1998 Toyota PRERUNNER: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
2 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
25,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1998 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Engine And Engine Cooling is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 |
| Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal | 1 |
Engine And Engine Cooling: 1; Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 1 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
2003: 1; 2009: 1
Pattern summary
Engine And Engine Cooling leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10008137 · 2003-02-26 (February 26, 2003)
THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK.*JB
Owner-reported narrative. 25,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10008137 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10291213 · 2009-11-06 (November 6, 2009)
WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA. SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE TRUCK WE NOTICED THAT IT WOULD SURGE WHEN AT A STOP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE ENGINE WILL REV UP EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE OUR FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. WE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE AGENCY WHERE WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA. THEY REPORTED BACK TO US THAT THEY AND TOYOTA HAD NEVER HAD ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OF THIS KIND AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. WE WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM WHEN TEST DRIVING WITH THE SE…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10291213 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure:Body | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 342.9%ODI 10557882 · 140,000 miTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRERUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME HAD DETERIORATED, MAKING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000. | 116.7%ODI 10543571 · 104,000 miI RECEIVED NOTICE FROM TOYOTA OF POSSIBLE EXCESSIVE FRAME RUST YEARS AGO . (ABOUT 2007) I DID THE INSPECTION MYSELF AND THOUGHT FRAME WAS GOOD. DID NOT TAKE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION . IN SEPTEMBER OF 2013 I FIND OUT THAT TOYOTA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE AND I MISSED THE DEADLINE. I THINK I UNDERSTAND THAT SINCE IT WAS NOT A NHTSA ISSUED RECALL, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO PUT A EXPIRATION DATE ON THE RECALL . THE BOTTOM LINE IS I GOOFED UP . BUT THERE STILL EXISTED THOUSANDS OF TACOMAS AND TUNDRAS ON THE ROADS TODAY THAT ARE A HAZARD TO THE DRIVER AND ALL… |
| Suspension | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 114.3%ODI 896746BED OF TRUCK SWAYED WHEN A LOAD WAS IN BED, DEALER HAS CHANGED RACK & PINION STEERING/TIE ROD ENDS/SPRINGS AND SHOCKS, BUT THAT HAS NOT REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CAUSING THE PROBLEMS, THE TIRES WERE THEN BALANCED AND ROTATED, CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WITH THE SWAYING WAS STILL THERE, CONSUMER REALIZED THAT WHEN WEIGHT IS ON BED OF THE VEHICLE, THAT IS WHEN THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO SWAY, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS N… | 228.6%ODI 10731133 · 205,281 miTOOK MY TACOMA IN TODAY FOR SPARE TIRE RECALL. WORK WAS DENIED DUE TO FRAME RUST. I DID NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTICES BEFOREHAND UNTIL THIS ONE. I FEEL MY VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I HAVE OWNED MY TACOMA SINCE 2003. | 116.7%ODI 10543571 · 104,000 miI RECEIVED NOTICE FROM TOYOTA OF POSSIBLE EXCESSIVE FRAME RUST YEARS AGO . (ABOUT 2007) I DID THE INSPECTION MYSELF AND THOUGHT FRAME WAS GOOD. DID NOT TAKE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION . IN SEPTEMBER OF 2013 I FIND OUT THAT TOYOTA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE AND I MISSED THE DEADLINE. I THINK I UNDERSTAND THAT SINCE IT WAS NOT A NHTSA ISSUED RECALL, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO PUT A EXPIRATION DATE ON THE RECALL . THE BOTTOM LINE IS I GOOFED UP . BUT THERE STILL EXISTED THOUSANDS OF TACOMAS AND TUNDRAS ON THE ROADS TODAY THAT ARE A HAZARD TO THE DRIVER AND ALL… |
| Air Bags:Frontal | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 114.3%ODI 876746WHILE TRAVELING AT 64 MPH ANOTHER DRIVER CROSSED CONSUMER'S PATH, AND CONSUMER HIT OTHER DRIVER HEAD-ON. CAR WAS TOTALLED. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER FELT THIS WAS UNSAFE. *AK | 114.3%ODI 10273461 · 79,000 miTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA PRERUNNER. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT 10 MPH, A VEHICLE TRAVELING 80 MPH CRASHED INTO THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THE CONTACT WAS INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NOT THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000. UPDATED 6/29/09 *CN UPDATED 06/30/09.*JB | 116.7%ODI 10051895 · 43,000 miCONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND HIT A TREE HEAD ON. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER DRIVER'S SIDE NOR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. ALSO DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DIDN'T RETRACT. AS A RESULT, CONSUMER'S HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD. CONSUMER RECEIVED 17 STITCHES. *AK |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 350.0%ODI 10000419500 MILE SERVICE REPORTED TRANSMISSION JUMPING FROM FIRST TO SECOND. FIRST MACHANIC SAID NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION. GOT TRUCK BACK TRUCK WAS JUMPING ALL OVER THE ROAD ON BUMPS, MECHANIS SAID NEEDS TWO SHOCKS ONE FRON AND ONE BACK., AND NOW IT DOESN'T NEED TRANSMISSION, TRUCK STILL JUMPS FROM FIRST TO SECOND. |
