Knowing the towing capacity of your Toyota Tacoma is the first thing that will determine the success and safety of your trip in the truck.
Toyota Tacoma is a powerful mid-size truck manufactured by the Toyota Manufacturing Plant out of San Antonio, Texas.
Don’t be fooled by the size of Tacoma; it is one efficient hauler and can pull almost everything you throw at it.
According to Toyota and other reliable sources, the towing capacity of the Toyota Tacoma is between 3,500 lbs and 6,800 lbs.
Toyota Tacoma Towing Capacity By Year
The Toyota Tacoma has a maximum towing capacity of 6,800 across the years. The car has consistently had its towing capacity since the first generation. Let’s look at their towing capacity over
the years.
However, the towing capacity of the Toyota Tacoma depends on the truck’s engine and whether your model comes with a towing package.
| Toyota Tacoma (Year) | Maximum Towing Capacity (pounds) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,800 lbs |
| 2021 | 6,800 lbs |
| 2020 | 6,800 lbs |
| 2019 | 6,800 lbs |
| 2018 | 6,800 lbs |
| 2017 | 6,800 lbs |
| 2016 | 6,800 lbs |
The engine Sizes and Towing Capacity of the Toyota Tacoma
Toyota Tacoma has three main engine options, and the towing capacity of your particular Tacoma would depend on but is not limited to the engine.
Engine Options and Specification:
- 2.4 L four-cylinder, rated at 142 horsepower (106 kW) and 160 lb-ft of torque
- 2.7 L four-cylinder, rated at 150 horsepower (112 kW) and 177 lb-ft of torque
- 3.4 L V6, rated at 190 horsepower (142 kW) and 220 lb-ft of torque
Please note that the 2022 Toyota Tacoma has a 2.7 L four-cylinder engine rated at 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque.
The minimum towing capacity on all three engine variants (2.4L, 2.7L, and 3.4L V6) is 3500 pounds.
However, with the addition of towing packages on the 3.4 L V6 engine, the towing capacity of the Toyota Tacoma is expanded to 6800 lbs.
Towing Capacity Of Toyota Tacoma and Marketing Buzzword
The towing capacity is one of the fads used by vehicle manufacturers and dealerships to sell trucks.
The fact that the paper says your Toyota Tacoma can tow anything between 3500 and 6800-pound Camper does not mean you should pull such weight.
Most truck salesmen would tell you what’s on paper. If you follow their recommendation and pull the weight (3500 – 6800 lbs) without considering other towing capacity parameters, you would be causing engine or structural damage to your Tacoma.
I have earlier indicated that the engine size and tow package on your Toyota Tacoma would determine the amount of cargo it can successfully tow without causing damage to your truck or endangering your life or other road users.
Factors Affecting the Towing Capacity of Toyota Tacoma V6.
Let’s focus more on the towing capacity of the Toyota Tacoma with the 3.4 L V6 engine.
The V6 engine is necessary because this is the engine capacity that can tow between 3600 and 4000 lbs, which is the sweet spot towing recommendation for Tacoma.
Moreover, with the 3.4 L V6, Toyota Tacoma can receive the additional capability or total package to tow up to 6800 pounds trailer.
We must consider other factors before deciding what weight to tow with the truck.
- The Payload of your Toyota Tacoma
- Gross Vehicle Weight of your Truck and Your Camper
- Weigh of the cargo you are putting on the bed and cabin
- Number and weight of the Passenger
- Maximum Tongue Weight of your Camper
- Transmission
- Cab configuration
- Engine type
- Bed lengths
- Tyre Pressure
What Weight Can Toyota Tacoma Actually Tow?
The manufacturer specified the towing capacity of your Toyota Tacoma.
In the interest of your safety and the proper functioning of your truck, you must ensure that you stay within the specific limits indicated by the vehicle manufacturer.
Although your Tacoma V6 can tow up to 6800 pounds of cargo, that does not mean you can attach a camper weighing 6400 lbs to your truck and expect to haul it safely without any problems.
We have to do some mathematical calculations before determining what you can tow with your Toyota Tacoma.
Let’s examine some of the factors mentioned earlier in detail.
Payload Capacity
Your truck’s Payload capacity is the maximum amount of weight your vehicle can haul.
The Payload includes all the cargo and passengers loaded on your Toyota Tacoma’s bed and cabins.
Knowing the Payload of your Tacoma is very important because it factors into the equation of what you can tow with your truck.
