Looking to buy 2nd gen and have questions

Hello Everybody!

I'm looking to buy a second-gen here soon (once my other tundra sells). I have been finding some nice trucks in my price range and was getting excited, but last night I was looking at carcomplaints.com, and I'm starting to get cold feet about the whole 2nd gen thing. I was reading up on the accelerator issues (sticking open) and the air pump failure causing the truck to go into limp mode with a $3000 or more cost to fix it. I am wondering how many of you guys have had these issues and if there are any remedies to these issues? I know that Toyota recalled the accelerator problem, but not the first and secondary air pump issues. If I buy a 2nd gen I won't be able to afford a $3000 dollar fix for a little while and I don't want to get screwed.
Thanks in advance for any advice! Cheers!

 

If you're in the rust belt, check for bed rust especially under the bed.

 

gen 2 are great trucks and basically the same as gen 2.5 minus body style. same engine, same transmission.
cam tower leak and AIP are most common issues on the current Tundra (AIP more common on gen 2 than 2.5).
check for rust under bed as well.

 

Knock on wood haven't had any of those issues, yet, and I'm the original owner. No recalls done and I still have my whole pedal and mat. Had some electrical gremlins and a water pump go early, recently replaced my starter a year ago... other than that oil, brakes and maintenance... if you look here there are alternatives to the $3000 repair bill. Solid truck I'm at 225k+ miles.

 

I have had 3 of the Gen 2 and never had any issues. Two of them over 100k. Excellent trucks and really fun to drive and mod. Any make and model can have issues but Toyota's are by far the least problems.

 

Be sure to check the 4x4 actuator.. 4hi and 4 low. The only problem I had was the camtower leak but was fixed under warranty. Truck has been rattle free! And wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again. 123k miles

 

Accelerator thing is BS. The AIP there's a cheap bypass kit for. Most of the "issues" are pretty rare honestly. I'm at 240k on my 2008 and the only issue I've had was the starter going out at 214k.

 

I wouldn't worry two much as mentioned. My 2007 just rolled 140K miles and it drives like it has maybe 50k miles.

I did replace the accelerator assembly for smoother acceleration, about 40 bucks. I believe the jumpy pedals were earlier 2nd gens. Not familiar with throttle getting stuck issue, unless that was an early problem when they were modifying the pedals early on for the fix.

And with If and when AIP is an issue I will just install the bypass kit for a few hundred.
There are some opinions out there that the AIP issue is more prevalent in the salted road states where corrosion creates a problem.

 

Make sure cam towers aren’t leaking and engine isn’t more than “normal” amount of noisy.

 

I just bought one for $20k less than what I was gonna pay for a 2021. It's essentially the same truck. I hope it's good to me. So far I really enjoy it! I installed the Hewitt gen 2 kit as preventative maintenance for the SAIS issue.

Id consider maybe upgrading to a gen 4 in 5 years if it's the bees knees.

good luck and don't hesitate to choose a gen 2!

 

Owned a Gen 2 for 6 years. Sold it 3 months ago with 150k miles. I never had a single issue. Never...
I would buy one again with zero hesitation.

 

I was in the same boat as you and I found a 2008 that was about what I waned for a lot less money than the newer trucks I was looking at, so I went for it. I installed the AIP bypass kit and blockoff plates in about 1.5 hours, and even the dealership said this was a good idea. Whatever truck you're looking at, I would pay to take it to a dealer and have them write a list of everything that's wrong with it. Some problems are inexpensive and easy to fix (like finding a truck with a bad smog pump, that would be very beneficial for you!), and some aren't so easy to fix (wheel bearings, cam tower leak, etc).

 

Not just under the bed but under the bed liner if it has one. Mine looked fine under the bed.

 

I think it’s like the more you search in google you find out your common cold is actually cancer and die. So probably not likely to happen to ya.

 

What do you consider normal

 

There are some people complaining on here lately that their brand new or almost new Gen 3 models are giving them grief and having everything from dash rattling to shock and engine noises and squeaks. Some are attributing it to Covid-related build quality issues. Who knows. Second generations are just as solid if you find the right one.

 

If it was taken care of you will be fine. I bought my 2013 new and just sold it in Oct. with 97K miles on it. Only thing ever replaced was the battery.

 

lets not forget the lack of trans cooler on latest years

 

I did the same research and read the same reports before buying my 2007 in 2017... the truck I purchased had 3 previous owners, 270,000 miles and ZERO service records. I checked it out top to bottom / in and out, and I took in on an extended test drive. I made a list of what it needed, and I used that list to negotiate a lower price. The only surprise failure occurred during the 1st month of ownership when the fuel pump died, and the immobilizer failed at the same time. I addressed the air pump issue by installing a DAP tune, and I refuse to allow the dealer to alter my gas pedal - it's perfect the way it is. The 5.7L is noisy (mine is even noisier because I removed the engine cover & foam insulation under the intake), but it runs great with 296,000 miles on it today and it's totally reliable. The truck was dirty with dust & Georgia clay... it has cleaned up pretty well.



Take your time, don't fall in love with any truck you look at and take it to a trusted mechanic for a complete check up including scan. Good luck.

 

There seems to be people who's truck makes a little rattle at start up, which maybe is normal. There's people like me where it makes a rattle all the time and sounds "like a diesel" except a diesel sounds better. I suspect it has something to do with the timing chain tensioner getting clogged up. Lot's of threads about this noise, and some you tube videos.

 

I bought my 2011 on January of this year with 150,000 on it. I changed all the fluids and oils, lubed everything, new filters, plugs and tires. I love this truck, it's been bullet proof, no rattles, and I tow a travel trailer quite often. Also, no rust since it's lived in Arizona its whole life.

 

If you can find a master certified ASE mechanic and certified in structural, it's well worth the money for them to do the inspection. Bought my 08 with 225k, and it has 236k now. Gave me a ton of piece of mind having never bought a truck this old with this many miles.

Besides replacing normal maintenance with valve covers, the only big thing to fix I had was a known TSB being the evaporation control canister and evaporation control filter clocking in at $1547. The owner didn't replace it via the TSB because it didn't fail within 3 year of ownership and likely because he didn't take it off roading getting it dirty, so I suspect they didn't even know about the part's design flaw with eventual failure. So 12 years later the misdesigned part fails. That's impressive to me Toyota quality. Even if my air pump fails, I'm likely going to fix it because it b/c it's cheaper in the long run compared to a new payment, which may have some other maintenance and major issues waiting to fail as well. For me it's worth sticking to the vehicle I know and my mechanic knows through and through. Love my Tundra.