Problems · NHTSA complaints
2012 Toyota Tundra problems
Owners filed 156 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Tundra with NHTSA between Aug 2012 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is engine (57).
Complaints
156
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
7
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine57
- Fuel/propulsion system25
- Power train21
- Electrical system19
- Steering12
- Structure11
- Air bags9
- Vehicle speed control7
- Electronic stability control (esc)7
- Wheels6
- Service brakes6
- Seats4
- Suspension4
- Engine and engine cooling3
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
5
6
10
3
8
14
25
23
27
9
11
5
4
1
5
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 5 |
| 2013 | 6 |
| 2014 | 10 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 14 |
| 2018 | 25 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 27 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 5 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine
57 reports1 crash1 fire
“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.”
Fuel/propulsion system
25 reports
“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 the day prior to this I was driving through mountain passes on the highway in Colorado. I have since found out from the feedback from my mechanic that they have repaired a volume of these, and it is a known issue by Toyota who issued a technical service bulletin. The fuel pump needs to be replaced with a different specification - the original pump is not sufficient. My concern is putting driver/passenger safety at risk with a complete fuel pump failure while driving. I consider this a near-miss for me, and would worry about others that are about to have this issue.”
Power train
21 reports1 crash1 fire
“My power steering gear blew its seal on the passenger side losing all power steering fluid and almost making me crash into a car next to me, and Toyota refuses to cover it stating that I hadn't had the steering gear replaced prior to whenever their dates were this is clearly faulty equipment and faulty machine work on the steering gear itself. why won't Toyota cover it? I tried contacting One Toyota and Downtown Toyota here in Oakland California and they told me that they wanted $250 to inspect my vehicle and that I would definitely have to pay for it because my vehicle was not under recall it states it is a recall if you look it up.It is worded recall if they're not going to cover it sounds like they're trying to back out of covering it until someone gets seriously hurt or killed like I almost did, I will never buy another Toyota again as long as I live because clearly they don't care about the faulty equipment on their vehicles that's going to hurt or kill someone. All they care about is the mighty dollar and that's just wrong. Safety has gone rite the window and if anyone reading this is thinking about buying a Toyota, I would seriously think twice.”
Electrical system
19 reports
“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 Police Department.”
Steering
12 reports2 crashes2 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle experienced steering failure with abnormal popping sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21E103000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 156,485.”
Structure
11 reports3 crashes
“The truck has paint peeling from it. There is currently a recall out for other models of Toyota with the same paint type as mine. Toyota says that the Tundra is not affected by this recall. I took the truck to Toyota they took down a report and told me to call the cooperate office to report it as well.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.