Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: it scores well across the board with no single weak engine.
Owners have filed 80 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Toyota Tacoma, and it carries no recalls. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 9 | 11% |
| Unknown or other | 8 | 10% |
| Power train | 7 | 9% |
| Structure | 5 | 6% |
| Electrical system | 4 | 5% |
| Engine | 4 | 5% |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 4% |
| Forward collision avoidance | 3 | 4% |
| Air bags | 3 | 4% |
| Fuel system | 3 | 4% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
Driving in town 30 to 40mph, (while in drive) the vehicle rev’d up like it was in neutral then went back to normal. That is concerning because it will cause transmission problems & pulling onto a road the truck could shi
NHTSA complaint: Power train
The cabin air pressure vents behind the back seat are leaking letting water into the vehicle. The seals have dried up. It's causing a moldy smell in the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint: Structure
Having two issues major issues that’s causing me a $10,000 bill. The timing cover is leaking and there is a coolant bypass hose that is leaking. I have spend a lot of maintenance on this truck on maintaining it to have t
NHTSA complaint: Engine
Brake master cylinder is leaking in the interior of truck on driver side floor mat. Oil is come from brake master cylinder seal.
NHTSA complaint: Service brakes
The Multi-Information Display (MID) on the instrument cluster (combination meter) has failed completely. The display shows full-width horizontal RGB scan lines across the entire screen with no readable information. The a
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
Digital instrument panel speedometer screen has gone blank. No longer displays speed. This occurred while driving the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
About a month ago the Blind spot monitoring system failed, dealer said $2500.00 to repair, about 10 days ago, backup sonar parking system failed, dealer cost to repair $2200.00
NHTSA complaint: Lane departure
The plastic coolant crossover valve or pipe failed at 66,000 miles and 5 years of usage. This led to the radiator cracking. After researching online, I read about thousands of Tacoma 3rd generation users with the same is
NHTSA complaint: Engine
| Reliability raw | 86 | excellent |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 86 | excellent |
| Maintenance | 79 | good |
| Depreciation | 100 | excellent |
| Performance | 67 | good |
| Efficiency | 34 | below average |
| Safety | 80 | excellent |
Percentile ranks against other pickup trucks in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 80 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and service brakes is the most reported area with 9 of them (11%). No recalls are on record for it.
AVOIR scores its reliability 86/100 (excellent) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 86/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2021 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: buy, because it scores well across the board with no single weak engine. Its overall ownership score is 80/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.