Disappointed Tundra New Owner

I just dumped my Ford F-150 with 104,000 miles after spending thousands of dollars on ECM issues and towing bills. I moved over to Toyota after I found a 2007 Tundra 5.7 with 45,000 miles, owned by a retired couple who only used it for vacations. It is like new in every way. I have had it 6 months and it is (was) the best vehicle I have ever owned. I went in for a routine maintenance at the dealership and got an oil change and a transmission flush. Saturday morning I got up and packed it full headed to the beach for a long Memorial Day camping trip. I headed down our street and as I was going up the hill the check engine light came on, the VSC light and the squiggly tires traction light. It went into limp mode, too. I called the dealer and they said it was not drivable. Tow truck coming tomorrow. I need to be armed for bear tomorrow. What can I expect? Vaseline? Not too happy right now. Ford DejaVu allover again.

 

What made you do the transmission flush? Didn’t think it was recommended on our trucks.

What was the weather like that day? If I had to guess on what would make a Tundra go in limp mode it would be the secondary air pump which is notorious. Usually gets stuck open or stuck shut if your in a cold climate.

Got a friend with a code reader? If it’s the secondary air pump there is a bypass module for under $200 which fixes the issue that Toyota will charge a couple grand for.

 

They going in dry no vaseline bud

 

It happened this week. Only 69 degrees outside at 9:00am. I can get a code reader, but the question is, "Will a reputable shop install the bypass module since all of this is emission stuff?" Thanks.

 

They will most likely do it if you pay in cash (no record of transaction or services rendered).

 

I would wait to find out what's the problem before trying to come up with a fix.

 

It's more than likely AIP'S. If you read about it you will see it was a major problem with the 2nd Gens. I went through it @66k.Toyota didn't establish a recall, but put out a repair TSB -10 years/150k. Unfortunately that's come and gone. As mentioned above the bypass is your cheapest route. I will suggest you call Toyota and explain to them what's going on, especially with only 45k. Who knows they might cover it. Kill'em with kindness. Great find, under the circumstances, a 07 with only 45k, that's a great find AIP'S or not

 

Check all your intake hoses make sure they are tight.

 

Have you checked the battery? My truck threw out a Xmas tree of lights and it turned out to be the battery.

Sorry this is happening. If it is AIP's hopefully they good will it.

FWIW, they good willed my 2007 Camry Hybrid battery 8 months and 7k miles out of warranty.

Good luck.

 

Keep us posted

 

How long was it from time of services at the dealership to when it went into limp mode? You could possibly link the dealer to the issue..."it was perfect before you guys touched it" type thing.

It could have also had these issues previously and the last owner or shop you got it from cleared the codes to sell it? It's worth an OBD2 scan, see what codes its throwing

 

Exactly i think something to do what the dealer did. More than likely a ecm flash or the transmission flush. Never flush automatic transmission after 20,000 miles only flush if you have it new so you can flush it every 10,000 no problem but at 45,000 no way. The flush can move around particles in different area of the tranmission which is not good. But ill bet its something to do with the dealer. I have 2008 tundra for over 2 years with 96,000 not a single problem very reliable..

 

I can't help but laugh when everyone says "limp mode". 64 years old, I shouldn't be laughing at that. Sounds like something I would tell my doctor

 

“If you go out of limp mode for more than four hours, take your truck out of Beast Mode and call your service department right away”.

 

Yup. I avoid letting others work on my vehicles at all cost. That way I don't have coincidental failures. If you can do the routine service yourself, your Toyota won't see the inside of a repair shop often.

 

Sorry to hear about this!

I just did installed a by-pass kit this week—it took 45 minutes. I used the Hewitt Technologies kit, which comes with step-by-step instructions with photos. Do your homework if you go this route, as not all products for the AIP's have the same features.

https://hewitt-tech.com/store/

 

OK. Not a happy ending. I tried to as professionally as I could to tell the dealer that my truck was perfect in every way before the oil change, transmission flush and new battery cables installed. Codes show a "separate issue" according to dealer. Complete failure on my AIP'S system. I requested the number for Toyota corporate and spoke at length with a rep about my situation and my loyalty to Toyota. ( I think I had a bad rep) The young fellow kept reading out of manual like a service tech from a call center in India. He could have cared less about my situation. I asked him to extend some sort of good will, coupons, anything to ease the pain. He wouldn't budge. I called the dealer back and they were hands off, too. The fellow who took my payment at the dealer told me this happens more than you think with 1st and 2nd generation Tundra's. He said he found a super nice Tundra at the dealership for his dad and a few weeks later the AIP's went out and it was 5 months out of warranty period. (10 years or 150,000 miles) So, I have spent right at $3,000.00 for service on this truck in the last two weeks. So buyers beware when buying Gen 1 and 2 Tundras. Get a Car Fax, if not you are driving a ticking money pit. AIP's replacement cost is between $2,500 - $4,000 depending on what part of the country you live in. I called a bunch of vehicle repair places and no one would touch the bypass kit as it is "technically" illegal as it bypasses the emission system. And Tundra mechanics at independent shops were quoting me about $2,100 for the repair. They buy the AIP's kit from Toyota. It takes a full day to install one. Cha-Ching! $$$$$$

 

Man, so sorry to hear this. I hate that for you.

Why is it so expensive to fix? Difficult to reach?

 

Sorry to hear it. That's a big hit. Glad I did the by-pass kit not too long ago. Driving with fingers crossed. Good luck going forward.

 

That sucks man. You could call cooperate again maybe get someone who wants to help

 

Your 12 year old truck has a minor problem and you're surprised?

 

Trucks break down, dogs run off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lb9dq-JZFI

 

It's a gamble with the 2nd gens with the AIP. It's a gamble with the 3rd gen's and the cam tower leak

I knew about these when I went and bought my Tundra with 99,000 miles. I hope living in North Texas and it not being very humid here, and reasonably dry compared to other parts of the country, will keep my AIP's from failing the same way.

That being said, if they do go, I fully plan on putting in the bypass kit myself. It's a two part repair, one is electronic that interfaces with your engine wiring, the other part is putting plates in that block off the pumps. You could just buy the kit, plug it in and when you feel comfortable, install the plates.

You don't need to spend a ton of $$$ to get this fixed.

And our 12 year old trucks are not impervious to maintenance/breakage because they are Yota's. I have already had to replace my water pump (first 3,000 miles of usage) and I have defective TSS wheels causing me grief. But these are still leaps and bounds more reliable than any other truck on the road IMHO.

 

Sorry man. I guess all brands have their faults and this is one of the few from the Tundra. Just a little Achilles’ heel. Smog bullshit getting in the way. The engines themselves are great! Some get a cam tower leaks, but it usually doesn’t lead to any type of reliability issues unless it’s leaking really bad. Good luck and hope you stick around bro.

 

Id like to add that a carfax will not tell you when a factory system will fail.

 

My brother likes this guy: good song ...

 

Not sure where you live, but can't you claim the truck is being used for "off road use only", or go to a non-emissions county in your state to have the work done?

That's how we get around putting race parts and "non-factory exhaust systems" on our cars in Ohio.

 

Spending $3,000.00 on a truck with less than 50,000 miles on it is a "minor" problem? And the part is only warranted for 12 months. I guess you and I have a different opinion on what is chump change. Then again maybe you wet your line out of an $80,000 bass boat. I'm a styrofoam minnow bucket kinda' guy.

 

Of course it will not show that, but a CarFax will show everything that has been done to your vehicle if serviced at any automotive dealership and reporting type garage. If I ever sell my truck this new install will be on the CarFax.