Did you know that, according to Bankrate, 276 million vehicles are registered in the US? Additionally, when it comes to vehicle access, 91% of households have it. The average person also spends 101 daily in a car.
If you’re one of the many Americans who own a car, or you’re thinking of becoming a car owner, you might be interested in learning about the most common Toyota Tacoma transmission problems.
When you don’t have this knowledge, this can be stressful, especially if you’re thinking of buying this car or suspect you’ve bought one that’s a lemon.
Fortunately, in this article, we’ll review Toyota Tacoma problems and how you can know if your Tacoma is a lemon. Finally, you can have a car that works well and that you can enjoy driving. Read on to learn more.
What Year Tacoma Has Transmission Problems?
When it comes to the Toyota Tacomas that have transmission problems, the ones that have these issues as well as overall powertrain problems, according to owners of them, are the 2015-2019 models. The most affected of these models include the:
- Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4 x 4 3.5 L
- Tacoma SR V6
- Tacoma TRD Sport 4 x 4 V6
- Tacoma SR5 V6
- Tacoma TRD Off-Road V6
One of the most common transmission problems with the Toyota Tacoma is delayed engagement. This is what occurs when there’s a delay that happens for just a few seconds when the driver is shifting into gear (or to shift gears between neutral, reverse, drive, or park).
This can be a safety problem as it can impact how people drive when they’re out on the road.
Another issue is the jerking and lurching that has occurred to owners once the transmission has finally engaged. This is a vehicular movement that’s uncontrollable and sudden.
It can occur when the driver is driving at speeds that are low (one to five MPH), or even when the driver is shifting gears or coming to the position of stopping the car.
For example, when the driver’s shifting gears to reverse from park, the truck might be lunged forward.
What Are the Most Common Problems With Toyota Tacomas?
In addition to transmission issues, common problems with Toyota Tacomas include ball joint finishing being improper, issues with the front amber parking light, and the mass airflow sensor failing. We’ll review each of these in detail now.
The Ball Joint Finishing Being Improper
In Toyota Tacomas, one of the most common issues is that the ball joint tends to wear out in a way that’s faster than normal. The ball joint’s purpose is to handle navigation. This is because this part of the car connects the steering and the wheel.
It’s normal for the ball joint to wear out in a car. However, this process seems to occur a bit faster in the Toyota Tacoma.
The reason for this might be that Toyota didn’t carry out the finishing properly during production.
When failure occurs with ball joints, the Toyota Tacoma can end up driving from right to left while the driver is driving. As you can imagine, this effect is quite dangerous.
This problem mainly occurs with models from the years 1995 to 2007.
Issues With the Front Amber Parking Light
Another problem with the Toyota Tacoma is that the front amber parking light has a lens that might end up melting or cracking. This is caused by the light causing damage to the lens. Sometimes, this isn’t too severe.
However, if the melting is intense enough, this could mean that the owner would have to spend money to fix the issue.
While this is an issue that could potentially affect any model, when it comes to reported cases, these usually occur with second-generation Tacomas. Specifically, the model years with this issue are from 2006 to 2013.
The Mass Airflow Sensor Failing
One of the major components of the engine’s combustion process is a car’s mass airflow sensor. This part will measure how much air the engine needs for combustion, and it does so at any moment in time. With this information, the engine burns fuel in the right amount.
This part of the car failing is one of the complaints that Tacoma drivers have had.
Specifically, they said that, when the sensor failed, their check engine light would come on. There was a fuel combustion process imbalance.
It wasn’t possible for the engine to determine how much fuel was the correct amount to use.
This problem often occurs with the second and first Toyota Tacoma generations. It affects most of the models, as it’s a problem that occurs with cars from the years 1996 to 2013.
This issue causes an additional problem. This can cause the engine to have decreased power output. It could also make the car jerk constantly.
Another issue is that a faulty airflow sensor can cause the car to send fuel in excess to the engine. Increased fuel consumption leads, eventually, to an increase in maintenance costs.
Toyota Tacoma Transmission Problems
Now that you’ve learned about the Toyota Tacoma transmission problems and other issues with the car, you might be wondering whether your Toyota Tacoma is a lemon. Or maybe you’re worried about your transmission slip or thinking about Toyota lemon issues generally.
Whatever you might be wondering about, we can help. At Robinson Lemon Law Group LLC, we’re experts when it comes to lemons and lemon law. Learn more about PA Lemon Law, NY Lemon Law, and NJ Lemon Law.
We also offer lemon law legal services. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us now.