2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 137,355. The contact stated that while inspecting the glove box, the contact found three receipts that showed three different odometer readings. The contact then ordered a Carfax report and discovered that the mileage on the Title on October 4, 2025, was 252,307.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 161,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 260,000.

Temperature Seat switches are not working, fire hazard does to malfunctioning.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while accelerating from a stop, the vehicle started leaking fuel, and the contact smelled an abnormal fuel odor. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the fuel leak stopped. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuel tank valve assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 20,000.

Wife was driving truck and immediately went into limp mode on the highway. Check engine light came on, no accelerating then died. Had to get it towed. This is the 3rd incident with this issue.

The fuel pump failed on my Tundra. Several dashboard check engine lights suddenly lit up to warn me of the issue. While I was able to safely get it to a mechanic to repair the independent Toyota certified mechanic I use shared they have seen a volume of these where the car stops immediately with the Fuel pump failing completely. I was lucky as the day prior to this I was driving through mountain passes on the highway in Colorado. I have since found out from the feedback from my mechanic that they have repaired a volume of these, and it is a known issue by Toyota who issued a technical service bulletin. The fuel pump needs to be replaced with a different specification - the original pump is not sufficient. My concern is putting driver/passenger safety at risk with a complete fuel pump failure while driving. I consider this a near-miss for me, and would worry about others that are about to have this issue.

ECM safety recall air injection pump failure

My power steering gear blew its seal on the passenger side losing all power steering fluid and almost making me crash into a car next to me, and Toyota refuses to cover it stating that I hadn't had the steering gear replaced prior to whenever their dates were this is clearly faulty equipment and faulty machine work on the steering gear itself. why won't Toyota cover it? I tried contacting One Toyota and Downtown Toyota here in Oakland California and they told me that they wanted $250 to inspect my vehicle and that I would definitely have to pay for it because my vehicle was not under recall it states it is a recall if you look it up.It is worded recall if they're not going to cover it sounds like they're trying to back out of covering it until someone gets seriously hurt or killed like I almost did, I will never buy another Toyota again as long as I live because clearly they don't care about the faulty equipment on their vehicles that's going to hurt or kill someone. All they care about is the mighty dollar and that's just wrong. Safety has gone rite the window and if anyone reading this is thinking about buying a Toyota, I would seriously think twice.

2012 Tundra faced a lot of problems like air injection pump failures, sticking of secondary air pumps, knock, along with other issues like speed control, engine cooling, and throttle failure. At present, it has been slapped with 136 complaints, 4 recalls, and 1 investigation as recorded on NHTSA site.Sep 2, 2022

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while plowing his driveway, there was an abnormal burning odor detected. The vehicle suddenly lost power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that oil was needed. The mechanic became aware that oil was dripping through a small crack on the cam shaft on the right cylinder bank onto the exhaust manifold. The contact was informed that the engine wiring harness was burned. The mechanic recommended that the engine and transfer case be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed after an investigation, that there was no evidence of a defect. The claim was denied. There was no additional assistance provided. The approximate failure mileage 175,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the light stayed illuminated while driving. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent certified mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the secondary air injectors needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact that the manufacturer had offered an Extended Warranty Program to cover the failure under "Warranty Enhancement Program ZG6" for "Air Injection Pumps and Air Switching Valves" and that the warranty had expired several months prior. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

The horn no longer works on the vehicle. I can no longer alert drivers who do not see me while driving or in parking lots. My auto shop confirmed the horn did not work and estimated the repair. There were no warnings.

My driver's side rear lug studs all broke while driving, causing damage to my when and rear axle of the vehicle.

Computer software issues. Flex full engine.

The engine leaks oil in front of the faulty designed cam tower seal and leaks on the manifold. This caused smoke to come from the oil burning off.

Fire

The engine leaks oil in front of the faulty designed cam tower seal and leaks on the manifold. This caused smoke to come from the oil burning off.

Fire

Secondary air injection pump has high rate of failure, recalls in older models. Has caused truck to go into limp mode. Could cause serious accident/fatality if vehicle suddenly goes into limp mode on highway. This has happened on multiple occasions in forums I’ve read. Known problem by Toyota that isn’t being addressed.

The truck has paint peeling from it. There is currently a recall out for other models of Toyota with the same paint type as mine. Toyota says that the Tundra is not affected by this recall. I took the truck to Toyota they took down a report and told me to call the cooperate office to report it as well.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle experienced steering failure with abnormal popping sounds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21E103000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 156,485.

My horn stopped working. I have two new drivers and this is a huge safety concern of mine. The dealer is telling me that this is a $800 job. Online I'm finding that this is a very common issue that is occurring ... effecting the safety or our vehicle.

Secondary air injection system failed May 2019. ALL dash warning lights came on. Researched on-line and found truck would not have accelerated past “limp mode” (25-30 mph). Had to have vehicle towed to local Toyota dealer as I was over 40 miles from home (all highway). Toyota dealer diagnosed secondary air injection system failure. Cost to repair OVER $3000. Toyota has acknowledged this is a KNOWN design problem on the Tundra “big” V8s but refuses to recognize this is a design problem on the 2012 4.6L V8 models. Local dealer stated “we have lots of these lying around the shop so no problem getting the part.” Indicating this is a common problem/repair. Spoke directly with Toyota Corporate office who refused to acknowledge design fault or reimburse for repair. This is a HUGE safety issue caused by a known Toyota design problem that needs to be investigated by NHTSA. Toyota MUST be help accountable for this problem and made to correct the problem with a "recall".

The horn can not be operated by the steering wheel. The horn still works when the panic alarm is pressed. According to several forums that I have visited, it’s a common issue with the steering column rubbing the insulation off of the wire. I believe that if this is that common of an issue, it should be reported, and hope that it will be addressed by a recall.

Secondary air injection system failed June 2018. Vehicle went into limp mode on highway, a dangerous situation as you go from 70 to 30 MPH rather suddenly. Alamo Toyota dealership in San Antonio stated code PO418 and needs to have air pumps and valves replaced. Cost estimate of $3362.57. Toyota has acknowledged this is a design problem on certain Toyota Tundras but fails to recognize this is an issue on the 2012 4.6L V8 models. Toyota needs to take responsibility that this is still an issue with the 2012 4.6L V8 models.

Started my truck and the 4lo, check engine and trac off lights came on. The 4lo was blinking.

Check engine light which when checked revealed Air pump and air control valve failures. This is a known problem with 2006-2011 Tundras that Toyota issued an extended warranty for 10 years or 150,000 to replace these parts. There was additional extended warranty for 2012 with 5.7 Liter engine but not the 4.6 liter engine. Safety issue is when total failure occurs vehicle goes into limp mode with max speed of 25MPH which would be bad at highway speeds. Code was run by repair facility and copy is enclosed. Email was sent to Toyota corporate and upon phone call follow up, Toyota refused to do anything towards the defect.

2012 Toyota Tundra Cam Carrier seal/cam tower leak on Passenger side. THE CONSUMER STATED ONCE THE OIL PRESSURE BECOMES HIGHER THAN THE BOND HOLDING THE SEAL ELEMENT, IT BEGINS TO LEAK. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE.

have noticed rust holes on frame-frame rust is flaking-falling off--rust on brake system and wheel rims

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, he heard an abnormal sound, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove to his residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the secondary air injection system to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,899.

2012 Toyota Tundra has a known design flaw in that moisture is allowed to condense, accumulate and corrode in components of the secondary air intake system leading to decrease performance especially in regards to acceleration which is critical to operating a vehicle safely.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT CAME ON. CAR AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES SPEED CAUSING DIFFICULTY PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. THE SECONDARY AIR PUMPS ARE DEFECTIVE. SOMETHING TOYOTA IS AWARE OF BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE MY MODEL. NO HELP FROM THERE WARRANTY DEPARTMENT. PROBLEM HAPPENED AS I WAS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH SPEED TO GET OUT OF WAY OF INCOMING TRAFFIC.

WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS. SUMMARY: I HAVE PROBLEM WITH LUG NUT RIGHT REAR SIDE OF TRUCK WON'T COME LOOSE NUT KEEP SPINNING HAS A FACTORY DEFECT POSSIBLE THIS YEAR OF VEHICLES SHOULD BE LISTED IN 2013&2014 RECALL I HOPE THIS AND THE TIME GONE BY DOES NOT EFFECT ME AND MY SAFETY THIS SHOULD BE DEALER RESPONSIBILITY AND FIX

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT JOHN HARVEY TOYOTA (2901 BENTON RD, BOSSIER CITY, LA 71111, (318) 741-1337). THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE VEHICLE REPAIRED, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE SAME DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS ALSO REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE ABOVE 25 MPH AND WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.