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2003 Toyota Tacoma acceleration problems

26 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 101,000. 5 crashes reported.

owner complaints
26
of this car's complaints
7%
typical mileage
101,000
crashes
5
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Accelerator pedal
    4
  • Cruise control
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Toyota Tacoma acceleration problems in other years

1995200020052010201520202026

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2003 Toyota Tacoma owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed May 5, 2023 · Acceleration · 230,000 miles · CA · crash

The contact owned a 2003 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving up the driveway at 5 MPH and turning into the garage, the accelerator pedal was depressed but went down to the floorboard and became stuck. The contact lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle crashed into the fence gate and the corner of the neighbor's residence. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard, where it was totaled. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number:Â 09V388000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

Filed Aug 28, 2016 · Acceleration · 171,000 miles · TN

Loss of accelerator due to bad throttle position sensor/throttle body. When you ease off the accelerator the vehicle will lose all throttle response. Then you have to "work" the accelerator in and out until it starts responding again. It happens on take off or anytime you back off on the accelerator. It has cut off on me trying to pull out into traffic and I almost got hit! It has happened on the interstate and I had to try to work my way over with no throttle and try not to get run over! It now happens every time I drive it. Toyota doesn't sell a new tps for this vehicle now ( a $40 to $50 part)toyota will be happy to sell me a new throttle body for $1400 and that doesn't include labor. I thought manufacturers were required to provide parts for their vehicles.

Filed Aug 20, 2016 · Acceleration, Engine · 200,000 miles · FL

I was driving down the highway experience loss of power such as fuel push the throttle down a couple of times it pick back up happened to more times within 10 mi1nutes it did not throw a code been checking it may relate to a throttle body problem been reading about problems with the throttle body do not want this to happen in heavy traffic or pulling out in front of traffic please let me know what or how to take care of this problem

Filed Aug 1, 2016 · Acceleration · 240,000 miles · MS

Intermidiot loss of throttle responce, from standing at light or stop sign and from acceleration. Hesitation during acceleration until pedel is pressed fully and ossulation while driving at a steady speed on hwy. **no warning codes present**

Filed Jun 3, 2016 · Acceleration, Engine · 246 miles · CA

I was driving my vehicle 2003 toyota tacoma on highway 156 downhill to hollister, ca I was going approx 65 MPH and it just jerked back and lost power I was only able to go 40mph no higher , the engine light has not turned on and it seems I am getting no kind of diagnostic error of what could be wrong.

Filed Aug 17, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 120,000 miles · GA

While driving down the highway, I moved into the left lane to pass another car. When I stepped on the accelerator the nose pitched forward and the engine felt like it was not getting any gas. I was able to press the accelerator nearly all the way to the floor to continue getting power to the engine, but the first 2/3 of the pedal stroke were completely unresponsive. A check engine light came on and it was diagnosed as a throttle body issue. After doing some research, this seems to be a well documented issue on a number of tacoma forums. The cost to replace will be $1400 dollars new or $400 dollars used. I am skeptical to purchase a refurbished part due to the known issue with it. This has happened a total of 6 times in 3.5 years of owning the vehicle and seems to occur in colder weather. Typically after pulling over and shutting the car off for 30 seconds, the issue is gone. It will undoubtedly happen again, but you never know when.

Filed Jul 16, 2015 · Acceleration · 101,000 miles · SC

There is a serious hazard with the throttle body where hitting the gas pedal when accelerating will sometimes cause the truck to act as though you took your foot off the pedal - turning left with oncoming traffic almost caused an accident when the truck did not accelerate as you would expect when pressing the gas pedal. I had my mechanic try to diagnose the problem before looking up the symptoms online, and he traced it to the actuator in the electronic throttle body system. Researching online after discovering this, it seems there is a major issue with the 2003/2004 trucks with this electronic throttle control system hybrid. This is extremely dangerous and I would have thought this would have been recalled based on the known issues with toyota's throttle control systems in the past. The system does not throw a check engine light code when this happens.

Filed Dec 12, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 108,000 miles · TX

While driving in traffic the throttle stuck at above normal idle and the check engine light came on. I was able to exit the traffic but the idle would not come back to normal curb idle. What my mechanic has told me is that the throttle body assembly has failed and they can only get the part from the dealer. If this had happened on the freeway the outcome could have not been so good. I hope toyota is aware of this problem and going to address the situation.

Filed Nov 18, 2013 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 126,000 miles · NC

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. [xxx] request research. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jul 30, 2013 · Acceleration, Airbags · 188,707 miles · NY · crash

Coming to a stop approx 2 MPH the engine suddenly revved very loudly and the truck show forward. The brakes did not stop the truck. I swerved to avoid the campsite we were at and hit a tree very hard. The engine however continued to rev loudly and I shifted to park. With the engine still very loud and the wheels spinning I had to shut the engine by removing the key.

Questions about the 2003 Toyota Tacoma acceleration

Does the 2003 Toyota Tacoma have acceleration problems?

Owners have filed 26 complaints about the acceleration of the 2003 Toyota Tacoma, 7% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2003 Toyota Tacoma acceleration problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 101,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2003 Toyota Tacoma acceleration?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Toyota Tacoma have the most acceleration problems?

The Toyota Tacoma model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2006 (147 complaints), 2007 (108 complaints) and 2005 (93 complaints).

Other 2003 Toyota Tacoma problems

Body 181Suspension 66Airbags 28Fuel system 22Tires 21Brakes 19Engine 19Transmission 18Steering 12Electrical 11Seat belts 5Seats 5Wheels 5Lights 2Driver assistance 1Locks 1

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