2025 Toyota Tacoma Complaints

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 10/05/2026

Driver side rear passenger inside door handle broke. I do rarely have rear passengers. I can count on one hand the times I’ve had rear passengers. This week I had a rear passenger and the door handle broke. The passenger did not abuse the handle. It was regular force used yet it still broke. Online community groups for my vehicle show that this has been happening alot to other 4th gen Tacomas. Not just rear drive door like mine but drive door as well

STRUCTURE — Filed 10/05/2026

Indoor door handles, and latch breaking over normal use due to cheap manufacturing. Major safety hazard on the inability of exiting a vehicle from inside. It happens unexpectedly and has been reported on many new trucks.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 09/27/2026

Driver side interior door handle has broken. Not allowing me to open the door from the inside. Requiring me to roll the window down and open the door from the outside.

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/16/2026

Inside drivers door handle cable was broke inside of door Door handle cannot be opened from inside Confirmed by dealer verbally Inspected by dealer and new cable replaced No warning lamps or any symptoms prior to breaking

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/18/2026

Interior door handles malfunction - they do not open the door from the inside. To open the door, one must open the window or have someone else open the door from the outside. This is a known issue with 2025 Toyota Tacoma / 2025 Toyota 4 Runner models. Dealer ship is indicating not a warranty, though the issue began with less than a year on the truck.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 09/17/2026

2025 Toyota Tacoma SR5, 8-speed automatic transmission. Harsh, hard shifts — primarily 1st-to-2nd and 2nd-to-3rd — on cold starts. The transmission slams into gear with a noticeable jolt/lurch of the vehicle. Occurs when the powertrain is cold; diminishes as it warms up. No warning lights and no diagnostic trouble codes stored. Reported to Kenny Kent Toyota (Evansville, IN) twice. First visit: dealer could not replicate. Second visit (09-17-2026): vehicle left overnight for cold-start diagnosis; dealer acknowledged the hard shifting but stated it is "operating as designed" because another Tacoma on the lot behaves the same way, and declined warranty repair absent a manufacturer bulletin. The unexpected lurch on engagement is a safety concern, particularly in parking lots and stop-and-go traffic. This matches Technical Service Bulletin TSB-0094-24 addressing shift quality on this transmission family and numerous identical owner reports.

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/11/2026

While attempting to exit my vehicle the inner door handle on the driver side felt loose. I attempted to open the door and the door would not open. I carefully attempted to manually move the lock on the door from unlocked to locked back to unlocked and again tried to carefully exit the vehicle but the inner door handle was inoperable. I am now forced to roll my window down and open my vehicle door from the outside to use the door

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/01/2026

The interior door handle snapped and failed completely under normal operation, causing an immediate loss of driver egress. The handle went limp, leaving the door impossible to open from inside the cabin and creating an entrapment hazard in the event of an emergency. Exiting the vehicle requires the window to be rolled down to access the exterior handle. The failure occurred suddenly with no prior warning or indication of potential failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Toyota dealership, which confirmed internal component failure and ordered a replacement assembly under warranty. The dealership noted the replacement part is currently on national backorder due to high replacement volume.

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/13/2026

Driver side interior door handle broke under normal use not allowing me to exit my truck without rolling down window and using the exterior door handle.

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/09/2026

Driver side door cannot be open from the inside ,driver have to put the window down and open from the outside 2025 Toyota Tacoma only have 4,700 Miles

STRUCTURE — Filed 06/08/2026

Few months back, the driver side door handle "broke" on the inside. There is some plastic piece/mechanism that attaches the door handle to the cable on the inside of the door that allows the user to open the door, with resistance from the cable. That piece broke, so it made the handle loose and flimsy, unable to open the door from the inside. Toyota said that was a known issue and that the parts were on backorder, so they just swapped the handle from my back passenger driver side door with my front driver side door. Well last week, the swapped handle also broke. So, I have to roll my window down and open the door from outside to get out as neither of my left side door handles work. Toyota still doesn't have an eta of when parts will ship to replace the pieces, and they aren't offering me a resolution in the meantime.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 09/03/2026

Fourth generation Toyota Tacoma interior door handles -- 2024, 2025, 2026 -- suffer from an engineering or manufacturing defect. These handles are breaking during normal use, by the thousands. This is a serious safety risk, as drivers with limited mobility, or even fully-abled drivers can be entrapped within the vehicle during an emergency. A regular pull, let alone a hard pull, routinely snaps the mechanism. Toyota dealer has 1000 backlog of repairs. This is a serious safety risk and a recall is critical. Drivers will die if this is not addressed; it is merely a matter of time.

