2016 Toyota Tacoma

Watch out for

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

Timing cover oil leak 2016–2017 One source so far

What to check: Look for oil at the front of the V6, behind the timing cover.

The repair means taking the engine out.

$3,000 to $6,000, per FLEX Automotive

Sources ¹
Automatic transmission shudder 2016–2017 One source so far

What to check: Feel for shudder and hunting between gears on the test drive.

Sources ¹
Frame rust 2016–2017 One source so far

What to check: Look over the frame, and ask whether it was inspected, coated or replaced under Toyota's 2020 campaign.

The campaign covered trucks built up to June 2017, above all in states that salt their roads.

Sources ²
Rear differential leak or howl All years One source so far

What to check: Look for oil on the rear differential, and listen for a howl at highway speed.

Two members of a TacomaWorld thread on 3rd gen problems report rear differential trouble: one a leak, and the other a howl that a service bulletin did little for.

Sources ³

15V656000 2016
Wrong bolts on the driver's knee airbag may loosen.⁴
17V285000 2016–2017
The rear differential can leak oil where it joins the axle housing, and can seize.^4,5
17V356000 2016–2017
The crankshaft position sensor can malfunction and stall the engine.^4,5

Checked against NHTSA records on 21 October 2026.