There are 43 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2012 Toyota Tundrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while plowing his driveway, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. The vehicle suddenly lost power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that oil was needed. The mechanic became aware that oil was dripping through a small crack on the cam shaft on the right cylinder bank onto the exhaust manifold. The contact was informed that the engine wiring harness was burned. The mechanic recommended that the engine and transfer case be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed after an investigation, that there was no evidence of a defect. The claim was denied. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage 175,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the light stayed illuminated while driving. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent certified mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the secondary air injectors needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the manufacturer had offered an Extended Warranty Program to cover the failure under "Warranty Enhancement Program ZG6" for "Air Injection Pumps and Air Switching Valves" and that the warranty had expired several months prior. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Check engine light which when checked revealed Air pump and air control valve failures. This is a known problem with 2006-2011 Tundras that Toyota issued an extended warranty for 10 years or 150,000 to replace these parts. There was additional extended warranty for 2012 with 5.7 Liter engine but not the 4.6 liter engine. Safety issue is when total failure occurs vehicle goes into limp mode with max speed of 25MPH which would be bad at highway speeds. Code was run by repair facility and copy is enclosed. Email was sent to Toyota corporate and upon phone call follow up, Toyota refused to do anything towards the defect.
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, he heard an abnormal sound, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove to his residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the secondary air injection system to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,899.
MY TUNDRA WITH 75,000 MILES HAS A CAMSHAFT TOWER LEAK AND THIS OIL IS FALLING INTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WITHOUT BEING NOTICED BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE IT TO THE FLOOR, BUT IT GETS TO THE SENSORS AND STARTS RUINING THEM. TOYOTA MOTOR CO KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN ALL THEIR 5.7L ENGINES AND THAT ITS A FACTORY ROBOT ERROR BY NOT APPLYING ENOUGH SEALANT IN THE GASKET. AND THIS IS JUST BEING FIXED IF YOU ARE EITHER UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY OR EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE VEHICLES LOOSE POWER AND IF DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY CAN CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. THE LEAST THIS COMPANY CAN DO IS OFFER A VOLUNTARY RECALL BUT THEY ARE REFUSING TO DO SO BECAUSE THE FIX WILL COST THEM $3500-$4000 FROM ALL THEIR 5.7L ENGINES ASSEMBLED IN THE U.S. SO FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MANY TOYOTA DRIVERS AND GENERAL HIGHWAY DRIVERS SAFETY, I HOPE THIS WOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU
AFTER FILLING UP WITH GAS AND PULLING ONTO HIGHWAY THERE WAS NO POWER LIKE TRUCK WAS IN LIMP MODE AND TRACTOR TRAILOR HAD TO SWERVE OFF OF ROAD TO PREVENT SEVERE ACCIDENT. THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION HAS A SEVERE MAL FUNCTION WHICH TOYOTA ONLY RECOGNIZED IN EARLIER MODELS AND THEY EXTENDED WARRANTY TO 10 YEAR AND 150,000 MILES. THIS IS A SEVERE PROBLEM I WISH SOMEONE WOULD INVESTIGATE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE AND LIVES ARE LOST. THERE IS NOT MUCH RESPONSE TIME TO MAKE A QUICK DECISION DURING THIS MOMENT. THANK YOU
'12 TOYOTA TUNDRA APPEARS TO GO INTO LIMP MODE, BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER SHIP, A RECALL WAS LISTED FOR SOMETHING, DIDN'T FIX THE ISSUE. HAD TO HAVE ABOUT $1,500OF WORK DONE. FIXED THE ISSUE....FOR 1.5 MONTHS. BACK AT THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN, THROWING ALL THE SAME CODES FOR ALL THE SAME PARTS. CLEARLY THE PARTS BEING USED AREN'T A FIX TO THE PROBLEM, AND SEEMS LIKE MORE THAN JUST IS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. AT THIS POINT IT'S PLAYING WITH PEOPLES LIVES. TOYOTA DEALT WITH THIS WITH EARLIER MODELS BUT ANYTHING 2012 AND UP , NOTHING IS BEING DONE. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IF THESE TRUCKS GO INTO LIMP MODE ON A HIGHWAY AND THEY GET HIT AT 70-80 MILES AN HOUR FROM SOMETHING OUT OF THE DRIVERS CONTROL, THAT TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT. WHEN WILL A RECALL CONDO THIS, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE.
MY 2012 TUNDRA WITH 107K DISPLAYED THE CHECK ENGINE, 4LO, AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS AND WOULD ONLY DRIVE IN 'LIMP MODE'. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED AT STARTUP WHEN I WAS LEAVING WORK ONE AFTERNOON, AND NOT AS I WAS DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. I 'LIMPED' TO THE LOCAL DEALER USING BACK ROADS AND LEFT THE TRUCK FOR DIAGNOSIS. I WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE TRUCK WAS EXHIBITING CODE 'P2440' FOR A FAULTY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM VALVE, AND THAT BOTH SECONDARY AIR PUMPS AND VALVES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $2500, BUT "LUCKILY" THE DEALER HAD THE PARTS IN STOCK BECAUSE THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. SINCE I NEEDED THE TRUCK TO GET BACK AND FORTH TO WORK EACH DAY, AND I AM NOT READY TO REPLACE IT, I AUTHORIZED THE REPAIR AND PICKED IT UP THE NEXT DAY. SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH ON-LINE SHOWED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN ISSUE FOR YEARS. TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THESE PARTS FOR MY 2007-2011, AND LATER FOR CERTAIN 2012 VEHICLES AS WELL. UNFORTUNATELY, IT APPEARS THAT ONLY THE 2012S WITH THE 5.7L ENGINE ARE COVERED (MINE IS A 4.6L). FROM MY RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THAT THE PUMPS/VALVES IN MY TRUCK ARE THE EXACT SAME PARTS THAT ARE KNOWN TO FAIL (AND ARE COVERED) IN OTHER MODEL YEARS. I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND OF COURSE THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD 'LOG' THE ISSUE AND CONTACT ME SHOULD THE WARRANTY BE EXTENDED TO COVER MY TRUCK. JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS HERE, I FEEL THAT IT WARRANTS AN INVESTIGATION AND PERHAPS APPLYING SOME 'EXTERNAL' PRESSURE TO PERSUADE TOYOTA TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND COVER ALL OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. NOT ONLY IS THIS AN EMISSIONS ISSUE, BUT COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF THE TRUCK WERE TO GO INTO LIMP MODE WHILE DRIVING. *TR
I HAVE NOTICED AN OIL LEAK FROM THE CAMSHAFT HOUSING ON MY PASSENGER SIDE. THIS HAS LED TO OIL BURNING ON MY EXHAUST MANIFOLD WHICH IS A FIRE HAZARD.
I TOOK MY TUNDRA IN FOR A OIL CHANGE AND THE DEALER SHIP SAID I HAVE OIL LEAK AT THE TIMING BELT. IT WOULD BE OVER 1600.00 TO FIX THIS. IT IS TIME CONSUMING FOR THE LABOR RATE IS HIGH. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 45,000 MILES ON IT.
WHEN DRIVING MY CHECK ENGINE AND "TRAC OFF" LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ENGINEER WILL NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE THIRTY MILES AN HOURS. IF YOU DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND RESET THE COMPUTER IT WILL WORK FOR ABOUT THREE MILE THEN THE CHECK ENGINE AND "TRAC OFF" LIGHT COMES ON. THIS IS THE SAME INDICATION EARLIER TUNDRA MODELS HAVE WITH SECONDARY AIR INJECTORS RECALL. AN IT IS WIDELY DOCUMENTED ONLINE AS A PROBLEM FOR 2012 TUNDRA'S. YET TOYOTA CONTINUES TO DENIES IT'S A PROBLEM AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL.
LEAKY TUNDRA CAM TOWER SEAL. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT THEY USES A EPOXY TYPE SEAL THAT HAS BEEN FOUND TO LEAK, AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITH DIFFERENT TYPE OF GASKET SEAL..THE CHARGE FOR THIS APPROXIMATELY $ 5000.00 THAT THEY SAY IS THE CONSUMERS RESPONSIBILITY.
