1998 Toyota Prerunner Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 Toyota Prerunner, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance150.0%
- Engine150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK.*JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA. SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE TRUCK WE NOTICED THAT IT WOULD SURGE WHEN AT A STOP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE ENGINE WILL REV UP EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE OUR FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. WE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE AGENCY WHERE WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA. THEY REPORTED BACK TO US THAT THEY AND TOYOTA HAD NEVER HAD ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OF THIS KIND AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. WE WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM WHEN TEST DRIVING WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE AGENCY. WE NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. WHEN MY WIFE TALKED TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, HE TRIED TO CONVINCE HER THAT IT WAS HER FAULT AND IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE WAY SHE DROVE THE TRUCK. HE SAID THAT SHE SHOULD CONTINUED DRIVING UNTIL THE TRUCK GOT USED TO HER DRIVING STYLE. WHAT A CROCK OF CRAP. AFTER THE PROBLEM AROSE AND WE GOT ALL THIS '!@#$%' FROM THE AGENCY, I LOOKED AROUND THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN FATAL ACCIDENTS. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED. I FILLED IN A DATE BELOW, BUT REALLY DON'T KNOW WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. IT WAS AT VARIOUS TIME SINCE WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .