2010 Toyota Tacoma Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 22, 2026 · 294 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Tacoma years
More complaints than other years 13th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 294 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Toyota Tacoma. That ranks 13th out of 32 Tacoma model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (95 complaints, 32%), typically at around 44,946 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 7 fires, 9 injuries. There are 13 safety recalls covering this model year.

Toyota Tacoma
2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road with a 2.4-liter I4 photographed in Vauxhall, New Jersey. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Clock38030, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2010 Toyota Tacoma problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Suspension95 · ~44,946 mi
Vehicle Speed Control34 · ~4,750 mi
Structure30 · ~104,000 mi
Power Train29 · ~7,607 mi
Unknown or Other27 · ~59,038 mi
Exterior Lighting25 · ~53,483 mi
Steering19 · ~53,176 mi
Air Bags16 · ~116,500 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic13 · ~5,519 mi
Seat Belts9 · ~35,907 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Suspension problems9532%44,946“leaf springs” (17%)—
Vehicle Speed Control3412%4,750——
Structure3010%104,000——
Power Train2910%7,607——
Unknown or Other279%59,038——
Exterior Lighting259%53,483——
Steering196%53,176——
Air Bags165%116,500——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic134%5,519——
Seat Belts93%35,907——
Electrical System83%24,576——
Service Brakes72%55,500——
Engine62%41,750——
Fuel/propulsion System52%52,583——
Engine and Engine Cooling31%4,222——
Tires31%64,820——
Visibility31%1,500——
Visibility/wiper31%25,800——
Wheels31%25,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline21%22,813——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)10%60,000——
Equipment10%———
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%86,000——
Service Brakes, Electric10%5,000——
Traction Control System10%900——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 38 complaints
2009: 8200982010: 38382011: 192011192012: 13132013: 192013192014: 24242015: 342015342016: 36362017: 232017232018: 20202019: 7201972020: 992021: 4202142022: 552023: 9202392024: 992025: 8202582026: 99

n = 294 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2010 Toyota Tacoma recalls (13)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Seats:front assembly:seat heater/coolerJun 2, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V396000 · 7,749 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

Seats:front assembly:seat heater/coolerNov 19, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V743000 · 3,233 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

Suspension:rear:springs:leaf spring assembly:leafSep 29, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V604000 · 710,711 vehicles

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Toyota Tacoma Pre-Runner and 4x4 vehicles manufactured September 14, 2009, to October 11, 2010. In the affected vehicles, one of the leaf springs may fracture due to stress or corrosion. While being driven, the broken leaf could move out of position and contact surrounding components including the fuel tank, possibly puncturing the tank and causing a fuel leak.

Risk: If the fuel tank leaks fuel from being punctured, there is an increased risk of a fire.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will install new rear leaf spring assemblies. The recall began on January 29, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Equipment:other:labelsAug 4, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V475000 · 20,000 vehicles

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2014 FJ Cruiser and Tacoma vehicles equipped with accessory wheels and tires installed by Toyota or dealers prior to the vehicle's first sale. The affected vehicles may list incorrect spare tire size and/or cold tire inflation information on the tire placard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."

Risk: If the spare tire is inflated to the incorrect pressure provided on the placard, tire failure may occur while it is being driven on, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: For the involved vehicles, overlay stickers to correct the tire placard will either be mailed to owners or provided to dealers for placement over the incorrect information on the placard. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleApr 9, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V168000 · 1,486,413 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, 2008-2010 Highlander, and 2009-2010 Tacoma, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and General Motors Pontiac Vibe vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the steering column assembly contains electrical connections to the driver's airbag module housed in a spiral cable assembly, which includes a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC). Due to the shape and location of the FFC's retainer, the FFC could become damaged when the steering wheel is turned.

Risk: If the FFC is damaged, connectivity to the driver's air bag module could be lost and the air bag deactivated. The failure of the driver's air bag to deploy in the event of a crash that typically necessitates deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver.

Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota vehicle owners, and General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Toyota sent owners an interim notification letter in May 2014 to advise owners of the recall. Toyota will mail owners a second letter when remedy parts are available. General Motors sent Pontiac Vibe owners an Interim letter on June 20, 2014 notifying them that parts are currently unavailable. General Motors sent notices to the Pontiac Vibe owners on September 15, 2014, that a remedy is available. The recall began on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-762-2737.

