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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,136 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Toyota Tacoma drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Toyota Tacoma Owner Comments

problem #20

Dec 012019

Tacoma

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated he received an unknown recall letter for the chassis, where it was completed at local dealer antwerpen Toyota (12420 auto dr, clarksville, md 21029: (410) 531-5700). The contact stated shortly after the recall repair was performed, while driving over a speed bump he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called and notified the local dealer of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #19

May 202019

Tacoma

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while attempting to move from a stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that intermittently the vehicle failed to accelerate. There was no warning. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #18

Aug 152018

Tacoma

  • 94,200 miles
While driving at 40 mph the vehicle acts as if it's not getting correct power and feels like transmission or torque converter is lagging the the vehicle back. This issue only happens at 40 mph and feels as if vehicle my die going 40mph down the road.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

problem #17

Mar 152017

Tacoma

  • 83,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When coming to an abrupt stop, the transmission will slip into neutral and will not reengage first gear until the engine reaches 1.5K RPM and jolting the truck forward. The truck will then not shift into fifth gear and the traction control off warning light comes on until the truck has been shut off.

- Newcastle, WY, USA

problem #16

Oct 292015

Tacoma

  • 50,250 miles
I was advised that I had a tsb from my truck, I felt as if I was hit from behind and a thump or clunk felt when coming to a stop or take off from stop.told it was normal by all dealers"I drained to check fluid from at pan, only 1 qt. Came out, added required 3.2 qts as required, solution resolved and rides better than new, no help from Toyota and dealers.very upset and happy I fixed and no compassion from Toyota and dealers ! check tranny fluid level by draining pan and measure! had a Toyota flush done 4 months prior and that's whe it began, Toyota dealer did it wrong??"not me !

- Eustis, FL, USA

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problem #15

Apr 012013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 500 miles
When accelerating after a stop there is a hesitation or stall. This happened with our 2010 Tacoma, also. We traded for a 2013 and this truck does the same thing. Dealership says the transmission is searching for a gear. It is a safety issue because when you pull out in front of oncoming traffic the hesitation could cause enough of a delay to cause an accident. This happens after a complete stop and also after a slow down.

- Rochester, KY, USA

problem #14

May 012013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 5,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There is a drive shaft vibration on acceleration, 0-20 mph. This truck has a two piece drive shaft. The front shaft has a slip joint that slips into the trans, the other end of the front shaft is mounted to the body using a center support bearing. The rear shaft is a solid drive shaft that is mounted without a slip joint to compensate for movement between the rear end and the body. When the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating the rear drive shaft has no way to compensate for any movement. Checked on the web, there are blogs on this issue, along with drive shaft breakage.

- Makawao, HI, USA

problem #13

Apr 282014

Tacoma

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it rolled away in reverse independently. The vehicle then crashed into a nearby tree. There was no personal injury. A police report was not filed of the incident. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where the technician was unable to locate a failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #12

Nov 182013

Tacoma 4WD 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,200 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated the vehicle failed to accelerate when initially stepping on the accelerator pedal. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,200. Updated 6/10/14

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #11

Mar 142014

Tacoma

  • 11,700 miles
I seem to have an intermittent clutch issue with my Tacoma. When the outside temperatures are cold (below freezing) and the truck has been sitting over night, the clutch pedal is slow to return. I have been having this problem since winter set in here in SC. But until 3-14-2014, this has become a safety concern. I was coming out of my neighborhood and came up to a stop at a stop light which is on a hill. As I was sitting there a moped came up behind me. Due to the truck and outside temperature being below freezing, the clutch pedal was as usual, slow to return. Due to the clutch being slow to return and me being on a hill, I wasn't able to launch the truck fast enough and almost rolled over the person on the moped behind me. With this condition, the truck can be a safety, and accident hazard. It is a common problem on this truck after thorough research. The truck has also been into the shop 4 times for repairs, and 1 time to document the problem still exists after the 3 first repairs. I have been driving manual cars for close to 10 years now, and I have never had a problem with a clutch being slow to engage when its cold outside. Toyota needs to fix this problem before somebody gets hurt.

- Irmo, SC, USA

problem #10

Mar 052013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 4,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Just before vehicle reaches a complete stop, or just as vehicle begins moving after stopping, there is a slight skip as vehicle decelerates or accelerates. It feels as if something is binding and then releases. My Toyota dealership says that it is a drive shaft problem common in Tacoma.

- Powell, TN, USA

problem #9

Jun 012013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 30 miles
Brand new vehicle experiencing extreme vibration when accelerating. This vibration is felt throughout the vehicle and has been duplicated to Toyota. Faster acceleration results in stronger vibrations. Only explanation from Toyota was that the there is an issue with the rear suspension (leaf springs). Toyota engineers have been to the dealership and have not been able to provide a valid solution other than to wait. I have spoken to other dealerships that state the Tacoma and 4runner are affected. After dropping off my vehicle many times, this issue has still not been resolved.

