2010 Tundra – Quieter, Less Fuel, Still Great Power
Jason Lancaster | Apr 13, 2009 | Comments 173
TundraHeadquarters isn’t cool – at least not to Toyota. Rather than give us the opportunity to drive a pre-production Tundra, only PickupTrucks.com had a shot. At least they published a nice review.
2010 Toyota Tundra with the 4.6L V8
Here are the take-aways from their review of the new 2010 Tundra 4.6L:
- The new 2010 Tundra is mostly identical to the 2009, but there are some minor style changes to the exterior.
- The new 2010 Tundra is a little quieter. More sound deadening materials have been added.
- The new 4.6L V8 is a great choice. EPA fuel economy test results are still pending, but you can bet the Tundra with the 4.6L will crack 20mpg on the highway and 15mpg city…and maybe more. Considering that Ford’s SFE F150 offers best-in-class fuel economy with 15mpg city 21mpg highway, the new 4.6L seems very competitive.
- Speaking of the SFE F150, did we mention that the new 4.6L Tundra will have a tow rating of 9,000 lbs? While it’s true that Ford’s 4.6L is rated higher (9,500 lbs towing) in certain configurations, the only way Ford could manage 21mpg in the SFE package was to cut the truck’s tow rating to a paltry 7,500 lbs.
- The 4.6L is surprisingly quick. The 5.7L Tundra has a 0-60 of about 7 seconds, the 4.6L has a 0-60 of about 8 seconds. Not bad considering the 4.6 has only 310hp.
- That 8 second 0-60 time also means that a 4.6L Tundra is almost a full second faster off the line than 5.4 F150 (8.96 seconds 0-60). Yikes!
The 2010 Tundra will be available end of April, 2009.
The new 4.6L will be available for sale at the end of the month – we’re looking forward to taking it for a spin.
Filed Under: Tundra News
Count me in for a test spin to, but only in the 4.10 and not the 3.90 gear ratio.
I think the 4.10 will get the same, if not better, mpg than the 3.90 the way I drive.
MK – Sounds good. I think you’re right about the 4.10 too – I would guess that many owners will get similar mileage with both trucks.
Sweet, power and practicality.
Sounds great that new 4.6. With some mods I’m sure you can get about 24mpg. Since I have the 5.7 with 4.30 rear and a 10.5 ring gear I can get 22-23mpg. It’s all in the way you drive, where you drive at, and conditions. Ididn’t buy the truck for it’s towing or speed. Thanks to Chevy and Ford pushing me away from them I just wanted to start over with a new manufacturer and give them the same support I gave the other two. Being a first year model 07 with no issues I can’t complain about anything but the weather. 55,000 miles on my Crewmax and going strong. I have enough brake pads to last another 10,000 and my thread is at 5/32 on my duellers. I can say I have roughly 45,000 miles or more on the interstate which makes my Traveling Crew as Jason featured a great ride.
I think its cool that toyota is building and engine that is more efficient and more powerful. I hope they make more sales and i wonder what toyota is going to bring out next.
Mickey – That would be awesome. 24mpg with a pickup is approaching the fuel economy of some larger mid-size cars…let’s hope for the best.
Don – You said it. Let’s keep our fingers crossed they bring out the 4.5L diesel after all. Tuned correctly, it might get 20mpg COMBINED. Then there’s the hybrid Tundra that might eventually be revived…let’s hope that they keep making the product bigger, better, and stronger.
my 08 5.7 will not get better than 14 no matter what, onlu thign i do not like about this truck really
If I do not putz in town all the time getting about 15 mpg in town, I can get on average 16.5 mpg on the hwy. normal day to day driving and pushing 17mpg but rarely over that. I really cannot believe anyone can ever get over 20 mpg no matter how they drive. Sorry, but I don’t believe mickey unless you have all flat roads and drive 50 mph and still then, you won’t see over 20 mpg. If you do get 22 mpg mickey, you better keep your truck forever since you won’t see another like yours. If the dealers ever get the 4.6L on their lots which should be here by now but are not at the local dealers yet, I would love to get 19 mpg pushing 20 mpg on the hwy. and if so, I would be happy.
Yes in Florida the land is flat and if they let me place a photo shot I would show you my sticker off the truck which has 16 city and 20 hwy. Doing 55 on the interstate does help alot. I would get up into 23 mpg. So I don’t quite stay there because sometimes I drive at 60 to 70mph. Now when I drive to work which is 28 miles of that at least 18 miles are interstate and 9 miles are 4 lane hwy at 55mph and the last mile has 2 red lights at 45mph in a 4 lane road. I use the cruise control all the time except when raining/snowing. The only hills in Florida are in Tallahassee. So this is where I get max mpg’s. The weather can play a big part if you have winds over 10 mph. MK where you’re at you may not get the mileage because of the roads. Most of my travel has been on the hwy so that’s the reason for good mpg’s. I have over 56,300 miles on mine so I do use the truck alot.
I just bought a 2010 Tundra with a 4.6L engine and I am very happy with it. I have a question though: Is there a TRD Supercharger for a 4.6L yet?
Mario – Nothing yet. I’m not sure there ever will be one frankly, but if Toyota does develop one it’s at least a year away.
I picked up a 2010 Tundra Double Cab last Saturday and if I can believe the onboard computer I’m getting 17.6 mpg (average) on this first tank of fuel. The real test will be when I fill up and calculate actual economy.
Very smooth motor/tranny and plenty of power.
So far, week 1, I’m very impressed.
Bill – Thanks for posting – looking forward to hearing if the computer and your figure jive. Considering that’s a brand new truck, your mileage will probably only get better. Good to hear.
I got my 2010 Tundra CrewMax TRD OffRoad 4.6L almost three weeks ago and have been driving it daily with 50/50 freeway and stop-n-go city streets. The computer is showing 16.6 mpg after almost 800 of very-easy miles. As a first time full size truck driver, I love the big truck feel, very smooth and powerful. Still getting used to the parking but the backup camera and front/rear sonar sure help.
Lienster – Congrats!
Here is the follow up to my post from last week.
I filled up the tank with 347 miles on the odometer and what looked to be about an 1/8 of a tank left (I haven’t even read the book yet to see what capcity is on the fuel tank). It took 19.1 gallons and I topped it off about as much as possible.
Some quick math tells me that is, an impressive, 18.2 mpg. I’m amazed for a new (tight) motor and my still getting used to throttle response, etc.
All in all I couldn’t be happier with that kind of mileage seeing as my 2006 F250 with a 5.4L and 3.73 gears got 13 mpg at best.
Bill – Very impressive indeed – thanks for sharing.
mickey, I’m sorry I doubted you on the mpg., but I was talking 4wd 5.7L’s gas mileage and your tundra is probably 2wd which does make a 2-3 mpg difference. Here in WI, I would say 1 in 50 trucks are 2wd at best, but Florida or other states like that really don’t need 4wd that much.
Well I need to, now, temper my enthusiasm as I had to take the Tundra into the dealer yesterday with a check engine light on the dash. Initial thought was the VVTP (variable valve timing ?) “gear”. Replaced to no avail and as of last night they had the top end of the motor apart waiting on Toyota Engineeing to tell them what to do next………………sigh………..
Bill – That sucks – my first reaction was “WTF?” Keep us posted – hopefully it’s an easy fix. If not, maybe you can complain and get yourself a free extension on your powertrain warranty.
Well it turns out that they were trying to cross-reference the code from my 2010 with a 2008 list of codes…….needless to say it didn’t match! My “fault” was caused by the engine RPM dropping below 400 and they have seen that on new motors when there was something in the fuel line that got onto an injector. The pulled them all and cleaned them out. I got it back Thursday night and it’s been fine since.
OOPS! You can bet that the technician that made that mistake got an earful – I bet the dealership will have to eat the cost of the gear + all the labor time…ouch. That will teach them! Glad to hear it was just gunk in the injector.
Gunk in the fuel is one of my concern about the non-locking gas cap. I parked my CrewMax on the driveway (with a foot and a half hanging into the sidewalk) and I worry about GUNK being put into my gas tank as a prank. I was looking into a keyed gas cap but my Toyota service guy did not recommend it because Toyota does not make one and off the shelf part may not provide proper seal and cause engine light to come on. Have anyone try or using a locking gas cap?
Lienster – I like the dealership’s thinking on this issue, and unfortunately I’ve got no suggestions – anyone else?
Stant makes one. I use it all last year when gas prices were ridiculous. I bought it at O’rielly’s for $12. The only reason I don’t have it on was I forgot to tightened the cap after a fill up and guess what. Check engine light came on and the next day the wife wanted to take it to the shop. Since it was a saturday and I had to work. So before I went to work I put on the original cap back on. The service adviser told her since we were loyal customers (I take both vehicles to do maintenace at the Toyota Dealership) they gave us a no charge for diagnostics and replaced the cap. I just never put it back on. It’s still on my toolbox waiting……
Well so the Tundra is going back into the shop…..again……as the check engine light started coming on again. Seems to only trigger at engine start and, IMHO, is impacted by moisture as both times it’s been raining. The pulled the codes, again, last night and are now going with a cam position sensor being faulty. Ordered part, have to drop the truck off tomorrow night and leave it all day Thursday………..I think I should go read up on the Lemon Law “fine print”………sigh.
