2016 TOYOTA TACOMA Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Severe clear coat and paint fading on hood, roof and sides of truck.

2016 Toyota Tacoma is known to have an issue with the timing cover leaking oil. This is a Fire Hazard: Oil leaking onto hot engine components can vaporize and ignite, posing a fire risk to the vehicle and surrounding areas and can cause environmental pollution.

The rear passenger door lock actuator on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma failed prematurely, causing the door to no longer lock or unlock properly. The failure required replacement of the entire actuator assembly at a Toyota dealership at a cost of $727.19. This failure occurred without abuse or unusual use and is not consistent with normal wear and tear. I am aware of numerous similar complaints and pending class action lawsuits involving door lock actuator failures across multiple Toyota models, indicating this is a known and recurring defect. A door that cannot reliably lock or unlock presents a safety and security concern, particularly for passengers and children, and increases the risk of unauthorized entry or inability to exit the vehicle in an emergency.

2016 Toyota Tacoma – severe clear coat and paint failure on the hood and roof. The clear coat began peeling in 2022 and has progressively worsened. Large sections of the hood and roof show complete delamination, oxidation, and exposed basecoat. This is a widely reported defect for 2015–2017 Tacomas across multiple paint colors. Toyota Customer Care confirmed today that my VIN is not included in Customer Support Program 23TE08 and that no goodwill repair would be authorized, even though the defect is identical to the vehicles Toyota acknowledges as affected. This appears to be a manufacturing defect that compromises durability and corrosion resistance. Photos and documentation are available upon request.

Paint on hood and roof is fading significantly.

The seat heater pins have melted, leaving black residue. thus showing possibilities of a fire

Fire

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving, there was a musty odor coming from the interior of the vehicle. The contact was unable to locate the source of the odor. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while vacuuming the vehicle, the contact noticed that the carpet and floor mats from the rear passenger’s side were wet. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear quarter duct vents had fractured, and water was entering the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Bought 2016 Tacoma in 2022 w/ 53k miles. Hit 58,850 (ish) and had an noticable oil leak… apparently this was a “Well Known” issue, as the mechanic @ Surprise, AZ Dealership (Toyota of Surprise, 13543 N. Auto Show Ave., Surprise, AZ 85388) told my wife and I…. it’s from this same thing that google showed me also: “Engine oil leaks: Reports on Consumer Reports and other forums detail expensive repairs to fix oil leaks from the front seal or timing cover, which can cost $5,000 or more because the engine often needs to be removed for the repair.” And this was 100% my case- and confirmed by the Toyota Dealers Mechanic verbally. Leaks were without engine light indicators “at all”. The dealership added a dye, told me to drive 100-500 miles and return to have a re-inspection done after their initial one came with no results. Initially I spotted this while I was conducting a regular 3,000 mile oil change. (2nd oil change since owning the truck. So my out of pocket was around $5,700+, for an apparent (see attached) “well-known” Dealer issue. @ 60k, a major repair cost for this should NOT but coming from the consumer, and needs to be listed as a “recall”. Had I not noticed the missing oil, this could have left me stranded, my family stranded, or caused many other traveling issues throughout my driving experiences. I repaired this around two years ago, but have been terrified to drive my truck! I’ve driven about 1,000 miles or less since the repair (in 2 years time). I’m selling first chance I can, BUT, I WANT MY MONEY BACK! I have the receipt in a safe for when this becomes a recall - to prove i paid it, and to get a FULL REFUND!!! That is not how good business is done by Toyota. I owned a 2004 and 2005 Camrys prior, as well as a 2014 Lexus GS 350 F Sport (all in my name), this truck was a dream, now a nightmare. Please, for everyone complaining online and those that have had to also pay for these repairs @ low mileage, MAKE THIS INTO A RECALL FOR 2016 TACOMAs.

