2009 Toyota Tacoma Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 105 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the 2009 Toyota Tacoma, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 45,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “daytime running” (44% of reports).
- 105exterior lighting complaints
- 45,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,000typical repair cost reported by owners
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Daytime running: mentioned in 46 of 105 complaints (44%)
- Melted cracked: mentioned in 17 of 105 complaints (16%)
- Fire hazard: mentioned in 17 of 105 complaints (16%)
- Plastic lens: mentioned in 11 of 105 complaints (10%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical exterior lighting repair on the 2009 Toyota Tacoma at $1,000, and half of them between $770 and $1,250.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2011–2016), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 89 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 105 complaints, 16 a fire.
Toyota Tacoma exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Tacoma | 2 | 4% | — |
| 2020 Tacoma | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2019 Tacoma | 1 | 0% | 5,000 |
| 2018 Tacoma | 2 | 1% | 383,565 |
| 2017 Tacoma | 8 | 3% | 21,700 |
| 2016 Tacoma | 17 | 5% | 60,000 |
| 2015 Tacoma | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2013 Tacoma | 3 | 2% | 35,320 |
| 2012 Tacoma | 3 | 1% | 10,000 |
| 2011 Tacoma | 32 | 17% | 55,650 |
| 2010 Tacoma | 25 | 9% | 53,483 |
| 2009 Tacoma | 105 | 20% | 45,000 |
| 2008 Tacoma | 15 | 3% | 77,927 |
| 2007 Tacoma | 10 | 2% | 44,000 |
| 2006 Tacoma | 4 | 1% | 54,568 |
| 2005 Tacoma | 3 | 0% | 2,000 |
| 2004 Tacoma | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2003 Tacoma | 2 | 1% | 100,000 |
| 2002 Tacoma | 1 | 0% | 149,000 |
| 2000 Tacoma | 4 | 2% | 94,481 |
| 1999 Tacoma | 2 | 1% | — |
| 1998 Tacoma | 6 | 2% | — |
| 1997 Tacoma | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1996 Tacoma | 1 | 0% | — |
| 1995 Tacoma | 3 | 2% | 144,297 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists exterior lighting for the 2009 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.
Headlight shows visible signs of over heating of the amber lenses on both driver and passenger side. Amber lenses are melted, obscured, burned through and causing additional discoloration to the clear lens of the headlight itself. This creates a safety issue for both driver and passenger side…
The daytime driving lights are too hot causing the plastic housing to melt, crack and, in some cases, break. My research has found that this is a common problem in Toyota Tacoma trucks from 2005-11. In April 2015, Toyota replaced the headlight assemblies with a supposed "redesigned" assembly to…
There is an issue on driving amber signal lights located on front of vehicle. Bulbs are too hot, and have melted and cracked the lense cover on the inside of the head light assembly. It is hampering light out put, and could form a hole in the future which will provide a high beam of light to on…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Toyota Tacomas have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 105 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the 2009 Toyota Tacoma (20% of the 519 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 2009 Toyota Tacoma exterior lighting?
No recall currently lists exterior lighting for this vehicle.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems start?
The median reported mileage is 45,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix exterior lighting problems on the 2009 Toyota Tacoma?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,000 (half paid between $770 and $1,250), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the 2009 Toyota Tacoma?
The most frequent phrase is “daytime running”, in 46 of 105 complaints, followed by “melted cracked” (17).
Other 2009 Toyota Tacoma problems
See all 2009 Toyota Tacoma problems or exterior lighting problems across all Tacoma years.