2020 Toyota Tacoma Owner Complaints

The Clutch in the Manual Transmission makes a "creaking" noise, and you can feel it when driving too, when depressing the clutch pedal... The creaking noise is annoying, but the feel of the creaking is very distracting when driving the manual transmission, depressing the creaky clutch can distract you from the road because you can feel it; and it only get's worse when left alone. This is a recurring issue on my 2020 Tacoma. It was "fixed" by the dealer in 2022, I think, and now it's happening again... same "creaking" issue that starts out small and gets louder and more violent (you can feel the "creaking" in the pedal more) with time. This really seems like a parts failure and not a lube job. There is a TSB out for this issue (T-SB-0112-19), but this really should be upgraded to a recall.

NHTSA ID

11754665

Incident

Jul 20, 2026

I am reporting a safety-related failure of an aftermarket bull bar / grille guard purchased through Amazon. The bull bar detached from the vehicle while the vehicle was in motion on a public road. After detaching, the bar was dragged on the road and was only partially held by the fog light wiring. This created a road hazard and could have caused loss of control, damage to other vehicles, or injury to pedestrians or other drivers. The failure appears to be at or near the welded joint / mounting area, suggesting a possible manufacturing or weld defect rather than normal wear. The product was installed on the vehicle before the incident and failed during normal driving. Product: - Product type: Aftermarket bull bar / grille guard - Brand / seller: Topline_autopart / Amazon - Purchased from: Amazon - Order number: 114-8975268-2481806 - Purchase date: November 21, 2025 Vehicle: - Year / Make / Model: 2020 Toyota Tacoma - Incident date: Mar. 7th 2026 - Approximate speed: 45mph - Location: Exit 111 at I-16 EB I have photos of the failed weld / mounting area, the damaged bull bar, and Amazon order information. I am concerned that other units of this product may have the same defect and could detach while driving.

NHTSA ID

11742928

Incident

Mar 7, 2026

Fluid weeping/leaking/staining on differential housing

NHTSA ID

11730338

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

On Sunday, March 15,2026, I was driving from Houston, TX to Pharr, TX at the speed of 75mph on the left lane to pass an 18 wheeler, with another 18 wheeler behind me, and my truck started idling erratically. I lost speed and my service engine light came on. My truck slowed down and I almost got in a car accident with the 18 wheelers because the truck did this. The truck behind me slowed down on time and it went immediately to the right lane to avoid hitting my truck. I feared for my life. All the vehicles behind me and the 18 wheelers also went to the right lane to avoid me. By this time, the TRAC light had already come on also. I managed a space of no vehicles and steered towards the right safety lane. I pulled over at the local truck stop and stoped my truck to rest. After about 5 minutes I tried starting my truck and it wasn’t starting. I am a little mechanically inclined, so I started troubleshooting the truck. My code reader gave these codes: P1605-00, P0300-27, P0300-85, and P0302-00. Unscathed to start the truck after a while and got back on the road. The drive was brutal, as the truck kept burping erratically, but I made it home safely. I took my truck to the mechanic and he did some repairs and told me the issue is the fuel pump. I have checked the recalls for my truck but it shows zero recalls for my truck. Luckily I am alive to report this life threatening safety issue that Toyota has on this model. How do I get Toyota responsible to make the repairs on my truck? The part alone is over $1200 at O’Reily auto parts.

NHTSA ID

11725081

Incident

Mar 15, 2026

This is a safety issue and a known issue. Toyota is reporting that it is wear and tear and denying my goodwill repair but it is a technical service bulletin TSB #0082-21 - so it is a safety issue. I emailed and called and have case number with Toyota - 260225002292

NHTSA ID

11723258

Incident

Nov 15, 2025

I am having same issue as the incident i found here 12/06/2025, LISTED UNDER COMPLAINTS-I live in Rio Rancho NM- Concern it involves the automatic transmission torque converter specifically torque-converter lock-up behavior, The issue presents as a vibration/shudder during steady -speed driving , we are driving around 30-40 miles per hour when it happens, The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. The vibration/shudder occurs during steady cruising at moderate speeds which affects vehicle smoothness and driver confidence, while no accident has occurred yet, the behavior is unexpected and distracting and could impact safe vehicle operation, particularly during highway driving or when maintaining steady speed in traffic, I Took it to my Toyota dealer a few months ago they said they could not find any issues, I am taking it again tomorrow and now I CAN SHOW THEM THAT I FOUND THE SAME ISSUE UNDER COMPLAINTS, I NEED TO TOYOTA TO FIX MY ISSUE ASAP,

NHTSA ID

11716242

Incident

Dec 10, 2025

Toyota has a manufacturing defect going on with their v6 in Gen 3Tacoma's. I have a 2020 Limited with 48,200 miles that needs a new cylinder head. It threw a check engine light on me, and luckily enough I took it to the dealership within about 30 miles, otherwise my engine could have exploded. I have videos from the dealership inspection that I cannot attach here. I have since found via the error code a history of these issues on newer trucks. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] I believe that this issue could pose serious safety issues for someone who is not as immediate on stopping driving, as it was just a check engine light. If you were to drive on this light down the highway, and have catastrophic failure, the Tacoma becomes a completely unpowered hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11712671

Incident

Jan 17, 2026

The concern involves the automatic transmission torque converter, specifically torque-converter lock-up behavior. The issue presents as a vibration/shudder during steady-speed driving. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection upon request. The vibration/shudder occurs during steady cruising at moderate speeds, which affects vehicle smoothness and driver confidence. While no accident occurred, the behavior is unexpected and distracting and could impact safe vehicle operation, particularly during highway driving or when maintaining steady speed in traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The concern has been reported to and evaluated by a Toyota dealership. Diagnostic checks did not produce fault codes, but the symptoms are consistent with torque-converter lock-up issues that occur without triggering warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected by a Toyota dealership service department. It has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives, as no accident or collision occurred. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lights or messages were displayed. The primary symptom was a noticeable vibration/shudder during steady-speed driving, which began after the vehicle was purchased in July and after routine dealer-performed maintenance. The condition developed without advance warning indicators.

NHTSA ID

11711240

Incident

Dec 6, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle lost power steering assist and brakes, but was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that the low oil and brake warning lights were illuminated, and a message to “Contact Dealer” was displayed. The vehicle was hauled by a friend's truck to a parking lot. The contact used a hand scanner and retrieved fault codes for the fuel pump, brake override, drive start control malfunction, and low oil pressure. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11710446

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

Mileage

120,000 mi

Vehicle accelerated on its own at highway speed, had to hit the brake in order for it to stop accelerating. Other more common issue is that vehicle RPMs go up when trying to accelerate but vehicle does not accelerate, just RPMs go up. This happened about 5 times over the past year and a half. Most noticeable time was where I couldn’t accelerate after at all until I pulled over and put it in park. Then back to drive again and worked fine. This car has been brought over to Lia Toyota of rockland numerous times with this second issue and they can never duplicate nor fix the problem

NHTSA ID

11708785

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

Brake fluid leaking into cab from master cylinder

NHTSA ID

11697744

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

Unknown

NHTSA ID

11697064

Incident

Nov 2, 2025

Driving the car on the freeway and upon exiting it stalled going up an incline without any warning. Could have caused a major accident and I am lucky that it did not happen on the freeway. I researched and found out that 2019-2020 Toyota pickups had this known issue in which the fuel pump fails without any warning. As a result, Toyota did issue a recall, however when I contacted them and provided the Vin number, they indicated my truck was not covered under the recall. I am very upset that a 5 year old truck failed on the fuel pump and Toyota is not covering it under the recall since this is a known issue that could have resulted in a serious accident.

NHTSA ID

11687038

Incident

Sep 6, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera failed to display a centered rear-view image. The contact observed that the rearview image was misaligned, potentially compromising the back over prevention system. No warning lights were illuminated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

NHTSA ID

11686377

Incident

Aug 15, 2025

Mileage

12,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while in reverse, the rearview camera failed to display a centered rearview image. The contact observed that the rearview image was misaligned, potentially compromising the back over prevention system. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11686363

Incident

Sep 10, 2025

Pressure release vents mounted on rear of the cab are leaking water during rain storms causing mold build up in carpet.

NHTSA ID

11679899

Incident

Aug 10, 2025

My brake master cylinder is leaking brake fluid under the steering column and dripping inside. This seems to have a recall but they only did it for trucks up to 2019 and my 2020 has the same exact issue.

