Are newer Toyota Tacoma trucks suffering from quality control problems? That’s the question prompted by Toyota accessory company Yotaverse (@yotaverse) in a viral TikTok the brand recently published.
The clip accrued over 1.7 million views on the widely used social media application. It also prompted several users to defend the build quality of their own recent model year Toyota vehicles.
Tacoma, fit and finish
Right at the video’s onset, a text overlay declares the TikToker’s gripes with Toyota’s latest iteration of its iconic pickup. “Tacoma build quality issues,” the message reads. To start, Yotaverse jiggles the closed glove box door. It pushes in and out, suggesting it isn’t securely fixed in place.
Next, he focuses his scrutiny on the interior door arm rest. This, too, flexes under his grip as he lightly jostles his wrist from side to side while holding onto it. Afterward, he transitions to a small tab jutting out from the side of one of the car’s seats. The TikToker doesn’t seem too thrilled with the fact that it’s simply hanging there. He lets it fall against the seat.
Following this, he records the opening to the middle arm rest storage bin. This too wiggles as he moves it from side to side. Again, suggesting that assembly line procedure neglected to properly secure the component. Moving on to the exterior of the car, he demonstrates that the truck’s front grill also wobbles when pulled.
Several other parts of an interior door are shown on camera, too. Despite having nice, leather-looking textures, the pieces move like a broken toy limb haphazardly jammed back into place.
Toyota defenders weigh in
Some user responses seemed to suggest that Yotaverse’s issue may be peculiar to the vehicle featured in his video. “2024 Tacoma here … and absolutely zero of those problems,” one wrote.
Another penned: “my tacoma 2024 is just fine.”
One TikToker seemed to welcome these issues, however, if the car was otherwise mechanically stalwart. “At least the drivetrain will be good in 200k lol.”
It would appear another Toyota owner supports the aforementioned claim via firsthand experience. “My 2010 Corolla did all that but after 275k miles it still has no issues.”
Long-term Tacoma drivers professed their love for their vehicles as well. “I have 251,000 miles on my 2007 toyota tacoma!! and very strong!” one said.
“I have 380k miles on my Tacoma,” a fellow TikTok user remarked.
While Yotaverse’s video sported a slew of Toyota-positive comments, there was at least one person who voiced dislike for the brand. “That’s all Toyotas. people just have this delusion that they are better.”
However someone else believes these types of quality checks on different brands will reveal similar results. “Literally every car or truck.”
Wobbly interiors
Loose-fitting interior components indeed seem to be a fairly common gripe among drivers. There’s a slew of content online where folks offer up methods on how to remedy these issues. The YouTube account Sweet Project Cars uploaded a video delineating ways folks can stop interior trims and panels from shaking.
Furthermore, a user in the Car Talk Community forum responded to a driver frustrated over wonky interior parts. They stated that many auto shops that perform interior upgrades/maintenance can address these problems. In a separate post on the same site, one user snapped a photo of an interior plastic panel that came loose.
Appended to the picture was a reference to tabs that keep coming undone, despite being pushed back into place. A fellow user suggested that these tabs have broken or become too loose to remain fixed. The solution? Purchase new tabs and swap out the old ones.
Why’d it come like that?
For decades, Toyota along with its luxury offshoot, Lexus, has consistently topped rankings lists for long-term reliability. The brand also marks high in JD Power’s “initial quality” segment as well, but wasn’t top dog in 2024. This segment measures the “off-the-line” fit and finish of a vehicle. Overall, Toyota/Lexus placed 4th in JD Power’s initial quality rankings.
@yotaverse When was the last year Toyota built a high quality Tacoma? Tap for direct links to our products! ————————————————————————— Proudly based in the USA 🇺🇸 Check out hundreds of parts for your vehicle by clicking the link in our bio! #reposted #repost #fypシ #fyp #foryoupage #yotaverse ♬ original sound – Yotaverse
Furthermore, the Tacoma wasn’t mentioned in JD Power’s 2024 listings of best initial quality cars. There were four specific vehicles mentioned, however. The Toyota Camry, Lexus IS, Lexus IC, and Lexus UX were the leaders in their respective vehicle segments.
The interior foibles represented in Yotaverse’s video can more than likely be attributed to gaffes in assembly line procedures. Workers tasked with interior fit and finish protocols may have not properly secured these fixtures. Moreover, quality control managers may’ve not spotted these issues. Or, due to dealership delivery demands, could’ve expedited the process to get the cars out on sales lots.
These gripes aren’t peculiar to Toyotas, however. Luxury EV brand Tesla has been called out for consumer gripes about its fit and finish. One forum user noticed several “irritating” misaligned components on the new Model S. They seemed particularly peeved about the uneven hatch on their trunk.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Toyota and Yotaverse for further comment.
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