Bill in that case it’s 3 times for the same issue and you have to give them a 4th and final try at it. I know. I went through arbitration on my 06 Silverado LT3 with the headliner being replaced 11x. Tell me about it. Now I don’t have it and left GM from that and vowed never to go back. Wish you luck. Can’t say I haven’t had that issue on mine. I have 64,700 miles on my 07.
Bill – That sucks man – sorry to hear it.
This time they swapped the VVT cam sensors from bank 1 to bank 2 and vice versa. The theory being that if (I say when) it fails again that if the code has changed sides they’ve narrowed it down. Seems like sound troubleshooting but I’m somewhat disillusioned that they can’t nail this down.
The one constant I’ve seen is that both times this has happened it’s been raining like an SOB. Both times it’s been on at engine start. It’s never come on while the truck has been running. Has to be related somehow in my mind.
I’ll keep y’all posted………
Bill – Thanks for the updates – let’s hope they find a solution quickly.
Bill- I bought a 2010 Tundra Double Cab in September. Check engine light came on after about 500 miles. Code was that the Timing was “Retarded” for a split second. It had only registered the code a few times. First time in, which was when I brought it in for the bed liner anyways, they just cleared it.
I brought it home and it came on on the way home. I went back up and the checked it to make sure it was the same code, which it was, made an appointment for the following Monday. Over the weekend the light went out, so I cancelled my appointment.
It came back on during the following week. Brought it in last week and they had it for a few hours. Swapped a control valve with another to see if the code would switch to that position. They could not get the code to come back after a few test drives. The tech. was not in a good mood as he was getting nowhere on the phone with Toyota. He said they are aware of the issue, but had not narrowed it down. He thinks it is a computer issue as he could not get the code to completely clear off the computer. He disconnected the battery for 15 minutes, contected back up and the code had not cleared off the computer, but the code was still there. It did not trip again, but would not completely clear.
Had the truck all week and no light…until tonight. Figures, Saturday night. I will call Monday morning and see when I can get it in.
If it helps, my code does not seem to come on at any particular time, nor do I see any change in performance. I have had it come on right at start up, while driving on the freeway and around town.
Will let you know more when I do.
I have just bought a 2010 Tundra and only had it for 5 days before the check engine light came on. It didn’t quite have 300 miles. Got it into the dealer to get the run around about the VVT, low rpms AND stuff stuck in fuel line. Got the truck back today (4 days later) only to have the check engine light come on within 20 miles of driving. Not sure how much I like or trust the truck at this point. I’m hoping that the service dept will get it fixed this time since they obviously didn’t the first time. I’m beginning to wish we had gotten a 2009 since it doesn’t seem like they had as many problems that year.
Kristy – No idea why this is happening, but I would encourage you to keep an open mind about this truck. Brand new vehicles sometimes need adjustments, and an intermittently defective sensor could cause this problem as well. The thing about your story that bothers me is that the dealer needed 4 days to diagnose…sounds like they have no idea what’s wrong. Is there another dealer nearby? If they can’t get it done next time, I’d suggest you try another dealership next.
Well, I had the Yota back in the shop last week. They were still unable to figure out why the check engine light is going on, but whatever they did the first time has definitely improved on the number of times it comes on. It only went on 1 time in 2 weeks, compared to about a dozen in the previous 2 weeks. They said the Toyota corperate engineers are working on the fix, but have nothing yet. I will fill you in when I get more information.
There is no fix. Toyota is advising technicians to change oil and reset the light. My professional opinion is that a change to the valvetrain and ocv (oil control valve) is the result of dtcs p0022 and p0011. Toyota says they are investigating the issue.
Not my name – Good info. Feel free to contact me directly jason@tundraheadquarters.com if you have any more info and/or tips. We keep our sources confidential.
We just bought a 2010 Toyota Tundra Rock Warrior. Had the truck a week with approx. 400 miles on it when we took it out on the highway, my husband horsed it, and the check engine light came on. He thought it may be the gas cap so he topped off the tank and tightened the cap. The light went off a while later that evening when he took it out a second time. Three days later, he horsed it again, and the check engine light popped on a second time. Unfortunately, we traded in our perfectly good 2006 Tacoma and now I’m afraid we have a lemon.
Jill – It’s this same mysterious valvetrain issue that other 2010 owners have commented about above. There’s no fix yet (as far as I know), but there’s no reason to panic yet either.
I am a little panicky after reading the above comments. I have had the misfortune of owning a lemon in the past (Ford) and the prospects of going thru that again doesn’t leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
We bought the truck out-of-state at a really large dealership, as our local dealership had only one truck on the lot (very small volume dealer that changed ownership just in the past few weeks). I really think they’ll be oblivious to the problem and I’m concerned with how we’ll be treated since we didn’t buy the truck locally! I’ve read on other websites (may have been mentioned on this one also) that Toyota is recommending an oil/filter change, and that this has corrected the problem in many cases. Not sure how this could make any difference….What’s your take on it?
We got our truck back after having to take it in twice for the check engine light. It has been totally fine ever since. I would recommend asking what error code is coming up so you will know if it is always the same one. The dealership was great to us, gave us a brand new 4runner for a loaner free the entire time. They told us that they changed the oil, oil filter and solenoids. Toyota has said they are aware of the problem, and the service manager hinted that he thought it was caused by a bad batch of oil. I wouldn’t panic too much (but I did when mine was coming on, so I do understand). Once they get the oil changed, it should be fine. Brand new trucks are under warranty, so they will have to fix it.
Thanks so much Kristy for the great info. We are due for an appointment on Monday (11/16) so I’ll keep you posted:)
Oh-one other thing Kristy….just out of curiosity, what was the code that popped up on your Tundra. Will be interesting to see if it’s the same code that we get when we bring our truck in.
Our error code was P0012. I guess that’s the one to look out for. Good luck and don’t get too stressed out because it will all work out once they fix everything.
Jill – I hear ya – I would be a little panicked myself I think, but fear not. The bad batch of oil diagnosis that was shared with Kristy makes sense. Please keep us posted.
Kristy – Thanks a bunch for sharing the info – really appreciate it.
Jason wouldn’t Toyota get their oil in bulk? That’s alot of bad oil brought in. I hate to be that company who brought that load of oil in.
Mickey – I think so, but I doubt it’s all brought in one big barrel. It could also have been contaminated somehow. It seems odd to be sure, but a bad batch of oil would explain why an oil change is the recommended fix.
My 2010 4.6 had the light come on @ 400 miles. Same code P0012. Dealer reset, came back on last night. Has anyone else noticed strage engine charcteristics, like backing of the throttle and engine still accelerates for a few seconds. Feels almost like a slipping transmission. I guess retarding cam timing would explaine this.
I bought a 2010 Tundra w/4.6L 2 weeks ago . . . Just turned 500 miles on it earlier today and while pulling in my driveway, got the check engine light. Went immediately over to the dealer and caught a service tech on the way out the door at 3pm who was good enough to head back for a PC to connect and diagnose. Well, turns out it had the P0022 error code and had him download info to send a report on to Toyota (which he reset when done). Since the shop was basically closed, I was told to bring it back monday morning @ 7am and they would check it out further. Problem being that I was “supposed” to be leaving for a 600 mile trip down to TMMK in Georgetown KY (where my son is finishing up an internship, so I need the truck to move him home so he can head back to college) about 5am on monday . . . guess my plans will be changing. I already told the dealer that I either need my truck fixed or a loaner on the spot (and they understand the situation and are trying to work with me on it). Glad I found this info and will probably tell them to simply get me a loaner and keep mine for a few days while they work on it. Thanks for all the info . . . .
Wayne – Let us know how it goes and if they shed any more light on this issue. The fix seems to be a reset and an oil change, so maybe you’ll get out on the road early.
Will do . . to actually cover all options, I went ahead and called TOYOTA customer service directly yesterday and opened a case with them. The person took all the info and said it would be escalated up to the engineers and that someone would contact me directly wtihin 1 business day (sometime monday). I then emailed my dealer back to let them know the case number so hopefully that will help them since the case is opened before they get the truck to work on. Really hoping they have some ideas that I can still hit the road early, otherwise I hope they have a loaner avaialble.
Brought our Tundra to the local Toyota dealer today to get it checked out. When they ran the code it came back as a P0022 (essentially the same as P0012). They indicated that they have been instructed by Toyota to change the oil and filter of anyone getting the P0012 or P0022 codes…..and that’s what they did. Only driven it a few miles since then, so I’m hoping the problem is fixed. Since the light was literally going off and on daily, will check back in a week or so to update. Thanks to all for the great information!!!!
Got my Tundra into the dealer yesterday morning with a printout of the info on this post. Luckily, got to work with the same tech that I worked with on Saturday. He started making calls and got hold of 2 different engineers contacts he had a Toyota and was told by both that the fix at this point is to change oil & filter. One engineer said that would solve it while the other said it “should” solve it but he has heard of it coming back in a couple instances. They brought me back into the shop while changing the oil to show me that there was “metal particles” trapped in the filter pleats (enough that we were able to fan through the filter and easily see them while shinning a flashlight on it). The thought is that there were a couple large enough that they might have blocked oil flow at a cam sensor for an instant which caused it to through the code. I was told that after the fix, it was OK to take off on a trip and if the code returned, just continue driving and have the dealer check when I get back home. So, with 575 miles on the truck (and a new oil change), I took off yesterday morning and drove 600 miles down to TMMK (Georgetown KY). Truck did great and no “check engine light”. Will be returning home tomorrow after driving another 600 miles so we’ll keep our fingers crossed. I asked the dealer if we should change oil again when I get back to see if there are any more metal shavings in the filter after another 1500 miles, but he said that that probably wouldn’t unless it tosses another code. I also have to call back “Toyota Corporate Headquarters” today since they contacted me last night and left a message with a case number and wanted to follow up on the situation. It definitely sounds like they know there are some issues with the manufacturing process and are checking things out to keep customers happy. Maybe they will need to go back to the old days of changing “break-in” oil after 1000 miles to be sure these engines last for the owners. Will keep you posted on anything new.
Wayne – Great info – thanks a ton. I’ll put all this info together into a new post. Thanks to Bill, Kristy, Jill, and Jeremy as well.
Just got over 190 miles and my check engine light is on. Salesman man told me to open the gas cap, retighten, and restart the truck several times. Light is still on. Going to the dealership after only three days having my new Tundra. I hope that you guys are right about the oil / filter change.
South Carolina – That sounds exactly like the other comments above. P0012 or P0022 should be the engine error code.
update . . . just returned from putting 1300 additional miles on my Tundra in 3 days after getting the oil/filter change on monday morning (truck now has 1875 miles on it).
Truck did great on the trip and “no new check engine lights” so far. Sure hope that is the end of the problem. Will let you all know if anything shows up again in the future.
Wayne – Sounds like you’re in the clear – good to know.
Identical “check engine” light problem on a 6 day old, 2010 4.6 L Tundra at a 300 mile odometer reading. Error code P0012.
Dealer changed the oil, installed a new oil filter and gasket, and road tested. Only 8 miles driven since the service, but all is well at the moment.
NJ Contractor – Good info. This seems like a relatively common issue. Look for a post on this next week.
Jason,
Terrific web site, having just found it, thanks. Was puzzled at the engine light, truck has been running just fine. Our 7th Toyota, was not expecting any trouble so early on.
The posts here were very helpful. Mentioned to the service rep the above posted and stated problems, expected error codes, and past solutions. Still, it was a 3 hr. wait for a basic oil change. The service manager or technician had to contact Toyota for guidance. Guess corporate is getting the message, relayed back to the dealer that an oil and filter change was advisable.
This is a very large dealership. My salesman, his manager, the service counter, the service manager, and apparently the mechanic were a bit puzzled on this “check engine” on a brand new Tundra.
Hopefully, word will get out on a relatively fast and inexpensive solution to many who experience the same.
It’s been six days since our 2010 5.7L V8 Tundra was in the shop for the check engine light problem. Since we had the oil/filter change, it’s been great with no problems:) I’m baffled at the dealerships that are unaware of the problem (especially the large ones), as this appears to be a very common occurrence. Even my very small local dealership (last time I checked, only one Tundra on the lot) was aware of the problem…..what’s up with that!
Oh, and James, thanks for this great website! Will look you up on Facebook:)
NJ Contractor – Thanks man. We’re going to do some work to try and get this more exposure.
Jill – Good to hear – be sure to become a fan of our site here http://www.facebook.com/tundra.headquarters
Wow glad that THQ has had so much info on this issue and even more amazing dealerships do not. I’ve been considering getting a 2nd Tundra to leave at home in TX and was reading this thinking OMG what now? But glad it appears to be a very simple fix for them.
TXTee – For sure.
Bad news:( Our check engine light just came on again…looks like it’s back to the dealership! Will keep you updated.
TXTee for the dealerships defense I can see that happening. Since I went through my ordeal with the 03 F-150, 06 Silverado I had. The Ford had only 3 in sequential order that had the same issue and naturally I had the east coast one. No Ford dealer knew anything about it. In fact depressing as it was when you have the Service Adviser, Service Manager, Liason customer rep, and General Manager all tell you we have no idea how to fix my truck with it’s computer problems. It was the same for the 06 Chevy with the headliner and taillights. When the second taillight fell off they had a TSB by then. Nothing even after 11x replacing the headliner did Chevy have anything about it. I was told by a factory rep that it was a defect, but that was it. So it can happen where the dealership is the last to know. Personally they should look at these websites just to gain any info. I shown my dealership this website and where Jason gave me the honor of featuring my truck. The salesman at the time had it printed and framed to show people. BTW the salesman moved on to other things. I knew I was buying two vehicles and asked the sales manager for the worst salesman to give him a shot and help in his confidence.
Thanks Jill for the info….. Will be waiting for your response on what’s going on….
Jill and I are in the same boat, when we should be in our new trucks! 50 miles after the original P0012 error code, a dealer change of oil/filter/gasket, back to another “check engine” warning.
Tundra currently at the dealer, this is becoming disruptive and a bit of a concern. Never any odd problems such as this with 6 previous new Toyotas.
Update….Contacted our local dealership who indicated that Toyota is recommending that should the check engine light reappear, then they are to clear out the code and this should fix the problem. Not satisfied with this answer, my husband contacted the HUGE out-of-state dealership we bought the truck from and spoke to an extremely helpful individual in the Service Dept. He indicated that, yes, they have replaced the oil/filter in several of these trucks to repair the P0012 and P0022 problems. He stated that only once did someone return with a recurrence of the check engine light. When this happened, he said they decided to take out the solenoids and, using the same ones, switched their positions. He said the check engine light came on again, so they replaced the solenoids, and this person has had no problems since. He assured us that there would be no damage to the engine and indicated that with normal break-in there may have been another metal shaving that broke free, causing the check engine light to return. He did mention that the computers in these new trucks are extremely sensitive, which may be part of the problem.
Back to my dealership….My husband dropped by and they cleared out the code (same as before P0022). Our dealership indicated that they have had three trucks return with a recurrence of the P0012 and P0022 check engine light code, three times they cleared the code, and all three times it has fixed the problem. Keeping our fingers crossed!!
Still absolutely love our Tundra Rock Warrior, even if it does have the hiccups:)
I’m just wanting to clarify really quick what happened with ours and our dealership. We had the check engine light come on, the first time they changed the oil and filter. It came on again within 3 hours. This time, they changed out the solenoids (all of them) and another oil change. We haven’t had any other problems since. If the check engine light came on twice, I would think the dealerships would all be changing the solenoids. I guess wishing for all dealerships and their service depts to do the same fix for similar problems isn’t totally realistic. Since we had the solenoids changed and the second oil change, we haven’t had any other problems. Our dealership told us they can also check for “pending” error codes to see if there are any that haven’t caused the light to come on yet, but are still problematic. I know how much of a hassle it is to have a brand new truck and not be able to drive it, but hang in there and it will be fixed soon.
Odd. Dealer service manager just called. Opposed to the original P0012 error code 30 miles ago, this new “check engine” error is code P0022.
Toyota corporate is advising to pull the cam sensor(?), check, throughly clean, and reinstall. If it fails again, order a new sensor. Only problem is, these are backordered until late Dec. or early Jan.!
Oh well, in 9 days of taking delivery, the truck has been in the shop for 2 days. Good thing we didn’t sell the old ’94 Celica GT yet!
NJ-The P0022 is the same code that we get on our truck. It means exactly the same as the P0012 “camshaft position, timing over-retarded” the code is just pulling from the opposite side. As Kristy suggested, your dealer may want to replace the solenoids, as these codes (correct me if I’m wrong) have something to do with the solenoids catching or sticking occasionally. You have a good case, I think, to say they’re both defective and they should be replaced. The dealership we bought our Tundra from (not where we have our truck serviced as it is out-of-state) also had someone that had the code repeat and they too changed the solenoids with no further problems. We hope they’ll do the same should our light come on again. May want to also contact Toyota directly for more info, as they are obviously aware of the problem. Check your receipt…you probably already have a case # indicated on it and can refer to that # if you decide to contact Toyota. Keep us posted!!!
I found a customer service number if you’d like to eventually try that route….800-331-4331, Fax: 310-468-7814
Mon – Fri, 5:00 am – 6:00 pm PST
Sat, 7:00 am – 4:00 pm PST
Jill,
Thank you for your post, very helpful as I am a bit mechanically impaired. The two separate error codes being related to the same problem now makes sense.
On the telephone yesterday, thought the service tech stated that Toyota advised checking and cleaning the “sensor”, not the “solenoids”. Is it possible that these are the same thing?
If not, it would seem to make sense that the dealer go ahead and install new solenoids. I would assume they are located in the same general area of the engine.
Thanks for the tele. #’s and advise. I do have the original case #. Guess maybe I’ll call the dealer when the sun comes up. Appreciate the help.
NJ-Yes, the solenoids and sensors are the same as per our Service tech. He said they are very, very sensitive, as they will detect even the slightest of particles. Could it be that they want to check, clean, and re-install these sensors because they are unable to replace with new ones until December/January?
Jill,
Thanks so much for your timely response. Saves me the embarrassment of making an “idiot customer” call to my local dealer!
I guess the check/clean/reinstall is shot at a fix, but more likely a stop gap until new replacement solenoids are available. Hope I do not have to drive around with that check engine light bugging me for the next month or two!
Again, thanks for your help.
NJ-Hopefully, the check/clean/reinstall will completely fix your problem. Best of luck and keep me posted!
Great comments from everyone – please keep posting so we can see how it turned out. I’m not sure if you all noticed, but I did post this article:
https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2009/11/23/2010-tundra-check-engine-light/
In most cases, the oil change is getting it done. Sorry to hear that it’s not quite the answer here for a couple of you.
