KnownCarProblems2002 Toyota Tundra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 482 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota Tundra, most often about the body and structure (32% of complaints, typically around 121,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Tundra model year since 2000 and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2002 Toyota Tundra problems
Body and structure
154 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 121,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Toyota Tundra. When the contact took the vehicle to be state inspected, he was informed that the front passenger suspension sub-frame was rusted and had holes. As a result, the vehicle failed inspection. The contact took the vehicle to a repair shop to be welded, but the mechanic stated that…
2002 Toyota Tundra recalled for frame rust issues. Took nearly 5 months for repairs, even with multiple calls to dealer and corporate. Vehicle needed further repairs when returned for broken right front stabilizer bar. Then failed sticker inspection because of dry rot in tires presumably from sitting so long? 1) NHTSA…
Brakes
117 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 32,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc, antilock.
Toyota Tundra 2002 the rotors keep warping, have had everything replaced 3 times, Toyota has admitted there is a defect but will not fix it unless we pay them $3000.00, will Toyota wait until this defect kills someone before they do a recall?
Breaks on Toyota tundras are defective and Toyota knows about it as stated in tsb #br004-02. My front brakes have worn out prematurely. The only reason that I have not experienced the problem sooner is that I mainly use the truck for occasional long distance highway trips. I am experiencing vibration when applying the…
Suspension
81 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 110,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
Failure of right front suspension resulting in wheel assembly coming off of vehicle. While pulling away from a traffic light the right front wheel assembly including driveshaft, brake rotor and all attached wires and hoses came off the truck and ended up under the vehicle.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Toyota Tundra. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the front passenger side of the vehicle collapsed to the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the lower ball joints failed. The failure was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number 05v225000 (suspension:front:control…
Transmission
51 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly, manual transmission.
My 2002 Toyota Tundra truck is not drivable at this time. The truck was brought to Toyota dealership after a local mechanic found fluid leaking from rear differential due to rust/rot. During the dealers inspection, they also noted a gas smell and suspect that the gas tank or gas lines are leaking also. The dealer did…
I own a 2002 Toyota Tundra and I have had approximately five occasions where I heard a clunk while driving the Toyota Tundra as if the transmission was slipping during the month of july 2010. On august 13, 2010, I was driving approximately 75 MPH when I had driven the Tundra approximately 200 miles, I pulled off of…
Steering
38 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 115,500 miles. Parts named most often: rack and pinion, hydraulic power assist system.
Fortunately I was off the interstate when making a right hand turn into a convenience store...........the steering suddenly became almost impossible to turn, actually causing me to turn into the outgoing lane at the store entrance. There was no advanced warning....just no steering on turns and no brake fluid in the…
When attempting to shift from park to reverse with the engine running and the brake applied, unexpectedly the column automatic transmission shifter completely broke loose from the steering column. The column bracket and housing were both found to be fractured, with the bracket separated from the housing. This rendered…
Other or unspecified
30 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 150,000 miles.
Frame has corrosion & perforation. Dealer said it will not pass state inspection. This is even after the phase one & two resolutions performed on this truck in 2010. In 2011 the rear gas tank strap broke. In 2012 the spare tire fell off while entering the interstate. This corrosion is an ongoing issue ever since I…
I recently found out about a problem with the frames of certain Toyota tundras from a coworker. I found that my truck fell into the category, however I was never notified of any recalls or safety actions. I brought my truck into the dealership and was told that the spare tire carrier will be replaced as well as the…
Wheels and tires
22 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 87,500 miles. Parts named most often: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs, rim, sidewall, temporary/emergency spare tire.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Toyota Tundra. After taking the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired for the ball joint recall, the vehicle began pulling to the right while driving between 25-65 MPH. The dealer stated that the tires were the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Last year my spare tire and holding bracket tore loose from the frame and onto the highway. I went to a local garage to find the cause of the problem and was told that the frame is so corroded it is not safe to drive. Latter we learned that there had been two major safety recalls on the 2002 Tundra.many were notified…
Fuel system
22 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage.
