There are 50 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2009 Toyota Tacomain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Headlight shows visible signs of over heating of the amber lenses on both driver and passenger side. Amber lenses are melted, obscured, burned through and causing additional discoloration to the clear lens of the headlight itself. This creates a safety issue for both driver and passenger side headlights and amber lights not illuminating properly but also reducing the reliability and longevity of the lighting systems themselves.
The daytime driving lights are too hot causing the plastic housing to melt, crack and, in some cases, break. My research has found that this is a common problem in Toyota Tacoma trucks from 2005-11. In April 2015, Toyota replaced the headlight assemblies with a supposed "redesigned" assembly to address this issue. However, now in April 2021, the "redesigned" assemblies have again melted, cracked and broken due to the daytime driving lights being too hot and too close to the light assembly. Nothing was redesigned in 2015. Whatever safety or fire hazard in the owner or operator that caused Toyota to replace the headlight assemblies in 2015 still exists today. I have contacted Toyota and my dealer and they have offered no assistance or remedy.
FRONT HEADLIGHTS HAVE YELLOW SIGNAL AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS THAT ARE ALWAYS ON AND THE LIGHT BULB HEAT UP CAUSING THE PLASTIC TO HEAT AND MELT AND STILL FEEL HOT WHEN USING ON A LONG DRIVE. I WORRY ABOUT MY CAR CATCHING ON FIRE
2009 TOYOTA TACOMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BUBBLE AND CRACK IN PASSENGER FRONT TURN SIGNAL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE EXPIRATION DATE FOR THE REPAIR TO BE MADE ENDED IN 2015.*JS
HEADLAMPS DRL BULBS BURNED THROUGH LENS. TOYOTA WILL NOT COVER EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS RECALLED PREVIOUSLY. THE DESIGN OF THESE HEADLIGHTS IS FLAWED!
DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS MELTED HEADLIGHTS
PARKING LIGHT ASSEMBLY BUILT INTO HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAVE BROKEN AND LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE READY TO CATCH FIRE. SPLIT IN TO CAUSING LENS TO BLACKEN
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE BURNED AND CRACKED LENSES. TOYOTA CORPORATE SAYS THE RECALL IS OVER. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED--REPAIR COSTS OVER $500. PLEASE HELP--
BOTH HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES INNER LENS DISTORTED/BUBBLING, AND ONE SIDE IS CRACKED WITH THE INNER LENS SEPARATED
BURNT HEADLIGHT LEN. THE RUNNING LIGHT LENS IS BURNT AND CRACKED DUE TO OVERHEATING. WHEN I TRIED TO CONTACT TOYOTA'S RECALL PHONE NUMBER, AFTER OVER A DOZEN ATTEMPTS, THE NUMBER WAS ALWAYS BUSY.
THERE IS AN ISSUE ON DRIVING AMBER SIGNAL LIGHTS LOCATED ON FRONT OF VEHICLE. BULBS ARE TOO HOT, AND HAVE MELTED AND CRACKED THE LENSE COVER ON THE INSIDE OF THE HEAD LIGHT ASSEMBLY. IT IS HAMPERING LIGHT OUT PUT, AND COULD FORM A HOLE IN THE FUTURE WHICH WILL PROVIDE A HIGH BEAM OF LIGHT TO ON COMING TRAFFIC. ALSO, IT COULD IGNITE DUE TO HEAT AND PLASTIC MELTING. REPORTS OF THIS OCCURING ON TOYOTA VEHICLES HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS WITH NO RESOLVE. MIND YOU, THIS IS A ENGINEER OR MANUFACTURING MISHAP AND ERROR AS THEY FAILED TO CONSIDER AT THE MOMENT OF DESIGNING /MANUFACTURING, AND NOW THE RESULTS ARE MORE THAN EVIDENT. OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES ARE NOT HAVING THIS ISSUE WHICH MEANS THAT SOMEONE FIGURED OUT A RESOLVE ON THEIR FUTURE PRODUCTION IN ORDER TO AVOID BAD PUBLICITY. IT IS FAIR TO SAY, THAT TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE SUCH A DEFECT, OR REIMBURSE ITS CUSTOMERS WHO DECIDE TO REPLACE THEM DUE TO SUCH A DEFECT. THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THE VALIDITY OF THIS MANNER!
