Toyota is a Japanese carmaker founded in 1937. The cars themselves are another matter: across 56 VIN prefixes on record they came off lines in 4 countries — the United States 53.9%, Japan 35.2%, Canada 8.2%. 42 models are tracked here (1981–2026). Reliable? yes, on balance — 4.0 out of 5 across 42 rated models, though the spread between model years is far wider than the badge suggests (every model ranked →).
Who makes Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Toyota became the world's largest automaker by production volume in 2008 and has held that position for most years since. The Toyota Production System, developed by Taiichi Ohno after World War II, introduced just-in-time manufacturing and jidoka (automation with a human touch) and now serves as the template studied by lean-manufacturing programs worldwide. Toyota pioneered mass-market hybrid powertrains with the Prius in 1997, has sold more than 25 million electrified vehicles globally, and operates production facilities on every populated continent. The Camry has been the best-selling passenger car in the United States in 22 of the past 25 years, and the Tacoma and Tundra represent Toyota's mid-size and full-size pickup entries. Lexus, Toyota's luxury division, has been a separate brand since 1989. Toyota trades on the New York Stock Exchange under TM and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7203. Recall information for every Toyota VIN is reported to NHTSA, and EPA fuel-economy ratings, IIHS crash-test results and J.D. Power dependability studies provide third-party benchmarks. ForCar.org decodes any Toyota VIN against the same NHTSA dataset to surface trim, options, recalls and original MSRP.
Kiichiro Toyoda founded the automotive division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works in 1933, and the company was spun off as Toyota Motor Co. in 1937. The first passenger car was the Model AA. After near-bankruptcy in 1949, Eiji Toyoda and Taiichi Ohno developed the Toyota Production System, the basis for modern lean manufacturing. The 1989 launch of Lexus and the 1997 launch of the Prius hybrid established Toyota as a benchmark for both quality and electrification.
| Toyota | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1937 |
| Founded by | Kiichiro Toyoda |
| Headquarters | Toyota City, Japan |
| Listed as | TM |
| Slogan | «Let's Go Places» |
| Models tracked here | 42 (1981–2026) |
| Assembled in | 4 countries |
Technology it is known for: Toyota Hybrid System (THS II), Toyota Safety Sense, Multi-Stage Hybrid (Lexus shared), Dynamic Force engines, e-CVT transmission.
This page covers Toyota Motor Corporation, the Japanese automaker — not the city of Toyota or the Toyoda family loom business.
Where Toyota cars are actually built
A badge says where a company is registered, not where its cars were bolted together. The first three characters of any VIN — the world manufacturer identifier — say the second thing, and that is what we counted: 86,704 vehicles on record, 56 distinct manufacturer codes.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| the United States | 4T1, 5TD, 1NX, 5TE | 1981–2026 | |
| Japan | JTD, JTE, JTM, JT3 | 1981–2026 | |
| Canada | 2T1, 2T3, 2TB | 1990–2025 | |
| Mexico | 3TM, 3TY, 3MY, 3GN | 1999–2026 |
Read your own: the first character is the region, the first three together identify the plant's manufacturer. A Toyota beginning 4T1 was assembled in the United States.
All Toyota models 42
Every Toyota model we track, grouped by body type. Click any model for its VIN decoder, recalls, MPG, safety and ForCar Reliability Score — broken down by year.
Toyota SUVs & crossovers 14
Toyota Cars & sedans 20
Toyota Trucks 3
Toyota Minivans & vans 2
Toyota Wagons 1
Toyota More models 2
Toyota by the numbers
What the federal records say about the marque. Each line links to the full breakdown by model and year.
| Topic | Toyota | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 2,325 campaigns | Most recalled: Equipment:other:labels |
| Owner complaints | 93,275+ filed | Most reported: Camry |
| Fuel economy | 119 mpg best | Leader: bZ4X |
| Crash safety | ★★★★★ top rated | 8 models tested by NHTSA |
| Insurance | $1,490/yr typical | Cheapest: FJ Cruiser |
Compare model years like a dealer does.
- Full research report on any model year
- Market chart: how this model holds value
- Exact values with mileage adjustment
- Price-drop alerts on the trims you're watching
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Toyota hybrids & electric models
Toyota's electrified lineup — 19 hybrids and 4 electric / plug-in. Click any model for its full powertrain, MPG and range by year.
Toyota hybrids 19
Toyota electric & plug-in 4
Electrified variants from EPA fueleconomy.gov powertrain data. A model may offer gas, hybrid and electric versions across years.
Get a Toyota window sticker by VIN
Recreate any Toyota's original Monroney label — MSRP, factory options, EPA MPG and safety — free from the VIN.
Toyota window stickers →How to read a Toyota VIN
Every Toyota built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It encodes where and when the vehicle was made, its engine and body — here's what each part means:
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a Toyota and the country it was built in (real Toyota codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled it.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- JapanJT2 · JT3 · JT4 · JT5 · JT6 · JT8
- USA4T1 · 4T3 · 4T4 · 58A · 5TB · 5TD
- Canada2T1 · 2T2 · 2T3
- Mexico3TM · 3TY
- TurkeyNMT
The remaining digits — engine (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard. Our VIN decoder breaks all seventeen positions down — year codes, country of assembly and the plant that built the car.
Who owns Toyota, and what you get
Toyota is independent, Japanese-owned and publicly listed as TM. Toyota competes across every mainstream passenger segment and is the volume leader in compact and mid-size sedans, hybrid crossovers and body-on-frame SUVs. The brand's reputation centers on long-term reliability and resale value, supported by J.D. Power dependability rankings. Toyota's electrification strategy emphasizes hybrids and plug-in hybrids alongside battery-electric models such as the bZ4X, in contrast with EV-only competitors.
| Toyota | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Ownership | Independent |
| Stock ticker | TM |
| Basic warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
| Assembly countries | United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico |
⚠ Worth knowing before you rely on it: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, while basic cover here runs 3 years / 36,000 miles. See when Toyota models actually start to break →
Toyota — frequently asked
Is Toyota japanese?
Toyota is a Japanese company, headquartered in Toyota City and founded in 1937. The cars are a separate question: 53.9% of the Toyota vehicles in our records were assembled in the United States.
Where are Toyota cars made?
Across 56 manufacturer codes on record, assembly splits as: the United States (53.9%), Japan (35.2%), Canada (8.2%), Mexico (2.1%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the manufacturer and plant country — that is where these shares come from.
Who owns Toyota?
Toyota is independent, publicly traded as TM.
How many Toyota models are there?
We track 42 Toyota models spanning 1981–2026. The full list is above, ordered by how often each is searched.
What is the Toyota warranty?
New vehicles come with 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Terms vary by model year and market — confirm with a dealer.
Is Toyota reliable?
It depends far more on the model and year than on the badge. Every Toyota model is ranked by complaint rate here, along with the age at which each starts to fail.