Problems · by component

2016 Toyota Tacoma power train problems

136 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Toyota Tacoma cite power train, 42% of all 324 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
136
42% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the power train

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2024 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking while driving. The contact noticed there was fluid emerging from the rear of the vehicle near the tire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed there was no recall or leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 19, 2026Power trainODI 11738757
“2016 Toyota Tacoma is known to have an issue with the timing cover leaking oil. This is a Fire Hazard: Oil leaking onto hot engine components can vaporize and ignite, posing a fire risk to the vehicle and surrounding areas and can cause environmental pollution.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 7, 2026Power trainODI 11722712
“I purchased the vehicle new and noticed right away that the transmisson would clunk right away when I put it into gear[ it's an automatic]. I asked the dealership about it and they said it was normal and no issues. Now I'm [XXX] and have owned many cars so.... Anyway, over the years I've asked several times and they say no issue. Now, just this morning, my wife found an article about the issue and Toyota is finally admitting there IS an issue. What can I do?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 14, 2024Power trainODI 11614574
“AT shifter was stiff from purchase. I thought this was normal. Sometimes it shifted OK, most times not. Had independent repair shops lubricate the shifter multiple times to no avail. Then the shifter wouldn't move at all and I was in a traffic lane causing a dangerous situation. Had truck towed to an independent repair shop that found a second way to lubricate the shaft. Curious how many trucks left the factory without AT shaft lubricated.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 21, 2023Power trainODI 11561317
“My 2016 Toyota Tacoma has had multiple oil leaks in the timing cover. The dealer has already fixed this issue twice and the timing cover is currently leaking oil. This leak is expensive to fix because it involves removing the engine and the transmission to properly seal the timing cover. This is a know defect that poses a serious safety concern as the oil leak may go from a small leak to a large leak quickly, causing the engine to fail. Additionally the air pressure from driving can cause the oil to end up everywhere which can lead other components to degrade and fail. Because the fix is so complex, the process to remove and reinstall the engine and transmission may result in other mistakes. During one of the attempts to fix the issue, the dealer forgot to replace an engine bolt and forgot to hook up a vent hose. The cost to fix this issue is so high that it makes it too expensive for many to fix.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 27, 2023Power trainODI 11529214
“Vehicle made a loud bang from the rear of the vehicle , then started to slow down slightly without brakes applied. And then suddenly within a few more feet the Rear wheels locked up without brakes applied. Traveling at between 35- 45mph the vehicle skidded causing vehicles behind me to also skid to avoid hitting me. Truck would not move from this position , I was stuck in the lane without a shoulder to move close to . I was shaken pretty bad, out of fear I popped the truck into reverse and the rear of the truck made a loud bang or loud pop noise. It wouldn’t move back so I put it back in drive and it made another bang noise and started to roll forward with a lot of resistance . There was no safe place to park, I was close to home so I continued home driving very slow with my hazard lights on . Please help. I towed the truck to Servco Kauai Toyota 9-23-2022, they did not look at the truck until 10-20-2022 almost a month it sat at the Toyota. I went home and checked online to see if anyone had the same problem and found Tech. Bulletins and a Recall for this problem, I did not receive a letter for this recall. I had no idea there was even a Recall. Service advisor…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 27, 2022Power train, Wheels, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11491128

Showing 6 of 136 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Power train: differential unit

Free remedy

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tacoma vehicles. Oil may leak from the area where the rear differential carrier is assembled to rear axle housing.

Power trainReported Apr 27, 2017NHTSA 17V285000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2016 Tacoma problem areas