Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Tacoma owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On December 1, 2019 I was backing into a gas station fill up spot. As I let off the gas to apply pressure to the brakes the truck revved up and started accelerating in reverse. I applied as much pressure to the brakes as possible only to continue accelerating in reverse. I could fill the truck's brakes attempting to stop the vehicle but the truck's back tires are squealing over powering the brakes. I finally come to a stop on one of the poles that protects the gas pumps after hitting another vehicle. I have contacted Toyota and they sent a third party company to pull the information from the event data recorder. I was told I would get a report over what they said happened within 30 days after the third party has inspected the vehicle. It has now been 37 days and Toyota is refusing to give me any information. I have done all the recalls that have been issued on the 2006 Tacoma. …
Tl contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to loose control of the vehicle and make contact with a guard rail before crashing into a brick wall. During the incident, the vehicle sustained significant damage to the front end but the air bags did not deploy. The driver suffered an injury to the left eye. A police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
I have experienced a lurching problem in my 2006 sport 4 door Tacoma. The first time it happened, I rear ended a vehicle causing $1500 damage to the Tacoma and $1200 to the other vehicle. I also had a witness that saw my foot on the brake pedal after impact. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and the accident reported to Toyota Canada and the ministry of transportation. A third party investigator/engineering was sent to check the vehicle and found no error codes. I was told there was no problem. Two months later the truck lurched again at an intersection. This time I shoved the truck into neutral. I observed the rpms climb to 3000 RPM then drop off. The Toyota dealership (northside Toyota) checked the vehicle over and said they found no problem. Note: the vehicle had roughly 10,000 kilometers at that time. …
I am the owner of a 2006 Toyota Tacoma that was involved in a roll over accident on 2/14/2010. My son was driving the vehicle with 2 passengers on a church outing. They were stopped at a traffic light waiting to turn. When the light changed he said he tried to accelerate but the pedal did not respond, the second time he tried the vehicle took off. As he tried to round the corner, the vehicle kept accelerating, he tried to brake but they did not respond. He lost control of the vehicle and hit the curb on the adjacent side of the road and became airborn. They went down an embankment and rolled. There was another vehicle of young adults traveling with them, and in the lane next to them on their left. They saw the whole thing and said they could hear the engine racing. When the got to the vehicle, they were able to get everyone out and my son just kept saying "what the hell happened". …
When I was coasting to park my truck at my parking space outside of my house parking garage, my p/u truck suddenly accelerated very fast and the truck hit the fence and stopped. I remember clearly my sense that I pushed the brake while the car accelerating for a split second but do not remember if the engine was stopped after hitting the fence with steel pole. I somehow reversed back about 8 feet from the fence and stopped the engine. I came out of the car and checked if the accelerating pedal was depressed. It was not. I had experienced the truck engine racing a little fast as I tried to park at work in the mornings also. I felt something unusual but ignored the feeling, since my car was running high RPM since new. I remember that I asked about the high RPM to the salesman. He mentioned some new design feature that I could not understand. …
Accelerated by itself. Unintended acceleration. My wife was driving our 2006 4x4 Toyota Tacoma on a 55mph road with or 3 year old and 1 year old children on March 2017 at around 12:00 noon, when she started to decelerate to turn onto side road she depressed the brakes but they didn't work, she pressed harder and there was no change; then the truck accelerated on its own while she still only applied the brake pedal, the brakes finally worked and she was able to navigate the turn, yet much too fast. Overt the next two miles to our house on a 35mph road, she stopped the truck fine (once at a stop sign, and once at our mailbox). However, as she pulled into our garage she stepped on the brake pedal and again the brakes did not work, and the truck again accelerated on its own and hit a tool cabinet which hit the garage wall. Thankfully she and the kids were OK. …
I experienced a problem with 2006 Tacoma lurching. Previous incidents were minor in nature with vehicle lurching forward when starting from a stopped position. No real pattern was noted so the problem was not reported to dealer. My husband advised me to report the problem to the dealer during next service visit. Today (November 20, 2008) while parking in front of a wendy's the vehicle suddenly lurched forward causing the vehicle to go over the curb and strike the building doing considerable damage to the Tacoma and the building. The vehicle has 33,356 miles and was purchased new in September 2006. I noted similar reported incidents involving the Tacoma while searching the internet -- including a NHTSA action item dp08001 for which the agency investigator was unable to determine a cause for the reported problem. …
Approximately September 12, 2007, I was approaching a stoplight and applied the brake of my 2006 Toyota Tacoma. The vehicle began revving out of control and started moving forward. I stepped harder on the brake pedal as the vehicle began to inch forward - I had all my weight on the brake pedal. Knowing the truck was going to move, I turned the wheel to the right to avoid the stopped cars in front of me; however the truck clipped the passenger-side rear bumper of the car in front of me, pushing it into the car in front of it. The truck then shot off the road into the grassy area next to an interstate on-ramp, where I was able to push the shift into park - which is what made the truck stop and then it died. No injuries were incurred; however, the sudden acceleration could have sent me into interstate traffic. …
2006 Toyota Tacoma involved to accident on 10/22/09 where during the accident the accelerator stuck wide open on the ice. My foot was on the brake when truck stopped & the rear tires where still spinning. I had to turn off the ignition to get the wheels to stop spinning. The car I hit Honda accord was totaled. It got knocked into the drainage ditch. Luckily no one was injured. At the time I didn't tell police about the accelerator problem. Not on the police report. I did advise the party I hit & the tow truck drivers. Also advised the body shop. Now my insurance went up[ $50 a month. I have a ticket and have to pay a fine. I immediately removed the floor mat when I got my truck back from the body shop. I believe Toyota is partially to blame for my accident. I started to slide on the ice & at some point the accelerator stuck wide open. This I'm sure made the accident much worse. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while braking from the speed of 25 MPH for a traffic stop, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and the vehicle proceeded through the traffic stop. The contact immediately shut off the engine and when restarting, the vehicle resumed normal operation. Six months later, the exact failure occurred a second time causing the contact to crash into a mailbox. The vehicle flipped onto its side and crashed into a ditch. The contact was able to get the vehicle into an upright position. The police did not arrive. The contact suffered moderate injuries to the head, neck and knee. The vehicle sustained substantial body damage as well as damage to the exterior mirrors, turn signals and windshield. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for further investigation. The vehicle was not repaired. …
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Remedy: Toyota filed an amended defect report on November 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal.
NHTSA investigations
Sudden and uncontrolled acceleration
The petitioner owns a model year (my) 2006 Toyota tacoma equipped with a v6 engine and automatic transmission.in a petition sent to NHTSA's office of defects investigation (odi) dated January 10, 2008, he alleges he experienced two incidents of unwanted acceleration while driving his tacoma.the petitioner reported that during both incidents, while applying the brake, the engine speed increased of its own accord…
Acceleration complaints in other Tacoma years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2006 Toyota Tacoma?
NHTSA has 147 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2006 Toyota Tacoma, 19% of the model year's 782 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Tacoma acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-388 (accelerator pedal, Oct 5, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Tacoma acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 36% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 45 crashes, 0 fires and 19 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.