Toyota Tacoma Aftermarket Part Warning

Here’s how one 2023 Tacoma owner wound up with a $750 repair bill after adding this aftermarket car accessory.

Aftermarket Part Temptation

It is easy to succumb to adding on aftermarket parts to either pimp-up your vehicle with something cool not offered by the manufacturer or because the OEM is either not available or just too expensive.

However, as pointed out in past articles, Toyota experts have repeatedly warned against using non-OEM parts on your vehicle, which applies especially to aftermarket accessories.

Related article: Aftermarket Auto Parts Warning Says This Mechanic

But this is not to say that all aftermarket products for cars are to be completely avoided. In fact, many aftermarket parts/accessories work fine as long as the car owner follows all of the guided directions for installation and preferably consults with an accredited and experienced mechanic trained on their particular vehicle as to whether the aftermarket part might cause a problem.

A $750 Lesson for a New Tacoma Owner

However, even with instructions on the aftermarket part and some YouTube videos of how someone did the installation; Or, that a “fix” such as adding resistors or new splices to the wiring for making the aftermarket part on your vehicle do the trick, there is still always the chance---and a good one---that something will go wrong.

That was the point of a recent Car Care Nut YouTube channel episode where the host does as show and tell of a 2023 Toyota Tacoma its owner tried his hand at something that seemed reasonably simple---adding LED taillights to his truck to match the factory installed LED headlights he liked so much.

Related article: $5,600 Repair Bill for This Ford F-150 Owner’s Tail Lamps

Follow along with the host as he demonstrates:

• His diagnosis of how he found the source of the problem.
• What the aftermarket accessory did to the body ECU junction box of his new Tacoma.
• How he replaced the damaged part with some caveats to the repair.
• What the actual damage looked like in the replaced part.

AVOID Cheap Aftermarket Car Accessories and Here's Why! A $750 Lesson

For additional articles on buying aftermarket parts, here are a few for your consideration:

• Don't Buy Aftermarket Parts for Your Toyota Warns This Mechanic
• Avoid Voiding Your Toyota Warranty with This Important Advice on How Warranties Work and Don’t Work
• Junk Parts from China Warning by Toyota Mechanic

Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on  “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” website, the Zen Mechanic blog and on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites  and Facebook for daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.

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