Maybe I shouldn't have come to this forum!

The turd Gen has plenty of issues. It is not really up for debate that this is the most highly criticized Generation of any previous generation.

If you look at Car & Driver, Consumer Affairs, JD Power and Consumer Reports you will see that the truck is getting very low initial quality scores, unlike the Toyota Tacoma has really ever seen before. Look at CarComplaints.com the number of complaints on the first year of the Third Gen are sky high compared to the previous generations. Also If you look at the 2nd generation, the worst year on Car Complaints was 2009, hands down. So just because the new truck has been out for a few years, doesn't necessarily mean it will get better with age.












My recommendation is you TEST DRIVE for a long time. What you see and feel is what you get. There will be no Break In. The engine feels sluggish and lacks low end torque/throttle response? Yes that is NORMAL and it will not improve. I made the mistake of thinking it would change but it did not.

There are other issues on mine that popped up after 10k miles. I have already had to have a rear differential replaced. My truck is on the recall list for failed CPS Sensors. My hood adhesive failed and the hood flexes and vibrates. The leaf springs squeak like hell after one trip down a dusty road. My brakes had to be redone due to squealing. One of my shocks blew out in 23k miles and was leaking. However maybe I have just been extremely unlucky and experienced MOST of the commonly reported problems here. There are SOME people who love the truck and have not had many issues.

I decided I must keep my truck for a few years even though I am not really satisfied with it. We have a kid on the way and I'm not in a position to be trading it out right now. I have to live with the cards Toyota dealt me for now. Toyota awarded me with a 8 year/125K miles Platinum warranty for my troubles and the LACK of confidence I now have in the vehicle. It doesn't make it all better but it helps and it also makes sense to ride that warranty out for a few years. With that in mind and the fact I have to use my truck for hunting and guide services on some pretty sketchy unmaintained back roads, indian reservation, farms and ranches, the truck does OK offroad but I wanted better riding suspension so I put a small investment into the suspension $1500 to get a very mild lift but most importantly to improve handling and offroad ride quality.

I will not be going back to Toyota at this point given my experience with the Third Gen. I will likely go back to GM as I had great experience with my 2011 GMC Sierra and their customer service. I also had a Ford Ranger with over 160k miles on it which NEVER let me down. I just need more room for gear, people and now the kid.

Good luck.

@SocalOC is this what you were looking for as far as my experience and opinion?

 

NOT LOLO!!
Some ppl really know how to twist things to their agenda
The only fear and paranoia I have, is that someone will take my perfectly running baby away!

 

http://www.fourwheeler.com/vehicle-...-year-winner-2016-toyota-tacoma-trd-off-road/

 

yeah but its like do you want to drop that much on a 1/4 ton that has you second guessing or just get a used 2nd gen or a solid half ton for the same price

 

I'll throw in another positive response.
I've had a '14 SR5 (2nd gen) for 30,000 miles, a '16 limited for 20,000 miles, and now a '17 limited with 10,00 miles so far. I've never had a major issue with any of them. Or any of my 5 other Toyotas (since '06), for that matter. And and added nugget, when I traded my '14 and '16 in, I received just a few thousand less than what I paid as a trade.

YMMV

 

Even though I think the 3rd gens are fine, some have issues as do all makes, I agree with this. So I would say the real question is, should you be second guessing the 3rd gen, I would say yes, just like every other make.

 

Seems most trucks with problems you see posts about, most truck owners with no problems do not post that fact. I traded a double cab sport (2015) for a 2017 access cab Off Road and I like it a lot, no regrets at all. 3,500 miles to date. Actually was a little concerned when I traded due to the negative write ups from the disgruntled owners and I am glad I bought it as it is just what I wanted.

 

As I said, many of my problems did not come up until after 10k miles. For those with 3500 miles or 8500 miles, you have hardly even had to rotate your tires yet. Get back to us when you have 20k+ miles on the truck. A lot of folks like @TacoBella and @Threerun had their trucks for a year or so until they decided to get rid of them due to issues or dislikes.

 

Meh. Leasing actually works better for the Tacoma than for other trucks because high resale value means lower monthly payments. Also the entire sales tax isn't added to the principal, so you are not paying interest on the tax, which can be significant depending on state.

 

Rated by 171 people out of 404 reviews ?
100's of thousands sold and base an opinion on that ? Really ?

 

The 2nd gen never had this many bad reviews on any of these sources. Explain that.

 

171 rusty frames ?
More people online today.

 

how many folks ran to the internet back then?

 

... due to confiscation by dealerships for the recall. A very valid fear!

 

Apparently enough to trash on the 2009.

 

I have zero issues. You are one of the 171 out of 200,000 people it seems.

 

@HLA0392 It's also important to keep things in perspective. The 2016 Tacoma has been less reliable than previous years. Your Grand Cherokee would be in the 300 range in this chart.