There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the future of Toyota Tacoma production and what bringing more Tacoma manufacturing to the United States—particularly Texas—could mean for the truck.
In my latest Smoky Mtn Taco video, I dig into the possibility of Tacoma production shifting from Mexico to Texas and one of the biggest questions that comes with it:
Could building the Tacoma in Texas actually improve quality?
🎥 Watch the full video here:
This is especially interesting after some of the issues we’ve seen surrounding the newer 4th Gen Tacoma. Owners have reported concerns ranging from transmission behavior and drivetrain issues to recalls and various first-year production problems.
But there’s another side to this discussion that often gets overlooked.
A lot of the Tacoma is already tied to U.S. manufacturing. Major components—including engines and transmissions—have significant U.S. production involvement. Moving final assembly to Texas could potentially bring even more of the Tacoma manufacturing process closer together.
That raises some interesting questions:
Would U.S. assembly actually improve quality control?
Could having suppliers, powertrain production, engineering, and final assembly closer together help Toyota identify problems faster?
Would you feel more confident buying a Tacoma built in Texas versus one assembled in Mexico?
And then there’s the bigger question:
Would “Made in Texas” make you more likely to buy a Tacoma?
For me, where the truck is assembled matters less than whether Toyota can deliver the reliability and durability the Tacoma name has been known for. But if moving production helps tighten quality control while creating more American manufacturing jobs, that could be a big win.
I break down my thoughts and the bigger picture in the video.
👇 What do you think?
Would moving Tacoma production to Texas improve quality—or does the location of the factory really not matter?
And if you’re a 4th Gen Tacoma owner, have the recalls and reported issues affected how confident you are in the long-term reliability of your truck?
Drop your thoughts below. I’m especially interested in hearing from owners of both older Tacomas and the new 2024+ generation.
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Ole Smoky
"If you park your Tacoma, you have to turn around and do a double take!"
