Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Toyota Tacoma submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,619. It was later discovered through Carfax in August 2025 that the mileage on the Title was 297,651.
CRUISE CONTROL BECAME FINICKY SPRING/SUMMER 2019. I FOUND ARTICLES STATING THAT IT COULD BE THE CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CABLE. I REPLACED THE CLOCKSPRING AND THAT FIXED THE CRUISE CONTROL ISSUE, BUT IT CAUSED MY AIRBAG LIGHT TO TURN ON. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AROUND WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON FOR THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. OVER THAT TIME, THE RADIO CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL HAVE QUIT WORKING (FIRST THE VOLUME, THEN THE CHANNEL, AND THE MODE BUTTONS). THESE HAVEN'T BEEN WORKING FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS NOW. JUST YESTERDAY, THE CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT COMPLETELY. NO WARNING SIGNS OR ACTING UP. IT JUST QUIT. FROM WHAT RESEARCH I HAVE DONE, THIS ISSUE WAS HANDLED UNDER A RECALL, BUT THE RECALL ONLY APPLIES TO THE TACOMA MODELS WITHOUT AUDIO CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. HAS THAT CHANGED AT ALL? WHY WERE NOT ALL VERSIONS/CONFIGURATIONS COVERED?
HEADLIGHT LENS GET HOT MELTED LENS, LIGHT BULB PLUG IS ALSO BURNED READY TO CRACK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE
BOTH HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SHOW INNER RUNNING LIGHT/TURNSIGNAL LENS HAVE BUBBLING, BURNING AND NOW THE RIGHT ONE HAS CRACKED WITH THE INNER LENS SEPARATING. I HAVE CHECKED BOTH BULBS AND THEY ARE THE PROPER, LISTED BULBS, 4157NA
ENTERING MY COMPLAINT AS ELECTRICAL AS IT INVOLVED THE DOOR ACTUATOR MECHANISMS AND FOB FOR LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE DOOR LOCKS - FOB GETS EASILY "UN PROGRAMMED" AND CANNOT BE REPROGRAMMED. DOOR ACTUATORS ARE FAULTY WITH LIGHT DUTY DC MOTORS THAT OPERATE THE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM - THE DC MOTORS ARE PRONE TO CARBON BUILD-UP INSIDE, ETC. REAR DOORS (AND POSSIBLY FRONT DOORS, AS WELL) HAVE INTERIOR FAILURE OF DOOR EXIT HANDLE WHICH IS A LIFE-SAFETY ISSUE IN THE EVENT ONE MUST EXIT THE VEHICLE. AND, THIS IS A NUISANCE SIMPLY WISHING TO EXIT THE VEHICLE WHEN THERE IS NO EMERGENCY. THIS IS A FAILED COMPONENT OF NOT JUST THE TOYOTA TACOMA, BUT NUMEROUS OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES. I HAVE ENTERED TODAY'S DATE AS TO WHEN THIS OCCURRED; HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN HAVING THE PROBLEM MENTIONED ABOVE FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHT SYSTEM FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE LENS TO FRACTURE AND THE BULBS TO BURN. THE TURNING SIGNALS THAT ARE CONNECT TO THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ALSO FAILED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT BULBS SEVERAL TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT SYSTEM WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000. *TR
BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT DTRL LENSES ARE MELTED FROM HEAT FROM THE BULB, I AM WORRIED ABOUT AN ELECTRICAL SHORT, OR FIRE. DEALER SAYS IT IS COSMETIC AND DOES NOT WANT TO REPLACE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES SINCE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD ADDRESS WITH URGENCY. *TR
THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE MELTED THE LENS AND THE HIGH HEAT HAS ALSO CRACKED AND DISTORTED THE MAIN HEAD LIGHT LENS ON MY 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA. *TR
