Toyota Tundra: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Toyota Tundra: 11 model years scored from 1,320 NHTSA owner complaints and 79 recall campaigns. Worst year 2023, best year 2015.
Toyota Tundra: which years to avoid
Across 11 scored model years the Toyota Tundra ranges from 32/100 in 2023 to 86/100 in 2015 — a 54-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Tundra at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (161 of them).
Avoid: 2023 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2023 Tundra, which scores 32 on 394 complaints at 131.3 per year on the road, with Engine at 161, Power Train at 83 and Fuel/Propulsion System at 60. Buy a 2013 to 2015, which score 81, 79 and 86 on 84, 92 and 48 complaints, or the 2020 at 78 on 45. The second generation has three phases: Engine leads the 2011 to 2013 at 35, 57 and 23 without an engine campaign on file; the 2014 and 2015 are quiet; and the 2016 to 2019 are electrical years, with Electrical System at 26, 27, 26 and 13, Service Brakes at 34 on the 2016, and CAUTION verdicts for 2016, 2018 and 2019. Every Tundra from 2011 to 2020 is inside 21V920000 for a power steering gear that may leak oil, and the 2018 to 2020 trucks carry fuel pump campaigns 20V012000 and 20V682000. The 2023's twelve campaigns include 24V125000 for a transmission that can allow movement in neutral, but nothing on file addresses its 161 Engine complaints.
Read the guide
Used Toyota 4Runner and Tundra: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2015 (score 86). Worst: 2023 (score 32, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 32 | AVOID | $6,405 | 394 | 12 |
| 2020 | 78 | BUY | $5,472 | 45 | 5 |
| 2019 | 64 | CAUTION | $5,415 | 72 | 10 |
| 2018 | 61 | CAUTION | $5,594 | 99 | 9 |
| 2017 | 77 | BUY | $5,664 | 78 | 6 |
| 2016 | 67 | CAUTION | $6,116 | 119 | 6 |
| 2015 | 86 | BUY | $5,612 | 48 | 5 |
| 2014 | 79 | BUY | $5,816 | 92 | 5 |
| 2013 | 81 | BUY | $5,932 | 84 | 6 |
| 2012 | 71 | BUY | $5,960 | 155 | 4 |
| 2011 | 70 | BUY | $6,060 | 134 | 11 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Tundra, through the years →
Tundra sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Tundra on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Tundra
Across every Tundra model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine281 complaints across all Tundra years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System206 complaints across all Tundra years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System171 complaints across all Tundra years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Unknown Or Other161 complaints across all Tundra years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Power Train128 complaints across all Tundra years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Service Brakes100 complaints across all Tundra years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Toyota Tundra years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2023 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2023 is the weakest at 32/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Toyota Tundra years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2015 at 86/100, on 48 complaints and 5 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Toyota Tundra problem?
281 of the complaints filed against the Tundra across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04