Possible 2012 Taco owner question

Hello all I have driven cars mostly all my life and about 10 years ago I had a Mazda b3000 pickup and I loved it. Recently I made a small error in judgement and purchased a newer car and am looking to trade it in for a 2012 Tacoma. It’s a 2.7L 4cyl with about 82k miles. It is at a dealership and during test drive everything went fine and felt good but I noticed the check engine and TRAC light was on. I said something and was told no worries whatever the problem is it will be fixed before it is sold to you. What types of problems can this truck have and it’s current price is an even trade for my car at about 15,000 from NY. Any input appreciated I am just looking to do a little 4x4 on the beach once in a while ..possible light towing like a pop up camper or something and everyday driver. Thank you

 

It's the dreaded secondary air injection failure. It recently became something Toyota will cover. It used to cost over $2000.

The valves must be stuck open. If they were closed, it would be in limp mode.

 

I know this is an issue with the 4.0 V6 but I have not heard of any horror stories about the 2.7 liter 4 cylinder. I would get them to show me the codes and prove it was fixed first.

 

Ok I will look into them giving me the codes and look them up or have my mechanic check them out . Also offhand is the truck a good solid truck I have seen some of these Tacoma’s with 200k miles which is great . The second owner of this vehicle put around 23k miles per year. As long as toyoyta will cover that big issue I’m ok with it if it happens again

 

Think long and hard if you want a 4 cylinder truck.

 

If you do buy it..........make sure you get two master keys !

Its a real PIA to get one made......especially if you in rural America........

dealer will charge $175-200 ? not sure....I finally got a spare...locksmith....

$12 for blank.....$54 to program

 

Why is that? Personal opinion or something I should know . I had a v6 truck and it ate gas and if I can tow the small things I need and use the 4x4 on the beach while getting decent gas mileage than I don’t see an issue personally. I am more concerned overall the performance of the truck itself and reliability

 

One its possible it was just the gas cap that was loose. i4 trucks have had the air injection on them and havnt had the issues nearly as much.

i4 is a solid motor but its not gonna be making much for power so just keep that in mind.

 

Just offering my real world experience nancy.

I've read threads on here where owners regret buying a 4 cylinder cause its a dog and MPG can be pretty damn close to the V6, then they have to go through the process of taking a financial hit to get into a V6. Seems like you already made one mistake automotive wise , so why make another?

To each his own, do what fits you!

 

I hear ya so you are offering personal opinion and I thank you for input. It’s all relative ..I’ll show you posts of people with v6 who wish they had just gotten a v4 too I’m sure. It depends what you want to use it for. Mine would be daily driver and minimal towing and I could be wrong but online said 12-18 on v6 and 18-27 on v4 . Unsure if that was manual tho if that makes a big difference . I am asking broad questions about the motor and life of the vehicle.

 

I have a 2012 aclb 2.7 and it has been pretty much bullet proof. Cast iron block and simpler internal mechanics will always be more reliable compared to the 4.0. I regularly wheel mine and in the 3 years I’ve owned it it’s seen the redline a whole lot in mud holes and on the street. I change the oil like religion and this engine has never had a single issue. The only thing I’ve had to replace was my serpentine belt because it got gunked up with mud and sand. If you take a look in my air box you’ll see that there has been mud and water that got past the air filter yet it just chugs along. I thrash the hell out of this motor and way more than I should and it just works.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ6juM6nB-2/

 

Appreciate the input thank you! Other than getting that light checked out it looks and runs nice. I’ll keep you posted on what I decide . Thank you again

 

Really the only issues with the 2012+ trucks are the air pump, just make sure that gets fixed on the dealers dime, and the i4’s are super solid, just pretty weak. But if you don’t need / want the power of the v6, save some bucks and get the 4cyl!

Also probably unlikely due to the newish year of the truck, but it never hurts to do a quick undercarriage check on the frame and other suspension parts for rust depending on where you live.

 

Welcome to TW- Hope the deal works out for you& be sure to check the under carriage/frame if the truck came from "Salt" country

 

The truck has been in Long Island NY for all it’s use

 

Or it could be a bad or loose gas cap.My 2015 had the same problem and it was a loose gas cap.

 

Nothing at all wrong a i4,very very reliable.

 

as stated i4 trucks have had the air pump since day one. only 2012+ v6s got it.

 

Thank you all for info on the truck I will keep posted on what the codes were

 

The 4 bangers ( 2.7 liter engine ) do not have the engine immobilizer system. ( No chipped key ). Just regular keys you can have made anywhere for a couple of bucks.