UsedScore

2021 Toyota Tacoma: Best bet

Owners filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota Tacoma in its first five years on the road, about 25 for every 100,000 sold: 0.6× the rate of a typical Tacoma year. That's among the fewest of any Tacoma year.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the air bags (10% of complaints).

Complaint index
0.6×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Tacoma year
Rank
3rd of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
61
first five years; 25 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
0
campaigns
3rd generation, 2016–2023 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab

Photo: 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab · Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Air bags10% · 6 complaints
  2. Driver assistance15% · 9 complaints · median 1,000 miles
  3. Seats and belts5% · 3 complaints
  4. Brakes15% · 9 complaints
  5. Engine18% · 11 complaints
  6. Powertrain18% · 11 complaints
  7. Body and structure8% · 5 complaints
  8. Electrical8% · 5 complaints
  9. Fuel and propulsion10% · 6 complaints
  10. Speed control8% · 5 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

Driver assistance

Owners describe the driver assistance systems on this truck behaving unpredictably, sometimes braking hard for no visible reason and other times failing to brake or warn during an actual collision. Several also mention blind spot monitoring failures and costly, sometimes unresolved, dealer visits.

Warning signs:
Owners report sudden unexplained braking or brake seizing while in cruise control, blind spot warning lights illuminating, brake pedal slow to respond, and vehicle pulling to one side.
What shops did:
Dealers were sometimes unable to duplicate the failure, found trouble codes without repair, or quoted costly repairs for blind spot monitoring and related sensor systems.
Mileage:
most between 0 and 10,000 miles, among 5 complaints that give it

“the truck will randomly slam on the brakes and skid the back tires”

“the vehicle was pulling to the left. While driving and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle was slow to respond”

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

Recalls

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma.

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 165 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2021 Tacoma. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 23TE08 · September 2024 · Warranty extensionToyota has received some reports of paint peeling along the exterior door window frames and front inner fenders under the hood on certain Tacoma vehicles with 040 Super White paint color.
  • TSB002620 · November 2023TSB: All 2020 ?
  • 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 ?
  • T-SB-0045-23 · July 2023TSB: Some 2019 ?
  • T-SB-0094-21 Rev · November 2022TSB: Some 2005 ?
  • 22TC01 Team Memb · March 2022SSC: SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN 22TC01 Over-the-Air (OTA) pilot program.
  • 22TC01 Dealer Le · February 2022DL: Due to improper programming of the Data Communication Module (DCM), which provides cellular communication in various situations, including emergencies, the driver and Safety Connect operator may…
  • T-SB-0012-21 Rev · February 2022TSB: Some 2010 ?

All 2021 Tacoma bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2021 Toyota Tacoma reliable?
Owners filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota Tacoma in its first five years on the road, about 25 for every 100,000 sold: 0.6× the rate of a typical Tacoma year. That's among the fewest of any Tacoma 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 2021 Tacoma problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the air bags (10%), driver-assistance features and cameras (15%) and the seats and seat belts (5%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2021 Toyota Tacoma been recalled?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma.

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 2021 Toyota Tacoma on NHTSA.gov · How we rate