My 2024 TRD Pro Disappointing Experience

One of the few ones out there. When I took my Seqouia in to the dealership after selling my tundra my service manager told me good work selling the 22 and that he wouldn’t recommend one to anyone…. The majority of their day is spent dealing with the gen 3 trucks issues.

totally okay to love your truck, I loved my gen 3 until it started to lemon out on me fast, after the third time it was towed to the dealer that was it…. Couldn’t have that happen 200 miles away deep in the woods with no service and small kids

 

I can certainly understand that

 

Likewise, I know you’re ready with a hair-trigger finger to reply to me.

If I don’t go 200k with no major issues, I’ll be surprised and very disappointed. As the data stacks up (which it already has for the 2nd gen trucks), this is far and away the most likely scenario.

If you do go 200k miles with no major issues, I’ll be (pleasantly) very surprised.

Your experience with your 2nd gen truck was an outlier. A anecdote that goes the opposite direction of the overwhelming general trend. There is no other way to categorize it.

Also, you and I are polar opposites when it comes to the truck buying demographic. You want top trim level, and comfort and tech are a high priority. I’ve never found a truck seat uncomfortable, and I buy solely for utility. I wanted the truck I can beat on and use at (or occasionally above) its ratings, take out into the middle of nowhere to hunt and live out of on both sides of the country, for the most miles and otherwise, leave me alone. I could not care less about tech, screen size, comfort, etc. I want trouble-free miles, period.

The baffling thing for me is, this used to be the profile of your average Toyota buyer! Really doesn’t seem like it is anymore. I guess people get older and value amenities and comfort more. I get that.

But when I read things like “the most important part [of owning a truck] is how your dealer service center treats you” on a Toyota forum, I mean holy crap, seriously?! I thought we were all here to avoid that nonsense as much as possible. Otherwise, drive a Ford. Better numbers almost completely across the board, very plentiful, options and drivetrains galore, Ford lets you actually order your own build, etc etc etc.

If you’re not driving a Toyota for longevity primarily, I just don't get why you’re here at all. Resale? That’s a byproduct of longevity, period.

 

fair point

 

There's no TikTok in the woods, what a targeted new Toyota truck buyer would do there?

 

good post, I get it.

and yes, as Ive gotten older that is a factor, I got down right tired of the shitty ride of my 2016, and I do like the top trim with all the comforts and conveniences.

the one point of contention for conversational purposes is , the "if your not driving a toyota for longevity why are we here"

really? why can't it be that I think toyota made the best 1/2 ton truck for me out of all the ones I tested (GM, Ford, etc) and it does everything well for me?

Im also in the position (through hard work) to not need or want to have to keep this 10-20 years and 200K, 300K miles

it can happen.

 

come on now VTL, funny but yes, some of us new gen 3 still use it like a truck and light duty 1/2 ton anyways, the payload on them all sucks for anything more anyways.

I have a transit 350 high roof for the real weight anyways

and I DGAF about TikTok

 

I'm at 30k on my '23, and so far it has been to the dealer less than my '08 5.7 or my '20 Tacoma at this point in it's life (mileage). Not like I baby it either, because if something will fail I want it to fail under warranty. If my engine grenades I won't be happy, but I'd still buy another Toyota because the chance of minor or major issues is significantly less than the big 3. Maybe some day there will be a mass-produced item that will have a 100% success rate, but it's doubtful.

 

unfortunately 90% of truck owners never use their truck for “truck stuff”

 

Folks that think $70,000 for a pick up truck is ok and pay cash for it, aren't using it as a Truck or will not keep it more than 3 - 5 years. Longevity means nothing to them just like BMW, Mercedes and Land Rover lease/owners.

Toyota is catering to them now as folks want a truck to project a lifestyle. Why else are lifts and giant tires so important on never dirty or scratched trucks?

 

so bro dozing doesn't count? HA

 

not everyone fits that broad stroke

and toyota didn't start this price BS, the big 3 did. They are still less, when I shopped the platinum f-150 it was much more than this platinum tundra

and I paid that amount and use it like a light duty 1/2 ton all the time, hauling stuff for the house, towing my boat, vacations, etc.

not everyone is in the same financial position, but that doesn't make them not use a truck or want a truck.

its not like my 2016 platinum was cheap, it was north of 50K all those years ago and a lot has changed with the world (which we don't need to get into). It was sparse and didnt even have remote start, lol which in the winters here is really nice

just a counterpoint for grins..

 

You’re right, people buy what they want. I just think for shorter-term owners, why constrain yourself to the reliability you’re not taking advantage of?

I am as well, but I am allergic to dropping $65k every few years or keeping a payment going. This is not a good mindset for one’s net worth or asset growth. I am debt-free and have plans to gift each of my kids a down payment on their first home. Thankfully they’re young, and we’re getting started early. Trading vehicles is a major constraint on one’s investment goals.

 

that was my point, Im not "constraining myself to reliability". When I tested them all, toyota made the best truck all around, it rode better, had a better trans, better interior (I thought), and so on and I just felt more comfortable in a Toyota , it had nothing to do with reliability.

as far as the financial end of things, for individuals I agree with you, for business owners, there are many more factors

 

I thought the 3rd gen was fine. Noticeably smaller inside with reduced visibility, but much larger driving feel. Interior seems cheap to me, but that’s nothing new for Toyota. Noisier than my truck. One thing I will mention is after 63k hard miles (my TRD Fox shocks are well past needing to be rebuilt lol), my truck’s interior may have some scuffs, but it is still dead silent.

I’m a business owner as well. My 3500-mile trips are write offs. I make money driving my truck, keep all records, and take actual deductions (instead of standard). I get more than my gas and maintenance money back every year.

I hope your truck lasts forever. And I hope Toyota gives us a high payload option on the mid-gen refresh. That would incentivize me to stay with Toyota when the time comes. Right now, it’s looking like I’ll wind up in a 1 ton. But then I’ll need something else to daily.

 

On second thought - maybe its the dealer? I've got horrible Chrysler/Jeep dealers around here and great Toyota. But it just seems that the Toyota dealer gets more support from the parent company?

 

Maybe I was lucky I don't know - I have never had an issue where they didn't try their bets to fix. They have been accommodating and went the extra mile for me.

 

I have the same experience over the years, much better than the others

 

I must admit, I don't use my truck as a truck, at least on regular basis. And when I use it as a truck, I was happily using my wagon in same needs. Yeah, abusing, but it made it. It's like a 1/3 ton truck with permanent bed cap.

Anyways. What matters to me, the truck is maybe at 30% of load top everywhere throughout the truck, and that gives me hopes it will be more reliable than wagon, that at times was over 100%. Driving back 400 miles at 3 am with the engine blown is not fun.

 

I agree. I like the drivetrain and the ride better than the others.
One thing I would add to the longevity angle is the cohort of reliability. For a pick-up, I don't want it to be in the shop forever if there is a problem. I had a Ford that was and when I shopped GMC's I saw the same thing on their backlots. There is a very thin chance the Tundra spins a bearing but even then there is path to repair. None of the "your electronics or transmission is screwed and you'll be dead before we figure it out and fix it".

 

that's....not how data works

 

Speaking purely to the engine failures you’re right…. The other items listed almost every single tundra has 1-all of the problems listed. Think I left out the rattling of all interior trim slowly over time. Again guys, it’s okay, I fought hard against the nay sayers when I had a 3rd gen, but in hindsight I was simping over a product that I wanted to think was excellent that clearly was not refined and littered with issues

 

Meh, ridiculous. More defensive butthurt....

The fact that some of us still cling to hope of a solid '25 Tundra offering (in spite of our candor of what's actually transpired) speaks to our love of the brand.

 

I’ve had small issues in my 800k miles driving 5.7’s, but it was mostly one per vehicle- leaking rear main seal from factory, chrome flaking off grill/ battery over tightened and leaking acid, etc. everything can fail and will, the 3rd gen isn’t just much much much higher statistically to have multiple issues

My 22 was great, until it wasn’t. Damn near everyone has shitty window seals, rattles and wind noise (if you don’t have wind noise now you will eventually- mine was silent until 15k). 23/24 engines still blowing…. Toyota hasn’t truly fixed the problem

 

Appreciate your honesty and postings here.

