2008 Toyota Tacoma Other / unspecified Problems

I am reporting a serious safety incident with my 2008 Toyota Tacoma. While driving at approximately 65 mph on the highway last week, my spare tire detached from the vehicle (unknown at that time). The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) light activated, and I later discovered the spare had broken free and fallen off. This was unknown until a week later when the dealership said the TPMS went off due to a missing spare tire. The failure was caused by severe corrosion of the spare tire carrier/hoist assembly, which gave way without warning. This created an immediate highway hazard for vehicles behind me. Toyota has previously issued recalls for spare tire carrier corrosion on earlier Sequoia and Tundra models. However, my 2008 model year was not included — yet the exact defect has now occurred. This is not a matter of convenience or maintenance. A spare tire falling off at highway speeds is a life-safety defect that should be investigated by Toyota and NHTSA before someone is seriously injured or killed.

NHTSA ID

11688715

Incident

Sep 7, 2025

HEAD LIGHT LENS HAVE STRESS CRACKS, HOLD MOISTURE AND ARE NOT CLEAR AND DIMINISHES THE VISIBILITY FOR THE BULB TO WORK PROPERLY AND DRIVER TO BE ABLE TO SEE AT NIGHT. THE LENS ARE NOT CLEAR AND HAVE TURNED TO A YELLOWISH COLOR. THIS STARTED HAPPENING WITHIN TWO YEARS AFTER I PURCHASED THE TRUCK NEW IN 2008 LUG NUTS. TUSCALOOSA TOYOTA TELLS ME OVER A YEAR AGO THAT I HAVE SWOLLEN LUG NUTS. TUSCALOOSA TOYOTA HAS DONE ALL OF MY SERVICE WORK AND THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE TOUCHED THESE LUG NUTS. THEY HAVE CAUSE THE PROBLEM BY NOT USING THE CORRECT SOCKET BUT THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT. THEY SHOULD REPLACE THEM BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE HAS TOUCHED THEM. I AM HAPPY WITH MY TRUCK BUT VERY UNSATISFIED WITH THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP NOT TAKING CARE OF THESE TWO DEFECTIVE PARTS THAT HAS TO DO WITH SAFETY.

NHTSA ID

11319634

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

VEHICLE STATIONARY IN DRIVEWAY. TIRES ARE THE SAME SPECS AS ORIGINAL TIRES. WHEN TIRES ARE INFLATED TO RECOMMENDED PRESSURE (DOOR PLACARD) THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON. I CONSULTED WITH 3 DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALERS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. NO ONE WAS ABLE TO GIVE ME AN ANSWER. MEANWHILE, OVER INFLATION IS REQUIRED TO KEEP WARNING SYSTEM OFF. WHAT IS THE CORRECT TIRE PRESSURE??? OVER / UNDER INFLATION IS A SAFETY RISK. AN INACCURATE WARNING SYSTEM IS ALSO A SAFETY RISK.

NHTSA ID

11099270

Incident

Apr 3, 2018

Mileage

168,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEALS WERE CORRODED AND THE POWER STEERING JOINT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V604000 (SUSPENSION). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