No major events but the paint began falling off my 2002 Tundra in 2009. I was just told the top of the gas tank is now rusted out as well. $900 to replace. I have kept this truck up well. Never had a gas tank rust out in any vehicle.
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal noise and the contact noticed that the fuel tank had separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the failure was due to rust and replaced the…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2002 Toyota Tundra recalls
Body and structure: underbody shields
Risk: Separation of the spare tire and diminished brake capacity could increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 replaced, it will be sprayed with a corrosion protection compound. These services will be performed free of charge, however multiple visits to the dealer may be required. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about april 30, 2010. Owner may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling model year 2000-2003 tundra vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the following states: connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. Excessive corrosion of the rear cross member may cause the separation of the spare tire stowed under the truck bed which would present a road hazard that could cause a crash. Also, corrosion of the rear cross member could affect the rear brake lines and the proportioning valve resulting in diminished braking capability.
Suspension: lower ball joint
Risk: The lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle causing loss of steering control and a crash could occur.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, due to a manufacturing issue in the front suspension lower ball joint, there is a possibility that the surface of the ball of the joint may have been scratched. The ball joint may eventually experience excessive wear and looseness, resulting in increased steering effort.
Wheels and tires: wheels
Risk: Different operating characteristics can be experienced when the spare tire is installed on the vehicle.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
On certain 4x2 vehicles equipped with an alloy wheel tire upgrade (options wm4, wm8, zl1-zl4, dh4, or dh5) installed by the processing centers in jacksonville, florida or commerce, georgia, a label identifying the spare tire as a temporary use spare tire was not installed. The upgrade includes 4 larger size tires with alloy wheels. The original spare tire/steel wheel is not part of the upgrade and was not changed.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Frame corrosion
Summary
This investigation was opened based on 20 reports of model year (my) 2000 and 2001 vehicles experiencing severe corrosion of the frame, resulting in either under-body mounted spare tire separation or rear brake failure.the failure report counts shown above are for my 2000 and 2001 vehicles only.by letter of november 16, 2009 toyota has notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (09v-444) of approximately 110,000 model year (my) 2000 through 2003 tundra vehicles.the affected recalled vehicles were sold or are currently registered in the district of columbia and the states of ct, de, il, in, ky, ma, md, me, mi, mn, nh, nj, ny, oh, pa, ri, va, vt, wi, wv.toyota alleges high amount
Ball joint separation
Summary
Odi received 3 consumer reports of alleged ball joint separation on my 2002 tundra vehicles.the complaints allege that a front suspension ball joint separated while driving, which caused the suspension to collapse and resulted in a loss of vehicle control.based on these complaints, odi opened pe02-040 and later upgraded to ea04-024 for my 2002 tundra vehicles.during ea04-024, additional failure data was identified as noted in the failure report summary above. On may 16, 2005, toyota notified NHTSA of a safety defect on my 2002-2004 tundra and sequoia vehicles (produced between august 1, 2001 and september 30, 2003), my 2001-2004 tacoma vehicles (produced between july 31, 2001 and december 23
Front suspension ball joint breakage
Summary
Odi opened pe04-040 based on three consumer reports of alleged ball joint failure.the complaints allege that a front suspension ball joint separated while driving, which caused the suspension to collapse and resulted in a loss of vehicle control.all of these complaints involved the failure of a lower ball joint.during the investigation, toyota identified a total of 15 complaints of lower ball joint separation, one of which resulted in a crash, and 28 warranty claims related to lower ball joint wear.odi's analysis showed that of the 15 separations, 11 were on four-wheel drive vehicles (24.2 per 100,000 vehicles), which make up approximately 40% of the 2002 my population (45,448 vehicles).odi'
Questions about the 2002 Toyota Tundra
- What are the most common problems with the 2002 Toyota Tundra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: body and structure (154 complaints, typically around 121,000 miles); brakes (117 complaints, typically around 32,500 miles); suspension (81 complaints, typically around 110,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2002 Toyota Tundra have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from November 18, 2009 (body and structure). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2002 a bad year for the Toyota Tundra?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Tundra model year since 2000, with 482 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.