2022 Toyota Tacoma Problems and Top Complaints

Airbag, seat, and brake problems are the top complaint issues received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners

Updated on November 15th, 2023 Author: Brian Jones

The Toyota Tacoma has ranked as one of the leading multi-purpose vehicles and top pickup trucks for 16 years. Designed and built in the U.S. it has been a popular pickup truck throughout the country ever since then. While it’s been an excellent seller for all these years, the Tacoma hasn’t been without problems. The 2022 model is no exception. Issues range from nonfunctional airbags and faulty brakes issues, to vehicles rolling backwards and incorrectly welded child seats. 

Click on other model year to view more problems:  2019   2020   2021

Most Common Problems

Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Toyota Tacoma are varied, affecting at least nine components or systems. The categories owners have listed their complaints under are Airbags, Electrical System, Powertrain, Seats, Seat Belts, Service Brakes, Vehicle Speed Control, Visibility, and Unknown or Other.

We are highlighting those that relate to accidents and safety issues.

There have also been two recalls, one for child seats that potentially affects the safety of tens of thousands of children. The second relates to illegible labels that could allow vehicles to be overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.

2022 Toyota Tacoma Complaint Summary

Airbag Problems

Airbag issues are always serious, especially when they don’t deploy. Right now, the NHTSA reports that tens of millions of Toyota Takata airbags are being recalled. The problem is that when airbags are exposed to high heat and humidity long-term they can cause them to explode when they are deployed. So, instead of saving lives, they are potentially causing injuries and death.

There have been numerous complaints about Toyota Takata airbags, so it’s no surprise that Tacoma owners are amongst them.

The first Toyota Tacoma airbag complaint was in July 2021 after the front airbags failed to deploy in an accident where the truck was rear-ended at 80 MPH. Additionally, the seat belt failed and the driver’s seat collapsed. The driver was badly injured and was in a Florida trauma unit for three weeks.

There have been four complaints to date about the airbags in the 2021 model.

In December 2021, four people were injured when a Tacoma was rear-ended and none of its airbags deployed. The most recent complaint was in July 2022. Again, four people were injured when airbags didn’t deploy when a car hit the Tacoma.

So far there is only one complaint that relates to the 2022 model. In August 2022, a California resident was rear-ended at a stop light by a car going 45 mph. Yet again the air bag sensor went on but the airbags didn’t deploy. The sensor for the seatbelt was also on but the seatbelts didn’t lock.

Both the passenger and driver were injured and taken to the emergency room. The driver was told by the insurance company not to drive the car because it isn’t safe. In any case, he states that the car “is not drivable due to these sensors and life saving features not working.”

Problems with the Brakes

Two different problems are described that relate to 2022 Tacoma brakes. One is that the brakes feel mushy and don’t work properly. The other is that the vehicle accelerates when the brake pedal is depressed.

An owner from Florida crashed because of the issue with the vehicle accelerating “while depressing the brake pedal.” His complaint states that the steering wheel locked and he wasn’t able to stop the vehicle. This ended up with him crashing into his neighbor’s house.

There were no injuries, but he contacted the police and filed a report.

An owner from Georgia states: “When starting, especially in the morning, my brake pedal is very mushy and goes very near the floor. When driving and have to break it sometimes goes down a little too far. The dealer said this was normal. I do not feel it is safe. I’ve never had a vehicle do this. If this is safe, I don’t want it.”

Problems with Vehicles Rolling Backwards

An Arizona owner reports that his Tacoma rolls backwards because Hill Assist disengages when the throttle is depressed. Light the Georgia owner who was told mushy brakes are normal, this owner was told his vehicle was operating “as designed.”

The first time this happened, he says he had a trailer in drive that “rolled backwards breaking a taillight in a jack-knife situation.” The dealership said there wasn’t a problem and refused to replace the tail light.

The next time he was in congested traffic “moving at a snail’s pace.” He was on a steep hill in stop-start traffic and when he slowly applied the throttle, “Hill Assist disengaged and the vehicle rolled backwards. Appling more throttle finally caused the transmission to engage. Now knowing how this occurred I was able to recreate (it) again and again.”

Again the dealer said there were no problems. Subsequently, he says, his wife has experienced the same problems. But they “told me that the vehicle operated as designed and no problems were found. They did tell me if I felt the vehicle was unsafe not to drive it. They indicated they would not provide documentation on the decision. Owners manual doesn’t indicate (that the) vehicle can roll backwards as Hill Assist disengages.”

Seats Issues

The recall for child seats mentioned above was made on July 21, 2022. Potentially it affects 75,316 vehicles, all 2022 and 2023 Toyota Tacomas. The problem is that “an insufficient weld” may prevent the child seat from being properly anchored. This allows the seat to move if the vehicle stops suddenly or crashes, and increases the risk of injury.

While dealerships were notified immediately, owner notification letters were only scheduled for September 2, 2022.

Initially dealers were told that Toyota was “developing the remedy for this issue.” Then they were advised that technicians would need training to fix the problem. On August 18, 2022, they were told that they must inspect the welds and add welds if any were identified as “insufficient.” This is a free service.

Toyota also told dealers that they expected approximately one out of every 20 vehicles (about 5%) to have at least one insufficient weld.

There is only one complaint about seats, from an owner in Washington who had heard about the recall. Complaining that there was no remedy listed for the recall, he said no dealership would issue a loaner car.

“I have two small children that use my truck as their primary transportation because we are a one car family.”

“My children have no way to get to school because Toyota can not make reliable and safe vehicles.”

Your Lemon Law Rights

It’s impossible to identify what might be wrong with any vehicle before you buy it. But if you end up with a lemon, Lemberg Law can help you. There are various routes we can take. For instance, we can help you negotiate a settlement or a buy-back, depending on the circumstances.

Contact us on our Helpline so that we can assess your issues and advise what we recommend you do. It’s not going to cost you anything. Toyota will have to pay your legal fees.

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

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