Owners have filed 31 complaints
about the 2021 Toyota Tundra with NHTSA between 2021 and 2026.
The largest single group is the other & unspecified.
Across this model's run it ranks 23 of 27 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 4
Against the median year of the Toyota Tundra. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 83
16.1% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2021 Toyota Tundra
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Other & Unspecified
619.4%
0 crashes, 1 fires
Seats
412.9%
Electrical System
412.9%
0 crashes, 1 fires
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
39.7%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
26.5%
Median failure at 3,000 miles
Fuel & Propulsion
26.5%
Median failure at 18,000 miles
Lights
26.5%
0 crashes, 1 fires
Body & Structure
26.5%
Steering
26.5%
Tires
13.2%
Airbags
13.2%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Transmission & Drivetrain
13.2%
Median failure at 48,000 miles
Engine & Cooling
13.2%
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
1,000 – 9,999 miles
133.3%
10,000 – 24,999 miles
133.3%
25,000 – 49,999 miles
133.3%
NHTSA crash tests
The agency crash-tested this model year itself. These are its own
photographs and star ratings.
Frontal crash test
Side barrier crash test
Side pole crash test
Photographs taken by NHTSA during its own New Car Assessment Program crash
tests of this model year. Public domain.
Configuration
Overall
Front
Side
Rollover
2021 Toyota TUNDRA PU/CC 4WD
19.8% risk
2021 Toyota TUNDRA PU/EC 4WD
19.8% risk
2021 Toyota TUNDRA PU/CC 2WD
21.9% risk
2021 Toyota TUNDRA PU/EC 2WD
21.9% risk
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Oct 2021peak 5Aug 2026
Recalls on the 2021 Toyota Tundra
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
United States — NHTSA
21E103000
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
21V920000
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
21V688000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Tundra vehicles. The headlight electrical circuits may power the high and low beams simultaneously, which could overheat the electrical connector.
Risk: An overheated electrical connector can increase the risk of a fire.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 202172355,683 units in Canada
Electrical
Issue: This recall is for certain block heater kits installed on certain vehicles or sold as accessories at Toyota or Lexus dealerships. On certain vehicles, the engine block heater cable may not have enough heat protection and could be damaged by high temperatures. If this happens, the cable could short circuit while plugged in, and cause the wiring to overheat or melt. Note: This recall only affects the following block heater/cord part numbers: C014003034 PK5A408J09 PU14000904 C014003151 PK5A408J13 PU14000905 C014000885 PK5A489J11 PU14000907 C014000888 PK5A489J22 PU14000909 C014000907 PK5A410H00 PU14000911 C014100904 PU14000900 PU14000913 C014100907 PU14000901 PU14003571 C014100911 PU14000902 PK5A489J14 PK5A408J05 PU14000903 Safety Risk: Engine block heater wiring that overheats or melts could create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Toyota recommends that you should stop using the engine block heater immediately. Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to disable the engine block heater. For some vehicles, the corrective actions for this recall are under development. For others, a new engine block heater cannot be installed, and the owner will receive a refund of the purchase price of the engine block heater.
Recall 20217181,235 units in Canada
Steering
Issue: On certain vehicles, a defect in the steering gear assembly could cause it to leak power steering fluid. If this happens, there could be a loss of power steering assist. Note: For 2007-2020 models, this recall only affects 41 vehicles that had a replacement steering gear installed in 2021. Safety Risk: A loss of power steering assist may result in a sudden increase in steering effort, especially at low speeds. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect, and if necessary, replace power steering gear assembly.
Recall 20215446,380 units in Canada
Lights And Instruments
Issue: On certain trucks equipped with halogen headlamps, when the high beams are switched on, both the high and low beam lights turn on. Under certain conditions, this could cause the headlamps and wiring to overheat. Safety Risk: A headlamp that overheats can cause a loss of lighting and could create a fire risk. Corrective Actions: Toyota will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to modify the engine wire harness assembly. The dealer will also inspect the headlamp assemblies, bulbs and bulb connectors for damage. The dealer will replace parts damaged by this problem.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Lake Forest, CACrash1 injured
AIR BAGS
Airbag , it was bad accident on freeway , but my car airbag did not work.car did not inspect with dealer , they were not any waring sign
NHTSA complaint #11709234 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Burleson, TXFire
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to the fire.
NHTSA complaint #11450576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Burleson, TXFire
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to the fire.
NHTSA complaint #11450576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Burleson, TXFire
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to the fire.
NHTSA complaint #11450576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Indianapolis, IN
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
The TPMS display went thermal. It blew smoke out of the unit that is mounted to the drivers side front windshield. We were able to disconnect USB power to the device and roll the windows down to ventilate the cabin and ultimately remove the device from the windshield and isolate it. If we would not have been in the vehicle at the time of the failure this could have been a catastrophic failure between the solar collector and the LiFePO4 battery going thermal. There has been no inspection of the vehicle as we were able to remove the device prior to any serious damage. There were no warnings, the TPMS display simply went dark and quite reporting tire data, then a strong burning smell followed by smoke.
