21st Jan 2007, 19:49

REVIEW UPDATE (22,000 miles)

My sportstruck now has over 20,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ. However I’ve experienced a few minor quality issues, not too surprising since 2005 was the first year of a redesign. Anyway...

The seat belt retractor was replaced on the driver's side. It was making noise while driving and apparently this is a known issue for the model. Replaced under warranty.

The HVAC blower motor was replaced. It started to make an annoying chirping sound. Replaced under warranty.

The power door lock "actuator" has gone bad on the driver side. Was not unlocking automatically, had to be unlocked manually using the key. Replaced under warranty.

And last, but not least, replaced the stock tires already. Found out that the stock tires were made of a softer rubber, makes for a nicer ride. However the softer rubber apparently wears out between 20,000 - 30,000 miles. Replaced with a stiffer version of the stock tire, same tire with stiffer rubber that is warranted for 60,000 miles. Got them on sale from the Toyota dealership, they beat the price NTB quoted me by $300! Not happy about replacing the tires so soon, but got a GREAT deal.

Overall, despite the minor quality problems, I'm still very happy with my Tacoma. Truth is, all vehicles have increased quality problems in the first few years of a new model. Although I'm thinking about getting my warranty extended this truck is still the best vehicle I've ever owned. However I'm not going to buy any vehicle in the first year of a redesign again. I'll let them work the bugs out first next time.

4th Jul 2007, 17:39

REVIEW UPDATE (27,500 miles)

Well it looks like the passenger side got jealous and decided it wanted a new power door lock "actuator" too. The service tech at the dealership told me that this problem is rare and speculated that Toyota made a bad batch of these actuators. Replaced under warranty.

Despite these little nickel and dime repairs, that Toyota has been paying for under warranty, I'm still happy with this truck. If anything else goes wrong I'm definitely going to get the warranty extended. However I'm hoping that all of the little bugs have been worked out of my truck. We'll see.

6th Dec 2007, 16:01

Thanks for the update on your review, most people write these reviews the first few days they own the vehicle and never update. Nice to see a update down the road.

13th May 2008, 21:26

REVIEW UPDATE (42,000 miles)

The new HVAC blower motor started to make that annoying chirping sound again at the beginning of this year. Replaced under warranty. The 3rd HVAC blower motor seems to be working without a hitch so far.

Other than that, no other problems to report. I did decide to get the warranty extended so I’ll be covered until the truck is paid off. Hopefully I won’t need the coverage.

Overall after almost 3 years of ownership and 42,000 miles, this truck is still the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. At this point I’m starting to get a few rattles and squeals associated with age in the vehicle. Of course the awful Pennsylvania roads, we’ve got more potholes than pavement here in PA, I must subject this truck to doesn’t help. However this truck still has plenty of power and still handles good.

This will probably be my last review update, unless the motor explodes or something else major happens. If you’re looking for a midsized truck, the Tacoma is definitely worth a look. You won’t be disappointed.

10th Aug 2008, 08:52

REVIEW UPDATE (46,000 miles)

The front brake pads, that were replaced approximately 13,000 miles ago, wore out already. After checking the service tech found a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) on this issue. Turns out they redesigned the pads and rotors due to complaints of braking noise. So Toyota replaced my front brake pads and rotors under warranty.

I just got the truck serviced last week, tire rotation and oil change, and had the brakes checked. After 3,000 miles of use, the new pads and rotors are wearing fine.

An annoyance, yes, but Toyota made it right.

10th Jun 2009, 21:47

REVIEW UPDATE (60,000 miles)

Wasn't planning on doing any more of these but had something to report. Had the A/C Compressor replaced today. If not for the extended warranty, this repair would have cost me over $2000.

Did some research on Consumer Reports and saw that the "Climate System" topic was showing problems for 2005. Actually they rated it average, which was a lower rating when compared to other years. Suppose like the power door lock actuators, Toyota might have put out some bad A/C compressors in 2005.

Despite what I consider to be a premature failure of the A/C system, my opinion on this truck hasn't changed. This is still the best truck I've ever owned and plan on keeping it for years. Hopefully all the bugs are worked out now.

19th Jul 2010, 21:05

Owned a 2005 TRD for 5.5 years. I really liked it the first couple of years, but at 30,000 miles the transmission linkage became stiff and the dealer only cleaned the cable. I took it back twice and they still only cleaned the cable. It is still stiff every couple of months and now has 50,000 miles. I keep the truck clean, always washing it myself. The front wheels started to pit at 35,000 and the fronts are really bad at 50,000. I live in Illinois and garage the truck. The alloy wheels on this Toyota really suck!

7th Aug 2010, 19:32

Toyota quality has really gone down the tube. That's why they are now rated way down the list (21st out of 33 car makers) in the latest quality surveys. Frankly, even though domestic makers now build far better quality vehicles, they really don't have much to offer in small trucks any more. At this point if I were truck shopping I'd probably just move up to a large truck and get an F-150.

4th Mar 2011, 22:38

I love my Tacoma, I just wish I didn't have to constantly have something repaired. After all, isn't that why you buy a Toyota, so you don't have to fix it all the time?

I bought mine used with 80,000 miles on it.

Air bag light on, and cannot be fixed, even though the seat has been replaced.

ABS module went out.

Digital temperature display went out; $170 to replace.

CV boots out twice on the same side with no off roading.

Clutch feels like it's going out, jerks when shifted.

The radio randomly switches stations without anything being touched; dealers state they can't get it to do it, so the problem doesn't exist.

Good points are, it's very sexy truck, has lots of power, handles great on curvy mountain roads, seats 4 adults comfortably, engine has been dependable. Glad I bought an extended warranty!!

DISAPPOINTED IN OREGON.

28th Jul 2012, 20:20

REVIEW UPDATE (87,000 miles)

So I keep saying I'm not going to do updates any more, but figured what the hell, original poster here.

The HVAC blower motor that I had been complaining about since 2008 was replaced by Toyota last month. Even though the truck was out of warranty, their customer service department reimbursed me. Toyota was aware of this issue in Tacomas, and redesigned the blower motor; the new one works perfectly. Very impressed that they stand by their products this far out of warranty; the truck is over 7 years old now.

The heat shields underneath the truck loosened up and started to rattle last year. The dealership has re-secured them twice, but even their mechanics suggest just removing them. More of an annoyance than anything.

After 7 years of ownership, I'm still very happy with this truck. It's not perfect, but what is.