Toyota Tacoma Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

At 10,000 miles the interior door handle has stopped working. I’m not able to open the door anymore having Toyota take a look. The handle itself had busted on the inside. They have ordered the parts for replacement with a backorder for 2 to 3 months because they’re having a lot of reports.

Unable to open my driver's door from the inside. In order to get out of the vehicle, I need to put the driver's window down and open the door using the outside door handle. I took it to the dealership on July 29, 2026 for a warranty repair. I was informed that this is a known issue and there are currently 1,600 door handle mechanisms on a national back order. Unknown when the part will come in. This could be a very serious safety issue if there is an accident and a driver is unable to open the door to get out, especially in the situation in which getting out of the car is a life or death situation, such as a vehicle fire.

Front passenger interior door handle is a fragile component. Mine failed with little to no force where the cable disconnects from the handle. It has rendered the ability to exit the vehicle via the handle impossible, and Passenger must roll down window and reach for the exterior handle to exit. I’ve had my vehicle at the dealer, and being sent back with vehicle not fixed due to parts being on backorder. No ETA is able to be provided.

The drivers door handle inside the truck has failed leaving me unable to open the drivers door unless I roll the window down and open the door from the outside. I took the truck to a local dealer and they let me know this is a very common problem on the truck and the parts to fix it are on nationwide back order. Was sent home with the vehicle knowing the door is inoperable unless opened from the outside. This poses a serious safety risk in the event of an accident or emergency where one needs to exit the vehicle quickly.

I am reporting a severe safety hazard on my 2025 Toyota Tacoma caused by incorrect alignment specs and an uncorrected extreme toe setting. On a recent service visit, alignment inspection showed a Total Toe of +1.62 degrees (OEM target is approximately +0.10 degrees). The alignment machine database loaded incorrect tolerance specs (+1.37 to +1.87 degrees displayed as acceptable green range), leading technicians to leave the extreme toe-in completely unadjusted. In less than 2,000 miles of normal driving since a prior inspection, both front tires suffered extreme, rapid toe wear down to the internal cord layer. Operating a vehicle with +1.62 degrees total toe causes severe lateral tire drag and creates an imminent threat of a catastrophic tire blowout at highway speeds, presenting a significant vehicle safety defect.

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while stationary and attempting to exit the vehicle from the driver's side, the interior driver's side door handle fractured, preventing the opening or locking of the door from the inside. The handle remained physically attached to the door panel but was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be inspected. While at the dealer, it was discovered that another Tacoma at the dealer had a similar interior door handle failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,476.

Driver side front and passenger door handle broke internally. The door is unable to be opened from the inside. This puts occupants at risk of not being able to exit the veichle in an emergency or safely from the inside. The problem was fixed for the front after several weeks due to back order of the part. Per my service representative at Toyota, it was a safety concern so they paid for a rental while they waited for the part and repaired the veichle. The mechanism broke without warning and suddenly after normal expected use.

Well, attempting to open the driver side door from the inside to exit the vehicle, door handle, became inoperative and no longer allowed exit from the driver side.

2025 Toyota Tacoma SR5 - 8038 Miles The passenger on the right rear side tried to exit the 2025 SR5 Toyota Tacoma, and the interior door handle would not engage. It was confirmed with the Toyota dealership: PERFORMED INSPECTION AND VERIFIED R/R INNER DOOR HANDLE IS INOPERATIVE. FOUND THE INTERNAL RETURN SPRINGS DISENGAGED FROM THEIR RETENTION POINTS AND HAVE LOST PROPER TENSION DUE TO INSUFFICIENT SPRING RETENTION/IMPROPER FACTORY FITMENT. CONDITION IS CONSISTENT WITH COMPONENT MATERIAL FATIGUE AND RETAINER DESIGN FAILURE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF HANDLE RETURN FUNCTION AND LATCH ACTUATION. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF R/R INNER DOOR HANDLE ASSEMBLY TO RESTORE PROPER OPERATION. The part is on back order due to this being a constant issue. They have informed me that they are not sure when they will have the part. They told me that there are even customers who have been waiting for over a month so far. Driving around with the inability to open the doors from the inside is a trap hazard! Based on multiple complaints and reports, Toyota should issue a recall for these vehicles.

See attached document for complaint.

The driver side interior door handle fails to open the door. The only way to exit the vehicle from the driver seat is to roll the window down and use the exterior door handle. This causes and entrapment issue

The interior driver-side door handle/release mechanism on my 2025 SR5 Toyota Tacoma failed without warning. The vehicle has low mileage and was being used normally. When attempting to open the driver door from the inside using ordinary force, an internal component appears to have detached or broken, leaving the interior handle completely inoperative. The handle simply hangs loose. Vehicle and failed component are available for inspection. This defect creates a significant safety risk because I cannot exit the vehicle through the driver door from inside the cabin. The only way to exit is to roll down the window, reach backward, and pull the exterior door handle. This requires an awkward twisting motion and causes shoulder pain. In an emergency such as a crash, fire, or water intrusion event, my ability to quickly exit the vehicle could be compromised. The defect also affects my ability to care for my young son, who has a medical condition and may require immediate assistance or rescue medication. If an emergency occurred while driving, I could be delayed in reaching him because I cannot promptly exit through the driver door as designed. A Toyota dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed the failed interior door handle mechanism. However, the replacement part is on national backorder and unavailable. I was informed repairs will likely take more than a month and that the waiting list reportedly exceeds 2,000 vehicles. Numerous Tacoma owners have reported the same failure, suggesting a widespread defect. Despite reports of widespread failures and lengthy repair delays, there has been no recall, service campaign, or proactive communication from Toyota warning owners of the defect or providing guidance while awaiting repairs. There were no warning lights, messages, or advance symptoms before the failure. The handle functioned normally until it suddenly stopped working during routine use. The defect occurred without misuse, excessive force, collision, or damage.

The driver side inner door handle does not work. This is a huge safety issue because you can only open the door by rolling down the window and pulling the outer driver side door handle. I took the truck to the dealer and the part to fix it is on back order with no known date when they will get it. I am now forced to drive an un safe vehicle for who knows how long. This is a common issue with the 2024-2025 Tacomas and needs addressed.