CarComplaints.com Notes: A dependable pickup option that does have a slight history of frame corrosion. Even though mud looks cool on a truck, it's best if you run this through the car wash every now and again.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,018 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Toyota Tundra brakes problems

brakes problem

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2003 Toyota Tundra Owner Comments

problem #15

Sep 242022

Tundra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I just bought a 2003 toyota tundra 4wd v8 in Feb 2022 totally unaware of any recalls or frame rust or anything even closely related! After 6 months of owing this vehicle I had the wheel bearings replaced n mechanic told me my frame has so much damage due to rust n corrosion that it is eating through parts of my frame, he mentioned that toyota did recalls etc on this n I immediately called Toyota and told them along with doing research on this matter, I was told everything expired etc n nothing can be done! Well previous owner had took it in 2012 to have rust proofing done underneath n entire frame, that was just 10 years ago! Well toyota ways recall was done, apparently the remedy didnt work or my frame wouldn't look this bad 10 years later !so I believe that is a defective remedy and since I bought the vehicle knowing nothing, and do to the safety issues related too this as serious injury and or death can occur, I believe that they should replace my frame as they admitted to using inferior metal to build these and therefore leading too all these issues! Using inferior metal should make the part (frame) a defective part as well! Bottom line is iam driving a vehicle that can cause me n my family along with everyone on the road serious injury or death! They tried to fix the problem with rust proofing n by doing that in 2012 there is no way my frame should be in this.condition, therefore I should be entitled to a new remedy related to recall since the remedy the used was insufficient n defective regardless I'd it expired or anything! I also have alot of pictures of frame n the amount of rust n corrosion! Can you please let know a way too send these pictures to you from my phone! Thank you

- Walworth, WI, USA

problem #14

Sep 132021

Tundra

  • miles
I was turning down a residential street and when I was getting up to speed. About 30 miles per hour. My truck jumped up a couple times like I hit a pit hole. I got out to inspect and see what I hit but the street was freshly paved 2 years before it was smooth as butter. I look at the truck and find out my passenger tire had fallen off. Upon further inspection I see my ball joints failed and try tire came off. It snapped the cv axle in half ripped and the brake line and abs module off and broke the frame bracket for the rack and pinon. As a result my insurance totaled my vehicle out.

- Alamogordo , NM, USA

problem #13

Jan 152020

Tundra 8-cyl

  • 108,000 miles
The whole chassis frame for my truck is significantly and dangerously rusted and it is breaking apart which is a safety issue for me, my family, and other drivers. This also has lead to my breaks lines failing due to rust which almost caused an accident due to me not been able to stop on a red light. There is significant rust damage to the chassis frame and in some parts of the chassis frame that were welded from factory have broken off. In other sections of the chassis frame pieces have started to fall off and there are holes through the chassis frame where there should not be holes. Parts that should be solid steel have holes through it. The rust is so bad on the chassis frame that it has rusted out the fuel lines as well just like it did the brake lines. Sections where the engine mounts go in the chassis are also heavily damage due to rust. The rust is so bad I have step through parts of the bed of the truck when standing on it. There are also holes on the bed of the truck where you can see through the ground due to the rust damage.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #12

Jul 012019

Tundra

  • 168,168 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was in motion and driving on a residential street, while operating vehicle at the time of accident. After the collision, the airbag did not deploy. The takata airbag was replaced by the auto manufacturer (Toyota dealership) prior to my above mentioned accident. The auto accident occurred for unknown reasons, possibly brake failure or unexpected acceleration of the car engine.

- East Longmeadow, MA, USA

problem #11

Oct 262018

Tundra

  • 0 miles
Frame corrosion was not properly addressed during 2012 recall. As a result the frame has corroded in multiple areas and the brakes just failed due to brake line corrosion. Toyota is refusing any additional claims for damages. However they should have done more to address the frame corrosion during the 2012 recall.

- North Kingstown, RI, USA

problem #10

Apr 022017

Tundra

  • 79,140 miles
This is the second time within the last several weeks where I've had brake-line failure(also reported my first one here). My vehicle was just recently repaired under warranty at the dealership I bought it from for a catastrophic brake-line failure which nearly resulted in a major accident. After the repair to the exploded lines my dealer stated he inspected the remaining lines under the truck & said they all looked good & there shouldn't be anymore problems with the lines failing. That didn't happen however as I just had another line spring a sudden leak without any warning while driving to work. My vehicle is now off its warranty(only been 1500 miles since repair-79,000 miles on it now) so I cannot send it back to them. It wasn't a sudden, complete loss of brakes this time but a gradual softening of the brake pedal when trying to stop until all of the fluid was gone then I had next to nothing upon arrival to work. Anyhow, I did make it to work & then put more fluid in it to get it home when I got off shift. Upon searching for the leak I was surprised to notice that the lines had broken where there was no rusting involved, it turns out there's a mounting bracket which once had a grommet in it that either fell out or rotted away causing the bracket to cut through the lines under it from metal-to-metal contact. The lines involved looked as though they'd been cut with a knife at the location. The dealer never would've noticed this as it took me almost 30 minutes to find it myself. I did contact Toyota however they choose to do nothing about this however since I've had two sudden brake failures within 4,500 miles I feel I should let someone know before someone else gets the same problem and kills themselves or others when their brakes decide to fail without warning! thank-you!

- Oswego, NY, USA

problem #9

Jan 212017

Tundra 4WD 8-cyl

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was recently approaching a red-light about a mile from work when I unexpectedly & suddenly was unable to stop the truck. I nearly collided with traffic in my lane & had to veer into the opposing lanes to avoid a collision. Turns out my brake-lines failed due to excessive rust which I've recently come to learn is a problem on these particular trucks. I've never had this happen before even with vehicles with well over 200K miles on them let alone well-less than 80,000; even from the same manufacturer. My dealer had to retrieve the truck from my job(130-mile round trip) & he even stated he hasn't seen brake lines fail like this one did & speculated it was due to them sitting near the frame where road-salt & "[xxx]" collects which causes them to pre-maturely rot out, potentially(obviously) causing them to burst. It was repaired under its warranty but the near-miss I encountered with it never, in my opinion, should've happened particularly without warning or with the present mileage of the vehicle. The brake warning indicator on the dash did work but only after all fluid shot out of it & braking was suddenly not enough to stop in time. I've contacted the manufacturer(Toyota) about this & was run around to no avail. I feel this could be a disaster waiting to happen as there's no doubt still many of these vehicles still on the roads. I have no pictures to upload but my dealer can verify the repairs done after this happened. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Oswego, NY, USA

problem #8

Nov 052016

Tundra

  • 180,000 miles
Extreme rust area all around rear differential, pitting in metal, and also the spare wheel tire extreme rust.

- Pikesville, MD, USA

problem #7

Oct 252016

Tundra

  • miles
Purchased a 2003 Toyota Tundra July 2016. Frame was undercoated by Toyota and did not seem to be any issues at the time of purchase. After a few months of ownership, I have been conducting some of my own maintenance under the vehicle. While under, I noticed large areas had the crc treatment chipping and pealing off. I called my local Toyota dealer (priority Toyota chesapeake, va) the service manager said the corrosion protection has expired and there was nothing further they could do. While attempting to grease my propeller shaft, I was on my creaper trying to pull myself under the vehicle. I grabbed part of the frame, in front of the leaf spring perch. While grabbing this section of frame and pulling myself under the truck, the frame crumbled in to my hand. There were a lot of rust flakes, large and small, I collected as much of the rust and flakes as I could and stored them in a zip lock bag. The size of the deterioration was about 7" long and perforated about 9/16" near the bottom of the C channel. I am very concerned about the integrity of the frame on this vehicle particularly in regards to braking system, frame cross members and suspension components. I called Toyota customer service soon after to report what happened. I told them my VIN and other information. They said they would call back in 1 business day. I received a call from Toyota today 10/27/16 and a representative told me that Toyota is no longer supporting my vehicle for any campaigns. I asked the representative for further literature regarding the frame corrosion programs for Tundra, however, Toyota will not let me have this information. At this point Toyota will do nothing to help or provide assistance in repairing their poorly designed vehicle. Please do not buy Toyota because in the future there will be failures and Toyota will not stand behind their products. Plain and simple.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #6

Oct 022016

Tundra

  • 79,962 miles
I am a retired Toyota master diagnostic technician. I had to replace my rear brake lines on my 2003 Tundra-with 79,962 miles. The rear brake lines have rusted through which had to be replaced- at my expense. My brakes failed as I was towing a trailer in heavy, city traffic. I was going 35mph when a vehicle pulled out in front of me and then proceeded to stop suddenly to make a left turn into a parking lot. I slammed on the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I was lucky there was room to maneuver to the right so I was able to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me. I'm sure there have been those less fortunate. Then, as I was replacing the lines, I saw a fluid leak under rear of vehicle. Upon inspection I found the rear differential housing has rusted so badly that the gear oil is leaking through the housing. Unfortunately the only remedy is the replacement of the complete rear axle/differential assembly. Also the power steering lines have also rusted through which also had to be replaced- at my expense. The frame has already been replaced-under recall. It is obvious that the material that was used is of very low quality causing very dangerous situations.ie; loss of vehicle control due to differential lock-up, loss of vehicle braking due to rapid fluid loss, loss of vehicle steering control due to rapid fluid loss. I am amazed that Toyota motor co. Will not stand behind the product they sold-without being forced to. One quick look under a 2003 Tundra is all it takes to see that low/poor quality hardware and materials were used. Without repair and/or replacement of above stated components someone will get injured-possibly fatally. Please investigate these complaints as soon as possible. These components should last for the lifetime of the truck. A differential is not an item one expects to ever replace-"sorry but your warranty's expired". thank you. Sincerely, information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Rogers, OH, USA

