Toyota Tundra

[Iron Cowboy]

Looking at a used 2nd gen. 5.7 tundra to buy. are there any important updates or changes to pick one year over another? Like a 2009 instead of an 07 or 08? Any common problems or recalls to look out for? And if you own one how do you like it? good points vs bad? real world mpg? ....basically anyone with experience of one of these I'd like to hear from ,,figure the guys on this site would use one like I will, on the lake, in the woods, towing, not just bringing groceries home. Any help is appreciated.

[rundrave]

I have an 2008 5.7 crew max been a great truck. I just took it in for an oil change and 75k service and was shocked when they took me out to the service area to show me the pink "cotton candy" coolant running down the front of the engine.

I had an extended warranty so it was covered by Toyota. This is the first issue I have had with truck otherwise I am very happy with everything else.

I average about 15mpg with a large mix of city and highway driving. My best tank was 18.747 MPG and I have hand calculated and documented every tank of gas since I bought it.

I love the back seat in the crew max especially with 2 young kids. I think the suspension is a little stiff and it rides a little rough compared to some other trucks but its also a nice solid and tight truck still at 75k which I cant say for some of the other domestic trucks I have ridden in.

[Iron Cowboy]

thanks rundave. Exactly the kind of thing im looking for. and yea the truck I currently have rides rough the same way empty--that's how it should be in a truck. If i want a car ride I will drive a car..plus it rides a lot smoother and doesn't squat like its begging for mercy with a load on.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I have the same truck as rundrave except the double cab.

51k miles and the only issue I have run into is a cracked exhaust header, which was covered under the power train warranty.

I just put a set of tires on it last winter. It still has the original wiper blades, air filter, and cabin filter...

I agree it does ride a little rough but I also have the TRD package. The previous body style, which I also owned, road a lot smoother.

Same mileage. All around 15 mpg. A good day on the freeway 18 mpg. Average towing the boat or loaded down with camping gear & towing the boat, 13-15mpg. Same scenario fighting a 40 mpg sustained headwind on the way to Mille Lacs, 9 mpg!

I heard a rumor that the 2016 Tundra will have an optional 5.0 Cummins turbo diesel with 300hp and 500ft-lb of torqued with some estimated mpg's in the upper 20's. I might have my eye on a trade in!!

[LoonASea]

I run a 2012 tundra double cab with the 5.7 ,,,Towing my tyee I get 13.5 to 14.5 mpg towing my snowmobile I get better then 15 mpg ..empty the best I have ever gotten was 21.4 doing 60 on a long 2 lane road ,,doing 70 on the interstate I average 17 to 18 mpg ,,,,I drive a co truck (2012 Silverado) for work so the tundra is a rec/tow vehicle only ,,,the silverado pales in comparison to the tundra in mileage and comfort

[aanderud]

...

The previous body style, which I also owned, road a lot smoother.

...

Jeremy (or anyone else who owned the previous body style Tundra)...

How did the prior body style tow for you? My father in law is looking at some in the 2006 model year hoping to score a good deal due to the fact that most folks looking used will want the newer style. He also likes the smooth ride.

Anyway, the reason I ask about towing is that he wants to tow a travel trailer that weighs roughly 3500 lbs (up to 4000 fully loaded). I told him it probably wouldn't do the job, but I figured I'd check on here to see if anyone's got opinions. I think he was looking at the 4.7 liter (did they even make a bigger one back then?)

Thanks!

[Jeremy airjer W]

The 4.7 liter is the only V8 option for 2006 and older. The 5.7 started in the 2007.

The 4.7 will get you lower fuel economy. If I remember right on a really good day you where lucky to hit 17.

towing capacity is still pretty healthy at around 7,000 pounds.

Personally I wouldn't trade ride for the snort of the 5.7 liter. the 2007 and newer are rated at around 10,000 lbs of towing.

[aanderud]

The 4.7 liter is the only V8 option for 2006 and older. The 5.7 started in the 2007.

The 4.7 will get you lower fuel economy. If I remember right on a really good day you where lucky to hit 17.

towing capacity is still pretty healthy at around 7,000 pounds.

Personally I wouldn't trade ride for the snort of the 5.7 liter. the 2007 and newer are rated at around 10,000 lbs of towing.

Thanks, that's basically what I told him. I think he's looking at the discount in price AND the better ride quality, and doesn't care about being over-powered -- basically if it can tow a midsized travel trailer, he'll be happy with it.

I actually said I thought the 06 and older were 'soccer mom' pickups that weren't meant to tow and he should just go with the newer one and have no worries. Not sure he believes me, the soccer mom thing might have been a SLIGHT exaggeration (but probably not much given that it has lower horsepower with that 4.7L v8 than my wife's hyundai sedan with a 3.8L v6 ...).

[ClownColor]

I run a crew cab 2012 5.7. The one HUGE issues is the cold weather "limp mode." This was a big issue on many '07-'08 I believe and still have problems with today's models... Mine did it within the first year. "Apparently" there is a fix- so they say and thankfully mine hasn't done it again. You can google tundra cold limp...many reports.

I also get average 15 mpg. My tundra also has a lot of "squeaks" in cold weather especially around the dash, or when on rough roads.

[rundrave]

given that it has lower horsepower with that 4.7L v8 than my wife's hyundai sedan with a 3.8L v6 ...).

that 4.7 is a good motor and very reliable. I wouldnt hesitate to pull a trailer with one. There are a lot of high mileage 4.7L tundras and sequoias out there that people swear by that are still going strong today.

[JOHNBIGDOG]

I heard a rumor that the 2016 Tundra will have an optional 5.0 Cummins turbo diesel with 300hp and 500ft-lb of torqued with some estimated mpg's in the upper 20's. I might have my eye on a trade in!!

Little brother gets a diesel, big brother has to get one too?

[Duffman]

Had a 2005 4.7 and now have a 2012 5.7

There was a recall to reprogram the computer to avoid the "limp" mode.

Happened to me once before the recall, just disconected the battery to reset it and it was good to go.

No problems otherwise with the trucks, tow my 16.5 Alumacraft with a 60hp with ease.

Yes, not all that happy with the milege, probably around 16mpg on average.

But I didn't buy a truck to worry about gas consumption.

They gave me 10k for my first generation Tundra for trade in.

It had 170,000 trouble free miles on it.

[srj]

I have a 2012 xcab 4wd and no problems. It tows very well but does shift a lot to stay in the max power range. I spoke with a Toyota engineer support person about the shifting and was told it was designed that way and not to worry....the Tundra tranny is very stout. If you can keep your foot out of the gas, mileage can be pretty good. Like most trucks when you get over 60 the mileage starts down. I get 12 - 15 towing a 621 back and forth to L-O-W. On a 2400 mile trip to Saskatchewan the average was 14.98. Had a stiff headwind for the first 800 miles and a few hundred miles of dirt roads, fields, mud etc. I find the seat in the 2012 to be very, very comfortable for highway trips.

I had two first gen Tundras and they were very "refined". Very smooth, very nice ride, also no troubles of any kind. Pulled a Yarcraft Storm very well, but not like the 5.7 in the second gen trucks.

I had an 08 Sierra in between and that was a good truck too, but I'm happy to be back in a Tundra. Zero complaints.

[rundrave]

wanted to bump this thread back up. I am at roughly 81,500 miles on the odometer and just had a check engine light come on the other day. Got it scanned before taking it to the dealer. Code was P0418 for Secondary Air Injection System Relay A Control Circuit

Started googling it and see lots of hits for similar codes and issues. My truck never went into limp mode and ran perfectly fine despite the light being on. I never cleared the code so the light stayed on and made an appointment with dealer.

As I drove to the dealer ironically the light disappeared and went away. They were still able to confirm the code and are going to replace everything under voluntary recall. I am not sure what the fix entails or what the parts are but they are currently back ordered so who knows how long it will take to get parts for the fix.

I was told to keep driving it and clear the code if it comes back or disconnect the battery to get it out of limp mode if it happens.

Starting to lose faith in Toyota, after the water pump and now this. However I stop and think about it and if I was driving one of the big3 I would probably be stuck with the bill on this repair so at least Toyota is taking care of the problem for me.

Edited July 30, 2015 by rundrave

[ClownColor]

Hopefully you didn't get the flex fuel truck like I did. I never run that dump but one day my truck decided to think I did...again, like "limp mode", Toyota is aware of the problem but won't fix it until you have a problem with it. My breaks seam to stick on cold winter days for the first few miles as well. 

Love dropping big dough and having problems with a truck all under 40k miles...

[rundrave]

90k update on my 2008 Tundra. Both rear wheel bearings are allegedly bad. Had 4 brand new tires put on, and a 4 wheel alignment done truck handles and drives great. No vibrations, no steering wheel shake, it drives just like it always has and feels nice and solid. I don't hear any noise but the tech said he noticed it test driving after the new tires were put on. And my previous tires all were worn evenly.

I got home and jacked up each rear tire, put it in neutral and rotated them each by hand and didn't notice or hear anything. While lifted also tried to shake or move the wheels and there was no play at all.

They are being replaced under warranty, so I am not out anything but any other way to test this? I put in neutral, drove with windows down, drove around a curve etc. I don't hear anything.

Is there anything I can ask the tech to show or share with me to prove they are actually bad before, during or after they are replaced?

 

 

[delcecchi]

What would be tech's motivation to replace good parts under warranty?  What makes you not believe him?   

It might be of interest to ask him how he could tell, since you are used to the way it is.   I would be a little curious myself, but time is money for those guys, typically.