RoadVitals

2003 Toyota Toyota Truck

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
6
Latest Apr 28, 2010
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Toyota Toyota Truck, most frequently naming the engine, steering and body & structure categories. 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine233.3%
  • Steering233.3%
  • Body & structure116.7%
  • Other / unspecified116.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Other / unspecified
Filed Apr 28, 2010

AFTER I BOUGHT MY 4RUNNER I NOTICED LOSE OF POWER WHEN ENTERING BUSY STREETS OR ROADWAYS. I WOULD GO INTO AN INTERSECTION OR ROAD AND MY SUV WOULD BRAKE AND I COULD NOT SPEED UP , I HAD NO THROTTLE CONTROL FOR 3 OR 4 SECONDS THAT IS ALONG TIME WHEN YOU HAVE TRAFFIC BEHIND YOU. I AM GLAD I HAVE NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXITS. I TOOK IT TO DEALER BUT TELLS ME IT IS NORMAL. IT'S MORE LIKE SCARY THAN NORMAL.. *TR

NHTSA ID
10327866
Incident
Aug 14, 2003
Mileage
578 mi
Steering
Filed Mar 23, 2010

MY 03 4 RUNNER STEERING WHEEL FLUTTERS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT HAS HAPPENED SINCE NEW AND DEALER HAS BALANCED THE TIRES EVERYTIME. I CAN STILL FEEL THE STEERING WHEEL FLUTTER/SHAKE

NHTSA ID
10321535
Incident
Jun 20, 2003
Mileage
8,000 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 10, 2008

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA REG CAB 2WD REGISTERED IN CALIFORNIA. MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS EASILY STOLEN FROM MY VEHICLE. FOUR BOLTS AND IT'S FREE FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. I UNDERSTAND WHY THESE THEFTS ARE HAPPENING. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY TOYOTA IS CHARGING ME OVER $1,000.00 TO REPLACE IT. AS OF THIS POSTING, I HAVE FOUND NO AFTERMARKET CAT CONVERTER MANUFACTURER THAT MEETS CA OBDII SPECIFICATIONS FOR THIS MODEL TRUCK. A LIFE-LONG TOYOTA CUSTOMER, NO MORE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10237611
Incident
Aug 1, 2008
Mileage
75,000 mi
Steering
Filed Jun 2, 2007

I GET A SHIMMY (FLUTTER) IN MY STEERING WHEEL AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MPH, REGARDLESS OF ROAD CONDITIONS. I'VE TAKEN THIS TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THEY FEEL IT, TRY TO FIX IT, CAN'T AND CALL IT "NORMAL" FOR A TOYOTA 4RUNNER. IT IS NOT NORMAL AND IT IS DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10192293
Incident
Jun 29, 2003
Mileage
1,500 mi
Engine
Filed Aug 29, 2005

THE PROBLEM THAT EXISTS IS ON MY 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. IT WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN LOSE POWER AND HAVE NO THROTTLE RESPONSE, ALMOST AS IF IT WAS HITTING AN ENGINE GOVERNOR. THE RPMS USUALLY DROP ANYWHERE FROM 200-500 AND THEN COMES BACK UP. THE POWER WOULD SLOWLY COME BACK AFTER KEEPING MY FOOT ON THE THROTTLE. IT CONSISTENTLY DOES IT AFTER ACCELERATING OUT OF AN INTERSECTION (USUALLY AROUND 25 MPH OR WHILE CRUISING (AROUND BOTH 45 MPH OR 75 MPH) ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS DROP OF POWER OR LACK THEREOF IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING INTO AN INTERSECTION OR NEEDING QUICK ACCELERATION TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE READ ABOUT MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES WITH THEIR LATE MODEL TACOMAS. THE PARTS TO FIX THE ISSUE ARE VERY COSTLY AND THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WIDESPREAD.*JB

NHTSA ID
10134459
Incident
Aug 28, 2005
Mileage
54,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Apr 29, 2003

I PURCHASED A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA DOUBLE CAB NEW AFTER A FEW THOUSAND MILES NOTICED THAT UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR MAT WAS WET. TOYOTA HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM AND IS STILL UNSUCCESSFUL, BUT THEY STATE THE PROBLEM IS REPAIRED BECAUSE THERE LEAK TEST DOES NOT SHOW THE LEAK, HOWEVER WHEN IT RAINS IT GETS WET. I FILED FOR ARBITRATION AND RECENTLY LOST, BECAUSE THEY STATED 5 REPAIR ATTEMPTS WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER EVEN THOUGH THE LAW SAYS 3 IS ENOUGH. I URGE ALL TOYOTA TRUCK OWNERS TO CHECK UNDER YOU FLOOR MATS AND LOOK TO SEE IF YOU HAVE THIS PROBLEM IF SO FILE A COMPLAINT AND LET THEM KNOW SO THEY DO NOT CONTINUE WITH THIS FAULTY PRODUCT AS THEY ARE NOW DOING. THE INCIDENT DATE LISTED BELOW STATES TODAY'S DATE BUT I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THIS PROBLEM FOR OVER A YEAR NOW WITH LITTLE TO NO HELP FROM TOYOTA. *JB

NHTSA ID
10016676
Incident
Apr 29, 2003
Mileage
1,282 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

03002

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN 30A - EMISSIONS LABEL REPLACEMENT. *TT

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Toyota Toyota Truck by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003Viewing600—
2001600—
2000140033.3
1998600—
1997500—
1996500—
1995100033.7
1994190038.3
1993161042.3
1992170036.6
1991110041.9
1989800—
1988710—
1987400—
1986600—
1985100—
1984200—
1983100—
1982200—
1980010—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.