The Toyota Tacoma is one of the most popular midsize truck options on the market. It performs well both on the road and on the trails. Plus, its size helps give you better fuel efficiency than other full-size models.

But with all the pros it has, one year, in particular, had a lot of cons. According to CarComplaints.com, the 2007 Tacoma model has more customer complaints than any other year. While the Taco has thankfully come a long way in the 12 years since, let’s take a look at what went so wrong with the 2007 model.

Exterior problems

Some of the most common problems reported with the 2007 Toyota Tacoma have been about the truck’s body. One specific issue that consumers found was when waxing their trucks.

The Tacoma’s clear coat would peel and crack when it was waxed. One person stated that this issue happened to them, while their truck was otherwise “showroom new.” Another said that waxing it left what looked like pox marks all over the exterior. Definitely not something you want to deal with.

Likewise, there are a number of complaints about paint chipping, fading, or flaking. Most of the issues were found on the roof of the truck, and many were reported to have been kept in the owners’ garages. Paint should hold up longer than that, and fading issues are generally just an issue of having been cheap paint.

Another common issue found with the 2007 model was excessive rust on the body. The model actually had a frame rot recall in place due to the amount of issues truck owners were having. It turns out that the undercarriage on some of the trucks that year were not coated correctly, which can cause excessive rust.

Sticking accelerator

A number of entries on Car Complaints reported sticking accelerators. A huge danger, sticking accelerators can cause serious accidents and are a serious financial burden to have fixed.

With repair costs upwards of $6,500, it’s still not something you can afford not to have fixed. Multiple people reported that the only way they were able to safely get off the road when this occurred was to force the truck into neutral and hope for the best.

Toyota actually had one of the worst automotive recalls in U.S. history a couple of years later when many of its 2009 models had sticking accelerators. While the 2007 Tacoma wasn’t a part of that, it’s certainly interesting that many Taco drivers had the same issue two years earlier.

Has Toyota gotten the Tacoma figured out since 2007?

Now in its third generation of the Tacoma, Toyota has smoothed things out since all the complaints came rolling in about the 2007 model. Car Complaints rated the 2007 as the Tacoma’s worst model not because of the number of complaints — the 2016 actually has the most complaints — but because of the severity of the issues and the high cost of repairs to fix the problems.

The 2019 Tacoma has a few complaints already logged. The most common issue reported so far is that the truck shudders and shakes while driving in the 20-50 mph range and while braking. Motor Trend reported the same issue when they test drove the Tacoma TRD Pro, the Tacoma’s off-road model.

They got the same vibrations while driving and shuddering while braking. It’s been a known issue with many Tacoma models. So it’s frustrating to see that the issue hasn’t been solved in the 2019 model.

While the Tacoma has a lot going for it, for a midsize truck, it’s clear that the 2007 is not a year you’d want to look for if you’re searching for a used model. Stick to Toyota’s third generation of the Tacoma, from 2015 and beyond.