2012 Toyota Tundra problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (37) · Fuel/Propulsion System (21) · Power Train (13)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Tundra model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
120 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Steering:rack And Pinion 2021-12-23 · campaign 21E103000 · 151 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 17, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TH01.
Steering:hydraulic Power Assist System 2021-11-23 · campaign 21V920000 · 22,462 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.
Equipment:other:labels 2013-04-09 · campaign 13V123000 · 7,525 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicl
Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Seats 2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Service bulletins (316)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Showing the 6 most recent of 316 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-30 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 381,746 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 toyota tundra. it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the mileage was 128,907. the contact discovered after the dealer provided a carfax report that the mileage was 381,746. the contact reported the odometer fraud to the benbrook p…”
2026-08-19 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 378,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 toyota tundra. the contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a dealer sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 149,000. it was later discovered upon checking the vehicle history that the mileage was 378,000.…”
2026-07-02 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 395,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 toyota tundra. at the time of the purchase, the mileage was 149,000. the vehicle was a dealer sale. an independent mechanic checked the vehicle history report and discovered a mileage discrepancy. the carfax report indicated that the mileage was 379,000 in may 2025. the contact reported the odometer frau…”
2026-04-03 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“product almost set my car on fire, luckily i was stop at a car wash when one the cleaning crew members noticed smoke coming out from under my hood my hood , i opened the hood and the actual light bulb was on fire, it burnt my original hardness of my vehicle and the housing of my head light…”
2026-01-12 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 252,307 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 toyota tundra. the contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the mileage was 137,355. the contact stated that while inspecting the glove box, the contact found three receipts that showed three different odometer readings. the con…”
2025-04-28 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 260,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 toyota tundra. the contact stated while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private dealer sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 161,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 260,0…”
2024-10-24 · Seats“temperature seat switches are not working, fire hazard does to malfunctioning.…”
2024-09-10 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 20,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 toyota tundra. the contact stated while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle started leaking fuel, and the contact smelled an abnormal fuel odor. the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the fuel leak stopped. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the fu…”
2024-08-08 · Fuel/Propulsion System“wife was driving truck and immediately went into limp mode on the highway. check engine light came on, no accelerating then died. had to get it towed. this is the 3rd incident with this issue. …”
2024-02-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the fuel pump failed on my tundra. several dashboard check engine lights suddenly lit up to warn me of the issue. while i was able to safely get it to a mechanic to repair the independent toyota certified mechanic i use shared they have seen a volume of these where the car stops immediately with the fuel pump failing completely. i was lucky as t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.