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2013 Toyota Tundra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2013 Toyota Tundra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 144.5.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

64 reports with mileage · 21 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports

What owners actually said

85 reports
Mileage unknown · Apr 8, 2023
Fuel/propulsion System

It would crank but not start

NHTSA ODI #11516099

Mileage unknown · Nov 12, 2022
Engine

Cam tower leaks oil on the heat shield below it. Cam tower uses rtv rubber seal instead of a gasket. The rubber deteriorates and the cam tower leaks engine oil on the heat shield. Not clear why Toyota used form in place rubber material instead of real gasket. Repair however is major. Need to take apart engine to repair. …

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Cam tower leaks oil on the heat shield below it. Cam tower uses rtv rubber seal instead of a gasket. The rubber deteriorates and the cam tower leaks engine oil on the heat shield. Not clear why Toyota used form in place rubber material instead of real gasket. Repair however is major. Need to take apart engine to repair. Major repair. The fix is to replace it with the same material again. Which is subject to deteriorate again. This is a know issue on the 5.7 L engine. Toyota seems to have its head in the sand hoping they shouldn’t be forced to recall. However this is a know design flaw resulting in leaking oil on the heat shield. With no Toyota recommended new design or parts repair except to do it all over again and hope it doesn’t leak again it’s ridiculous. . Terrible design that leaks oil on the heat shield.

NHTSA ODI #11493283

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2022
Seat Belts

Plastic piece and spring have ejected from the seat belt receiver and now the receiver does not latch on to the seat belt when it is inserted into the receiver (driver side but could happen to any/all). The seat belt no longer buckles.

NHTSA ODI #11479628

122,000 miles · Jul 21, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle and steering wheel started shaking. The contact pulled over safely and inspected the vehicle and noticed there was power steering fluid leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed…

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The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle and steering wheel started shaking. The contact pulled over safely and inspected the vehicle and noticed there was power steering fluid leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as an engine leak. There was initially no warning light illuminated; however, after arriving home, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

NHTSA ODI #11475070

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2022
Wheels

In 2017 while driving home from a restaurant with my husband, mother and sister when on highway 60 in Show Low Arizona we started experiencing a shaking which seemed to come from the from end of the truck. Since we were only a short distance from home we slowly made our way down the side road. As soon as we turned into our dr…

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In 2017 while driving home from a restaurant with my husband, mother and sister when on highway 60 in Show Low Arizona we started experiencing a shaking which seemed to come from the from end of the truck. Since we were only a short distance from home we slowly made our way down the side road. As soon as we turned into our driveway the truck came to a quick stop. We jumped out and found that the passenger front tire and rim had separated from the truck. A full bed tow truck came and took the truck to Hatch Toyota in Show Low Arizona. The second incident occurred last year (2021) while we were moving to Sarcoxie Missouri. My husband was on Interstate 40 just east of Albuquerque when he experienced the truck shaking and upon immediately pulling off to the side of the road noted the left front wheel and rim had separated from the vehicle. The truck was taken to the Albuquerque Toyota for repair. I am having the rims replaced at this time as I understand that after-market rims may be the cause. I would really like to know for sure. I would not want to trade this truck in for fear of another family being harmed.

NHTSA ODI #11465305

Mileage unknown · Mar 9, 2022
Electrical System

We are a surveying company with a fleet of 35 Toyota Tundra trucks. Two of the trucks in our Denver location have had the engine wiring harness chewed and destroyed by rodents in the parking lot. Each is costing $6,500 to repair. The second truck shorted out and the check engine lights came on, would not start. I am glad thi…

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We are a surveying company with a fleet of 35 Toyota Tundra trucks. Two of the trucks in our Denver location have had the engine wiring harness chewed and destroyed by rodents in the parking lot. Each is costing $6,500 to repair. The second truck shorted out and the check engine lights came on, would not start. I am glad this did not fail while someone was driving it. Toyota uses a flexible pipe wrap over some of this wiring that is soy based; the plastic wrapped wiring is unaffected. This problem is well documented on the internet, and very common. Toyota is profiting in a big way from this design defect, and they are compromising safety by risking engine failures due to shorts. They should be forced to install hard plastic wire covers over these harness wires to prevent this damage.

