1997 Toyota Tacoma problems & reliability
131 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Toyota Tacoma. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
8 complaints report injuries (9 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Toyota Tacoma vehicles were involved in 34 fatal crashes with 27 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Structure → | 46 | 35% |
| Suspension → | 24 | 18% |
| Tires → | 14 | 11% |
| Seat Belts → | 11 | 8% |
| Power Train | 9 | 7% |
| Unknown OR Other | 6 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 4% |
| Steering | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 149,000 miles (middle 50% between 100,000 and 181,747 miles), based on 57 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When’s he start and you get gas it won turn off but don’t do it , and whend I hit a jump and I tuning he shake it wild”
Engine · filed Nov 3, 2025
“It appears to be the clear coat of the paint job has been coming off for a very long time. Really does not look good at all now. I reside in the state of Oregon. Although it rains a fair amount here, that should not cause this rate of decay of the paint job. It was not painted very well!!”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 3, 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle shook and the subframe fractured half. The vehicle was driven to the smithtown toyota dealer located at 360 jericho turnpike, smithtown, ny 11787. Where it was stated that there was no recall on the vehicle. The contact…”
Structure · filed Sep 18, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
78 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Toyota Tacoma. The 10 most recent:
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2023 model year vehicles may be…
TSB003220 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2023
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
TTT063620 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2022
POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be…
Toyota PRO19-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2022
Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
Toyota Safety Re · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2021
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
T-TT-0636-20 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 12, 2021
TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2021 model year vehicles may be…
T-SB-0032-20 Rev · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 2021
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
T-TT-0636-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2020
TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
T-TT-0636-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2020
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates
T-SB-0304-17 Obs · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2020
TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01, PG007-07, PG006-01, PG004-97, T-SB-0144-08, and…
T-SB-0032-20 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 6, 2020
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Toyota Tacoma in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Toyota Tacoma?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 149,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.