Interesting that Toyota is saying metal shavings are the contaminate. My dealer told me it was silicone. I read silcone somewhere else too. Its been a week and 500 miles since my oil change and no light. (fingers crossed).
Hehe Jill is our resident expert on these issues now…..thanks, Jill.
Gabriel – I didn’t know that – silicone would also explain the issue. I’ll double-check it.
Jill has been instrumental in this – many thanks Jill! 🙂
My 2010 Tundra check engine light also came on at 320 miles. I brought my truck to the dealer today along with with the information I recieved from this site. It was the same code that everyone is talking about. They had to “open a case” with Toyota and get their advise from there techs. They told them to change my oil and filter, which they did. Drove 100 miles so far. no problems. Guess time will tell. Waited 3 hours for a oil change, Thanks Totoya I dont have anything better to do in my life.
Ryan – Thanks for checking in. The 3 hour wait sucks, but unfortunately the dealer has to follow the standard procedure until Toyota releases a TSB that says otherwise. It’s the only way the dealer can cover their rear just in case that’s not the problem.
The 2nd “fix” for my check engine light problem appears to be the charm. Drove ~ 800 miles this holiday traveling to relatives, and all is well.
Unfortunately, when I picked up the Tundra this past Wednesday, the service rep did not have the paperwork ready. So I am not sure exactly what was done, other than an inspection and through “cleaning” of the sensors. Apparently, a regional Toyota service rep was at the dealer when the work was being done.
Aside from this irritating “glitch”, the more I drive this truck, the more satisfied I am with the purchase.
Nj good to hear everything is okay. I’m always on the road with mine. Have 72,600 miles on my 07 Crewmax. Took it twice on the road for a 13 hour drive. The first was a disaster but got good mpg in the mountains of WV. I avg 17.3mpg doing 70 in WV until I hit the 6 point buck about 120lbs. Did $11,000 in damage on the truck. The second trip got me 17.7mpg doing 75mph. The truck rode great. Will be making that trip shortly but the wife wants to try the 07 Prius. She hasn’t taken it out on a long road trip yet. Not as comfortable as the Tundra.
NJ Contractor – I’d be curious to know, but my guess is they pulled some of the sensors, cleaned them up, and then maybe cleared the little oil filter under the valve covers.
Jason,
Received the service invoice in the mail yesterday. As printed, “P0022
. Active test control valves. Removed all valves and cleaned. Reinstalled and performed oil and filter change. Road test and rechecked for codes. None present.”
Your guess sounds dead on. Toyota has now done two separate oil and filter changes from the 300 – 400 mile odometer reading, as well as a sensor cleaning. All is well. I really like this truck.
NJ Contractor – Cool. That’s good to know. Glad to hear you like the truck, be sure to keep checking the main blog for more news.
Jason,
One thing I noted on the service invoices yesterday.
At the 300 mile odometer reading, when the 1st of 2 “check engine” light errors came on, the dealer replaced the oil and filter. The oil used was ” FP-NUMBER: 00289-1QT0W-10, DESCRIPTION: 0W20 M OIL-MIN 10″.
This, I would assume, is synthetic oil, 0-20 weight. Within 90 miles after this service, the “check engine” light error reoccurred.
At the 390 odometer reading, the dealer again serviced the truck as described in previous posts. This time, the oil used was “FP-NUMBER: 00279-1QT5W-01, DESCRIPTION: OIL, MOTOR 5W30 QT”.
Have no clue as to whether this is synthetic or petroleum based oil. What is apparent is that the weight used increased to 5W-30 from the previous 0W-20.
No further problem has occurred in the 900 miles + that the truck has been driven since this 2nd oil change.
Pure speculation, but possibly the sensors are not compatible to lighter weight or possibly synthetic oil.
NJ Contractor – Interesting. Hard to imagine that the oil itself would cause a problem, but it could be. Does the dealer have any information? It could be that someone simply typed the wrong code when they prepared your invoice.
Jason, Great site!
NJ, not sure what type of oil that is, but I was told when I bought my Tundra that I HAD to use synthetic oil. I bought the maint. package also, as I do not trust the run of the mill oil change place to put in synthetic if I ask for it.
After the second time in, less than 1500 miles, I have not had the code come on again (They swapped the solenoids around the second time in). I had the oil changed at 4200 miles last month, and they put the wrong oil in at the dealership…was still synthetic, but because of the maint. package I paid upfront for a different type of synthetic oil, not sure what the difference is but they brought it back in the shop and changed it again.
Makes me happy I bought the truck fron this dealer, as I know they are honest. They cought it before I even left the office and asked if I would wait while they changed it out. Only bad part was I had been there for 2 hours already. Another 20 minutes and I was on the road.
Oh, they scratched my truck while it was in the shop, on the cab roof, and were upfront about that as well. To be honest, I still can’t find the scratches and have not had it back in yet to have them fix it.
I also brought in a print out of this post to give the techies some info.
Thanks again for all the info and have a safe Holiday!!
NJ-Great to hear all is well. We have not had a recurrence of the check engine light in our truck since it was cleared on 11/23:)
Again Jason, love your site….it’s by far the best out there!!!!
Jeremy and Jill:
I also purchased the Toyota maintenance package when I bought the truck. At 1.9% financing, it seemed to be a decent deal.
No further problems, “check engine” light or otherwise. Very happy with the truck.
Stopped by the dealership to pickup the license plates the other day and spoke for a moment with my service writer. He was unsure of the change in viscosity of engine oil, but did mention that the oil used was a “blend” of petroleum and synthetic oils.
So what about GM and Dodge, they are a competitor.
Oh you like to talk about Toyota advantages over Ford. Sure the Tundra is a second faster 0-60 but the Ford’s check engine light doesn’t come on within a week of owning it. Ford has Sync, Toyota sticking accelerators, Ford has a proven frame that will last over 9 years, Toyota has a recall to replace cross members and give you a 15 year warranty on it(Thanks to the US government stepping in). The F-150 is the truck of Texas for over 7 I belive years, Toyota is just made there (Texas seems to know somthing others don’t). Toyota makes prerunners and Off road package TRD’s that are 2wd, Ford makes a true race ready Baja truck the Raptor. Toyota has bed bounce, Ford has tailgate steep, Toyota want to raise the tow capacity of 1/2 tons, Ford says look we also make 3/4 and 1 tons so why? Toyota has to have the chassis bolts retorqued every oil change, Ford magically figured how to ensure they stay tight (torque stabilization) maybe the bed bounces weak frame has somthing to do with Toyota. Toyota has endless options of models starting with the “kamikaze edition” accelerator issue, Ford has a much higher NHTSA crash rating and accelerator does NOT stick there fore there is not Government issued SAFETY RECALL. So I can do this all day long, why is Toyota always picking on Ford? Ford puts the facts out in reference to Toyota and challenges them to prove them wrong, so why don’t you do it. O that’s right you can’t. You should call this the Ford haters site, no wonder Toyota would not let you test drive the 2010 Tundra, you do not even have any credit with them!
Anonymous Said in December 13th, 2009 @8:33 am So what about GM and Dodge, they are a competitor.
Okay bright one…Look at the top of the page and you will see what website you’re on. It’s amazing technology. Now, Ford has claimed to have the best fuel mileage so naturally you show what you got against theirs. As for GM they are still dealing with Honda. You know the self propelled lawnmower. Dodge hasn’t had great mpg’s to start with. Now if you would honestly look at the main page of the website you would see threads of the Tundra against the Rams and Silverado’s. Basically you need to put your arguement there.
What’s your beef Anonymous? You constantly come here to trash the Tundra. If you don’t like it move on. Now do you want us to mention the issues with GM and Ford? As Justin mentioned to me before Ford tried to do Recalls on the flaming cruise control but it’s up to the people to bring it in. Same as the mats it’s up to the people to use common sense so that’s why Toyota took the advantage and did this so called recall because people don’t use common sense. What about your debacle of the heated winshield wiper fluid? Did you see Jason mentioned that? No. Yes apparently Ford’s frames as well as the other competitor’s frames are holding better offf than Toyota is. Baja truck let’s see how many people will buy a baja truck for around the house or to towork with…hmmm…. Well I don’t have to go there. It’s called you have to have a market and this will not help Ford at all. They will sell a few and after the new sensation wears off then they will see I can’t afford the gas and I hardly go offroad. Bed bounce is old news why not bring up the camshafts while you’re at it. Ford has a tailgate step…. Oh how cute…. I don’t have an issue getting in and out of my truck and to tell you the Tundra sits higher than the F-150 I had. Also you might want to mention how many of those poles that come up to help you up that step that broke on the individuals. Yes I smell lawsuit. Yes I give you have 3/4 and 1 ton trucks but when you don’t need to have that much to do a job why would I pay extra for a 3/4 and up truck? You totally missed the point there. If that’s your reasoning then why did Ford up the towing on their F-150? Yes, speechless, I don’t hear you…. The torque issue. Well it’s call covering your butt because, personally are you going to rely on everything you’re told? That’s the same as Mcd’s coffee having a label stating it’s hot for the few without common sense that want’s to sue anybody for their own actions. As far as your kamikaze remark you’re just a plain idiot no poin in going further with you on that. Maybe Jason can refresh me on what manufacturer had to go back and redesign the foot pedals because they were too close together having the so call issue Toyota’s having now. A good one for you there Anonymous since you’re the all knowing why did Ford wait till the 2009 edition to put out a 6 speed tranny? Toyota had that out and running in 2007. Yes Ford tested it in the Expedition in 2007 on it’s customers to get a dismal start. Since they didn’t have to make as many as their number 1 product less repairs and trying not to lose faith in it’s customer base. Bottom line Ford used it’s big SUV as a guinea pig to try out. If you think for one minute and I know that’s hard for you but go to the Ford, GM, and Dodge websites and see if they don’t do the same. You’re crying again over spilt milk. Get over it.
Ford had the 6 speed tranny out in what 03 it was around there. It was actually matted to a 5.4 in a Lincoln, research it! Who did have to redesign there pedals, I don’t know that one? Must not have been a big issue, nothing like a recall that will be remembered in infamy. Tailgate step handles breaking off, again have no clue on it? Mine fine. Everyone rasied the tow capacity of thw 1/2 tons due to Toyota’s. To let you know you can buy a 3/4 for the same price if not less than a 1/2 ton. There you go. Need a tissue?
Anonymous comments are like mice barking and should not be taken seriously.
You think Jason. So tell me what has the Tundra brought to the Truck market that was original? Anything!
Whether you want to admit it there Anonymous the Tundra brought more towing and having a 6 speed tranny in a truck not an SUV or car for that matter. Toyota didn’t wait to see if the tranny would fly. Yet Ford tried it in another vehicle first to make sure it works. That really shows confidence in your product.
I have a new ’10 Tundra with abt 250 miles, no check engine light yet, thank God. I have noticed one thing though, that was mentioned by another poster but no one answered to. It seems like when Im rolling out of say a parking lot, not touching the gas, the truck doesnt seem to “roll” or want to shift to second gear once I hit the gas. There seems to be a backshift issue or something in the low gears, esp from 0-1 and 1-2. Anyone else experiencing this, or am I being overly sensitive?
Scott,
Its not you. I have felt that as well. Its only when I’m turning into our neighborhood. Its seems to lag a bit, then its kicks into 2nd. I have mentioned this to my dealership who will check it out when I go in for the 5,000 mile oil change.
I also had my engine light go on after 200 miles, but after 2700 miles, no more issues. The dealership was great, gave me a new car to drive while they changed the oil/filter.
South Cackalacky-
Sorry I had to, Ima GATOR. From what Ive been reading on other sites, it seems to all be related to the “check engine light” issue. Some had recomended using mid grade gas as a fix. I feel EXACTLY the same way as you described, so theres def. a problem. Plse update when you go get it checked out. I plan on bringing mine into dealership in a couple weeks, front door window tint is bubbling. Not a great start for a new truck.
Anyone else have this issue?
My 07 didn’t come with tint on the front windows. Just the rear doors and back glass are tinted. The check engine light has nothing to do with what type of fuel grade you use. It’s the sensor going off on the contaminated oil. That’s why they do the oil change and if it happens again they clean the sensors. Sorry not a gator fan but I do live in Jacksonville, Florida. Before you guess I’m not a semiole fan either. LSU…..
Mickey, keep up would ya? The fuel comment was for the lagging in the shift points. Scott and SC are you cutting the wheel really sharp when you feel it happen?
Scott and SC look at the first post on “12 most popular posts of 2009”. Terry had something going about the corners.
Scott, South Carolina, and Terry – I remember some complaints about this in 2007 too. Many of the complaints were people who just weren’t used to their new truck’s shift patterns. If your basis for comparison is your last vehicle – i.e. the new truck is shifting differently than your old truck was – I would encourage you to test drive another new Tundra to see if it’s doing the same thing. It could be that the “problem” is nothing more than a different shifting pattern. Whatever the case, please keep us posted. I’m curious to hear if the dealership finds an issue.
Jason/Josh/Terry- Good points. I have a friend that just purchased a new Tundra also. I am going to drive it sometime in the next few days, will report back. Two things brought up- 1. shifting patterns…my brother drives a new full size Ram, which I drove over the weekend. He also drove mine. There is a big difference from my old truck in regards to the shifting patterns. The bigger trucks seem to be real “touchy” when first accelarating, and then “lag” from first to second gear. After driving my bro’s truck, it eased my mind a bit bc they shifted very similarly. But my bro did also think there was an problem more evident in my truck as apposed to his. He also felt that when cruising in 1st gear, the truck sticks or almost backshifts to get to second gear. Didnt have the same issues in his truck. 2. Cutting the wheel sharp…hadnt really noticed if this is the case, will report back if it is. Also wanted to say, I love my truck. I can get over the few issues it has bc I love it so much. Im bringing into dealership on Wed, so I will let you guys know. Currently have three issues- shifting, tint and alignment (pulling to the right, didnt notice till I got on the highway)
Scott – You might also find that, over time, the shift pattern changes to match your old truck. All modern vehicles have adaptive logic built in to the engine and transmission – the truck “learns” about your typical driving pattern and then adjusts shift points accordingly. Let me know how the comparison goes – glad to hear you’re digging the new Tundra.
2010 tundra 4.6L DC. My check engine light just came on too. 569 miles. Gas tank was near empty and gas cap was tight. Refilled gas tank and secured gas cap. Check engine light won’t go away. Maybe everyone’s comments will be useful if the code turns out to be the same.
Same codes (P0012). Service department at Toyota dealer was great. They brought out a portable scanner to check the engine codes in the parking lot. Toyota service bulliten says to change oil/filter, clear codes, and drive to ensure code does not come back. In and out of service in about 1.5 hours for an unscheduled appointment. I’m glad I found your web page before taking in the truck. The information was very useful when talking to the service reps since they have not seen this problem before.
Terry read what was written by Scott. He states some has stated that using mid grade gas to check engine light. Was it not or you see something written different? Now when someone mentions backshift, I don’t know about anyone else but backshift is the same as downshift. Going from 2nd to 1st not 1st to 2nd.
I took delivery of my 2010 4.6 Tundra on 12/30 and the check engine light came on about 3 hours later with about 180 miles on it. A trip to a small local Toyota dealer indicated that it was the same P0012 code and they had never seen it before. I called the large dealer that I purchased it from and they said that the wrong oil had been put in and that it needed to be changed (sounds like they don’t have the latest info?).
The sad part is that I see here that this has been going on for months and Toyota is not preventing it from happening on trucks they are building right now since mine was built in December of 2009.
James – Thank you.
Jim – Interesting…with such a recent build date I would agree – this shouldn’t be happening anymore.
If the root cause is the engine oil, why doesn’t Toyota ask all the dealers to change the oil before the customer gets the truck? Having the check engine light come on shortly after delivery is very bad press for Toyota. Maybe the engine itself was contaminated when it was built and it takes time for the oil to wash it out? Definitely all my Chevy and Ford buddies are giving me a hard time for switching to Toyota, which was only made worse when they found out I’ve already had it in the shop.
If I’m not right the dealer can’t change the oil for two reasons. One not being authorized by Toyota so they won’t get paid for the service. 2nd I think then they will have that issue of being not new by doing some work on the truck before delivery. Now if Toyota corp would give the go ahead and then they can change the oil and check it out.
James – Good question. Mickey is right that in that Toyota likely wouldn’t pay for the oil change, but most dealers I know would gladly pay for the oil change themselves if it helped them avoid an upset new car customer. Technically, an oil change isn’t a repair, so as far as I know there’s no issue there…but different states have different rules. In any case, good point.
I took my Tundra back to the dealer for the oil change and engine light reset on 1/7. They indicated that there was no Service Bulletin but they had been directed by Toyota to perform the oil change. They gave me no paperwork and were not very talkative. My impression is that they did not appreciate that I knew that this was a recurring problem by reading the above postings.
As to the comments about why the dealers don’t just change the oil: as I see it changing the oil on a new vehicle would accomplish nothing. It needs to be driven a couple hundred miles to produce the debris that causes the problem and then have an oil change to clean it out. I do not believe that Toyota is still putting in the wrong oil at the factory.
I have driven a total of 800 miles and the light has not come back on.
Jim – Makes sense. The first people who had this problem were told that their oil was contaminated, but it didn’t occur to me that the contamination came from the motor.
Great site!!! I have a 2010 Rock Warrior.. Same issue, chk eng light after 400 miles… One oil change and no light as of 1500 miles. They say to change the oil when its hot and have had no further returns. Anyone here know when the factory back up cam in the mirror is going to be available???
**Update**
Took my truck to the dealer two weekends ago, they corrected the alignment and removed front tint at no charge. In regards to the “lag” in shifting, they said its common in a new truck and will get better as the truck ages. I have already noticed a difference and its really a non issue now. I just cracked 1000 miles, gotta say I love my truck.
One thing I wanted to get comments on is miles/gallon. I have the small block 4×2 with TRD package. I have driven the truck extremely light, mostly highway. Live in Florida, so no hills. On my first three tanks Im averaging 15.1 mpg (thats my calculations, not what my truck says). Anybody getting better than this? Im quite dissapointed as I expecting to get close to 20 mpg
Brian – Thanks! No idea on the back-up cam, but I’ll try and keep an eye open.
Scott – Cool! The gas mileage should improve over time, but if it doesn’t improve after 1500 miles or so, you might want to have the dealer reset the ECM.
Jason – Thanks for your followup to my comment on the oil debris. I would guess that is being generated during the break in process when the metal parts are wearing in. I guess it could also be debris left over from the machining process during manufacture but I think that Toyota would address that kind of problem immediately by improving cleaning of the parts.
To Scott on the fuel economy concern: My 4.6 Double Cab 4X4 has done 17mpg on the first 2 tanks and 16.5 on the last one. My driving is mostly highway and speeds up to 75mph. All this driving is in extremely cold weather and lots of hills which certainly has a negative effect. I have 255×70 18″ standard tires. You probably have wider tires which is a slight negative, but you also have 2WD which is a big plus. I think your truck should do better and maybe it will in time. Some vehicles I have owned took 15 or 20K miles before they got their best economy.
I just added a tonneau cover which based on previous experience should be worth at least .5 mpg.
Jim – You bet. I agree that this is odd…hopefully Toyota will issue a TSB soon so we can find out what’s going wrong.
Jason there’s only one TSB on the 2010 Tundra. It’s about equipment labels. Hopefully they put something out for this. Jim maybe one of the issues with the tech’s is you have more info than they do which makes them feel dumbfounded. They have to do the research and find out so they can be informed. Even my dealership didn’t know about it. I told them and stated you already know the website because my 07 Tundra was featured by Jason and they had it on the wall in the dealership with the website. They have to venture and read. Okay Scott I live in Jax, Florida. I have an 07 Crewmax Limited 5.7. I avg 20 – 22mpg. I do alot of highway traveling for my job and leisure. I traveled to Orlando, Tampa, Melbourne, Daytona, West palm Beach, Tallahasse, Savannah GA, Philly PA for work. All my travels I tried different speeds on the interstate for the whole distant. With the cruise on from West Palm Beach I got 24.9mpg one way at 55mph. When I do 55mph I usually avg 24mpg in Florida. Going to New Orleans it gets hilly at 55mph I got only 21mpg. When I did 70 mph on a trip to Wheeling, WV in the mountains I got 18.3 mpg on my last trip last year. Usually in Florida 70mph I get close to 20mpg. I got a 1.5mpg increase using a CAI (cold air intake). It will take many years for that to pay for itself. I use an AFE Stage II lifetime air filter that uses no oil. I just wash in mild detergent and air dry. I have 76,350 miles on my truck now. As mention before weather does play into mpg. I use street tires on my truck for the traveling I do. All terrain tires won’t get good mpg’s. If you lift it that will kill mpg’s also. Just for you anonymous I’m still on my original brake pads.
I just got my CrewMax Tundra on Monday…Thursday at 295 miles the light came on. I’m off to Toyota at 7 am (yea) and I’ll let you know what happens.
Toyota just issued a TSB on 01/20/10. Basically they are now doing the oil change PLUS they are now automatically changing the Intake VVTI Gears, pulley assembly, Gasket in Spark Plug Tube, Camshaft gaskets, Air tube, Timing gear/cahin cover, Water inlet housing and various o-rings. The dealer gave me a copy of the TSB, which is valid for all P0012 and P0022 codes. I can PDF it and send it to anyone if they can post it here…let me know.
I got my 5.7L Crewmax on the 19th and on the 22nd (at 150 miles) the check engine light came on. Have an appointment for Tuesday at 7AM – thanks for all of the advise. I also notice a bit of what seams like a transmission slip when starting to accelerate around 1500-2000RPM’s – any connection?
Adam – Can you send me a copy? admin@tundraheadquarters.com
DJ – It’s probably the fact that the VVTi is off because of the check engine light. I’m not certain, but I believe there’s a cam shift right around those RPMs. In any case, once the check engine light is fixed and the cam position sensors are working correctly, I doubt you’ll note the hesitation again.
Hi guys,
Considering the purchase of a 4.6L Double Cab 4×4 up here in Toronto, Canada. Come from a Toyota/Lexus family, and have an ES350 as my daily driver, but need a truck for the work I do.
I’m pretty much convinced that the Tundra is the right truck, and I realize the inherent bias of asking such a question on a Tundra forum, but with Chevy/Dodge/Ford playing hardball with their trucks, and the F150 selling like a rockstar, what is it that makes the Tundra so much better for YOU? I’m looking for real owner experience of why you bought the Tundra over the competition. Not opening the floodgates for competition bashing, but am I off my rocker in thinking that the reliability I’ve had with previous Toyota/Lexus vehicles extend to the Tundra and that alone is a significant reason to go this way?
Thanks in advance.
Jason,
Any luck on getting a copy of the TSB? I wonder if they will change these parts for those of us who only got the oil change previously??
Jim
Jim
I just emailed it to Jason…not sure if he can post it. If not, let me know and I’ll send it to you
Andrew;
My previous truck was a GMC Sierra 1500 4WD 5.3 V8 that I ordered new in 2000. GMC offered me incredible incentives to purchase another but after all the brake problems I had I could not do it. My GMC had 4 wheel discs and the inboard rear pads wore out and ruined the rotors at 24K miles. The front brakes did the same thing at 48K miles. My driving is almost all highway and I normally get 80K plus on brakes. The brake lines rusted out during the 6th winter (60K miles) and the fuel lines rusted through at 8 years spraying 60psi fuel out the bottom of the truck. I live in Connecticut and we do have snow but I have never had brake lines or these brake issues with another vehicle at such an early age. It seems the pads would cock and sieze in their holders due to rust. In warm climates these brakes worked fine but did not work here. GM finally abandoned the rear discs around 2005 and went back to rear drums (admitting failure). Beside the brake issues both front hubs (bearings) went bad, power window regulators, fuel pressure regulator, etc. Nothing was covered by warranty. The frame was looking pretty rusty, the bottom of the rockers were almost rusted through, so I bailed. The drive train was solid and I got 18-19 mpg most of the time.
The Tundra has 4 piston calipers up front which do not emply the holders and slides that GM used. The Tundra has coated brake lines (epoxy, I think) and has an additional plastic or rubber coating where they might be exposed to abrasion. The Tundra has plastic fuel lines which should not rust either. The GMC frame was dipped in wax which was not effective as a rust preventive in my experience. I looked under a 2010 GMC and it had the same steel brake lines and same wax frame coating.
The GMC (both my old one and the current) has a better ride and the new GMC is probably better on gas than the Tundra.
Only time will tell if the Tundra is better for me, but I think it will be.
Good luck with your decision on a new truck.
Jim
Had the check engine light @ 500 miles back in November and got the oil changed by the dealer after showing them this post. Currently have about 4800 miles and no other problems. Will be going to a “new owner clinic” at the local dealer wednesday evening so I’ll be bringing this info along to ask if they will be changing out all those items on the TSB during my first factory service in the next month. Will let you know what they have to say . . .
Sure enough, I took my truck in this morning (now with only 440 miles) and the dealer agreed that that TSB of 01/20/10 would need to be performed. Including the Intake VVTI Gears, pulley assembly, Gasket in Spark Plug Tube, Camshaft gaskets, Air tube, Timing gear/cahin cover, Water inlet housing and various o-rings. They said it was 10 hours worth of labor. This scares the heck out of me, but hopefully this will solve my strange shifting pattern.
Adam,
I am taking my tundra in for the 5000 service and would love a copy of the TSB to take with me in case the dealer is reluctant to do the extra steps. Could you email it to me? Thanks! [NOTE: Kristy – I’ll send you one so your email address doesn’t get spammed. Jason.]
Adam-
I would also like a copy of the TSB. Thanks
NOTE: The actual TSB document isn’t that useful to consumers. Please review this post for a full explanation of the issue:
https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2010/01/26/2010-toyota-tundra-gear-tsb/
well i traded in a 2008 tundra dc 5.7 2wd for a 2010 tundra dc 4.6 4×4. So far i am very happy with the switch but i’ve only put 120 miles on her in 10 days. Main differences and items of intrest follow.
-The 2010 is much quieter inside the cab. But my bed seems to have a strange sound at low sppeds over rough roads. Sounds like the bed floor is flexing.
-The 2008 5.7L had too much power and it’s throttle was toooooo sensitive.
-the 2010 4.6L has plenty of power for most of the masses.
-the 2010 4×4 is geared lower and feels just like my 95 Z-71 which was a great mudder and crawler for my needs. Weird down shift at 15mph that makes the vehicle feel like its dragging gears but i’ll get use to it.
-the 4.6L should be great for the average to above average driver for work or leasure.
-the 5.7L…. well it’s just bad to the bone but i don’t have the bones to fill the gas tank.
-both were comfortable and fun to drive but the 2008 felt like it was more work to drive it.
– i haven’t pulled a trailer with the 2010 yet, but the 2008 5.7L would make me forget that a trailer was attached. Couldn’t feel it. Out of sight out of mind?? I’m sure that the 4.6 is quite adaquate for my needs. I don’t even have a trailer that could possibly weight 10,000 pound when loaded.
I hope this info is useful to someone.
danny – Thanks a ton – that’s great info.
Well, 3 weeks into a 2010 Dbl Cab 5.7 and just think it is biggest mistake of my life thus far. Six speed trans is a joke – thumps into 2nd from 1st after lots of hesitation. When braking trans downshift is also bumpy. Seat is so uncomfortable driving about 10 miles is a chore and adjustments are a joke. If you are over 5’10” good luck in seeing out window or the gauges. No runaway acceleration, but just regular acceleration is quirky and hard to get accustomed to. Going to dealer for recall fix next week – we’ll see if that helps. Too much play in brake pedal and really poor stopping power considering the size of those rotors. Poor engineering all around. Thought regular opening back doors would be great after Ford suicide doors, but only children and small pets can get into the back seat without trouble. Putting a box or small dog on front seat is not possible – it shuts air bag off – but seat belt chime rings incessantly and no way to stop it. Anyone figure out why the giant oversized shift lever which makes finding reverse to drive shifting always a guessing game. Cruise control – let’s stick it in worst possible spot, especially in dark, and give you a dash light to tell you the button is on, not that you are actually in cruise. Those of you who say it is quieter, wow! What was it before? Acceleration noise I can understand, but traveling at 50 or 60 I have to turn up radio about 6 notches to cancel the engine roar. I’ve driven a Peterbilt with less noise. Thank god none of the engine light problems – Had an F-150 and drive a Ram at work – no comparison in any way, shape or form.
