AI Damage2002 Toyota Tacoma: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Toyota Tacoma filed 333 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 333
- involving a crash
- 26
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 54% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 25% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 5 Wheels 5% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 4% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 4% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 3% of all complaints
- Structure: 180 complaints (54% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 82 complaints (25% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 21 complaints (6% of all).
- Air bags: 19 complaints (6% of all), 13 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Wheels: 18 complaints (5% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
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 cyl
- 2.7 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.4 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 333 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 | 180 | 3 | 0 |
| Suspension | 82 | 8 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 19 | 13 | 0 |
| Wheels | 18 | 4 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 4 | 1 | 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 contact stated that when the air bags deployed he saw a glowing light as a fire was ignited. The contact sustained injuries from the fumes and fire exerted from the driver's and passenger side air bags that burnt his nostrils and forehead. The contact did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed.
The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 336,000. The vin was unavailable.
Airbags failed to deploy during frontal impact with embankment at speed in access of 40 mph. Vehicle left the roadway, traveling straight, under hard breaking conditions and struck an embankment. Upon hitting the embankment, the truck became airborne and made impact with a telephone pole, before landing on its wheels.
2002 toyota tacoma. S10 appropriate handling- letter to the secretary from re toyota problem the consumer stated he was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident and it would not have been that serious, had he been able to stop the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tacoma. While driving at 35mph on a wet surface, the contact noticed a noise coming from the ront end. Moments later the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into another vehicle stopped at the traffic light.
He noticed that there was power steering fluid leaking, and he thought that the powering steering was under stress. A police and insurance reports were taken. . The vehicle has not been repaired as of now. The speed was between 25-35 mph when the crash occurred.
The left rear tire (dunlop grandtrek p265) of 2002 toyota tacoma blew out on ca 215 freeway (with speed of 60-70 mph). I lost control of the vehicle, it spun and collided with another vehicle which resulted to minor physical injury to the other vehicle's driver.
The contact stated while an independent mechanic was servicing the vehicle, the contact was informed that the rear sub frame was severely rusted at the spring shackle on the driver's side. The vehicle was then taken to an auto body shop, where it was determined that the sub frame needed to be replaced.
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 1,205 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tacoma has 258 complaints (33 years in the data). This year has 333, above average.
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 years of this model
- Tacoma 1995177 sources
- Tacoma 1996253 sources
- Tacoma 1997131 sources
- Tacoma 1998300 sources
- Tacoma 1999249 sources
- Tacoma 2000211 sources
- Tacoma 2001396 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 2002 Toyota Tacoma?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, suspension, powertrain. Total complaints: 333. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (53%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%), vibration (2%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.