Engine Failure

Since everyone loves anecdotal stories, I talked to my friend who is a master tech at the smallest dealer in my local area. I asked if he heard of any engine failures in our area yet, and he said no but a few bad transmissions. I know this dealer has likely seen a lot less of the new tundras compared to the bigger ones in my area though.

 

Adding the link to the Club Lexus forum talking about similar motor issues. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-5th-gen-2018-present/960349-2018-ls500-on-2nd-blown-motor-2.html

 

Retrofitting ANY mileage 3UR-FE into a third gen sounds like an awesome idea for a small but successful business.

 

Nah by the time your prospective customer buys an outrageously priced 3rd Gen then pays for conversion that will not be possible to license (because EPA), they will have spent enough money to buy a loaded 1 ton diesel and a boat or travel trailer to tow behind it.

 

Do you know the build date?

 

I’m waiting to hear from dealer on diagnosis but so far they’re saying it can be fuel related? I seriously doubt that but I’m prepping myself since I have a feeling they’re going to give me a hard time.

 

Hopefully something relatively simple like a fueling issue. Hopefully not something like contaminated fuel, because you’re going to be fighting with the gas station on that one.

Why would the dealer give you a hard time?

 

The dealer has very rude service advisors even when I go for regular maintenance they’re rude.

If it was contaminated fuel - what do you mean by fighting the gas station?

 

If you can get the gas station to admit they sold contaminated fuel. It’s a problem I’ve seen play out several times. It can take quite awhile to get reimbursed for damages.

 

Sounds like you need to find another service department.

 

If they do quick you a hard time it might be worth it to transport it to another dealer that might work well with you? My truck broke down about 10 hours from home so Toyota is making a remote dealer there repair the Tundra, but my local dealer maintains communication with them and they have both been good to work with during this process.

 

Going to make some bold assumptions… sounds like based on your described driving habits that you’ve had the truck for somewhere between 1 to 1.5 yrs. Meaning build date would be before 03/2022, could potentially be around the same time the others would issues were (10/21 or 11/21). This is speculation.

 

This is from Facebook group. Look at the parts all over the ground like wtf.. And it’s seems like more are popping up seems concerning.

 

By the time "my" prospective customer will buy a 3rd gen with failed engine for swap, it will be ridiculously cheap, like and other rig with major failure.

I'm of course joking about a business, but in USA you have rights to fabricate your custom vehicle. If 3rd gen proofs to be otherwise a good vehicle (modulo crappy engine), and the 3UR fits in physically, I see swaps coming I saw many V8 swaps into a mid-size sedans that were running with inline 5 before the swap.

 

Does it matter if users of other vehicles equipped with the same engine report total failures as early as the engine came out? I'd be more concerned it is now fifth or sixth year since its production started, and Toyota couldn't figure out why it fails en masse. To me it sounds by the time Toyota fixes all the major problems, the reputation of this engine would be a red herring for a prospective buyer.

Also Toyota full size truck will disappear from the used trucks market, which will damage Toyota even more, after decades of clear superiority in reliability and dependability. All those 3rd gens out of warranty would go straight to junk yard after their engines fail.

 

As I commented a few pages back, there are more than just a few reports. There are more posted on some closed fb technician groups. And as far as people commenting about stuff on the floor and parts laying around, walk into any production based service shop and that’s what you will see, it’s pretty common practice. And also, the technicians are usually getting screwed on the flat rate pay for the warranty job and they have to make a living, so sometimes corners get cut, but that’s another topic.

 

My fear is that Sweers has now been ECE at Toyota long enough to Chryslerize the culture. I swore in 1985 to never own another Chrysler. Hopefully not.

 

Sweers bio says he has been with Toyota since 1990, and was with Chrysler from ‘86-‘90: you’ve got to start somewhere. He has been chief engineer on the Tundra since 2010. So what exactly is the concern?

 

Guess it could be worse, Sweers could be Robert Eaton. @Melikeymy beer I swore off Chrysler in 1987 so I feel your pain. What wretched POS Chrysler was at that time, swore I would never buy a new Chrysler product again after my 1987 crapped out in 1990. That 2.2l POS was the worst.