NHTSA ID

10860516

Incident

Jan 31, 2016

Mileage

95,000 mi

TACOMA LEAF SPRINGS BROKEN AND NOT SUPPORTING VEHICLE. DAMAGED AND REPLACED SHOCKS AND ALIGNMENT. VEHICLE IS UNSAFE DUE TO RECALL AND POSSIBLE PUNCTURE OF FUEL TANK DUE TO DEFECTIVE LEAF SPRINGS AND CAN ALSO SEVER THE BRAKE LINES. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF VOLUNTARY RECALL BUT HAS REFUSED TO REPLACE LEAF SPRINGS EVEN AFTER ADMITTING THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT SUPPORTED AS REQUIRED BY LEAF SPRINGS AND THAT THE SHOCKS WERE OVERUSED TO THE POINT OF FAILURE AND WERE REPLACED DUE TO THE LACK OF SUPPORT. NEW SHOCKS AND EVERYTHING EXCEPT LEAF SPRINGS INSTALLED YET TACOMA STILL BOTTOMS OUT DUE TO LACK OF PROPER LEAF SPRINGS EVEN WITH NEW EQUIPMENT INSTALLED. TOYOTA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER NOTIFIED AND REFUSED FIRST REQUEST AND SECOND FILED ON 8/4/2015 WITH CASE NUMBER 1508031434 ASSIGNED. LEVEL TWO AGENT PETER AGAIN REFUSED TO REPLACE KNOW DEFECTIVE PARTS OR HONOR RECALL AFTER BEING INFORMED THAT PARTS WERE AVAILABLE AT BOTH RIVERVIEW TOYOTA. AND EARNHARDT TOYOTA, BOTH IN MESA ARIZONA. BOTH DEALERSHIPS INFORMED ME THAT THEY ARE DIRECTED BY THE CORPORATE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER TO NOT REPLACE ANY RECALL ITEMS WITHOUT FIRST GETTING APPROVAL REGARDLESS OF THE KNOWN DANGERS TO BOTH PERSON AND PROPERTY, OR THAT THE PART IS BROKEN AND DOES NOT PERFORM TO ACTIONS OF IT'S DESIGN. TOYOTA HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE DAMAGES, SAFETY CONCERNS, AS WELL AS LOST TIME AND COSTS ($993.41IN SERVICE REPAIRS PLUS 5 LOST USE/WORK DAYS TO DATE), YET HAS REFUSED TO HONOR OR ABIDE BY THE REQUIREMENTS TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT.

NHTSA ID

10746045

Incident

Jul 28, 2015

Mileage

92,381 mi

THIS TOYOTA TACOMA SLID DOWNGRADE ON BLACK ICE AND THERE WAS NO AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT DESPITE AN END-FOR-END, BACKWARDS, DOWNHILL FLIP INITIATED AT 40 MPH, THAT CAUSED THE FULL WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE TO IMPACT ON THE FRONT BUMPER, DISLOCATING ALL FRONT BUMPER ATTACHMENTS FROM THE FRONT CROSS MEMBER OF THE VEHICLE'S FRAME. THIS VEHICLE IS AT A SALVAGE YARD AWAITING ACTION BY THE INSURANCE CARRIER... UPDATED 12/17/14 *BF

NHTSA ID

10662379

Incident

Nov 17, 2014

Mileage

105,000 mi

WE HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY 2008 TOYOTA TACOMA TRUCK WITH THE ENGINE REVVING WHEN WE FIRST START IT UP. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THAT THIS IS "NORMAL" LAST WEEK WE TOOK IT IN DUE TO A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE FOR SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEMS THAT TOYOTA CLAIMS IS DUE TO FLOOR MATS. DEALER CUT DOWN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, REPROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER CONTROL SYSTEM, ROTATED THE TIRES. UPON PULLING OUT OF THE DEALERSHIP THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED (SIDE TO SIDE) AND CAR BUCKED (FRONT TO BACK) THERE WERE LOUD GRINDING AND BANGING NOISES. CAR PULLED STRONGLY TO THE LEFT. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR . INSTEAD OF SLOWING, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED UP. DUE TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC ON BOTH SIDES OF US, I FOCUSED ON STEERING US OUT OF TROUBLE BY KEEPING US IN OUR LANE. I DID NOT APPLY BRAKE. I HAD THOUGHT THAT WITHOUT GAS, THE CAR WOULD GRADUALLY SLOW DOWN ON ITS OWN. INSTEAD OF SLOWING THE ENGINE REVVED UP! TRUCK SUDDENLY LURCHED 90 DEGREES TO LEFT, JERKED STEERING WHEEL OUR OF MY HANDS VEHICLE LURCHED INTO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE, WHOLE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE ASSEMBLY CAME OFF AND HEADED ONE WAY AND THE TRUCK WENT THE OTHER. WE WERE THROWN FORWARD, DOWN AND TO THE RIGHT. THE VEHICLE KEPT MOVING UNTIL WE CRASHED INTO CONCRETE ENTRANCE/EXIT OF DEALERSHIP. I PUT ON EMERGENCY BRAKE. DEALER SAYS "SIMPLE HUMAN ERROR MECHANIC FORGOT TO TIGHTEN BOLTS ON TIRE" I THINK THIS GOES WAY BEYOND A TIRE PROBLEM. THEY MESSED WITH COMPUTER CONTROL SYSTEM AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I CAN'T SEE HOW TIRES CAUSE ENGINES TO REV UP. UPDATED 01/28/11 *BF UPDATED 02/07/11 *TR