NHTSA complaint #11756908 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Liberty, ME
ENGINE
Were were driving, my 2021 Toyota Tundra, just stopped running. No check engine lights had come on until the engine stalled as we coasted to a stop on the side of the road. We had it towed to the Central Maine Motor in Waterville, Maine 04901. Central Maine Motor -Toyota service just got my truck in to a service bay today 1/29/26 and in formed me the failure was due to the fuel pressure module and a fuel pump failure. Toyota has other years of vehicles that they have issues recalls for and my truck has the same fuel system and fuel pump as in those year vehicles, but no recalls for my truck, a 2021 Toyota Tundra built in Sept/Oct of 2020. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11714344 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Liberty, ME
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Were were driving, my 2021 Toyota Tundra, just stopped running. No check engine lights had come on until the engine stalled as we coasted to a stop on the side of the road. We had it towed to the Central Maine Motor in Waterville, Maine 04901. Central Maine Motor -Toyota service just got my truck in to a service bay today 1/29/26 and in formed me the failure was due to the fuel pressure module and a fuel pump failure. Toyota has other years of vehicles that they have issues recalls for and my truck has the same fuel system and fuel pump as in those year vehicles, but no recalls for my truck, a 2021 Toyota Tundra built in Sept/Oct of 2020. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11714344 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lake Forest, CACrash1 injured
AIR BAGS
Airbag , it was bad accident on freeway , but my car airbag did not work.car did not inspect with dealer , they were not any waring sign
NHTSA complaint #11709234 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Clyde, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When I turn the key to crank my radio doesn’t come on , A/C won’t blow and I have to jiggle the keys or restart it to end the issue. My husband has witnessed thi happen many times. Scared I might have an electrical issue. Contact me back for assistance to me for this issue please. It doesn’t happen every time either.
NHTSA complaint #11692748 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Clyde, TX
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When I turn the key to crank my radio doesn’t come on , A/C won’t blow and I have to jiggle the keys or restart it to end the issue. My husband has witnessed thi happen many times. Scared I might have an electrical issue. Contact me back for assistance to me for this issue please. It doesn’t happen every time either.
NHTSA complaint #11692748 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 48,000 milesCarrollton, TX
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and jolted, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 48,000.
NHTSA complaint #11649812 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Denver, CO
STEERING
The power steering failed at around 38,000 miles. The dealership indicated the entire assembly needs to be replaced which cost more than $6,000. This is apparently a known manufacturing issue as they recalled a significant portion of the vehicles made in 2021.
NHTSA complaint #11629458 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kennedale, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My sunroof exploded due to weather conditions while i was driving with my family on highway during heavy rain storm
NHTSA complaint #11623695 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kennedale, TX
STRUCTURE:BODY
My sunroof exploded due to weather conditions while i was driving with my family on highway during heavy rain storm
NHTSA complaint #11623695 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 18,000 milesDallas, TX
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that after inserting the fuel nozzle into the vehicle, fuel spilled back out of the vehicle onto the leg of the contact. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. The failure reoccurred approximately one year later, and the dealer was unable to duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that during the failures the fuel tank had approximately a quarter tank of fuel and the vehicle had been driven for approximately six hours on an extremely hot day while the air temperature was above 105 degrees. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 18,000.
NHTSA complaint #11621002 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Saratoga Springs, UT
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My moon/sunroof exploded while driving for no apparent reason.
NHTSA complaint #11586983 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Marcos, TX
SEATS
Drivers seat has lateral movement in it associated when vehicle is engaged in a slow speed descending right turn. Dealer claims nothing is wrong.
NHTSA complaint #11576948 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Marcos, TX
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Pre collision warning has erroneously activated numerous (>10) times on the same section of roadway. No other vehicles, pedestrians or animals were present on roadway.
NHTSA complaint #11576943 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Summerville, SC
SEATS
I've taken my truck in 3 times for a problem with the driver seat having excessive play. Whenever I stop at a light or pull off the seat rocks back and forth. Each time I've taken it in to the dealership they tell me that it is a seat track issue and that if I raise my seat the play will lessen? I've tried that and it still didn't correct the issue. This problem has gotten progressively worse and I'm worried that the seat is going to collapse completely one day when I stop or pull off. I've driven different Tundras of friends and relatives and those trucks don't have this problem. I feel like this is a major safety issue and Toyota should correct this issue or replace the seat track. The first time took it in for this issue was on 7-12-2021 and the last time I took it in for this issue was 23-Jan-2024 .
