2002 Toyota Tacoma Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 21about this part
- Share
- 6%of 333 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 55,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 21 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2002 Toyota Tacoma, 6% of the 333 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 55,000 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My experience with manual transmission on my current and previous Toyota pick-up trucks was not very good. First my previous, earlier model 98 Toyota Tacoma 2wd manual transmission had failed at about 55,000 miles just prior to the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty limit. The failure happened at the synchronizer from 4th to 5th gear when shifting from neutral according to Toyota technician at the time. …”
NHTSA complaint #10310469, filed 2010-02, 55,000 miles“I took in my 2002 Tacoma for an oil change and was told that they could not put it up on the lift due to excessive corrosion on the frame. I only recently bought the truck in oct. 2013 with 65k miles on it. All else works fine. After explaining the issue to Toyota they advised me to take it to the dealership for inspection. The dealership then told me that they were only covering the rusted spare wheel casing in the recall, not the entire frame, and advised me to take it up with Toyota corporate. …”
NHTSA complaint #10617130, filed 2014-07, 65,000 miles“Transmission-power train.while driving in low speed situations the vehicle's transmission shifts from 1st to 2nd.....back and forth from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st. I took the vehicle to the dealer and they advised that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. It has 76k miles on it. I was just wondering if anyone else was having this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10095819, filed 2004-10, 76,000 miles“Gas tank shield severely rusted. Under side of gastank is protected by a shield/skid plate. It is rusted so badly that when hit with a hammer the hammer goes right through. Presumably this shield is to protect the gas tank from debris and stones especially if the truck is used off road. I discovered this as I was inspecting the underside of the truck before dropping the truck off at the dealer to have the frame replaced. In addition to this, it is apparent that the drive axle and differential housing also have severe rust. If tapped with a hammer the rust comes of in sheets. …”
NHTSA complaint #10297145, filed 2009-12, 42,000 miles“My 2002 Tacoma vibrates at high speeds and when stopping. I've had the brakes fixed 5 times now and it's still not right. My transmission clunks when I stop and start, shutters when coming to a stop, and shifts hard. Sometimes the transmission clunks after I've already started moving. The problems started about a year ago. I've recently been to two dealerships before the warranty expired and nothing was done. One Toyota technician said it was my brakes, yeah right, the other wouldn't even take it for a test drive. …”
NHTSA complaint #10040876, filed 2003-09, 20,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10109404Oct 16, 2014TSB: The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of the correct torque converter bolts during automatic transmission/transaxle…
- 10109492Sep 30, 2014TSB: The purpose of this bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic transmission/transaxle assembly to avoid MIL "ON" shifting issues and/or…
- 10132084Oct 1, 2013The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic transmission/transaxle assembly to avoid MIL ?ON,? shifting issues, and/or…
- 10133836Feb 20, 2013This bulletin contains general vehicle pulling diagnosis and repair procedures along with specific information to help correct pulling complaints.
- 10015473Jun 8, 2005Differential locking system - suspension and axle. Repair manual correction. 00400-rm921-u2.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 31% |
| 2025 | 22 | 19% |
| 2024 | 55 | 35% |
| 2023 | 7 | 13% |
| 2022 | 10 | 17% |
| 2021 | 14 | 17% |
| 2020 | 15 | 17% |
| 2019 | 40 | 18% |
| 2018 | 29 | 14% |
| 2017 | 68 | 28% |
| 2016 | 136 | 42% |
| 2015 | 9 | 9% |
| 2014 | 13 | 14% |
| 2013 | 22 | 18% |
| 2012 | 35 | 12% |
| 2011 | 8 | 4% |
| 2010 | 29 | 10% |
| 2009 | 75 | 14% |
| 2008 | 23 | 5% |
| 2007 | 68 | 13% |
| 2006 | 56 | 7% |
| 2005 | 57 | 8% |
| 2004 | 22 | 5% |
| 2003 | 18 | 5% |
| 2002 | 21 | 6% |
| 2001 | 15 | 4% |
| 2000 | 11 | 5% |
| 1999 | 16 | 6% |
| 1998 | 10 | 3% |
| 1997 | 9 | 7% |
| 1996 | 14 | 6% |
| 1995 | 12 | 7% |
Other parts of the 2002 Toyota Tacoma
180 complaintsSuspension
82 complaintsOther or unknown
27 complaintsAir bags
19 complaintsWheels
18 complaintsBrakes
17 complaintsTires
14 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsElectrical system
7 complaintsFuel system
6 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Toyota Tacoma
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology