2002 Toyota Tundra Power Train

REAR DIFFERENTIAL IS LEAKING OIL DUE TO FAULTY METAL USED IN MANUFACTURING. DIFF. IS LEAKING THRU RUST HOLES IN HOUSING METAL AND NOT THRU SEALS.

THE REAR AXEL AND DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING/CASTING IS CORRODED THRU SUCH THAT OIL IS LEAKING THROUGH THE DIFFERENTIAL HUB ONTO THE ROADWAY AND RESULTING IN A LOSS OF GEAR OIL WITHIN THE DIFFERENTIAL AND AXELS. AFTER DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THIS OIL WAS OBSERVED ON THE SPARE TIRE (MOUNTED UNDER THE BED) AND UP THE BACK OF THE BUMPER. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT ONE DEALERSHIP I APPROACHED TO DISCUSS THE COST OF REPAIR INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE SEEN THE PROBLEM MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS OBVIOUSLY SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING AND I BELIEVE IT TO BE THE RESULT OF A DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED/MANUFACTURED COMPONENT. I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED DUE TO THE HIGH COST, BUT IT IS NOT DRIVEABLE AS THE DIFFERENTIAL WILL NOT HOLD GEAR OIL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS VERY LOOSE. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE TIP OF THE LEVER TO FIND THAT IT WAS FRACTURED FROM THE MOUNTING BRACKET. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER (TOYOTA OF VISALIA, 922 S BEN MADDOX WAY, VISALIA, CALIFORNIA 93292) WAS CONTACTED BY TELEPHONE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000.

THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING IS RUSTED SO BAD THAT OIL IS SEEPING THROUGH RUST PITS. THE FRAME IS ALSO RUSTED AND HAD TO HAVE IT WELDED. ALSO LOST THE SPARE TIRE DUE TO RUST.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ON A ROAD ~35 MPH WHEN MY REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY LOCKED UP CAUSING THE TRUCK TO ABRUPTLY COME TO A STOP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE OBSERVED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS RUSTED AND LEAKING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

VEHICLE HAS "GROWLING" NOISE COMING FROM FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. NOISE IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH VIBRATION IN STEERING AND AFFECTS STOPPING AND ACCELERATION AS FAULTY PARTS BIND IN GEARING. THIS FAULTY EQUIPMENT HAS OCCASIONALLY LOCKED ONE WHEEL WHILE TURNING, FORCING VEHICLE WEIGHT TO ONE SIDE. IN WET ROAD CONDITIONS VEHICLE HAS SLID WHILE CORNERING. MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, AS SEVERAL OWNERS REPORT THE SAME ISSUE. DIFFERENTIAL IS REPLACED AS A LAST RESORT BY THE MANUFACTURER AND ONLY COVERS THIS FAULTY PART(S) UNDER THE FACTORY WARRANTY. *JS

I NOTICED A POOL OF OIL UNDER MY REAR AXLE. I INSPECTED IT AND SAW THAT THE WELDS WERE FAILING DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST. I HAD THE FRAME AND BRAKE LINES REPLACED UNDER THE RECALL AND THIS IS CLEARLY RELATED TO THE RUST PROBLEMS (I HAD THE POWER STEERING RACK REPLACE LAST MONTH DUE TO RUST) BUT TOYOTA WON'T FIX IT UNTIL THERE IS A RECALL. I HAD IT REPAIRED (THE WHOLE AXEL REPLACED) AT A LOCAL GARAGE FOR APPROX. $2,340. WITH THE POWER STEERING RACK REPAIR THAT COMES TO ~ $3,300 IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS. THE GARAGE SAID THEY SEE THESE PROBLEMS ALL THE TIME ON THE TUNDRAS WITH THE FRAME RECALL. *TR

THE REAR TRANSAXLE HUB DOES NOT HAVE A BOLT ON COVER, BUT IS WELDED SOLID TO THE AXLE CASTING. I NOTICED OIL ON THE GROUND AND INVESTIGATION REVEALS THE HUB COVER HAS RUSTED THRU, ALLOWING OIL TO RUN OUT. IF ALL OF THE OIL HAD DRAINED OUT AND THE VEHICLE DRIVEN,THE AXLE COULD HAVE SEIZED UP,CAUSING A SERIOUS VEHICLE CRASH AND PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED VIA LOCAL DEALERSHIP, AND THEY DENIED ANY COVERAGE. BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND THE SAFETY ISSUE,AND THE FACT IT IS NOT REPAIRABLE, MAKES ME WANT TO COMPLAIN. THE LEAK WAS TEMPORARILY PLUGGED WITH EPOXY, BUT HAS RECENTLY FAILED AGAIN. NOVEMBER 23,2013 .CHECKING VARIOUS INTERNET WEB PAGES, THIS APPARENTLY IS A COMMON PROBLEM ACROSS ALL TOYOTA TRUCKS AND MOST YEAR MODELS, NOT JUST TUNDRA.WITH THE FRAME RUST THRU AND CROSS MEMBER RUST THRU RECALL,ALL OF THESE RECALL AREAS ARE WITHIN INCHES OF MY RUST THRU / PERFORATION OF EVEN THINNER SHEET METAL IN A CRITICAL LOCATION. PLEASE REVIEW . *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF TWO TOYOTA VEHICLES. VEHICLE ONE IS A 1992 TOYOTA PICKUP EXTENDED CAB 4X4 3.0 V6 WITH 220,000 MILES ON IT I BOUGHT IT WITH 124,000 MILES ON IT. VEHICLE TWO IS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA SR5 4.7 V8 WITH 47,000 MILES I BOUGHT IT WITH 39,000 MILES ON IT WITH ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER. THE NEW FRAME IS INSTALLED ON THE TRUCK BUT I HAVE NOTICED NOW THAT MY REAR AXLE HOUSING IS COMPLETELY ROTTED AND RUSTED OUT AND LEAKING ALL OVER THE PLACE. THE STRUCTURE OF THIS IS NOT SAFE AND I TRAVEL AN AVERAGE 6,000 MILES A MONTH FOR WORK. MY 1992 TOYOTA TRUCK WITH 219,000 MILES REAR AXLE IS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN THE 2002 TOYOTA. I HAVE SPOKE WITH TOYOTA DIRECTLY AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE SITUATION. THERE SHOULD BE A LAW SUIT AGAINST TOYOTA FOR NOT REPLACING THESE REAR AXLES BECAUSE THE SAME METAL WAS OBVIOUSLY USED ON THE FRAME THAT WAS REPLACED. I HAVE NOW SEEN MANY OF THE SAME TRUCKS AROUND MY TOWN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS RECURRING SITUATION. IT IS IN TOYOTA'S BEST INTEREST TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE THERE IS A CLASS ACTION AGAINST THEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT GEARS FROM PARK TO DRIVE, THE HOUSING BROKE AWAY FROM THE SHIFT LEVER. AS A RESULT, HE SHIFTER BECAME STUCK IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BY ENGAGING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE GEAR BOX HOUSING HAD A STRETCH FRACTURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 137,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER BROKE LOOSE FROM THE COLUMN INTERNALLY AND BROKE INTO SEVERAL PIECES.. THE LEVER WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO GEAR AND THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE STEERING METAL HOUSING WAS FRACTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 69,800. UPDATED 10/5/11 *CN UPDATED 10/24/11

RUSTED OUT REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND AXLE. *TR

2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING COLUMN HOUSING SUPPORT. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT THE GEAR INTO REVERSE , THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER BROKE FREE AT THE STEERING COLUMN. DESPITE THE FAILURE THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CONSUMER ARRIVED HOME, HE WAS ABLE TO PARK THE VEHICLE, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANY OTHER GEAR. THE CONSUMER STATED IT APPEARED THE CAST ALUMINUM COMPONENTS SUPPORTING THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER APPEARED TO BE FLAWED. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT NOTICED AN OIL LEAK AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE. AFTER HE INSPECTED, HE SAW THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS LEAKING THE OIL THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENTIRE AXLE HOUSING HAD RUSTED COMPLETELY, THUS LEAKING OIL. . THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THEY WOULD CALL HIM BACK AND DETERMINE IF THEY WOULD ASSIST WITH REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 89,000. UPDATED 01/14/11 *BF THE ENTIRE DIFFERENTIAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 04/19/11

I ENCOUNTERED THE SAME TRANSMISSION FAILURE THAT'S SIMILAR TO OTHER NHTSA ODI REPORTS. THE PROBLEM - WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS FAIRLY COMMON WITH THIS 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA - STARTED WITH ROUGH SHIFTING AND CLUNKING NOISES IN THE POWER TRAIN AT AROUND 60,000 MILES. THE ODD SOUNDS STARTED INTERMITTENTLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THEN BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND THEN FINALLY RESULTED IN FAILURE AT AROUND 111,000. THE TRANSMISSION QUIT AT A HIGHWAY INTERSECTION STOP 140 MILES FROM HOME IN JANUARY, 2010. IT WOULD NOT GO INTO PROPER GEAR AFTER STOPPING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER IN VICTORIA, TEXAS ON SATURDAY EVENING FOR REPAIR WORK THAT WAS EVENTUALLY DONE FOUR DAYS LATER AT A TOTAL OUT-OF-POCKET COST OF NEARLY $4,000 (PARTS, LABOR, RENTAL CAR, TOWING; DOES NOT INCLUDE MISSED WORK)...THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED PROPERLY BY MY TOYOTA DEALER. SO THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED SO SOON, AS MY OTHER TRUCKS (FORD, DODGE, AND EVEN NISSAN) NEVER REQUIRED TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS, LEAVING ME STRANDED IN HARM'S WAY ALONG A RURAL HIGHWAY. SO MY NEXT PICKUP TRUCK WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE A TOYOTA. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I WOULD OCCASIONALLY HEAR A SLIGHT "CLUNK". SOUNDED LIKE IT MIGHT BE THE TRANSMISSION. THIS FIRST OCCURRED AROUND 85K MILES. THEN AGAIN ABOUT A YEAR LATER. AFTER THE SECOND OR THIRD TIME, I TOOK THE CAR A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST. THEY REPORTED THAT THE OVERDRIVE GEAR BEARING WAS FAILING AND THIS WAS COMMON ON THE EARLY TUNDRAS. APPARENTLY THE NEEDLE BEARING BEGINS TO FALL APART AND EVENTUALLY THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION GOES OUT. REBUILDING THE TRANSMISSION COSTS JUST ABOUT AS MUCH AS REPLACING IT AND THERE WAS ALREADY DAMAGE TO THE GEARS. END RESULT -- I HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION AT 100K MILES. IF THIS IS TRULY A COMMON FAILURE, IT SEEMS THAT TOYOTA PUT THESE TRUCKS ON THE ROAD WITH A TRANSMISSION THAT WASN'T UP TO THE TASK. I RARELY HAUL HEAVY LOADS OR TRAILERS AND CONSIDER MY USE OF THE TRUCK TO BE VERY GENTLE. HARDLY ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE THE EARLY DEMISE OF A TRANSMISSION. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY TRUCK MADE A BAD SOUND FROM THE TRANSMISSION A GEAR GRIND CLUNK NOISE. I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY ASAP AND PUT IT IN PARK. THERE WAS NO FLUID DRAINING OR ANY THING. WHEN I WENT TO PUT IT IN DRIVE IT WAS HARD TO GO INTO GEAR. BUT IT DROVE OK SO I WENT TO MY APPOINTMENT LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. FROM THERE MY WIFE PICKED ME UP AND WE DID SOME CHRISTMAS STUFF AND GOT BACK TO THE CAR LATER THAN EXPECTED AND I HAD TO DRIVE IT HOME (APROX 5-7 MILES). AT FIRST IT WAS OK THEN CLUNK GRIND JUMP NEUTRAL IN A BAD SPOT ON THE FREEWAY. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT ABOUT ANOTHER MILE TO SAFETY IT JUMPED AGAIN AND NO GEARS. I HAD TO PUSH IT OUT OF HARMS WAY AND JACKED UP MY BACK. I WAS TRYING TO STAY OFF THE OPERATING TABLE FOR MY BACK NOW IF IM ON MY FEET MORE THAN COUPLE OF HOURS I AM BED RIDDEN FROM DAYS TO WEEKS. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DAY PERFECT VEHICLE WITH 34000 MILES NOW NEEDING A $4500 TRANSMISSION. I CHECKED WITH SOME SHOPS AND A COUPLE OF DEALERS AND THEY ALL SAID THE SAME THING BROKEN MAIN SHAFT, FACTORY DEFECT WEAK MAIN SHAFT. TOYOTA WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT. 2002 VEHICLE. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA THE VEHICLE WAS IN STORAGE IN CALIFORNIA AND WOULD BE STARTED FROM TIME TO TIME TO KEEP MY WARRANTY AS I AM HANDICAPPED AND COULD NOT GET BACK TO IT. NOW THEY HAD NO INFO ON THIS AND I HAD TO PAY TO FIX A 34K MILE TOYOTA FOR A DEFECT AND NOW GET A BACK OPERATION. *TR

PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON MY 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA PICKUP TRUCK. THIS VEHICLE HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND CURRENTLY HAS 67,000 MILES ON IT. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP THAT I TOOK IT TO SAYS THIS PREMATURE FAILURE IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON 2000 TO 2002 TUNDRAS AND REQUIRES COMPLETE REBUILD OF THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NEVER OWNED AN AMERICAN MADE VEHICLE THAT REQUIRED ANY TRANSMISSION WORK UNTIL WELL OVER 100,000 MILES. *TR

