"How reliable is the 2009 Toyota Tacoma?"

"Based on 608 NHTSA complaints, the 2009 Toyota Tacoma has a median complaint mileage of 35000 miles. The most common issue is Suspension."

"What are common problems with the 2009 Toyota Tacoma?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2009 Toyota Tacoma is Suspension, accounting for a significant portion of the 608 total complaints filed."

2009 Toyota Tacoma: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 608 complaints

608

Total Complaints

35,000mi

Median Mileage

Suspension

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

5,030 25th Percentile

35,000 Median Mileage

75,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Suspension

113

Exterior Lighting

105

Vehicle Speed Control

Automatic Transmission

Electrical System

Steering

Body

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY ONE WEEK OLD 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA TRUCK'S BLUE TOOTH FUNCTION IS DEFECTIVE. IT WILL NOT READ CONTACTS FROM CELL PHONE. I AM SUPPOSED TO ENTER MY 500 EVER CHANGING CONTACTS ONE BY ONE INTO THE TRUCK'S BLUE TOOTH SYSTEM. OTHERWISE, I WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT MY CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING, DIAL THE NUMBER, ..."

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE ACCELERATING, THE VEHICLE ACTS AS IF IT IS STUCK IN NEUTRAL. AFTERWARDS, THE RPMS SLIGHTLY INCREASE ACCOMPANIED WITH SUDDEN SCREECHING NOISES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER MODULE. SOON AFTER THE REPAIR, ..."

"TRANSMISSION SLIPS, ENGINE RACES AND GOES INTO GEAR. SPORADIC AND UNRELIABLE ACTIONS, SOMETIMES CAUSES WHEEL SPIN. MANUFACTURER CLAIMS ALL NEW VEHICLES PERFORM THIS WAY AND REFUSES TO FIX. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC VERIFIED MY CONCERN AND STATED IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR"

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.

Suspension 113 complaints

25th: 55,000 mi Median: 79,500 mi 75th: 102,738 mi

Exterior Lighting 105 complaints

25th: 35,000 mi Median: 45,000 mi 75th: 60,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 57 complaints

25th: 3,837 mi Median: 8,200 mi 75th: 15,000 mi

Automatic Transmission 44 complaints

25th: 150 mi Median: 600 mi 75th: 3,284 mi

Electrical System 39 complaints

25th: 3,100 mi Median: 39,000 mi 75th: 63,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 74 PA: 43 MA: 41 TX: 38 FL: 32 NY: 30 NJ: 22 NC: 22 GA: 22 OH: 20

Who Files Complaints?

3.5%

Original Owners

96.5%

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
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
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