I am reporting a persistent and unsafe issue with the factory-installed Entune infotainment system in my 2016 Toyota Tacoma. While driving — whether locally or on the highway — the system frequently freezes, becomes unresponsive, or abruptly resets itself, often multiple times per drive. This directly affects my ability to safely use the navigation, backup camera, and audio controls while in motion. The system’s crashes divert my attention from the road, especially when I’m relying on navigation and it either stops functioning or forces me to interact with the screen to regain control. These interruptions increase the risk of distracted driving and could easily contribute to an accident. I have attempted to install the software update provided on Toyota’s official website, but the update is older than the version already installed on my vehicle (0101A0), so the system blocks the update. There is no way for a consumer to reinstall or flash the current version, and any potential resolution is only available at a dealership for a fee, effectively putting the fix behind a paywall. Toyota has not issued a recall or service bulletin for this issue, despite dozens of reports from other owners on Tacoma and Prius forums describing the same crash behavior and software version conflicts. This is a significant safety concern, especially when the infotainment system is used for navigation during high-speed or complex driving conditions. The inability to maintain consistent functionality puts drivers and others on the road at risk. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this widespread issue and press Toyota to issue a free repair or software patch for all affected vehicles. Symptoms: •Frequent infotainment restarts while driving •Frozen or unresponsive touchscreen •Glitched navigation system and lost GPS routing •Driver distraction due to repeated system failure

I have experienced two major failures on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport with less than 90,000 miles: a leaking coolant crossover pipe, which required partial engine disassembly and cost me approximately $2,500, and a leaking timing chain cover, which required a full front-end teardown and cost over $4,500. Both issues are known problems across 2016+ Tacoma models with the 3.5L V6 (2GR-FKS engine), yet Toyota has not issued a recall or warranty enhancement. These failures present safety risks related to overheating and oil loss and result in significant financial burden to owners. Toyota needs to be held accountable for these premature, design-related failures.

During a safety inspection, it was found out that the steering rack was leaking. In a quick research on Google, it appears that many people that own this particular year and tacomas are experiencing the same issue. It is the first time for any car that we own and we keep our cars for more than 10 years. To us, this could be a manufacturing defect that should be investigated and a recall issue. We had it fixed so it can pass inspection, but something just doesn't make sense.

When using four-wheel drive, the vehicle was unable to make a left turn. I disengaged four-wheel drive, and the vehicle was stuck in four-wheel drive. This happened on two occasions. The first time was approximately August 2022 and the second time was last year. When I took it to the dealership, they said here was nothing wrong with it and they told me that I probably used the four-wheel drive incorrectly. Luckily, I was able to get the truck into a parking lot. The way that I was able to disengage it was to put the truck into reverse and back up a few yards then go forward a few yards and repeat until I hear a loud thump.

Heated seat had stopped working, checked and found the problem. The module that controls the heated seats had a melted connector and wires, causing the seat to no longer be able to have heated seats.

Upper Intake manifold flap actuator ( part: Toyota 17190-0P101 ) brakes in the intake resulting in wrong air reading and forcing vehicle into limp mode causing the vehicle to rapidly decrease speed, and creating a potential accident with other vehicles and semi's. this will continue to happen but this will give a person a false sense of security since error codes will reset once vehicle is turned off and on, a reassurance to a person that the issue has resolved itself since this will only happen at high speeds. the part is designed for fuel efficiency, as the flap opens and closes air is controlled properly for emission, but once broken will throw error codes, and force vehicle into limp mode this part is not be repairable, the part needs to be changed completely. this would happen to me while accelerating on highways, up mountain passes and pushing vehicle over 4000 rpm.

Rear Coolant Bypass Joint leak. Coolant leaking through this pipe and accumulating.

Paint is chipping off in several places and have read this is a major problem with tacomas in the white color

Coolant leaking

The paint on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma is failing after a few years of owning the truck, it has been well maintained and washed but the problem keeps getting worse. I have searched online and it seems to be an issue with white and magnetic grey colored Toyota cars but no recall on magnetic grey paint.

Seat heating module for my driver seat has melted and is further irrepairable without buying the entire harness to fix the issue. There are multiple reports of this happening across forums.

I have recently been made aware of the Super White paint recall and know that is not yet in full force or able to be serviced at this time. That being said, it appears that the recall only covers " paint peeling along the exterior door window frames and front inner fenders under the hood on certain Tacoma vehicles with 040 Super White paint color", But there are multiple reports of this entire paint job being defective over multiple generations as well as paint outside of these areas specified. This recall should cover an entire repaint and is extremely frail in quality otherwise.

Seat heating module for my driver seat has melted and is further irrepairable without buying the entire harness to fix the issue. There are multiple reports of this happening across forums.

