 

I love my tacoma except for the shitty gas mileage, rear leaf springs, crappy speakers, I think toyotas running out of $$$ cause they just pulled out of F1 to save money

 

I am not a toyota employee but have owned a toyota truck since 1987 so its more of being an enthusiast.
I do remember my 1995 clutch pedal squeaking tho the truck went 150k on the original clutch and is still on the road today.
As far as the bed issues, its been suggested to get a bed mat, its cheaper than line-x & won't rub the paint off like a plastic bed liner. I like the composite bed.
Sorry you have some trouble with your truck, as others suggested most issues are covered under warranty or easy fixes.
I will agree a lighted 4wd switch would be nice, but I now know where it is so its no big deal.