problem #5

Dec 122003

Tundra

  • 3,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brake system - we purchased our 2003 Tundra new in 2003. It didn't take long to experience a pad and rotor problem, but my wife has mostly freeway driven the truck about 90 miles per day. She seldom speeds and has a perfect track record to show for it. When I would drive the Tundra, I almost always noticed a braking hop (in the pedal). Unfortunately, she has a tendency to defer maintenance. For the most part, we have put the Tundra in the shop for new rotors or new pads(oem) alternately approx. Every 1500 miles. John elway Toyota says they can check to see if there's anything they can do... nothing yet. Toyota knows they have a problem with the downgraded braking system on these vehicles. I don't know, but suspect, a completely new, upgraded brake system, including, but not limited to rotors, pads, drums, bearings and calipers be installed. Should I just pay the $2 gs?

- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 252012

Tundra 8-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
Toyota applied a corrosion resistant compound to the rear cross-member assemblies and to the adjacent areas of the frame. This coating has completely peeled off, rendering the exposed corroded metal back to it's original recalled state. This recall occurred in January of 2012, the problem was supposedly fixed by Toyota. All of the coating is gone, and, no longer protecting the exposed and corroded metal.

- Marengo, IL, USA

problem #3

Sep 162013

Tundra

  • 79,000 miles
I bought a brand new 2003 Toyota Tundra and never had any problems with the vehicle until my first cross country retirement trip in September 2013. My planned trip was from Tennessee to California. When I reached kingman, Arizona (about 1200 miles into the trip), I was traveling uphill on interstate 40 when suddenly the truck accelerated itself to a high RPM and speed. I applied the brakes but they did not respond or slow the truck down. I tried to maintain steering control, but in a split-second, I was thrown off the highway and into the hillside, trees, and bushes. The truck completely rolled over, flipped uphill, and come to a stop facing traffic. The landed driver side down, and was completely totaled. The truck only had 79,000 miles on it. A month later I learned that there was a previous recall done for this type of problem, but did not include the 2003 model. I now wonder how many others were injured due to this problem. I took many pictures of the damages.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #2

Mar 102013

Tundra 8-cyl

  • 58,002 miles
Truck was being driven 250mi from destination a to B. while enroute, leaving the highway for a rest stop, the brake pedal went to the floor. Brake failure, unable to properly stop. Had truck towed to a local dealer who identified failure in (2) front steel brake lines. Total $ 428; and of course the situation could have been a lot worse. Vehicle has been maintained, all recommended service intervals, etc. Service tech stated looked to be due to rust - corrosion. I have never had this occur on a vehicle this little mi. And years. I am going to write Toyota as well.

- Arlington Heights , IL, USA

problem #1

Nov 022012

Tundra 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
Took 2003 Toyota Tundra in for frame rust corrosion program 09V-444000. Was told frame and other components had extensive rust and multiple 10mm holes by lead service technician at local Toyota dealership. Service manager explained that my 2003 Toyota Tundra frame was extensively rusted and unsafe to be on the road and they wanted to take my truck immediately and provide a rental car due to safety concerns. Asked for a plan of action of the scope of work to be performed (corrosion compound verses frame replacement) before giving possession of vehicle. Photos of 2003 Toyota Tundra frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system were taken and sent to lead service tech three states away in Texas. Was informed extensive frame rust exists on all components (frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system) but it is not covered because vehicle is no longer registered in Wisconsin. Purchased this 2003 Toyota certified vehicle in Wisconsin in April of 2010 and no information was given to me at regarding the NHTSA investigation or any rust inspections that were performed. Toyota corporation refuses to repair, replace or add corrosion resistant compound to any severely affected rusted components. Significant rust issues exist on this vehicle and still Toyota corporation refuses to provide any documentation of their inspections. Toyota corporation will not put in writing that the frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system is safe or road worthy. Deadline for all rust repairs is December 31, 2012. Toyota corporation is stalling consumers to keep from doing any repairs and leaving unsafe rusted 2003 Toyota Tundra's on the highways. Please initiate a new NHTSA investigation regarding this matter for the safety of consumers.

- Madison, MS, USA

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