2022 Toyota Tacoma Enthusiasts Warn You Not To Do This When Changing Your Grill

Some owners don’t like the look of the Toyota emblem on the non-TRD Toyota Tacomas, so they reside to buying aftermarket grilles for their Toyota Tacomas.

Ever since the newer Fj Cruiser came out in the late 2000s, Toyota truck and SUV enthusiasts have loved the TOYOTA writing instead of the classic Toyota logo. This has led to many Truck and SUV owners who don’t have the TOYOTA writing as stock buying aftermarket grilles or even full bumper assemblies and putting them on their trucks.

While we don’t really encourage nor explain DIY activities in our articles, this is just one of those mods that have swept over almost the entire non-TRD truck-owning community.

Currently, if you buy a 2022 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport, your truck’s appearance will be slightly altered. Other than a few side emblems and a cool paint job, you’ll also get a nice grille with TOYOTA printed on it instead of their logo. However, instead of dishing out more money to get a trim upgrade, you can find these great aftermarket grilles that’ll fit your Toyota Tacoma without breaking your bank.

Dylan Kreil asked a question on Facebook’s Toyota Tacoma TRD Trucks group asking, “I was looking into changing the grill into the one that says TOYOTA, also a front bumper. Can you guys recommend some websites that have accessories like that?”

Now if you go to any Toyota Tacoma forum or discussion, you’ll see hundreds of people post their modified front grille on their non-TRD Sport trucks and brag about how easy and cool it was.

In reality, it is a pretty simple mod if you know your way around some tools. As long as you have a socket set, a few screw drivers, and another pair of hands, you should be fine.

However, for some models, you may need to remove the front emblem sensor, which is located in the front of the grill, and place it on your new aftermarket grille. This was one of the cautions that most owners warned others about because it may get a little confusing because you will be dealing with wires and sensors and so on.

Also, some aftermarket PRO grills do not have the mount for the sensor. Alvin Galat said, “If you buy the pro grille make sure it has the mount for the front-facing camera.” Some cheaper grills will probably not have this mount but if you invest in a good one, always make sure to read the description or ask the seller if it has the mount.

A lot of people on the forums seem to praise tacomabeast.com which is a website that sells anything Tacoma-related. As s disclaimer, Torque News is not sponsored by tacomabeast.com nor have we received any of their products to review. Think of it as the flyinMiata.com of Toyota Tacomas.

TOYOTA style grills range from $200 to $500 dollars on that website, but I am sure you can find cheaper and better ones too. Some of them come with lights, others come with LEDs. It all depends on what you buy. My favorite is the all-black with the letters outlined in think LED lights.

In theory, this mod wouldn’t really void out your bumper-to-bumper warranty unless the dealer could prove your visit was because of this mod. I would suggest getting it done professionally and making sure you are careful around the sensor and camera area. While it’s not likely to mess anything up since Tacomas are very reliable, I would take the extra precautions and not do it myself.

What do you think? Would you get an aftermarket grill? What are some good places to get them? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun for daily Toyota news.