| Unknown Or Other | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 228.6%ODI 10846147FRAME HAS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT AND VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS PA INSPECTION AND IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. RECEIVED "PROGRAM NOTICE" FROM TOYOTA AND TOOK TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION IN 2008 AND VEHICLE WAS FOUND TO HAVE NO RUST IN FRAME. NEVER RECEIVE ANY SUBSEQUENT NOTICE FROM TOYOTA REGARDING THE APPLICATION OF A RUST "SPRAY". VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 90K MILES. | 114.3%ODI 10731133 · 205,281 miTOOK MY TACOMA IN TODAY FOR SPARE TIRE RECALL. WORK WAS DENIED DUE TO FRAME RUST. I DID NOT RECEIVED ANY NOTICES BEFOREHAND UNTIL THIS ONE. I FEEL MY VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I HAVE OWNED MY TACOMA SINCE 2003. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Tires | 133.3%ODI 10194173 · 18,502 miTHE WRANGLER AT/D2 I PURCHASED YESTERDAY AT SAMS CLUB MAY HAVE A FACTORY DEFECT. I BOUGHT A PAIR OF LT265/75/R16. IT ALREADY HAD THIS SIZE OF TIRES WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED 7 YEARS AGO. THE TECHNICIAN AT THE STORE SAID HE WAS NOT ALLOWED TO INSTALL THEM BECAUSE MY SUV SHOULD HAVE 265/70/16 TIRES. I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. I PURCHASED A PAIR OF 265/75/R16 AT DISCOUNT TIRES A YEAR AGO WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM. SO, I PURCHASED THIS PAIR OF TIRES AT SAMS, ANYWAY, AND HAD THEM INSTALLED THIS MORNING AT A LOCAL TIRE SHOP. THE TIRES WERE … | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 114.3%ODI 896746BED OF TRUCK SWAYED WHEN A LOAD WAS IN BED, DEALER HAS CHANGED RACK & PINION STEERING/TIE ROD ENDS/SPRINGS AND SHOCKS, BUT THAT HAS NOT REMEDIED THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CAUSING THE PROBLEMS, THE TIRES WERE THEN BALANCED AND ROTATED, CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM WITH THE SWAYING WAS STILL THERE, CONSUMER REALIZED THAT WHEN WEIGHT IS ON BED OF THE VEHICLE, THAT IS WHEN THE VEHICLE SEEMS TO SWAY, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS N… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Air Bags | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 114.3%ODI 10928090I PURCHASED TRUCK USED 2012. THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT WAS ON MOST OF THE TIME. I TOOK IT TO AURORA COLLISION IN SEATTLE , WA. THEY COULDNT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG SO THEY REPLACED THE ENTIRE AIRBAG UNIT. WITHIN 1 YEAR THE AIRBAG FAULT LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON AGAIN. I CALLED THEM TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SAID A NEW COMPANY BOUGHT THE BUSINESS SAME PHONE NUMBER [phone removed] AND THEY DO NOT HAVE MY RECORDS. TOYOTA OF SEATTLE TOLD ME THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO KEEP CUSTOMERS RECORDS FOR 10 YEARS AND PASS THEM ON TO THE NEW OWNER. NEW BUSINESS OWNE… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 150.0%ODI 10291213WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA TACOMA. SOON AFTER PURCHASING THE TRUCK WE NOTICED THAT IT WOULD SURGE WHEN AT A STOP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE ENGINE WILL REV UP EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE OUR FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR. WE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE AGENCY WHERE WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK AND THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO TOYOTA. THEY REPORTED BACK TO US THAT THEY AND TOYOTA HAD NEVER HAD ANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OF THIS KIND AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT MIGHT BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. WE WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM WHEN TEST DRIVING WITH THE SE… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal | Too few reports for a range | 25,000 mi | 1 (sparse) |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
2001: 0 complaints · 2002: 3 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Engine And Engine Cooling | Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal |
|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling | — | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.