New (disappointed) Tundra owner

Is the 4.6 the 1st gen motor?

My 1st gen was smoother and better sounding than the 5.7 by a mile. Towed a 23’ boat pretty well too.

OP you were not told of a bigger motor available? I’d say your dealer was happy to get rid of the 4.6.

 

First gen is 4.7. 4.6 is more powerful and debuted with the first year of second gems IIRC

 

I feel exactly the same way. I've only ever dealt with one salesman who was worth a damn, and because of that I bought four Acura's from him.

 

Vern Orcutt (sp?) sold me a new '97 Honda Civic and that guy had his shit together. The ONLY vehicle salesperson I've dealt with who actually helped and impressed me.

 

After buying my first Jeep I learned not to rely on sales people for info about a the vehicle I am looking at. Luckily I had done my research and knew exactly what I wanted because the sales person I dealt with was grossly misinformed on every aspect of the Jeep, same thing happened when I bought my second one.

When I bough my Tundra I had done a ton of research and knew what I wanted (actually visited here before purchasing for some insight) but was pleasantly surprised about how knowledgeable the sales guy I worked with was. He couldn't answer all my questions but he tried and only time did I catch him trying to BS an answer.

Bottom line is that there is way too much information available to consumers now that no one should rely on a sales person to answer all the questions they have when it comes to the vehicle or pricing.

 

Funny you mention Honda, we just bought my wife a new Pilot and the salesperson we worked with was the best I have ever seen. She has been with the dealership for over 13 years and is one of their top sellers. She knew everything about the vehicle inside and out and pointed out options on other trim levels but never tried hard sell on more than what we wanted and even suggested what bells and whistles weren't worth the $$. I would actually have to say this was a pleasant car buying experience.

 

I'm kind of with scpete24 here. Why would you drive 60 miles to spend $30-40k without apparently doing any research ahead of time? Sorry but only a fool would ever take a salesman's word for anything.

Some are flat out liars and most are completely clueless. Either way, they will almost always tell you whatever you want to hear in order to make the sale. This isn't a Toyota thing, salesmen lying or misleading customers is as old as time. Did you get duped? Sure but this is just as much your fault as it is their's IMO.

I also personally think it's bad form to come here, start an account just to bitch about how you were suckered and make it out to be Toyota's fault some how? The fault here is 50% yours, 50% Dealer. 0% Toyota's.

I would go back to that dealership and make them take back that truck and get you one with the 5.7l and tow package but that is going to cost you more money as it sounds like you bought a pretty stripped model. The other option is what you are doing now and getting your own controller installed.

Either way, this is not law suit material IMO but I'm old school. I believe in personal responsibility and like I said, this is just as much your fault as it is the dealer's. Chalk this up as a learning experience. Get the issue resolved and move on. Just my harsh $.02

 

I would trade in for the 5.7. There was a misunderstanding somehow.

 

This was back in the early 90's. His name is Bruce Mauer, and he is still moving cars, but more on a management level.

 

When I put the P2 in my 2016 CM Tundra, I used the 3017-P cable for connecting to the plug behind the panel to the right of the steering wheel. I had the factory controller that did not function correctly.

 

??? thinking I didn't get the spelling THAT wrong.

 

Wise..
But I would take that MEETING a step further.
I would ask dealer to take the truck back & sell you the rig you asked for, from that dealer.
I’m confident a professional type & calm meeting with General Manager, Sales Manager & Salesman would be beneficial.

 

If he did you would have known he was lying. Lol

 

This, all of this. No reason a few good men couldn't figure this issue out quickly.

 

Pretty sure this is the problem. I have a 2016 SR5 with the 4.6L and I have a hitch receiver but no tow/haul button or anything. I didn't buy it with the intention to do much serious towing though and I'm not aware of any brake controller laws in my state.

 

I bet it's MGM, even with the 5.7 they can't get out of their own way

 

Go with the Tekonsha Prodigy. You will be a happy owner. With the Toyota Tundra adapter its a plug and play proposition.

 

This is what got me going to begin with. Joins here to complain, but not to ask the community for advice on which truck. 4.6 for sole purpose of towing 3000-4000 lbs? I'm sure there is not one person on here who would have recommended the 4.6 over the 5.7 for his purposes.

I will completely agree the OP got screwed with a very poor sales rep, but the blame is not 100% on them

 

OP, if the '18s are the same as the '17s, (I'm not sure whether the are or not) the plug you're looking for is behind the 3 button switch panel to the right of the steering wheel. Pull out the upper right side of the panel that's underneath the steering column, it's just clipped in. Then, starting at the upper right corner, pull out the 3 button switch panel, also just clipped in. Behind that small panel you should find the white plug you're searching for.

