1998 Toyota Toyota Truck: common problems

Owners of the 1998 Toyota Toyota Truck filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about equipment and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 6
involving a crash: 2

What fails most often

1 Equipment 33% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
3 Service brakes 17% of all complaints
4 Structure 17% of all complaints
5 Tires 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.

Equipment: 2 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Service brakes: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Structure: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Tires: 1 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Equipment	2	1
Powertrain	1	0
Service brakes	1	0
Structure	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.

Dear sir or ms, I filed a written complaint and sent my complaint to you on or about concerning what happened to me while I was sitting and waiting in the right lane, the feeder lane, off of beltway 8, for the light to change, in pasadena, texas on 12/24/08.
Equipment · crash · 2010-02-01 · NHTSA complaint #10303501
Glacier tire chains failed--causing my truck to slide into a tree and sustain $3063 in damage--tire size-31x10 5or15lt
Tires · crash · 2002-08-22 · NHTSA complaint #566326
My 1998 toyota tacoma is experienced extreme rust/rot on the frame that would be unexpected for this year vehicle. I have not had an incident yet causing injury, or property damage but am very concerned that it is inevitable. So far I have done nothing to correct the problem but I am looking into it.
Structure · 2007-04-30 · NHTSA complaint #10189313
My toyota 4 runner has 100000 miles and I am having my rotors turned for the third time. They warp after about 5000 miles and then I just put up with it for another 25 or 30 thousand miles until I can't stand the bumping any longer and have them turned again.
Service brakes · 2003-06-21 · NHTSA complaint #10023499
When properly applying jack and raising wheel, jack had to be raised to almost its maximum height. Tire was only 1-2 inches off concrete fllor, and scissors portion of jack was temporarily, but slightly twisted, indicating a n impending failure.
Equipment · 1998-04-13 · NHTSA complaint #534217

When owners complained

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

19981
20001
20021
20031
20071
20101

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

Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1998 Toyota Toyota Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: equipment, powertrain, service brakes. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (17%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 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 1998 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 1998 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.