NHTSA ODI #11455929

Mileage unknown · Nov 1, 2021
StructureUnknown Or Other

Toyota frame rusting recall is cut off at 2010. I have a 2013 that the bed is rusting out because of the plastic Toyota branded beds the factory installed when it was new. The frame and rear axle also show rusting. I am paying out if pocket to stay safe.

NHTSA ODI #11438985

72,120 miles · Jul 2, 2021
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrashInjury

The contact owned a 2013 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle had run a red light and crashed into the front grill assembly of the contact's vehicle then the other vehicle spun and crashed into the driver side of the contact's vehicle. The contact's front driver seat moved…

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The contact owned a 2013 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle had run a red light and crashed into the front grill assembly of the contact's vehicle then the other vehicle spun and crashed into the driver side of the contact's vehicle. The contact's front driver seat moved inadvertently towards the steering wheel but the seat belt did not prevent the contact's neck, chest, and stomach from slamming into the steering wheel. The contact heard a loud bang and the air bags deployed, filling the inside of the vehicle with a powder substance. The contact and passenger were transported to the hospital by ambulance with injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened but the manufacturer informed the contact that there was no recall for the air bags associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was 72,120. Consumer stated driver airbag exploded before it could inflate. Driver was injured.

NHTSA ODI #11423238

100,827 miles · Feb 25, 2021
Seat Belts

MY SEAT BELT LATCH QUIT WORKING THE PLASTIC PIECE AND SPRING CAME UP OUT OF THE LATCH. MY VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.

NHTSA ODI #11397982

127,000 miles · Dec 4, 2020
Exterior LightingVisibility/wiper

TURNED HEADLIGHT SWITCH TO "ON" POSITION BUT LIGHTS DID NOT TURN ON. TURNED SWITCH "OFF" AND BACK "ON" AND LIGHTS STILL DID NOT WORK. WIGGLED THE SWITCH AROUND SOME AND THE LIGHTS CAME ON. TRUCK WAS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I WAS DRIVING ONE NIGHT AND TURNED MY LEFT TURN SIGNAL ON AND THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF. I…

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TURNED HEADLIGHT SWITCH TO "ON" POSITION BUT LIGHTS DID NOT TURN ON. TURNED SWITCH "OFF" AND BACK "ON" AND LIGHTS STILL DID NOT WORK. WIGGLED THE SWITCH AROUND SOME AND THE LIGHTS CAME ON. TRUCK WAS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I WAS DRIVING ONE NIGHT AND TURNED MY LEFT TURN SIGNAL ON AND THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF. I WAS ABLE TO WIGGLE THE SWITCH AROUND AND GET THEM TO COME BACK ON TO MAKE THE TURN. WHEN I PARKED I TURNED THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL ON AND THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AGAIN. IT SEEMS THERE IS A SHORT SOMEWHERE IN THE SWITCH.

NHTSA ODI #11377848

Official recalls

5

21V920000 · Steering:hydraulic Power Assist System; Steering:rack And Pinion

Nov 23, 2021

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Additional source detail variants (2)

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.

Consequence: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Steering:rack And Pinion

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.

Consequence: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

17V311000 · Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs

May 11, 2017

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles accessorized with Southeast Toyota accessory 20-inch Rockstar wheels installed by Southeast Toyota or a Southeast Toyota dealer. The Rockstar wheels were installed with lugnuts that may crack and detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Lugnuts that crack and detach may cause the wheels to separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement lugnuts, free of charge. The recall began June 23, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET17A.

14V429000 · Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs

Jul 16, 2014

Gulf States Toyota, Inc. (GST) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Toyota Tundra vehicles modified by GST as part of certain vehicle packages to be equipped with a combination of non-Toyota-brand 20-inch alloy wheels and chrome plated lug nuts. The coating on the lug nuts may give, causing the lug nuts to loosen or the wheel studs to fracture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the lug nuts loosen, or the wheel studs fracture, the wheel may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will replace 20 lug nuts and torque them to specification, free of charge. The recall began in August 2014. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074.

13V123000 · Equipment:other:labels

Apr 9, 2013

Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

13V014000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seats

Jan 16, 2013

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seats

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Consequence: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA19001 · Electrical Overstress

Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.