2012 Toyota Tacoma Fuel system Problems

The check engine light on the dashboard of my 2012 Tacoma turned on and will no longer accelerate appropriately and especially while driving uphill, posing a danger to myself and other drivers. I was on a two-lane highway with a cliffside drop on one side and a wall of steep rock on the other and absolutely no where to go as there was only one lane going in each direction and my truck would not accelerate over 20mph in an area where you’re expected to keep a pace above 40mph and as such ended up with a long row of impatient and increasingly frustrated drivers behind me, only more incited by my having to turn on my hazard lights as a result of a crawling speed I was forced to deal with and with nowhere to pull over and get out of the way. How can I possibly rely on this vehicle to be safe for me or anyone else, especially on a fast-moving highway in this condition? I have taken the vehicle to an auto shop and I as told the air injection system is bad and that this is a typical problem for Toyota Tacomas and the cost would be just shy of $3,000! I was recommended by a mechanic to reach out to Toyota directly because this is obviously an issue the manufacturer should readily respond to and repair. Please advise.

NHTSA ID

11544660

Incident

Jul 10, 2023

My truck lost drivability while I was going 60 I ran into a ditch to stop. It hads two codes . I took it in they replaced my rack n pinion. Check engine light came on . Mechanic said he could not work on it anymore because of the rust. To much corrosion he would be risking liability for other parts getting damaged because of all the rust. Took it to mike Shaw to have frame tested. It passed they said. But I can’t find a mechanic to work on it but mike Shaw and they’ll just keep charging for each item they don’t care.

NHTSA ID

11498183

Incident

Dec 1, 2021

Switching valve stuck open bank 1 and 2. Truck is in limp mode. Air pump is full of water.

NHTSA ID

11420726

Incident

Jun 12, 2021

WHEN ACCELERATING THE TRUCK LOST ALL POWER AND ACCELERATION. ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. ENGINE WILL NOT INCREASE RPM WHEN ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED. TRUCK WILL SLOWLY DRIVE BUT IS UNSAFE TO BE ON THE ROAD AS IT SLOWLY ACCELERATES UP TO 20-30MPH MAX. VEHICLE WAS MERGING INTO TRAFFIC FROM PARKING LOT ACCESS.

NHTSA ID

11389313

Incident

Jan 13, 2021

Mileage

110,000 mi

TRAC OFF AND CEL ON, TRUCK GOES INTO 'LIMP MODE' AND DECELERATES WHEN GAS ALLPIED. LOUD WHINING NOISE WHEN FIRST STARTING.

NHTSA ID

11353480

Incident

Sep 5, 2020

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD NO ACCELERATION BEYOND 20 MPH. I TOOK IT FOR A DIAGNOSIS AT AUTO ZONE AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS CODES ,2450 AND 2442, SECONDARY AIR VALVES STUCK OPEN. I AM STUCK IN AN UNFAMILIAR CITY AND NO MECHANICS WITH TIME TO FIX IT, TO SAY NOTHING OF ME NOT HAVING THE FUNDS TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN I WAS TURNING A CORNER ON A HILL. I UNDERSTAND THIS HAS BECOME A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR TOYOTAS AND I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED A RECALL NOTICE SO THAT TOYOTA WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM! I HAVE NO WAY OF GETTING HOME AS PART OF MY DRIVE IS THRU A VERY STEEP AND TREACHEROUS CANYON.

NHTSA ID

11242650

Incident

Aug 7, 2019

Mileage

112,500 mi

ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO MY TRUCK WAS HESITATING AND MY CHECK ENGINE/OFF TRAC LIGHT WAS ON. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 40MPH ON CITY STREETS OR HIGHWAY. I WENT TO A TOYOTA DEALER IN PUERTO RICO, THEY SAID THE CODES WERE P0052, P0456, P2140, P2442 SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM IS BAD AND WOULD COST $2,458.08 FOR REPAIRS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY. IT IS A 2012 TOYOTA TACOMA PRE-RUNNER.

