"How reliable is the 2002 Toyota Tacoma?"

"Based on 443 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Toyota Tacoma has a median complaint mileage of 120000 miles. The most common issue is STRUCTURE:BODY."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Toyota Tacoma?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Toyota Tacoma is STRUCTURE:BODY, accounting for a significant portion of the 443 total complaints filed."

2002 Toyota Tacoma: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 443 complaints

443

Total Complaints

120,000mi

Median Mileage

STRUCTURE:BODY

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

65,000 25th Percentile

120,000 Median Mileage

162,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE:BODY

105

SUSPENSION

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

WHEELS

STRUCTURE

AIR BAGS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER HAD JUST BOUGHT VEHICLE AND DROVE HOME,PARKED VEHICLE AND CUT ENGINE OFF . VEHICLE BUSTED INTO FLAMES. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THAT WHEN CONSUMER GETS FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT TO CALL BACK. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK"

"TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2UL AWN TIRESIZE: P205/75R15)"

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

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