Seat beltsAug 7, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V337000 · 342,451 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Tacoma Access Cab vehicles manufactured September 14, 2004, through March 29, 2010; and model year 2011 Tacoma Access Cab vehicles manufactured July 1, 2010, through September 7, 2011. If the access doors are repeatedly and forcefully closed, the screws that attach the seat belt pre-tensioner to the seat belt retractor can loosen over time. If the screws loosen completely, the seat belt pre-tensioner and the retractor spring cover could detach from the seat belt retractor.

Risk: If the seat belt pre-tensioner detaches from the seat belt assembly, the seat belt pre-tensioner will not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in a severe crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt assemblies. Based on the inspection, the seat belt assembly will be replaced or new pre-tensioner screws will be installed with thread-locking sealant and a retractor spring cover with stopper ribs to prevent loosening of the screws. These services will be provided at no cost to the owner. The recall began during February 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Equipment:other:labelsApr 9, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000 · 7,525 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Seats; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveJan 16, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles

Problem: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Tires:pressure monitoring and regulating systemsMar 4, 2011 · NHTSA campaign 11V148000 · 22,000 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 fj cruiser, land cruiser, tacoma, sequoia and tundra vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 138, "tire pressure monitoring system (tpms)." when factory-installed wheels and tires were replaced with toyota authorized accessory wheels and lt tires prior to first sale, the tire pressure monitoring systems were not re-calibrated correctly and therefore do not start illuminating the low tire pressure warning telltale at the required minimum activation pressure.

Risk: Failure to warn of tire deflations is a non-compliance with fmvss 138 and could lead to tire failure increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: For the land cruiser, sequoia, tacoma and tundra vehicles, the dealer will re-calibrate the tire pressure monitoring system on affected vehicles and install an updated tire and loading information label at no charge. For the fj cruiser vehicles, the tpms cannot be reset so the electronic control unit (ecu) for the tpms will be replaced. Toyota is currently developing the remedy ecu. If an owner is not certain whether his or her vehicle is equipped with these accessories, please contact any toyota dealer for an inspection at no charge. The safety recall began on march 31, 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Power train:driveline:driveshaftFeb 18, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V042000 · 8,000 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 toyota tacoma pickup trucks. The propeller shaft may develop cracks during the manufacturing process. Over time, the cracks may eventually lead to the separation of the propeller shaft.

Risk: This may result in a loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the front propeller shaft on affected vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on march 22, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Equipment:other:labelsFeb 3, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V035000 · 271,417 vehicles

Problem: Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.

Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.

Equipment:other:labelsFeb 3, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V036000 · 153,418 vehicles

Problem: Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedalOct 5, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V388000 · 4,445,056 vehicles

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.

Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

Fix: Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal. These changes address the risk of pedal entrapment due to interference with the floor mat. Redesigned accelerator pedals will become available beginning in april 2010 and dealers will replace any modified pedal with the new pedal if desired. Also, dealers will replace any genuine toyota or lexus all-weather floor mats with redesigned all-weather mats, or repurchase the previous mats from owners who do not want the new ones. Additionally, software modifications will be installed on camry, avalon and lexus es 350, is 350 and is 250 models that will ensure that the brake overrides the accelerator in the event both brake and accelerator pedals are applied. Toyota will begin mailing letters to owners on december 31, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331, lexus at 1-800-255-3987.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The vehicle's structure (frame) is failing. A recall for corrosion susceptibility was disseminated for the make and model of my vehicle. A coating was applied to the frame, and I was then told by Malloy Toyota that rust will now NOT become a problem for the frame, as "it's been properly treated…

Unknown or Other · received Sep 22, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11766074

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for inspection, the mechanic informed the contact that the entire subframe was rusted. The contact was advised that the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the rust on the subframe. The cause of the failure was…

Structure · received Aug 24, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11759154

Took 2010 Toyota Tacoma to independent garage for a problem with tire pressure sensor. The sensor was fixed, however employee of the garage made us aware that there was substantial rust/corrosion on the Tacoma frame. Have made 2 calls this last week to the Toyota Customer Relations/Brand Engagement…

Structure · received Aug 22, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11758737

The passenger side lower A arm frame mount broke, due to frame rust. The truck has been taken to Toyota, they had the truck for about 6 weeks and have refused to fix the safety issue.This year model had a recall on the frame, it was taken in for the recall, but the recall has failed. When the lower…

Steering · received Aug 3, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11754384

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was with an independent mechanic for a scheduled service, the contact was informed that the frame underneath the engine was rusted. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to…

Structure · received Jun 22, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11745667

Other Toyota Tacoma years

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2010 Toyota Tacoma?

Owners most often report suspension, vehicle speed control, structure problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 95 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2010 Toyota Tacoma?

Yes, 13 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2010 Toyota Tacoma a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Tacoma model years, the 2010 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.