And difference in reliability between 21–23 Tacomas?

Hi, everyone.

I'm in the market for a new(er) Tacoma and wanted to see if there are any well known (major) issues with the late model Gen 3 Tacomas?

Recently found out my 2005 Tacoma has a leaking head gasket (a known issue) and want to make sure I don't end up in the same boat here in another 10 years.

Thanks!

 

Is there any difference in reliability between '21 - '23 Tacomas? - No

Is there any guarantee something mechanical won't come up a decade down the road? - No

 

No real differences. All the early kinks of the 16-17s have been largely worked out. I'm at 119k on my '21 and its just been gas, tires and maintenance.

The only advantage of a '23 over a '21 is being two years newer. I will add that you should make sure you get one with the LED headlights. They are such a major upgrade over the halogens. Massively worth it.

 

I saw a model year that looked broken once, but my model year is awesome because the statistical data point of my one experience says so.

 

I had zero issues with my ‘16 at 150k prior to it getting totaled I’m confident that thing would have made it to 250k-300k no problem. Nothing more than routine maintenance.

My ‘17 was a piece of shit, I doubt that thing would have made it to 100k without some pretty big issues or a bunch of small annoying issues (which already started to exhibit themselves).


Too soon to tell on my ‘23. IMO it’s too soon to tell on the years you mentioned. Some of these truck haven’t even been on the road for a year and we are supposed to know of significant issues like head gasket issues in some generations of vehicles?


You want a truck that likely isn’t going to have “well known” issues then I would suggest finding an older generation with low miles and single owner. Good Luck.

 

I had an 08, now I have a 23, I can tell you the 23 is a little “more better”. I really loved the 08 and the 4.0. However, the creature comforts on the 23 give it a slight edge IMHO.

 

i don't know, i see all kinds of posts here on the 20 to 23's that have the same issues. Leaking water by pass, leaking timing chain cover, and a new one to me, is some plastic flapper under the intake manifold. i was going to sell my 16 and get a 23 but now have decided not to for the reasons i described above. i think Toyota is just continuing to build and the bad ones that surface the dealer will fix, IMO. I had the leaking bypass behind the engine replaced, they just put a new but exactly same part in. Still O rings used to stop hot water, should be flat gaskets, again IMO.

 

I'm considering a 21 or 22 (possibly a 23 if I can find one I can afford). Do any of these issues require major cash to take care of?

 

In researching my 2005 head gasket issue, I found a lot of 17 owners with the same problem. Frustrating.

 

Model year ‘22 is best year; they worked out the ‘21 kinks spilled over from 2020, and didn’t get the bottom of the bin leftovers the ‘23 trucks are built with.

Source: I have a ‘22

 

Any particular trim, or will any 22 Taco be good to go?

 

yes! big bucks. when they did my water coolant crossover pipe they had to remove the transmission. mine was under extended warranty but the cost would have been around $1,700. my extended warranty was $745, had two months left on it. i discovered it by seeing it pop up here several times and decided to check mine, there it was, blue corrosion.

i understand to fix the timing cover leak requires removing the engine.

i would ask at the parts dept of your toyota dealer how many have they done. i asked about the timing chain leak and they said too many to keep count of.
does not mean the one you get will have any of these issues, the posts here from people that have those issues must be a very small count overall.

you might google both those issues and watch videos. one of the videos the guy says toyota fixed the issues in 2018 but i see here they still pop up on later models. they did not fix anything, they just re do it the same as the way the factory did it. NO magic dust has been added.

 

Guess my '22 was built on a Friday then. Compared to a 23 trail edition, mine has some plastic trims in the cab that don't sit flush, the passenger side of the hood where it meets the quarter panel is cut weird, the bottom left plastic spoke on the steering wheel squeaks when I press on it, and some of the plastics on the dash squeaks way more than the '23 when I press on it. The' 23 truck felt like a damn 4runner by comparison.

 

You missed the humor part...

 

On time and Toyota will know.

 

I was just joshin' ya, they're all the same.

 

OP, the 21-23 are very reliable . If you are going to listen to people here with all this stuff you will never buy nothing . Before you buy a truck take a look under the skid by the PS Pump. If you are dry under it you are good to go. Being you seem a little nervous about stuff make sure you get a extended warranty. Stop worrying about all this stuff . The truck is very good . I am on the road every day and I se how people drive . They beat the hell out of there stuff so who really knows how they take care of things. I think some problems come from the owners themselves

 

It’s a combination of luck, proper maintenance and how you drive. All year models are basically reliable. .

 

Too early to tell if the 21s/23s are reliable, I have a 21 and its been great so far!

 

My personal opinion. I feel with product shortages and price increases
manufacturers are cutting corners on quality of vehicle builds . Toyota has its issues just like other vehicles some have none others complete lemons .like others said no difference in the years .