1998 Toyota Tacoma Structure Problems
Owners have filed 98 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the 1998 Toyota Tacoma, 33% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 135,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “frame rust” (15% of reports).
- 98structure complaints
- 135,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Frame rust: mentioned in 15 of 98 complaints (15%)
- Rusted through: mentioned in 5 of 98 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 68 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 98 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Toyota Tacoma structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Tacoma | 2 | 20% | 12,000 |
| 2025 Tacoma | 42 | 40% | 5,238 |
| 2024 Tacoma | 8 | 5% | — |
| 2022 Tacoma | 8 | 14% | — |
| 2021 Tacoma | 6 | 7% | 281 |
| 2020 Tacoma | 3 | 3% | 9,014 |
| 2019 Tacoma | 12 | 5% | 7,750 |
| 2018 Tacoma | 16 | 8% | 76,000 |
| 2017 Tacoma | 27 | 11% | 20,000 |
| 2016 Tacoma | 22 | 7% | 32,000 |
| 2015 Tacoma | 15 | 15% | 6,500 |
| 2014 Tacoma | 20 | 22% | 35,900 |
| 2013 Tacoma | 11 | 9% | 82,500 |
| 2012 Tacoma | 9 | 3% | 51,000 |
| 2011 Tacoma | 21 | 11% | 86,000 |
| 2010 Tacoma | 30 | 10% | 104,000 |
| 2009 Tacoma | 54 | 10% | 75,000 |
| 2008 Tacoma | 78 | 17% | 115,600 |
| 2007 Tacoma | 109 | 20% | 87,781 |
| 2006 Tacoma | 242 | 31% | 93,000 |
| 2005 Tacoma | 260 | 37% | 109,450 |
| 2004 Tacoma | 203 | 49% | 119,000 |
| 2003 Tacoma | 181 | 50% | 123,208 |
| 2002 Tacoma | 180 | 54% | 122,500 |
| 2001 Tacoma | 228 | 58% | 144,117 |
| 2000 Tacoma | 78 | 37% | 132,000 |
| 1999 Tacoma | 102 | 41% | 124,000 |
| 1998 Tacoma | 98 | 33% | 135,000 |
| 1997 Tacoma | 46 | 35% | 158,500 |
| 1996 Tacoma | 64 | 25% | 170,000 |
| 1995 Tacoma | 29 | 16% | 177,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists structure for the 1998 Toyota Tacoma. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the subframe was severely corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Campaign…
The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while inspecting the subframe of the vehicle, he noticed that there was a hole in the rear passenger side wheel well. The contact stated that the failure had increased significantly. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the…
I bought a 1998 toyota tacoma 4x4 automatic with 106995 on the odometer and i am having a hard time getting it inspected because of the right side rear frame is tested to bad
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Toyota Tacomas have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 98 owner complaints about structure for the 1998 Toyota Tacoma (33% of the 300 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Toyota Tacoma structure?
No recall currently lists structure for this vehicle.
At what mileage do structure problems start?
The median reported mileage is 135,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about structure problems on the 1998 Toyota Tacoma?
The most frequent phrase is “frame rust”, in 15 of 98 complaints, followed by “rusted through” (5).
See all 1998 Toyota Tacoma problems or structure problems across all Tacoma years.