Consumer Reports Ranks Tundra 2nd Least Reliable Half Ton Truck in America

So, I think we all have our favorite threads (you know the ones we 'watch' or click on first when we open up the website)...

From there it's scan the home page for anything active that looks interesting...

Sometimes it's suspension; sometimes it's whiskey; sometimes it's the First Gen dudes bringing something back to life...

However, I have to say, that lately my go to has been anything in the 3rd Gen section that your screen name is active in. It's bound to have some good laughs in it ...

 

It did...

Serious question (and this really gets at the heart of the concern those of us that have owned or do own a 1st or 2nd Gen and may have been previously excited about potentially owning a 3rd gen)...

...would it be safe to say that our suspicions may have been correct (upon initial release and inspection of the 'new' 3rd Gens) and that Toyota may have taken a turn down a path of having the engineers concern themselves too much w/tech and 'blingy' stuff (like AC, raptor lights, big infotainment screen, heads up display, etc.) at the same time they were also developing a new engine, motor, suspension, etc... and allowed the concerns of catering to a 'techy" driven market override building a proper foundation and developing a sound mechanical product first and foremost???

Many of us were excited about the release of the 3rd Gen and its possibilities of providing the Tundra experience but w/better performance, mileage and some newer tech... However, as they were being released and the focus wasn't on performance or capabilities, it was very easy to see that some of their (Toyota's) promises were going to fall short. Think about how long it took them to even release MPG data. The trucks were tested, they probably weren't seeing the #s they were hoping for, and EPA wasn't allowing them to fudge the numbers. So, they held out on publishing; my guess is to possibly de-tune a bit and see if they would improve, but who knows ...

Then unfortunately, we started seeing significant issues pop up such as external engine problems, electronic problems, noise problems, internal engine problems, MPG complaints, etc.... and no, not everyone has had or will have these problems; hopefully by the numbers they are minimal because I hate to see people spend money on a product and then not get the value they should have received from their purchase

Look, I personally hope that everyone who has purchased a Gen 3 has one of 2 experiences... either they've had relatively mild issues or none at all and have been able to either enjoy their truck and feel they are getting what they paid for, or for those that have had ailments I hope that Toyota provides them a timely and fair resolution.

After all, at some point, I will be looking to purchase another truck and would like to have something to look forward to purchasing that will perform as expected and is reasonably reliable.

 

Well stated...

 

Always laugh when CR ranks Tundra at or near the top for 20+ years and it is pure gospel. Now, like every other piece of literature on the planet, it says the Tundra is junk and all of a sudden it's no longer to be trusted. Hilarious.

 

Elon Musk effect.

 

CR is a partisan rag funded by left leaning advocacy groups with an agenda. If you think their reviews are completely unbiased, you're fooling yourself.

 

Looks like we’ve officially hit the bottom of the barrel of excuses resorting to ad hominem fallacy.

 

It common knowledge CR is funded by left leaning advocacy groups. Are you naive enough to think that doesn't affect their reviews?

BTW, how do you find the time to spend so much of it here?

 

This is exactly where I am. I wish zero ill will on any 3rd generation owner. I’ve been on the fence now for too long and need to get a new car. I swore I’d never buy another dodge after replacing the transmission in my last one twice in under 100k miles. However at least it always got me home, only cost about $2k to do and only took a few days. I cannot say the same for these engines Toyota is putting out. The tundra was never about having the latest whiz bang tech or fancy tailgate or whatever the big 3 were up to win over the those folks that buy a new truck every 3 to 5 years. Tundra buyers were often those that primarily bought a truck to keep 8 years or even longer and saw value in reliability in longevity over and above amenities. They were willing to do without all those features and constant refreshes/updates to drive a truck that was reliable and long lasting. If the Tundra is now no longer the reliable or long lasting option why should the buyer do without all the features and updates from the big 3? Maybe it says more about the American truck consumer than it does about Toyota. If the big 3 are churning out disposable trucks but most people will buy them and constantly go into debt every 3 -5 years to get the latest plastic fantastic push button thinga ma jigger, then did Toyota say “if we can’t beat them, join them?”

 

If that were true (it’s not) they are doing a pretty terrible job looking after their comrades at the UAW…

 

Yep and not much else, but You’ll still see examples of that generation on the road every day and every major American city unlike most of their competition. I drove my buddies two months ago still very solid truck.

 

TLDR

 

Yes, the access cab was available on the gen 1, as well as the regular cab and double cab.

 

I owned a 1st Gen for a short period of time; traded it for my 2008 Tundra.

Overall it really was and still is the epitome of a mid-size truck.

Just a tad wider than a 4 runner, so ideal for trails.

Not a lot of gimmicks, so not a lot to fail (mechanically and electronically speaking).