 

For pictures and instructions go to curtmfg.com and in the search bar put in part #51455. On the right side of the page you'll see instructions. If you click on the instructions they'll open in a PDF with detailed step by step instructions and color pictures.

 

If you decide to keep your truck, This cheap 35 dollar controller will work just fine.

 

Maybe the issue is that the 4.6 is not pre-wired for a brake controller. Can anyone with a 4.6 verify that theirs was pre-wired to accept the brake controller?

 

im assuming that the adapter is the same and will fit 17-18 but Amazon hasnt caught up yet on the part numbers. i could be totally wrong though

 

My elderly neighbor bought a 2nd gen 2WD Tundra DC with a 4.6L and no factory tow package and used it to pull a quite large 5th wheel all over the western US and Canada. He would often drone on and on about how great a truck it was, all the while I was looking over his shoulder at my Silverado, then F150, and think "dude doesn't know what he's talking about!" Well, the Ford and Chevy are gone and a Tundra is in my driveway now...

 

I purchased a 2018 Tundra Crew Cab with a 4.6L plain work truck for my business. Black bumpers, vinyl seats, etc. It has a 4 Pin and 7 Way in the rear bumper but nothing on the dash or in the gauges that reference TOW.

I knew this going into it and was taking my Tekonsha P3 out of my 12 Tundra (same exact truck) and installing it in the 18. I call the trailer guys, they order the harness, I go to get it installed and BAM!!!! They could not find the plug in the typical place (drivers kick panel) and told me after contacting their resources they cant help me.

I called the dealer and talked to the parts manager. He tells me I can buy the factory trailer brake controller but may need to also purchase the ECU. I think the ECU is what would allow integration with the electronics in the dash/truck. He wasn't 100%. I called Tekonsha and they have already talked to Toyota, realize the issue and have not yet made a harness for the 18. I found another Toyota dealer on EBay that tells me this is all I need https://www.ebay.com/itm/252503725300?ul_noapp=true. If anyone else has an answer I would appreciate the info. At this point I am going to call a couple more dealers to verify the EBay deal is right for me and be the guinea pig on this one.

 

Be disappointed in the shiesty dealer.
And then apologize to your truck.

 

Once again I want to thank the large majority of you that have been helpful. I just want to set a few things straight here for a few people. I have been a Toyota (Tacoma 4x4) pick up owner since 1997-probably a hell of a lot longer than many people here. It has been, and is, a great truck I still use all the time. Because of how great it has been that is one reason I chose to stay with Toyota, I also did research what people felt about their full size pick-ups-including on this site, and that is why I chose a Tundra and not another brand. Through reading about Tundras on this site, and other sites as well, I knew many people did not like the factory installed brake controller and had installed various after market ones of their choosing. In fact, I had already ordered an after market controller before I bought the Tundra. Yes, I'm pissed at Toyota and somewhat the dealership-not because of their lack of a brake controller, but because there is no plug/play connector to hook a controller into. Once again, I have looked everywhere (this site, etrailer, and Youtube to name a few) every other person I have read about found there connector-it is not in any of those locations. I have been to two Toyota dealerships and two rv centers (since they do this kind of thing for a living), and none of them can find the correct connector either (see pics on my previous reply if you are really interested). What I'm trying to find out is if this model year 2018 has the correct plug/play connector or not. From another Tundra forum site, and from the post just a bit ago from gmagno (thank you for your help and the link) it appears it does not. I never joined this site to complain, I joined to see if anyone actually had an answer or knew something that could help. I really don't need the few of who think you are "helping" by making negative comments. If that is your idea of "helping" then I don't need it.

 

It does kinda suck that Toyota would go through the trouble of changing wiring harnesses on the 4.6 vs the 5.7. My guess is the 5.7's have a brake controller plug but I can't say for sure.
Do you think that the dealer where you bought it would consider letting you trade for a truck that can support your necessary brake controller? Since you were told the truck you bought would work?

Edit..i realize you'll likely have to pay more for the 5.7 but maybe they'd bend a little on the trade. You'd get an extra 70ish hp and trq too.

 

Sounds like you don’t have the tow package and basically you’re screwed. Honestly, there isn’t much info out there about tow packages on our trucks so no matter how much research you would’ve done, I doubt you would’ve even found anything on it. I don’t think it’s even mentioned when you “build” a truck on the Toyota website. So you had to rely on the salesman and the jackass gave you false information so they need to step up to the plate. They need to take the truck back and apply the credit towards a truck with the tow package. You’ll probably have to pay more for more truck but don’t see any other option. I’d ask for a deal like this and if I didn’t get it, they’d see the psycho side of me.