NHTSA ID

11235367

Incident

Jul 13, 2019

Mileage

77,500 mi

I'M A OWNER OF TACOMA PRE-RUNNER 2012. I RECENTLY TOOK MY CAR TO SCAN SINCE I HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. ATTACHED I SEND YOU THE CODES AND I ALSO INCLUDE THE FACT SHEET DELIVERED TO ME AT THE SERVICE CENTER. I WANT TO KNOW IF THIS IS COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11234904

Incident

Jul 15, 2019

Mileage

40 mi

SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM CODE P2440 AND P 2442

NHTSA ID

11229834

Incident

Jul 6, 2019

Mileage

113,102 mi

TODAY LEAVING WORK MY TRUCK WENT INTO COMPLETE LIMP MODE. TURNED AROUND AND THANKFULLY I WORK AT A DEALERSHIP NOT A TOYOTA ONE THOUGH. I GOT THE CODES THAT POPPED UP CHECKED AND IT WAS THE CODES FOR THE AIR INJECTION PUMP AND FLAPS. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THIS IS COMMON IN THE MY TRUCK AND I AM RIGHT OUTSIDE MY COVERAGE FOR IT. IT ENDS AT 150,000 AND I HAVE 163. I HAVE TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK BACK AND FORTH ON THE INTERSTATE AND IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WHY WOULD Y'ALL PUT A CUTOFF ON THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THIS NOT A RECALL. I BOUGHT MY TRUCK 2ND HAND SO I HAD NO IDEA OF THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11228985

Incident

Jul 2, 2019

Mileage

163,000 mi

'TAKATA RECALL' SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP SECONDARY AIR SWITCHING VALVES LIMP MODE DON'T GO OVER 40 CRUDE CONTROLS DOESN'T WORK

NHTSA ID

11220792

Incident

May 18, 2019

Mileage

100,000 mi

TOYOTA HAS A KNOWN ISSUE OF THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVE THAT IS FAULTY THAT CAUSES THE 2012 TACOMA TO GO INTO "LIMP MODE" EXPECTANTLY. I WAS GETTING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE TRUCK CUT OUT DOWN TO 25 MPH WHILE TRAFFIC WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE ENGINE CODES SHOWN ARE THE TYPICAL P2440 AND P2442 AND HAS BEEN REPORTED NUMEROUS TIMES. PLEASE PROMPT TOYOTA TO RECALL THIS PART TO AVOID UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENTS OR DEATH DUE TO A KNOWN ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11156453

Incident

Dec 5, 2018

Mileage

96,573 mi

THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM WENT OUT

NHTSA ID

11078622

Incident

Feb 8, 2018

Mileage

164,000 mi

SECONDARY AIR INJECTOR FAILURE. VALVES STUCK OPEN. CHECK ENGINE CODES P2442 AND P2440. VEHICLE IN MOTION DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. JUST BOUGHT YESTERDAY WITH 47K MILES. FAILURE CAUSES VEHICLE TO 'LIMP'. CAN'T EXCEED 2500 RPMS VERY EASILY, MASSIVE LOSS OF POWER.

NHTSA ID

11063415

Incident

Jan 17, 2018

Mileage

47,800 mi

COLD START OF THE VEHICLE WAS FOLLOWED BY A HIGH PITCHED WHINE AND THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND 'TRAC OFF' LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. DIAGNOSTIC CHECK REVEALED FAULTY SECONDARY AIR PUMP AND SWITCHING VALVE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY TOYOTA FOR THE TUNDRA AND THE SEQUOIA, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO PLAY DUMB ON THIS MODEL YEAR TACOMA. A CURSORY SEARCH OF THE INTERNET REVEALS THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM IN THE 2012 TRUCK. THERE ARE DOZENS OF REPORTS OF VEHICLES FAILING TO ACCELERATE, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A CAUSE FOR CONCERN, AND THE $2000 RECOMMENDED FIX IS BEING DONE WITH THE SAME IMPROPERLY ENGINEERED PARTS.

NHTSA ID

11058026

Incident

Jan 1, 2018

Mileage

78,000 mi

CODE P2443 VALVE STUCK CLOSED CAME UP WHEN MY "TRAC AND CEL" LIGHTS CAME UP ON THE DASH. THIS HAPPENED ON STARTUP. THIS CODE IS A FAILURE OF THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVE STUCK CLOSED. THIS CONDITION CAN LEAD TO LOST POWER WHEN DRIVING CALLED A "LIMP MODE" AND IS OCCURRING ON TOYOTA TACOMA"S AT AROUND THE 50K MILE MARK AS I HAVE FOUND ON THE TACOMA WORLD WEBSITE. THIS ISSUE HAS ALSO BEEN NOTED ON THE TOYOTA TUNDRA AS WELL AND A TSB HAS BEEN ISSUED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BUT NOT FOR THE TACOMA. I HAVE NOTED THAT MY POWER HAS DIMINISHED SINCE THE LIGHTS CAME ON (3 DAYS). I CHECKED WITH MY TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY SAY THEY HAVE NO HISTORY OF THIS HAPPENING. TACOMA OWNERS SAY THIS ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN AND TOYOTA IS FAILING TO ADDRESS A FIX. THE LOSS OF POWER CAN OCCUR ANYTIME AND IF IT HAPPENS ON A BUSY INTERSTATE OR HIGHWAY CAN RESULT IN ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ID

