The third-gen Tacoma has a reputation for going forever, and most of it is earned. But if you've driven a 2016 or 2017, you already know the one thing owners complain about loudest: the transmission that can't seem to pick a gear. Here's what actually breaks on these trucks, which years carry the risk, and what it costs to sort out.
The transmission gear-hunting problem (2016-2019)
This is the defining complaint of the early third-gen Tacoma. Owners describe hesitation when you step on the gas, delayed downshifts, the truck hunting between gears at low speed, and hard or lurching shifts around town. It's most associated with the 2016 and 2017 trucks, though reports run through 2019.
The good news: it's usually not a broken part. The root cause is the transmission control module calibration, which Toyota tuned aggressively for fuel economy. The shift logic ends up sluggish and indecisive. Toyota put out several service bulletins with revised shift programming, and a dealer software reflash fixes it in most cases. One 2017 Limited owner reported that after the update the truck "works flawlessly now. No hunting for gears." Because it's a TSB, the reflash is typically done free under warranty.
Two caveats worth knowing before you buy. First, the update only helps if it was actually done, so ask the seller or a dealer to confirm the truck has the latest transmission software. Second, a handful of owners of later trucks, including a 2023, still report occasional random lag even after the fixes. It's not universal, but it's not fully gone either.
How that affects what you should pay
The early trucks look tempting on price. On the Canadian market the median 2016 sits at about $27,439, well below the 2017 at $34,214. That's a real saving. But a 2016 is exactly the year most likely to have the shift-hunting behaviour, so a cheap early truck is only a deal if the transmission software is up to date. Since the reflash is a warranty fix, an unfixed truck isn't costing you money so much as costing you a dealer visit and the risk that your specific case is one of the stubborn ones.
| Year | Median price (CAD) | Median km | Transmission risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $27,439 | 185,146 | Highest |
| 2017 | $34,214 | 136,786 | High |
| 2018 | $38,999 | 124,005 | Moderate |
| 2019 | $39,999 | 97,003 | Moderate |
| 2023 | $48,995 | 51,361 | Low, rare reports |
Recalls and what to verify
Toyota Canada recall notices generally mirror the US campaigns for the same model years. There's no substitute for a VIN check here. Run the truck's VIN through the Toyota Canada recall lookup before you commit, so you know whether any open campaigns are outstanding on the specific truck in front of you.
What to check and which years to lean toward
If you want the smallest chance of the gear-hunting headache, aim for 2018 or newer, where the software situation had matured and the reports thin out. The 2019 at $39,999 with a median 97,003 km is a sensible middle ground. Buying a 2016 or 2017? Get it to a Toyota dealer, confirm the latest transmission reflash is installed, and take a proper test drive that includes stop-and-go and gentle acceleration from a roll, which is when the hesitation shows up. A clean VIN recall check and a documented software update turn the cheapest years from a gamble into a decent buy.
What these Toyota Tacoma years cost right now
Live Canadian price benchmarks for every year in this generation:
2016 Tacoma prices2017 Tacoma prices2018 Tacoma prices2019 Tacoma prices2020 Tacoma prices2021 Tacoma prices2022 Tacoma prices2023 Tacoma prices