New 2024-2025 Toyota Tacoma Brake Recall Dents the Truck’s Off-Road Creds

Toyota‘s ongoing run with recalls hasn’t let up yet. Between Tundra engine issues and Tacoma transmission problems, the once stalwart-of-reliability brand has had some tough months recently. This week another Tacoma recall was announced that shouldn’t affect all that many trucks, but, it is a deeply unfortunate issue: With certain wheel and trim combinations, mud can damage the brake lines, draining fluid and, you guessed it, kill your braking power.

A NHTSA agency letter states that certain wheel and brake setups on the Tacoma can allow mud and dirt to accumulate inside the rear wheels. Over time, this build-up of debris has the potential to damage the rear brake hoses and cause a brake fluid leak.

Affecting 2024-25 model-year Tacomas, the recall currently lists 106,061 potential cases. However, we will note that the recall report “estimates” that only 1% of trucks are likely to have the issue, which is only about 1,000 trucks. It looks like four-wheel-drive trucks outfitted with “16-inch brakes” and 17-inch wheels have the problem. In this case, Toyota is referring to brake hose length, not disc brake size. It seems that some of the lower-trim four-wheel-drive Tacos in particular are susceptible, as the more aggressive trucks have longer rear brake hoses.

Still—for any four-wheel drive version of a truck with the sterling reputation of the Toyota Tacoma to have an issue as dumb as “mud can rip the brake lines off” is pretty frustrating to read about.

A damaged brake line can ultimately drain your brake fluid, which will of course remove your ability to stop. But even minor brake leaks are all kinds of bad news—brake fluid is extremely toxic and eats paint in short order, so you really don’t want that stuff spurting out on your wheels or onto the road. It also attracts moisture, so a busted line could invite water into your brake lines and give you all kinds of trouble.

A separate NHTSA safety recall report details that this combination of brake hose and wheel size doesn’t provide enough clearance, which would cause the mud to stick around long after the fun run. An initial notice will be sent out to owners in March, followed by a letter stating that replacement brake hoses are available. Dealers will install them free of charge.

But other brake-and-wheel combos could be affected. The recall report states that Toyota is also investigating the 16-inch brake hose paired with an 18-inch wheel on Tacoma 4x4s, as well as two-wheel drive variants with either 17- or 18-inch wheels. So, the recall headcount could increase.

Because this issue seems to only be a problem for the shorter brake hose, Toyota says Tacomas equipped with 17-inch hoses will not be part of the recall. The longer brake hoses are part of a different brake system design altogether, said the automaker.

Have you had any issues with your late-model Tacoma? Drop us a line at tips@thedrive.com

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