2021 Toyota Tacoma problems and complaints

Owners have filed 80 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota Tacoma. The most-reported areas: Power Train (14), Service Brakes (12), Unknown Or Other (12).

Key takeaways

  • 80 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 9 involve a crash, 0 a fire, 15 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Power Train1418%
Service Brakes1215%
Unknown Or Other1215%
Engine1114%
Forward Collision Avoidance911%
Electrical System911%
Air Bags79%
Structure68%
Fuel/Propulsion System68%
Vehicle Speed Control56%
Lane Departure45%
Steering34%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2021 Toyota TACOMA PU/CC 4WD4/54/55/54/5
2021 Toyota TACOMA PU/EC 4WD4/54/55/54/5
2021 Toyota TACOMA PU/CC 2WD4/54/55/54/5
2021 Toyota TACOMA PU/EC 2WD4/54/55/54/5

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Power Train - filed 2026-09-08

Driving in town 30 to 40mph, (while in drive) the vehicle rev’d up like it was in neutral then went back to normal. That is concerning because it will cause transmission problems & pulling onto a road the truck could shift to (neutral) causing it to not go.

Structure - filed 2026-08-29

The cabin air pressure vents behind the back seat are leaking letting water into the vehicle. The seals have dried up. It's causing a moldy smell in the vehicle.

Engine,forward Collision Avoidance - filed 2026-08-08

Having two issues major issues that’s causing me a $10,000 bill. The timing cover is leaking and there is a coolant bypass hose that is leaking. I have spend a lot of maintenance on this truck on maintaining it to have to remove the engine. As for the forward collision warning ive had it go off multiple times witout a ...

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More for the 2021 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.