1999 Toyota Tacoma Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about frame and underbody rust, which complaints describe advancing to perforation of the frame rails, separation of suspension hangers and, in some trucks, failure at normal driving speeds. Reports span a wide mileage range, from under 60,000 to over 200,000 miles, and several owners describe the rust being found during a state inspection rather than while driving. Smaller groups of complaints cover airbag warning lights and non-deployment in crashes, front suspension wear, and early tire wear.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Frame rust that progresses to perforation

   • 110 complaints (44%)
   • median 127,000 mi at 13.1 yrs old (85 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,800 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2024

   Complaints describe rust on the frame rails, most often behind the cab and around the rear leaf-spring mounts, advancing to holes through the metal. Several owners say the condition was found during a state inspection or routine service with no prior warning, and some say the truck would no longer pass inspection. Where frames were cracked or badly holed, dealers and the manufacturer are described as declining repair or saying a buyback or extended coverage period had expired; some owners report the frame being replaced and treated with rustproofing. Reported across a broad mileage range, from roughly 50,000 to over 200,000 miles, and often in vehicles that spent years in road-salt climates.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the frame rails closely behind the cab, around the rear leaf-spring hangers and near the shock mounts with a light and a pick, and ask for any record of the frame corrosion inspection or the anti-corrosion treatment described in Toyota service campaigns.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This is not a one time event, but a chronic problem of excessive corrosion on entire underside of vehicle including frame (1999 Toyota Tacoma). I chose incident date as approximate date that I first noticed. Vehicle was inspected and passed by dealer around july 2008.”

   NHTSA complaint #10306291, filed 2010-02, 50,000 miles

   “Within the last 6 months my frame is rusting out have never had a problem with them until now I was they had extended a recall of repair or purchase vehicle 15 years but my frame has been good up until these last 6 months I have called a Toyota dealer ship can't get any help it looks like something could be done because during the time of the recall this truck had no problems and now the frame is rusting out from under it so could somebody help me with this”

   NHTSA complaint #11350606, filed 2020-08, 213,500 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Rear suspension and spring hanger separation

   • 49 complaints (20%)
   • median 140,000 mi at 15.3 yrs old (41 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2022

   Owners describe rear leaf-spring shackles, spring hangers and shock absorbers separating from a rusted frame, sometimes with a popping or scraping noise from the rear. In two accounts the truck swayed badly or the driver lost control after the breakage. Complaints say the vehicle was towed or parked, and that the diagnosis tied the failure to corrosion of the frame rather than to the suspension parts themselves. Mostly reported between about 80,000 and 220,000 miles, generally alongside visible frame corrosion.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: With the rear of the truck on stands, look at where the leaf-spring shackles and shocks attach to the frame; flaking metal or loose fasteners there point to corrosion that should be checked before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Dec 13, 2015, while bending down to pick up my reading glasses in the driveway, I noticed a clean through fracture of the frame, rear passenger side, just in front of the shock absorber fitting. A few days earlier I had wondered why the bed was tilted up pinching the back of the cab. The vehicle had passed state inspection year after year and had been see by my regular mechanic less than 2 years ago and no issues with frame deterioration were found or brought to my attention. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10811670, filed 2015-12, 289,595 miles

   “My truck frame had a recall and Toyota told me it was solid. I had it rustproofed and today while driving home on the back road with my dogs in the truck my leaf spring fell off the frame due to a rotted frame. If I had been on a highway doing 60, I would not be writing you. Had to have it brought home on a flat bed truck and call for a ride for me and the dogs. Disgusting! They still are having problems with these frames on newer models and are not willing to work with me to repair this problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10980038, filed 2017-04, 114,400 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light on and airbags not deploying

   • 35 complaints (14%)
   • median 143,500 mi at 9.3 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 30 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2021

   Complaints describe the airbag warning light staying lit or blinking, and in one case the dealer traced a repeat warning to the passenger airbag cutoff switch, which was replaced more than once. Other owners report frontal crashes, including a 50 mph impact, in which neither airbag deployed, with the dealer giving explanations such as the object struck not being fixed in place. Complaints do not consistently identify a single diagnosed cause. Warnings appear from low mileage upward; the non-deployment reports are tied to specific crashes rather than a mileage range.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the ignition on and confirm the airbag light goes out after the self-test, and ask whether the airbag system or cutoff switch has ever been diagnosed or repaired.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving on I-5, just south of mt. Shasta, at about 2:45 in the morning, I hit a 400 lb brown bear, doing the speed limit for the road in the area(65mph). The bear brought the truck to a complete stop. Neither driver nor passenger side airbags deployed. I called a local Toyota dealer and they said that the bear was not a stationary object, and this is why the airbags did not deploy.”

   NHTSA complaint #10030434, filed 2003-07, 49,310 miles

   “Takata recall- my husband had a seizure while driving. He crossed over to oncoming traffic. He hit one car, went over a curb and down an embankment and ended up hitting the back of a subway. His car went through the wall into the subway. Air bags did not deploy. Police did file a report and he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. His car was totaled.”

   NHTSA complaint #10824320, filed 2016-02, 140,000 miles
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Accelerator pedal binding or revs hanging high

   • 10 complaints (4%)
   • median 89,500 mi at 10.0 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2018

   A small group of owners describe the accelerator pedal staying in the up position at idle, needing both feet to get the truck moving, or engine speed running unusually high at low road speed. One owner describes the engine accelerating while the brake was applied, and another describes a lunge forward at a stop. Complaints do not offer a common diagnosis, though one attributes a garage incident to a starter fault. Filed between roughly 10,000 and 120,000 miles, with no clear pattern by climate or age.

   What to check: During a test drive, work the throttle slowly from idle and confirm the pedal returns freely and engine speed drops promptly when you lift off, and ask whether the throttle cable or pedal assembly has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While trying to accelerate up to local or highway speed the 1999 Toyota Tacoma pickup I have owned from day one has always had a problem accelerating up to speed, creating the danger of being struck from behind by traffic. I have been complaining about this defect for years and have documentation to prove it. The just blow you off over and over again until you just give up and either sell the vehicle or just deal with it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10316821, filed 2010-03, 200 miles

   “Engine surges at a complete stop while idling and if I don't put enough foot pressure on brake pedal it will lunge forward. It happened so many times I became accustom to the problem”

   NHTSA complaint #10764045, filed 2015-09, 7,500 miles

Buying note. The frame is the item worth checking first on this model year: get underneath it or have a shop do it, and ask for documentation of any corrosion inspection, anti-corrosion application or frame replacement. Beyond that, confirm the airbag warning light behaves normally on start-up and drive the truck at low and highway speeds to check pedal response and rear-end noise.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.