Turd Gen??

Not sure why so many seem to hate the 3rd Gen.

I just turned 41 the other day and have only owned 7 vehicles ever.

1985 Ford Bronco (1 year, 88k, leaked oil everywhere, engine blew up)
1987 Audi GT (1 Year, 150k, too many electrical problems to mention)
1990 Ford Taurus SHO (3 years, 150, engine failure)
1995 Dodge Dakota (5 years, 95, worst vehicle I ever owned, complete trash)
2000 Nissan Xterra (3 years, 175k, transmission failure)
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer (12 years, 257,000k, totaled in accident)

I did a lot of research before and after the purchase of my 2019 Tacoma OR. Seems most of the Car Gurus discuss features, performance, driving experience etc. Reliability is often hard to judge in new models. But reliability is the only metric I really care about. I had amazing luck with my Lancer. I replaced the tires four times, 3 batteries and one tie rod from an exgirlfriend's adventures in curb hopping. Other than that the little lancer just ran. This influenced my decision for sure in purchasing new and something with a reliability record.

With that said it seems people love to hate the 3rd gen. I read the forums, go out take my truck for a drive again to see if I can replicate the countless complaints with the drive train. I simply do not see what everyone is all worked up about.

I may be biasd as the Lancer was a complete turd on the road. I had the first year of the last redesign and it came with a 2 liter CVT and something like 142 hps. That thing was horrible for acceleration the last few years. However, she always started and got the job done.

Might the 3rd gen go down as the most reliable tacoma ever? Has Toyota failed tacoma owners in the reliability with the 3rd gen? I ask these questions because it appears that Toyota put a priority on reliability and efficiency. I read somewhere that this new engine platform was designed to be more durable and efficient. Am I wrong on any of this?

 

If you get off the internet you won’t find many haters

 

Welcome to TW.

 

The engine was designed for the Lexus line and when launched was one the list of top 10 engines for a while. Its a good family of engines with a good reputation, used in many cars both Lexus and Toyota.

The only big issue I've seen with these trucks is they tend to blow oil out the exhaust when on a steepish incline, but that's only an issue when off roading.

 

negative people are usually more vocal.

 

you have owned some real shitboxes The 3rd won't be the most reliable ever but, it ain't all that bad. It is reliable, reasonable safe. A LOT of people are coming to them from other vehicles that are more "refined" we can say. Enjoy your new rig and delete your account here before you are convinced your new truck is shite. Cheers!

 

They’ve only been out four years.

 

It’s this simple... “haters gonna hate and ainters gonna ain’t!”

 

While forums are extremely helpful, they also host a lot of “issues”. People will find complaints with any vehicle. Power lacking, transmission constantly searching for gears, rear diff howl, and a multitude of other complaints can be found on the 3rd gens. With that in mind, thousands of these trucks sell every year without constant consumer complaints. I just purchased my 2019 and I haven’t had a single issue. Granted, the truck does feel a bit more sluggish compared to the 2nd gens 4.0. However, auto manufactures are aiming to improve efficiency, so I expected a difference. The road noise is much less in the 3rd gen and I find the updated features a must have. Toyota’s refresh of the Tacoma was a success in my book. Keep driving your truck and don’t go looking for an issue that most likely doesn’t exist.

 

Hello

 

We had an 89 Bronco II growing up, thing was a pile of crap. You’ve picked some serious lemons in the past man... it happens. With the internet now though, things come to the surface pretty quickly, and the perfect vehicle doesn’t exist, you can only do research and make educated decisions.

It also helps to look around the streets and take a tally of what you see a lot of driving around, and there’s no lack of Tacos.

 

They are selling at record levels...

 

IDK why people are fussing about their Tacoma. If they don't like it, they should get rid of it. I have had all kinds of vehicles from sports cars, family cars, mini trucks, 1/2 ton trucks, 2500HDs and even a jacked up Jeep(by far the worst vehicle I ever owned). It's kind of like food, if you tell yourself you don't like fish then you won't like fish. Everyone has their own flavor for things. It's really what you like and the rest doesn't matter. I've only had my Tacoma for 6 months and I love it. There are a few things that could be better, but that's with every vehicle. Enjoy your truck. It was a good investment as for as vehicles go. Great resale value. Good Luck!

 

There is like fifteen and a half complainer on here talking smack vs 250,000 Tacomas sold every year. You do the math

 

Internet engineers
There's a massive amount of Tacomas on the road, and the same 34 TW IE's here perpetuating the same internet info. If you did the math, it's. 0000000something %

 

You will notice that 99% of the complaints/problem threads here are really people whining about a quirk of the truck and not an actual problem... go to any other vehicle forum (*cough* Jeep *cough*) and its almost the opposite... thread after thread of "engine not turning over" "wheels randomly falling off on freeway" "transmission blew up" etc.

We have it pretty good overall!

 

I had a 2016 Tacoma SR5 for over three years it was problem free. I liked it so much I upgraded to a 2019 TRD sport in April. Love them both. I do find the 2019 improved over the 2016.

 

One, it's an internet vehicle forum - I've never been on an overly positive one. Two, it's the current Tacoma.

 

One thing I notice is that the 3rd gen seems larger than previous generations.

I would be curious if a larger truck leads to more engine wear and eventually dings the reputation of the overall truck.

Purely speculation.

 

Only the bottom half of the engine, its also shared with Lotus who uses it in their track cars.