You may have been blindly driving your Toyota Tacoma around for years! There are a handful of hidden features that are extremely useful. These tricks and tips could provide a better relationship with your truck. Check out what the Toyota Tacoma can do. 

Secret Toyota Tacoma features for convenience 

There are a number of frustrating things involved with the Toyota Tacoma that you don’t have to live with. For example, the visibility is weak, lights stay on too long, there’s a massive lack of tech, and the storage access is tight. 

But there are a few useful things to get around these common complaints. Take a moment to get to know your Tacoma features a little better. It can do a few surprising things that turn frowns upside down. 

1. Toyota Tacoma headrests can be removed 

Trucks don’t always offer the best rear visibility. Sometimes, the windows are too small, or the headrests get in the way. But in the Toyota Tacoma, you can fold the headrest down to prevent them from blocking your site. 

However, even with the headrest down, they can block the rear window. But if you fold the seat down, it doesn’t exactly fold flat. That’s why you push the bottom cushion forward first. 

Once it’s flipped up, you’ll find two holes that the headrests fit perfectly in. This allows you to get the headrests out of the way and create a flat cargo floor. 

Also, this provides access to clips on the back wall that can hold grocery bags and tools. This way, your stuff won’t roll out of the bags. 

2. Stop Tacoma rear seat buckles from disappearing

The problem with folding rear seats in trucks is that the seatbelt buckles can get lost. Once you pull the bottom cushion forward, the buckles drop and can get buried under the seat when you put it back. 

This leads to the headache of rear passengers complaining that they can’t find their buckle, and they start digging. 

But there are pockets at the bottom of each seat where you can place the buckles when they aren’t being used. They’re kept snug and held in place until needed. 

Plus, with the windows down the seat belts in the rear could rattle. They bang against the seats or door. But there are clips on the side of the cab to slide the seatbelts in and hold them still. Boom, no more annoying rattle while driving your Tacoma truck. 

3. The Tacoma bed light can be delayed 

The third-generation Toyota Tacoma has a button under the steering wheel to turn the bed light on or off. Most people think that turning the button on leaves the light on, and turning it off turns it off. This is how it works. 

However, you can leave it on without killing the battery. Simply cut the engine off while the button is on, and it will light up the truck bed and your surroundings for 20 minutes. 

Also, in the touchscreen menu you can adjust how long the cab lights stay on after you exit your truck. They can stay on for up to 90 seconds.

4. The Tacoma has a gas cap holder 

Where I started putting my gas cap when I learned it was a problem apparently that the taco doesn’t come with a holder ?
byu/Yisra3l inToyotaTacoma

People often complain that there’s no gas cap holder on the Toyota Tacoma. They take the cap off, and it drops down and bangs against the side of the truck. This may seem like no big deal, but it really grinds some gears. 

But the solution is there. On the door panel, there is a tiny black clip that holds the gas gap string to keep it secure while you fuel up. 

5. The Tacoma cup divider 

There is a weird piece of plastic and rubber between the two cup holders in front of the center console. Some levels move, and there are clickable buttons. That’s because this device can actually be removed. 

Pull it out, and suddenly you have a place for coffee mugs. It provides a space for the mug handle to fit so the coffee cup or larger tumbler can be level in the cup holder. 

6. Use voice commands with Siri 

If your Tacoma model doesn’t have voice recognition, then you aren’t out of luck. You can still use voice commands with Apple CarPlay. Simply hold the little square icons down at the bottom left corner until Siri responds. 

Then you can ask her for directions, tell her to call someone, or just ask her about what’s on your mind. It provides a safer experience because you can keep your eyes on the road instead of fumbling with your phone. 

7. Hidden Tacoma buttons 

You can adjust the brightness of your Tacoma guage cluster behind the steering wheel pretty easily. Simply take the odometer lever and twist it to the left once. Then a display allows you to turn it to your desired brightness. 

Under the steering wheel, down toward the pedals, is a button that says ‘set’. You can use it to adjust your tire pressure to your preferred figure. This is helpful when you mod your truck with larger tires. 

On the right side of the steering wheel, there is a button that looks like pages. It can be used to save a screen. For example, if you’re off-roading, you can set it to save your tire pressure page in the menu to either keep it there or to easily get back to it. 

Use the button at the end of the cruise control lever to adjust your radar or the distance between your truck and other vehicles. You can adjust the distance with the lower buttons on the right side of the steering wheel. 

It’s like a basic version of adaptive cruise control. But you can also turn the radar off completely for traditional cruise control.