UsedScore

2012 Toyota Tacoma: Solid

Owners filed 83 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Tacoma in its first five years on the road, about 62 for every 100,000 sold: 1.1× the rate of a typical Tacoma year. That's close to a typical year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the brakes (18% of complaints, median 25,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.1×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Tacoma year
Rank
8th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
83
first five years; 62 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
7
campaigns
2nd generation, 2005–2015 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2015 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab Long Bed

Photo: 2015 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab Long Bed · SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Brakes18% · 15 complaints · median 25,000 miles
  2. Engine25% · 21 complaints · median 50,000 miles
  3. Air bags7% · 6 complaints · median 24,000 miles
  4. Powertrain17% · 14 complaints · median 11,000 miles
  5. Speed control12% · 10 complaints · median 21,000 miles
  6. Fuel and propulsion13% · 11 complaints · median 32,000 miles
  7. Electrical5% · 4 complaints
  8. Body and structure4% · 3 complaints
  9. Suspension6% · 5 complaints · median 5,000 miles
  10. Steering5% · 4 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Brakes

Owners describe brakes that behave unpredictably, sometimes locking up suddenly or failing to stop the truck in time, often accompanied by warning lights. Several mention a related recall campaign but say their vehicle wasn't included, leaving the issue unresolved for them.

Warning signs:
Owners report spongy or howling brakes, squealing at stops, pulsating pedals, sudden ABS activation, and dashboard ABS, traction, or parking brake lights illuminating.
What shops did:
Some owners had rotors, drums, brake boosters, or master/wheel cylinders replaced, while others found dealers unable to resolve the issue or said their VIN wasn't covered by a related recall.
Mileage:
most between 25,000 and 80,000 miles, among 29 complaints that give it

“The block flipped up on it's side as it slipped under brake pedal, partially blocking the brake pedal operation”

“The ABS engaged and locked the brakes with only very light pressure on the brake pedal”

Engine

Owners describe the secondary air injection system failing and putting the truck into a low-power limp mode, often while merging onto highways. Many say dealers quoted costly out-of-warranty repairs and compared it to a similar issue Toyota addressed on Tundra models.

Warning signs:
Owners report the check engine and "trac off" lights illuminating, followed by sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate past roughly 20-40 mph.
What shops did:
Dealers and shops typically diagnosed a failed secondary air injection pump and/or valve assembly and replaced the parts, usually at owner expense since it was not covered by warranty.
Mileage:
most between 45,000 and 80,000 miles, among 118 complaints that give it

“Truck would not accelerate and "check engine" and "trac off" lights illuminated. Vehicle went into "limp mode" and would not go faster than 35 MPH.”

“Dealer determined secondary air injection pump had contaminated with water, resulting in rust in system (valves also). Replaced pump and valve assembly and gasket.”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (7)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 17V425000July 20173,547 vehicles

    Equipment · Structure: body: hood: hinge and attachments

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.

    Risk: If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 14V475000August 201420,000 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2014 FJ Cruiser and Tacoma vehicles equipped with accessory wheels and tires installed by Toyota or dealers prior to the vehicle's first sale. The affected vehicles may list incorrect spare tire size and/or cold tire inflation information on the tire placard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."

    Risk: If the spare tire is inflated to the incorrect pressure provided on the placard, tire failure may occur while it is being driven on, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: For the involved vehicles, overlay stickers to correct the tire placard will either be mailed to owners or provided to dealers for placement over the incorrect information on the placard.

  • NHTSA 14V054000February 2014261,114 vehicles

    Electronic stability control (ESC) · Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.

    Risk: If this occurs, these systems could become inoperative, reducing the directional control assistance, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 13V494000October 2013979 vehicles

    Tires: temporary/emergency spare tire

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Tacoma vehicles equipped with 18" Maverick Alloy Wheels. In the affected vehicles, the spare tire requires the use of a different style of lug nut to attach it to the vehicle than the other wheels use. These lug nuts were not provided with the vehicle.

    Risk: If the spare tire/wheel is installed on the vehicle using the lug nuts from another wheel, damage to the wheel could result and may eventually lead to a loose wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will: (a) Install a Warning Label on the spare tire/wheel, (b) supply a bag containing proper spare wheel lug nuts, and (c) place an Owner's Manual Addendum in the vehicle's glove box.

  • NHTSA 13V123000April 20137,525 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation.

  • NHTSA 13V014000January 20133,235 vehicles

    Seats · Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

    Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary.

  • NHTSA 12V158000April 2012672 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Gulf states toyota (gst) is recalling certain model year 2012 tacoma trucks. The tire and loading information placard on each vehicle contains inaccurate spare tire size and cold inflation pressure information. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110,”tire selection and rims.”

    Risk: An incorrect placard could lead to improper spare tire use or replacement which could result in a tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Gst will notify owners, and send each owner a corrected placard, free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Toyota sent NHTSA 464 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2012 Tacoma. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • T-SB-0103-20 Rev1 · June 2024This Service Bulletin provides updated non-electric water pump leak inspection and diagnostic tips for some 2008 – 2025 model year Toyota vehicles.
  • T-PANT-2024-004- · March 2024This is to advise of various price adjustments that will affect Toyota Genuine Motor Oil and Long Life Coolant, effective March 1, 2024.
  • TSB003220 · August 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ?
  • QualityA · August 2023Rl: safety recall & service campaign renotification owner renotification 23r002
  • Quality · August 2023Dl: safety recall & service campaign renotification owner renotification 23r002
  • 20TC01 renotific · December 2022Renotification Postcard: There is a possibility that moisture in the air may cause a filter in the vehicle emissions system to degrade.
  • T-SB-0094-21 Rev · November 2022TSB: Some 2005 ?
  • TTT063620 · March 2022TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions

All 2012 Tacoma bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2012 Toyota Tacoma reliable?
Owners filed 83 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Tacoma in its first five years on the road, about 62 for every 100,000 sold: 1.1× the rate of a typical Tacoma year. That's close to a typical year. Ratings compare Tacoma years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2012 Tacoma problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the brakes (18%), the engine (25%) and the air bags (7%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2012 Toyota Tacoma been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2012 Toyota Tacoma, the most recent in July 2017 (equipment). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Toyota. The 2012 Toyota Tacoma on NHTSA.gov · How we rate