Need Some Reassurance

I had a 2023 SR5 4X4 and had it stall in the middle of the road. Got scared and traded it in for a 2023 F-150 STX 4X4 with the 5.0L v8. Its much more basic than the Tundra was, and my wife does not like driving it at all with the kids when she has to given the lack of safety features such as BLIS.

When I first got the F-150, it was a nightmare. I had to send it to the shop numerous times for the A/C not working in the middle of summer. I had to have the transmission looked at twice and the blinker shifter replaced. Even though it was all under warranty, it was annoying. After all of that was said and done, the truck has been pretty decent. I love the roar of the 5.0L v8.

However, I got a pretty good deal on a 2025 SR5 4X4 and put down a deposit for a trade. I used to be active on the forum on my old deleted account and thought I would poke around and ask what you guys thought about my situation. I think it is pretty cool to have a Tundra and have the engine built here in my hometown, Huntsville, AL.

Another consideration was that my basic 2023 SR5 with a 3.5 inch lift and 35" Nitto Ridge Grapplers did amazing on offroad trails which is something I want to get back into. I was about to build up the F-150 and kept hearing that the F-150 is just not naturally built for offroad stuff. If the 3rd gen Tundra designed to do that on all trim levels?

I am still worried about the long term reliability of this truck and how long it will last and if I made a mistake getting rid of a relatively reliable engine with the F-150.

Does anyone still have the contact that gives great pricing on the extended warranties?

 

I came from a 2020 F150 with the 5.0 in the STX trim I agree with your wife the Toyota safety is by far a huge advantage. I did have a 3inch Elka lift and method wheels Toyo tires it handled awesome on the hunting trails up here in PA. But I wanted more comforts for daily driving. Which was my ultimate reason for selling along with the issues below

I sold my ford after 10seed transmission issues that they refused to warranty claimed it was normal for both 3rd and 5th gear to slip. I even flushed the trans fluids at 30k and still no fix after that and a re-flash of the transmission computer. Sold it at 33k miles and haven’t looked back.

Now I did upgrade significantly to a 1794 trim in the tundra but I got 5k miles on it two oil changes and I’m not looking back. I got a heck of a deal during Toyotathon on my 2024

 

ROLL TIDE!!!

The Tundra for me was the one that performed amazing on trails. I never got the test the F-150 out. The transmission skips and bangs and it makes me grit my teeth every time. My parents have a 2019 Expedition that just hit 80k miles and is out of warranty and needs a full transmission replacement.

 

Seriously nobody has anything else to add here??

 

I went from a 23 2.7 ecoboost to my 25 limited. Tundra is better in every aspect imo. Ford rear seat folding up is nice for the room, but the tundra still has plenty. Was the only and last ford I will ever own.

10 speed was terrible in it, ride quality was poor compared to my off road, and overall quality was not on par with the 1/2 dozen Toyotas I’ve had over the last 25 years, lesson learned.

buy a new tundra and extended warranty for piece of mind and enjoy the new truck!

 

@BlackBetty938 I feel your pain. I had a 2022 F150 King Ranch and it was snakebit from the first day I owned it. There was something new every couple of weeks. The killer was the drivetrain shudder. The dealer replaced the torque converter and later determined that the transmission was bad and needed to be replaced. Ford would not warranty the transmission. They considered the shudder a normal characteristic for the modern Ford 10 speed.

I traded for a 2024 Tundra 1794 and after 30K miles, I have been very pleased. There have been a couple of minor issues with the Tundra that Toyota addressed, but after owning that Ford, the Tundra is a pleasure. Having said all that, my build date is August 2023, so when I'm on a long trip, the thought of an engine failure is still in the back of my mind. So far, the engine has been flawless. Based on my experience with my 24, I would have no concerns with trading for a 25, especially with the reliability issues the other truck manufacturers are having.

 

PM sent with warranty information.

 

I mean, you’re on a Tundra forum. Plenty of positive reinforcement to be had here.

I love mine, but less than 5k on the odometer and my first truck. Sounds like your personality is quick to jump ship. Not a criticism, just an observation.

Toyota dealers can be annoying, but they are better than most.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/tundra-engine-recall-interesting-news.145939/page-154#post-3957137

Waiting for stuff to work out before jumping in myself.

 

Well I have had this F-150 for about a year. You are right and I think sometimes I overthink things. I'm going to get the extended warranty to ease my mind this time.

 

Thanks for the warranty information PM. And I agree with you. I hate the transmission shudder and I was surprised to hear that it is normal. It doesn't sound or feel normal and that it would wear down the transmission over time.

 

Semper Fi. I'm getting the extended warranty to ease my mind this time around. I think the transmission hump in the back is a bit of a design annoyance but I will take that over feeling the sudden shudder under my feet when driving. Every time I feel the shudder I grit my teeth.

 

I am hoping that the 2025's are making it out okay. I have seen a couple issues but are not related to the massive engine failure that happened before.

 

New one's probably have too little miles yet, but I'm hoping it really is fixed. Looking at replacing my (aging) sunday driver. Keeping 2nd gen for work, because she's a little scratched up for any meaningful return in a trade-in.