* ONGOING MANUFACTURE DEFECT / SAFETY CONCERN WITH 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA 4.6. CODE P2440, SECONDARY AIR INJECTION. BANK ONE OPEN.---CHECK ENGINE / TRAC OFF LIGHTS / ENGINE IN "LIMP MODE" * DOCUMENTED RECURRING INCIDENTS ON 4-2-19 AND AGAIN ON 10-12-19 AFTER COSTLY OUT OF POCKET REPAIR. * MY 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA 4.6 MOTOR DOUBLE CAB HAS EXPERIENCED THE AIR INJECTION PUMP FAILURE TWICE IN A SIX MONTH PERIOD. THIS FAILURE IS A SAFETY HAZARD LEADING TO LOSS OF POWER AND VEHICLE CONTROL. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS AFTER A 2,000 MILE TRIP. DRIVING DOWNHILL THE DASH LIGHTS (CHECK ENGINE / TRAC OFF) CAME AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND IMMEDIATELY VEHICLE POWER REDUCED AS WE TRIED TO POWER UP THE NEXT HILL. WE WERE ABLE TO AVOID BEING RUN OVER BY FOLLOWING VEHICLES BY PULLING OFF THE ROAD, AND LIMPED TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC SHOP. CONTACTED 3 DEALERS AND TOYOTA CORPORATE WITH NO POSITIVE OUTCOME. ALL PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THE ONGOING DEFECT BUT WILL NOT PAY OR OFFER A SOLUTION TO END THE PROBLEM. PAID OUT OF POCKET FOR EXPENSIVE REPAIR. THE 2ND OCCURRENCE SIX MONTHS LATER FOUND US AGAIN UNABLE TO REACH OR MAINTAIN SAFE HIGHWAY SPEEDS. AVOID DANGEROUS HIGHWAY SITUATIONS, OR ABILITY TO CLIMB HILLS. BOTH INSTANCES OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. * THIS EMISSION CONTROL DEFECT THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT SINCE THE 2007 MODELS. THEY EVEN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY THROUGH THE 2011 MODEL YEAR. TOYOTA ALSO CLAIMS THE PROBLEM IS NEITHER DRIVE-TRAIN NOR EMISSIONS RELATED. AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS AT THE DEALER AND CORPORATE LEVEL, TOYOTA REFUSES TO EXTEND REPAIRS FOR THIS WELL DOCUMENTED DEFECT BEYOND THE 2011 MODEL. TOYOTA SUGGESTS THAT WHEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ARE RECORDED, THEY WILL EXTEND THE WARRANTY ON NEWER MODELS. THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM DEALERS AND CORPORATE TOYOTA IS ALARMING. THE REPAIR OUT OF POCKET IS EXPENSIVE (FROM $500 FOR A TEMPORARY REPAIR TO $4000 FOR A REPLACEMENT FROM THE DEALER.)
MY TRUCK HAS BEEN HAVING HARD START ISSUES SINCE WINTER 2017. I FIGURED IT WAS MY BATTERY SO I REPLACED IT, BUT IT DIDNT HELP. THE HARD START WASN'T CONSISTENT SO I CHOSE TAKE SOME TIME TO SEE IF ANY OTHER PROBLEMS SURFACED. GOT THROUGH WINTER 2018 AND SPRING/SUMMER 2019 WITH IT STILL STARTING ROUGH ON OCCASION. BY OCTOBER 2019 MY TRUCK REACHED APPROX 78K MILES, AND ONE DAY IT DIDN'T START AT ALL. TOOK THREE TRIES TO GET IT GOING. I HAD THE BATTERY CHECKED ONCE AGAIN. IT TESTED BAD BUT IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY SO I HAD I LT SWAPPED OUT. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THIS TIME IT GAVE ME AN ENGINE LIGHT. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS AN 'EVAP CODE' AND RECOMMENDED I REPLACE THE GAS CAP TO START. CODE DIDNT RETURN BUT STILL HARD STARTING. TOOK ALMOST TWO MONTHS AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. THIS TIME P1604 STARTABILITY MALFUNCTION. WAS TOLD I HAD TO TAKE IT TO TOYOTA TO GET A REFLASH. I DECIDED TO DO SOME RESEARCH AND CAME ACROSS THE PROBLEMS TUNDRA OWNERS WERE HAVING WITH THIS FFV DENSITY SENSOR MALFUNCTION. PRINTED THE OLD SERVICE BULLETINS AND WENT TO TOYOTA TO TALK TO SERVICE DEPT ABOUT IT. THEY SAID TOYOTA JUST PUT OUT A NEW SERVICE BULLETIN IN DECEMBER 2019 FOR THE REFLASH BUT NOW ALSO REPLACING THE FUEL PUMP (TOYOTA TOLD ME DENSITY SENSOR ATTACHED TO THE PUMP). UNFORTUNATELY TOYOTA ALSO TOLD ME THEY WON'T COVER THE COST SINCE MY TRUCK HAD JUST GONE OVER 80K MILES, AND THEY ARE NOT FLEXIBLE WITH THAT AT ALL, EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM IT STARTED BEFORE 80K. T-SB-0166-19. SO I GOT PRICES. THE REFLASH IS ABOUT $140 AND JUST THE COST OF THE PUMP ITSELF IS $600, NOT INCLUDING LABOR. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE TOYOTA USA CUSTOMER CARE TEAM AND THEY SAID THEY CANT HELP ME SINCE I DIDNT TAKE IT TO THE DEALER TO DIAGNOSE IT. APPARENTLY IT DOESNT MATTER IF YOU HAVE SERVICE RECORDS FROM ANOTHER SHOP. THIS IS MY 3RD TOYOTA, AND I LOVE MY TRUCK SO THIS BREAKS MY HEART.