NHTSA ID

10356689

Incident

Sep 14, 2010

Mileage

8,360 mi

SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 2007, I DROVE A 2008 TOYOTA TACOMA. JULY 13, 2010 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:55 A.M., I WAS STEPPING ON MY BRAKE TO COME TO A STOP BEHIND A VEHICLE AT A STOP SIGN IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. I STARTED BRAKING SLOWLY AS USUAL. IT APPEARED THE BRAKES WERE WORKING BUT NOT CATCHING AS FAST AS USUAL SO I PUT EXTRA PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE. GETTING TOO CLOSE THAN I SHOULD BE FOR A STOP, I PUSHED THE BRAKE TO THE FLOOR & MY TRUCK DIPPED A BIT APPEARING TO COME TO A STOP BUT THEN KEPT ROLLING & HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE CAR SEEMED TO MOVE FROWARD JUST BEFORE THE TAP AS IF IT WERE GOING TO MAKE THE TURN AT THE STOP SIGN SO THE IMPACT WAS LOW. THE CAR THEN STOPPED BUT SINCE MY TRUCK HADN'T, ALTHOUGH MY FOOT WAS STILL HAD THE BRAKE TO THE FLOOR, I PUMPED MY BRAKE AND STOMPED IT TO THE FLOOR AGAIN AND MY TRUCK LAUNCHED OUT SLAMMING INTO THE CAR AGAIN. THIS WAS A LOW IMPACT COLLISION IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA COMING TO A STOP SIGN IN THE MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK. THE BRAKES HAD FAILED PRIOR TO THE ACCELERATION ISSUE THAT FOLLOWED. MY INSURANCE COMPANY & TOYOTA CLAIM TOYOTA IS THE ONLY COMPANY ABLE TO RUN ANY TESTS ON THE VEHICLE TO INSPECT MY TRUCK. TOYOTA WRITES THAT IT IS THEIR UNDERSTANDING MY ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED WHEN MY VEHICLE ACCELERATED & REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THAT'S ONLY A PORTION OF MY CLAIM. THEY OVERLOOKED THE INITIAL CAUSE OF THE BRAKE NOT CATCHING. I UNDERSTAND THAT IN SOME CASES PEOPLE PANIC & STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR. EVEN IF THAT HAD HAPPENED CAUSING THE SECOND HIT, THE FIRST HIT THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED ANY PANIC WAS BECAUSE THE BRAKE DID NOT WORK. THE LETTER REGARDING MY INSPECTION CLAIMS MY BRAKES WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. THE TOYOTA RECALL ON MY VEHICLE SAYS SAFETY RECALLS OR SERVICE CAMPAIGNS, "HAVE NOT YET BEEN COMPLETED FOR YOUR VEHICLE" AND I'LL BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS THERE'S A REMEDY. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THAT VEHICLE. THE POLICE ON THE SCENE SAID I COULD BE HELD NEGLIGENT IF I CONTINUED DRIVING AFTER MY BRAKES FAILED. I CAN'T AFFORD A NEW TRUCK. *TR

NHTSA ID

10347893

Incident

Jul 13, 2010

Mileage

32,575 mi

2008 TOYOTA TACOMA TRUCK FLOORMATS WERE POSED AS A SAFETY HAZARD AND RECALL WAS ISSUED SEPT. 2009. I AM OWNER OF A 2008 TACOMA TRUCK. AS OF THIS DATE JUNE 27, 2010, I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY CORRESPONDENCE FROM TOYOTA OR MY LOCAL DEALER REGARDING REPLACEMENT SOLUTION. *TR