 

I don't know where you are getting the F-150 is not made to "off-road" because that's just silly. If you have more faith in the Tundra, get the Tundra a don't look back the 2025's I have in service have been flawless. As have my 2024/2025 F-150's and F-350's. These forums are an echo chamber so keep that in mind. Go to the Ford forums and it'll be the opposite conclusion.

Get what'll make you and your wife happy.

 

3 years ago coming back from Lime Rock Park, CT my dads 2017 5.0 F150 transmission line burst after my dad tried to adjust his speed on the cruise control. Waited 5 hours for my Gf to rescue us in my 2014 Tundra TRD OR. The next week when my dad’s truck was fixed he traded in next day for a 2021 Tundra TRD Sport.

 

I thought it was weird as well. The salesperson for Rough Country straight up told me that the F-150 was not meant to go off-roading. My first thought was... then why do you sell products for it then?? I also heard the same thing from a local 4X4 shop as well.

I still love Ford... I have only bought Toyota and Ford my entire life.

 

How has your 2023 been treating you?

 

Wonder if they've heard of a Raptor...lol

 

so far so good! I’m about to drive it 8 hours to Watkins Glen on Thursday. First road trip with it over 4 hours. Today had the oil changed and all looked clean.

I have put 25k miles on it now. Have the 10 year platinum warranty.

Only negatives I have are the couple common interior rattles but Toyota has fixed them for me.

Also, my highly biased suggestion is if you go back to Tundra, get the hybrid.

 

Drive it and enjoy it.

Someone on another forum said something like "seeing people with truck problems on a truck forum is like seeing sick people in the hospital". Makes sense to me. You'll get all the doom and gloom here, but you won't hear about the tens of thousands of people who love their truck and are having zero issues.

My disclaimer is, I don't own a gen 3, but I wouldn't be worried if I did.

 

I came from Ford (F250 Diesel) most beautiful vehicle I've ever owned. At 30k miles it had oil leaks, death wobble, EGR problems & 12 recalls, etc.etc. I love Fords & my son even works at the Ford truck plant, but I'll never own another one. Quality & longevity sucks.
I switched to a Tundra & never looked back. I did get an extended warranty from Jerry so I'm not going to worry one bit about it. Good luck on your choice.

 

Wow did they try and fix it under warranty?

 

This is incredibly true. It's a place to go to find answers for your problems and find out about problems you never thought about.

 

I got the regular gas version. I really couldn't justify the hybrid increase in cost.

 

Had a few Fords over the years and never had a problem with any of them.
Of course I always traded them in before hitting 100k on the odo.

 

I'll preface this by saying I don't own a 3rd Gen (2022+) Tundra.

That said, I own a 2020 Tundra, and back in 2020 I traded my 2013 F150 5.0L XLT 4X4 SuperCab in on said Tundra. Why, you may ask?

It never left me stranded....but it had all *KINDS* of 'minor' problems, from the rear windows needing replaced 3x (defroster failed), to the head unit failing, to the valve body separator plate needing replaced under warranty (it made a horrible screeching noise) to the left driver's side rear door not latching when it got cold (and given it's a SuperCab...that's a huge issue considering the FRONT door latched onto the REAR door)....you get the idea.

I was constantly told how old my truck was/is in comparison to others, and from a features and gas mileage perspective, maybe so.

That said, on paper, the 2020 Tundra had fewer features than my F150 did....and I honestly could have cared less. It's always started; it's had *ONE* minor issue that was resolved; and so on. Bonus is that it's got far more safety features (even not including the automatic braking stuff). On paper it 'only' had 20 more HP, but the 4.30 gears and torque curve of the 5.7 vs the 5.0 made it a completely different truck to drive, IMHO.

Even given the issues surrounding the new engine, I'd still have absolutely no issues buying a 3rd gen were I searching. From what I've seen (and I could be wrong - did a very basic Google search) the percentage of 2022+ Tundras with issues, on average, is 0.1%; with Fords, it's 0.23%. Not drastically different, but honestly, I was a 'Ford guy' for probably 10 or 15 years prior to my Tundra....and the difference in treatment between Ford and Tundra dealerships is shocking. I see no reason to go back to a Ford, IMHO. If I DID have to buy a different truck, and wasn't sure about the 2022+ Tundras....I'd just buy a used 2021 or earlier Tundra.

 

technically the raptor is suppose to mimic the baja series of trucks (fast off roading), not slow off camber/technical off roading

 

Happy wife, happy life...Not even close for comparison, but prior to my Tundra I was in a 2001 F-150 XLT SuperCrew. That truck lasted me 15 years with no issues whatsoever. I had that truck on the trails in the foothills of the Cascades just about ever weekend. I switched to a 2014 Tundra SR5 CrewMax about 6 or 7 years ago and haven't looked back. Handles the trails like a boss, better safety features, better handling, just a superior truck.

 

Is the baja race on road or offroad? Let's not try and complicate this with semantics. Offroad can mean a lot of different things. For camber/technical offroad wouldn't you want a 4runner/Jeep over a Tundra?