THE DRL (DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS) BULBS WERE DESIGNED TO CLOSE TO THE LENS COVER AND THE BULB IS TO HOT. IT BURNT / MELTED THE LENS ON BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT HEADLIGHTS. IT LEAVES A DARK SPOT ( APPROX 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER) . IT HAPPENED WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMP WAS HOT (GREATER THAN 105 DEG F) AND THE RUNNING LIGHTS WERE ON (THEY COME ON AUTOMATICALLY WHEN TRUCK IS STARTED). I HAVE LOOKED ON LINE (GOOGLE SEARCH) AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THERE HEADLIGHTS HAVING A MELTED / BURNT SPOT ON BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES. THE LOCAL DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO FIX OR RECALL CURRENTLY. I HAVE READ THAT SOME PEOPLE WERE GETTING THIS PROBLEM FIXED IF THE MILEAGE OR TIME WAS WITHIN THE WARRANTY. MINE OCCURRED AFTER. I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE A FIRE CONCERN AND THE BURNT SPOT IS SEMI BLOCKING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE DRL. THE DRL IS SO PEOPLE CAN SEE YOU COMING. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL! *TR
THE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS THAT ALSO DOUBLES AS TURN SIGNALS ARE BURNING A HOLE THROUGH THE PLASTIC LENS INSIDE THE HEADLIGHTS AND CRACKING THE LENS AS WELL. THESE ARE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH TOYOTA AND THEY PUT OUT A T-SB-0129-11 ON SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2011 AND CALLED IT AN "APPEARANCE CONCERN". IT IS ALSO A FIRE HAZARD AS I DON'T BELIEVE THE LENSES SHOULD BE MELTING. *TR
AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON AND HORN DOES NOT WORK. AFTER RESEARCHING, LEARNED THIS IS AN AIRBAG CLOCK SPRING (OTHERWISE KNOWN AS A SPIRAL CABLE) ISSUE THAT HAS A RELATED RECALL FOR 2005-2009 TOYOTA TACOMAS UNDER CAMPAIGN NUMBER 12V-092. THAT RECALL APPLIES ONLY TO 7 CHANNEL CIRCUIT SPIRAL CABLES AND NOT THE 16 CHANNEL ONES. THE 7 CHANNEL CIRCUITS ARE STEERING WHEELS WITHOUT THE AUDIO CONTROLS, WHERE THE 16 CHANNEL CIRCUITS HAVE STEERING WHEEL AUDIO CONTROLS. TOYOTA DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE $400 FOR PART, PLUS LABOR. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS WHEN THIS IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM THAT IS OCCURRING REGARDLESS OF THE CHANNEL CIRCUIT TYPE. MY DAUGHTER HAS A 2008 TOYOTA TUNDRA WITH EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR
THE AIR BAG SENSOR CAME ON IN MY '09 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A MECHANIC AND A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS RUN. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAULTY AIR BAG SPIRAL CABLE. THIS IDENTICAL ISSUE FORCED A RECALL OF 481,000 TACOMAS, INCLUDING '09 VEHICLES. HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD THAT MY TRUCK DID NOT FALL WITHIN THE VIN # DATABASE THAT IS COVERED BY THE RECALL. THIS IS RESULTING IN AN OUT OF POCKET REPAIR COSTING $500. I FIND IT HARDLY COINCIDENTAL THE EXACT SAME DESIGN FLAW THAT AFFECTED NEARLY 500,000 VEHICLES JUST POPPED UP IN MY VEHICLE. WITHOUT SPENDING THE $500, MY BARELY 4 YEAR OLD TRUCK WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION IN THE STATE OF MA. I BOUGHT A TACOMA BASED ON IT'S REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITY. CURRENTLY I AM BREAKING THE BANK JUST TO MAKE IT LEGAL TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD. *TR
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT BULBS ON BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES HAVE BURNED STRAIGHT THROUGH THE ORANGE PLASTIC COVERS, CAUSING THEM BOTH TO BUBBLE, AND CRACK IN HALF. THIS IS NOW CAUSING THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY TO FOG OVER! BOUGHT TRUCK BRAND NEW FROM DEALER SO THESE ARE THE ORIGINAL, FACTORY EQUIPPED HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES. THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN CHANGED. *TR
WITHOUT ANY WARNING OR ASSISTANCE THE TACOMA'S RADIO WILL, ALL BY ITSELF, RANDOMLY CHANGE STATIONS, TURN ITSELF ON/OFF AND INCREASE/DECREASE THE VOLUME. DURING THESE OCCURRENCES IT DISPLAYS ODD CHARACTERS ON IT'S LED SCREEN. WHEN IT SHUTS ITSELF OFF IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN BACK ON UNTIL QUITE SOMETIME LATER. WHAT'S ESPECIALLY DISTURBING IS WHEN IT SUDDENLY TURNS ITSELF ON AT MAXIMUM VOLUME. *TR
