2002 Toyota Tacoma problems and complaints
Owners have filed 360 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota Tacoma. The most-reported areas: Structure (181), Suspension (85), Unknown Or Other (28).
Key takeaways
- 360 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 30 involve a crash, 3 a fire, 23 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | 181 | 50% |
| Suspension | 85 | 24% |
| Unknown Or Other | 28 | 8% |
| Power Train | 26 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 20 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 19 | 5% |
| Wheels | 18 | 5% |
| Tires | 16 | 4% |
| Hydraulic | 15 | 4% |
| Steering | 10 | 3% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 2% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 2% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Toyota Tacoma 4-DR. | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | 2/5 |
| 2002 Toyota Tacoma Extended Cab | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Steering,suspension,forward Collision Avoidance - filed 2025-05-14
Rackandpinon replacement was also the upper and lower ball joints my steering is still giving me problems and I feel like it’s asafty concern because if I’m going down the highway I could loose control I have some receipts for what my mechanic replaced I called Toyota and they told me that it was to late to fix anythin...
Suspension,structure - filed 2024-10-19
Found hole in frame (chassis)
Suspension - filed 2024-09-26
I recently lost both front wheels in two different incidents within a month. Early August drivers side ball joint failed on me. And on September 25th the passenger side failed on me on the freeway almost causing a collision with a mercedes and a semi truck.
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More for the 2002 Toyota Tacoma
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.