NHTSA ID

10340264

Incident

Sep 1, 2009

Mileage

23,000 mi

TOYOTA TACOMA 2008 PLEASE STUDY THIS ACCIDENT. IT MAY RELATE TO THE GAS PEDAL, SO LET TOYOTA KNOW TO RECALL THIS MODEL TOO SO TO PREVENT AN ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT LIKE MY BROTHER HAD. *TR UPADAT 9/19/2011*CW

NHTSA ID

10303373

Incident

Jan 26, 2010

Mileage

25,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND ON I-90 (KENNEDY EXPRESSWAY) AT APPROXIMATELY 9:40 AM ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2009, IN MY 2008 TOYOTA TACOMA. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES AS A CAR IN FRONT OF ME SLOWED TO EXIT THE EXPRESSWAY. WHEN THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME EXITED, I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND MY TRUCK IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES BUT THE TRUCK CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, EVENTUALLY REACHING 80 MPH. I STEERED THE TRUCK INTO THE FAR RIGHT LANE AND WAS NOW PRESSING AS HARD AS I COULD WITH BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TRUCK DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, AT WHICH POINT I DROVE ONTO THE SHOULDER AND PUT THE TRUCK IN NEUTRAL AND THEN PARK, WHERE THE TRUCK FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. THE ENTIRE INCIDENT LASTED LESS THAN 30 SECONDS. WITHIN 15 MINUTES AN IDIOT TRUCK PULLED UP BEHIND ME AND TOWED ME A SHORT DISTANCE UP THE EXPRESSWAY TO A SAFETY AREA, WHERE I WAITED FOR THE AAA TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT LESS THAN 2 YEARS BEFORE. THE DEALER KEPT MY TRUCK UNTIL AUGUST 13, AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE REASON THE TRUCK ACCELERATED WAS BECAUSE THE GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK UNDER THE HEAVY DUTY FLOOR MATS WHICH I HAD PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER AT THE TIME I BOUGHT MY TRUCK. I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THE PEDAL HAD GOTTEN STUCK UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR MAT, BECAUSE THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT POSITIONED SO FAR FORWARD THAT THE PEDAL COULD HAVE GOTTEN STUCK ON IT. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THE ONLY WAY THEY GOT THE TRUCK TO REPLICATE WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO ME WAS WHEN THE GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK ON THE FLOOR MAT, BUT I LET HIM KNOW THAT I STRONGLY DISAGREED WITH WHAT HE WAS TELLING ME. I KNOW THE GAS PEDAL DID NOT GET STUCK UNDER THE FLOOR MAT IN THIS INCIDENT. I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER TO REMOVE MY FLOOR MATS, BECAUSE IF THIS EVER HAPPENED AGAIN I DID NOT WANT TOYOTA TO BE ABLE TO USE THE FLOOR MATS AS AN EXCUSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10291263

Incident

Aug 9, 2009

Mileage

36,168 mi

FLOOR JACK, WHEN CHANGING A DAMAGED MUD FLAP FROM THE THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE TRUCK, I PLACED THE FLOOR JACK WHERE THE TOYOTA MANUAL RECOMMENDS, AFTER THE WHOLE (1/4IN LESS THAN WHOLE) EXTENSION OF THE JACK WAS APPLIED THE TIRE WAS BARELY LIFTED ABOVE GROUND, THIS WAS DONE ON MY HOMES DRIVE WAY A TOTALLY FLAT AREA WITH NO INCLINATION ANYWAY AND ALL PROPER SECURITY PUT IN PLACE AND THE FLOOR JACK WAS INCLINED... NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED, BUT (BIG ONE BUT), IMAGINE UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS AND NOTHING ELSE TO DO AROUND TO CHANGE A FLAT TIRE, WET OR UNEVEN GROUND, TRAFFIC, WIND OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN REALLY CREATE AN ACCIDENT, FOR THIS KIND OF TRUCK THE OEM FLOOR JACK PROVIDED IS NOT A PROPER ONE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10208896

Incident

Nov 10, 2007

Mileage

1,550 mi