"How reliable is the 2002 Toyota Tundra?"

"Based on 643 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Toyota Tundra has a median complaint mileage of 87000 miles. The most common issue is Body."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Toyota Tundra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Toyota Tundra is Body, accounting for a significant portion of the 643 total complaints filed."

2002 Toyota Tundra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 643 complaints

643

Total Complaints

87,000mi

Median Mileage

Body

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

40,000 25th Percentile

87,000 Median Mileage

135,600 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Body

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Frame And Members

Suspension

Steering

Lower Ball Joint

Unknown Or Other

Rotor

Power Train

Structure

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING STATE SPEED LIMIT HEARD A KNOCKING ON FRONT END OF VEHICLE WHILE APPLYING BRAKES. *AK *TT"

"CONSUMER NOTICED THE RIGHT FRONT BRIDGESTONE ,#P265/70R16, DOT#7X72PDD3301, TIRE HAD A CRACK, THE TIRE HAD ONLY BEEN USED FOR THREE MONTHS, HAD CONTACTED DEALER, BUT FIRESTONE NOR TOYOTA WOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEFECTIVE TIRE, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING TOYOTA TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE. T..."

"CONSUMER STATES THAT THE STEEL WHEELS ON THE VEHICLE HAVE STARTED TO RUST. CONTACTED DEALER AND CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO REACH A DEAL ON NEW ALLOY WHEELS. NLM *TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Body 76 complaints

25th: 94,000 mi Median: 133,000 mi 75th: 171,145 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 54 complaints

25th: 12,250 mi Median: 30,000 mi 75th: 70,063 mi

Frame And Members 45 complaints

25th: 75,500 mi Median: 92,000 mi 75th: 131,064 mi

Suspension 42 complaints

25th: 80,993 mi Median: 131,394 mi 75th: 164,750 mi

Steering 34 complaints

25th: 74,000 mi Median: 122,000 mi 75th: 149,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 83 MA: 60 PA: 40 NY: 39 OH: 34 TX: 31 FL: 23 VA: 23 NJ: 23 MD: 20

Who Files Complaints?

28%

Original Owners

72%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Tundra — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2000	1333	100,000	Frame And Members	61
2001	542	100,000	Frame And Members	37
2003	520	105,000	Body	40
2004	650	104,000	Body	35
2005	490	83,840	Air Bags	47
2006	675	99,500	Air Bags	50
2007	535	51,888	Vehicle Speed Control	40
2008	458	48,000	Vehicle Speed Control	31
2009	53	47,897	Engine	1
2010	216	43,000	Suspension	20
2011	184	69,000	Engine	11
2012	213	79,786	Engine	11
2013	105	54,000	Engine	9
2014	115	41,500	Electrical System	3
2015	54	53,500	Service Brakes	4
2016	150	14,200	Service Brakes	4
2017	109	18,000	Electrical System	3
2018	148	7,000	Electrical System	7
2019	101	12,000	Unknown Or Other	5
2020	52	2,775	Unknown Or Other	5
2021	30	-	Unknown Or Other	1
2022	592	25,550	Engine	7
2023	525	28,361	Engine	9
2024	392	13,900	Engine	3
2025	163	4,061	Engine	9

Active Recalls (6)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Headlights

Campaign 09E025000 | 11/05/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.

Underbody Shields

Campaign 09V444000 | 18/11/2009

SEPARATION OF THE SPARE TIRE AND DIMINISHED BRAKE CAPACITY COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.

TOYOTA IS ASKING OWNERS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES TO REMOVE THE SPARE TIRE FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE UNTIL A REMEDY CAN BE OBTAINED. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR CROSS MEMBER AND RELATED COMPONENTS, INCLUDING THE BRAKE LINES, AND REPLACE THEM IF NECESSARY. IF THE CROSS MEMBER DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPL

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E065000 | 17/07/2006

LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E026000 | 23/03/2006

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.

Lower Ball Joint

Campaign 05V225000 | 17/05/2005

THE LOWER BALL JOINT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE KNUCKLE CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Wheels

Campaign 02V129000 | 01/05/2002

DIFFERENT OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE EXPERIENCED WHEN THE SPARE TIRE IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE.

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CAUTION LABEL AND AN INSERT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28