I purchased the vehicle new and noticed right away that the transmisson would clunk right away when I put it into gear[ it's an automatic]. I asked the dealership about it and they said it was normal and no issues. Now I'm [XXX] and have owned many cars so.... Anyway, over the years I've asked several times and they say no issue. Now, just this morning, my wife found an article about the issue and Toyota is finally admitting there IS an issue. What can I do? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The seat heater thermostat under the driver’s seat melted and charred while heater was in use Fire danger. Dealer said this happens to a small number of vehicles of similar age and manufacture date. This was inspected by the dealership. No lights or warns came on before, during or after. I noticed the seat heater stopped working. I inspected the fuse. The fuse was not burned out. I found the melted part under the seat in the heater wiring harness assembly. I have removed the fuse at this time to prevent energizing the harness further.

I purchased this vehicle in May 2016. The vehicel has the "Super White" paint package. In late May 2019 I noticed the paint was starting to peel off the door frame, above the headlights and above the windshield. I contacted the Toyota Dealership where I purchased the vehicle, Desert Toyota of Tucson) and they told me there was a recall on the paint and that I would be receiving a letter from Toyota USA about this. A year went by and I contacted Toyota USA, and was told there was no recall on my vehicle due to paint peeling. I again contacted Toyota USA in 2021 (Incident # 210719-000344) regarding the peeling paint which was getting worse and was again told no recall due to peeling paint. I have spoken with the dealership several times about this and I keep getting told that I will be receiving a letter from Toyota USA, but there is a backlog. I called Toyota USA again this morning 8/13/2024 and was told no recall on my peeling paint, yet my dealer insists there is one. Toyota USA told me to conatct the NHTSA about this, so I have.

At approx 75K miles hood latch popped open. Noticed hood was open while driving on highway. Only the 2nd safety latch was holding it closed. Pulled over to close it but it would not fully latch. Noticed latch had a lot of rust. Did not bother taking it to a dealer or repair shop. Bought an aftermarket latch and easily installed myself which solved the issue. Very glad hood did not fully fly open which could have been catastrophic.

I had a heated seat failure. I do have the parts available for inspection. I removed the seat to find that the sub assy-seat heater and connecting wiring harness had been burnt which could potentially cause a fire. Toyota part numbers effected are: sub assy - 87501-0C020, wiring harness in the heater assy - 87510-04040 which was replaced by 87510-04050. I reported the issue to Toyota. There were no warning lights or indicators that there was an issue. The heated seat indicator light still shows the seat as on even though it was not heating. Toyota service bulletin T-SB-0130-18 has been issued about this issue, so Toyota obviously knows there is an issue. I've read in forums online that the root issue is the wiring not being large enough to handle the power to the seat, so ultimately replacing the factory parts would not guarantee the issue will not happen again.

At 55,000 miles Brake fluid began leaking into passenger cabin. Brake fluid leaks on to brake pedal and driver footwell. Obviously a safety issue and dealer is asking approx 2000 dollars to repair. Failing component is a brake master cylinder that is specific to the Off Road and Trd Pro Tacomas that have a traction control feature called “crawl” for off road use. After an online search, this issue seems common in these models.

AT shifter was stiff from purchase. I thought this was normal. Sometimes it shifted OK, most times not. Had independent repair shops lubricate the shifter multiple times to no avail. Then the shifter wouldn't move at all and I was in a traffic lane causing a dangerous situation. Had truck towed to an independent repair shop that found a second way to lubricate the shaft. Curious how many trucks left the factory without AT shaft lubricated.

Just like with the other double cab Tacoma recalls I am hearing about, the third rear tail light is leaking water into my access cab. The interior smells like mildew. I’m not sure why my truck is not covered by the recall, but it is experiencing the exact same situation. Water leaking through the deteriorated seal of the break-light. I think with accompanying mold build up.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Heated seat heating module. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Module burned out during usage and emitted fire odor and smoke when burnt out (potential fire hazard if kept on). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? [XXX] Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Unknown. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? None. 2016 Tacoma limited heated seat heating module overheated/burned out with slight smoke under seat during minimal usage (texas based). TSB [XXX] released in October 2018, about the time most of the 2016 (produced in 2015) are going out of warranty, and based on frequency of usage and locale (warmer climates observe less usage) - also even though parts used are the same, VIN is apparently not affected. Toyota will not honor TSB even though the burn out can be a potential fire hazard if not known/smelled especially while traveling and buckled into seat belt (similar to Mercedes heated seats caught on fire). No notice provided by Toyota of TSB at time of issue. Item should be a recall as it affects many 2016-2018 Tacoma's and is a fire safety and burn hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fuel injector(s) leaked without any warning, causing engine to loose power on freeway. We were fortunate to be able to move over to the shoulder before the truck lost all power. Vehicle was towed to dealer and it was determined that the injector leaked fuel into engine causing engine failure. Repairs needed include engine block, heads sub assembly, injectors and assorted other parts total for parts and labor $19,256 No warning lights or symptoms prior to this problem. Truck has been running fine with no problems, only has 41,000 miles.

