Tacoma is not so reliable as folks think

[r1ch999999]

I told this story before, but I remember running into a Toyota convert in the early 90s with my father. He bragged he had a GM prior and never changed the oil in years, then the engine blew. He was sold on the Toyota because they flat out told him if he didn't change the oil he'd void the warranty. Somehow the Toyota was better because he maintained it. At the time we were in my fathers 89 Ranger that had 100k miles on it, and other than the timing belt getting replaced no issues, ever.

For the most part maintenance is key, do that and your vehicles will last.

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[dtech]

Well I think it must be Jan in the Toyota commercials that is propping up their sales numbers.

 

[Langwilliams]

My cousin had the fuel pump go out in his 15 year old truck. He put a post up on FaceBook about it. My sister actually posted "that's why I buy Toyota's, I won't ever have to worry about a repair". Thing is she used to buy cars she could pay cash for an run into the ground, those need repairs no matter what brand. Now she does 3 year low mile leases on Corolla's so chances are she won't have an issue, but most people who lease don't. My brother told her "I guess the new toyota dealership they just build near us wasted a ton of money on all those service bays.



I wonder if some foreign car owners don't report problems because they bought all the hype an chose based on it now they don't want their brand's ratings to drop. Why hurt your own resale value. The only time I did a JD power survey was on my Fusion, I put 50K on it an the only "repairs" were tires an a battery.


My brother, a Ford retiree, said he's heard Toyota will send owners of newer cars with a known potential problem a free oil change an have the recall taken care of while it's there to keep the flawless image. I guess only known safety problems require a recall announcement.

 

[Samsquanch]

I dunno about the current gen Tacoma but that’s not really where Toyota built their reputation for reliability anyhow.

Most of that comes from previous iterations of the Tacoma but even more so the dogged dependability of the land cruisers and 4runners which are built in Japan. At least part of the reason for their dependability is limited design changes over long periods which also has draw backs.

it’s very possible that the current Tacoma ends up being one of the worst received in the series. I know I passed on it.. we all did because we’re driving the Ranger which is the nicer truck. Hopefully we look back in ten years or whatever and they proved to have been equally reliable as well. I know I’m hoping for the best with mine since it certainly feels pretty solid.

I have had multiple Toyota trucks in my life and each had their pros and cons but none ever let me down. I have a similar track record with Ford so I am hoping that trend continues.

 

[JJG]

Funny I’ve heard similar tooling comments about Ford and other US oems always going for the cheapest bid from a supplier.

US mfgrs are all about CPU, which includes all aspects of the process, including machine down time. If the tooling costs more but runs longer due to better tool life, and runs faster and contributes to increased production volume, tool cost only makes up a very small percentage of the total production cost. The Japanese mfgrs do not want to see idle time of workers. So even if they are changing tools out due to low tool life, that person is still moving their body. So as an example, if you were to double tool life from 1000 parts to 2000 parts per tool, and decrease cycle time by 30% because you can run faster, and the tool only costs 15% more, they would choose to go with the cheaper lower performing tool because its still keeping that body moving on the floor. And if that tool comes from a Japanese supplier, they still get the kickback from their government at the end of the year.

 

[HenryMac]

Our '02 Tacoma SR5 TRD that we bought new had 172,000 miles when we traded it in on our '19 Ranger.

I did all the maintenance on it, and basically just changed the oil and rotated tires every 4,000 ish miles, drained the radiator twice and added fresh Toyota blood coolant, added some brake fluid and power steering fluid two or three times, and changed f&r diff fluid once... that was about it other than 3 or ?? sets of tires. That's in 17 years of trouble free service.

Original spark plugs, plug wires, brake pads / rotors / drums, clutch, etc. I do recall replacing the front left marker light.... that's the only bulb that ever needed changed.

Think our Ranger can match that reliability? That's a pretty high bar, I'll admit.

I know @Floyd had an older Ranger that did as good or better than our old Tacoma.. so I feel it's possible for Ford... but we'll see.

You hear and read where folks talk about stellar reliability and lack of maintenance... but unless it's yours, you always wonder how accurate the story is that you are hearing.