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/01/2026

The inside driver-side door handle broke, leaving me unable to open the door from inside the truck. I had to crawl across the truck and exit through another door. This is a serious and immediate safety hazard. The driver must be able to exit the vehicle quickly in an emergency. If there were a fire, accident, or other emergency, a broken interior door handle could trap the driver inside the vehicle and potentially result in serious injury or death.

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/22/2026

Equipment Failure. The interior driver-side door handle mechanism failed and snapped completely off during normal operation while trying to exit stationary vehicle. The plastic hinge pin/bell-crank component fractured internally under standard hand pressure. This component failure completely prevents the driver from exiting the cabin from the inside, creating an immediate emergency entrapment and life-safety hazard. The manufacturer (Toyota) currently has the replacement door handle assembly on a national backorder with no available ETA, forcing consumers to operate a vehicle with a compromised emergency exit route. The vehicle currently approximately 3429 miles

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/14/2026

Drive door handle broke became loose floppy, took to dealer, they took apart.... been waiting for parts 2 weeks.... today handle , went full failure and wont engage lock to open, can't open door from inside, have to open window to use outside handle to open door while inside, safety issue... called dealer, clam waiting on part..... Toyota knows of the issue, seen in the Toyota forum that the issue is know and both door drivers and passenger side can have this issue....really don't like that feeling of being trapped. Toyota should have a replacement upgrade to fit safety margins....i've only own my truck 1 year.....this issue start a few weeks ago...hoping the part gets to the dealer fast and the right fixes meet safety standards...

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 07/03/2026

Windshield wiper motor squeals causing distraction every time wipers are turned on.

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/24/2026

The driver side door latch failed. This prevented the driver side door from opening from the inside. To open the door, the window is rolled down, and the outside door latch is used. The mechanic said the plastic mechanism on the latch causing the failure. In the event when the driver has to exit the vehicle, he wouldn't be able to open the door. Online postings say this is a common problem with Toyota Tacoma trucks.

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/22/2026

Drivers Door latch assembly is not functional, slowly degrading to current state in that driver’s door does not open from the inside or outside. Warranty repair order at Cool Springs Toyota submitted 4 weeks ago. Part on order. Per Facebook group postings this is a frequent failure yet no recall in place to address safety concerns.

STRUCTURE — Filed 08/09/2026

The interior driver's-side door handle assembly on my 2025 Toyota Tacoma failed during normal use while attempting to open the door from inside the vehicle. There was no excessive force, impact, accident, or other damage that caused the failure. There were no warning lights, messages, or noticeable symptoms prior to the handle failing. The failure creates a safety concern because the driver's door can no longer be opened normally from inside the vehicle using the interior door handle. In an emergency where rapid exit from the vehicle was necessary, such as a collision or vehicle fire, the inability to use the driver's interior door release could delay or prevent the driver from exiting through that door. The vehicle was brought to an authorized Toyota dealership, which inspected and confirmed the failed interior door handle assembly. The dealership determined that the assembly requires replacement and is covering the repair under the Toyota factory warranty. The replacement assembly has been ordered; however, I was informed that the part is currently on backorder with no estimated date of availability. The failed component remains installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection if requested. The vehicle remains in use while awaiting the replacement part. I am submitting this complaint because the failure involves the mechanism used to exit the vehicle and therefore appears to present a potential safety issue rather than simply a cosmetic or convenience-related defect.

EQUIPMENT — Filed 07/16/2026

We rented a vehicle consisting of the identified Toyota Tacoma with an installed cab-over camper (Travel Lite 550U-XS, VIN: [XXX]). While driving this rental vehicle on a two-lane highway with our family, including two young children (ages [XXX] and [XXX]), a fire ignited in the vehicle's built-in propane/gas stove system. We were not alerted to the fire by any onboard safety equipment, though the camper was equipped with a smoke alarm. We were alerted only by a passing motorist. The vehicle's smoke alarm did not activate until several minutes after the fire had already been extinguished by us using the vehicle's fire extinguisher, and after the smoke inside the camper had already dissipated. The smoke alarm sustained visible smoke damage and its exterior housing was melted, which we believe indicates the alarm was exposed to significant heat/smoke without triggering, or triggered only very late in that exposure. We believe this represents a serious safety equipment failure: a smoke/fire detection system that did not provide any early warning during an active fire, in a small space. This delay in detection could have resulted in serious injury or death. Additionally, we received no safety briefing regarding the hazards of the propane system at the time of vehicle handover. The vehicle overview video provided to us contained no safety information regarding the gas system, and we later discovered it depicted a different vehicle unit than the one we were actually provided, raising questions about whether this vehicle's specific gas/stove configuration and safety equipment had been properly reviewed or tested prior to rental. We made a best guess at cause in speaking with the responder fire department, but we cannot know for sure. To be clear, there was no issue with the Toyota Tacoma itself. We are submitting this complaint to ensure NHTSA is aware of this potential safety defect in the smoke alarm system and/or propane stove. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/26/2026

