Going into Tacoma Purchase With Caution

Looking to buy a 2013-2015 Tacoma as a daily driver and weekend chore hauler about 10K miles a year. When I test drive, I want to be aware and look out for any known chronic problems that current owners have experienced. I have already read one thread about 4x4 bearing vibration that seems to affect some vehicles but not others.

Are there other issues inherent to the Tacoma that Toyota does or does not acknowledge as a problem but they do annoy you? Here is why I ask.

My last new vehicle was a 2013 Honda Pilot with Variable Cylinder Management whereby onboard systems compensate for the inherent engine vibration and resonance when cylinders are dropped. Noticed nothing nor was I looking for anything on the test drive. But 24 hours later on a 2 hour drive something did not seem right for a new $35000 Honda.

A Google search confirmed others with the same issue. Honda said, No problem, its just a "characteristic" of the vehicle. The dealer said that a software fix to reprogram the VCM was in the works. It got to the point that passengers would ask what was wrong with my car. After 2.5 years of aggravation and failed arbitration the Honda software fix included drive shaft replacement.

I am not looking for Safety Recalls or "I wish this or that feature was better" info. Rather is there a characteristic(s) of the vehicle that has risen above other issues and appears to be a common issue for some but maybe not all, like the bearing issue? I recognize its a truck and not a sedan or SUV so its not an apples and oranges comparison. I would like to know if among the "apple" owners there is anything I should know that one doe snot read about in Consumer Reports or the car mazine reviews..

 

Rear springs are weak, you put 500lbs in the bed and she squats. I am going to put new leaf packs in...about $140.00 at my local spring shop.

 

With only 10,000 mi a year I think you could get away with driving a lemon and still not have any issues. But as said before the springs are weak and the interior feels cheap other than that nothing really of note.

 

I sold my 2011 Accord V6 in part due to a head gasket failure at 24K miles (dealer replaced gasket and front cylinder head under warranty) and in part due to concerns about the VCM system long term, so I feel your pain there. I really liked that car and hated to let it go, but didn't think it would last. Too much complexity for too little benefit - won't ever buy a VCM Honda again. I've had great luck with Honda 4 cylinders though.

I did quite a bit of research before buying my Tacoma new in 15, and bought new in part due to the high resale value of used ones...new didn't cost that much more. The only thing I found that could be an Achilles' heel is the 12+ Tacomas have a poorly designed and cheaply built air injection pump system. It's part of the emissions system, and if it goes bad, it can cost a boatload to fix (1K+ At a dealer). You can't ignore it because it will put the engine in limp mode, not to mention you will fail emissions testing. The parts are Toyota only (big $$$) for now, so you can't get them aftermarket yet.

The other thing, of course, is to be careful about buying one from up north...the jury is still out in how well the newer frames stand up to rust, especially as they age. If you keep an eye on it, you should be fine.

All in all, the rest of the stuff is minor - some Tacomas may eat wheel bearings sooner than they should, and some have minor annoying vibrations, cheap leaf springs, carrier bearing replacements, etc. Otherwise, they are good trucks, reliable, and simple to work on. Just what I wanted. Good luck!

 

Is the air injection a V6 thing?

And aren't emissions warrantied 80k miles?

Great to look out for the potential. Good to know where to look and consider potential remedies too.

And we don't know what state he's in. Not all states have inspections.

 

Only certain parts of the emission system are warrantied for 8/80, not all of it. O2 sensors are another example of an emission component not warrantied past 3/36.

Clearwater Bill is right that if you don't need to pass emissions, you may not need to worry about the air injection system failing. But if the truck is in limp mode, it's mostly undriveable (no power), so you can't just ignore the CEL. I believe the air injection system troubles are limited to the V6s, although the 4 cylinders have these pumps, too.

 

A lot of people, including myself have had an issue with the transmission being low on fluid right from the factory.

