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2012 Toyota Tacoma Recalls & Complaints

7

open safety recalls on record

Serious

406 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.20 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious17V425000

Structure:Body:Hood:Hinge And Attachments

If the hood scoop detaches, it may become a road hazard, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

SET will notify owners, and dealers will mechanically fasten the scoop to the hood, free of charge. The recall began on September 1, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-954-429-2000. SET's number for this recall is SET17B.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2011-2016 Toyota Tacoma and 4Runner vehicles equipped with accessory hood scoops installed by SET or SET dealers. The adhesive attaching the hood scoop may weaken, allowing the hood scoop to detach from the vehicle.

Serious14V054000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module

If this occurs, these systems could become inoperative, reducing the directional control assistance, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Toyota will notify owners, and Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software for the Skid Control electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Toyota Tacoma and Lexus RX350 vehicles and certain model year 2012 Toyota Rav4 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake system contains a brake actuator that adjusts the fluid pressure of each wheel cylinder. An electrical component within the actuator may experience an increased resistance resulting in the illumination of various warning lights, including those for the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, Antilock Brake System (ABS), and Traction Control system.

Serious14V475000

Equipment:Other:Labels

If the spare tire is inflated to the incorrect pressure provided on the placard, tire failure may occur while it is being driven on, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

For the involved vehicles, overlay stickers to correct the tire placard will either be mailed to owners or provided to dealers for placement over the incorrect information on the placard. The recall is expected to begin in September 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2014 FJ Cruiser and Tacoma vehicles equipped with accessory wheels and tires installed by Toyota or dealers prior to the vehicle's first sale. The affected vehicles may list incorrect spare tire size and/or cold tire inflation information on the tire placard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."

Serious13V494000

Tires:Temporary/Emergency Spare Tire

If the spare tire/wheel is installed on the vehicle using the lug nuts from another wheel, damage to the wheel could result and may eventually lead to a loose wheel, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

SET will notify owners, and dealers will: (a) Install a Warning Label on the spare tire/wheel, (b) supply a bag containing proper spare wheel lug nuts, and (c) place an Owner's Manual Addendum in the vehicle's glove box. The recall began on January 23, 2014. Owners may contact SET at 1-954-429-2000.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Tacoma vehicles equipped with 18" Maverick Alloy Wheels. In the affected vehicles, the spare tire requires the use of a different style of lug nut to attach it to the vehicle than the other wheels use. These lug nuts were not provided with the vehicle.

Serious13V014000

Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position.

Remedy & full details

Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Serious12V158000

Equipment:Other:Labels

INCORRECT PLACARD COULD LEAD TO IMPROPER SPARE TIRE USE OR REPLACEMENT WHICH COULD RESULT IN A TIRE FAILURE, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

GST WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND SEND EACH OWNER A CORRECTED PLACARD, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 5, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GULF STATES TOYOTA, INC. AT 1-713-744-3465.

GULF STATES TOYOTA (GST) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 TACOMA TRUCKS. THE TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION PLACARD ON EACH VEHICLE CONTAINS INACCURATE SPARE TIRE SIZE AND COLD INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION. THUS, THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110,”TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS.”

Serious13V123000

Equipment:Other:Labels

inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires.

Remedy & full details

Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Complaint volume

406 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

25Crashes
0Fires
8Injuries
0Deaths

Across 406 complaints. Severity Index 0.20.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine122 · 30%Fuel/Propulsion System51 · 13%Unknown Or Other43 · 11%Power Train34 · 8%Vehicle Speed Control22 · 5%Suspension21 · 5%Service Brakes21 · 5%Electrical System18 · 4%
  1. Engine — 122 reports
  2. Fuel/Propulsion System — 51 reports
  3. Unknown Or Other — 43 reports
  4. Power Train — 34 reports
  5. Vehicle Speed Control — 22 reports
  6. Suspension — 21 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 21 reports
  8. Electrical System — 18 reports
  9. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 17 reports
  10. Steering — 12 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (6) · 1996 (6) · 1997 (4) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (5) · 2000 (5) · 2001 (6) · 2002 (5) · 2003 (5) · 2004 (5) · 2005 (10) · 2006 (11) · 2007 (10) · 2008 (11) · 2009 (13) · 2010 (13) · 2011 (9) · 2012 · 2013 (6) · 2014 (4) · 2015 (4) · 2016 (4) · 2017 (5) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (4) · 2020 (1) · 2021 · 2022 (3) · 2023 (4) · 2024 (4) · 2025 (4) · 2026

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.