At the end of 2005 i bought my tacoma. Its a v-6 4 wheel drive access cab with the 6 speed manual transmission. Even with the dealer's $4000 rebate i ended up paying over $28,000. I was expecting great quality and reliability because i had heard so many good things about this truck. I was sadly dissapointed. On my way home from the dealership i noticed wind noise coming from the windshield, it was a loud annoying squeak. I took it to the dealer twice before they even aknowledged that there was a problem, eventually they replaced the windshield. Soon after that with less than 1ooo miles on the odometer the cd player would not play cds. Again i took it to the dealer and again they said there was no problem. After a couple trips back to the dealer they finally replaced it. Then the problems just started rolling in; sqeaky shocks, squeaky brakes, squeaky fan belt, horrible gas mileage, grinding noises, the list goes on and on. The squeaks were temporarily repaired by the dealer with silicone. Of course the noises came back quickly. The grinding noise was blamed on a seized bearing in the driveshaft, it was replaced but the noise was still there. I took time off of work and wasted lots of gas going back and forth to the dealer (at least 15 times within the first year!) Eventually the grinding noise dissapeared on its own. This truck has failed to start for me on multiple occasions but the dealership is dumbfounded and cannot find the problem. The check engine light likes to turn on and off at random intervals and the only answer i get is to clean the gas cap. Now 2 of my catalytic converters are failing, robbing my power and destroying my gas mileage (i get 13 mpg driving like a grandma). The dealership will not warranty the cats, blaming the problem on my aftermarket muffler. If i were to fix it myself parts alone would cost me $1900! Not long ago I was having trouble shifting gears, they would grind. Amazingly the dealership replaced the transmission. The day i got it back both of my headlights burnt out, my check engine light came on, and there was an annoying rattling coming from the new transmission. The dealership claimed the headlights were a coincidence and would not be warrantied, again told me my gas cap was dirty, and greased a shaft in the tranny to try and fix the noise. The noise is still there over 6 months and 4 trips to the dealer later. Other problems i have noticed are plastic parts falling apart left and right; the passenger seat back, other plastic seat components, trim items, and the side compartments in the bed. The tailgate is bent though ive never put significant weight on it. When i hooked up my camping trailer, the clearance lights didn't work. Offroading 4 wheel drive never likes to engage, the shift knob flies back and forth as soon as the wheels start to spin, the whole truck rattles and feels like its going to fall apart. Driving down the highway the steering wheel vibrates so much it numbs my hand. Most recently with 40,000 miles the stitching on the shift knob came undone and the leather is falling off. Now for the most disturbing problem of all, i noticed that my fan was rubbing on one side of the fan shroud, i told the dealer, they completely denied that there even was a problem. I told them that the engine looks like its leaning toward the passenger side, they claimed that they checked all the mounts and everything was fine. I brought the truck home and crawled underneath and to my horror the passenger side engine mount had ripped through the metal frame rail letting the engine fall to the side and just lay there. I found this yesterday, september 6 2008. I don't even know what to do now. The problems started almost 3 years ago and i found new ones constantly. I have lost all faith in Toyota and possibly all foreign car companies. I will never buy another toyota in my lifetime and if you are thinking about buying one, save ur time and money buy anything else.
Amount Paid (US$): 28000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: v6 manual 6 speed 4 wheel drive access cab