It is essential not to overload your Tacoma beyond the Payload rating of the truck.
The manufacturer determines the payload rating of every vehicle and is usually found on the sticker on the door jamb of the driver’s side or inside the owner’s manual of your truck.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
Your truck’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is the maximum permissible weight your vehicle must weigh when fully loaded with passengers and cargo.
You can measure the GVWR of your Tacoma after all the camping gear, sleeping bags, passengers, and other stuff are already on the bed and cabin of your truck.
You also need to check the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for your Camper or Trailer.
The GVWR of your Camper is usually printed on a sticker and pasted on the side of the Camper.
The Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR)
This rating is critical. It is the total weight of your truck (including all cargo and passengers) and the Camper (properly loaded) when hooked together and ready to move.
Your Truck manufacturer specifies your truck’s Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). Please ensure that you don’t exceed this limit.
This information is also found inside the owner’s manual of your truck or on the driver-side door jamb.
The Curb Weight of your Truck
The curb weight is the weight of your truck without the passenger and cargo. It is the weight of your vehicle with all the standard options fully fitted.
To get the Curb weight of your truck, you must weigh it without any passenger, personal items, or cargo inside your truck’s cabin or bed.
Towing Package on Toyota Tacoma.
- Class-IV towing receiver hitch
- ATF cooler
- engine oil cooler
- power steering cooler
- 130-amp alternator
- 4- and 7-pin connector with converter
- Trailer-Sway Control
Toyota Tacoma Towing Capacity Scenario.
Let us put this information into use to determine whether your Toyota Tacoma can tow the Camper you have available.
Let’s assume you have the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off Road, 4×4 with the V6 engine and Automatic transmission.
According to Toyota, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road has the features in the table below:
Toyota Tacoma Information:
| Towing Parameters | Weight limits (Pounds) |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 4425 lbs |
| GVWR | 5600 lbs |
| GCWR | 11360 lbs |
| Payload | 1175 lbs |
| Towing capacity | 6400 lbs |
| Tongue load | 640 lbs |
Let’s get some information about the Camper attached to the Toyota Tacoma.
Trailer or Camper Information:
Camper GVWR: 5500 lbs.
Camper Tongue weight: 550 lbs (10% of the GVWR)
Other Towing Capacity Parameters:
The Tongue weight limit on the 2016 Toyota Tacoma is 640 lb.
Since the Tongue weight of the Camper is 550 lbs, we are within the limit, and we can conclude that it is safe to tow the Camper.
However, there are still other factors to arrive at the final decision of whether your Toyota Tacoma should tow the camper.
Let’s look into the loading of the truck itself.
It includes the cargo, the tongue weight of the Camper, and the weight of the passengers.
According to the Owner’s Manual, the Payload of the 2016 Toyota Tacoma is 1175 lbs.
Let’s assume we are putting these in the truck:
| Payload Parameters | Weight |
|---|---|
| Cargo | 200 lbs |
| Camper Tongue weight | 550 lbs |
| Passengers | 350 lbs |
| Total Payload | 1100 lbs |
From the above table, we have a Payload of 1100 lbs from the cargo and passenger.
We are barely within limits by 75 pounds since the Payload of Tacoma is 1175 lbs.
Another critical data point to consider when determining the towing capacity of Toyota Tacoma is checking the Combine Weight Limits.
Again, the Camper’s weight is 5500 lbs, and the truck’s curb weight is 4425 lbs. If we add the 1100 pounds payload of the loaded truck, the total would be 11025 lbs.
Remember, the GCWR of Toyota Tacoma is 11360 pounds, and we are only around 335 pounds below the limits.
Although we are under the towing capacity of the Tacoma, towing a 5500 lbs camper used as an example is not advisable: It is too close to the limits.
As earlier stated, the sweet spot for Tacoma is cargo between 3500- 4000 lbs.
Finally, your truck being capable of hauling 6800 lbs of cargo doesn’t mean you should attach the same to it without considering other factors that can push you beyond limits.
Related: Towing Capacity of Toyota Tundra
Conclusion
Before towing with your Toyota Tacoma, ensure your vehicle and trailer are compatible, hooked up, and loaded correctly.
The weight ratings and limits written on your truck and trailers are crucial. They are guides that we must follow.
As stated earlier, the maximum you can tow with your Tacoma depends on the curb weight plus the total weight of any cargo and occupants.
For safety and liability purposes, do not exceed weight ratings.