I Tinted My Toyota Tacoma Windows and Now Regret It At Night

Today I saw an interesting discussion in the Taco Nation public group on Facebook, in which a Toyota Tacoma owner Robert Ranara shared this beautiful image of his orange-colored Tacoma, which has somewhat dark tinted windows. He wrote, "Will I regret this tint at night?" Absolutely not!"

Ranara's image and statement generated lots of comments from the group, which has 216,000 members as of this writing. And many of the group members, who are either Toyota Tacoma owners or truck enthusiasts, wrote that they do indeed regret tinting their windows because of at least three reasons, which I will discuss below.

"I did as I was halfway in through an intersection and realized I was about to run over pedestrians. I don't have tinted windows in my Tacoma, but I have had tinted vehicles in the past. Yes, it looks better, but it’s illegal in California, but I am going to not tint my windows to avoid tickets and not running over pedestrian. I just wear sunglasses," commented a group member named Josh Menendez. 

Several other group members replied to Menendez saying they almost did the same and pulled back from deciding to ting the windows of their Tacoma trucks.

Tinting is one of the issues why your car will be illegall in som states. Some truck owners say it's illegal to ting the front that dark. "I have 35 percent tinted on my Tacoma. I sometimes have to roll my window down to see both ways at night," wrote another Tacoma owner Todd Jeffrey.

Even people who have lesser percentage of tinted vehicles complain about having to open the window to make a turn at night. In fact, see how the 2024 Toyota Tacoma does at night in this video review from Torque News former Toyota reporter Jeff Teague.

"Mine is 5% tinted. Just gotta open the driver's window to make a left turn at night," writes Rocco Guidice, another Tacoma truck owner from the group.

Also remember, if you are past 40 years old you eyesights start taking a hit and you will rethink tinting your Toyota Tacoma or any vehicle you have.

"I will be removing mine soon and retinting lighter. I drive in the dark all the time," writes Steven Wenner. What he says is a signal of another type of regret, in which people realize they have gone too dark with tinting, and want to retint lighter. I want to say, especially if you drive in the dark from time to time, but don't we all from time to taime drive int he dark?

Some Toyota Tacoma owners testify that they struggle from tinting not only in the dark, but also when it's raining. Matthew Reid says he has 30% on the front two doors and 5% in the rear and for the most part see just fine. "The only time I struggle is if it's raining and it's super dark out."

If you are going to tint your car's windows I highly recommend to get you some super bright LED backup lights. One Toyota Tacoma owner wrote that they really helps out. 

But I still am convinced tinting the windows or the windshield of your vehicle is not a good idea. It's not safe and you may be pulled over in some states if you travel from one state to another, which may have stricter tinting laws. Some police will pull you over and ticket just because of dark tint.

Even people who have very small percentage of tinting say they have problems backing down a driweay in the dark. And remember, your children may be playing in your driveway. "I have a 5% rear window it's all fun and games until I have to back down a driveway in the dark," writes Sean Payment.

Car Window Tinting Benefits and Downsides

You know, not all Toyota Tacoma owners regret tinting their windows. Tinting offers benefits like sun protection, reduced interior heat, and increased privacy. However, there can be downsides like visibility issues, legality, and Warranty concerns.

• Visibility Issues: Especially dark tints can make nighttime driving harder and hinder visibility during bad weather like rain or fog.
• Legality: Window tint darkness has legal limits that vary by state. Exceeding them can lead to fines and require tint removal.
• Warranty Concerns: Some dealerships might void certain warranties if they suspect the tint affected electrical components.

There is an easy and inexpensive alternative to tinting the windows of your truck. Just wear sun glasses in the day to make it so your eyes are always used to it. 

Have you ever tinted your vehicle or driven a car that had tinted windows or tinted windshield? What's your opinion about tinting a car in light of the above three downsides? Please, click the red link below to write your comment and join our discussion.

In any case, the Toyota Tacoma is one of the most popular trucks today. Do you know why? Here are 5 reasons why the Toyota Tacoma is so popular these days.

Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Youtube. He has more than a decade of expertise in the automotive industry with a special interest in Tesla and electric vehicles.