Are Toyota trucks really the most reliable out there? On this episode of “Dude, I Love or Hate My New Ride! @HomeEdition – we get the real-world owner reviews of their high mileage Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, and Sequoia trucks.
2014 Toyota Tacoma
This Tacoma crew cab (aka. double cab) long bed TRD Sport belongs to Cade. It has 83,000 miles on the odometer. The truck has aftermarket wheels and Duratrac off-road tires. There are also side steps, bed cargo slides, and an aftermarket rear bumper.
Cade purchased the truck due to it very good resale value. He says the truck has been very reliable. He is not happy with the 15 MPG fuel efficiency that he is getting. He says the interior is outdated, and this Tacoma is good for work – but it is not a fun-worthy pickup for the weekend.
Overall, this truck is holding up just fine as it quickly approaches 100,000 mile mark. Let’s see some truck with a lot more miles.
2007 Toyota Tacoma
This smaller Tacoma access cab TRD Sport has approximately 161,000 miles on the clock. The truck belongs to Richard. He added an aluminum skid plate, a front bug shield, tinted windows, and a tool box in the bed. The composite bed looks nearly brand new with just a couple of bolts and tie downs that are showing rust. Interior is in great shape with just one little rip on the driver’s seat.
Overall, the 4.0-liter V6 is not giving Richard any major issues. The truck has been reliable and free of major failures.
2006 Toyota Tundra
Here is a relatively rare Tundra crew cab with a longer bed options. THis particular trucks has about 200,000 miles and belongs to Andrew. He had major issues with the original paint. The paint was peeling and the body started to rust near the roof and other areas. He ended up repainting the entire truck. It look brand new now.
The big Tundra has a 3-inch suspension lift and KO2 all-terrain tires. Andrew tows a 16-foot car hauler trailer with the truck from time to time, and the 4.7-liter V8 has been bullet-proof, according to him. The interior is in great shape. He used to get about 19 MPG before the suspension lift, and about 17 MPG with the lift. He says the truck turned him into a Toyota fan-boy as far as a daily driver is concerned.
2002 Toyota Sequoia
This Sequoia SUV has 284,000 miles and belong to Keith and his family. We usually do not get a chance to review very many Sequoia, so it is very nice to see one (especially a high mileage example). This truck also has a 4.7-liter V8 and a 4 speed automatic transmission. Keith is very happy with the truck, but it gave his wife a few problems over the years.
An engine fan blade broke off during one summer trip and punctured the radiator. They were able to bring the Sequoia to a stop quickly and safely. Replaced the radiator, fan, some other components and were back on the road. This was bad, but it could have been worse.
Interior is in very good shape, but the rear hatch latch had to be replaced. The ignition switch also failed once and had to be replaced. Now the Sequoia is back in full force. It’s still being daily driven and the miles are going up fast.
2000 Toyota Tundra
This first generation Tundra is the oldest truck on this list, and it has 320,000 miles. It belongs to Andrew. Once again, under the hood is a 4.7-liter V8 that has not given Andrew any significant problems.
The interior is once again in very good shape, but the stereo head unit is replaced with a newer unit (just like basically all trucks on this list).
The truck has a suspension lift and KO2 all-terrain tires. Custom exhaust rounds out the list of mods. In the end, Andrew is very happy with the truck – event how well the tires are wearing.
Based on all of the information we received here, it is still reasonable to say that – Yes, Toyota trucks are reliable. Are they the most reliable? We have to wait and until we can sample more high mileage trucks from GM, Ram, Nissan, and Ford.