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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2025 Toyota Tacoma

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 100 safety complaints about the 2025 Toyota Tacoma with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 6 people were injured and 1 death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 40 complaints, 40% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 6,000 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2025 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

100 complaints on file

100

Complaints

4

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

6

People injured

1

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
STRUCTURE 40 · 40%
POWER TRAIN 20 · 20%
STEERING 10 · 10%
SUSPENSION 9 · 9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 5%
ENGINE 3 · 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 · 2%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 2%
SEATS 2 · 2%
0 19 38

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 100.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 72.

76 57 38 19
25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2025 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2025 Toyota TACOMA, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test PU/CC 4WD PU/CC RWD PU/EC 4WD PU/EC RWD
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated Not rated
Side crash Not rated Not rated
Side barrier Not rated Not rated
Side pole Not rated Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 18.5% 19.8% 18.5% 19.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

5 on file

SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER

26V514000 · August 6, 2026

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024 Tacoma Hybrid and 2024-2025 Tacoma vehicles. The metal flange on the front and rear shock absorbers may corrode and fail, resulting in detachment of the external oil reservoir.
The risk
An oil reservoir that detaches can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front and rear shock absorber assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 21, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26TB14 and 26TA14.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 48,280 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

26V179000 · March 24, 2026

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Toyota Tundra, Tacoma Hybrid, Tacoma, RAV4 Hybrid, Land Cruiser Hybrid, Lexus GX550, 2024-2026 Tundra Hybrid, 2025 Sequoia Hybrid, Crown Signia, Grand Highlander, Lexus TX500 Hybrid, Lexus NX350 Hybrid, 2025-2026 Grand Highlander Hybrid, and Lexus TX350 vehicles. The load carrying capacity modification label may display inaccurate added weight values. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
A vehicle with an incorrect maximum capacity weight value may be overloaded, which can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the load carrying capacity modification label, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 26, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26LB04, 26LA04, 26TB07, and 26TA07.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 8,230 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

25V656000 · October 1, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2025 Tacoma and Tacoma Hybrid vehicles. The front driveshaft constant-velocity (CV) joint may deform and break.
The risk
A broken driveshaft can impair steering. Vehicles with full-time 4WD may experience a vehicle rollaway while parked without the parking brake applied. Both scenarios increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace both front driveshaft assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 11, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB11 and 25TA11.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 5,960 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

25V595000 · September 11, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Toyota Venza, 2023-2025 RAV4 Prime, RAV4, Highlander, GR Corolla, Crown, 2024-2025 Lexus TX, LS, Toyota Tacoma, Grand Highlander, and 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), and 4 Runner vehicles. Due to an error in the instrument panel software at vehicle startup, the instrument panel may fail to display vehicle speed, brake system, and tire pressure warning lights.
The risk
An instrument panel display that does not show critical information can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Dealers will update the instrument panel software over-the-air (OTA) for non-PHEV vehicles, free of charge. For PHEV vehicles, dealers will inspect the instrument panel assembly, and either replace it, or update the software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 5, 2025. Additional letters will be sent, anticipated in May 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB08 and 25TA08. Lexus' numbers for this recall are 25LB05 and 25LA05.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 591,377 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

25V058000 · February 6, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Tacoma 4-wheel drive vehicles. The rear brake hoses can be damaged if mud and dirt builds up inside the rear wheels. This can result in a brake fluid leak.
The risk
A brake fluid leak can reduce braking ability and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace both rear brake hoses, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 1, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB04 and 25TA04.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 221,846 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

1 death · 1 injured · crash · towed

Due to my husband driving the vehicle, ISP states it looks like he crossed into an oncoming semi-chip truck trailer, causing a fatal accident and killing him instantly. The 2025 Toyota Tacoma's Safety Sense obviously failed since my husband is now dead. We had the 2025 Tacoma in the prior week due to my complaints that the lane assist was not working properly and the screen did not respond to my touch to turn it on. After the fatal accident, ISP removed the black box to download information for the accident report. I am now waiting for isp report. No jaws of life was used to extract husband they didn't need it Tacoma metal already peeled back like a tuna can.

