Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Toyota Tacoma owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,619. It was later discovered through Carfax in August 2025 that the mileage on the Title was 297,651.
The plastic housing/plastic lens covering the amber daytime running lights and the clear fog lights are burned, melted, cracked and broken. This is not due to any front end collision but due to the extreme heat generated by the original factory-installed light bulbs. The lights are generating so much heat that they are melting, burning and cracking the plastic housing which then breaks under driving stress. Compounding the problem is that there is no way to turn off the daytime running lights when the vehicle is in operation. Either the daytime running lights must be on or the headlights must be on. Therefore, the lights continue to burn the plastic housing. Toyota will not completely cover the cost to repair and replace these defective light systems stating that the vehicle is out of the 3 year warranty. …
Cruise control became finicky spring/summer 2019. I found articles stating that it could be the clockspring/spiral cable. I replaced the clockspring and that fixed the cruise control issue, but it caused my airbag light to turn on. I have been driving around with the airbag light on for the last year and a half. Over that time, the radio controls on the steering wheel have quit working (first the volume, then the channel, and the mode buttons). These haven't been working for at least 3 months now. Just yesterday, the cruise control went out completely. No warning signs or acting up. It just quit. From what research I have done, this issue was handled under a recall, but the recall only applies to the Tacoma models without audio controls on the steering wheel. Has that changed at all? Why were not all versions/configurations covered?
Entering my complaint as electrical as it involved the door actuator mechanisms and fob for locking and unlocking the door locks - fob gets easily "un programmed" and cannot be reprogrammed. Door actuators are faulty with light duty dc motors that operate the door lock mechanism - the dc motors are prone to carbon build-up inside, etc. Rear doors (and possibly front doors, as well) have interior failure of door exit handle which is a life-safety issue in the event one must exit the vehicle. And, this is a nuisance simply wishing to exit the vehicle when there is no emergency. This is a failed component of not just the Toyota Tacoma, but numerous other Toyota vehicles. I have entered today's date as to when this occurred; however, this vehicle has been having the problem mentioned above for the last two years.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Tacoma. While driving the radio will suddenly turn off without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection. The technician stated that radio needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 3000. Updated 01/26/10 the radio would come on and go off various times with no warning. The dash and head lights flickered. Updated 01/26/10.
Both headlamp assemblies show inner running light/turnsignal lens have bubbling, burning and now the right one has cracked with the inner lens separating. I have checked both bulbs and they are the proper, listed bulbs, 4157na
1. Was parking Tacoma in garage at about 5 MPH or less; when I applied the brakes, the vehicle accelerated. Put gear into neutral to avoid crash. (sept 2009; about 1500 miles on vehicle) 2. Was slowing down; at a speed of approximately 20 MPH I applied the brakes and the vehicle accelerated. Put gear into neutral to avoid crash. (nov 25, 2009; about 2500 miles on vehicle) ---->>> drivers side floor mat removed on nov 26, 2009. <<----- 3. Was slowing down; at a speed of approximately 20 mpr I applied the brakes and the vehicle accelerated. Put gear into neutral to avoid crash. (dec 2, 2009; about 3000 miles on vehicle) this happened even though the driver side floor mat had been removed. Additional info: received a telephone call from jennette at (rosville, ca ??) Toyota on dec 14, 2009. I explained the 3 incidences to jennette. She gave me Toyota case number 0912121226. …
On the headlight assembly of my vehicle both of the running light lenses are melting. They first started to bubble and I noticed it at approximately 40,000 miles. I took it into the dealership to have it checked out and they said that the warranty would not cover it and offered no fix. Recently, I looked at the lenses again and they are now cracked and burnt. The plugs that the bulbs are in are burnt as well. Toyota told me they would pay half of the damages, but not the whole thing. In Toyota's service bulletin that they published in 2011, it states that the 2005-2011 vehicles have defective headlights and came out with a new designed headlight for them. With that said, my Tacoma is a 2009 model. One of my biggest worries regarding this defect is the fact that I like to go on road-trips in my vehicle which sometimes requires me to drive for long periods of time. …
Inside the front left and right headlight assembly is a combination turn signal indicator/ emergency flash indicator/daytime running light. The lense for this combination indicator inside the headlight assembly has melted and affected the integrity of the component. I contacted my local dealership twice and Toyota customer satisfaction by telephone. But they did not offer any additional information for correcting the problem, except for total replacement of the complete assembly at my expense. By the regulations of the federal government with the dot Toyota should comply with part 564 of the safety regulation requirements, and by this should notify owners of the optional replacement parts as a service bullitin with a mailed notification letter. …
I have a 09 Tacoma and the drl's have actually burned, melted and popped the lens in front of them. Also, the bulbs themselves, upon examination, have burned the socket in which they are held. You can see black around the base of them. Took it to Toyota at 59K miles and I have the platinum 7year/100000mi warranty and was told it would cost me 1100 for parts alone to fix, offered no help and lied to me and said they have had no other incidents of this nature and its a rare problem never before seen. I have removed my drl bulbs out of concern of a fire starting and then I probably get stuck with that bill of a burnt front end. I should not have to pay because Toyota put in a bulb that's too hot or because Toyota decided to make a cheap plastic cover for the bulbs. I had zero influence on this failure. There are countless posts on all kinds of websites concerning this problem. …
Electrical complaints in other Tacoma years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Toyota Tacoma?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Toyota Tacoma, 8% of the model year's 519 complaints. The component named most often is instrument panel › speedometer/odometer (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Toyota Tacoma electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2009 Toyota Tacoma, though it has 13 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2009 Toyota Tacoma electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 40,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.