THE RUNNING LIGHTS MELTED THE LENSES AT 35000 MILES AND I TOOK MY TRUCK BACK TO TOYOTA AND THEY REPLACED THE LIGHTS, SAID THEY PUT BULBS IN THERE THAT WOULD NOT GET AS HOT. NOW AT OVER 80000 MILES THEY HAVE MELTED AGAIN, THE PLASTIC IS TURNING BLACK, LOOKS LIKE A POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. I HAVE SEEN THIS SAME ISSUE WITH OTHER SIMILAR MODELS. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, NEEDS TO RECALL AND PROPERLY FIX! *TR
MY AMBER DRIVING LIGHT LENS WITHIN THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE BURNED, ONE HAS BROKEN IN HALF. *TR
AMBER INSIDE TURN SIGNAL LAMPS ATTACHED TO FRONT HEADLIGHTS ARE SCORCHING INSIDE LENS OF HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. *TR
AIR BAG LIGHT ON, TOYOTA FOUND DTC S B1785 OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SENSOR FRONT LEFT COLLISION DETECTION, B1650 OCCUPANT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, ZERO POINT CALIBRATION AND SENSITIVITY CHECK DONE BUT TOYOTA HAWAII SAYS WE NEED TO REPLACE FRONT RIGHT SEAT SENSOR MAT ASSY. IS THAT A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS THIS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT? TOOK TO TOYOTA 3 TIMES NOW FOR THE SAME ISSUE OF THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON. PLEASE ADVISE, THANK YOU! BOTH LENS BULBS MELT INNER SIDE OF PLASTIC PARTS ON THE HEADLIGHTS. PLEASE ADVISE IF THIS IS ALSO A RECALL/DEFECT. *TR
FRONT TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS BURNING AND MELTING LENS. INSPECTION OF PLASTIC BULB SOCKET SHOWS SIGNS OF HEAT DAMAGE AND POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. *JS
LENS COVERS FOR AMBER DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT (DRL) BULBS HAVE MELTED AND CRACKED DUE TO HEAT OUTPUT OF THE BULB. A BRIEF INVESTIGATION INDICATES THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE IN THIS MODEL. *TR
NOTED SCORCHED SPOT OF ABOUT 2" DIAMETER IN CENTER OF BOTH FRONT AMBER DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS/TURN SIGNALS. VEHICLE HAS ONLY 34,000 MILES BUT IS OVER WARRANTY AGE LIMIT. I WAS AT DEALERSHIP FOR SEATBELT RECALL AND ASKED SERVICE MGR TO LOOK AT. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALLS BUT THAT HE HAD SEEN "SOME OF THIS" BEFORE. HE GAVE ME # FOR "MY TOYOTA EXPERIENCE" AND EVENTUALLY TALKED TO SOMEONE IN CALIFORNIA. THEY WOULD NOT ADMIT ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS CONDITION BUT SAID THEY COULD ONLY EVALUATE IF DEALERSHIP ANALYZED AND TOLD THEM WHAT THE CAUSE WAS. THERE ANALYSIS; "YELLOW TURN SIGNAL BULB SEEMS TO GET TOO HOT AND BURNING LENS". MY COST TO FIX; $932.72. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE APPARENTLY TALKED TO DEALERSHIP AND WILL PAY FOR THE ASSEMBLIES TO REPLACE WITH MY COST BEING $192. WITH THE NUMBER OF IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE IT IS OBVIOUS THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT WHICH HAS FIRE HAZARD POTENTIAL. INSTEAD OF STONE-WALLING THIS DEFECT TOYOTA SHOULD OWN-UP AND FIX IT AT THEIR TOTAL EXPENSE. PEOPLE AND COMPANIES MAKE MISTAKES. IT TAKES A COMPANY WITH A QUALITY CONSCIENCE TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. *TR
THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS THAT'S ALSO THE TURN SIGNALS HAVE MELTED AND CRACKED THE LENS ON MY 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA CREW CAB SR5 4X4. *TR
DRIVING LIGHT/AMBER SIGNAL LIGHT ON FRONT OF VEHICLE. BULBS ARE TOO HOT AND HAVE MELTED THE LENS INSIDE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. SOCKET THAT BULB PLUGS INTO IS ALSO CHARRING FROM HEAT. CONCERN THAT PLASTIC WILL IGNITE IF LEFT UNRESOLVED. VEHICLE IS TOYOTA TACOMA 2009 PRE-RUNNER. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026