AI Damage2011 Toyota Tundra: common problems
Owners of the 2011 Toyota Tundra filed 134 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 134
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Engine 26% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 16% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 14% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 11% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 8% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- Engine: 35 complaints (26% of all).
- Electrical system: 21 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 19 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 18 complaints (13% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 15 complaints (11% of all).
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
- 4.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
- automatic, 6-speed
Drive: RWD, 4WD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 134 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 19 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Air bags | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
When engaging brake pedal to stop if my foot is to the right on the pedal the spongy brake pedal to continues almost to the floor thus causing me to press on the accelerator pedal causing the truck to accelerate when I need to stop, very dangerous.
The door knocked me down and pick up almost ran over me. I did a backwards summersalt to get out of the way of rolling pickup. When I was finally able to get up and get to pick up, it had slowed due to the jack knifing of the bale buggy I was towing.
On 12/17/2016 my daughter and I had a head-on collision. The passenger side airbags deployed fine and prevented my daughter from having any major injuries. My driver's side airbag popped out of the steering wheel but didn't inflate. Due to the airbag not deploying properly I hit my head on the steering wheel.
The contact stated that while driving approximately 1 mph, he noticed a grinding noise from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle would not accelerate and the brake pedal seized.
When the vehicle stopped it was still in reverse and the air bags did not deploy. The consumer stated the main issue, was the vehicle was in reverse, but the truck went forward. According to eye witnesses, it appeared her husband was having trouble with the transmission.
No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and remained at the residence for further investigation. In addition, a local independent mechanic was contacted, and the contact was informed that the failure was possibly related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V254000 (Power Train).
Extensive rust and rot of entire frame, and undercarriage. The truck bed unsafe to walk on has several soft spots almost broken through, gas tank holder rusted out- worry about gas tank dropping from frame, tow hitch and rear bumper rot etc. Side step fell off.
The contact stated while driving 40-50 MPH downhill, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road.
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 2,888 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tundra has 248 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 134, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
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 2008327 sources
- Tundra 200938 sources
- Tundra 2010163 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 2011 Toyota Tundra?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine, electrical system, steering. Total complaints: 134. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (20%), loss of power / limp mode (10%), rust, corrosion (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2011 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 2011 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 2011 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.