I think the biggest Sweers claim to fame was his 2016 Taco "everything is different except the seatbelts" (lie) and the rocky launch of the 3rd gen. That being said I do love my 2017 Taco and it has been good.

 

Prior to joining Toyota, Sweers served as a project engineer with Chrysler Corporation from 1986 to 1990, and started his career at General Motors Oldsmobile Division, later becoming BOC J/N Platform.

Well I swore off GM not because of Sweers - but after GM went bankrupt and the Canadian govt helped bailed them out.
Then GM sent all those jobs to Mexico. Some people have short memories.
The Ram is the highest rated pickup today. If its a lease and or warranty purchase it has the most going for it right now based on reports.
And from what I see in my neighborhood - they seem to be the most popular from what people buy.
The businesses contractors seem to be loading up on GM pickups the most. Just an observation.

 

No, no, no, NO! THAT move was made by the OLD General Motors that died in 2009. THEY were the rat bastards that did that. The NEW General Motors is a kindler, gentler company that would never make crappy products, faulty ignition switches, rusting brake lines, aluminum 2.3l boat anchors, V-8-6-4 "mileage sentinel", the Quad 4, and other such crimes against automobiles. </s>

GM has always been a POS no matter what decade they were in. SOURCE: Was at two different companies in two different decades with GM fleet vehicles, legendary POS cars with frequent dealer visits and ridiculous down times. Both companies ended up giving GM the heave-ho for other manufacturers with resultant downtime and repair cost savings.

I'm gambling with $70k of my money that Toyota will be more reliable than any other manufacturer. Guess time will tell! I feel for OP and wish him the best, and hope that these TTV6 engine failures are the exception, not the likelihood.

 

You've got to end somewhere also. Are you familiar with the Peter Principle? I'm just not excited lately with the direction Toyota is going with their trucks. Personal preference. It's said there's a seat for every ass. As ECE the buck absolutely stops with Sweers on Q&R. I don't know how much he's directing the design and specs, etc.

 

If the Q in Q&R means Quality then I somewhat disagree. In the company for which I work the Quality dept. is separate from all others and is answerable only to top management. In this fashion quality decisions are immune to influence from production depts. which are routinely counterposed to quality constraints.

 

I was supposing the Chief Engineer would be considered top management and responsible for overseeing quality control as well as the design decisions that impact quality, but there's an excellent chance I don't know WTF I'm talking about. You might be able to tell I did not work in manufacturing. My expertise was more "financial cleanup and investor spin on isle three".

 

I really liked the design of the GMC's in'05 and '06 but refused to buy one from "Government Motors." I had a friend with a Titan at the time and liked the flat floor under the back seat better than the plastic contraption Toyota put in the Tundras that year. So I bought the Titan, drove it for 14 years and 235k miles, then ordered my Tundra. It still ran great but my wife hated it because the paint job sucked so much. Admittedly, it did look bad. I just didn't care at the time. She was on her third vehicle since I'd bought the Titan so I think her guilty feelings made her push me into buying the Tundra.

I also had a Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee. The rear end was replaced three times within the first two years. I sold it one month before the warranty ended. I hear that the 3/4 and 1 ton Rams are really good but I find it EXTREMELY difficult to believe.

 

Hey all, thought I’d update this thread. Turns out its bad fuel. The dealer took out fuel and the gas was separating as I’m being told. They’re saying that’s what’s causing the misfiring and engine to stall. Does that sound accurate? I’ve also reached out to the gas station already and they’ve confirmed they had bad fuel delivered to them on Friday. They’ve given me two options, tow the truck to them and have work on it or have Toyota work on it and them the invoice and I’ll get reimbursed. Should I expect any major damage to my engine due to bad fuel? What should I be on the lookout for?

 

I updated you in our PM as well, but posting here for everyone to see:

Bad gas matches the symptoms you listed. If they continue after you get the truck back, we can dig into it more.

As far as repair options, whoever does the repair will drain the tank and put in fresh gas, and maybe some fuel system cleaner (sometimes people will skip this and its ok). It should be fine after running for a few minutes.

 

If they go the contaminated fuel route......get a sample for independent evaluation