NHTSA complaint 11726018. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

4 injured · crash · towed · 4,000 miles

The contact owned a 2025 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, a Semi Truck attempting to merge onto the highway crashed into the passenger side of the vehicle, causing the driver to lose control of the steering and cross three lanes of traffic before crashing into the concrete median. During the crash, no air bags in the vehicle deployed, the collision avoidance systems did not operate, and twelve error messages were activated, including a brake error, a Four Wheel Drive error, and an ABS error. The driver sustained a concussion from the head contacting the steering wheel and lacerations from shards of glass entering the vehicle during the crash. The

NHTSA complaint 11714169, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 injured · fire

The driver's side window switch panel failed and caught on fire. It is available for inspection.It will be towed to a toyota dealership tomorrow. Nobody was in the vehicle when the fire started. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by a dealer. The vehicle has not been inspected, is going in for inspection tomorrow. There was no warning or indication prior to the fire starting.

NHTSA complaint 11735950. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

fire

We rented a vehicle consisting of the identified Toyota Tacoma with an installed cab-over camper (Travel Lite 550U-XS, VIN: [XXX]). While driving this rental vehicle on a two-lane highway with our family, including two young children (ages [XXX] and [XXX]), a fire ignited in the vehicle's built-in propane/gas stove system. We were not alerted to the fire by any onboard safety equipment, though the camper was equipped with a smoke alarm. We were alerted only by a passing motorist. The vehicle's smoke alarm did not activate until several minutes after the fire had already been extinguished by us using the vehicle's fire extinguisher, and after the smoke inside the camper had already

NHTSA complaint 11753398, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driver side interior door handle has broken. Not allowing me to open the door from the inside. Requiring me to roll the window down and open the door from the outside.

NHTSA complaint 11767788. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Inside drivers door handle cable was broke inside of door Door handle cannot be opened from inside Confirmed by dealer verbally Inspected by dealer and new cable replaced No warning lamps or any symptoms prior to breaking

NHTSA complaint 11767229. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Interior door handles malfunction - they do not open the door from the inside. To open the door, one must open the window or have someone else open the door from the outside. This is a known issue with 2025 Toyota Tacoma / 2025 Toyota 4 Runner models. Dealer ship is indicating not a warranty, though the issue began with less than a year on the truck.

NHTSA complaint 11765632. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
2025 Toyota Tacoma SR5, 8-speed automatic transmission. Harsh, hard shifts — primarily 1st-to-2nd and 2nd-to-3rd — on cold starts. The transmission slams into gear with a noticeable jolt/lurch of the vehicle. Occurs when the powertrain is cold; diminishes as it warms up. No warning lights and no diagnostic trouble codes stored. Reported to Kenny Kent Toyota (Evansville, IN) twice. First visit: dealer could not replicate. Second visit (09-17-2026): vehicle left overnight for cold-start diagnosis; dealer acknowledged the hard shifting but stated it is "operating as designed" because another Tacoma on the lot behaves the same way, and declined warranty repair absent a manufacturer bulletin.

NHTSA complaint 11765499, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HANDLE:INTERIOR
While attempting to exit my vehicle the inner door handle on the driver side felt loose. I attempted to open the door and the door would not open. I carefully attempted to manually move the lock on the door from unlocked to locked back to unlocked and again tried to carefully exit the vehicle but the inner door handle was inoperable. I am now forced to roll my window down and open my vehicle door from the outside to use the door

NHTSA complaint 11763988. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The interior door handle snapped and failed completely under normal operation, causing an immediate loss of driver egress. The handle went limp, leaving the door impossible to open from inside the cabin and creating an entrapment hazard in the event of an emergency. Exiting the vehicle requires the window to be rolled down to access the exterior handle. The failure occurred suddenly with no prior warning or indication of potential failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Toyota dealership, which confirmed internal component failure and ordered a replacement assembly under warranty. The dealership noted the replacement part is currently on national backorder due to high replacement

NHTSA complaint 11764169, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Tacoma

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 151 5 —
2023 54 4 —
2022 59 3 —
2021 80 0 1
2020 87 1 —
2019 218 4 —
2018 206 3 —
2017 239 5 —
2016 323 4 —
2015 101 4 —
2014 93 4 —
2013 125 6 —
2012 295 7 —
2011 186 9 2
2010 294 13 —

Other 2025 Toyota models

Sienna Hybrid 267 Camry Hybrid 163 Tundra 134 RAV4 88 Grand Highlander 75 4Runner 58 Land Cruiser Hybrid 32 Corolla 31

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Toyota on this site — 281 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst