1997 Toyota Tacoma

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What changed

New value packages, a locking rear differential on every 4WD truck, bucket seats on every Xtracab, and new headlamps and grille on 2WD trucks.¹

Buy

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

Frame rusted through 1995–2000 Walk away if found

What to check: Look over the whole frame for rust, holes and cracks, above all on trucks from states that salt their roads.

Toyota blamed too little undercoating at the factory. In 2008 it extended frame rust cover to 15 years and offered to buy back trucks rusted beyond repair, so most of that cover has now run out.

Sources ^9,10
Worn lower ball joints All years

What to check: Check the front lower ball joints for play, look for uneven tire wear, and ask whether they were replaced. On a 2001–2004 truck, ask a dealer whether recall 05V225000 was done.

FLEX says lower ball joint failures are especially common on 1st gen trucks. Two TacomaWorld members call them a weak point of every 1st gen year, and one says theirs failed about 20,000 miles after he bought the truck. Two Edmunds owners of a 1997 and a 1999 say they replaced ball joints.

Sources ^11,12,1,8
3.4L V6 timing belt All years

What to check: Ask for proof of when the timing belt and water pump were last changed.

A TacomaWorld member says in two threads that the 3.4's timing belt has to be changed every 90,000 miles. Three others in a thread on 2003–2004 trucks say to confirm the belt was done once past 100,000 miles, or at about 150,000.

Sources ^13,14,12

No recalls are listed for this year.

Checked against NHTSA records on 21 October 2026.

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.