2012 Toyota Tundra Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 81,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

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…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 98,000 miles

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…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 77,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

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…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 20,000 miles

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…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 87,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

Check engine light and trac off light came on. Car automatically reduces speed causing difficulty pulling out into traffic. The secondary air pumps are defective. Something toyota is aware of but does not include my model. No help from there warranty department. Problem happened as I was pulling out into traffic and did not have enough…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 131,400 miles

Was driving on highway when dash lights lit up while trying to get to exit truck went in limp mode lost power could only manage about 40 MPH,got to exit stopped.called brother in law he brought trailer an we loaded truck,stopped at auto parts store an they checked code came back as secondary air injection system, going into limp mode was…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 93,111 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 93,000 miles. Parts named most: Instrument panel: speedometer / odometer (5).

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

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…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 381,746 miles

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.Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 378,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 73,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was merging into traffic on to mass 93 highway when my check engine light, trac off light and blinking 4 loe came on. The engine went into limp mode greatly reducing my power and I lost control and. I had to pull off the lane. I was able to make it to the next exit and get to a mechanics shop. They hooked up a analysis computer and…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 105,000 miles

When braking the spongy brake pedal travels almost to the floor and if my foot is place to the right on the brake pedal I engage the accelerator pedal thus causing the truck to accelerate when I'm wanting to stop. Very dangerousOwner complaint, filed 2020, at 24,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 75,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

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…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 156,485 miles

I was driving and all the sudden my power steering went out. I was in traffic and almost was in an accident because of no power steering. I immediately pulled over and looked on the passenger side and power steering fluid was leaking out of my tie rod boot. I immediately got to my toyota dealer and they automatically knew what it was…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 118,900 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 43,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (11).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

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.Owner complaint, filed 2022

The bottom corners of both doors come to a very sharp point. Both of us have sustained nasty cuts on our shins when getting in and out of the truck several times. There should be a different design to remove the sharp points you can't avoid it at least put durable protection over the sharp edge.Owner complaint, filed 2018

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 25,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 toyota tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v065000 (air bags). The part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the [VIN] exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The [VIN] was made aware of the issue. The contact had not…Owner complaint, filed 2017

The passenger side airbag came on when my son and I went on a trip to our cabin. We stopped to get gas, my son got out of the truck and the light came on. I turned the ignition off got gas, and when I started the truck again the airbag light remained on. I again turned the truck off and started it again. My son got out and then got back…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 28,217 miles

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

2012 Tundra faced a lot of problems like air injection pump failures, sticking of secondary air pumps, knock, along with other issues like speed control, engine cooling, and throttle failure. At present, it has been slapped with 136 complaints, 4 recalls, and 1 investigation as recorded on NHTSA site.Sep 2, 2022Owner complaint, filed 2023

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.Owner complaint, filed 2022

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts. Summary: I have problem with lug nut right rear side of truck won't come loose nut keep spinning has a factory defect possible this year of vehicles should be listed in 2013&2014 recall I hope this and the time gone by does not effect me and my safety this should be dealer responsibility and fixOwner complaint, filed 2021

During inclement weather, the steel wheels retain water because of their design. As a result, there is corrosion/rust within the wheesl and at the base of the valve stems. This defect is now allowing air to leak from the bases of the valve stems. According to boch toyota as well as toyota customer service, this is a rare problem. Town…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 55,800 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 9,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2012 toyota tundra. The contact stated that the driver's side seat belt buckle failed to latch on several occasions. The contact stated that the seat belt tongue was not able to enter the buckle to be latched. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 50,000 miles

Driver's seat frame (base) began intermittently popping which progressed to a consistent popping felt every time the vehicle cornered at speed or weight shifted in the driver's seat. The problem was confirmed by dealership and an adjustment made to the seat rail alignment pin. For several months, the problem appeared to be fixed.…Owner complaint, filed 2014, at 9,307 miles

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

The rear leaf spring breaking in half for both sides without any extra weight on except the passengers as recommended by the [VIN]. Regular driving conditions, both highway and street.Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 161,000 miles

The 2012 tundra pickup has an uncontrolled and violent rear end bounce. I have taken it to mountain states toyota (dealership purchased from) and they refuse to admit there is a problem with the truck as well as refused to ride along to experience the problem. I have seen numerous other complaints of the same problem on different web…Owner complaint, filed 2013, at 20,253 miles