These trucks were just plain comfortable (not in terms of super plush seats or tech features), but they had an awesome layout; everything was easy to find and get to, seats made you feel at home (like your favorite love seat or recliner), yours knees weren't bangin' into shit all the time.

Steering was smooth, braking in relation to the size of the truck was good.

If you do end up looking to purchase one of the others, here is something you may find helpful... I haven't owned any truck but a tundra, so I don't have experience w/reliability, etc. However, after the 3rd Gen Tundra was finally released, it was so late in the year (2021) that I thought I was not going to be able to find a new '21 Pro (that wasn't 5-15k over MSRP), so I ended up dropping a deposit and placing an order on an F150 Tremor. Point being, Ford is still running their x-plan pricing (dealerships are not required to participate, but some still do) which gives you a set price point under 'invoice' and even annotates what a dealer can charge for certain fees such as 'docs'. To qualify for x-plan, you just need to be a member of something like MCA (mustang club of America); just grab a digital membership for $30 and after 90 days you can use their x-plan program. This will give you the chance log on w/your 'code' and see actual final pricing on the Ford Website as you are building; you then find a dealer that will honor it; go down drop a deposit (usually $500); have them complete your build/order and wait... It was pretty transparent. At the time I built a 150 Tremor with 402a package (leather, AWD, crawl control, upgraded Torsen front diff, and other BS) for just under $66k out the door... MSRP on it was just over $72k! It works on a lot of their products, but there are exclusions such as the Raptor, the Broncos, Lightning, and I think F-450s. You can now get them w/the eco boost or the V8 engines, which wasn't an option back then....

Fortunately for me, I located a new '21 Pro a few weeks after my order at a dealer in IA; they gave me a fair price on it, I arranged shipping and had it delivered to me in a couple of weeks for several thousand less than any of my local dealers' price points...

Again, I'm not loyal to Ford, but if I getting something that may be quirky in terms reliability I'll go w/features and comfort of the F150; especially after dealing w/a dealership (fleet sales person) that was super transparent and easy to work with... She even refunded my $500 deposit (when contract said it would be forfeited). I called her once I finalized my deal w/the Toyota dealer, and she said it wasn't a problem that I'm cancelling as she'll have it sold before it arrives at showroom pricing (which at the time was $5k above MSRP)..... it was really strange cuz they wouldn't honor X-plan for anything on their lot, but as long as it was done as an order (3-4 month wait at the time) their fleet sales team were allowed to take x-plan.

Anyhow, just an option.... if you find yourself stuck and looking for another brand.

I will say though, the market has adjusted quite a bit, and it looks like slightly used Gen 2.5s can be had for more reasonable pricing these days; which is another good option.

 

An opposing viewpoint is that they did focus on performance and capability and delivered on it nicely .

they did that while also significantly improving comfort and convenience, with many more options and features

it’s outstanding when I back it up to my trailer , hit the down button and it lowers it down to hitch up , after the drastically improved back up camera puts the ball directly under the mount so you don’t even have to move the trailer tongue (even in the dark with the tailgate light ). I then hook it up and hit level or N, it then perfectly levels the trailer and stays that way. Rides 100% better on the air bags , towing stability is significantly improved as well.

it then pulls (with higher towing and payload ratings , btw) much easier and effortlessly. Ease it down when you need to pass and the boost spools up and the sweet 10 speed puts you right at the gloriously low torque peak of 2.,400 and it just glides forward with ease.

it will even back your trailer up straight for you if you want

so ya , Toyota did a great job and it was hands down the best 1/2 ton on the market for me when I tested them all. While I’m not a mpg guy, I don’t mine the 3-6 mpg better then my 2016, although liked the sound better

as for consumer reports , I don’t really care when the tundra was number 1 and I don’t really care what they say now, I have a kick ass problem free truck so far.

 

See, this is the kind of post that gives me confidence that once I do end having to replace my older gen trucks that I'll have something to look forward to from Toyota

Like I said in my post, I really hope many others are having the same experience you're having (and I'm sure they are)... no one deserves to spend good money on subpar QC or end up w/a product that they can't use because it's sitting for months waiting for a remedy. Comments like yours are one of the reasons I end up in the 3rd gen threads some times. I really do want to hear about guys have a great experience w/these rigs and when you see positive posts about folks' experience(s) w/them its refreshing and gives me hope of what is possible w/a future upgrade....

So, for me, when I sat in one when they first came out (end of '21). The front seats and cabin area felt much more 'confined'; almost like my 2019 4 Runner... I know some of that was the wider console area to give a more 'cockpit feel', but my knees seemed to be riding that center console area and it felt like the arms rests were a bit close. It was probably just me or how I prefer to sit in my trucks, but it just wasn't as comfortable for me

I will say though, when I was towing a lot w/my '08, I would've killed to have the kind of tech you're talking about on your rig for trailer hook up and such... that would've saved so much time and made things much easier. But, with that being said, it also seems like a lot more to go wrong especially w/how everything is tied together electronically these days. It would be one thing if that feature just went down, but everything else was still good till you got home or done w/a trip. But, it seems like the 'errors and warnings' for some of those things dive into other areas when they go awry which isn't good either..

