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 2010 Toyota Tacoma owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 1/2/18 I was driving into a parking lot going slow getting ready to put my truck into reverse to back up into a spot when suddenly without warning an unintended acceleration took place. My truck would not stop accelerating forward with my right foot pressed all the way down on the brake my truck continued to rev up and jump forward with tires rubber burning due to me having my foot on break trying to stop the truck. I missed hitting a car barely and still not sure how I missed it. My foot was clearly on the brake the entire time and finally I put my truck in park and the truck came to a stop, since I was not going down a highway. I reported to Toyota and got no where. I have no floor mat in my truck so cant blame it on floor mat. They are claiming it was misapplication of pedal. This is a total lie. I would of hit that car had my foot been on wrong pedal. …
2010 Toyota Tacoma new vehicle owned less than 2 months with 1200 miles on vehicle. Approaching red light had taken foot off accelerator to slow, upon placing foot on brake , realized, vehicle was not slowing. Standing harder on brake, it held the truck back enough to bump into car infront of me. Truck continued to push the vehicle infront of me, with rear wheels spinning on wet roadway...I jammed shift lever into park position with motor and tires still spinning to finally stop it. Not apparent damage to either vehicle or injuries known. Took truck local dealer to check diagnosis and vehicle. They found nothing , could not duplicate problem and test drive. I currently have truck parked in my driveway. Will not drive it because I feel it is unsafe and have reported the incident to Toyota hqs ref # 1008262334.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while the driver was operating the vehicle, the rpms would rev excessively and the vehicle would experience unintended acceleration. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Tl contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The driver stated that he was driving in a large parking lot at approximately 2 MPH into a parking space. The driver was coming to a complete stop, and engaged the brake pedal when the vehicle accelerated on its own and crashed into a concrete column. He was not injured. The failure mileage was 3,200.
The vehicle surges unexpectedly. One or more times a day, depending on travel needs, I experience surges both at complete stops and when accelerating. Depressing the accelerator pedal from a stop or roll includes a "delay" in response from the vehicle, then the unexpected surge is noticed. Generally, a small amount of pressure on the pedal does not yield a desired acceleration effect, instead a "wait and go" effect is experienced. Several times, this delay has caused near misses in terms of accidents. Expecting the vehicle to respond to accelerator pressure but not getting acceleration is considered hazardous. Surging forward violently when at a complete stop is another concern. With the brakes completely depressed, the vehicle will surge forward at most traffic lights or during stop and go traffic. …
Were pulling out and smell of gas filled up the cab, jerking occurred. Experiences of intermittent acceleration had been occurring for a very long time as been made aware of recently. Smell of gas has been overwhelming. Vehicle now parked outside and will not drive until it can be fixed or replaced, have been warned of potential air bag failure in japanese plants found last week in this model. This vehicle is the only car we have, paid on it for a very long time. I have paid a lot of money to local dealership to keep service up to date, they have been difficult with me even though I have an extended warranty on it. …
Tl contact owns a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while in a parking lot, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward. She pressed both of her feet on the brake pedal and the tires were spinning. She shifted into park, turned off the ignition and had the vehicle towed to a dealership. She was awaiting feedback at the time of the complaint. She had not experienced any acceleration problems prior to this failure. She called the manufacturer and reported the problem. The current and failure mileages were approximately 2065. Updated 06/08/10. Updated 02/01/11 the consumer stated the vehicle has since accelerated again for the second time. The vehicle accelerated as the consumer was pulling into a parking space. She held her foot on the brake, as the engine revved and the tires were spinning. She ended up going on curb into a snow bank. …
The pedals on the truck are too close together and the brake pedal depresses almost to the floor. When wearing heavy boots and especially when backing, the accelerator is often depressed when braking with the driver in total alarm as the engine is racing while the brakes are being heavily applied to keep the vehicle from breaking away. I have had several scary close calls as a result of having to quickly apply b rakes due to a traffic situation whereas if you release the brake to stop the engine from racing the vehicle lunges forward. Another problem is that the etc [electronic throttle control] causes the vehicle to lurch forward suddenly when you want to accelerate slowly as you would do in stop and go traffic or when starting after a traffic light turns green. I complained to Toyota who is in denial and even went to arbitration and lost. …
Shortly after I purchased the above vehicle on June 17, 2010 I was in a shopping center parking lot when suddenly the engine raced to a very high speed and I had to quickly place the transmission in neutral to avoid lunging forward. I called the Toyota dealer where I purchased the vehicle and they told me to bring it in which I immediately did. Without performing any checks on the vehicle the service manager and I went for a drive and he concluded it was the manner I was moving my foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal that caused it to occur. For a while I was satisfied with his answer but on another occasion about a year ago the same thing happened and I thought I had subconsciously did the same thing with my foot to cause the problem. …
While driving on interstate highway at the posted limit, the vehicle set speed would sag by 2 MPH at the bottom of a hill as the road leveled out, then it would start up the next hill with a 2 MPH deficit. As t proceeded up the hill,it would downshift to maintain speed, then downshift again to 3rd gear and accelerate over the top of the hill in 3rd gear until it would overspeed, exceeding the set speed by 3 MPH as it went over the top of the hill. This would cause the vehicle to accelerate closer to the vehicles in front of it that were maintaining their set speed. I believe this is caused by the slow throttle response of the speed control system. The slow response causes the system to miss its assigned speed, then it overcompensates to "make up for it". …
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.
Acceleration complaints in other Tacoma years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2010 Toyota Tacoma?
NHTSA has 34 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2010 Toyota Tacoma, 12% of the model year's 294 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 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 2010 Toyota Tacoma acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 6,000 miles, and 80% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 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.