Since about 5,000 miles I reported abnormal tire wear, alignment, harsh or delayed shifting, and braking problems to the dealer. Repair orders from January 2024 to December 2025 show about 7 dealer visits: rear brake work three times including a rear pad replacement around 22,000 miles and an earlier rotor replacement, two drivetrain/shifting visits (first was could not duplicate) plus recall 24TA02, a check engine light diagnosis, and moisture corrosion in the reverse lamps that disabled the backup lamps and camera. The dealer denied the reverse lamp repair as commercial use and I paid 957.37 in January 2025; Toyota later issued recall 25TA06 for the same water intrusion. My truck is also covered by engine stall recall 25TA14 (the federal safety agency 26V320), but the dealer reported the remedy was not available in December 2025. Losing the backup camera and lamps and an engine that may stall are safety risks, especially when towing and reversing a boat trailer.
Toyota Tundra harsh shifting problems
51 of the 6,967 owner complaints about the Toyota Tundra describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 51
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical mileage
- 42,000
By model year
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 5Stalling 4Transmission failure 3Jerking 3Hesitation 3Check engine light 3Ball joint 3Slipping 2
What owners say
With only under 23000 miles, engine started clunking on way back home from a day trip. Took the truck to dealer and they said the engine tech will see on Monday, but almost 100% it’s the engine. They want to rebuild and not replace because my vin is not in the Toyota engine recall yet. Please help with this, I can’t be risking pulling my 9000 boat and the rebuild engine to crap on me on the hwy with kids and family in truck. Thank you
Severe throttle lag and hard shifting when accelerating from a stop. This has caused several near misses when the vehicle will “stall” in the line of traffic causing lack of acceleration. Often happens when stopping at a four way stop or other stop sign followed by immediate acceleration. Was able to replicate it several times and happens on its own once a week. A widely known issue for the newest generation of Toyota Tundra. There are no safety lights, notifications or error codes. The vehicle did this both before a complete engine replacement and after.
Power steering rack and pinion failure on 2017 Toyota Tundra Limited. Leak and Popping clunk noise when turning steering wheel . Potential for steering loss and accident.
2024 limited, Hesitation when pressing accelerator. There will be no power for some time. then a sudden jolt of acceleration. The most memorable moments of this is when trying to turn left into a neighborhood while cross traffic is oncoming, trying to drive but the truck wont go. The indicator “Add or replace oil” comes on even just after being to the dealer to have my 15000 mile service checkup.I have only had oil changes at the dealer. The trucks brand new and costs too damn much to not have the dealer take care of this. Can see blue/gray smoke out of the tail pipe - proving the engines burning oil. I pointed this out and took video while dropping it off at the dealer, they acknowledged. Frequent rough starts, not every one but 3 out of 5, always accompanied by the smoke. Shifting is far too rough. From a stop to easing on the accelerator there is a large knock, smacking into gear. This isnt always accompanied by the hesitation either. The rough shifting occurs at highway speeds too. The dealership has had my truck 3 days tomorrow and the only information they give me is; “ the technician cant fix it without having to talk (back and forth {like phone tag}) directly with the engineers.” The only recall is for moisture accumulation in the reverse lights.
When I shift out of N or P into drive there is loud and aggressive clunk. Like the tranny is gonna drop out the bottom! It’s a tight grip, the shifter doesn’t want to move. Potential to run someone in a car park or walking down the sidewalk.
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while attempting to drive from a complete stop uphill, the vehicle hesitated to respond and experienced a hard shift from the transmission while responding. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Vehicle started making loud clunking sounds at around 500 miles in rear of vehicle while moving at low speeds. Gradually became louder. Dealership claimed bad rotors on rear wheels causing this, turned rotors then eventually replaced. Found that driveshaft was "bad". Attempted to replace, and discovered rear differential damaged beyond repair. Vehicle has approximately 1100 miles on it total.
I actually have too very serious issues with my new Tundra. 1) my seat is coming loose from floor of my truck every time I take a corner it feels like it's going to tip over and makes a loud clunk and it feels like the back of the seat is separating from the part where my rear end sits (aka my butt) 2) when it rains the water flows off of the hood and then I am assuming the fan that goes to radiator spits a blast of water right in my driver's side of windshield, this because the poor design of the grill on certain 22 Tundra Limited models. Very dangerous if you ask me or anybody else that has this problem which is quite a few people from what I have seen on 2022 Tundra Forums. Those are just 2 major issues of the many I have.
Vehicle has a leaking steering rack seal that when leaking does not give a warning. Vehicle loses power steering. Needs to be replenished regularly. Started out small, and was unaware of the issue. Started topping off the power steering fluid at around 24k miles (under warranty). A clunk in the suspension was diagnosed as a bad shock (bad diagnosis). Took it in to have the rack looked at by Toyota, but they will not remedy this issue, even though there are hundreds of people on the Internet with the same problem. I've never heard of a steering rack going bad before 100k miles, let alone before 30k.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tundra, Tundra Hybrid, Lexus LX600, and 2023-2024 Sequoia Hybrid vehicles. Unexpected vehicle movement may occur when the vehicle is in neutral and the brakes are not applied.
- Risk
- Unexpected vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the transmission control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 8, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 24TA02 and 24LA02.
Recall number 24V125000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Tundra and Tundra Hybrid vehicles. The flange nuts on the axle shaft sub-assemblies can loosen over time and potentially cause one or both axle shaft sub-assemblies to separate from the axle housing.
- Risk
- Axle shaft separation can cause a loss of vehicle stability and brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear axle assembly, tighten the axle flange nuts, and replace any damaged axle-related components if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 15, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA05.
Recall number 22V445000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2011 tundra vehicles equipped with a 3-joint type propeller shaft. Due to improper casting of the slip yokes, there is a possibility that the slip yoke may break, causing the propeller shaft to separate at the joint and come into contact with the road surface.
- Risk
- The driver could experience loss of motive power and vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners and inspect the propeller shaft and, if necessary, replace it free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during may 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 11V254000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly: axle shaft
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 tundra vehicles with four wheel drive, there is a possibility that an improper weld exists at the union of the propeller shaft and yoke. Due to this improper weld, this joint may separate and the separated shaft may come into contact with the road surface.
- Risk
- This may result in a loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front propeller shaft free or charge. The safety recall began on march 19, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 10V091000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- On certain 4-wheel drive pickup trucks, due to the improper heat treatment of the slip yokes that had been reworked during the manufacturing process, the hardness of the slip yoke may be insufficient.
- Risk
- In this condition, there is a possibility that the yoke may break causing the propeller shaft to separate at the joint and come into contact with the road surface or the fuel tank which could result in a loss of vehicle control or a fuel leak.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the slip yoke and replace the propeller shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began on january 7, 2008. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 07V579000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota Tundra harsh shifting
Which Toyota Tundra years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (8 complaints), 2002 (6 complaints) and 2000 (4 complaints).
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