On 10/30/2023 Toyota stopped supporting Scout GPS Link. This is the Toyota installed navagation system and the only navagation system that works with the Toyota display/audio system. All other navagation systems are blocked from the Toyota system. Navagation is now reduced to using a Cell Phone display and audio. Well this option works it is much less safe as the display is much lower beneath the driver's normal line of sight. Eyes must be taken off the road for a much longer period and looking at a much smaller display. While not as big a safety risk as other vehicle problems this may provide NHTSA with the opportunity to track the safety impact of vehcile navigation systems vs hand held nagivation systems.

Truck had to be abandoned after I attempted to start it and the brake pedal was stiff and the ignition would not allow starter to function. Dashboard message indicated a brake problem with transmission interlock. The next day, after viewing a U-Tube video on the problem (same make/model/year) I held the starter button in for 12-15 seconds with no foot on the brake. The engine started but the transmission remained locked in Park. Tow truck operator was able to release the shifter using an access port and screwdriver and found that he could drive it up onto the inclined platform. Once in place on the platform he shifted to Park and found it was again locked. This issue disabled the truck in a traffic area where it could not be started or shifted into Neutral to move it...a dangerous situation.

White paint is peeling off in multiple places on the body of the vehicle. There is a change.org petition with 5,000+ signatures, yet Toyota has refused to do anything about the issue. https://www.change.org/p/toyota-motor-company-hold-toyota-accountable-for-2008-2022-tacoma-super-white-peeling-paint

My 2016 Toyota Tacoma has had multiple oil leaks in the timing cover. The dealer has already fixed this issue twice and the timing cover is currently leaking oil. This leak is expensive to fix because it involves removing the engine and the transmission to properly seal the timing cover. This is a know defect that poses a serious safety concern as the oil leak may go from a small leak to a large leak quickly, causing the engine to fail. Additionally the air pressure from driving can cause the oil to end up everywhere which can lead other components to degrade and fail. Because the fix is so complex, the process to remove and reinstall the engine and transmission may result in other mistakes. During one of the attempts to fix the issue, the dealer forgot to replace an engine bolt and forgot to hook up a vent hose. The cost to fix this issue is so high that it makes it too expensive for many to fix.

Vehicle is designed in such a way as to allow moisture accumulating in drivers side floor mat and carpeting to wick upward and be deposited on the primary vehicle wiring harness located in the drivers side kick panel. The moisture collected travels down into the backside of the various female connectors and corrodes the conductors and receptacles that result in short circuits between the various vehicle components including the ignition, engine shutoff, temperature sensors, Antilock Breaking, Blind Spot Monitoring, Fuel Gauge, Forward Vehicle Lighting (high and low beam), Security, Traction Control and other critical vehicle systems. On February 5th, 2023 I returned to my vehicle to find the security alarm sounding in the parking lot of a local business, both the keyless entry system and key-fob were unresponsive and would neither silence the alarm or unlock the vehicle. After manually unlocking the door handle the alarm ceased, the vehicle started as normal and then began indicating a failure of the BSM system, while underway the ABS indicated it had also failed and upon arrival at our destination the engine would not turn off even with the emergency shutdown routine prescribed for unintended acceleration cases. In addition, the high beams would be triggered by unrelated button operation occasionally fail to turn off, the fuel gauge, temperature readouts and climate control provided unintelligible values. The vehicle was returned to to dealership where it was determined that water from the floormats was able to contaminate and cause systemwide failure. The repair was to replace the entire wire harness which would not be covered by warranty. On 3/15/2023 I reached out to Toyota Headquarters' Customer Engagement team and was advised that Toyota was aware of the problem and had no interest or obligation in rectifying the situation, regardless of my concerns that this presented a clear safety hazard to both operators and the general public.

