Total Complaints
6 filings
TOYOTA TOYOTA TRUCK · model year
6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2003TOYOTATOYOTA TRUCK carries 6 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.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2003 TOYOTA TRUCK is steering with 2 filings, followed by structure (1) and engine and engine cooling (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2003 TOYOTA TRUCK, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
6 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING | 2 |
| STRUCTURE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
| TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM | 1 |
AFTER I BOUGHT MY 4RUNNER I NOTICED LOSE OF POWER WHEN ENTERING BUSY STREETS OR ROADWAYS. I WOULD GO INTO AN INTERSECTION OR ROAD AND MY SUV WOULD BRAKE AND I COULD NOT SPEED UP , I HAD NO THROTTLE CONTROL FOR 3 OR 4 SECONDS THAT IS ALONG TIME WHEN YOU HAVE TRAFFIC BEHIND YOU. I AM GLAD I HAVE NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXITS. I TOOK IT TO DEALER BUT TELLS ME IT IS NORMAL. IT'S MORE LIKE SCARY THAN NORMAL.. *TR
Mileage: 578
MY 03 4 RUNNER STEERING WHEEL FLUTTERS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT HAS HAPPENED SINCE NEW AND DEALER HAS BALANCED THE TIRES EVERYTIME. I CAN STILL FEEL THE STEERING WHEEL FLUTTER/SHAKE
Mileage: 8,000
I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA REG CAB 2WD REGISTERED IN CALIFORNIA. MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS EASILY STOLEN FROM MY VEHICLE. FOUR BOLTS AND IT'S FREE FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. I UNDERSTAND WHY THESE THEFTS ARE HAPPENING. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY TOYOTA IS CHARGING ME OVER $1,000.00 TO REPLACE IT. AS OF THIS POSTING, I HAVE FOUND NO AFTERMARKET CAT CONVERTER MANUFACTURER THAT MEETS CA OBDII SPECIFICATIONS FOR THIS MODEL TRUCK. A LIFE-LONG TOYOTA CUSTOMER, NO MORE. *TR
Mileage: 75,000
I GET A SHIMMY (FLUTTER) IN MY STEERING WHEEL AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MPH, REGARDLESS OF ROAD CONDITIONS. I'VE TAKEN THIS TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THEY FEEL IT, TRY TO FIX IT, CAN'T AND CALL IT "NORMAL" FOR A TOYOTA 4RUNNER. IT IS NOT NORMAL AND IT IS DANGEROUS. *TR
Mileage: 1,500
THE PROBLEM THAT EXISTS IS ON MY 2003 TOYOTA TACOMA. IT WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN LOSE POWER AND HAVE NO THROTTLE RESPONSE, ALMOST AS IF IT WAS HITTING AN ENGINE GOVERNOR. THE RPMS USUALLY DROP ANYWHERE FROM 200-500 AND THEN COMES BACK UP. THE POWER WOULD SLOWLY COME BACK AFTER KEEPING MY FOOT ON THE THROTTLE. IT CONSISTENTLY DOES IT AFTER ACCELERATING OUT OF AN INTERSECTION (USUALLY AROUND 25 MPH OR WHILE CRUISING (AROUND BOTH 45 MPH OR 75 MPH) ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS DROP OF POWER OR LACK THEREOF IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING INTO AN INTERSECTION OR NEEDING QUICK ACCELERATION TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE READ ABOUT MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES WITH THEIR LATE MODEL TACOMAS. THE PARTS TO FIX THE ISSUE ARE VERY COSTLY AND THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WIDESPREAD.*JB
Mileage: 54,000
I PURCHASED A 2002 TOYOTA TACOMA DOUBLE CAB NEW AFTER A FEW THOUSAND MILES NOTICED THAT UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR MAT WAS WET. TOYOTA HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM AND IS STILL UNSUCCESSFUL, BUT THEY STATE THE PROBLEM IS REPAIRED BECAUSE THERE LEAK TEST DOES NOT SHOW THE LEAK, HOWEVER WHEN IT RAINS IT GETS WET. I FILED FOR ARBITRATION AND RECENTLY LOST, BECAUSE THEY STATED 5 REPAIR ATTEMPTS WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER EVEN THOUGH THE LAW SAYS 3 IS ENOUGH. I URGE ALL TOYOTA TRUCK OWNERS TO CHECK UNDER YOU FLOOR MATS AND LOOK TO SEE IF YOU HAVE THIS PROBLEM IF SO FILE A COMPLAINT AND LET THEM KNOW SO THEY DO NOT CONTINUE WITH THIS FAULTY PRODUCT AS THEY ARE NOW DOING. THE INCIDENT DATE LISTED BELOW STATES TODAY'S DATE BUT I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THIS PROBLEM FOR OVER A YEAR NOW WITH LITTLE TO NO HELP FROM TOYOTA. *JB
Mileage: 1,282
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.