AI Damage2008 Toyota Tundra: common problems
Owners of the 2008 Toyota Tundra filed 327 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 327
- involving a crash
- 24
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 24% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 17% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 11% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 77 complaints (24% of all), 13 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 56 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 46 complaints (14% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 38 complaints (12% of all).
- Engine: 36 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 4 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 4.7 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 2 complaints
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 8 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
- automatic, 6-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 327 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 77 | 13 | 0 |
| Structure | 56 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 46 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 38 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 36 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 29 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 28 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| Tires | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 7 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The contact stated the while driving at 65 mph, the front passenger tire started shaking uncontrollably which caused him to veer off the side of the road and into an embankment. The vehicle dropped 25 feet into a creek and landed on its right side, knocking the contact unconscious.
I am of the opinion that my airbag was over pressurized thereby knocking me out for about 10 to 12 minutes and causing me serious bodily injuries, I.e. Several bulging and herniated disc, a fracture l5, and hair line fracture of ribs. It's been almost 2 yrs.
I was knock out approximately 5 to 7 minutes, I made this estimate by the arrival of winter park pd. I also suffered two fractured ribs on my right arm pit area and one on my left arm pit area, this was according to the er doctor and a fracture of my l5 vertebrae according to my mri report.
The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the failure was not diagnosed or repaired.
Cause of accident is unknown, but speculate something in the transmission failed while parked.
While driving approximately 40 mph and attempting to engagr the brakes, the brake pedal sank to the floor and the vehicle failed to stop crashing into a deer. The contact mentioned that immediately after the crash, the vehicle stability control, ab,s and 4wd warning indicators illuminated.
The bracket that holds the fan pulley catastrophically failed and broke away from the vehicle, cause the serpentine belt to give, causing the truck to loose power steering and crash into a road side ditch. This truck had parts replaced 6 months before the failure, and no problems were reported to owner.
While completely stopped in interstate traffic, I was rear ended by another vehicle. The driver was traveling approximately 55-60 mph before he slammed on his brakes.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,227 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tundra has 248 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 327, above average.
What to check before buying
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Tundra 20001,011 sources
- Tundra 2001415 sources
- Tundra 2002482 sources
- Tundra 2003399 sources
- Tundra 2004466 sources
- Tundra 2005377 sources
- Tundra 2006545 sources
- Tundra 2007390 sources
- Tundra 200938 sources
- Tundra 2010163 sources
- Tundra 2011134 sources
- Tundra 2012156 sources
- Tundra 201385 sources
- Tundra 201493 sources
- Tundra 201551 sources
- Tundra 2016258 sources
- Tundra 2017182 sources
- Tundra 2018219 sources
- Tundra 2019190 sources
- Tundra 2020185 sources
- Tundra 2021158 sources
- Tundra 2022664 sources
- Tundra 2023594 sources
- Tundra 2024500 sources
- Tundra 2025193 sources
- Tundra 202672 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Toyota Tundra?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, structure, powertrain. Total complaints: 327. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (13%), warning lights, check engine (12%), loss of power / limp mode (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2008 Toyota Tundra?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2008 Toyota Tundra from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2008 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.