Best Toyota Tacoma Model Years To Buy

Best Toyota Tacoma Model Years To Buy

These are the years almost nothing went wrong.

Over the years, the Toyota Tacoma has been one of the best used trucks available for several reasons. First and foremost, it’s a reliable truck. The first-generation Tacoma was equipped with the trusty 5VZ-FE 3.4-liter V6, while the second-generation model used the 4.0-liter 1GR-FE. Another trusty V6, the 2GR-FKS, was used for the third-gen Tacoma.

Naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines were also available, but American buyers mostly opted for the larger V6. Much to the dismay of many fans, the all-new Tacoma is no longer available with that sweet six-cylinder powerplant. The new model is powered by a turbocharged four-pot, which has been around for a while in other products. It will take a good few years before traditional Tacoma owners are convinced that there are no engine defects related to the downsized engine.

Before we move any further, it’s worth noting that the Toyota Tacomo is not perfect. Throughout the many model years, Toyota dropped the ball on several occasions. Even so, Toyota Tacomas have very few reported complaints against their name, and the most high-profile problem was peeling paint and rust issues. All of that is covered in our feature of the worst Toyota Tacoma model years.

Even during the Tacoma’s worst years, there were very few consumer complaints. Years from now, automotive engineering students will study the Toyota Tacoma as a fine example of how to design and build a truck properly.

As mentioned earlier, one of its main attractions is reliability. The first three generations of Toyota Tacoma models followed a straightforward recipe. They were built on a robust ladder-frame chassis, equipped with basic but reliable engines, well-known and trusted gearboxes, and basic but hardy rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive systems.

The Japanese automaker was constantly criticized for not staying in touch with the modern world. Customers had to wait years for modern features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and wireless charging. But by keeping the Toyota Tacoma simple, the truck built a massive following.

Toyota Tacomas also appear to be depreciation-proof. According to CarEdge, a ‘Taco only loses 33% of its value over five years, which is a stunning accomplishment. Conversely, used Toyota Tacomas demand a significant premium over comparable rivals like the Nissan Frontier and Ford Ranger.

Still, customers are willing to pay extra for a car with very few common problems. Basically, the Tacoma is a winner because it does everything a truck should do well, and it’s highly reliable. If something does go wrong, parts are cheap and easy to find. And if you can’t fix it yourself, there’s a good chance you’re probably within spitting distance of a Toyota dealership.

The easy answer is all of them. As mentioned earlier, there are Toyota Tacoma years to avoid, but even when times were tough, the manufacturer provided a solution. There have been many recalls, and if the Tacoma trucks you’re looking at buying went in for those repairs, it will be golden. The only costly issue Toyota never admitted to was paint chipping. The second-generation ‘Taco was poorly painted, but owners only noticed after parking them outside for several years.

To find out which model years were the best, we looked at official complaints lodged against the car. The fewer complaints logged in a year, the better the truck, right?

There is a trend when it comes to significant problems. As soon as a facelift or entirely new model was introduced, reported problems spiked. This is completely normal and happens to most new cars. The perfect example was the 2016 Toyota Tacoma. Introduced in 2015, the 2016 model year holds the record for the most complaints ever filed against a ‘Taco. Several owners complained about transmission issues, but Toyota quickly developed a software update, and the problem disappeared.

So, even when Toyota makes a mess of its midsize pickup, it quickly finds a solution, and everything is right with the world.

The model years below are all years with the least complaints.

According to CarComplaints, only one customer complained about the 1996 Toyota Tacoma. It relates to the well-known rust issue, which Toyota rectified by inspecting cars, making repairs, and, in some cases, even buying them back.

This particular customer only noticed rust on his chassis in 2013, 17 years after the purchase. By then, Toyota’s 15-year program to fix first-generation models with severe rust had already expired.

This gives us a nice segue to the best advice we can give anyone in the market for a used Toyota Tacoma. The first- and second-gen Tacomas had severe rust issues. If you’re buying one of them, get underneath with a flashlight. The ladder frame is exposed, so you can see it easily enough. If there’s any sign of rust or rust repair, find another Tacoma.

Toyota currently sells well over 200k Tacomas per year, so there’s no shortage of used stock.

Toyota gave the Tacoma a facelift in 2002, which kept the car fresh until the second gen arrived for the 2005 model year. The least problematic year during this period was 2003 when 15 official complaints were filed against the ‘Taco.

Most of these complaints were also about rust and people missing the deadline for Toyota’s Repair Program.

Again, follow our buying advice and get a rust-free Toyota Tacoma. Once you have it, follow our tips on how to prevent rust from forming.

The second-generation Toyota Tacoma was in production from 2004 to 2015. It makes sense that the best model year for this generation would be near the end of production, if only because Toyota had a decade to refine the car and iron out all the kinks.

The two main complaints against the 2014 Toyota Tacoma were premature interior wear and the radio going off. Two customers complained about premature seat wear on the TRD trim’s seats, while one person said his sun visors came off.

The sun visor must have been fitted by a factory worker recovering from a hangover on a Monday morning. Still, apparently, the fabric for the TRD’s seats was not supplied by Toyota’s usual go-to supplier. Still, two complaints are not enough to form a pattern, so we suspect either neglect or abuse was involved.

The radio shutting off is a common problem, covered in our worst Tacoma years feature. The 2014 model predates the legislation that requires all cars to have a reverse camera, so it’s an old-school system. If you buy a 2014 Tacoma, tear that out and replace it with a newer touchscreen interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Several mounting systems are available for the second-generation Tacoma, and we’re particularly fond of the flush-fit system.

During the model years mentioned above, the third-generation Toyota Tacoma received one complaint each. As we mentioned earlier, the 2016 third-gen received more complaints than any Tacoma in history, but Toyota soon rectified all of the early problems via a series of recalls.

The 2021 complaint was for transmission flaws, while the 2023 problem was engine failure. Toyota replaced the engine under warranty, but the transmission issue could not be rectified.

We checked, and the recalls for these model years had nothing to do with the above. These were most likely also hangover cars. The engine was inspected, and the tappet cover was loose, leading to all sorts of damage. Since this was a one-off, there’s no reason to avoid buying a late model year third-gen Toyota Tacoma.

The truth is, we don’t know yet. Toyota blessed the all-new Tacoma with a 2.4-liter turbocharger four-pot, available with or without a hybrid system. It’s more potent than the V6 and way more fuel-efficient.

It’s not a new engine, however. It’s part of the Toyota Dynamic Force engine range introduced in 2017. This engine range consists of inline-three, inline-four, and V6 engines, both naturally aspirated and turbocharged. The engine code for the engine used in the new Tacoma is T24A-FTS. It debuted in the 2021 Lexus NX 350 and has since been fitted to the Highlander, Grand Highlander, Lexus RX, and the upcoming Toyota Land Cruiser.

We did some digging and couldn’t find any recalls related to this particular engine. It has been around for three years, and the days of turbocharged cars not being as reliable as old-school large-capacity engines are over. It seems like there was a replacement for displacement after all, no matter how many internet trolls say otherwise.