AI Damage1986 Toyota Pickup: common problems
Owners of the 1986 Toyota Pickup filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 18
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Tires 39% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 33% of all complaints
- 3 Seat belts 11% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 6% of all complaints
- Tires: 7 complaints (39% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 6 complaints (33% of all).
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 18 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tire tread unraveled with out warning and I lost control of the truck. Slid into a deep ditch. The tire caused extensive damage to the rear side of the car.
The contact stated that he had signed a limited warranty rust protection with the Ziebart company. The contact stated that he had taken the vehicle to get the shocks replaced and the technician working on the vehicle refused to continue working on the vehicle due to extreme corrosion on the rear passengerâs side of…
In addition, when pressure was applied to the brake pedal, the vehicle lurched forward suddenly. Roadside assistance was called to the scene. The front driver's side tire was replaced with a spare. The failure mileage, vin, and dot number were unavailable. The current mileage was 180,000.
Front right tire mounted on a toyota pickup 1986 truck experienced a blowout while driving 55 mph with only the driver in vehicle. Tire was after market equipment installed at 32,982 miles, tire size p225/60r15 and dot #vdupf20489.
(2) complete loss of steering. Able to stop vehicle before a collision occurred. The steering center link disconnected from the pitman arm. It had pulled out of the joint. There was no evidence of corrosion or damage. The socket was well lubricated. The ball and socket are a sealed unit.
Wheel wells rusted beneath vehicle, consumer chained gas hose to vehicle due to rust on both of tanks, dealer was notified. Consumer had body work performed but rust is reoccuring, and now the gas lid hangs.
Vehicle chassis was corroded and broke whild being driven. Toyota has not been contacted.
Brakes failed, causing accident. (new jersey sate police report)
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 8,622 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 24% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Pickup has 17 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 18, about average.
What to check before buying
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
- Pickup 19813 sources
- Pickup 19843 sources
- Pickup 19859 sources
- Pickup 19878 sources
- Pickup 19887 sources
- Pickup 198921 sources
- Pickup 199025 sources
- Pickup 199129 sources
- Pickup 199256 sources
- Pickup 199359 sources
- Pickup 199491 sources
- Pickup 199535 sources
- Pickup 19966 sources
- Pickup 19975 sources
- Pickup 19985 sources
- Pickup 20004 sources
- Pickup 20017 sources
- Pickup 99993 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1986 Toyota Pickup?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, structure, seat belts. Total complaints: 18. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (33%), seat belts (11%), brake failure (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1986 Toyota Pickup?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1986 Toyota Pickup from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1986 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.