 

I'm old school with trailers and thought the cameras were non-sense. Turns out, I really like them on the Tundra. The view of the hitch is the best I've seen. The back up lines work great on my uphill curved drive where I lose sight of the trailer. Nice stuff I like having.

 

100%, makes things way easier and this is where the huge SUPER CLEAR screen is even better , especially for those of us without 20 year old eyes anymore , lol. You can tell they focused on the hitch view with views and lighting , the the ball mount mark is dead on balls

the back up view and overhead view is awesome , really helped when I was sqeezing between trees at the fishing resort after I dropped my trailer , also the front camera is handy at times as well

 

Can't fault you one iota with your argument except CR is likely the most objective ranking of reliability we have at the moment and many Toyota buyers have historically placed a premium on that. The math doesn't lie and depreciation numbers back that up. Otherwise I think your points are 100% valid.

Man that's a pretty truck! Is that Blueprint? I had not seen one till a few months back and was shocked at how good it looks in person.

 

yes blueprint platinum fully color matched , thanks for the compliment

as far as consumer reports , if you value that, that’s fine, I don’t really value it , with toasters or trucks, I don’t need help making my decisions from them or JD or any magazine type deal, never did , I’ve owned 5 tundras, I like Toyota trucks . I have owned a ram and tested them all this time around , still found the tundra to be the best

and I don’t care about the score on reliability as the other side of that is shit can happen to anything , I trust Toyota more to fix things when shit happens. The ford broke down on the test drive , does a higher consumer reports help me there? Nope .

that said , I don’t knock anyone who wants to read consumer reports for ratings etc, that’s fine .

above all, I recommend going and test driving them all and buy what you like , piss on what magazines say, shit can happen to anything .

as far as depreciation numbers , I ran a fast kbb, the middle of the private party is still 60k, I mean the sticker is only 68k, how much better does it have to be, it’s a used truck ?

That said , I’m in the position (through hard work), that how much my truck goes down in value doesn’t super factor into the purchase , but I certainly understand those of us who it is very important to.

I would recommend this rule, if getting top dollar back at the end of ownership is that important to the level of impacting the purchase , then I would not be spending 60-80k on a depreciating asset truck .

 

While sitting in their living room wearing their mask!

 

Seems accurate.

The new Tundra is taking over the old position Dodge/Ram occupied. Both in sales and reliability rankings. LOL.

 

ouch

funny thing , the two trucks (full size) With the least amount of problems I have had are the 2013 ram sport and my 2023 tundra platinum (so far anyways)

but, but, but, the ram has THE highest ranking from jd power

 

All of the reliability rankings by JD Power and Consumer Reports are going to be somewhat flawed.

The data sets they have to draw from are dependent on people dumb enough, bored enough, or mad enough to fill out their surveys.

Unfortunately for Toyota there’s enough Tundra owners who fit those descriptions to have sunk the Tundra survey ratings. I think Toyota earned it, and now they get to try to repair their relationship with buyers. They have an uphill battle now.

If they’re smart they will scrap the V35A-FTS for the mid cycle refresh and offer a whole new engine (unlikely), or plan to kill off the Tundra shortly after the 2026 refresh. My guess is 2028 or 2029 will be the final years for the Tundra and it will go the way of Nissan’s Titan.

 

so they are going to kill it when it’s selling better than ever and they are gaining market share and they moved the taco to crank up production?

Thats not a post I would expect from you

 

For the record I predict that anyone who has a subscription to any one of those publications is probably an insufferable turd.

Anyone who subscribes to any combination of those is such a sad sack pile of shit their own families don’t even want to be around them.

 

I think truck sales in general are going to slow down, and the recall process and cost are going to put a bad taste in Toyota’s mouth in Japan. Sales might be strong but if the truck gets a reputation as a lemon they’re going to slow down, and if this recall eliminates all the profits then it’s an easy decision for Japan to make.

Toyota only plays in this market to appease their North American arm, given how half hearted the 3rd Gen is vs the new Tacoma it’s pretty evident. I think Toyota Japan would happily abandon the full-size truck market if they had a good excuse. This might be it.

 

According to this site, it IS true.

 

Unless I missed it, we're five pages into this thread and nobody has bothered to mention that the Silverado/GMC 1500 ranks one point lower than the Tundra. Hmmmm. And the Ram 1500 is the most reliable 1/2 ton? Laughable.

 

There are plenty of guys on here who came from recent Ram 1500’s that have said the trucks were pretty trouble free.

I have more than a few co-workers who like theirs.