1994 Toyota Pickup 4x4 Extended Cab from North America - Comments

Starter (plunger and contacts) failed at 80k miles.

Timing chain went at 83k miles.

Left and right directional lights have separate malfunctions.

Air conditioning needs recharging already.

Bed already showing rust.

Orange tab on gear selector sticks at random, requiring close attention to what gear the truck is really in.

Passenger window won't roll down completely.

Passenger door handle and locking mechanism are temperamental.

I bought this truck with good faith in Toyota's reputation for making reliable trucks. In addition, the previous owner provided full service history, including regular oil changes and factory engine replacement.

Sure, I may have received a rare lemon. But let this serve as a heads- up to anyone zeroing in on a used Toyota Pickup. These trucks are not perfect, and definitely not worthy of the hero worship they often receive.

Aside from my perhaps atypical reliability issues, this truck has universal faults as well. The lack of an adjustable steering column, weakly supported seats and fixed, raised headrests make for an uncomfortable driving position. The armrest is an arbitrary little cushion that cannot be rested upon naturally.

Look around before committing to this truck.

I bought a 1994 Toyota 4x4 new in 1994. It is a 6 cylinder 5 speed. I have never had any problems with this truck. It has no rust, and aside from routine maintenance (oil changes, greasing, etc.) I would have to say that my truck has turned out to be a good experience with the Toyota Motor Company. I would recommend buying a Toyota truck to anyone looking for a new vehicle.

It is too bad the reviewer has had problems. However, some of them may be due to owner lack of knowledge.

The truck uses a timing belt, not a timing chain. The belt is supposed to be changed on a regular basis - it's listed as a routine maintenance item. If you fail to change this belt, it will fail catastrophically.

I don't know what model truck he has, but his complaints about the non-adjustable steering column and headrests make no sense to me. Mine has an adjustable steering column, and my headrests go up and down and can angle back and forth. And mine is a base model, not upgraded.

I notice that he said he's had the engine replaced. I don't know what caused this, but it's a big flag that the previous owner abused it. Mine has 280,000 miles on it - the engine has never had anything done to it, and doesn't leak anything, although it is starting to burn oil.

Also, sad to say, even dealers usually goof things up when they replace an engine. Even when my dealer has changed a clutch, I've always had to take the vehicle back to get them to fix things they forgot to re-connect.

It is true that the seats are spartan. They offer firmer support than US made trucks; I like that, it's better for my back. But if you're a Big Boy, they probably won't support you well. This is a mini truck, after all!

It is unfortunate that such problems exist, but I think one of the biggest problems is that Toyota's reputation of quality makes people think it is flawless, and are appalled at any problems they come across, or think that they do not need to even maintain this vehicle because of its reputation. It is unfortunate, but it happens. As it is, I have owned mine for 11 years, and has given me zero problems, so it just proves that no one is perfect, but some do actually strive for perfection in their products.

Yeah, A lot of people out there, just wait for things to break, then fix them, many times SLOPPILY, or was that sloppil opple joppiley. Coat hangers for battery holders etc.

When you buy a used auto from a private party, some are honest, some aren't. They could have beat that truck up. I was just at a dealership, looking at Tacomas, there was an 06" for 24K plus, it only had 40K miles. A look underneath revealed a truck that was slammed around. I told the salesman the truth, I was there with a friend to get parts, & had no interest, in selling, or trading my 1991 SR5, for the newer Tacomas. I would only regret it later.