MY VEHICLE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL), ARE BURNING THROUGH THE LENSES. THE LENS IN FRONT OF THE BULB IS DISCOLORED AND SEEMS TO BE MELTING AND CRACKING DUE TO OVERHEATING. THE PLASTIC IS DARK AND LOOKS BURNED. BECAUSE OF THE DEFECT THERE IS CONCERN FOR DRIVER SAFETY AS THERE SEEMS TO BE AN OBVIOUS FIRE HAZARD THAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA. THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN BOTH OF MY FRONT HEADLIGHTS. *TR
BOTH FRONT MARKER LIGHT LENSES ARE MELTING AND THE LAMP SOCKET IS CHARRED BROWN. THE PLASTIC LENS IS BURNT BROWN AND CRACKED. AFTER DRIVING FOR JUST A HALF HOUR, THE PLASTIC LENS COVERING THE MARKER LIGHT WAS SOFT AND VERY HOT. THE HOT MARKER LIGHTS WERE ALWAYS ON WHEN DRIVING, AS AS THE DIRECTIONAL TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS. THIS A FACTORY DESIGN DEFECT. AT WHAT TEMPERATURE WILL THE PLASTIC LENS OR SOCKET WIRING START AN ELECTRICAL FIRE? ...UPDATED 11-06-13 *BF
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS GENERATED ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT. THE INTERIOR COLORED LENS ON BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES, I NOTICED DISCOLORATION AND CRACKS IN THE COLORED LENS WITHIN 1ST 12 MONTHS. MORE RECENTLY THE COLORED LENS BEGAN TO MELT AND RUN, LOOKS AS IF THEY WERE EXPOSED DIRECTLY TO FLAMES. THERE IS ALSO NOTICEABLE HEAT DAMAGE TO THE CLEAR EXTERIOR LENS COVER NEAR THE AREA OF THE DRL. TOYOTA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN BUT DID NOT NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD THIS MAY CAUSE. HEAT DAMAGE HAS CLEARLY BECOME MORE SEVERE OVER TIME. *JB
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL) LIGHT BULBS ALONG WITH OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES GENERATED ENOUGH HEAT TO CAUSE BUBBLING AND CRACKED BOTH HEADLIGHT LENSES. THIS MAY POSED A FIRE HAZARD. *TR
MY VEHICLES DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL), WHICH ARE LOCATED IN THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, ARE BURNING THROUGH THE LENSES. THE LENS IN FRONT OF THE BULB IS DISCOLORED AND SEEMS TO BE MELTING DUE TO OVERHEATING. THE PLASTIC IS DARK AND LOOKS BURNED. BECAUSE OF THE DEFECT THERE IS CONCERN FOR DRIVER SAFETY AS THERE SEEMS TO BE AN OBVIOUS FIRE HAZARD THAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA. THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN BOTH OF MY FRONT HEADLIGHTS. *TR
EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHT BULBS CAUSE MY VEHICLE HEADLIGHT LENSES TO SLOWLY BURN AND CRACK. *TR
HEADLIGHT HOUSINGS TURN SIGNAL/DTRL LENS IS BURNED AND CRACKED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT FROM BULB. APPARENTLY FROM WHAT I HAVE READ IN FORUMS AND OTHER ON LINE SOURCES, TOYOTA IS AVOIDING THIS PROBLEM BY SAYING NO REMEDY DUE TO FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRED OR COMPLETELY DENYING IT. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE MADE AVAILABLE UPGRADED REPLACEMENT PARTS. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN MARCH 2011 AND NOTICED THIS CONDITION RIGHT AFTER PURCHASE. IT HAS NOW WORSENED TO THE POINT THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED. VEHICLE NOW HAS 48,381 MILES. *TR
THE PLASTIC HOUSING/PLASTIC LENS COVERING THE AMBER DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND THE CLEAR FOG LIGHTS ARE BURNED, MELTED, CRACKED AND BROKEN. THIS IS NOT DUE TO ANY FRONT END COLLISION BUT DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT GENERATED BY THE ORIGINAL FACTORY-INSTALLED LIGHT BULBS. THE LIGHTS ARE GENERATING SO MUCH HEAT THAT THEY ARE MELTING, BURNING AND CRACKING THE PLASTIC HOUSING WHICH THEN BREAKS UNDER DRIVING STRESS. COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO TURN OFF THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION. EITHER THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS MUST BE ON OR THE HEADLIGHTS MUST BE ON. THEREFORE, THE LIGHTS CONTINUE TO BURN THE PLASTIC HOUSING. TOYOTA WILL NOT COMPLETELY COVER THE COST TO REPAIR AND REPLACE THESE DEFECTIVE LIGHT SYSTEMS STATING THAT THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY. ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE IS ONE YEAR OUT OF THE 3 YEARS MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY THIS PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR OVERNIGHT BUT IS THE RESULT OF 4 YEARS OF USE. THE LENS HAVE BEEN PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. BECAUSE THE LENS ARE BURNED, WE ARE CONCERNED THAT A FIRE COULD OCCUR. *TR
