The Tundra is a relatively reliable truck. But even so, it does have its fair share of common issues. Nor is it a difficult truck to work on. I’ve already written three common Toyotas that you might be able to fix yourself. However, the Tundra also has some issues that are difficult to fix and are probably best left to a professional:
- Wheel hub wear
- Cracked exhaust manifold
- Air pump failure
Wheel hub wear
Many owners have been complaining about problems with the front end of their second generation Toyota Tundra. Is it because the trucks are poorly built? Or do the components of the front end wear out over time, and the rest of the Tundra parts last long? You can decide it yourself.
Common by most owners, make the lower ball joint into the existing steering link. Then when a 1A Auto mechanic shot a video going over the five worst problems with the second-generation Tundra, he called the front wheel hub wear.
You can easily test the wheel bearing by jacking up your truck and seeing if you can move the tire back and forth. You can feel the hit of a worn wheel bearing as it goes up. You may also be able to hear the bearing if you rotate the tire. Finally, if you can’t hear it, you may be able to feel the vibrations through the front coil spring.
Now I know someone in the comments will say they’ve re-done the front end of the Tundra themselves – twice. But here’s the deal: If you only have one wheel working, you have to replace both. And you should look into rebuilding the front end while you are there. I redesigned one front-end myself, and next time I will hire it. Pulling out the old bearings and pressing new ones into place is a difficult task that is best left to a professional.
Cracked exhaust manifold
Another relatively common Toyota Tundra problem is cracked exhaust manifolds. Since the truck has a single exhaust manifold that runs from both sides of the engine, well under the wheel, and then back into the exhaust pipes.
If the manifold is cracked, you will see a check engine light. But you’ll also have an exhaust leak in front of the cabin, which means the truck isn’t safe to drive.
Again, someone could probably replace the exhaust manifolds themselves. And the task is easier than rebuilding the front end. But the exhaust manifold is attached to the engine, and the amount of heat it displaces means those bolts rust tightly into place. Breaking your own engine block can get expensive quickly. So again, this job is probably best left to a pro.
Secondary air injector pump failure
Second air injector pump failure is by far the Toyota Tundra’s most complained about issue. so, what is it? This pump pumps air into the Tundra’s exhaust. It does this while the engine is warming up, for the purpose of reducing emissions.
If one of the secondary air injector pumps fails, it won’t affect how your truck operates at all. But it will throw a check engine light.
The second generation Toyota Tundra had these pumps mounted above the engine and below the exhaust manifold. When it fails, getting in there to replace it is a pain best left to a professional. But wait there’s more.
Halfway through the second-generation Tundra’s run, Toyota had the brilliant idea of moving those air pumps to each of the two fender wells, one for each manifold. There is actually a hole for accessing them, and they are relatively easy to replace. So on some trucks, this might be a do-it-yourself job.
Next, learn about the only version, or watch the 1A Autos rundown of the common second-hand rundra problems in the video below:
