“I Never Even Changed the Transmission Fluid,” Says a 2018 Toyota Tacoma Owner Who Just Hit 1,000,000 Miles With Only Five Repairs

A million miles used to be the stuff of diesel legends and over-the-road folklore, not something you casually stumbled across in a Facebook owners group. 

Yet that is exactly what happened when a 2018 Toyota Tacoma quietly rolled past seven digits on December 26, its odometer frozen in a moment of mechanical improbability. No restoration, no engine swap, no ceremonial teardown. Just a working truck doing what it has always done.

This Tacoma was driven off the lot in January of 2018 with a humble 2.7-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed automatic transmission, a combination rarely associated with endurance records. Eight years later, both the engine and transmission remain original, right down to the factory transmission fluid.

“We have a new 1,000,000-mile Tacoma!!

This is a 2018 Tacoma that was driven off the lot in January 2018. It crossed the million-mile mark on December 26, at 6:31 am!

It’s been such a joy putting these miles on this truck! The engine is a 2.7L with a 6-speed auto! The kicker here is that the transmission also has 1,000,000 miles on it, and it still has the original transmission fluid from the factory; it has never been serviced! I started shifting gears manually on day one, up and down. I figure there is somewhere around 200 miles(only) on the 6th gear, so that alone has saved 100’s of thousands of gear shifts by staying out of that gear.

So let me tell you about the repairs on this engine on this epic journey to a million miles.

It’s on its 2nd alternator, 520k miles on the first one, 2nd one is a dealership purchase.

Replaced the throttle body around 580k

Replaced the serpentine belt, tensioning arm, and wheel around 650k

Replaced the valve cover gasket around 750k

Engine mounts and a crack in the exhaust manifold were welded up at 986,000.

Basic oil changes are around every 6k miles

That’s it!

This truck is used to transport radiation doses for PET scans from Bakersfield to LA offices, with daily loads of 1000 to 1500 lbs over the Grapevine! So yes, this truck has gotten paid for every mile! Original purchase around 25k.

I'm pretty sure the transmission will go first, and both will be replaced when that happens. The engine burns no oil and still has about the same power as when it was new. I still pull 80 mph up the grade with a full load as long as there is no headwind…haha.

I’m so proud of this Tacoma and what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last 8 years!”

The owner’s approach to driving borders on obsessive in the best possible way. From day one, the transmission has been manually shifted, deliberately avoiding sixth gear almost entirely. By his estimate, there are only about 200 miles on that top gear, a tactic meant to reduce unnecessary gear changes over hundreds of thousands of miles. Whether or not that strategy alone explains the result, it reflects a level of mechanical sympathy that modern driving often forgets.

Toyota Tacoma: Modern Midsize Pickup Truck

• The Tacoma’s midsize dimensions make it easier to maneuver on narrow roads and trails compared with full-size pickups.
• Suspension tuning favors durability and off-road articulation, sometimes at the expense of ride comfort on uneven pavement.
• Interior ergonomics emphasize practicality, though rear-seat space remains limited in extended-cab configurations.
• Powertrain behavior prioritizes reliability and low-speed control rather than quick acceleration or fuel efficiency.

The maintenance and repair list is almost comically short given the mileage. One alternator lasted roughly 520,000 miles. A throttle body replacement came at around 580,000. A serpentine belt and tensioner followed at 650,000. A valve cover gasket at 750,000. Engine mounts and a welded exhaust manifold crack just shy of a million. Oil changes happened faithfully every 6,000 miles. That is not neglect, but it is also not the kind of constant intervention skeptics often assume is required to reach this kind of mileage.

What makes the story more impressive is how the truck earned those miles. This Tacoma spends its life hauling radioactive medical isotopes for PET scans between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, often carrying loads between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds. These deliveries are time-critical, with doses valued between $3,000 and $15,000 each and expiring if they miss their delivery window. The truck runs hard, frequently climbing the Grapevine at 80 mph with a full load, doing real work every single day.

Daily mileage ranges from 300 to as much as 700 miles, with seven to nine delivery waves per day, year after year. By the Tacoma owner’s math, the truck averages roughly 343 miles a day across its entire life. This is not a weekend hero or a carefully curated highway cruiser. It is a commercial tool that has been paid for many times over, having cost around $25,000 when new.

As the comments rolled in, skepticism followed, as it always does. Questions about brakes, wheel bearings, differentials, suspension, and seats were answered calmly and in detail. The truck is on its third rear wheel bearings, second front bearing, third differential, second master cylinder, multiple sets of shocks, and a replacement driver’s seat after 800,000 miles destroyed the original from sheer use. Tires last about 90,000 miles per set. Brake shoes go 70,000 to 100,000 miles thanks to extensive downshifting, including descending the Grapevine without touching the brake pedal.

What remains unchanged is the heart of the machine. The engine burns no oil, makes roughly the same power it did when new, and continues to perform its job without drama. The owner suspects the transmission will eventually be the first major failure, at which point both engine and transmission will be replaced. Even then, the truck will not be discarded. It will be kept, preserved as a mechanical artifact.

This Tacoma is not proof that every truck or Toyota will last a million miles. It is proof that design margin still exists, that durability is not a myth, and that careful use matters. In a time when vehicles are increasingly defined by software updates and warning lights, this one reached a million miles with a tire pressure warning illuminated, a quiet reminder that perfection is not required for greatness.

More than anything, this truck stands as a rolling counterargument to disposability. It shows what can happen when engineering, maintenance discipline, and a driver who genuinely loves the act of driving all intersect. A million miles later, the Tacoma is still doing exactly what it was bought to do. That is not nostalgia. That is evidence.

Image Sources: Toyota Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.