Four problems related to automatic transmission have been reported for the 2002 Toyota Tundra. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2002 Toyota Tundra based on all problems reported for the 2002 Tundra.
While driving on the highway I would occasionally hear a slight "clunk". Sounded like it might be the transmission. This first occurred around 85k miles. Then again about a year later. After the second or third time, I took the car a transmission specialist. They reported that the overdrive gear bearing was failing and this was common on the early Tundras. Apparently the needle bearing begins to fall apart and eventually the whole transmission goes out. Rebuilding the transmission costs just about as much as replacing it and there was already damage to the gears. End result -- I had to replace the entire transmission at 100k miles. If this is truly a common failure, it seems that Toyota put these trucks on the road with a transmission that wasn't up to the task. I rarely haul heavy loads or trailers and consider my use of the truck to be very gentle. Hardly anything that would cause the early demise of a transmission.
2002 Tundra 6 cylinder automatic transmission with 84,900 miles on it had total failure on I-10 while going 70mph. The engine continued to work but pushing the gas peddle did nothing. We safely pulled over, but the truck would not go forward or in reverse. I had complained to 2 different dealers of a bumping feeling and other abnormalities for several months, but neither dealer could detect a problem. I have maintained this truck as directed by the manufacturer and it is otherwise in excellent condition. I have only towed a trailer once with the trailer and cargo weighing less than 2000 lbs. However, the problems I complained of to the dealer occurred before I towed the trailer. Fortunately, I had the Toyota extracare extended warranty (7 years or 100,000 miles) which covered the cost of replacing the transmission with a reconditioned transmission.
At 20,000 miles, the transmission started to shift very hard and the cel came on. Dealer said there was significant damage to the transmission and the error code from the obd ii stated "mis shift". It took 7 weeks to get the part.
When vehicle is fully loaded brakes will overheat when applied while going down a hill. Also, automatic transmission will not go into correct gear, resulting in more excessive brake application.