"How reliable is the 2004 Toyota Tacoma?"

"Based on 545 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Toyota Tacoma has a median complaint mileage of 108000 miles. The most common issue is Body."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Toyota Tacoma?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Toyota Tacoma is Body, accounting for a significant portion of the 545 total complaints filed."

2004 Toyota Tacoma: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 545 complaints

545

Total Complaints

108,000mi

Median Mileage

Body

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

55,000 25th Percentile

108,000 Median Mileage

144,785 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Body

128

Suspension

Underbody Shields

Unknown Or Other

Vehicle Speed Control

Frame And Members

Steering

Fuel/Propulsion System

Power Train

Electrical System

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN ON MY 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA DOUBLE CAB V6, 4X4 TRUCK. THE EXTERIOR MIRRORS ON BOTH SIDES FOG UP SO BAD IN COLD WEATHER THEY BECOME VIRTUALLY USELESS. TOYOTA DOES NOT OFFER A HEATED MIRROR OPTION ON THE TRUCK. AT SEVERAL TIMES DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER I'VE BEEN FORCED TO PUL..."

"THE SEATS OF THE 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA HAVE HARD, PROJECTING LUMBER SUPPORTS WHICH ARE NOT ADJUSTIBLE. THESE PERMANENT LUMBER SUPPORTS PLACE ABNORMAL PRESSURE ON THE LOWER BACK OF THE DRIVER. AFTER HAVING THIS VEHICLE FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS, I FELT LOW BACK PAIN WHEN DRIVING. REDUCING THE PROM..."

"VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH 4 GOODYEAR WRANGLER TIRES, SIZE P205/75R15, DOT # M6ULF00R1203. THE OUTER SIDEWALL ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE COMPLETELY EXPLODED. THERE WAS NO PUNCTURE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT. *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 128 complaints

25th: 99,938 mi Median: 130,000 mi 75th: 163,000 mi

Suspension 71 complaints

25th: 99,685 mi Median: 122,000 mi 75th: 160,500 mi

Underbody Shields 39 complaints

25th: 98,000 mi Median: 120,000 mi 75th: 147,200 mi

Unknown Or Other 32 complaints

25th: 112,209 mi Median: 120,000 mi 75th: 150,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 25 complaints

25th: 24,601 mi Median: 63,850 mi 75th: 122,800 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 58 MA: 45 NY: 41 PA: 33 OH: 32 VA: 27 CT: 23 ME: 22 FL: 20 AZ: 19

Who Files Complaints?

13.6%

Original Owners

86.4%

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
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
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