The cleanest year of the third-gen run — no safety recall touches a 2021 Tacoma — so the whole job is the V6 coolant pipe and the six-speed's gear-hunting feel.
The quietest Colorado we cover — and its biggest single complaint is a key that won't come out of the ignition.
The final third-gen Tacoma — the smallest complaint file of the run, but a driver-airbag recall that was re-issued means you verify the fix was actually done right.
A late, low-volume third-gen Tacoma whose one genuine safety item is the rear-axle-separation recall — verify it and the child-seat-anchor fix, and the rest is a quiet truck.
A much quieter third-gen Tacoma with a single recall — the fuel-pump stall — to verify, and no expensive mechanical pattern behind it.
A calmer third-gen Tacoma than the launch years, but with two national safety recalls — the fuel-pump stall and the brake master cylinder — that have to be verified done.
A durable third-gen Tacoma whose fuel-pump recall is the real story — some replacement pumps failed again, so confirm the fix and take any stall symptom seriously.
A second-year third-gen Tacoma that carries the same early-year homework as the 2016 plus a brake-booster recall — durable underneath, but verify the crank-sensor and brake recalls before you buy.
The first year of the third-generation Tacoma and the loudest of the run — a durable truck whose early six-speed automatic feel and coolant-pipe leak are the homework, on top of the crank-sensor stall recall to verify.
The year the shudder outlived its free fix — same transmission as the 2019, none of the coverage.
The transmission finally quiets down and something worse takes over — a brake vacuum pump that can break the camshaft on its way out.
Engine flag: this is 2.5L four-cylinder trouble — the 3.6L V6, 2.8L Duramax diesel, and 2.7L Turbo don’t share it. Which engine is in yours? →
No recalls at all, and the last year GM will flush the transmission for free — which makes this the smart end of the eight-speed years.
Same shudder, same free fluid fix — and one owner who paid $500 for it anyway, then got quoted $8,000.
An all-new truck with an all-new set of problems — brakes that slam on by themselves, a radiator hose that fails at 20,000 miles, and software that can brick it.
The eight-speed arrives, and so does the shudder — but this is one of only three years GM will flush the fluid for free.
The steering year — 695 complaints, three-quarters of them a power steering failure that got the 2015 recalled and left the 2016 out.
Rates use published U.S. sales as the denominator — a rate, not a raw count, so best-sellers aren’t punished for selling. It’s imperfect on purpose and we say exactly where (the methodology page): sales aren’t surviving fleet, some makers publish entangled figures, and complaint filing is self-reported. * A “0 recalls*” mark is a verified zero — checked against the federal database and date-stamped, a point in that year’s favor.
“The average midsize pickup is fine. You’re not buying the average — you’re buying one specific year of one specific badge.”
Shortlisting from this board? We’ll watch your years.
New recalls, federal investigations, and quiet warranty programs land months after you buy. Tell the canary which years you’re considering — it sings when something changes.
Watch my years — freeThe other boards
Same method, different segment:
Heavy-duty pickups, Luxury SUVs, and Subcompact SUVs aren’t ranked yet — each has only one model in our data so far, nothing fair to compare against. They join the Index when their segment-mates ship.