1986 Toyota Toyota Truck: common problems

Owners of the 1986 Toyota Toyota Truck filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 6
involving a crash: 2

What fails most often

1 Tires 33% of all complaints
2 Exterior lighting 17% of all complaints
3 Seats 17% of all complaints
4 Structure 17% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Tires: 2 complaints (33% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Seats: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Structure: 1 complaints (17% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 6 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

rust, corrosion1 · 17%
vibration1 · 17%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Tires	2	2
Exterior lighting	1	0
Seats	1	0
Structure	1	0
Other	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.

I was driving on 80 towards vallejo when I heard my rear right tire pop. I tried to control the vehicle but another tire blew causing my vehicle to crash into the center divide and causing my vehicle to roll repetitious times, until it finally came to a stop.
Tires · crash · 2004-05-07 · NHTSA complaint #10068452
I had just gotten onto the freeway when I heard a loud bang, I lost control and hit the center divider. When the california highway patrol arrived he informed me that the tread on my passenger front tire was completly gone and that there was tread all over the freeway.
Tires · crash · 2000-09-14 · NHTSA complaint #730561
Wheel wells bubble up creating holes then rust. This problem is caused by defect in manufacturing, the inner sheet metal did not have enough compound which enables water to seep inside and cause bubbles.
Structure · 1997-10-03 · NHTSA complaint #520453

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19971
19981
19991
20001
20041
20051

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 13,278 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 36% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Toyota Truck has 8 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 6, below average.

What to check before buying

Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1986 Toyota Toyota Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, exterior lighting, seats. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (17%), vibration (17%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1986 Toyota Toyota Truck?

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 Toyota Truck 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.