2002 TUNDRA 6 CYLINDER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH 84,900 MILES ON IT HAD TOTAL FAILURE ON I-10 WHILE GOING 70MPH. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO WORK BUT PUSHING THE GAS PEDDLE DID NOTHING. WE SAFELY PULLED OVER, BUT THE TRUCK WOULD NOT GO FORWARD OR IN REVERSE. I HAD COMPLAINED TO 2 DIFFERENT DEALERS OF A BUMPING FEELING AND OTHER ABNORMALITIES FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT NEITHER DEALER COULD DETECT A PROBLEM. I HAVE MAINTAINED THIS TRUCK AS DIRECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER AND IT IS OTHERWISE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. I HAVE ONLY TOWED A TRAILER ONCE WITH THE TRAILER AND CARGO WEIGHING LESS THAN 2000 LBS. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEMS I COMPLAINED OF TO THE DEALER OCCURRED BEFORE I TOWED THE TRAILER. FORTUNATELY, I HAD THE TOYOTA EXTRACARE EXTENDED WARRANTY (7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES) WHICH COVERED THE COST OF REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION WITH A RECONDITIONED TRANSMISSION. *TR

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, TRUCK WAS NOT ABUSED, WELL MAINTAINED, TRANS FLUID WAS CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES AND ALWAYS CLEAN. VERY DISSAPPOINTED IN HAVING TO REPLACE. HAVE DRIVEN 3 TOYOTA'S OVER 200,000 MIILES WITH NO TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. HAVE HEARD OF OTHER TRANS FAILURE IN THIS YEAR AND MODEL. ONLY 12 MONTHS WARRANTY ON REPLACEMENT.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TELL US OF YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE TRANSMISSION ON YOUR HUSBAND'S 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. I READ YOUR E-MAIL WITH GREAT INTEREST. AS YOU KNOW, MONITORING AND PROMOTING BOTH THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF AUTOMOBILES IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR MISSION. WE VALUE YOUR HELP IN THIS EFFORT. YOU HAVE PROVIDED US WITH IMPORTANT FEEDBACK ON THE 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA, FOR WHICH I THANK YOU. BECAUSE OF THIS, I HAVE PERSONALLY FORWARDED YOUR E-MAIL TO OUR AUTO TEST AND EDITORIAL STAFF FOR THEIR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION FOR OUR FUTURE REPORTS. I AM SURE THAT THEY, TOO, WILL FIND YOUR E-MAIL TO BE OF VALUE. YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION AND/OR OFFER ASSISTANCE: CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY, 2001 S. STREET, NW, STE. 410, WASHINGTON, DC 20009-1160. THE CASE COMPILES INFORMATION ON DEFECTIVE AUTOMOBILES, RANGING FROM TRANSMISSIONS PROBLEMS TO PAINT PROBLEMS. IF YOU WISH, YOU MAY SEND THEM A LETTER SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THEM. SHOULD THEY HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON YOUR PARTICULAR AUTOMOBILE, THEY WILL FORWARD IT TO YOU, ALONG WITH HELPFUL INFORMATION AND ADVICE WITHIN 10 DAYS FROM DATE OF RECEIPT OF THEIR LETTER. THEY ASK, BUT DO NOT REQUIRE, A $.60 SASE TO HELP KEEP THEIR COSTS DOWN. OR, YOU CAN VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.AUTOSAFETY.ORG. NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, 400 SEVENTH STREET, SW, WASHINGTON, DC 20590, 1-800-424-9393 OR 1-202-366-0123. THE NHTSA ASSURES COMPLIANCE BY DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MOTOR VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS WITH MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS, AUTOMOBILE RECALLS, AND AIRLINE PROBLEMS. YOU MAY WISH TO VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT HTTP://WWW.NHTSA.DOT.GOV THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR INTEREST IN CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG. *JB

THE SHIFT LEVER BROKE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHILE I WAS SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE. THE METAL SUPPORT SURROUNDING THE STEERING COLUMN BROKE. THE TRUCK WAS TOTALLY DISABLED AND NEEDED TO BE TOWED. THE SHAFT SUB-ASSEMBLY, THE TUBE SUB-ASSEMBLY, THE SUPPORT TILT STEERING ASSEMBLY, AND SOME SCREWS, BOLTS AND WASHERS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I ASKED TO SAVE THE OLD PARTS. *NM

SHIFTING LEVER BROKE OFF INSIDE COLUMN WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO PARK. I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO SHIFT TRANSMISSIONS. *JB

MY AXLE IS BEING REPLACED ON MY 2002 TUNDRA. MY LOCAL MECHANIC SAYS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. DEALER WILL NOT ADMIT OR DENY THIS. IT SEEMS THAT THIS COULD BE A REAL SAFEY ISSUE. THIS WAS DISCOVERED DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE.