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2012 Toyota Tundra

The Verdict

63 Solid Pick

The 2012 Toyota Tundra has 154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (78 complaints) and body (40 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 63/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Toyota Tundra, consider the 2021 model year which has 85% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2021 has 85% fewer complaints

View the 2021 Toyota Tundra dashboard →

63

Klunk Score: Solid Pick

Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2000604266357647
2001240111152528
2002277113363351
200321037893638
200432624561940
200517637953432
2006313281433920
200718327278565
200816323337036
2009141698
2011527174513
201240720789
201331415340
201445524135
20151891091
201640323394
2017141327204
2018292219281
201925915211
20202247111
2021150521
202279261723445
202371121723432
202453132217344
2025395135712

By Category

Engine
78
Body
40
Electrical
20
Transmission
9
Brakes
7

By Severity

1
68
2
77
4
9

Worst Problems

Compare Against

See how the 2012 Toyota Tundra stacks up against rivals.

Complaints

Electrical 1

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 149,000. The vehicle was a dealer sale. An independent mechanic checked the vehicle history report and discovered a mileage discrepancy. The Carfax report indicated that the mileage was 379,000 in May 2025. The contact reported the odometer fraud to Wisconsin's Department of Transportation - Field Investigation Unit, which informed him that the odometer fraud was outside of their jurisdiction because the vehicle was purchased in Kentucky. The contact stated that the current approximate mileage was 395,000.

16d ago
Body 4

Product almost set my car on fire, luckily I was stop at a car wash when one the cleaning crew members noticed smoke coming out from under my hood my hood , I opened the hood and the actual light bulb was on fire, it burnt my original hardness of my vehicle and the housing of my head light

3mo ago
Electrical 1

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 137,355. The contact stated that while inspecting the glove box, the contact found three receipts that showed three different odometer readings. The contact then ordered a Carfax report and discovered that the mileage on the Title on October 4, 2025, was 252,307.

6mo ago
Electrical 1

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 161,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 260,000.

14mo ago
Electrical 2

Temperature Seat switches are not working, fire hazard does to malfunctioning.

21mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle started leaking fuel, and the contact smelled an abnormal fuel odor. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the fuel leak stopped. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuel tank valve assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 20,000.

22mo ago
Engine 1

Wife was driving truck and immediately went into limp mode on the highway. Check engine light came on, no accelerating then died. Had to get it towed. This is the 3rd incident with this issue.

23mo ago
Engine 2

The fuel pump failed on my Tundra. Several dashboard check engine lights suddenly lit up to warn me of the issue. While I was able to safely get it to a mechanic to repair the independent Toyota certified mechanic I use shared they have seen a volume of these where the car stops immediately with the Fuel pump failing completely. I was lucky as the day prior to this I was driving through mountain passes on the highway in Colorado. I have since found out from the feedback from my mechanic that they have repaired a volume of these, and it is a known issue by Toyota who issued a technical service bulletin. The fuel pump needs to be replaced with a different specification - the original pump is not sufficient. My concern is putting driver/passenger safety at risk with a complete fuel pump failure while driving. I consider this a near-miss for me, and would worry about others that are about to have this issue.

29mo ago
Engine 2

ECM safety recall air injection pump failure

31mo ago
Transmission 2

My power steering gear blew its seal on the passenger side losing all power steering fluid and almost making me crash into a car next to me, and Toyota refuses to cover it stating that I hadn't had the steering gear replaced prior to whenever their dates were this is clearly faulty equipment and faulty machine work on the steering gear itself. why won't Toyota cover it? I tried contacting One Toyota and Downtown Toyota here in Oakland California and they told me that they wanted $250 to inspect my vehicle and that I would definitely have to pay for it because my vehicle was not under recall it states it is a recall if you look it up.It is worded recall if they're not going to cover it sounds like they're trying to back out of covering it until someone gets seriously hurt or killed like I almost did, I will never buy another Toyota again as long as I live because clearly they don't care about the faulty equipment on their vehicles that's going to hurt or kill someone. All they care about is the mighty dollar and that's just wrong. Safety has gone rite the window and if anyone reading this is thinking about buying a Toyota, I would seriously think twice.

36mo ago
Transmission 1

2012 Tundra faced a lot of problems like air injection pump failures, sticking of secondary air pumps, knock, along with other issues like speed control, engine cooling, and throttle failure. At present, it has been slapped with 136 complaints, 4 recalls, and 1 investigation as recorded on NHTSA site.Sep 2, 2022

37mo ago
Engine 2

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while plowing his driveway, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. The vehicle suddenly lost power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that oil was needed. The mechanic became aware that oil was dripping through a small crack on the cam shaft on the right cylinder bank onto the exhaust manifold. The contact was informed that the engine wiring harness was burned. The mechanic recommended that the engine and transfer case be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed after an investigation, that there was no evidence of a defect. The claim was denied. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage 175,000.

38mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the light stayed illuminated while driving. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent certified mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the secondary air injectors needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the manufacturer had offered an Extended Warranty Program to cover the failure under "Warranty Enhancement Program ZG6" for "Air Injection Pumps and Air Switching Valves" and that the warranty had expired several months prior. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

43mo ago
Body 2

My driver's side rear lug studs all broke while driving, causing damage to my when and rear axle of the vehicle.

43mo ago
Body 2

The horn no longer works on the vehicle. I can no longer alert drivers who do not see me while driving or in parking lots. My auto shop confirmed the horn did not work and estimated the repair. There were no warnings.

43mo ago
Engine 1

Computer software issues. Flex full engine.

44mo ago
Engine 4

The engine leaks oil in front of the faulty designed cam tower seal and leaks on the manifold. This caused smoke to come from the oil burning off.

46mo ago
Engine 2

Secondary air injection pump has high rate of failure, recalls in older models. Has caused truck to go into limp mode. Could cause serious accident/fatality if vehicle suddenly goes into limp mode on highway. This has happened on multiple occasions in forums I’ve read. Known problem by Toyota that isn’t being addressed.

46mo ago
Body 1

The truck has paint peeling from it. There is currently a recall out for other models of Toyota with the same paint type as mine. Toyota says that the Tundra is not affected by this recall. I took the truck to Toyota they took down a report and told me to call the cooperate office to report it as well.

48mo ago
Body 2

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle experienced steering failure with abnormal popping sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21E103000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 156,485.

50mo ago

154 total

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