NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Toyota Tacoma Recalls
The 2003 Toyota Tacoma has 5 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 23, 2012.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Toyota Tacoma. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 360
- Crashes reported
- 30
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
1 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Toyota Tacoma, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
5 recalls on the 2003 Toyota Tacoma
Tires: temporary/emergency spare tire
- Campaign
- 12V542000
- Reported
- November 23, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 150,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004 Tacoma
Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
- Campaign
- 05V225000
- Reported
- May 17, 2005
- Vehicles affected
- up to 768,379
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004 Tacoma, 3 other models
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 03V189000
- Reported
- May 19, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 123,360
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002 Tacoma
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E026000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 Tacoma, 42 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E065000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004 Tacoma, 9 other models
2003 Toyota Tacoma complaints by year
NHTSA has received 360 owner complaints about the 2003 Toyota Tacoma, the newest on October 6, 2026. Of these, 30 describe a crash (8%) and 1 a fire; owners reported 21 injuries.
In complaints about the 2003 Toyota Tacoma, the component group named most often is the structure (50%), followed by the suspension (18%) and the air bags (8%).
1 of the 2003 Toyota Tacoma's 5 recalls also concerns the suspension.
Where 2003 Toyota Tacoma owners gave the mileage (266 complaints), the median was 108,094 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Structure181
- Suspension66
- Air Bags28
- Unknown Or Other26
- Vehicle Speed Control26
- Tires21
Complaints received, by year
| 2003 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 13 | |
| 2005 | 18 | |
| 2006 | 19 | |
| 2007 | 7 | |
| 2008 | 7 | |
| 2009 | 13 | |
| 2010 | 22 | |
| 2011 | 10 | |
| 2012 | 11 | |
| 2013 | 29 | |
| 2014 | 30 | |
| 2015 | 31 | |
| 2016 | 35 | |
| 2017 | 19 | |
| 2018 | 20 | |
| 2019 | 23 | |
| 2020 | 9 | |
| 2021 | 10 | |
| 2022 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 6 | |
| 2024 | 5 | |
| 2025 | 4 | |
| 2026 | 3 |
Complaints about the 2003 Toyota Tacoma peaked in 2016, when NHTSA received 35. 17% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Toyota Tacoma drew 1.0× the complaints of the median Toyota Tacoma year in the same window: 12th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
The 360 complaints about the 2003 Toyota Tacoma are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Toyota Tacoma by model year
Other 2003 Toyota models
Newest record on this page: October 6, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted