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Used 2002 Toyota Tacoma Consumer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
158 reviews

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Pros
Cons
4 out of 5 stars

President

Tony, 03/02/2020
2002 Toyota Tacoma 2dr Regular Cab 2WD SB (2.4L 4cyl 4A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

looks great

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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4.75 out of 5 stars

Inexpensive Workhorse

euroeric, 11/13/2003
2002 Toyota Tacoma 2dr Regular Cab 2WD SB (2.4L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

This truck has done everything I've asked of it- from towing over 4000 lbs to hauling engines to commuting to the hospital and back. An awesome truck all around, my next truck will be another Toyota (in about 15 years- at this rate this thing will last forever). It handled poorly on the stock tires in rain, but since I swapped them recently, it has improved greatly.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Excellent Truck

Brian B, 04/18/2002
2002 Toyota Tacoma 4dr Double Cab V6 4WD SB (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I had a Nissan truck for the last seven years and it was very good but this Toyota is great! I was concerned about the ablility to pull our 4,300 pound boat but it was no problem at all. I have owned several Toyota vehicles in the past and all provided years of trouble free service. I'm expecting to keep this one for at least 8 years. Almost bought a Ranger since they had such a low price and rebates until I started talking to people that have owned them and saw the poor rating for Ranger four wheel drives in Consumer Reports. Glad I checked it out plus I have had very bad luck with Fords in general.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Tacoma Crew update

Mike Humeston, 10/18/2003
2002 Toyota Tacoma 4dr Double Cab V6 4WD SB (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Now have 27699 on this truck I bought in July of 2002 The AC compressor quited down around 9k miles and works well. Developed the rattle in the dash around 7500 miles. Dealer fixed it on first try. Getting 19-21 around town with K&N air filter and ECT button off. Best on the road has been 24.3 MPG. Seats seem to be getting soft but still comfortable. Very happy with it and will consider the 2005 Taco or Tundra when I retire. Very satisfied with dealer and truck.....so far!!

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1 out of 5 stars

2002 Toyota Tacoma is Garbage !!!!!! Stay away.

Ben, 06/08/2018
2002 Toyota Tacoma 4dr Double Cab PreRunner V6 2WD SB (3.4L 6cyl 4A)
4 of 19 people found this review helpful

So I buy a used Tacoma at 140,000 miles - 2002. The moment I drive this Tacoma home after purchase the CEL goes off. ??? So I go to Auto Zone and it throws the dreaded PO171 lean bank code. So I buy a MAF sensor ( $75.00 )and nothing...code still on. Also noticed that my MPG was awful, getting around 13 mpg for a 18.5 gallon tank. So next I try the 2 Oxygen sensors upstream and downstream ($150) and still nothing, so I'm now thinking this tacoma truck is indeed a [non-permissible content removed] So I take the piece of garbage to the Toyota dealership and they keep the truck for 8 hours on a Saturday !!!!! and tell me truck has the wrong spark plugs and that's causing the PO171 code. $258 later they replace the spark plugs and clear the code and off I go. 8 miles down the road I noticed the piece of crap is misfiring out the tailpipe and CEL comes back on? So after a few more curse words I decide to take it back to dealership the next day and complain. After keeping the garbage truck for 5 hours they now tell me it could be the timing belt was off by a tooth and maybe the fuel injector needs to be replace.....$2,200.00 !!!! Are you fricking kidding me. ROFLMAO. So I take the truck home and the next day when I started, a huge black smoke comes out of tailpipe. Ugh. So I go get timing belt done on my own with a local mechanic and the cost was $500.00 with parts. Drive 4 miles down the road and CEL comes back on ? [non-permissible content removed] So now I replace the Fuel filter and still CEL on. After doing some research I find out that Toyota brand only likes DENSO sensors so I again replaced the 2 Oxygen sensors with DENSO and boom CEL goes off. So I actually drove 250 with NO CEL on but she kept misfiring out the tailpipe and hesitation. So I go and replace the fuel pump and still same issue. And then go after the gaskets and seals and replace them.Now I'm getting ready to dump this piece of garbage out to sea. So a few days later I noticed a funny gas smell coming from the inside of the engine. What is up, now I have a leaking fuel injector ?? Another $450 to fix. And yep CEL comes back on and this time it's the bad sensor may set a P0401 code (insufficient EGR flow), or it may not set an EGR code but a P0171 and/or P0174 lean code instead. I'm going nuts !!!!! Fix the Fuel injector, reset the computer by disconnecting the battery. So Good riddance you [non-permissible conten removed] tacoma. Toyota got it wrong. DO NOT by a first generation Tacoma at all. Stay away !!!!!! Far away. The worst truck I have bought in my entire life and would not recommend a first generation Tacoma to anyone. GRADE F

Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Interior
2 out of 5 stars
Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
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