2016 Toyota Tacoma Interior & seats Problems

Dear Toyota Japan Customer Experience Team, I am the owner of a 2016 Toyota Tacoma currently registered in Guam, U.S.A. I am writing to request your assistance regarding a water leak issue from the rear brake light area, which has caused the carpets and seats to become wet and develop mold. I originally purchased this vehicle in Saipan and recently relocated to Guam. When I visited the Guam Toyota Service Center, they kindly inspected my vehicle and informed me that this issue is related to the 3rd brake light gasket recall; however, the recall period has already expired. Unfortunately, I was never notified of this recall while the vehicle was in Saipan. Continuous exposure to mold has seriously affected both my health and my daughter’s health. Because of this, I had the vehicle professionally cleaned and sanitized by a specialist company. The Tacoma has always been our family’s favorite car, but now I drive it only because I have no choice. Every time I get in, I feel anxious and uneasy. The water leak itself is concerning, but the mold issue worries me even more. I truly hope this water leak and the mold problem can both be resolved so that I can once again enjoy driving my Tacoma with peace of mind. The blue circles in the attached photos indicate areas suspected of mold. These photos were taken right before I sent the car for cleaning. According to the cleaning company, when they removed the seats, they found water underneath the seats and carpets. Whenever I drive the vehicle, I experience persistent coughing and headaches due to mold exposure. This has become a serious health and safety concern. Since this issue is directly related to a previously recalled safety defect, I kindly request Toyota Japan to consider a Goodwill Repair or Safety Exception to address the water leak and the resulting interior damage.

NHTSA ID

11730507

Incident

Oct 21, 2025

The rear passenger door lock actuator on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma failed prematurely, causing the door to no longer lock or unlock properly. The failure required replacement of the entire actuator assembly at a Toyota dealership at a cost of $727.19. This failure occurred without abuse or unusual use and is not consistent with normal wear and tear. I am aware of numerous similar complaints and pending class action lawsuits involving door lock actuator failures across multiple Toyota models, indicating this is a known and recurring defect. A door that cannot reliably lock or unlock presents a safety and security concern, particularly for passengers and children, and increases the risk of unauthorized entry or inability to exit the vehicle in an emergency.

NHTSA ID

11710609

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

Heated seat had stopped working, checked and found the problem. The module that controls the heated seats had a melted connector and wires, causing the seat to no longer be able to have heated seats.

NHTSA ID

11635559

Incident

Jan 10, 2025

Seat heating module for my driver seat has melted and is further irrepairable without buying the entire harness to fix the issue. There are multiple reports of this happening across forums.

NHTSA ID

11617153

Incident

Apr 22, 2024

The seat heater thermostat under the driver’s seat melted and charred while heater was in use Fire danger. Dealer said this happens to a small number of vehicles of similar age and manufacture date. This was inspected by the dealership. No lights or warns came on before, during or after. I noticed the seat heater stopped working. I inspected the fuse. The fuse was not burned out. I found the melted part under the seat in the heater wiring harness assembly. I have removed the fuse at this time to prevent energizing the harness further.

NHTSA ID

11609722

Incident

Aug 20, 2024

I had a heated seat failure. I do have the parts available for inspection. I removed the seat to find that the sub assy-seat heater and connecting wiring harness had been burnt which could potentially cause a fire. Toyota part numbers effected are: sub assy - 87501-0C020, wiring harness in the heater assy - 87510-04040 which was replaced by 87510-04050. I reported the issue to Toyota. There were no warning lights or indicators that there was an issue. The heated seat indicator light still shows the seat as on even though it was not heating. Toyota service bulletin T-SB-0130-18 has been issued about this issue, so Toyota obviously knows there is an issue. I've read in forums online that the root issue is the wiring not being large enough to handle the power to the seat, so ultimately replacing the factory parts would not guarantee the issue will not happen again.

NHTSA ID

11567943

Incident

Jan 5, 2024

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Heated seat heating module. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Module burned out during usage and emitted fire odor and smoke when burnt out (potential fire hazard if kept on). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? [XXX] Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Unknown. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? None. 2016 Tacoma limited heated seat heating module overheated/burned out with slight smoke under seat during minimal usage (texas based). TSB [XXX] released in October 2018, about the time most of the 2016 (produced in 2015) are going out of warranty, and based on frequency of usage and locale (warmer climates observe less usage) - also even though parts used are the same, VIN is apparently not affected. Toyota will not honor TSB even though the burn out can be a potential fire hazard if not known/smelled especially while traveling and buckled into seat belt (similar to Mercedes heated seats caught on fire). No notice provided by Toyota of TSB at time of issue. Item should be a recall as it affects many 2016-2018 Tacoma's and is a fire safety and burn hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11557704

Incident

Oct 1, 2023

Driver’s side front seat not delivering heat despite switch lamp indicating it’s on and working. Further exploration reveals passenger side seat heater working as it should. I checked wiring harness and connections under driver’s seat only to discover plastic connector entering amplifier scorched and melted with two of four pins destroyed (Red and Green wires). I believe the wire gauge sized for this system is improper and therefore represents a fire hazard. About the time the seat heater failed, I smelled a burning odor inside the car for a short time but didn’t associate the two events until later. The vehicle has 135,998 miles on it and therefore out of warranty. I spoke to the dealer who explained he’s had similar issues from other customers and added there is no recalls at this time.

NHTSA ID

11505879

Incident

Jan 12, 2023

Mileage

135,998 mi

While driving down the road with my driver seat warmer on, the heating element and/or associated electronics burned a hole in the seat canvas and through the jacket I was wearing. I think a small fire started which I put out with my finger and then I turned off the seat heater.

NHTSA ID

11493228

Incident

Nov 11, 2022

The driver's side seat heating element failed due to a defective seat heater amp. When independently researching the failure, which could have simply been an unconnected wire, I discovered the amp and wiring had an electrical seizure and the wiring had burned the amp. The heating amp sits underneath the seat and with the right conditions could cause the seat to catch fire. The issue has been reported to Toyota corporate.

NHTSA ID

11449467

Incident

Dec 6, 2021

3RD GENERATION (2016+) TOYOTA TACOMA'S HAVE A KNOWN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING LEAKING OF THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT. DURING RAINFALL AND DRIVING THROUGH A CARWASH, WATER WILL LEAK INTO THE DRIVERS COMPARTMENT RESULTING IN WATER DAMAGE AND POTENTIAL FOR MOLD AND MILDEW. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH WILL RESULT IN THOUSANDS OF OWNERS REPORTING THIS ISSUE. TOYOTA REFUSES TO COVER THIS ISSUE IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF THEIR WARRANTY PERIOD, WHICH CAN RESULT IN $1000+ LABOR BILL TO REPLACE A FAULTY GASKET. SEEING AS THIS IS A POTENTIAL HEALTH RISK TO OWNERS, THIS SHOULD BE A MANDATORY RECALL TO REPLACE FOR OWNERS OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD.

NHTSA ID

11415194

Incident

Feb 1, 2021

WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, TURNED ON, AND IN MOTION, THE AMP FOR THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT SEAT HEATER PRETTY MUCH MELTED. I SMELT AN ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL, AND WAS ABLE TO LOCATE THE SOURCE.

NHTSA ID

11319198

Incident

Feb 21, 2020

Mileage

27,500 mi

I NOTICED WHEN MY DRIVER SEAT HEATER WAS IN THE "ON" POSITION, THE SEAT WAS NOT HEATING UP. ELECTRICAL WIRING/CONNECTOR FOR THE HEATED SEAT MODULE LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT OVERHEATED OR ARCED CAUSING THE CONNECTOR (S) TO MELT POSING A SAFETY/FIRE HAZARD AND RENDERING THE HEATED SEAT INOPERABLE. TSB FROM TOYOTA COVERS THIS UP TO 3YEARS/36,000 MILES. MILEAGE AT TIME OF FAILURE: 61,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11319165

