2018 Toyota Tundra Reliability Report

A "pre-collision unavailable" warning shows up within the first few hundred miles, with reports at 300 and 500 miles. It keeps coming back after new sensors, a new windshield camera, new harnesses, and the February recall. Some trucks also brake hard on their own on an empty freeway with cruise on. The second pattern is the factory trailer brake controller. It fails to recognize the trailer, won't set gain, or quits while towing heavy loads. Dealer computers may not detect the fault until a trailer or trailer simulator is connected.

Radar cruise control and the pre-collision system brake hard at highway speed with nothing ahead. Cruise also cancels without warning, and one owner was nearly rear-ended by a semi when that happened. Other trucks lose track of the car ahead and accelerate toward it. Moist weather seems to trigger faults, and trailer brake error lights often appear at the same time. Problems show up early, with reports at about 1,500 and 2500 miles. Dealers say they cannot fix it, and some owners have to stop and restart the truck to clear the warnings.

Most reports filed here describe the pre-collision system, not stability control. The warning light comes on at startup and goes off after a few minutes, more often below 40F. Other trucks warn the driver to brake with nothing nearby. One truck failed to stop at 35 mph at about 7,800 miles. Dealers often can't reproduce the faults. One owner waited a long time for parts for recall 18V122000, and then the dealer refused the repair because of the truck's age. Bluetooth calls that keep dropping after a unit replacement are also filed here.

Oil seeps from the cam tower, and dealers warn it can drip onto the exhaust and cause a fire. Reports put the leak at 35,000 and 66,000 miles, and owners say dealers call it a known issue but offer no help. Rodents chewing through engine wiring and sensors is also reported, twice on the same truck, with the first repair costing $2,000. Another truck starts poorly and throws misfire codes that shut off the trailer brakes and pre-collision sensors.

A head-on collision at about 65 mph ended with no deployment, and both front occupants were hurt. Other trucks show an SRS malfunction warning, one after a rear-end crash and one during normal driving on a truck that was not part of the 2018 recall. One recall notice says the truck did not meet federal occupant crash protection and side impact standards. That owner had no authorized dealer nearby and was told only an authorized dealer could do the repair.

The column or rack fails. Some trucks squeak while turning, then a loud snap leaves the driver unable to steer, and the dealer calls for a new column and clockspring spiral cable. Other owners report the same symptoms covered by recall 21TH01, but their racks are not on the affected list, so the rack gets replaced without recall coverage. A thump from the left side at startup is also reported, and dealers can't reproduce it.

Only two unrelated reports are filed here. In one, the truck started in gear and rolled forward when the key was turned during an inspection. The door closed on the inspector and caused an injury. In the other, faulty emissions control pump and valves held the truck to 60 mph, and pressing the accelerator harder made it slow down. A service light had been coming on at startup for two weeks before that.