INSIDE THE FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY IS A COMBINATION TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR/ EMERGENCY FLASH INDICATOR/DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT. *TR THE LENSE FOR THIS COMBINATION INDICATOR INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAS MELTED AND AFFECTED THE INTEGRITY OF THE COMPONENT. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP TWICE AND TOYOTA CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BY TELEPHONE. BUT THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CORRECTING THE PROBLEM, EXCEPT FOR TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF THE COMPLETE ASSEMBLY AT MY EXPENSE. BY THE REGULATIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WITH THE DOT TOYOTA SHOULD COMPLY WITH PART 564 OF THE SAFETY REGULATION REQUIREMENTS, AND BY THIS SHOULD NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE OPTIONAL REPLACEMENT PARTS AS A SERVICE BULLITIN WITH A MAILED NOTIFICATION LETTER. BECAUSE OF THIS OVERSIGHT TOYOTA HAS CHOSEN TO ADAPT A STRATAGY TO USE AN EXCEPTION TO THEIR WARRANTY CONTRACT BY LIMITING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IN EFFECT OF COMPONENT EXCLUSIONS I.E. LIGHT BULBS BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S INABILLITY TO RECOGNISE AND ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH A NOTIFICATION. MANY OF THE DEALERS AND OWNERS WHO COULD HAVE CORRECTED THE IMPROPER MATCHING OF THE ASSEMBLIES, BEFORE DAMAGE TO THE INTEGRITY OF THE SIGNAL INDICATORS REQUIRED SAFE OPERATION WAS LOST AND TOYOTA GAINED CONSIDERABLE FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE AT THE EXPENSE OF SAFETY.
I HAVE A 09 TACOMA AND THE DRL'S HAVE ACTUALLY BURNED, MELTED AND POPPED THE LENS IN FRONT OF THEM. ALSO, THE BULBS THEMSELVES, UPON EXAMINATION, HAVE BURNED THE SOCKET IN WHICH THEY ARE HELD. YOU CAN SEE BLACK AROUND THE BASE OF THEM. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AT 59K MILES AND I HAVE THE PLATINUM 7YEAR/100000MI WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST ME 1100 FOR PARTS ALONE TO FIX, OFFERED NO HELP AND LIED TO ME AND SAID THEY HAVE HAD NO OTHER INCIDENTS OF THIS NATURE AND ITS A RARE PROBLEM NEVER BEFORE SEEN. I HAVE REMOVED MY DRL BULBS OUT OF CONCERN OF A FIRE STARTING AND THEN I PROBABLY GET STUCK WITH THAT BILL OF A BURNT FRONT END. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE TOYOTA PUT IN A BULB THAT'S TOO HOT OR BECAUSE TOYOTA DECIDED TO MAKE A CHEAP PLASTIC COVER FOR THE BULBS. I HAD ZERO INFLUENCE ON THIS FAILURE. THERE ARE COUNTLESS POSTS ON ALL KINDS OF WEBSITES CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. I CAN TRACK DOWN OVER 1000 IN LESS THAN 30 MIN. PLEASE HELP. WHEN I CALL TOYOTA I JUST GET BULLIED AROUND AND TALKED TO LIKE I'M DUMB OR DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. *TR
THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE MELTED AND CRACKED THE LENS/PLASTIC. THESE ARE ALSO USED AS FRONT END TURN SIGNALS. IF THESE FAIL, IT COULD BE A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. WHILE THERE IS A TSB, THE DEALERSHIP DENIED TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENTS SINCE MY 36K WARRANTY HAS NOW EXPIRED. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST STARTED TO HAPPEN AND TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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