Problems · by component
2012 Toyota Tacoma engine problems
122 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Tacoma cite engine, 41% of all 295 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
122
41% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“June 1st 2021 I went to park in a parking space at a local mall. My truck instead of stopping it accelerated out of control jumped two stone curbs, drove though a fence and landed into a swamp. Call Toyota and they have opened a new case # 210602000065. Police report # 21-374-AC. This isn't the first time that this has happen with this truck. It happen in Aug 2019. I contacted Toyota case number 1908060035. They sent out EAA Engineering Analysis Ass. out who did a ACM.CDRX file a month later. Toyota came back said they couldn't find anything wrong and my case was closed. Another incident in winter of 2016 where my truck was stopped and it accelerated on its own and It drove in the 4 way intersection where it caused an accident. lots of damage to cars. Toyota was contacted and they sent me to a dealer for repairs. Dealership has records of my truck coming in since I owned it with complaints of Truck not moving at all to all of sudden to acceleration on its own.”
“I BROUGHT TRUCK TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AS PART OF RUSTED FRAME RECALL TO BE VERIFIED. THEY STATED TRUCK WAS NOT RUSTED ENOUGH UNDERNEATH FOR TOYOTA TO APPROVE RECALL. THAT WAS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. I HAVE RECENTLY BROUGHT IT TO A FEW MECHANICS TO DO SOME WORK ON A/C AS THE A/C STOPPED WORKING AND THAT REFUSE TO WORK ON IT AS THE TRUCK IS SO RUSTED UNDERNEATH!! THEY SAID IT WOULD CRUMBLE. NOT EVEN WORTH IT.”
“MY 2012 TACOMA WARNING LIGHT 1) ENGINE AND 2 TRAC OFF WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND LOST POWER GOING 65 MPH ON FREEWAY AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 25 MPH (DANGEROUS!). OBD-II SCANNER DISPLAYED ERROR CODE CHECK P2442 INDICATING FAULTY AIR INJECTION PUMPS AND/OR AIR SWITCHING VALVES. *TR”
“ON MY 2012 TACOMA THE CODE P2440 AND P2442 WHICH REPRESENT A STUCK OPEN VALVE IN THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM. UPON MY RESEARCH INTO THIS ISSUE ON FORUMS I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA SYSTEMS PARTICULARLY THE 2012 TACOMA. THE COST OF THE PART IS ABOUT 400 TO 500 DOLLARS FOR THE VALVES AND ANOTHER 500 DOLLARS FOR THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP. THE FAILURE WILL PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO A LIMP MODE AND HAS TO BE FIXED IN ORDER TO THE TRUCK TO KEEP ON GOOD WORKING CONDITION. IT SEEMS LIKE THIS ERROR HAS AFFECTED MANY TACOMA OWNERS. *TR”
“TWO DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AT THE SAME TIME: THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE TRAC OFF LIGHT. AT FIRST I REALLY DIDN'T NOTICE MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BUT AFTER 2 DAYS I EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT POWER LOSS. I WOULD PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC OK UNTIL ABOUT 20MPH THEN HAVE NO POWER. IT CRAWLED WHILE TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEED. I READ ON THE INTERNET THAT IF YOU DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND OPEN THE GAS CAP THE LIGHTS WOULD GO OUT AND THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY. I DID THIS AND IT WORKED; OR SO I THOUGHT. I THEN LEFT FOR AN HOUR TRIP (I KNOW DUMB) AND WITHIN 15 MINS THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND I COULDN'T GET THE TRUCK OVER 60MPH ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. I ACTUALLY STOPPED AT A REST STOP AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND REMOVED THE GAS CAP. AGAIN THIS SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS BUT ONLY FOR ABOUT 5 MINS. THEN THE POWER LOSS WAS BACK. TOOK TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO I TRUST AND HE SAID IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT WAS SOMETHING CALLED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BUT NOT YET A RECALL. APPARENTLY THE TUNDRA AND SEQUOIA ARE RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT NOT THE TACOMA. I DON'T GET IT. I WAS TOLD TO KEEP MY RECEIPTS ($1,870.68) RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS THANK YOU, AND HOPEFULLY ONE DAY GET…”
“FAILURE OF THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM P2440 AND P2442, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING ONTO A CITY STREET FROM A PARKING LOT. WHEN ACCELERATING IMMEDIATELY THERE WAS A DECREASE IN POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALONG WITH THE "TRAC OFF" LIGHT ILLUMINATING SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE HAS A NOW MAXIMUM SPEED OF AROUND 55 MPH AND EXTREMELY SLOW TO ACCELERATE BEING ALMOST DANGEROUS ON BUSIER ROADS. AFTER BEING CHECK OUT BY A THE DEALER IT WAS FOUND TO BE THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM WHICH IS COVERED BY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT PARTS ARE ON BACK-ORDER.”
Showing 6 of 122 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.