"How reliable is the 1997 Toyota Tacoma?"

"Based on 148 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Toyota Tacoma has a median complaint mileage of 143000 miles. The most common issue is Body."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Toyota Tacoma?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Toyota Tacoma is Body, accounting for a significant portion of the 148 total complaints filed."

1997 Toyota Tacoma: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 148 complaints

148

Total Complaints

143,000mi

Median Mileage

Body

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

101,250 25th Percentile

143,000 Median Mileage

185,311 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Body

Frame And Members

Suspension

Underbody Shields

Retractor

Tires

Tread/Belt

Unknown Or Other

Leaf Spring Assembly

Vehicle Speed Control

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING EXPERIENCED ABS FAILURE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SLOW/STOP, PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL FORWARD, REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP, BRAKE ACTION WAS INADEQUATE TO EFFECTIVELY AVOID REAR ENDING AT APPROX. 40MPH FAST ENOUGH. *AK"

"UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONT CRASH, AT APPROX. 40MPH, REAR ENDED VEHICLE, 12:30 ON FRONT BUMPER, DRIVER'S AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK"

"THE CONSUMER WAS IN A LINE OF CARS WHEN HE TOOK FOOT OFF BRAKES TO ACCELERATE BUT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD AT FAST MODERATE SPEED. THIS CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Body 19 complaints

25th: 126,750 mi Median: 166,000 mi 75th: 204,436 mi

Frame And Members 16 complaints

25th: 121,500 mi Median: 157,000 mi 75th: 174,000 mi

Suspension 14 complaints

25th: 173,250 mi Median: 204,000 mi 75th: 215,707 mi

Underbody Shields 9 complaints

25th: 97,500 mi Median: 143,000 mi 75th: 162,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 24 NY: 14 VA: 8 FL: 8 TX: 7 KY: 7 NC: 6 PA: 6 CT: 5 WA: 5

Who Files Complaints?

29.7%

Original Owners

70.3%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Tacoma — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	214	174,000	Leaf Spring Assembly	30
1996	321	137,345	Body	24
1998	358	139,000	Frontal	56
1999	303	122,345	Body	47
2000	273	136,000	Body	33
2001	501	148,000	Body	55
2002	443	120,000	Body	41
2003	479	113,300	Body	44
2004	545	108,000	Body	38
2005	870	86,000	Body	64
2006	976	72,000	Body	84
2007	676	62,500	Suspension	82
2008	554	56,755	Suspension	65
2009	608	35,000	Suspension	26
2010	341	34,087	Suspension	12
2011	224	64,500	Suspension	14
2012	405	57,000	Engine	25
2013	168	40,320	Power Train	16
2014	131	23,500	Service Brakes	17
2015	132	9,400	Unknown Or Other	22
2016	410	15,703	Power Train	4
2017	302	15,000	Power Train	19
2018	267	12,000	Service Brakes	8
2019	293	5,500	Fuel/Propulsion System	14
2020	122	5,200	Fuel/Propulsion System	10
2021	106	8,000	Power Train	14
2022	73	24,000	Unknown Or Other	15
2023	61	19,140	Electrical System	3
2024	173	13,652	Power Train	7
2025	58	-	Power Train	8

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28