11052804

Incident

Dec 4, 2017

Mileage

48,020 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT CAME ON. TRUCK WENT INTO "LIMP" MODE AND WOULD ONLY GO ABOUT 35MPH. CHECKED THE ERROR CODE AND IT WAS P2442 WHICH SAYS THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM IS FAILING. TRUCK HAS ONLY 55K MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS EVERY 6 MONTHS / 5K MILES. DEALERSHIP HAS SAID IT WILL BE $2023 TO REPLACE THE SYSTEM. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL OR EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS INJECTION SYSTEM

NHTSA ID

11047407

Incident

Nov 15, 2017

Mileage

55,000 mi

RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING MY 2012 TOYOTA TACOMA ON THE HIGHWAY AT A SUSTAINED SPEED OF 70 MPH. A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR INSTANTLY DROPPED IN SPEED TO LESS THAN 40 MPH WHILE IN FAST MOVING TRAFFIC. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A LARGE TRUCK AND WAS FORCED TO CROSS MULTIPLE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE BERM AND ASCERTAIN THE SITUATION. AS I COULD FIND NO ISSUES UPON INSPECTION, I PRECARIOUSLY DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A SERVICE STORE TO READ THE ERROR CODES. THE VEHICLE SHOWED P2440 P2442 ERROR CODES INDICATING SECONDARY AIR INJECTION FAILURES. APPARENTLY, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO LIMP MODE UPON THROWING THESE CODES WHICH LIMITS SPEED AND ENGINE RPM. THIS ALMOST CAUSED A HUGE ACCIDENT AND PUT ME INTO A A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. ADDITIONALLY UPON RESEARCHING THESE ISSUES, IT SEEMS THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED ISSUE CAUSED BY MANUFACTURING DEFECTS ISOLATED TO THE 2012 MODEL YEAR. APPARENTLY, THE SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE IN MULTIPLE WAYS. FIRST, A PIECE OF FOAM IS INSIDE THE SECONDARY AIR PUMP WHICH DEGRADES AND IS SUCKED INTO THE FAN WHICH NOT ONLY CAUSES STOPPAGE AND BURNING OUT THE FAN MOTOR BUT ALSO ALLOWS FOR STINKY RESIDUE AND DEBRIS TO ENTER THE VALVES CAUSING THEM TO JAM OPEN OR CLOSED. ADDITIONALLY, THE SYSTEM ALLOWS MOISTURE TO BE SUCKED INTO THE VALVES ADDING TO CORROSION AND DEGRADATION OF THE VALVES LEADING TO THEM TO BE STUCK. THIS IS A ROUGHLY 1500.00-2000.00 REPAIR. IT IS A QUITE FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL YET IS NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN. TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE YET NOT TAKEN ANY ACTION. ADDITIONALLY, THEY HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE TUNDRA/SEQUOIA AND OFFERED REMEDY TO OWNERS VIA EXTENDED WARRANTY. THIS IS NOT ONLY A QUALITY CONTROL ISSUE BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE AUTOMATIC REDUCTION TO A SLOW SPEED IN FAST HEAVY TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ID

11043429

Incident

Nov 3, 2017

Mileage

69,000 mi

I START UP THE TRUCK AND PULL OUT IN TO THE STREET. WHETHER AT AN INTERSECTION OR MAKING A TURN, I PUSH ON THE ACCELERATOR AND NOTHING HAPPENS. THE RPMS DON'T INCREASE, ENGINE MAKES NO SOUND - AND I AM LEFT SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I PUSH THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR AND EVENTUALLY THE ENGINE COMES TO LIFE AND THE TRUCK MOVES FORWARD. HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN NOT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS "COLD" - WITHIN THE FIRST 20-30 MINUTES OF OPERATION. THE ACCELERATOR IS NOT LINKED DIRECTLY TO THE ENGINE THROUGH A CABLE BUT IS A DRIVE BY WIRE. I HAVE MAINTAINED MY TACOMA METICULOUSLY SINCE PURCHASE INCLUDING TUNE UPS, OIL CHANGES, ETC. I HAVE CLEANED THE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR WITH NO CHANGE. THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION WITH A VEHICLE THAT HAS LOST POWER.

