When it comes to trucks, the Toyota Tacoma is pretty synonymous with reliability. However, there is one year that just doesn’t fit in. What happened to make the 2019 Toyota Tacoma so unreliable? Consumer Reports thinks it was just an off-year for the well-loved Toyota truck.

What are the problems with a 2019 Toyota Tacoma?

According to Consumer Reports, the is a pretty long history of reliability with the Toyota brand. Looking back at the 2019 Toyota Tacoma, it is a dark spot on the pretty spotless reliability history of the truck. Consumer Reports uses a scale of one to five to determine things like reliability, owner satisfaction, and others.

From 2005 onward, the Toyota Tacoma has always managed above-average reliability. Consumer Reports examines areas like the engine, brakes, power equipment, and everything in between. For the 2019 year, owners reported various reliability issues. These included problems with the transmission, fuel pump, and drive system.

Consumer Reports tested a few more areas that also fell short. The braking and emergency handling were below average. The ride wasn’t as comfortable as usual, and the interior fit and finish were lacking in some areas. With only 19 mpg overall, it wasn’t the most fuel-efficient truck, either. The annual fuel cost came in at around $2,825.

Are there any recalls on the 2019 Toyota Tacoma?

Due to the low reliability of the 2019 Toyota Tacoma, the owner satisfaction score also fell. While owner satisfaction for the Tacoma truck is usually above-average, this score only came in at two out of five. But it wasn’t all bad. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still gave the 2019 Tacoma four and five stars for various crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also gave the truck its highest score of “good.”

The NHTSA issued a few recalls, one of which was for the fuel pump issue. “If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash,” the recall says. Another one was for the hydraulic service brakes.

The Tacoma has a relatively infamous high resale value, though. It is also a capable off-roading truck. Toyota included plenty of standard safety features at that time that other automakers were still charging extra for.

It seems 2019 was just an off-year for this reliable Toyota truck

It appears this was just a one-off for the Tacoma. The overall reliability verdict for the 2020 Toyota Tacoma bounced back to above-average again. The following year, it was back to the full five out of five score many Toyota vehicles are used to getting. If you are looking for a used version of the truck, it might be best to sidestep this particular year. Both the 2020 Tacoma and 2018 versions are still worth checking out.

Everyone has off years, but the lengthy reliability history of the Toyota Tacoma shows that it is here to stay. While the 2019 might have been a little off, the Tacoma is still the best-selling small pickup in the U.S., and that says something.