AI Damage1987 Toyota Pickup: common problems
Owners of the 1987 Toyota Pickup filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 8
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 38% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 25% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 25% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 13% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (38% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 2 complaints (25% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 2 complaints (25% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (13% of all).
- Steering: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 8 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 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.
Vehicle's narrow wheel base and high center of gravity, without power steering makes vehicle prone to easy rollovers.
The truck started rolling and the seat belt buckle released on the first roll was thrown out of back window. Insurance to total the vehicle due to cost for repairs.
While driving at various speeds, the tires vibrate and make noise. The contact stated that all four tires were purchased in 2005 and had 3,000 miles. Two of the tires were westlake, dot number 7dt5fts3703, size lt235/75r15. The other two were fts compass tires, dot number 7dt5fts5104 , size lt235/75r15.
I am unable to find out if the company [toyota] has some responsibility to maintain safty belts even in this older truck ?? No safety defect listed.
Firestone tire (p205 70 r14) experienced tread separation, the separation caused a crash which damaged a trailer and jet ski that was being pulled from behind.
Complete and sudden loss of steering. Very dangerous, except the truck was in driveway. Tie rod/ ball joint "fell" off. There was no sign of external impact on this assembly. I repaired (replaced) and got a good look.
The front seat belt will not release when driver tries to press the release button. Driver almost had to crawl out of the seat belt. Not very safe in case of an accident, could not get out of belt.
The rear brakes will not lock up when applying brakes in bad weather but the front wheels will lock.
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 11,896 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 32% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Pickup has 17 complaints (24 years in the data). This year has 8, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- 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 198618 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 1987 Toyota Pickup?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, suspension, tires. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (25%), steering or power steering problems (25%), vibration (13%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 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 1987 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 1987 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.