NHTSA ID

11660258

Incident

May 11, 2025

The timing chain cover is leaking oil which will render the vehicle inoperable which is a safety concern. The diagnosis was done at Toyota and I am being told to repair the truck already at 84,000 miles. The cost of the repair is astronomical ($6,666). The problem appears to be a gasket which to reach for repair requires dropping the engine. It is not fair that consumers bear this burden for faulty design linked directly to a safety concern (engine will stop working because of oil leak).

NHTSA ID

11659961

Incident

May 1, 2025

The truck suddenly stopped Took it to a mechanic and had to replace the fuel pump. AAA tow company along with the mechanic that fixed the issue said that it is odd a truck so new with fuel pump issues I have the bad fuel pump and invoices. The truck stopped working at 55,247mi on the odometer

NHTSA ID

11654190

Incident

Nov 29, 2024

Throwout bearing premature failure. Saftey was put at risk with harsh shifting and potential transmission failure while merging into traffic due to not going into gear. Was brought to a shop to install a new TOB and had to replace my pressure plate as well due to wear. TOB is now doing something similar causing noises due to wear on the shaft it rides on. This is a very very common problem and should be addressed as a failure point especially for what little milage is on the truck.

NHTSA ID

11652210

Incident

Dec 10, 2024

Front passenger seat belt/SRS lights flashing and staying on. I recently gave someone a ride and when they adjusted the seat/seat belt these lights on the dash came on and will not go off. My guess it is the SRS/seatbelt/seat pretensioner.

NHTSA ID

11649136

Incident

Mar 14, 2025

The check Engine light came on two different times for us on the 2020 Toyota Tacoma. We called Toyota to see if we could continue to drive it and they asked if the light stayed on or was blinking, and if it stayed on we could still drive the vehicle . We did not feel comfortable doing that so made an appointment on February 5th,2025 and after we parked the truck at the dealership, they started it again the check engine light did not come on. They were going to send us home. The service man then asked if we wanted do a Diagnostic test to check the system and that is when they found it was the low pressure fuel pump, He said that was a good call to have not drove it home because if you're driving at a high rate of speed the truck could just stop and could cause and accident [ which is a serious safety issue for us] We checked for a recall with our VIN # and found they extended the recall and some vehicles might get a recall letters by Late March of 2025. But to keep checking if your VIN is covered. We have to pay over $1200 to get this fixed and feel that for a New 2020 vehicle purchased this is enough of a safety issue that this should be covered by Toyota. We read that these fuel pumps should last at least over 100,000- 200,000 miles. Please respond ASAP how you are going to handle this. We could have had an accident due to this and been killed. The Toyota Dealership in Lincoln, NE. has the part on order and should be trying to get it installed by the end of the week if you need to contact them. We do not have the repair bill amount as of yet, because the repair is not complete yet!

NHTSA ID

11641069

Incident

Jan 31, 2025

Started my truck up to go to the store started driving and all of a sudden it acted like it was running out of fuel check engine light came on and a ! Symbol came to barely make it back home it sat for three weeks and had to have it towed to dealer they diagnostic on it and said it was a fuel pump problem the thing is there's a recall on this same vehicle but not mine $1400 is what they want to fix there problem my truck should on the recall

NHTSA ID

11631869

Incident

Nov 23, 2024

IT'S DEFIANTLY A FUEL PUMP ISSUE CAUSE WHEN CHECK TO SEE IF FUEL PUMP COMES ON IT DON'T I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH IT STARTED JUMPING AND JERKING LIKE IF IT WAS OUT OF FUEL I BARELY MADE IT HOME It HAS BEEN TWO TO THREE WEEKS NOW WITH NO RESPONSE BACK FROM TOYOTA DEALER

NHTSA ID

11631421

Incident

Nov 29, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact was able to jumpstart the vehicle. The contact became aware that the battery terminal was corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced, and the repair was partially covered; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the infotainment system turned off and on independently. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine made an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the battery needed to be replaced, and the contact was informed that the repair would be partially covered. The contact stated that the battery failure had caused further electrical damage to the vehicle and was concerned that the battery replacement would not correct the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11631237

Incident

Dec 17, 2024

Mileage

50,000 mi