Incident

Mar 19, 2020

Mileage

61,000 mi

ELECTRICAL WIRING/CONNECTOR FOR THE HEATED SEAT MODULE LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT OVERHEATED OR ARCED CAUSING THE CONNECTOR (S) TO MELT POSING A SAFETY HAZARD AND RENDERING THE HEATED SEAT INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ID

11317162

Incident

Feb 25, 2020

Mileage

78,000 mi

DRIVING HOME APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY (SPEED LIMIT OF 50MPH) AND NOTICED THE OEM/FACTORY INSTALLED DRIVER HEATED SEAT STOPPED WORKING. PROCEEDED TO SMELL BURNT PLASTIC BUT IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND I CONVINCED MYSELF THAT NOTHING OUT OF THE NORMAL HAD OCCURRED SINCE MY PASSENGER DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED. THE FOLLOWING DAY I DID A BIT OF RESEARCH AND TESTED THE HEATED SEAT WHICH NO LONGER GOT WARM LIKE THE PASSENGER SIDE. UNDERNEATH THE SEAT IS AN "AMPLIFIER" FOR THE HEATED SEAT WHICH LOOKS TO HAVE SHORTED OUT. BOTH THE AMPLIFIER AND THE MALE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAD BURNT/MELTED ON ONE OF THE TERMINALS. THE PLUG LOOKS COMPLETELY RUINED AND I PRESUME THE AMPLIFIED IS NOW BROKEN. ALL OTHER FUSES AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS APPEARED FINE.

NHTSA ID

11286497

Incident

Nov 28, 2019

Mileage

52,500 mi

SEAT HEATER MODULE CONNECTOR HAS FAILED AND BURNED/MELTED THE CONNECTOR. APPEARS TO BE A FIRE CONCERN.

NHTSA ID

11190946

Incident

Mar 22, 2019

Mileage

36,000 mi

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER STOPPED WORKING IN MY 2016 TACOMA LIMITED 4X4 DELIVERED IN JANUARY 2016. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND THAT THE WIRING HARNESS INTO THE SEAT HEATER AMP HAD A MELTED WIRE, DAMAGING BOTH THE AMP AND THE WIRING HARNESS. OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS SAME SEAT HEATER FAILURE WITH MELTED WIRING WERE FOUND ONLINE IN THE TACOMAWORLD.COM FORUMS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO BE CONFIRM THE ISSUE AND HAVE HAVE A QUOTE TO FIX IT. MILEAGE IS 33,900

NHTSA ID

11184547

Incident

Mar 1, 2019

Mileage

33,900 mi

3RD BRAKE LIGHT OVER TORQUED AT FACTORY RESULTING IN DEFECTIVE SEAL AND EVENTUALLY CRACKED LIGHT FIXTURE. THIS RESULTS NOT ONLY IN ELECTRICAL ISSUE BUT SERIOUS LEAKING INTO CABIN - AFFECTING REAR SEAT, ROOF, AND FLOORING. LEAK NOTICED AFTER RAIN STORMS AND NOTICING WET FLOOR/SEATS AND DAMP FLOORS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE AFFECTING 3RD GENERATION TACOMAS ON TOYOTA FORUMS SUCH AS TACOMAWORLD.COM.

NHTSA ID

11119971

Incident

Jul 7, 2018

Mileage

41,000 mi

DRIVER'S SIDE REAR SEAT IS GETTING WET DURING HEAVY RAINS. THE LEATHER WILL BE SWELLED UP.

NHTSA ID

11005940

Incident

Jun 7, 2017

Mileage

21,000 mi

THE REAR SEATS DO NOT LOCK. FOR EXAMPLE, THE REAR SEATS HAVE A LOCKING MECHANISM UNDER THE SEAT. WHEN SEAT IS PUT BACK INTO ITS NORMAL POSITION IT DOES NOT LOCK. I HAD A 2001 AND THE SEAT LOCKED ONCE PUT INTO ITS NORMAL SITTING POSITION.

NHTSA ID

10933735

Incident

Oct 6, 2016