AI DamageToyota Prerunner: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Toyota Prerunner across 5 model years: 25 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 24% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 24% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 20% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 16% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 6 Seat belts 8% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 8% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 4% of all complaints
- Structure: 6 complaints (24% of all).
- Suspension: 6 complaints (24% of all).
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (20% of all).
- Air bags: 4 complaints (16% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 25 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 3 | 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.
The air bags failed to deploy and the contact was injured. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified, but not the manufacturer. The current mileage was 92,000 and failure mileage was 79,000. Updated 6/29/09 updated 06/30/09.
Also driver's side seat belt didn't retract. As a result, consumer's head hit the windshield. Consumer received 17 stitches.
While traveling at 64 mph another driver crossed consumer's path, and consumer hit other driver head-on. Car was totalled. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy. Consumer felt this was unsafe.
The airbag fault light was on most of the time. I took it to aurora collision in seattle , wa. They couldnt figure out what was wrong so they replaced the entire airbag unit. Within 1 year the airbag fault light is always on again.
My daughter was making a right hand turn on a city street when the ball joint broke away, the left side tire snapped off. It was still stuck to the brake rotor and suspension. It ruined the brake also.
Work was denied due to frame rust. I did not received any notices beforehand until this one. I feel my vehicle is unsafe to drive. I have owned my tacoma since 2003.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other models of this make
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.