AI Damage1999 Toyota Tacoma: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Toyota Tacoma filed 249 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 249
- involving a crash
- 40
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 41% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 15% of all complaints
- 3 Suspension 14% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 9% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 4% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 4% of all complaints
- Structure: 102 complaints (41% of all).
- Air bags: 38 complaints (15% of all), 31 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 35 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 23 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 16 complaints (6% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 2.7 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.4 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 249 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 | 102 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 38 | 31 | 0 |
| Suspension | 35 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 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 driver and passenger side air bags failed to deploy and the driver and passenger side seat belts failed to secure the occupants during the crash. The driver sustained bruising to the knees, the back and head concussions. The passenger sustained a fractured vertebrae and bruising to both legs and left arm.
The car in front of me stopped on the freeway and I was not able to stop in time. My front right hit his rear left, and my car spun 180 degrees into the lane next to the one I had been in and I was facing the oncoming traffic. My air bags did not deploy.
Leaving automotive shop from having regular oil change; pulled into turn lane, behind several cars, put foot on brake-engine accelerated resulting in rear -end collision have had several additional occurrences that did not result in collision.
Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 1999 toyota tacoma with 172000 failure mileage at 20 mph the vehicle hit a concrete pole on the center of the vehicle's bumper, and the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained minor injuries. The contact stated that the vehicle was totally destroyed.
Consumer was traveling 35mph and hit a deer. After impact, consumer applied brakes immediately and brake pedal fell off, causing consumer to hit a utility pole. Toyota was sending someone out to inspect vehicle before it was repaired.
Abs brakes locked repeatedly. When problem reported to the dealer, they found nothing wrong. Then, while trying to come to a sudden stop, the right brakes locked, pulled the vehicle right until it rolled over.
Consumer stopped at stop sign, turned right and shifted to second gear, and the accelerator got stuck to the floor. Vehicle broadsided on the left side of road and rolled into an enbankment.
The contact stated that the undercarriage was severely corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
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 1,635 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tacoma has 258 complaints (33 years in the data). This year has 249, about average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
- Tacoma 1995177 sources
- Tacoma 1996253 sources
- Tacoma 1997131 sources
- Tacoma 1998300 sources
- Tacoma 2000211 sources
- Tacoma 2001396 sources
- Tacoma 2002333 sources
- Tacoma 2003360 sources
- Tacoma 2004415 sources
- Tacoma 2005707 sources
- Tacoma 2006782 sources
- Tacoma 2007541 sources
- Tacoma 2008450 sources
- Tacoma 2009520 sources
- Tacoma 2010294 sources
- Tacoma 2011186 sources
- Tacoma 2012295 sources
- Tacoma 2013125 sources
- Tacoma 201493 sources
- Tacoma 2015102 sources
- Tacoma 2016592 sources
- Tacoma 2017480 sources
- Tacoma 2018379 sources
- Tacoma 2019390 sources
- Tacoma 2020269 sources
- Tacoma 2021246 sources
- Tacoma 2022182 sources
- Tacoma 2023129 sources
- Tacoma 2024244 sources
- Tacoma 2025155 sources
- Tacoma 202640 sources
- Tacoma 999912 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Toyota Tacoma?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, air bags, suspension. Total complaints: 249. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (43%), airbags did not deploy (8%), vibration (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Toyota Tacoma?
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 1999 Toyota Tacoma 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 1999 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.