- Cibolo, TX, USA

problem #8

Jun 012013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 30 miles
Brand new vehicle experiencing a hard thumping noise that feels like the vehicle is being hit from behind when coming to a stop. This noise is felt throughout the vehicle and has been duplicated to Toyota. The thump is experienced going forward and reverse. First explanation from Toyota was that the drive shaft is binding under the pressure where it meets the slip yoke and then abruptly releasing that pressure. This thump feeling can be subtle or quite powerful. Any issues with the drive train can be dangerous to both the vehicle occupants, and the vehicles traveling behind said vehicle. Toyota engineers have been to the dealership and have not been able to determine a cause. I have spoken to other dealerships that state the Tacoma and 4runner are affected. After dropping off my vehicle many times, this issue has still not been resolved.

- Cibolo, TX, USA

problem #7

Sep 182013

Tacoma

  • 9,500 miles
When accelerating through 20 mph a vibration/shudder is very noticeable. The more aggressive the acceleration the more noticeable the vibration. The vibration is also noted when decelerating from full speed. When in a coasting or braking deceleration a vibration is noted around 20 mph. When accelerating or decelerating the vibration is transient at 20 mph and always dampens out or goes away. Without even bothering for a test drive my Toyota dealer attributed the vibration to "mud build up on the brake caliper". I shared a Toyota service bulletin quoted by other Tacoma owners but the dealer said the bulletin was no longer effective.

- Parkersburg, WV, USA

problem #6

Aug 062013

Tacoma 4-cyl

  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that unless the emergency brake was engaged the vehicle would roll down hill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 8,000 and the current mileage was 11,000. Updated 01/07/14

- Ankeny, IA, USA

problem #5

Aug 212013

Tacoma

  • 6 miles
After my taco was delivered to the dealer I drove it off the lot with 6 miles on it and while driving home I noticed what appeared to be a noise that sounded like radio feedback. I took it back to the dealer and after doing some checking was told that it was nothing serious and was scheduled to bring it in the following week. Upon taking it in and having it checked it was determined that there was a problem with it and that the noise was duplicated. They did replace the trans with new factory trans and I asked to be notified as to what was determined to be the failure. I have been contacted by Toyota however was told that they would not divulge to me what had failed and was also told that it was proprietary as the trans belongs to Toyota. After doing some research I have concluded that they did not want to tell me because they may very well be a problem with the trans. As there have been syncro issues. I find this disturbing at best and therefore now have the mind set that Toyota does not live up to there customer satisfaction pledge. I have bought now 2 Toyota's and may never ever buy one again.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #4

Sep 152013

Tacoma

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, the RPM gauge would become stuck and the vehicle suspension would pull abnormally. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

- Castlewood, VA, USA

problem #3

May 302013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 2,700 miles
My complaint is on a 2013 Toyota Tacoma trd offroad DC 4.0 at vehicle experiencing a bad driveline vibration when accelerating and especially breaking. I first experienced the problem around 2200 miles while driving back from another state. While driving over at least 40 mph and while braking normally to a stop between 35 mph and 20 mph a vibration occurs from the driveline. The steering wheel doesn't vibrate but my pedals start shaking as well as the cab of the truck. The vibration will start shallow around 35 and start to get really aggressive around 28 mph then it will tailor off around 20 mph. The vibration also occurs while taking off from a stop between 1st and 2nd gear but will go away. I brought this issue up with my Toyota service department. They had my vehicle for a total of 6 days from start to finish. They performed tsb (T-sb-0249-12). This involves a series of steps. First they took the drive shaft off and put the vehicle is 4WD high and drove it. The vehicle still vibrated. With the vehicle back in 2wd and the driveshaft reinstalled the second step was to replace the rear motor mounts which they had to order next day since it was not in stock. The problem still was there. The third step was to replace the rear leaf spring on each side which they had to order next day since it was not in stock. This did not fix the problem. The next step was to replace the steering dampeners which they had to order next day since it was not in stock. Again this did not fix the problem. Toyota advised them to switch out the draft shaft from a new truck similar in model to see if it was a drive shaft issue....still didn't fix it. They replaced the transmission mounts....no success. Toyota district service department told my service department...."Toyota advises characteristic of truck and no repairs are needed at this time. Return truck to owner."

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #2

Dec 312012

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 100 miles
The truck shudders or vibrates when accelerating and decelerating. The source of the shudder appears to be the drive shaft and carrier bearing. Toyota has included this model in the technical service bulletin for the shudder. However, the dealership and Toyota fail to tell you about the known problems with the truck before they sell it to a sucker like me. Additionally, there is a vibration from the front end when I apply the brakes, especially when braking from high speeds. I took it back to the dealership and they had the technicians go through the instructions in the technical service bulletin. The technicians confirmed the shudder, and the service manager said there is no fix for the problem. This is totally unacceptable from a company like Toyota. This issue qualifies under the "lemon law", both state and federal. I am going through the lemon law process now to try to get my hard-earned money back. I am going to tell everyone I know about the problems with the Toyota trucks. Additionally, this same problem has been identified in the Toyota Tundra 4X4.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #1

Feb 132013

Tacoma 6-cyl

  • 1,000 miles
During normal (mild acceleration) the truck vibrates and shudders. The problem was presented to the local dealer and a tsb was performed but no improvement. Dealership and Toyota company refused to fix the issue.

- Everett, WA, USA

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