The driver's side window switch panel failed and caught on fire. It is available for inspection.It will be towed to a toyota dealership tomorrow. Nobody was in the vehicle when the fire started. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by a dealer. The vehicle has not been inspected, is going in for inspection tomorrow. There was no warning or indication prior to the fire starting.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 03/14/2026

My 2025 Toyota Tacoma engaged the emergency braking/pre-collision system system while my vehicle was going under 10 mph on a steep road in winter conditions. My vehicle was completely under control before the system engaged and there was no risk of a collision with any vehicles in front of me. The emergency braking system engaged and rendered my vehicle completely out of control. I tried desperately to pump the brakes in hopes I could regain control of the vehicle, but the brakes were fully locked. Had the brakes dis-engaged, I could have easily avoided the collision. The car not only did not decelerate, it accelerated down the hill while the brakes were locked for several seconds. My vehicle eventually slid into another vehicle that had been parked on the side of the road. From doing extensive research I believe a perfect storm of events caused this malfunction. Previously on this day, several inches of snow had fallen. The road had not been plowed and cars were parked on the side of the road. There was also a curve in the road near my vehicle's collision where the other vehicle was parked. My windshield was also still defrosting in the uppermost section near the rear view mirror. It is also possible the radar block on the front of the vehicle had snow or ice on it. It was also actively snowing. From what I have read, any of the above factors can cause a malfunction in the emergency braking pre-collision system. I had never been in an accident in over 20 years of driving and my vehicle did the least safe maneuver it could have in the given situation. There is no circumstance where one would purposefully slam the brakes on a snowy/icy down hill road if they know how to drive in the snow (even if you were going under 10mph as I was). At the most basic level of failure, I can't imagine this system should ever engage if going as slow as I was. Also, the system is designed to decelerate (was accelerating) and I was pumping brakes in effort to disengage

LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 03/12/2026

Due to my husband driving the vehicle, ISP states it looks like he crossed into an oncoming semi-chip truck trailer, causing a fatal accident and killing him instantly. The 2025 Toyota Tacoma's Safety Sense obviously failed since my husband is now dead. We had the 2025 Tacoma in the prior week due to my complaints that the lane assist was not working properly and the screen did not respond to my touch to turn it on. After the fatal accident, ISP removed the black box to download information for the accident report. I am now waiting for isp report. No jaws of life was used to extract husband they didn't need it Tacoma metal already peeled back like a tuna can.

AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 08/01/2025

The contact owned a 2025 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, a Semi Truck attempting to merge onto the highway crashed into the passenger side of the vehicle, causing the driver to lose control of the steering and cross three lanes of traffic before crashing into the concrete median. During the crash, no air bags in the vehicle deployed, the collision avoidance systems did not operate, and twelve error messages were activated, including a brake error, a Four Wheel Drive error, and an ABS error. The driver sustained a concussion from the head contacting the steering wheel and lacerations from shards of glass entering the vehicle during the crash. The front seat passenger sustained lacerations to the legs and arms, the rear driver side passenger sustained fractured ribs and lacerations to the arms leg, and face. The rear passenger side occupant sustained lacerations to the arms and legs. All occupants in the vehicle were transported to the hospital with injuries, along with the semi-truck driver. No further information was available. A Police report was taken, and the vehicle was towed away. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. A representative from the manufacturer was sent to inspect the vehicle and deemed no failure had occurred. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 4,000.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 10/18/2025

While driving on a dry, clearly marked two-lane highway in Montana, I had Lane Tracing Assist and Active Lane Keep/Track Assist turned on. My hands were on the steering wheel, speed was within the limit, and visibility was clear. The truck unexpectedly steered itself out of the lane toward the right-side guard rail. There were no audible or visual lane-departure alerts, no “steering assist canceled” message, and the Pre-Collision System did not apply braking before impact. The vehicle struck the guard rail. The system failed on multiple safety layers — no lane warning, no steering correction, and no automatic braking — under normal conditions (dry pavement, well-painted lane lines, daylight). I believe this represents a malfunction or defect in the driver-assist software or sensor calibration for Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. I request NHTSA investigate similar incidents for 2024–2025 Toyota Tacoma models equipped with LTA/LDA and Pre-Collision System to determine whether a systemic defect exists.