The 2017 Toyota Tacoma maximum towing capacity is between 3,500 lbs and 6,800 lbs depending on the truck specifications.
Any trailer exceeding 1000 lbs must have its own brake system.
This article will help you identify the towing capacity and GCWR of your Tacoma based on trim.
You should always check your manual and weight ratings (on the inside of the driver’s door) for the most accurate information before towing and make sure you are properly equipped.
The information taken from this article was compiled using 2017 the ebrochure.
If you are looking for the weight of a Toyota Tacoma, read here, otherwise, continue reading.
Though I tried to make this information as accurate as possible, you should always check your manual or contact your local dealer to determine the appropriate towing capacity of your vehicle and necessary equipment.
Towing Capacity by Engine
There are two main types of engines in the 2017 Toyota Tacoma. There is a less powerful, 2.7L 4-Cylinder and a 3.5L V6 engine.
2.7-L 4-Cylinder Engine
One of the engine options in the Toyota Tacoma is the 2.7L 4-Cylinder engine. This engine is the standard in SR and SR5 trims.
It is a less powerful engine at 159 hp @5,200 and 180 lb.-ft. @3,800.
In all of these models, the maximum towing capacity is 3500 lbs.
There is no option in the Tacoma to increase this value for your truck.
3.5-L V6 Engine
The V6 engine is the more powerful option of engine offered in the Tacoma. It can deliver up to 278 hp @ 6,000 rpm and 265 lb.-ft. @ 4,600 lbs.
This engine can tow up to 6800 lbs and on the low end, 6400 lbs.
This engine is in every type of Tacoma trim other than the SR and SR5. This engine is also offered in a manual version as well, but only for a few trim option levels.
Toyota Tacoma GCWR
What makes the Tacoma fairly unique is that the GCWR is the same for all trim levels.
The GCWR for the 2017 Toyota Tacoma is 11,360 lbs.
The GCWR is the maximum weight that a truck can have with a trailer.
This means that at any point in time, the scale of a truck plus a trailer should never exceed this amount.
This takes into account the weight of the passengers and cargo.
All of the values below are taken from the Toyota brochure.
Towing Capacity by Trim
Maximum towing capacity is calculated by taking the GCWR and subtracting the curb weight.
Find the curb weight of your Tacoma here if you want to do the calculation yourself!
These values are also only listed for conventional towing with a hitch. 5th wheel and gooseneck towing is not an option on the standard Tacoma.
SR
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR can tow up to 3500 lbs for all variations.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Towing Capacity |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl Manual | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×4 | 4-Cyl | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Double | 3500 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs |
SR5
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR5 can tow up to 6800 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with an access cab and a tow package.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Towing Capacity |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×4 | 4-Cyl | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Access | 3500 lbs 6800 lbs (tow package) |
| 4×4 | V6 | Access | 3500 lbs 6500 lbs (tow package) |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Double | 3500 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 3560 lbs 6700 lbs (tow package) |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs 6400 lbs (tow package) |
TRD Sport
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport can tow up to 6700 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with a double cab and tow package.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Towing Capacity |
| 4×4 Manual | V6 | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Access | 3500 lbs |
| 4×4 Manual | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs 6700 lbs (tow package) 6600 lbs (tow package/long bed) |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs 6400 lbs (tow package) |
TRD Off-Road
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road can tow up to 6700 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with a double cab and tow package.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Towing Capacity |
| 4×4 | V6 | Access | 3500 lbs 6500 lbs (tow package) |
| 4×4 | V6 Manual | Double | 3500 lbs 6400 (tow package) |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 6700 lbs (tow package) |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs 6400 lbs (tow package) |
Limited
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma Limited can tow up to 6600 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with a double cab and tow package.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Towing Capacity |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs 6600 lbs (tow package) |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 3500 lbs 6400 lbs (tow package) |
TRD Pro
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro can tow up to 6400 lbs.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Towing Capacity |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 6400 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 – Manual | Double | 6400 lbs |
Towing Package for Toyota Tacoma
Any truck with a 3.5 L V6 engine has the option to add a Tow Package.
This includes:
- Class IV Towing Hitch Receiver
- 4-pin and 7-pin connector with converter
- engine oil cooler
- power steering cooler
- Trailer-Sway Control
If you do not have the V6 engine, you must take extra precautions to make sure your truck is well equipped to tow.
