2012 Toyota Tacoma Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 295 owner complaints for the 2012 Toyota Tacoma.

Recalled components: body structure, equipment, brakes, tires, and 1 more. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (95 complaints, 32%). Most-reported area: engine (122 complaints, 41%; median mileage when it happened: 60,100).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

7 safety recalls for the 2012 Toyota Tacoma

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 1 investigation that names the 2012 Toyota Tacoma; it is closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 295 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Tacoma. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Loss of power or limp mode95 · 32%
  Median 60,200 miles at failure, from 91 reports with mileage
• Check engine light82 · 28%
  Median 61,000 miles at failure, from 77 reports with mileage
• Hesitation or slow acceleration25 · 8%
  Median 59,800 miles at failure, from 24 reports with mileage
• Suspension parts (struts, ball joints, control arms)16 · 5%
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration15 · 5%
• Rust or corrosion10 · 3%
• Unintended acceleration or surging9 · 3%
• Airbags did not deploy in a crash4 · 1%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine122 · 41%
  Median 60,100 miles at failure, from 116 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system52 · 18%
  Median 58,900 miles at failure, from 47 reports with mileage
• Powertrain35 · 12%
  Median 53,000 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
• Brakes22 · 7%
  Median 55,000 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Speed control22 · 7%
  Median 73,000 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Suspension21 · 7%
  Median 55,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Electrical system19 · 6%
  Median 70,600 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other43 · 15%
  Median 58,000 miles at failure, from 35 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Toyota Tacoma recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2016 Tacoma drew the most (200) and the 2012 drew 36.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2012 Tacoma MPG

Questions