 

[runner69]

Looking at the second picture, I think I see the problem.

the road draft tube is missing, maybe they will have a P.C.V. system soon. lol

 

[commbubba19]

HenryMac you’re comparing something built 20 years ago to now.

there are just as many examples of Rangers of that age being just as reliable if not more so than your example.

I’m comparing a current gen Tacoma to current gen Ranger.

too many Toyota fanboys bring up their 20 year old truck like it’s a pertinent argument. Tell that to the guy with a 4 year old Tacoma with a blown engine.

 

[Langwilliams]

I worry more about things like a/c, the "blend doors" with all these split systems an auto climate, electronic gadgets having problems than I do the powertrain.

 

[HenryMac]

HenryMac you’re comparing something built 20 years ago to now.

there are just as many examples of Rangers of that age being just as reliable if not more so than your example.

I’m comparing a current gen Tacoma to current gen Ranger.

too many Toyota fanboys bring up their 20 year old truck like it’s a pertinent argument. Tell that to the guy with a 4 year old Tacoma with a blown engine.

The only thing you have to judge quality on... is previous quality history. Well, unless your psychic...

 

[Floyd]

The only thing you have to judge quality on... is previous quality history. Well, unless your psychic...

That is true!
BTW; my 2001 was purchased based on the equally reliable 200, 000 mile experience with my 1992.

 

[arbjosh]

I worry more about things like a/c, the "blend doors" with all these split systems an auto climate, electronic gadgets having problems than I do the powertrain.

I'd agree with this. For example, I have heated seats. Never had them before but how long can they really last? If they last for 10 years I would be happy. I'm also curious as to how much they would cost to replace/repair.

 

[DrizzyDrake]

Have you ever seen Toyota aficionados comments on YouTube or other platforms? Jesus Mary, they are “fans” to the fullest. They’re probably the most rabid out of any vehicle manufacturer.

And I sure as FUCK don’t get it about the Tacoma. I’ve sat in one and have driven before. It feels like you’re sitting on the damn floor, the engine lacks punch and the transmission shifting strategy is horrible.

I mean, I’ve actually worked with one die hard which I posted about before. Turned out his truck had a crapload of work done on it which he literally hid from the rest of us lol.

I feel a lot of buyers just see the Toyota emblem and think 20 Japanese put them together personally or feel they sprinkled some sort of magic Japanese powder onto the steel and other components.

Nope, dudes, just steel, aluminum and plastic like the rest of them out there today. And they’re put together in San Antonio Texas. Not assembled in some Uber focused Japanese nerd’s facility.

There’s this one North West outdoorsy type on YouTube who loves the adventure, decked out in camo, reviews tents, has a nice rugged Diamond back HD…….whom I won’t name. Loads it with a fuck ton of weight, undoubtedly making the engine scream and huff louder than it does when unloaded. When I see his channel and his adoration for his truck, I think 1. Dude, just get a fuckin’ full size or a heavy duty, and 2. Yup. There is an archetypal Toyota fanboy, and he’s it.

I can go on…….

I’d buy a Tundra for sure, so I can’t knock everything Toyota. But I am not going to have a cum fest over a badge on the front of the truck.

I thought he got a full-size dodge or something. Maybe I'm mixing up youtubers

 

[tentspast]

My boss has a '17 model Hilux SR5 that is in the shop literally all the time. He's had the dpf replaced 4 times, gearbox replaced once, clutch done once and now it's in for a turbo replacement. He's a Toyota nut and just went and bought a brand new top of the line Prado for his wife while his car was in the shop being checked for the clutch problem. I swear they'd still buy Toyota's if they didn't run at all. The older Toyota's were definitely bulletproof; slow and boring, but bulletproof. Not the case any more.

 

[dtech]

I'd agree with this. For example, I have heated seats. Never had them before but how long can they really last? If they last for 10 years I would be happy. I'm also curious as to how much they would cost to replace/repair.

Given a choice I'd take a heated seat failure over a ACC any day, had heated seats going back to the 80s and never had any issues, but have had with ACC systems and that can be both painful and costly to repair, hoping the Ford ACC unit is of better construction than what Saab used.

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