2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA Complaints

I WAS DRIVING IN A LARGE PARKING LOT AT A SPEED NOT MORE THAN A WALK. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND TOUCHED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE TRUCK SURGED FORWARD HARD ENOUGH THAT THE THREE PEOPLE IN THE TRUCK WERE THROWN BACK AGAINST THEIR SEATS. I IMMEDIATELY BRAKED AND THE TRUCK CAME TO A STOP WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE ACCELERATION WAS SUDDEN AND VIOLENT, AND THE ONLY REASON AN ACCIDENT DID NOT OCCUR WAS THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE TRUCK IS A TOYOTA 2002 TUNDRA WITH THE V-8 ENGINE. *TR

CRUISE CONTROL WON'T SHUT OFF AT BRAKING. VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. *TR

THE BRAKES HAVE A SERIOUS BRAKE VIBRATION WHEN APPLIED. IT ORIGINALLY ONLY HAPPENED WHEN GOING DOWN LONG GRADES BUT NOW IT HAPPENS ALL OF THE TIME. THE BRAKES AND ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BUT THAT ONLY FIXES THE ISSUE FOR ABOUT 5K MILES. *TR

THE FILL NECK ON THE GAS TANK IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PUT GAS INTO MY TRUCK. I MUST USE A SCREWDRIVER AT TIMES TO FILL MY GAS TANK. I FEEL THAT THIS WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS AT A SERVICE STATION, BECAUSE THAT IF A SPARK FROM THE SCREWDRIVER BEING FORCED INTO THE FILL NECK COULD IGNITE THE FUMES. *TR

2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA-BRAKE LINE LOCKED UP DUE TO RUST. TOYOTA QUOTED APPROXIMATELY 1300.00 TO REPAIR. *TR

DO YOUR JOB NHTSA. THE 2000-05 TUNDRAS HAVE A BRAKE PROBLEM. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DO YOU NEED TO RECALL AN OBVIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA HAS IGNORED? THEY ARE ON THE ROPES NOW FOR SOME OF THE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN IGNORING FOR YEARS. YOU CAN ACT TOUGH AND STRIKE NOW, WHILE THEY ARE UNABLE TO STRIKE BACK. *TR

THE SPARE WHEEL/TIRE FELL OFF MY 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA AS I PASSED OVER A SPEED BUMP (AT A VERY LOW SPEED) WHILST LEAVING AN APARTMENT COMPLEX. I WAS UNAWARE OF HAVING LOST THE WHEEL BUT MY SON, WHO LIVES IN THE COMPLEX, SAW THE INCIDENT & CALLED ME - BY THE TIME HE CALLED I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED - IF THE WHEEL HAD FALLEN OFF WHILST I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY THE CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. I SUBMITTED A REPORT (CASE # 208366) TO NHTSA 11/25/09 AFTER GOING ON LINE & DISCOVERING THAT CORROSION WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE FRAME OF THIS VEHICLE & THAT OTHER INCIDENTS OF A SIMILAR NATURE HAD BEEN REPORTED & THAT TOYOTA WERE PREPARING A REMEDY. ON 01/10/10 I CONTACTED MY LOCAL TOYOTA SEALER & WAS ADVISED TO BRING IN THE VEHICLE AT MY CONVENIENCE WHEN THE SPARE WHEEL WOULD BE SAFELY SECURED WITHIN THE TRUCK BED PENDING A PERMANENT FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

APPROX EVERY 3000 MILES THE ROTORS WARP AND HAVE TO BE REPLACE. IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF TRAVELING OR PULLING TRAILERS. I DO NOT DO EITHER AND VERY CAREFUL WITH TRUCK. STILL HAPPENS. DEALER DIDN'T DO THE TSB BEFORE I BOUGHT IT WITH 16,000 MILES ON IT. I DON'T PUT MANY MILES ON IT SO IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY WHEN FIRST HAD THE PROBLEM. DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM UNTIL THE SECOND TIME I HAD TO HAVE IT FIXED. LOTS OF FORUMS ON THE SAME PROBLEM. NO COOP FROM TOYOTA OR DEALERS. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA TRUCK IS NOT DRIVABLE AT THIS TIME. THE TRUCK WAS BROUGHT TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AFTER A LOCAL MECHANIC FOUND FLUID LEAKING FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL DUE TO RUST/ROT. DURING THE DEALERS INSPECTION, THEY ALSO NOTED A GAS SMELL AND SUSPECT THAT THE GAS TANK OR GAS LINES ARE LEAKING ALSO. THE DEALER DID A FRAME INSPECTION AND WHILE THE WHOLE FRAME IS EXCESSIVELY RUSTED, THE FRAME PASSED THE RECALL TEST BECAUSE IT HAD NOT BEEN PERFORATED YET. THE DEALER DID NOT WANT TO EVEN REMOVE THE DIFFERENTIAL PLUG BECAUSE THE WHOLE UNIT WAS SO RUSTY. I HAVE BEEN UNDER THE TRUCK AND PERSONALLY SEEN THE EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME, FUEL SYSTEM, AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS. AMAZINGLY, THE BODY PANELS HAVE LITTLE OR NO RUST AND IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. DURING PREVIOUS DEALER VISITS WE WERE VERBALLY TOLD THAT THE RUST WAS NORMAL. THE REPAIR ESTIMATE FOR GAS TANK/LINES AND NEW DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING, ETC. WAS APPROXIMATELY $7000. I PURCHASED THIS TRUCK NEW AND HAVE ALWAYS DONE ALL REQUIRED MAINTENANCE AND WAS PLANNING ON HAVING THE TRUCK FOR A LONG TIME. IT CURRENTLY HAS 89,101 MILES ON IT. THE EXCESSIVE RUST IS NOT NORMAL AND I FEEL THAT THE FRAME AND SOME ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS ARE DEFECTIVE. I FEEL THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF THESE DEFECTS THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND I'M GUESSING THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO SELL AND IF I DID, IT WOULD BE AT A GREATLY REDUCED VALUE. I PURCHASED A TOYOTA TRUCK BECAUSE OF THEIR REPUTATION FOR BUILDING LONG LASTING, HIGH QUALITY VEHICLES. I FEEL THAT IN LIGHT OF THESE DEFECTS THAT THEY MISREPRESENTED THEIR PRODUCT. *TR

2002 AND 2003 TOYOTA TUNDRA BRAKES WARP EVERY 10,000 MILES. I HAVE OWNED A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA SINCE IT WAS NEW. AT 35,000 MILES, I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A BRAKE PROBLEM WITH VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE FRONT END. MY NORMAL MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT WAS WARPED FRONT BREAK ROTORS AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE GROUND DOWN FLAT. I DID THIS AND THEN EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AT APPROXIMATELY 45,000, 55,000 AND 65,000 MILES. I AM NOW NEARING 75,000 MILES AND THE VIBRATION IS STARTING. I ONLY DRIVE ABOUT 10,000 MILES A YEAR AND HAVE HAD HEAVY LOADS ON THE TRUCK ABOUT 5 TIMES IN THE LAST 8 YEARS. MY MECHANIC SHOWED ME A SET OF INSTRUCTIONS THAT MECHANICS HAD FOR UPGRADING TOYOTA TUNDRA BREAKS BECAUSE OF A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH UNDERSIZED FRONT DISC BRAKES AND DRUM BRAKES IN THE BACK AFTER MY LAST BRAKE JOB. I CONTACTED MY TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT BRAKES ARE GENERALLY COVERED AND ARE CONSIDERED ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. HOWEVER, THEY WERE AWARE THAT THE BRAKES ON THE 2002 -2003 TUNDRAS HAD A DESIGN PROBLEM AND DID NOT HOLD UP PROPERLY. THEY CONTINUED THAT THE BRAKES HAD BEEN UPGRADED WITH A LABOR ONLY CHARGE FOR ANYONE WHO CONTACTED THEM WITHIN THE FIRST 3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THIS BRAKE UPGRADE KIT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AS A KIT AND I WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE THE PARTS SEPARATELY IF I WANTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE COST OF THE PARTS IS OVER $2000 WITHOUT LABOR. THE TOYOTA 800 NUMBER TOLD ME I HAD NO OPTIONS BECAUSE BRAKES ARE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, PERIOD. CURRENTLY, MY ONLY PLAN IS TO CONTINUE TO HAVE MY ROTORS TURNED EVERY 10,000 MILES UNTIL I NEED NEW ONES. HOPEFULLY OTHER TUNDRA OWNERS WILL DO THE SAME OR THEIR SAFETY WILL BE GREATLY COMPROMISED. MY FRONT END SUSPENSION IS ALSO SHOWING WEAR. *TR