KnownCarProblems2005 Toyota Tundra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 377 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Toyota Tundra, most often about the body and structure (24% of complaints, typically around 126,500 miles). It is 10th of 27 Tundra model years by number of complaints and has 12 recalls.
Most common 2005 Toyota Tundra problems
Body and structure
91 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 126,500 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
I went to a certified Toyota dealer for an oil change few days ago and they notified me about the massive corrosion on the frame that do not reflect the age or the overall condition of my vehicle. They strongly recommend me to stop driving the vehicle immediately due to the high degree of damage on the entire body. I…
Frame has prematurely rusted resulting in the sway bar mounting bracket to break off. Frame is close to complete failure which would result in fuel and brake lines severing with catastrophic result.
Air bags
83 complaints · 22%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, on-off switch assembly, side/window.
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tundra. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle veered to the right. The vehicle went off the road and crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was taken to…
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact stated that the seat belts fractured during the crash and the air bags did not deploy. The driver was reported injured and transported to the hospital where he remained for five days to treat injuries to the…
Suspension
76 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 118,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
My 2005 Toyota Tundra was recalled for rust problems, and in 2013 the Toyota dealership applied a coating to the frame which they advised would remedy the problem. On 06/01/18 I noticed I however have holes in my frame near where the suspension attaches, and the frame is not safe for operation on the road. The…
Frame has prematurely rusted resulting in the sway bar mounting bracket to break off. Frame is close to complete failure which would result in fuel and brake lines severing with catastrophic result.
Brakes
41 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 60,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, antilock, pedals and linkages.
Everytime I came to a stop light or sign, the brakes would lose pressure and then the car starts going through the light, while I am still holding the brakes. The would also lose pressure to where I could not stop in the middle of a hot day. Problem was consistent first thing in the morning on the way to work. Took it…
Brake fluid low-Toyota service center said master cylinder was leaking onto vacuum pack thus both had to be replaced, an extremely expensive repair that should not be necessary on a low-mileage vehicle.
Transmission
35 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 62,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly, manual transmission.
We received several recall notices for frame deterioration and the need for inspection, correction and anti-corrosion chemical application. We took it to the Toyota dealer as requested. They called the next morning to have US pick up the vehicle and the anti-corrosion spray (black gooey stuff similar to undercoating)…
2005 Toyota Tundra double cab sr5 transmission mount has 4 bolts and a plastic centering piece 3 of the bolts had worked their way out and the 4th was half way out centering piece was loose and floating in the crossbeam tightened the one bolt went to bob tyler Toyota in pensacola, fl. All that was asked of mewas did I…
Other or unspecified
26 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 148,500 miles.
Upon close inspection (vehicle parked) the truck has severe (more than average) corrosion/ perforation (rust) of the main frame/ chassis. Toyota had undercoated the vehicle to resolve the issue although this only masked the underlying corrosion, allowing for the corrosion to go unnoticed. The frame has currently…
Cold start of vehicle, very large noise, lasted about 1 minute. Only does this when cold start. If vehicle has been driven no sound. Research indicate, that other problems noted on the internet were the air injection pump, and switching values, has foam that has deteriorated and fell down on the dc motor and burned…
Engine
25 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 76,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
Noticed liquid on ground underneath engine after driving. Opened hood to discover antifreeze/coolant dripping from overflow reservoir which was full. Coolant was extremely dark brown in color. Took it to Toyota dealer who completed flush, replaced sensor, and faulty radiator cap (torn gasket).
Loss of acceleration power. Dealer quote $3,745 to replace pump/valve/driver assemblies. Told by repair shop same issue as technical bulletin addressed on 2007-2010 tundras power issues. If true, seems a recall should have been required to repair 2005 year models.
Speed control
24 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 34,500 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.
Cruise control down shifts two gears on slight upgrades. Even elevation changes of less than fifty feet on the highway can trigger this. The sudden unintended application of full throttle acceleration is alarming and dangerous. This surge or power always result in the cruise control surging past the set speed usually…
I have experienced floor mat entanglement issues and uncommanded accelerations with my 2005 Tundra double cab. I also have experienced a clunking sound in my brakes/front end when I shift into reverse and then apply the brakes. The dealer has told me all of these issues are normal which according to the recalls for…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2005 Toyota Tundra recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began november 20, 2019. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are j0a, j0b, and j0c. Lexus' numbers for this recall are jli, jlj, and jlk.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4runner, 2003-2006 tundra, 2003-2013 corolla, 2009-2010 corolla matrix, 2004-2005 rav4, 2002-2007 sequoia, 2011-2013 sienna, 2008-2012 scion xb, 2008-2009 lexus is-f, 2007-2012 yaris and lexus es350, 2010-2017 lexus gx460, 2002-2010 lexus sc430, 2006-2012 lexus is250 and is350 and 2010-2015 lexus is250c and is350c vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the toyota and lexus owners. General motors will notify the pontiac vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the air bag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began january 23, 2019. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987 or pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for these recalls are j0a (zone a toyota), j0b (zone b toyota), j0c (zone c toyota), jli (zone
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 lexus sc and toyota sequoia, 2003-2005 toyota corolla and tundra, and 2003-2007 pontiac vibe vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation.
Seats: seat heater/cooler
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Set will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on july 14, 2016. Owners may contact set customer service at 1-866-405-4226. Set number for this recall is set16b.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota distributors, llc (set) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4runner, highlander, sequoia, and sienna, 2005-2010 avalon and tundra, 2006-2008 camry solara, 2006-2010 highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 rav4 and tacoma, 2007-2010 fj cruiser, 2007-2011 camry hybrid, 2009-2010 venza, 2010-2012 prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Air bags: side/window
Risk: If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on december 1, 2016. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is g0c and glb.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 toyota land cruiser and lexus lx470, 2005-2006 toyota tundra and sequoia, 2004-2006 toyota 4runner and lexus gx470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 2003-2004 corolla and corolla matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15v-043 and 15v-285 are under a do not drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac vibe owners will be notified by gm. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on july 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v-312 in its entirety.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) notified the agency on may 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 sequoia vehicles manufactured august 18, 2003, to august 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 tundra vehicles manufactured march 18, 2003, to august 25, 2004. On june 16, 2015, toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 sequoia, 2005-2006 tundra, 2003-2007 corolla, 2003-2007 corolla matrix, 2003-2007 pontiac vibe and 2002-2007 lexus sc vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been ins
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: 2003-2004 corolla and corolla matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15v-043 and 15v-286 are under a do not drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac vibe owners will be notified by gm. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on july 13, 2015. Pontiac vibe owners may contact gm at 1-800-762-2737. Gm began the recall on june 29, 2015. Note: this recacl
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) notified the agency on may 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 lexus sc, toyota corolla, corolla matrix, sequoia, and pontiac vibe, and 2005-2006 toyota tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in florida, along the gulf coast, puerto rico, hawaii, the u.s. Virgin islands, guam, saipan and american samoa. On june 16, 2015 toyota expanded the recall to cover an additional 769,055 vehicles, including certain model year 2002-2004 lexus sc, toyota sequoia, 2003-2004 toyota corolla matrix, toyota corolla, pontiac vibe, and toyota tundra vehicles, as well the vehicles covered by the may 13, 2015 notification in the portions of georgia, alabama, louisiana, mississippi and texas that were not previously included. The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessit
Equipment: labels
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
Full defect summary
Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Suspension: lower ball joint
Risk: In extreme cases, if the vehicle is continuously operated in this condition, the lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle and could cause a loss of vehicle control.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints. The recall began on february 28, 2007. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
On certain trucks and mini vans, due to possible improper finishing of the front suspension lower ball joint, some ball joints may experience an incidental deterioration of the internal lubrication. This may cause the ball joint to wear and loosen prematurely, which could result in increased steering effort, reduced vehicle self-centering, and noise in the front suspension.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: As a result, the vehicle occupants will not be made aware of whether or not the air bag is activated and ready to protect the occupant as appropriate.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front passenger occupant classification system indicator lens. The recall began august 5, 2005. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup trucks equipped with automatic transmissions and optional fabric front captain's chairs fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' these vehicles were built with an incorrect front passenger occupant classification system indicator light lens which will not display the status of the front passenger air bag.
Air bags: on-off switch assembly
Risk: This standard establishes requirements for child restraint anchorage systems to ensure their proper location and strength for the effective securing of child restraints, to reduce the likelihood of the anchorage systems' failure, and to increase the likelihood that child restraints are properly secured and thus more fully achieve their potential effectiveness in motor vehicles.
Fix: Dealers will remove the manual air bag on-off switch, replace the owner's manual, and affix a new sun visor air bag warning label. The recall began in early january 2007. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, 'child restraint anchorage systems.' these vehicles have a manual air bag on-off switch to disable the front passenger air bag and do not have a child restraint lower anchorage system in the front passenger seat. This specification does not meet the standard requirements.
Engine: exhaust system
Risk: In this condition, the exhaust pipe flange may rub against the right rear brake line, which could cause brake fluid leakage. This could lead to an increase of vehicle stopping distance, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if so equipped, will replace the trd dual exhaust system free of charge. During this replacement, the dealer will also inspect the specific brake line to assure it has not been damaged and replace it if necessary. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup trucks equipped with both vehicle stability control (vsc) and the trd dual exhaust systems. The trd dual exhaust system met all clearance specifications on models without vsc, however the driver's side exhaust located in a position where contact between a brake line found only on vehicles with vsc and the trd exhaust pipe might occur.
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
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
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
Lower ball joint failure
Summary
In a letter dated january 18, 2007, toyota notified NHTSA of a safety defect in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 toyota tundra and my 2004 through 2007 toyota sequoia vehicles produced between september 15, 2003 and november 17, 2006 (NHTSA recall no. 07v-013). According to toyota, ?in the front suspension lower ball joint on the subject vehicles, due to possible improper finishing of the ball joint, such as the aspect of the ball stud surface, some ball joints may experience an incidental deterioration of the internal lubrication. This may cause the ball joint to wear and loosen prematurely, which could result in increased steering effort, reduced vehicle self-centering, and noise in the f
Questions about the 2005 Toyota Tundra
- What are the most common problems with the 2005 Toyota Tundra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: body and structure (91 complaints, typically around 126,500 miles); air bags (83 complaints, typically around 86,000 miles); suspension (76 complaints, typically around 118,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2005 Toyota Tundra have?
- 12 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 17, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2005 a bad year for the Toyota Tundra?
- It is 10th of 27 Tundra model years by number of complaints, with 377 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.