POWER STEERING ISSUES, LEAKS, CORRODED. CAN LEAD TO ENTIRE RACK AND PINON REPLACEMENT. STEERING IS TIGHT, ACTIVE FLUID LEAK(S); TOYOTA DEALER THAT IT WAS PURCHASED FROM KNEW IT WAS LEAKING BUT REFUSED TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER. PER TOYOTA, POWER STEERING LEAKS CAN CAUSE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL LEAK IS REPAIRED. HOWEVER, TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT WOULD NOT LOCATE THE LEAK AND REMEDY, LET ME DRIVE KNOWING IT COULD BE POTENIALLY HAZARDOUS.

Toyota has a recall for all of the White vehicles EXCEPT for the tacoma. The tacoma has the same issues with paint flaking off in sheets yet they will not cover the repairs or extend the recall to include the truck. There are thousands of us that have signed a change.org petition and complained to toyota but haven't received any support. My paint started flaking when it was just past the 36 month warranty. currently this flaking is on 9 of my body panels. Link to the online petition with photos. https://www.change.org/p/toyota-motor-company-hold-toyota-accountable-for-2008-2022-tacoma-super-white-peeling-paint

Timing chain cover is leaving oil.

Driver’s side front seat not delivering heat despite switch lamp indicating it’s on and working. Further exploration reveals passenger side seat heater working as it should. I checked wiring harness and connections under driver’s seat only to discover plastic connector entering amplifier scorched and melted with two of four pins destroyed (Red and Green wires). I believe the wire gauge sized for this system is improper and therefore represents a fire hazard. About the time the seat heater failed, I smelled a burning odor inside the car for a short time but didn’t associate the two events until later. The vehicle has 135,998 miles on it and therefore out of warranty. I spoke to the dealer who explained he’s had similar issues from other customers and added there is no recalls at this time.

Recent in December wife said there’s a musty odor in truck. While vacuuming carpet on Friday 1/6/23 water came to surface. Searched everywhere for leak and found the 2 vents behind back seats had bad gaskets and leaking bad. After getting access under carpet, passenger side was dry but growing mold and drivers side is holding slimy water. The back seats are a little higher and we’re dry but signs of mold as well. These vents pop out through the cab outward but the bed has to be removed to replace them. I used silicone to seal from inside to stop water intrusion. Dealership no help, report and claim filed with Toyota corporate, insurance company and waiting for response. During the holidays, wife road in my truck several times and ended up spending a week in the hospital due to a fungal infection in her lungs and may be linked to the mold. While on a chat group, Tacoma Owners Group and Tacoma World, there are numerous other owners with the same issue and no help from Toyota.

1 injured

Recent in December wife said there’s a musty odor in truck. While vacuuming carpet on Friday 1/6/23 water came to surface. Searched everywhere for leak and found the 2 vents behind back seats had bad gaskets and leaking bad. After getting access under carpet, passenger side was dry but growing mold and drivers side is holding slimy water. The back seats are a little higher and we’re dry but signs of mold as well. These vents pop out through the cab outward but the bed has to be removed to replace them. I used silicone to seal from inside to stop water intrusion. Dealership no help, report and claim filed with Toyota corporate, insurance company and waiting for response. During the holidays, wife road in my truck several times and ended up spending a week in the hospital due to a fungal infection in her lungs and may be linked to the mold. While on a chat group, Tacoma Owners Group and Tacoma World, there are numerous other owners with the same issue and no help from Toyota.

1 injured

This vehicle is equipped with Toyota V6 Motor that was new in 2016. The issue is the Timing Chain Cover leaks oil. This was an issue on Toyota Motors before 2016 and Toyota issued a TSB for those. However Toyota has refused to acknowledge this ongoing issue in its post 2016 Motors. This is a very well know issue by Toyota.

driving full speed car suddenly slows and light on dash reads accelerator and brake pressed at same time, although my foot is nowhere near the brake. This is 3rd time it has happened, Toyota say's it doesn't come up as error on their computer.

Hood latch, the hood would not fully close and lock! The dashboard warning light would come on indicating the latch was not working. The hood would be open approx 1/2 inch. Tried opening and closing numerous times. Finally, tied the hood closed with a bungee. Went to the local Toyota dealership. They (Service Technician) said he sees often! Sprayed with a solvent. Indicated corrosion around the small spring. A few weeks later, driving and the hood popped, secondary latch kept the hood from fully opening! Dashboard warning light illuminated. I pulled over and tied hood to secure until I could get to the Garage again! Indicated the spring was weak......no repair! Waiting for a disaster to happen at highway speed! Checked Google, and numerous reports by other 2016 owners for same problem!