Problems · by component
2012 Toyota Tundra engine problems
57 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Tundra cite engine, 37% of all 156 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
57
37% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“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 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.”
“Secondary air injection pump has high rate of failure, recalls in older models. Has caused truck to go into limp mode. Could cause serious accident/fatality if vehicle suddenly goes into limp mode on highway. This has happened on multiple occasions in forums I’ve read. Known problem by Toyota that isn’t being addressed.”
“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".”
“Secondary air injection system failed June 2018. Vehicle went into limp mode on highway, a dangerous situation as you go from 70 to 30 MPH rather suddenly. Alamo Toyota dealership in San Antonio stated code PO418 and needs to have air pumps and valves replaced. Cost estimate of $3362.57. Toyota has acknowledged this is a design problem on certain Toyota Tundras but fails to recognize this is an issue on the 2012 4.6L V8 models. Toyota needs to take responsibility that this is still an issue with the 2012 4.6L V8 models.”
“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.”
Showing 6 of 57 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.