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Toyota Tacoma hesitation problems

57 of the 8,489 owner complaints about the Toyota Tacoma describe hesitation when accelerating, most of them for the 2018 model year.

owner complaints
57
worst model year
2018
typical mileage
12,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

Often reported together

Stalling 11Jerking 7Check engine light 4Fuel pump 3Misfire 2Harsh shifting 2Grinding brakes 2Transmission failure 1

Trouble codes mentioned

P2442 1P219D 1P2140 1P11ED 1P0456 1P0052 1

What owners say

Filed Oct 22, 2026 · Transmission · 5,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH and accelerating and switching lanes, the vehicle failed to respond and maintained the desired speed. Additionally, the vehicle hesitated continuously. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V656000 (Power Train). The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall, but the failure occurred. The dealer was contacted but was unable to duplicate the failure. The service advisor associated the failure with the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Engine · CO

Engine failure can be catastrophic on I-70. Engine hesitation. Check engine light came on. Code read P11ED - Cylinder 2 Air Fuel Ratio Imbalance (Port). Shop states the cylinder valve is worn. Mileage 190,000 Note - this was "repaired" by Toyota in July 2025. In 2025, P11ED code was read. Cylinder 2 was running rich. Fuel injector was replaced. This made it worse. Caused P219D code. Truck was sent to machine shop to repair cylinder heads, spark plugs were replaced. Mileage 150,000

Filed Apr 20, 2026 · Engine · 170,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the check engine and the traction control warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and failed to exceed 45 MPH while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a secondary air injection pump system failure. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to Toyota Campaign Number: 20TC01, and the contact was referred to the dealer for the repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under the campaign. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with secondary air injection pump system failure, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Filed Mar 15, 2026 · Acceleration, Transmission · GA

Driving around a winding turn incline , tacoma hesitated at 40 mph while going down incline. Tacoma rpms fluctuates at 40 mph as if the engine is having difficulty accelerating. You can hear the engine stalling or shuttering to catch up to speed. This is occurred driving at a steady 40mph. The Tacoma seems to be stalling out at a certain speed limit and rpm at 40 mph. It only has this symptom at 40 mph going down an incline. This is dangerous and there were vehicles behind me traveling at the same speed going around a winding turn incline. This could of caused a pile up because of the tacoma struggling to maintain speed and accelerate to keep speed. Ive taken this tacoma to Nalley dealer and they've replicated the problem but thought if resetting driving mode would clear the problem. That did not clear the problem and its currently causing the same issue. The tech seems clueless in whats going on when ive explained that it happens at a certain mph and while going down incline. The tech know that this has occurred when he taken the tacoma on a test run. Some how the tech think a reset of driver style handling is the issue. The tacoma isn' responding to a driver style handling reset. Ive scheduled another appointment with the dealer to have the tech check the tacoma again. There are other years of Tacoma's that have this problem. I believe this particular tacoma has the same issue as the other tacoma years that are under a torque converter recall.The symptoms are identical compared to other tacoma year models under the torque converter recalls.I don' want this problem to become a hazard where the tacoma cause a massive pile up in traffic because of the unstable mph at 40 mph.The 2015 tacoma doesn't keep steady speed limit at 40 mph going down incline. The rpm fluctuates at 40 mph as if its trying to distinguish what speed limit the engine is driving at. The tacoma is stalling at 40 mph while making a shutter sound while driving down inclines and winding turns.

Filed Apr 18, 2025 · Engine · 26,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and driving up a steep incline, there was an engine misfire and the vehicle almost stalled. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that it was like a clanging metal-on-metal sound. The contact stated that no warning was illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle was idling roughly and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

Filed Jan 4, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · GA

My 2022 Tacoma has 1200 miles on it. While turning a corner I slowed down to make the turn when I pushed on the pedal to speed back up there was no response from the engine. It was dark outside and my dash lit up like the key was turned off. I kind of panicked and began pumping the pedal thinking I was out of gas. The fuel gage showed 3/4 an after 3 or 4 seconds it started back up. A week or so before I was at a red light when it turned green I tried to accelerate, the engine hesitated again like it was out of gas. I pumped the pedal but no response. After a few seconds it took off like a jet across the intersection and my foot was barely touching the pedal. Also while driving around 40-50 mph it feels like a stick shift vehicle that needs to be down shifted in a lower gear as there is a chunging feel which I think the transmission can't decide what gear to use. At those speeds it goes away if I manually move the shifter out of D into 4 or 5. Then It runs smooth. I took it to a Toyota Dealer near my house on 1/3/2023 They said they could not duplicate the problem. I said it does not happen all the time. The tech said he reset my computer.

Filed Nov 4, 2022 · Transmission · NJ

2018 2WD Tacoma. Auto transmission. Ever since new and even today, when traveling 30-40 MPH and slowing to anywhere from 10-25 MPH, and then trying to accelerate, the engine and/or transmission stumbles/hesitates for at least a full second, and then the engine races higher and a hard transmission downshift occurs jerking your head and body back and sending the vehicle into a fast acceleration.

Filed Jun 3, 2021 · Transmission · CT

I have been having several intermittent issue with the automatic transmission on my 2017 Tacoma TRD off Road with 43000 miles. Among them are as follows: It fails to shift correctly (hunting for gears) on the highway and hesitates to accelerate when needed, Also the transmission sometimes has a delayed engagement when putting it into reverse or drive from a standstill. The engine will rev up like it was in neutral then abruptly catch the reverse gear causing a loud and disturbing “BANG” and even some tire spin on the pavement. I also intermittently experience a loud “CLUNK” when slowing down to a stop in traffic as if the transmission is not downshifting properly from the higher gears to the lower ones and is forced to come to an abrupt halt. The dealer has performed a software update but this has not helped. The dealer also cannot replicate these problems because the issues are intermittent. I understand that a lot of 3’rd generation Tacoma owners are experiencing the same exact issues but it seems that Toyota is not issuing a recall for some reason. I believe this is a potential safety hazard and should be addressed.

Filed Mar 30, 2021 · Transmission · 35,600 miles · AL

2018 tacoma automatic transmission shudders, hesitates and misses at speeds between 35-60 MPH. This happens constantly. Slight pedal and low RPM's in 5th and 6th gear is when it's most noticeable. On occasion, there is a more serious miss, which feels as if you have turned the ignition off at 50mph and then right back on. This does not happen frequently, 4 or 5 times in the 20,000 miles I've driven it. The shudder has been looked at by toyota on 3 occasions, and has bee shrugged off as a "typical characteristic of the vehicle". Toyota north america made an appointment for me to see the service manager who rode with me and felt the shudder and missing. He had me test drive a 2019 v6 automatic off road and it also had the shudder and missing in the same range. The final outcome was that it is a characteristic of the vehicle and there is nothing that can be done. The fuel pump recall was done. The power train was re-flashed. No change in the condition. It is very unnerving and disappointing that they consider this condition acceptable.

Filed Mar 7, 2021 · Transmission · 84,700 miles · MA

Vehicle hesitates from park to drive and slowing to turn or going uphill even on speeds up to 50mph

Related recalls

Power train: driveline: driveshaftReported October 1, 2025 · 5,960 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2025 Tacoma and Tacoma Hybrid vehicles. The front driveshaft constant-velocity (CV) joint may deform and break.
Risk
A broken driveshaft can impair steering. Vehicles with full-time 4WD may experience a vehicle rollaway while parked without the parking brake applied. Both scenarios increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace both front driveshaft assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 11, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB11 and 25TA11.

Recall number 25V656000 · Recall details

Power train: axle assemblyReported February 27, 2024 · 381,199 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturer (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Tacoma vehicles. The axle shaft sub-assembly may separate from the axle housing due to debris causing improperly secured fasteners.
Risk
Axle shaft separation can cause a loss of vehicle stability and brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the rear axle assembly, tighten the axle retaining nuts as necessary, and repair or replace any damaged components, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 24TB05 and 24TA05.

Recall number 24V152000 · Recall details

Power train: driveline: differential unitReported April 27, 2017 · 227,732 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tacoma vehicles. Oil may leak from the area where the rear differential carrier is assembled to rear axle housing.
Risk
If the vehicle is operated with an insufficient amount of oil in the rear differential, the differential may seize and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear differential for oil leakage. Based on the inspection, dealers will either tightening the fastening nuts or replace the fastening nuts and gasket. If the rear differential components are damaged, the rear differential carrier assembly will be replaced. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall June 19, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0G.

Recall number 17V285000 · Recall details

Power train: driveline: driveshaftReported February 18, 2010 · 8,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 toyota tacoma pickup trucks. The propeller shaft may develop cracks during the manufacturing process. Over time, the cracks may eventually lead to the separation of the propeller shaft.
Risk
This may result in a loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front propeller shaft on affected vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on march 22, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.

Recall number 10V042000 · Recall details

Power train: drivelineReported July 26, 2007 · 108 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain pickup trucks equipped with four wheel drive, a section of the rear propeller shaft may have been improperly cast.
Risk
The front side of the rear propeller shaft could separate at the joint and come into contact with the road surface which could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the possibility of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the rear propeller shaft with a new one free of charge. The recall began on august 1, 2007. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.

Recall number 07V324000 · Recall details

Questions about the Toyota Tacoma hesitation

Which Toyota Tacoma years have hesitation when accelerating problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2018 (10 complaints), 2009 (8 complaints) and 2016 (8 complaints).

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