1987 Toyota Toyota Truck: common problems

Owners of the 1987 Toyota Toyota Truck filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 4
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Seat belts 50% of all complaints
2 Electrical system 25% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 25% of all complaints
4 Equipment 25% of all complaints
5 Powertrain 25% of all complaints
6 Tires 25% of all complaints

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

Seat belts: 2 complaints (50% of all).
Electrical system: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Equipment: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Powertrain: 1 complaints (25% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 4 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

A/C or heater1 · 25%
door locks, latches, handles1 · 25%
seat belts1 · 25%
tires: bulges, blowouts1 · 25%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Seat belts	2	0
Electrical system	1	0
Engine and cooling	1	0
Equipment	1	0
Powertrain	1	0
Tires	1	1

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

He was wearing his seat belt. He required several stitches to his head. He had back and chest pains. He has required numerous visits to a local chiropractor. The vehicle was totaled. The right rear firestone atx tire was shredded apart.
Tires · crash · 2000-08-31 · NHTSA complaint #728138
(1) air conditioning during the second summer the car was owned the air conditioning wouldn't work, just blew out warm air. An inspection of the a/c lines under the car revealed extensive corrostion of the fittings. It would be prohibitively expensive to replace all affected fittings so we have been going without a/c.
Seat belts · 1998-11-23 · NHTSA complaint #700851
Takata belts #048106; has problem with retractor. Please describe details. Tt
Seat belts · 1995-02-23 · NHTSA complaint #960591

When owners complained

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

19951
19961
19981
20001

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 15,521 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 42% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Toyota Truck has 8 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 4, below average.

What to check before buying

Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1987 Toyota Toyota Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 4. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: A/C or heater (25%), door locks, latches, handles (25%), seat belts (25%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 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 1987 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 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.