Parker – I’m flabbergasted. Who buys a truck if they hate the visibility, the controls, or the way the truck drives? Your comments about the poor stopping power and the thumping transmission are atypical – almost all reviews of the Tundra says that the truck’s transmission (and power train in general) is smoothest in it’s class. The brake stopping distances (measured) are also at or near best in class. What you’re saying, and the way you’re saying it, it just doesn’t make sense. What truck did you have before this one? Tell me the year make and model – I’d be happy to show you stats and reviews that show your new Tundra has matched or outperformed your old ride. Was this truck forced upon you or something?
Well Jason Sir. Maybe you had the opportunity to drive the Tundra for several weeks before you bought it. I wanted to take a two week test drive, but no dealer felt that was appropriate. So when you take a test drive most things seem fine. Like I said, if you had read it, the seat discomfort and visibility are not apparent until you have driven it for a while. When you take a test drive you don’t use the cruise control a few times, nor do you listen for what the truck sounds like after driving it for a half hour. If you had read just a few comments on this site you would see that many are concerned about a transmission/braking issue. Caled it “back shifting”. Your comment are somewhat strange, e.g., “was the truck forced upon you?” Did you ever buy anything that when you start using it, it wasn’t what you thought it would be? Is this a forum for sharing comments or does everyone have to agree with your narrow opinions or be blasted for not meeting your shallow view? Despite the “wonderful” reviews, there are a substantial number of complaints on this site about the vvt problems, about poor repairs, and about lack of customer service, poor responses, etc. I am an old dude and have had many many vehicles, including 3 previous Toyotas. Recently owned an F150 (my 3rd). So comfortable and quiet and well handling I would rather drive it than my wife’s lexus. I drive a new Ram 1500 at work and while loud and cumbersome, it is a great truck. Like you I read all the “expert” reviews and bought the Tundra based on those comments. Like I said, I would have like to have test driven the truck for about two weeks, but no one would let me. Since buying the beast I have talked with 11 Tundra owners, all of whom have similar feelings – highly rated reviews, but may not so great performance, comfort, etc. Every review of Toyota up until last month talks about their quality, performance, customer service, etc. and what are we finding out now? So rather than sittin? there reading the “reviews”, why don’t you drive a few? And, once you stop being flabbergasted, scroll up a few comments and look at the concerns about the “atypical” shifting problems. Like I said, thought this was a forum to share experiences (good or bad). Not a forum to join hands and sing kumbaya around the Tundra.
Parker – You’re definitely entitled to your opinion. I’m well aware of common Tundra problems – I talk to a lot more than 11 Tundra owners in a day, let alone in the 3 weeks that you’ve owned your truck. I can tell you that your complaints about the transmission downshifting aren’t unique (that’s a normal behavior that some people really don’t like, but it’s a transmission braking feature). However, I’ve never heard one person who claims the transmission “thumps,” …but maybe that’s just semantics. I’ll take that one back and offer my apologies.
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However, I’ve never heard anyone describe a Tundra as louder than a “Peterbilt,” nor have I ever seen any test results that support your experience in regards to interior noise (only your truck might have a Cold Air Intake kit for all I know). You seem to contradict yourself a little when you say that the Ram you drive at work is louder. That truck must be REALLY loud.
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I’ve also never met or spoken with one person who thinks the truck stops poorly when compared to other half-tons. I’ve never seen any data to support it either. What am I supposed to think, exactly, when someone says something that clearly doesn’t reflect reality?
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As for your comments that the dealer wouldn’t let you do a 2 week test drive, I don’t see how that’s relevant. No dealership would let you do that.
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You say “Seat is so uncomfortable driving about 10 miles is a chore and adjustments are a joke” – if you didn’t test drive the truck more than 10 miles, that’s on you. If you bought it anyways, that’s also on you.
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I don’t expect anyone to sing kum-ba-ya, but I don’t understand your concerns. You seem like a guy who is upset and exaggerating (at least a little bit), which is why I asked if the truck was forced upon you.
To Parker Davis,
I owned a 08 Tundra dc 2wd 5.7 for 3 months and traded it back to the dealer for a 2010 tundra dc 4×4 4.6L. I can understand some of your issues. I had driven a 1995 gmc z-71 extended cab for 15 years and find the Tundra a totally different beast. The tranny is hard to get use to since it has braking assist. Mine will down shift and creat drag at 15mph (when slowing for stop lights and stuff) and if you try to accelerate it will rev high because its in a lower gear than it needs to be in. this is natural for this type of transmission. it is doing what it’s designed to do. I dislike the bucket seats. They are huge and i find myself sitting on the left, the right and then in the middle. When i jump in, i end up sitting in a different location everytime. the 2010 tundra was ordered with the split bench seats which are more narrow and to me, more comfortable. As for the ride, well it too is a different design from which i am accostomed. My z-71 would take a big bump as a serious thump! but the tundra seems to “jiggle” to me. Again, kinda understandable since the frames are 2 totally different animals. One stays ridged while the other flexes. Again, doing what it was designed to do.
“play in the brake pedal”, i havent noticed that one.
“window visibility”, well i’m not as tall as you but the visibility is much better than my z-71 except those huge mirrors create huge blindspots for us short people. (toyota, pleeeeese lower them, the short people would greatly appreciate it)
“cant see gauges”, i havent had that issue yet either.
“cruise control location”, i think it’s ergonomically well place. The radio on the other hand is too far away.
“noisy or road noise”, quiet to me.
“seatbelt chime and weight sensor in seat” VERY ANNOYING.
“oversized shifter and not being able to find reverse”, well my 08 was a console shifter and my 2010 is a column shift, i cant say that i even look at the shifter when shifting gears. I’m sure once you get familiar with your tundra it will become second nature. Kinda like going from a 3speed manual to a 5speed manual. Small learning curve required.
“poor access through back doors”, no issue to me.
“poor braking”, no problem on that one either.
When i first bought the used 2008 tundra, i felt the same way as you. I was expecting it to be just like my old faithful gmc. then i realized it was a different beast all together. I’m still not a diehard tundra enthusiest but i seem to be getting their everyday. There are a lot of great trucks out there but each are a little different than the other. The tundra is a lot different than the others.
My dislikes would be, poor visibility due to the bis mirrors, the jiggle, the high rev on start-up, cant turn off the running lights and radio being too far away for my short arms.
i hope this helps.
Anonymous – Thanks for chiming in. As I said above, I don’t expect everyone to be in love. Also, I appreciate your attempts to describe your problems without exaggeration. I think that’s the way critiques should be.
Jason, again my appologies, i didn’t realize i posted that as “anonymous”. I guess i forgot to fill in the top of the form.
A few other things i don’t like are;
-my ignition switch is not illuminated and the front upper cab lights are tooooo bright. I end up switching them off and then i cant find the keyhole. My gmc had, like, wings around where the key goes in and you could easliy guide the key in while it was dark. (no dirty jokes please)
-the factory rear bumper’s top deck is too narrow. If you have to stand on it for any reason while the gate is up, you are prone to scuffing the tailgate with your boots.
-and most of all, the gas pedal is too sensitive.
all of these issues are minor and i’m sure every truck out there has some quirks. Furthermore, everybody has their preferences. As an example, everyone knows i loved my old gmc z-71 but my girlfriend hated everything about it except that she couldnt get her stuck in the mud. Btw, she’s a lifelong bmw owner and ironically, she loves driving my lil HHR. Go figure.
Danny – LOL – jokes with held by request! Lots of folks think the pedal is too sensitive, but some say you get used to it. I haven’t heard anyone talk about the keyhole lighting, but it definitely makes sense. The overhead lights are tough I think – quite a few after-market companies sell brighter LED replacement bulbs, so my guess is that your vision is better than most. As for the bumper width, I think that’s an interesting observation as well. I’ll have to look at that next time I’ve got a Tundra, Ram, F150, and Sierra/Silverado together.
Has anyone experienced a problem with the Bed of the 2010 Tundra that has ben documented in previous year models.
I’ve a 2010 Tondra D/C 4X4 with the 4.6 work truck. 4000 miles and no problems/warning lights. Averages 16.7mpg, (40% rural, bumpy, narrow hills, snow and ice to mud and gravel and back to ice, 30% 55mph 2 lane highway, also steep hills and 30% city, also with steep hills. The only thing I don’t like about the way it drives/runs is that the radiator fan is always on at startup, even if it’s 10 below. It is a work truck, so I installed Firestones ride right air springs. Easy install ($259.00 for the kit) and with 5-10lbs in the bags has improved the ride greatly on washboards and frostheaves. I’m 6’10” tall and on the first test drive did immediately notice the sun visor does restrict some upward visibility. Still the fit was slightly better than the F-150 which came in a close second. Better leg room for sure and Toyota offered much more for nearly the same money. My only concern at purchase is that the Toyota dealer is 240 road miles away, and the Ford dealer closer at 80 road miles. Again, no problems. Hope ti stays tat way!