 

Thanks all. In this day and age what is it still with Toyota frame rust? Look at my new member intro and you'll see my 3, 1997 Tacoma and T-100s all had rust problems. Good to know about the air injector, thanks. And yes, never a Honda VCM again. I considered the new Ridgeline, yeah I know, not a real truck, but when I saw it was VCM, no thank you. But it was a caveat emptor experience and the realization that a lot of things that we have come to expect are not what we get but are now considered the new normal.

 

Balancing tires seems to be an issue if your local shop doesn't use a specific adaptor. Or you have to take it to the dealership and pay an arm and a leg for balancing.

6 speed, manual transmission trucks get less MPG than the autos due to lower gears.

Throwout bearings seem to be an issue for both the 5 speed and 6 speed.

The more you know, the better informed you will be to choose the right truck. Seems that most "issues" can be addressed and the aftermarket has come through to fix certain things Toyota has failed to.

 

There are problems. There are also reasonable solutions to those problems. Most of the problems we acknowledge and solve here on TW are little things that the average owner doesn't notice in the 5-10 years they own the truck. I'm too tired to make a list, but this question has been asked many times. Play around with the search feature and you'll find a wealth of info.

Welcome to TW, hand over your wallet.

 

I am not looking for perfection in the Tacoma. I recognize there are and will be issues. I am looking more for design flaws acknowledged or not by Toyota, if there are any in the Tacoma that would make a prospective owner not enjoy driving the Tacoma for those 5 to 10 years.

Imagine paying $35K for a new car and the next day after driving it awhile and after your butt becomes calibrated to the new ride feel, you notice a periodic vibration in the chassis and seat as well as a deep bass resonance as if the rear window was down at speed and wind was creating a buffeting drone sound in the cabin. And this was after driving a 10 year old Odyssey with 135K and expecting a new car experience. We drive as much by ears and rears in our seats as we do the gauges and CEL to sense whether there is a mechanical or safety issue with our ride. Imagine the issue happening intermittently as you drive and wondering if it is the car or maybe a tire going flat. It got to the point where I could feather the gas enough to make it vibrate on command. It takes away from the driving experience. Imagine your three prior Hondas being a pleasure to drive and consistent with their quality rep. Then you get the dealer and corporate line that what I am experiencing is a normal characteristic of the vehicle. I admit not all rears and ears may be sensitive to such things, but enough owners including Odyssey and Accord that Honda spent four years to find a fix. That includes one affected Pilot owner who built and sells a $55 plug and play resistor that tricks the VCM into thinking the engine is still cold so that it never kicks in and runs continually as a v6 with no CEL.

Sorry for the rant, I am not knocking any response here and did not want to get into this detail in my original post but did it here to give all you experienced Tacoma owners a sense of what type of issue I am look to uncover if there are any. My mistake was joining the Honda forum AFTER I bought the Pilot.

It sounds like there are some routine issues maybe but none that rise to the level of the type that I found with the Honda. The $1000 injector pump sounds akin to the $900 rear electronic, fluid filled motor mount that Honda engineered to compensate for the VCMs unbalanced vibration along with a radio that emits a frequency 180 degrees out of phase to counteract the VCM vibration resonance. As an earlier poster said, a lot of complexity for too little benefit.

Despite my prior three rusty Toyota trucks I still like them. What sold me on Toyota was when they stood behind their frame recall on my 97 Taco that I bought with 120K, drove it three years and they bought it back for $4k more than I paid. If this reply brings to mind any other "design flaws" I am eager to learn about them. As always, thanks for your experienced insight.

 

You shouldn't be disappointed. My 08 has 103k miles and the only thing I had to do was rebuild the starter because the solenoid went out. That's it. I hear lots of problems with the 3rd gen Tacoma but that's to be expected during the first couple years of production. The final years of the second gen should have most kinks sorted out.

