2016 Toyota Tacoma: sudden loss of power

Filed May 8, 2026 · Fuel system · CO

The original low pressure fuel pump failed at 114,700 miles. The symptoms of the failure were loss of power on the freeway, quickly followed by the engine stumbling, then shutting off completely forcing me to change lanes without power. The vehicles has had to be towed on 2 occasions because of this. The pump was replaced at 114,700 miles by a Toyota dealer at my own cost (no warranty, no recall). Now only 20k miles later the fuel pump has failed again. This issue has put my family at serious risk of accident to complete engine shut off at highway speeds. Now that I am on my third low pressure fuel pump, I have little confidence that this is being addressed by the pump manuf. and Toyota.

Filed Nov 21, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

Fuel injector(s) leaked without any warning, causing engine to loose power on freeway. We were fortunate to be able to move over to the shoulder before the truck lost all power. Vehicle was towed to dealer and it was determined that the injector leaked fuel into engine causing engine failure. Repairs needed include engine block, heads sub assembly, injectors and assorted other parts total for parts and labor $19,256 No warning lights or symptoms prior to this problem. Truck has been running fine with no problems, only has 41,000 miles.

Filed Nov 29, 2021 · Acceleration, Engine · OH

On 11-27-2021 I lost all power while on a highway. I would lose power even with my foot all the way down the rpm would not rise at all. The power would come back adruptly and throw me back into my seat. The trac off and check engine light came on. My truck seemed like it was gonna stall and had a really low and rough idle. It was only about 0-500 rpm at idle and truck was shaking bad because of the engine. After getting towed home I tested the battery and alternator and those were fine. I believe it is the crankshaft position sensor. I have read that this has happened to man other people with the same truck as mine. There was a recall for the cps but for some reason my truck was not included.

Filed Jul 10, 2019 · Acceleration, Engine · 67,000 miles · FL

Driving on the interstate 70 MPH, engine quits. 2 dash lights come on truck maxes out at 40mph out of nowhere. Pulled over shut truck off and started it up no ran fine note: check eng light is now on. Bad gas diagnosis. Gas replaced happens 1 more time. Diagnosed with bad fuel injectors not covered under extended warranty, cause was bad gas. The loss of power happened 2 other times.

Filed May 10, 2017 · Fuel system · 10,500 miles · HI

Driving about 60 MPH on the freeway, when the vehicle started to lose power, started bucking and then stalled. I was able to pull over to the shoulder. Luckily the road was fairly empty and there was no collision so no one was injured. The vehicle would not start. The trac off and check engine came on; charging system error showed. Had to have it towed to the dealership. Only 10,000 miles on the vehicle. The dealership report said it was the crank position sensor, replaced it with an "enhanced" version and the vehicle functions normally again. Tacomaworld.com has had many members report similar failures, especially involving the 2016 tacoma.

Filed May 1, 2017 · Engine, Fuel system · 26,000 miles · FL

Chirping noise comes and goes. Very loud. Also a constant clicking. Anything that makes noise like that will fail soon. Also had a grinding noise while in four wheel drive on beach and truck started to lose power.grinding went away but happens often.

Filed Feb 18, 2016 · Transmission · 600 miles · CA

When starting the vehicle in the morning (30-40 deg f) I let the truck warm up until the the thermostat needle begins to move. When I put the truck into reverse the engine rpms surge and then a second or two later the truck will engage reverse and the truck will often lurch rearward unexpectedly. When put into drive the same thing happens. After driving a mile I get on the freeway and the vehicle will not shift into top gear no matter what I do and the vehicle seems to have reduced power as it does not want to maintain a speed greater than 60 MPH without great provocation. The speed limit is 70 MPH so this causes a safety concern as my vehicle is traveling at a much lower speed than the surrounding traffic. This behavior persists for approximately 4-5 miles before returning to normal operation. Even when it is indicated that the engine has reached optimal temperature the reduced power mode and erratic transmission behavior persists.