Gordich – Sounds like you’re pretty far out in the wilderness! Glad to hear the truck is working out for you.
Not to far out Jason. 20 miles to town, small though it is. Great fishing!
Toyota is offering to change my oil first time, complimentary of course. What do you think of the 0W synthetic they now recommend?
I wrote a post on this new oil and the pending change to the recommended service interval here – https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2010/01/06/toyota-tundra-10k-mile-oil-change-synthetic-oil/ – the long and short of it: it’s probably OK, but we’ve got the tail wagging the dog. I’d rather waste a little oil and gas and have a rock-solid engine that squeeze every MPG and worry about engine wear…but what are you gonna do? The new fuel economy regs basically require manufacturers to use 0W oil at some point between now and 2016.
Thanks Jason. My Tundra definately is in the “severe duty” catagory so oil will be changed every 5,000 miles. Guess I won’t have a choice about which oil is used if I’m serviced at the Toyota dealer. 4700 miles on it now, so I guess it’ll be next week.
Gordich – No problem. 5k is probably a little conservative (even for severe duty), but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
jason, is it a 6″ lift tundra will fit in a 7 foot garage i just thinking about it before i go buy my lift kit or any body here have an idia
Sal,
Per the Toyota site, the tundra (gen2) in already 6.35 feet tall (76.2 inches). After the lift kit and the larger tires, i’m fairly sure that it will not fit in a 7 foot tall garage. By no means am i an authority on that tho….
Jason,
MPG update (2010 4×4 4.6L DC Tundra), just turned 2900 miles. Last road trip carrying 1100 pounds of ceramic tile (plus more weight in powertools and stuff) one way and dead headin’ back, 330 total miles, 50 of those being city miles and mildly spirited, highway speeds of 70 mph using the cruise. Return trip was in heavy rain and 20-30 mph crosswinds. She averaged by my calculations at 18.36mpg. Still no mods except the drop in K&N filter and using regular unleaded 10% ethanol fuel. Cant wait to do the exhaust and a bakflip. Hope to get 19+ in the near future. I wonder how the mpg would be if i actually drove the speed limit??
btw, a friend of mine just bought a 2010 silverado extended cab 2wd with the 4.8 vortec. It’s sticker said highway was 19 mpg just like my 4.6L Tundra 4×4. I kinda figured the chevy mpg was supposedly better.
Danny;
The 4.8 GM truck does not have the fuel economy enhancements, you have to buy the 5.3 to get them and the 22mpg rating that goes with it.
btw, I am getting 18-19mpg with my 4.6 DC Tundra 4×4 in mixed, mostly highway driving. I usually set the cruise at 75 and I sometimes have 6-800 lbs of junk in it. Mine has no mods (except a bakflip) and about 8K miles. I am sure I could hit 20mpg if I slowed down and stayed on the highway.
Sal – Danny’s math looks right to me.
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Danny – Damn! That sounds like great gas mileage. As for your friend that bought the 4.8L, tell them I’m sorry (not because the truck is bad, but because that engine is a dog). LOL.
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Jim – Great point about the 5.3 – that’s the engine with the variable displacement that gets the superb mileage. GM has done some incredible things with essentially the same small block for 50+ years, and they deserve a lot of credit for it. Also, I’m excited to hear a few 4.6L owners are flirting with 20mpg in the real world. If only the EPA test reflected real world fuel economy…
Jim and Jason,
I’m sure i’d get 20 if i took my foot out of it. I just got 19.2 round trip on the same piece of highway. This time i had the tail gate down because i had 2 10foot kitchen countertops and a few door slabs in the back. The weather was nice and zero wind. Same 70 mph with the cruise set and some light spirited driving and dead headin back. For some reason, it seems that if i baby my truck, she gets worse mpg. Kinda funny.
danny – Great illustration of “engine learning” at work – your ECU has determined you like to drive with your foot in it, so it has re-mapped itself to be efficient for that type of driving. I’m not saying that slowing down wouldn’t improve MPGs – I’m sure it would – but it would take time for the engine computer to re-learn.
I just bought a Kansas TRD Rock Warrior, they are shipping to TX where I live in a week or so. I will say that I am VERY VERY excited! I bought it out of kansas because Gulf States refuses to install the upgraded stereo in the our region(the one with the steering wheel buttons/bluttooth etcc.) So with these aggressive tires, what kind of mileage should I be expecting guys?
Oh! And I’m currently driving a 07′ FJC. Its been the best car I’ve ever owned, but it was made in Okinawa, not the states. Will the qualtity of the Tundra be up to par with the FJC?
Ryan – Congrats! I think that 15-16mpg is pretty normal for a truck driven mostly in the city. If you get out on the highway, you might get as much as 20…but most people get 16-18.
I bought my new Sequoia 5.7L V8 SR5 on Monday, got the “check engine” light on the following sunday (with 118 miles put on the vehicle), took to dealer the next morning, code was the P0022, the VVTI cam springs need to be replaced. I told the dealer I did not pay $40k for a new car with a rebuilt engine. They dont seem to be very open to doing anyting besides the fix. Been in the shop 6 days so far. Grrrrrrrr….. Am i wrong in NOT wanting a NEW vehicle with such a repair so soon?
Mark – See this post: https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2010/01/26/2010-toyota-tundra-gear-tsb/
As for demanding a new truck, I think you’re out of luck. Once you take delivery and drive home, you’re an owner. However, I would encourage you to request a free powertrain warranty upgrade. Other people have received them.
Jason,
I know this is an older thread however, the 2010 Tundra is new to me.I just bought this truck 3 weeks ago, so far, I have only got to put 1 tank of fuel thru it due to the fact it has been in the shop more than in my driveway! I have a problem with an extended crank after it heat soaks. If the truck sits over night it starts fine but after starting it and getting it up to temp, and shutting it off, it cranks very long before it will start, sometimes even 1 or 2 start cycles. So far, 1 new fuel pump, 8 new injectors, 1 new fuel presure regulator, 1 injector flush. I was told the fuel presure was bleeding off however, if the fuel presure was bleeding off, wouldn’t it also be bad after sitting all night? It does not appear that the Toyota dealership that is working on it knows what is wrong, it appears as though they are just throwing parts at it to address the symptom instead of finding the problem. Any Ideas, I’m running out of time and money, and quickly running out of confidence with the Toyota. Not to mention, fuel mileage is beyond terrible! I got better with the 1990 k2500 5.7L I traded in, and my Dodge v-10 is almost equal! What am I missing? Any Ideas would be greatly apreciated!
Tony – That sounds like a real pickle. I don’t have any specific ideas about fixing your truck, but I have some general info that I hope you find useful.
First, when you have a mysterious problem, one of the only ways to solve it is to start replacing parts until you eliminate the cause. If the dealership is following the factory repair guide, they’ve got a specific order that they need to replace the parts in based on the repair code they pull. So, you might have to buy some parts you don’t need to isolate the problem.
Second, unless your 2010 has a lot of miles, there should be some after-warranty-assistance to help you. At the very least, the dealership should be giving you a break on labor costs if they’re not fixing the problem.
Three, I’d invest in an AutoCheck report to make sure this truck wasn’t a manufacturer buy-back. If it was, you might be able to go back to the dealer that sold you the truck and force them to fix it or take it back.
Four, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion. Between the technician’s experience level, workload, diligence, and approach, you’ll find that some dealers are better at diagnosing these types of problems than others. SO, I’d try seeing if another Toyota dealer can look at this issue for you as well.
Five, it would be great if you could talk to the previous owner and find out what they did to try and fix this problem. If you bought the truck from a dealership, they probably can’t tell you who the last owner was. However, they can call that person on your behalf and ask for the low-down.
Finally, it’s hard to judge an entire brand by your experience with one used vehicle. You really can’t know what the last owner did to this thing…could be they pulled some stunt and now you’re stuck with the result.
Good luck!
Jason,Thought I would give you an update along with my opinion both good and bad. The fix, Well the dealer started with an injector flush, followed by a return trip for a fuel pump! (Still no change) And this was followed by a return trip for a full set of injectors! So, according to the published specs. on the injectors, there was no problem, I insisted on the injectors, and it appears to have completely corrected Any problems I had! Now The good, and bad. The truck Runs great! But the fuel mileage is bairly fair. 16 mph. in town and 17-19 on interstate. In town this is a pretty nice truck other than the fact it takes a country mile to turn around! I do however feel there are several substandard issues with this truck. The suspension… it sucks! Off road and on! There is terrible bed bounce, and to use this truck off road well, I’d give anything to have my f-150, or K1500 back! The T-100, and the old style Tundra were much better off road than the Tundra I have. I feel the interior is substandard, and the paint is definately way too soft,I have never had a paint job scratch as easy! I think I would think alot more of this truck if I never hauled anything in the bed, or if I never went off the pavement however, why else own a 8 foot bed, and a 4 wheel drive truck. As long as I am driving on a smooth paved road,I love it but… It is a truck that can haul, and tow but does not do either great, it can 4 wheel, but bairly fair. The traction controll is terrible at best. I love the way the tranny is so smooth, shifts so smooth,and holds back. So I guess if you want to use this truck more like a car, it aint bad, but it sure is not built to handle the way I use a truck. It is a glorified grocery getter! I was an ASE certified mechanic in a previous life/career, and compairitivly speaking Toyota missed the mark. Comfort, and smooth acceleration took precidence over building a truck to use like a Truck.