NHTSA complaint #11574117 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Malden, MA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchase a bren new tondrua 2021, and sain moment q have the I realize I didn’t find the ac drain for condensed wather to drop, And then look around the car a found the cone, yes is cone, because the por desing the ac house star to have electric issue because the m wather, Toyo need to make a recol to solve this problem o ac house drain
NHTSA complaint #11511879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bolling Air Force Base, DC
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The software in the combination meter's electronic control Instrument Panel LCD display frequently goes blank I have taken my vehicle at least 5 times since I bought it 18 months ago as a new vehicle and it is yet to be remedied. This is the same issue that the 2022 Thundra has, 2021 should be included in the recall as well to remedy this problem
NHTSA complaint #11510734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sonora, CA
VISIBILITY/WIPER
When I was driving and snow accumulating on the windshield put stress on the windshield wiper arm. The arm stopped working and I later found that the arm stripped out. I contacted three different dealerships and Toyota America and was told the wiper arm is no longer made ( part #85221-0C021 ). I told Toyota if it rains or snows I can not drive the vehicle due to laws and safety issues. I thought under the Magnuson-Moss act, a manufacture had to keep parts for items under warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11510463 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lancaster, SC
STEERING
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V920000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11496696 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Antonio, TX
SEATS
The seats shifts back and forth when brakes applied or hit the accelerator pedal. I’ve taken to two different dealers n made complaints but not results or repairs have been made.
NHTSA complaint #11491083 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Newberry, FL
SEATS
The seat has been loose since I first purchased the truck, first time at the dealer they said it was the cushion which it wasn’t and they ordered part and it didn’t fix the situation. The next oil change I took it in and they said it was the frame, bottom of seat, and they ordered one and it’s been on back order a year now or thereabouts. Now I’ve owned the truck for over a year and a half and still no resolution. If an accident occurs will the seat completely break and fling me out of the vehicle? Anyhow multiple phone calls to dealership and now a phone call to Toyota themselves has yielded no resolution.
NHTSA complaint #11485072 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sandy, UT
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Vehicle is now 6 months old from original & new purchase. Within 30-days of ownership, (1) approx 1.5mm in size chip was fully repaired half way up from the front of the windshield. Eight hours ago (1) extremely small pebble, approx 2mm in size, contacted the front windshield 2 inches from lower portion centered in front of the driver and NOT in the area of the previous repair. Now, the same chip is a full length horizontal crack. Windshield material(s) seem to be extremely prone to failure and possibly not up to NHTSA or federal specifications...
NHTSA complaint #11471227 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bakersfield, CA
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
LED lights are loose and rattle and flash all over the place. While driving over 40+mph or going over any bumps on the road . This only affects TRD PRO tundra’s with factory Ridgid lights . Toyota does not have a toyota approved repair even after going to dealership multiple times and calling toyota USA . They will not do anything for this safety issue besides offer lemon law options . Toyota states this is the only one with this issue . I have done research and brought this issue on a toyota trd forum and received over 100 complaints of other trd pro tundra owners with the same issue and toyota just gives them the run around . I brought this up to my toyota case manager and declined this is an issue . This can cause Photosensitive Epilepsy seizures and can cause serious injuries or death. Toyota has already replaced bezels once and issue persist they state they have updated bezel but have no ETA on when will be made available to be replaced. Toyota should make a recall on these trd pro tundras . My Toyota USA claim number is 220519001173
NHTSA complaint #11471047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bakersfield, CA
STRUCTURE:BODY
LED lights are loose and rattle and flash all over the place. While driving over 40+mph or going over any bumps on the road . This only affects TRD PRO tundra’s with factory Ridgid lights . Toyota does not have a toyota approved repair even after going to dealership multiple times and calling toyota USA . They will not do anything for this safety issue besides offer lemon law options . Toyota states this is the only one with this issue . I have done research and brought this issue on a toyota trd forum and received over 100 complaints of other trd pro tundra owners with the same issue and toyota just gives them the run around . I brought this up to my toyota case manager and declined this is an issue . This can cause Photosensitive Epilepsy seizures and can cause serious injuries or death. Toyota has already replaced bezels once and issue persist they state they have updated bezel but have no ETA on when will be made available to be replaced. Toyota should make a recall on these trd pro tundras . My Toyota USA claim number is 220519001173
NHTSA complaint #11471047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Bakersfield, CA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
LED lights are loose and rattle and flash all over the place. While driving over 40+mph or going over any bumps on the road . This only affects TRD PRO tundra’s with factory Ridgid lights . Toyota does not have a toyota approved repair even after going to dealership multiple times and calling toyota USA . They will not do anything for this safety issue besides offer lemon law options . Toyota states this is the only one with this issue . I have done research and brought this issue on a toyota trd forum and received over 100 complaints of other trd pro tundra owners with the same issue and toyota just gives them the run around . I brought this up to my toyota case manager and declined this is an issue . This can cause Photosensitive Epilepsy seizures and can cause serious injuries or death. Toyota has already replaced bezels once and issue persist they state they have updated bezel but have no ETA on when will be made available to be replaced. Toyota should make a recall on these trd pro tundras . My Toyota USA claim number is 220519001173
NHTSA complaint #11471047 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
