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2018 Toyota Tundra

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist — a shareable PDF

99 owner complaints · 9 recalls · data verified July 10, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Why caution?

9 recall campaigns (3 safety-critical) — confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.

Electrical system problems dominate (26% of complaints).

Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)90
Severity (30%)78
Recall load (20%)38
Trend (10%)63

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20172026

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2018 Toyota Tundra, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k mi

Also reported (mileage varies): Electrical system (26) · Brakes (22) · Fuel system (18) · Speed control (14)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint — a rough guide, not a schedule.

Electrical system

26%

26 complaints · 2 in the last 2 years

When starting up my truck in the morning there is rough idle that cause truck to sputter and sound horrible. It eventually smooths out but I believe the computer needs…

Brakes

22%

22 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years

Factory Trailer Brake Controler failed nearly causing collision I was pulling a RV that is over 5 thousand pounds when not loaded we were loaded with holding tanks ful…

Fuel system

18%

18 complaints · 10 in the last 2 years

Sometimes the engine will randomly turn off while driving and become hard to restart like it’s not getting fuel.

Speed control

14%

14 complaints

All of a sudden the pre-collision system malfunctions and stops working and the lights go on in the dashboard and then causes the cruse control to stop working as well…

Recalls (9)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Steering · 21E103000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 17, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TH01.

Steering · 21V920000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Exterior Lighting · 21V688000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Tundra vehicles. The headlight electrical circuits may power the high and low beams simultaneously, which could overheat the electrical connector.

Risk: An overheated electrical connector can increase the risk of a fire.

Fix: Dealers will modify the engine wire harness assembly and replace any damaged bulb, bulb connector, and/or headlight assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB06 and 21TA06.

Exterior Lighting · 20V410000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Toyota Tundra vehicles equipped with LED headlight assemblies. Due to a wiring error, the front turn signals may not flash brightly enough. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Risk: If the turn signals or hazard lamps do not flash brightly enough, other drivers may fail to see that the turn signal or hazard lamp functions have been activated, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the wire harness connected to the front turn signal bulbs free of charge. The recall began August 17, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB12/20TA12.

Fuel System, Gasoline · 20V012000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.

Equipment · 18V711000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Toyota Tundra vehicles. The accessory all-weather floormats may have been counted twice when creating the load carrying capacity modification label, resulting in the capacity modification label incorrectly overstating the additional weight by 10 pounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk: Since the incorrect label is not within 1% of the additional weight, the vehicles are not compliant with the FMVSS.

Fix: All vehicle owners will be sent a corrected label. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0Z.

Electrical System · 18V685000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles. The air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may erroneously detect a fault during the vehicle start-up self check. If this occurs, the ECU may not deploy the airbags as intended, in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Risk: If the air bags do not deploy as intended, it can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the air bag ECU, free of charge. The recall began October 26, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0X. Note: 18V-122 was superseded by this recall. The software remedy also includes the updates to the software for 18V-122.

Electronic Stability Control (esc) · 18V122000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles. Electrical interference within the power supply circuit may cause the vehicle's electronic stability control system to be deactivated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Risk: Deactivation of the vehicle stability control system can increase the risk of a crash in certain conditions.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle's software, free of charge. The recall began March 14, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0H. Note: This recall has been superseded by 18V-685. The software remedy for 18V-685 includes the updates to the software for this recall.

Equipment · 17V831000

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Toyota 4Runner and Tundra, 2018 Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Lexus GX460 and 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles. These vehicles may have incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk: An incorrect load information label can result in the operator overloading the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with corrected labels, free of charge. The recall began on January 23, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are H0Z for Toyota vehicles, and HLF for Lexus vehicles.

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

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Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150–$250 independent inspection of this exact 2018 Toyota TUNDRA beats every score on the internet, including ours.

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What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score — if they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2018 Toyota Tundra as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only — always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.