The Toyota Tacoma is one of the Japanese brand’s biggest offerings. It is a pickup truck that is meant for daily use.
Toyota made the Tacoma infiltrate the American pickup truck market and compete against the likes of the Ford F-150.
This article answers the question “What Are Toyota Tacomas Made Of?”…
Table of Contents
What Are Toyota Tacomas Made Of?
The entire body of the Tacoma is made up of reinforced steel. This is done to save weight and increase overall strength. The truck has to carry a payload and haul extra weight so it has to be strong to handle all that.
The bed however is made up of a different material. It is crafted using a rugged fiber-reinforced sheet-molded composite (SMC).
This material is so tough that it can withstand any kind of weight and still look as good as new after a long period.
What Other Materials Are Being Used in Tacomas?
Toyota uses a single metal to construct the Tacoma and no other material is used.
In some areas, such as the wheels, aluminum alloy is used and some parts like the doors and the fenders are crafted using aluminum.
You can also find iron and titanium in the mix, being used in the engine components. To keep things in check, plastic is also used in a few other places.
The interior, for example, has plastic in the dashboard and other places.
The seats are made of fabric or leather depending on the trim you choose, while the rest is plastic. However, since Tacoma is a high-end vehicle, the plastic that is used is of high quality.
What Are Tacoma Bodies Made Of?
You will find that the Toyota Tacoma is built using several materials.
The body, however, is designed and built using steel. It is the strongest metallic compound and it is widely used by auto manufacturers around the world.
Aluminum is sometimes also used to reduce the vehicle’s weight and increase its performance. Weight is a factor when you are driving off-road.
The treacherous terrain requires a lot of performance from the engine.
If the engine is working too hard to carry the weight, your off-road adventure will end shortly. Therefore, lightweight can improve the overall situation on a trek.
Moreover, in recent years, researchers have perfected the aluminum compound and made it stronger than before.
Nowadays, most automakers use aluminum to build their vehicles. If they can afford it, then carbon fiber is also used.
This unique material is extremely lightweight and has immense strength. It can withstand inhumane forces, so even a dent is hard to come by.
What Type Of Interior Material Is Being Used In The Cabin?
The interior consists of two major materials, however sometimes three are also used. We are talking about leather/faux leather, fabric, and plastic.
In budget-friendly cars, plastic is widely used. You can find it in the dashboard, on the center console, and on the steering as well.
However, in Tacoma, the mixture is well put together. You will find a mix of plastic, leather, and fabric. The front seats and the steering wheel are leather-wrapped in some trims.
The dash, the door handles, and the rest of the amenities are covered in plastic.
You can tell it is not cheap plastic by just looking at it. It is high-end plastic that doesn’t look bad at first glance.
The rear seats are usually covered in fabric, which is a nice touch to keep the Tacoma in the economical category.
The fabric is also made of good quality. You will feel a good quality-price combination.
What Type Of Material Is Being Used In The Seats?
The seats are covered in either leather, faux leather, or fabric. The leather-wrapped seats can be found in the front, where the driver and the front passenger can enjoy their benefits.
The rear can have fabric or faux leather as an option to make things look even with the front.
One can hardly tell real leather and faux leather apart. It is only if you have a keen eye for such a thing that you will be able to recognize the difference.
Moreover, faux leather looks much better than simple fabric and the cost difference is not that much.
Most automakers like Toyota go the faux leather route to give their vehicles a more executive look.
The seats, on the other hand, can be made out of foam or memory foam.
The latter is a bit more expensive and it is only available in select models. The more luxury variants have that feature.
The memory foam adjusts to your body shape and supports the important parts such as the spine in the best way possible.
What Type Of Materials Is Being Used In The Different Trims?
It is a kind of law that the base trims do not have any luxury or high-end features. The outside remains the same in all aspects but the interior changes.
For the Toyota Tacoma, the body is made up of the same material regardless of the trim level.
However, inside, the story is a bit different. The base variant has extensive use of plastic and fabric. Here you will not find leather or even faux leather adorning the seats.
When you go up the trim levels you will find that the Tacoma has a revamped interior. Now you will find faux leather and higher quality plastic inside.
The leather will only be used on the seats, as it is infeasible to install it on the dash and the steering wheel.
The top of the line model gets leather seats that are heated and cooled. The two front seats get advanced options, and in the rear, you get faux leather.
The dashboard is covered in leather and so is the steering wheel. If you opt for the luxury package, you can get leather seats in the back as well.
Are The Materials From The US Or Imported?
Yes, the materials used in the Toyota Tacoma are made locally as the U.S is able to produce all the materials itself.
However, some materials such as steel and aluminum are sometimes imported owing to demand and preferences.
Things such as leather and plastic are already mass-produced in America so there is no need to have them imported from outside.
Has Toyota Changed The Materials Used Over The Years?
Toyota has changed the materials they used earlier. In the olden days, it was easy to please customers but it is getting harder by day.
The modern buyer wants the most premium products at his disposal. Therefore, they will demand only the best all the time.
Toyota understands this and that is why the company has made the shift like other manufacturers, making their Tacoma more attractive.
The exterior, which was earlier made of steel is now being constructed using aluminum as well. The company is using leather inside instead of fabric to keep the Tacoma alive.
Earlier, they would use fabric seats all around but competition meant that the Japanese brand had to improvise and make the best of the situation.
Toyota started using faux leather as a result and then finally leather. Now you can find different trims that offer all the options.
What Year Did Toyota Tacoma Had Frame Problems?
The Toyota Tacoma faced a rusting problem which prompted Toyota to recall all the models.
The model in question was made between 2004 and 2008. All the Tacomas of that time were recalled and repaired.
The company spent around $3 billion to make amends and it was a big blow to Toyota. Rust is never a good sign in a car but it usually happens ages after the vehicle has been produced.
If the issue arises sooner, then that means that there is a manufacturing fault that must be corrected.
Big companies have to take care of this especially because it is a matter of their global reputation.
If they mess up right now, they might tarnish their image and risk losing customers in the future.
Some early models of the Tacoma also faced the rusting issue but that wasn’t too big. The Tacoma from 1995-2003 got a few issues but they were easily fixable.
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