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2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD parked in sand on a mountain top

Driver Review: Frustrating 2017 Toyota Tacoma Issues

We have a personal driver review of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma. Check out what this driver has to say after spending an entire year with his truck. He has a few positives to say, but he has a few Toyota Tacoma frustrations he’s had to face.  2017 Toyota Tacoma issues  Rob Daman, the reviewer of …

We have a personal driver review of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma. Check out what this driver has to say after spending an entire year with his truck. He has a few positives to say, but he has a few Toyota Tacoma frustrations he’s had to face. 

2017 Toyota Tacoma issues 

Rob Daman, the reviewer of trucks who loves his life as a dad, had the 2017 Toyota Tacoma for over a year before he posted a video explaining what he doesn’t like about it. He put enough miles on it to discover a few frustrating issues. 

6. Toyota Tacoma Glare 

Rob mentions that one of the minor issues with the 2017 Toyota Tacoma includes the glare that reflects off of the chrome cup holder in the front center console. When the sun hits it just right, it sends blinding light into his eyeballs. 

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Others have complained that the glare on the hood of the Toyota Tacoma is too bright, but Rob generally wears polarized sunglasses and has never experienced it. However, the light from the cup holder someone creeps in behind his sunglasses. 

Toyota Tacoma blazing through the sand
2020 Toyota Tacoma | Toyota

5. The Toyota Tacoma dashboard 

The next thing that frustrates him about the 2017 Toyota Tacoma is how the dashboard was redesigned. A few of the buttons were moved from the right to left, and the layout doesn’t seem to make sense. 

Some of the buttons and switches are much larger than others, so there isn’t a clean, uniform look. It’s an odd decision that Toyota made, and it seems like they didn’t put much thought into making the dash look good. 

4. Toyota Tacoma shifting vibrations 

Rob Daman opted for the six-speed manual transmission instead of the ten-speed transmission, and his shifter vibrates a lot. If he goes off-roading or down a rougher road, he starts bouncing around too. 

2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro parked on rocks
2019 Toyota Tacoma Off-Road | Toyota

He wonders if the 2018 Toyota Tacoma has the same issues, or if they’ve been fixed. If you look at CarComplaints, fewer issues about vibration have been reported for the 2018 model than the 2017 one, so maybe the issue was resolved. 

3. The Toyota Tacoma sound system 

Rob has found that he doesn’t enjoy the way the Toyota Tacoma sounds. Sound is a pretty subjective subject, but he makes a fair point. After paying $35k for a truck, it should sound excellent. 

2020 Toyota Tacoma off-roading in sand
2020 Toyota Tacoma | Toyota

He put a CD in the radio, and the CD didn’t sound too good. However, who has CDs anymore? He noted that the sound seemed flat, but connecting his MP3 player to the system via USB sounded better. 

2. The Toyota Tacoma is small 

Rob Daman is a tall, 6″ man. He has to duck each time he gets into his 2017 Toyota Tacoma. He’s glad that he didn’t go with the moonroof or technology package because then he would have even less space. 

2021-Toyota-Tacoma-Trail-Edition
2021-Toyota-Tacoma-Trail-Edition

As a tall man in the Tacoma, he struggles with the unsupportive seats. They don’t recline far enough, and he often struggles to stretch out. Rob noted that adding seat covers and cushions helped to make the ride more comfortable.

1. Toyota Tacoma power 

The number one issue that Rob Daman has with his 2017 Toyota Tacoma is that he wishes it had a V8. He wants a little more torque with his drive. His Tacoma has a 3.5-liter V6 engine that feels a little sluggish. 

With the larger tires on his Toyota Tacoma, the fuel economy approaches that of a V8 engine too. He wants a midsize truck, but there aren’t any that come with a V8. He also clarifies that the V6 engine is still a lot of fun. 

2020 Tacoma TRD Pro off-roads through mud
The 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro off-roads through mud | Toyota

Also, he has other videos mentioning what he loves about the 2017 Toyota Tacoma. Aside from the vibrating shifter and lack of a V8, these issues are pretty small and easy to fix. You may even be the wrong height to get hit with the glare from the cupholder. 

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