The 1998 Toyota Tacoma has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 84,323 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 358 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS98V1880001998-08-0684,323 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STATEMENT REQUIRED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL THAT "...THE ON-OFF SWITCH SHOULD ONLY BEN USED WHEN A MEMBER OF A PASSENGER RISK GROUP IDENTIFIED IN THE REQUEST FORM IN APPENDIX B......IS OCCUPYING THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEATING POSITION..." IS MIS-STATED. THIS DOES NOT…
Consequence
IF THE AIR BAG SWITCH IS "OFF," THE SEAT OCCUPANT WHO IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE PASSENGER RISK GROUP WOULD BE SUBJECT TO INCREASED INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
OWNERS WILL BE SENT A CORRECTED OWNER'S MANUAL.
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
30
29crashes19injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
30
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS
30
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
28
TIRES
19
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
16
1crashes
SEAT BELTS
14
SUSPENSION
14
AIR BAGS
13
10crashes4injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
13
3crashes2injuries
Total complaints358
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 1998 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the subframe was severely corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to customer satisfaction campaign:…”
“I had an accident over a year ago and the airbags did not deploy then I ask the guy that fixed it told me that it didn't have the sensor on the front of my truck, and I wonder why. Now I realized the never saw that sensor on my truck, and want to know what is happening with my truck if other…”
“Left and right frame members forward of the rear leaf spring mounts are severely rusted. According to the toyota dealership who inspected it, the frame is compromised and their is a potential for structural failure in a collision. I purchased the vehicle in october of 2020 from the original owner…”
“Bought a vehicle from a woman off of craigslist. Met her in an unfamiliar area. Woman stated the vehicle was in good condition and runs perfect. Woman would not allow us to test drive the vehicle. My husband insisted on checking the vin on carfax and she quickly pulled out an outdated title. The…”
“Bought a vehicle from a woman off of craigslist. Met her in an unfamiliar area. Woman stated the vehicle was in good condition and runs perfect. Woman would not allow us to test drive the vehicle. My husband insisted on checking the vin on carfax and she quickly pulled out an outdated title. The…”
“Bought a vehicle from a woman off of craigslist. Met her in an unfamiliar area. Woman stated the vehicle was in good condition and runs perfect. Woman would not allow us to test drive the vehicle. My husband insisted on checking the vin on carfax and she quickly pulled out an outdated title. The…”
“I bought a 1998 toyota tacoma 4x4 automatic with 106995 on the odometer and I am having a hard time getting it inspected because of the right side rear frame is tested to bad”
“Frame is very bad shape due to rust problem and broken”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Toyota Tacoma as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.