Suspect that there are many here that mirror your prior attitude, it's human nature to want to feel that one has made a sound choice; but it takes honesty and candor to accept and share truths that are the opposite.

 

I don’t know if that is an entirely accurate assessment. I’m a 2nd Gen owner who’s been driving my 2007 Tundra since late fall of 2007. I’ve been ready for a new vehicle for about 5 years now. I held out for the Gen 3 Tundra only to be generally unimpressed with the overall product. I had hoped the Toyota would bring some features to the 3rd Gen that I’m looking for like full time 4 wheel drive for example, while not omitting features I already have like a real transmission cooler, front recovery hooks, and good outward visibility.

Toyota managed to offer up a truck that failed to offer those features. So as a Toyota truck fan boy I’m left with no 1/2 ton truck I’m currently interested in buying since the Big 3 also have nothing on offer I particularly care for.

I also have to observe that so far the 3rd Gen Tundra isn’t currently living up to the reputation of Toyota trucks. I’m not implying my 2007 has been perfect, the bed suffers from rust issues, a catalytic converter has failed, I had a transmission leak, had a front axle replaced, and had the secondary air injection system fail recently putting the truck in limp mode. However, none of those problems dead lined the truck for more than a few days and only then due to waiting on parts to bypass the secondary air injection pumps.

Contrast that with Toyota’s handling of turbocharger failures, and main bearing failures in the new Tundra. These take excessively long to repair and the current cost of these repairs are outrageous should warranty not cover them. A lot of this lands squarely on Toyota insisting on doing repairs in the dumbest manner possible like sending short blocks to be built into long blocks with surviving parts off of failed engines. This is a recipe for long repair times, and enormous repair bills not to mention repeated failures.

I realize statistically these failures are very rare. That said it’s a bit alarming that a company famous for perfecting manufacturing processes and procedures is now coming up on 3 years of production of the Type ‘21 V35A-FTS and still might not have solved the main bearing failures.

So here I sit on the sidelines watching my “team” fumble the ball and make unforced errors. It’s frustrating.

 

I also thought this at first. Sold my 23 Raptor because it had a parasitic draw and kept killing the battery. Left me stranded a few times. Got fed up and sold it.
Only grew up with Toyota trucks, and went back. While my 24 Tundra has some issues, it’s not as bad as the Ford.

I gave Ford three chances— 21 power boost (transmission went out, fixed and never quite the same), then 22 raptor (absolute head unit lemon, exhaust active valves broke and never could be fixed… so drove in wide open mode for a year), and 23 raptor.

 

The failure rate of V35A-FTS type ‘21 engines isn’t necessarily alarming to me, it’s the duration of consistent failures over time that makes me question Toyota’s process and procedure development. It used to be they solved problems pretty quickly, but this one seems stubborn and persistent.

The reports of poor fit and finish, cheap looking materials, and interior rattles are also concerning.

I test drove a 2023 Sequoia recently and aside from the iForceMax and 10 speed came away thoroughly unimpressed.

 

Well you have your standards, and I have mine. For the asking price of the Tundra or Sequoia I expect better quality.

I will start looking for a Lexus GX550 Overtrail next year since the new Land Cruiser is glacially slow in every test I’ve seen. So I can’t be that worried about V35A-FTS failures. Too bad Toyota didn’t put it in the Land Cruiser because the turbo I4 hybrid seems to be an absolute fucking dog, I can’t reconcile a 0-60 time of 8.3 seconds with the claimed power output of that engine. As a guy who does most of his driving on two lane highways passing power is near the very top of my must have list.

 

Well in my opinion the interior of the Tundra and Sequoia are not up to the asking price of higher end trim levels. I could probably accept the interior for the price of a Limited in the low $60K range. The higher trims are just not there.
The Sequoia I drove was a Platinum, interior quality was what I’d expect in a $55-$60K vehicle not one with an MSRP of around $80K. Visibility was sub par, and it lacked full time 4 wheel drive. Wasn’t going to be my vehicle but my mom asked me to test drive it with her (I think she dislikes dealing with car salesmen by herself after my dad passed away), but I wanted to like it. Even wanting to give it every benefit of a doubt I still didn’t care for any aspect of it aside from the engine and transmission combo.