 

Love my 15. No issues to teport at 60k

 

No issues w/ my 2014 DCSB 4x4 w/ 72K and counting miles (purchased with 6 miles November 2013). I haven't encountered any issues such as drive line vibes, etc. I do have some ghost rattles here and there, but nothing major.

My only "problem" with the truck is with my Leer 100R shell on it, it sits level. I keep eying suspension kits but that's a lot of money!

 

I've owned two Tacoma's in the last 7 years, one a '09 TRD AC OR Pre-Runner and now a '14 TRD AC OR 4x4 (both purchased new). Love both of them and bought the 4x4 for property reasons (needed to get to it in the snow). I had no real issues with either truck and like the '14 much better for interior color (black carpet) and just all around look. No noticeable problems with vibration and I do haul items occasionally and do towing of my track car several times a year without issues. I don't do the "heavy" off-roading that a lot of members do, but do need to do some "minor" off-road type driving on some property we purchased. No real "mods" to the '09 and put 17k on it prior to my new one, which now has 22k miles. I treat my vehicles to last a long time and so far, it's been a great truck. I plan on keeping this truck for quite some time so I have added some comfort features to make it more enjoyable. With any vehicle, keeping watch of things and taking care of them are top of my list. I was in this business my whole life and know the "value" of doing so. I don't think you'll be disappointed in getting one. imo, I like the looks of my '14 better. Good luck.

 

I've had a 93 Pickup and a 1st gen. I bought a new 2nd gen 15 DCLB in the Summer of 15 before the 3rd gens came out. In general, the later 2nd gens benefit from a decade of tweaks arising from earlier TSBs and the like. A thread on 2nd gen TSBs is available on this site.

The V6 is solid, the transmission is solid. The stock suspension is lackluster at best. I'll be replacing it to suit my needs, and knew that going into my purchase decision. The overall fit and feel could be better, but everything is plasticy and cheap feeling these days. The tailgate is weak, but it can be easily reinforced with aftermarket products. The rear corners of the bed can be prone to weakness and bending outward if you use your truck hard or especially if you put a cap or other loads on the bed rails, but guess what...it can be easily reinforced with aftermarket products. Notice that these quibbles essentially arise from manufacturing attempts to save cost and wight and I guess keep mileage from plummeting.

More on transmission options: I came from 33 years of driving a manual to an automatic (you can't get a DCLB with manual), and although I loathed the idea of an automatic, it really is not bad. The manual transmission has come under some criticism by some people (noticeably, people with lots of manual experience) for shifting a bit oddly. I've never driven a manual 2nd gen, but my basic understanding is that electronics interfere with throttle control and can throw off your shift timing or expected response. If you are considering a manual, give it a good test drive to make sure it doesn't seem odd or potentially bothersome to you.

The 3rd gen however...just don't go there. Teething problems with new engine and tranny, among many other complaints.

What else is in the market segment? Colorado or Frontier.

 

Ive had both the 6 speed manual and the auto. The auto is the way to go. The auto is strong and durable. They run forever. The manual has some issues. The bearings are noisy, clutch pedal squeaks continuously, and its slower than the auto. Which sounds backwards, but with the Tacoma the auto is quicker.

Get a later year Tacoma that has had the bugs worked out. 05 tacomas have some head gasket issues and motor mount gussets have been strengthened after 05. Some 2012s have had problems with their emmisions pump giving out. It was a new design in 12, but fixed for 2013. There aren't any major issues to worry about with later tacomas. You may have some things you want to upgrade, like suspension. Overall they are very reliable trucks.

 

Damn, are they any better than the stock packs at 140 bucks??

 

Same here with my '15 @ 35k.

With that said, my engine "whines" a bit under acceleration now, but that's a good thing.

 

More data please?

4x4 needed?

Hauling what? A few hundred lbs, or a big trailer load?

Is your daily drive mixed, city, rural, flat-ish or steep?

Answers to those make a practical recommendation for your use easier, and can reveal or eliminate the types of risks you are interested in.