Total Complaints
2 filings
TOYOTA PRERUNNER · model year
1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER
2 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998TOYOTAPRERUNNER carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1998 PRERUNNER is vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal with 1 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 1998 PRERUNNER, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20091106ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA. SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE TRUCK WE NOTICED THAT IT WOULD SURGE WHEN AT A STOP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE ENGINE WILL REV UP EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE OUR FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. WE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE AGENCY WHERE WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA. THEY REPORTED BACK TO US THAT THEY AND TOYOTA HAD NEVER HAD ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OF THIS KIND AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. WE WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM WHEN TEST DRIVING WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE AGENCY. WE NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. WHEN MY WIFE TALKED TO THE SERVICE MANAGER, HE TRIED TO CONVINCE HER THAT IT WAS HER FAULT AND IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE WAY SHE DROVE THE TRUCK. HE SAID THAT SHE SHOULD CONTINUED DRIVING UNTIL THE TRUCK GOT USED TO HER DRIVING STYLE. WHAT A CROCK OF CRAP. AFTER THE PROBLEM AROSE AND WE GOT ALL THIS '!@#$%' FROM THE AGENCY, I LOOKED AROUND THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT MANY
20030226VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK.*JB
Mileage: 25,000
Compare 1998TOYOTAPRERUNNER to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER have?▼
The 1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1998 TOYOTA PRERUNNER; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.