"How reliable is the 1998 Toyota Tacoma?"

"Based on 358 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Toyota Tacoma has a median complaint mileage of 139000 miles. The most common issue is Frontal."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Toyota Tacoma?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Toyota Tacoma is Frontal, accounting for a significant portion of the 358 total complaints filed."

1998 Toyota Tacoma: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 358 complaints

358

Total Complaints

139,000mi

Median Mileage

Frontal

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

102,836 25th Percentile

139,000 Median Mileage

194,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Frontal

Body

Underbody Shields

Frame And Members

Tires

Unknown Or Other

Seat Belts

Suspension

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROX 20 MPH HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD ON.SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD, LOCKED UP. DUE TO THIS DEFECT, IT CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO HIT WINDSHIELD ,SHATTERED GLASS. ALSO CAUSED NECK INJURIES. TOYOTA CLAIMS CANNOT FIND PROBLEM, AND CLAIMS AIR BAG SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED . POWDER FROM THE BAG EXPLODED OUT, CHOKING THE DRIVER. OWNER WILL BE CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER. *AK"

"THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT ON DRIVER'S SIDE IS NOT AS BRIGHT AS ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. VISABILITY ON DRIVER'S SIDE SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED ON LOW BEAM. ILLUMINATION VERY POOR ON DARK ROADS OR IN FOG. TOOK TO DEALER & INFORMED WAS WRONG. IT CAME FROM MANUFACTURER MADE LIKE THAT.*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 30 complaints

25th: 131,678 mi Median: 188,500 mi 75th: 267,500 mi

Underbody Shields 30 complaints

25th: 117,400 mi Median: 135,000 mi 75th: 160,000 mi

Frame And Members 28 complaints

25th: 71,000 mi Median: 85,000 mi 75th: 117,300 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 84 FL: 18 VA: 18 TX: 16 OH: 15 MA: 15 PA: 15 NY: 14 GA: 13 NC: 12

Who Files Complaints?

35.5%

Original Owners

64.5%

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
1997	148	143,000	Body	16
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