NHTSA ID

11041373

Incident

Sep 12, 2017

Mileage

51,000 mi

ERROR CODE P2442 SECONDARY AIR INJECTION VALVE STUCK OPEN. TRUCK IMMEDIATELY GOES INTO "LIMP' MODE AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE OVER 20MPH. EXTREMELY UNSAFE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DECELERATE ON A HIGHWAY FOR A KNOWN ISSUE THAT HAS PROMPTED WARRANTY EXTENSIONS ON TOYOTA TUNDRA'S.

NHTSA ID

11030179

Incident

Sep 24, 2017

Mileage

97,300 mi

LIKE MANY OTHERS, MY 2012 TACOMA SUDDENLY LOST POWER ON THE HIWAY. REFUSED TO GO ABOVE 40 OR SO MPH. OTHER CARS HAD TO SLAM ON BRAKES TO AVOID ME. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY WANTED NEARLY $2000.00 TO REPLACE THE SAME PARTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE TUNDRAS AS BEING DEFECTIVE. SECONDARY AIR INJECTION STUCK OPEN. THE CODES ARE P2440 AND P2442. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSES POWER. TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 150K FOR THE TUNDRA BUT NOT THE TACOMA. SAME PARTS! MY TACOMA WAS IN MOTION WHEN SUDDENLY LOST POWER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. CHECK OUT CARCOMPLAINTS.COM

NHTSA ID

11012975

Incident

May 3, 2017

Mileage

68,000 mi

SECONDARY AIR PUMP FAILED AT 47,000 MILES, SHORTLY AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. IT FAILED AS I WAS PULLING OUT ONTO A MAJOR FAST-MOVING HIGHWAY AND PROMPTLY WENT INTO "LIMP" MODE, LIMITING ACCELERATION. IT TOOK OVER A HALF MILE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO 40 MPH. MEANWHILE, VEHICLES BEHIND ME WERE BRAKING ABRUPTLY TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH ME. AS I UNDERSTAND IT THE SECONDARY AIR PUMP IS PART OF THE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD EFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ENGINE IN THIS MANNER. THIS SEEMS MORE LIKE A SOFTWARE INDUCED FAILURE, WHICH, IN THIS CASE, CAUSED A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AFTER SOME BACK AND FORTH TOYOTA AGREED TO REFUND ME 1/2 OF THE $2500 THAT I WAS CHARGED FOR THE REPAIR. UPON SEARCHING THE INTERNET, I FOUND DOZENS OF INSTANCES OF THIS FAILURE ON 2012 TACOMA'S WITH SIMILAR MILEAGE.

NHTSA ID

11012395

Incident

Jul 18, 2017

Mileage

46,925 mi

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, TRAC OFF LIGHT ON, ENGINE POWER WEAK CHECK ENGINE CODE- P2441. THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON ISSUE WITH TOYOTA SUVS, AND TRUCKS! CAR IS PUT INTO LIMP MODE. EXTENDED WARRANTY ON TUNDRA WITH SAME PART PROBLEM. NOT TACOMA. SHAMEFUL AND DANGEROUS FOR TACOMA OWNERS.

NHTSA ID

11010947

Incident

Jul 27, 2017

Mileage

61,000 mi

SECONDARY AIR INJECTION ERROR CODES P2440, P2441,P2442. LOSS OF POWER DUE TO AIR INJECTOR STUCK. VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 20-30 MPH. THIS IS AN EMMSISIONS REQUIREMENT BUT WARRANTIES ON TACOMAS WILL NOT COVER BEYOND 3YRS/35K MILES. TUNDRAS HAVE TUNDRAS HAVE SAME KNOWN ISSUES AND TOYOTA INCRWASED WARRANTY TO 10 YRS/150K MILES. SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS. OWNERS ARE PAYING THOUSANDS IN REPAIRS FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11005324

Incident

Jul 12, 2017

Mileage

69,000 mi

FAILURE OF THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP AND VALVE EMISSION SYSTEM PROMPTED ENGINE TO RUN IN A REDUCED POWER MODE, AND THIS OCCURRED ON A ON A RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLE WITH BELOW AVERAGE MILEAGE. WHILE SETTING MAY PROTECT ENGINE, THIS CREATED AN UNSAFE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT FOR VEHICLE WITHIN FAST MOVING TRAFFIC. MY COMPLIANT IS NOT RELATED TO THE REDUCED DRIVING MODE THAT MAY HAVE PROTECTED THE ENGINE, BUT RATHER THE POOR DESIGN OF THE AIR-PUMP/VALVE SYSTEM THAT PREMATURELY FAILED CAUSING THE REDUCED POWER MODE.

NHTSA ID

10992580

Incident

May 27, 2017

Mileage

47,800 mi