The Toyota brand is a juggernaut in the automotive market. Toyotas are ubiquitous on American roads, with numerous vehicles in various categories receiving acclaim and consistently high sales volumes. Even vehicles like the Toyota Hilux, which was essentially banned in the US, remain lauded examples of Toyota’s history and innovation.
However, in recent years, Toyota has gone through some setbacks. The brand is often ranked as the most reliable automaker by Consumer Reports, but in early 2025, the outlet’s rankings revealed a new champion of reliability. Subaru took first place and Lexus came in second (a luxury brand owned by Toyota, but not the corporation’s flagship).
Toyota had to settle for third place, and although the automaker regained the top spot in Consumer Reports’ latest rankings, the fluctuation highlights the creeping instability in Toyota’s catalog.
Read more: Honda’s CR-V TrailSport Hybrid looks great, but the smart money buys a different trim
Major recall issues
a burning Toyota Corolla – DJSinop/Shutterstock
Recalls are never good, especially for brands with a reputation for trust and reliability. Because automakers build tens of millions of vehicles in the U.S. alone each year (about 16.5 million per year from 2015 to 2019 and nearly 13 million in 2022, the most recent year data is available for, via USA Facts), there are likely to be tough spots that require repair. Sometimes these are simple problems, but other problems are much more troubling. For example, in 2023, NHTSA investigated reports that the Tesla Model Y had inexplicably allowed its steering wheel to come off.
Last year, Ford recorded the highest number of total recall orders. 12.9 million Ford vehicles were potentially affected by the problems highlighted in the recall orders. Toyota didn’t suffer nearly as many recalls, but still ranked second on the list with 3.2 million potentially affected vehicles. Toyota was one of five brands with more than 1 million vehicles affected, even though it was the subject of only 15 individual complaints.
Unfortunately for Toyota’s reputation, many of its recent problems have been major issues rather than small quirks. In 2024, more than 380,000 older Tacomas were recalled due to improper rear axle mounting, and new Tacoma models had problematic transmissions. Another very noticeable issue involves the GR Corollas fire. These recalls will remain controversial, even though Toyota’s recalls are significantly smaller than Ford’s.
Toyota’s new Tacoma SUV, Tundra and bZ4X all performed below expectations in user satisfaction
man standing next to a bZ4X – Cristi Croitoru/Getty Images
In December 2025, Consumer Reports named Toyota the most trusted car manufacturer. But the year before, Toyota collapsed to a collection of problems, crowning Subaru as the leader of the pack. In large part, this fall came about because drivers were disappointed or even unsatisfied with three of Toyota’s new models. User satisfaction scores showed significant declines with the Tacoma, Tundra and Toyota’s new all-electric bZ4X SUV.
All three models scored below average on reliability scores. This drop in overall performance came at the same time Subaru only had one underperforming model. Many of the satisfaction issues arose from a suite of large updates. Many automakers offer small updates for several consecutive years, keeping parts and overall aesthetics relatively unchanged from model to model.
But the 2024 was a major update to the look and feel of many Toyota vehicles, and it seems users didn’t like the new styling as much as Toyota might have hoped. On the contrary, Subaru is well known for making as few visual and functional changes as possible, resulting in a more stable expectation and experience from year to year.
2021 saw a new engine built and production issues left behind metal shavings
Toyota Tundra in the snow – Lena Philip/Shutterstock
In 2021, Toyota phased out its V8 engines for a restyled twin-turbo V6 model. This was a striking decision for those who know and love Toyota vehicles. The brand has long been associated with simpler models that make car maintenance easier in the long term.
Toyotas exhibit significant overall durability and their critical components last a long time, in part because they are built to be highly functional with as few complications as possible. The old V8 that powered the Toyota fit that bill perfectly, while its replacement delivered solid power and performance but relied on much higher internal pressure, a higher volume of moving parts and greater technical complexities. The benefit of this swap was obvious, though: In particular, it offered huge low-end torque, ideal for hauling material in a truck or with its hitch.
Concerns about the change arose before real drivers had tested the vehicle on real roads, but a manufacturing issue doomed the engines to failure for another reason. More than 100,000 Toyota Tundra and Lexus LX models were recalled in 2024 because the engine manufacturing process left small metal chips inside the structure, allowing them to migrate into sensitive internal nooks and crannies and cause the engines to fail. Engine failure is certainly a major problem, but the root cause of this problem should have been completely avoided.
Toyota to be sued in 2026 for secretly tracking drivers
close-up of a man driving a Toyota – Daria Kulkova/Getty Images
Toyota is already facing a problem in 2026 and it may affect countless owners. A Florida man is suing Toyota because his 2021 RAV4 collected telemetry data about his driving habits, and that information was recently used to form a profile that raised his insurance rates.
Toyota argued that accepting the terms and conditions of use of connected vehicle services clearly indicates the collection of data like this. However, there is no clear indication in this agreement whether Toyota reserves the right to sell or otherwise disseminate the information to third parties, including buyers such as insurance companies.
In the past, other automakers have been flagged for quietly sharing data with third-party users. GM was banned from selling data, in particular, after its Smart Driver program was exposed as a data collection effort that spawned a profitable side business without user consent. After these dubious allegations, drivers may be wary of the information they share with Toyota.
New improvements are in the works, but drivers have long disliked Toyota’s touchscreen controls
a Toyota infotainment screen – JustPhotos22/Shutterstock
Beyond the performance and technical specifications of a car, there is the “infotainment” system, which has become a central feature in most modern cars. Gone are the days of analog dials and buttons to control various features of the passenger environment.
Like its peers, the Toyota packs air conditioning, GPS and a radio into one interface. This can be effective, but Toyotas have long had unpopular touchscreen control systems. On Toyota’s luxury Lexus models, much of the scorn is directed at the vehicles’ touchpad or joystick controls.
However, recent updates are trying to change that in the Toyota universe. Since the early 2020s, Toyota infotainment systems have much more processing power than their predecessors. The brand may have kept a visually dated user interface that looks cheap and uninspired, but new voice commands, greater responsiveness and standard integrations like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have made a significant difference.
Want the latest tech and automotive trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides and tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a favorite search source on Google.
Read the original article on SlashGear.