Towing Capacity Chart from Manual
The owner’s manual has a listing of the gcwr and trailer weights for each model, but it is hard to identify these codes.
This is arguably, however, the best way to check your towing capacity/gcwr.
However, you can find your code on your certification label on the inside of the driver’s side door as seen in the photo below. You will also have the engine type as well. I do know that the 2TR-FE engine is the 2.7 L and the 2GR-FKS is the 3.5 L engine.
Access Cab
Double Cab
What is the tongue load of a Tacoma?
The tongue load is the amount of weight that can be exerted on a trailer hitch.
For most trailers, this value is 10-15% of the total trailer weight.
Toyota specifies that for all of their engines a tongue weight of 10% should not be exceeded. That means that a max towing capacity of 6800 lbs can only have a tongue weight of 680 lbs.
How can you make sure you don’t exceed this value?
In the case of towing with any truck, you should always make sure that your tongue weight never exceeds 15%, but if you have a Tacoma, it should not exceed 10%.
You can make sure of this by weighing the tongue weight of your trailer.
Not sure how? Check out What is trailer tongue weight? & How to Measure It
Believe it or not, there are scales that can read the tongue weight of a trailer up to 5000 lbs, which is listed below.
2017 Tacoma Payload Capacity
The 2017 Tacoma has a single GVWR of 5600 lbs for all trucks. Don’t know what I’m referring to? Check out: What Does GVWR Mean? GVWR Explained for Trucks and Trailers
SR
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR can carry up to 1620 lbs with a 4×2 4-cylinder engine with an access cab.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Payload Capacity |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl Manual | Access | 1405 lbs |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Access | 1620 lbs |
| 4×4 | 4-Cyl | Access | 1380 lbs |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Double | 1505 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 1175 lbs |
SR5
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR5 can carry up to 1620 lbs with a 4×2 4-cylinder engine with an access cab.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Payload Capacity |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Access | 1620 lbs |
| 4×4 | 4-Cyl | Access | 1380 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Access | 1540 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Access | 1295 lbs |
| 4×2 | 4-Cyl | Double | 1505 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 1420 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 1175 lbs 1120 lbs (long bed) |
TRD Sport
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport can carry up to 1540 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with an access cab.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Payload Capacity |
| 4×4 Manual | V6 | Access | 1275 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Access | 1540 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Access | 1295 lbs |
| 4×4 Manual | V6 | Double | 1155 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 1420 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 1175 lbs 1120 lbs (long bed) |
TRD Off-Road
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road can carry up to 1420 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with a double cab.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Payload Capacity |
| 4×4 | V6 | Access | 1295 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 Manual | Double | 1155 lbs |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 1420 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 1175 lbs 1120 lbs (long bed) |
Limited
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma Limited can carry up to 1370 lbs with a 4×2 V6 engine with a double cab.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Payload Capacity |
| 4×2 | V6 | Double | 1370 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 1120 lbs |
TRD Pro
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro can carry up to 1175 lbs.
| Drive | Engine | Cab | Payload Capacity |
| 4×4 | V6 | Double | 1175 lbs |
| 4×4 | V6 – Manual | Double | 1155 lbs |
How to determine how much your Tacoma can actually tow
Typically towing capacity is calculated by subtracting the curb weight from the GCWR.
This means that the total weight of a truck plus a trailer at any point cannot exceed 11,360 lbs in this case.
The best way to ensure that you can determine the exact amount your Tacoma can tow is by checking the manual.
The manual should specify the specific GCWR of your truck and towing capabilities.
The information in this guide is simply a guide and should be used as such.
Toyota can help to answer specific questions you have about towing capabilities.
The towing capacity reported in this guide provides you the maximum value that your truck can tow, but with any cargo or passengers, the actual weight that can be towed will change.
If you add any passenger weight or cargo weight, you will need to subtract this from the towing capacity to determine the actual towing load allowed.
Don’t forget that you will need to consider whether or not your truck has exceeded its payload capacity with this load.
Does this confuse you? I run through an explicit example of how you need to know both the payload and towing capacity to determine if you have safe driving conditions.
Check out: How to Calculate Towing Capacity for more in-depth information.
