2021 Toyota Tacoma Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 0 safety recalls and 81 owner complaints for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma.

Most-described problems: airbags not deploying in a crash and unintended acceleration or surging (6 complaints, 7% each). Most-reported area: powertrain (14 complaints, 17%).

One of the best Tacoma years by owner complaints

The 2021 drew 42 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 84 for a typical Tacoma year since 2016. No open NHTSA investigation names it, and it has no recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside.

Years to avoid: 2016; best years: 2021, 2022, and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Tacoma year ranked

0Safety recalls

81Owner complaints

9Complaints citing a crash

0Complaints citing a fire

Check your Tacoma for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Nov 11, 2026

0 safety recalls for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma

NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma in its recall file dated Nov 12, 2026. Recalls can still be issued later, so check your VIN from time to time.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma.

What owners report

Owners have filed 81 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 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

Airbags did not deploy in a crash6 · 7%
Unintended acceleration or surging6 · 7%
Stalling or shutting off4 · 5%
Rust or corrosion4 · 5%
Check engine light3 · 4%
Overheating or coolant loss3 · 4%
Misfires or rough running3 · 4%
Smoke or a burning smell3 · 4%

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

Powertrain14 · 17%
Brakes12 · 15%
Engine12 · 15%
Electrical system9 · 11%
Forward collision avoidance9 · 11%

Most named: automatic emergency braking (4); warnings (3)
Air bags7 · 9%
Body structure6 · 7%

Most named: body (5)
Unknown or other12 · 15%

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Toyota Tacoma recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2021 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 2021 drew 42.

Owner complaints

2021: 81 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Tacoma
Model year	Complaints
2010	294
2011	186
2012	295
2013	125
2014	93
2015	102
2016	324
2017	245
2018	210
2019	219
2020	90
2021	81
2022	59
2023	54
2024	155
2025	118
2026	14

Safety recalls

2021: 0 recalls

Show as a table

Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Tacoma
Model year	Recalls
2010	13
2011	9
2012	7
2013	6
2014	4
2015	4
2016	4
2017	5
2018	3
2019	4
2020	1
2021	0
2022	3
2023	4
2024	6
2025	5
2026	0

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.

Tested version	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
Toyota TACOMA PU/CC 2WD Rollover risk 14.7%
Toyota TACOMA PU/CC 4WD Rollover risk 19.1%
Toyota TACOMA PU/EC 2WD Rollover risk 14.7%
Toyota TACOMA PU/EC 4WD Rollover risk 19.1%

2021 Tacoma MPG

EPA rates the 2021 Toyota Tacoma up to 21 mpg combined.Every version and fuel cost

Questions

What are the most common 2021 Tacoma problems?

In the 81 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma, the problems described most are airbags not deploying in a crash (6) and unintended acceleration or surging (6). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.

Is the 2021 Toyota Tacoma safe?

In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Toyota Tacoma earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.

Is NHTSA investigating the 2021 Toyota Tacoma?

No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma.

How do I check if my Tacoma has an open recall?

Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers.

Sources and method

NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: TACOMA.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.