Secondary air injection system failed May 2019. ALL dash warning lights came on. Researched on-line and found truck would not have accelerated past “limp mode” (25-30 mph). Had to have vehicle towed to local Toyota dealer as I was over 40 miles from home (all highway). Toyota dealer diagnosed secondary air injection system failure. Cost to repair OVER $3000. Toyota has acknowledged this is a KNOWN design problem on the Tundra “big” V8s but refuses to recognize this is a design problem on the 2012 4.6L V8 models. Local dealer stated “we have lots of these lying around the shop so no problem getting the part.” Indicating this is a common problem/repair. Spoke directly with Toyota Corporate office who refused to acknowledge design fault or reimburse for repair. This is a HUGE safety issue caused by a known Toyota design problem that needs to be investigated by NHTSA. Toyota MUST be help accountable for this problem and made to correct the problem with a "recall".
I WAS PULLING OUT OF WORK. YOU MUST CROSS 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC PLUS THE CENTER MEDIAN TO TURN LEFT. THIS IS A CITY STREET. SPEED LIMIT IS 45 I BELIEVE WITH MANY VEHICLES GOING FASTER. VEHICLE HAD THE SMOG AIR INJECTION PUMPS AND VALVES FAIL. THIS CUTS POWER DRASTICALLY TO THE ENGINE AND PUTS IT INTO LIMP MODE. I WAS FORCED TO SWERVE BACK INTO AND STAY IN THE CENTER MEDIAN INSTEAD OF MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AS THE VEHICLE HAD LITTLE POWER. I WAS ABLE TO WAIT FOR A BIGGER GAP IN TRAFFIC AND LIMP THE VEHICLE TO THE REPAIR SHOP. I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE DEADLY SHOULD IT OCCUR IF TRYING TO GET ON THE FREEWAY OR PULLING A TRAILER AND THE ENGINE CUTS POWER DRASTICALLY. TOYOTA HAS A LONG HISTORY OF ISSUES WITH THESE PARTS FAILING GOING BACK TO 2007 AND POSSIBLY EARLIER. THERE IS NO NEED FOR A SMOG PUMP FAILURE THAT ONLY RUNS FOR 2 MINUTES ON COLD START TO DRASICALLY CUT ENGINE POWER AND ENDANGER THE DRIVER AND OTHER MOTORISTS.
WHILE DRIVING, MULTIPLE DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON AND MY TRUCK WENT INTO "LIMP MODE," MEANING I LOST ALMOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. TURNS OUT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE AIR INJECTION PUMP, WHICH IS A KNOWN PROBLEM IN TOYOTA TUNDRAS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS.
P0418 SECONDARY AIR INJECTOR RELAY A MALFUNCTION. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON
I OWN A 2012 TUNDRA WITH THE 4.6 LITER V8 ENGINE. VERY VERY SIMILAR OR EXACT TO OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS BOARD. TRUCK WENT INTO LIMP MODE WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD TO PAY TO HAVE THEM REPLACE THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMPS AND VALVES. I AGREE THE FIX NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED TO ALL YEAR MODELS AND ENGINE SIZE TUNDRAS, NOT JUST UP TO 2011. ALSO AGREE THAT THESE DEFECTS COULD RESULT IN A FATAL SITUATION IF NOT CORRECTED ACROSS THE BOARD. TOYOTA SHOULD ALSO REIMBURSE THOSE THAT HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR.
Showing 1–20 of 43 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026