general problems of the 2002 Toyota Tundra - part 1

Sudden maximum acceleration accompanied by brake failure, without warnings, occurred on my 2002 Toyota Tundra 4. 7l v8 causing loss of control of the vehicle, which ended in a rollover crash, resulting in total loss of the vehicle and injury to me. While departing a 25 mph zone (sign read "end 25 speed limit") on a relatively straight section of the road, I very gently accelerated from 20 mph to 30 mph. As soon as the vehicle reached 30 mph, sudden maximum acceleration occurred. Taking my foot off of the gas pedal, first I verified that the gas pedal was not stuck or blocked, but the gas pedal was in the fully up position. I then pressed the brake pedal very hard, but it was locked in the fully up position and the brakes would not engage. I then verified that nothing was blocking the brake pedal underneath it. At that point, around 3 to 4 seconds after the sudden acceleration began, I had entered the first turn of a 30 mph "s" turn at a high rate of speed, while acceleration continued at the vehicle's maximum acceleration rate beyond my control with the brakes not engaging. In order to avoid collision with a camper motor home and a small car following it, I went into the oncoming traffic lane at the second turn of the "s" turn. My truck fish tailed and struck a reflector marker on the left side of the road. To avoid going down a 50+ foot, nearly straight down drop on the left side of the road, I turned right. To avoid striking the motor home, I turned left, then right again to try to gain control. My truck rolled on its left side and landed upright on the right side of the road. It had been accelerating at its maximum acceleration rate with the brakes failing to engage and fish tailing the entire time. The problem appeared to be a catastrophic failure of the electronic throttle control and/or related electronic systems.

The Toyota Tundra 2002 truck did not deploy driver's side and passenger's side airbags in a collision consisting of frontal and left-sided collision with immobile objects, with frontal/top profound impact from standing tree. The car was up to date on its inspections and maintenance. The breaks, though appropriately checked and tested, would take longer than normal to break the vehicle. The seatbelt, if pulled hard enough, would easily dislodge from buckle, coming undone. The driver of this vehicle collided as described above and due to the failure(s) of the safety mechanisms in place, resulted in the death of the driver. The driver was restrained with seatbelt, however dislodged from buckle upon impact and no airbags deployed. The issue(s) have been confirmed by the police report, the county police documented. The vehicle has been inspected by police officers, and possibly others, including the employees of the towing company. There was no indication thats the airbag deployment was either "off" if possible, and or indications of airbag defect. No messages or lights were indicated for the failure of the deployment of the airbags. No messages or lights were indicated for the defect and or failure of the seatbelt not remaining intact with force. The person in reference passed away on impact at scene. The failures of the safety mechanisms put into place for this vehicle are absolutely unacceptable and beyond subpar.

I almost hit another vehicle while braking at a stop light. My front brakes gave out. Had new brakes and rotors installed 2 yrs ago and after this incident found that my brakes failed because Toyota refused to fix this problem they knew existed 1 gen Toyota Tundra. They changed enlarged the front caliber and pads on 2 gen Toyota because they realized the brakes whe re w to small on the big v8 trucks. I drove aprox 25000 miles on brand new brakes. I should not have to pay for upgrading my front brakes due to a manufacturer defect, how can they get out of recalling these vehicles it is very dangerous and hope they accept responsibility for improper equipment installed on vehicles. I read that they did upgrade some vehicles that where still in warranty why not all?? vehicles regardless of warranty. ???.

Rear axle seals have failed four times in the past five years. When they fail, the rear brakes become coated with oil, significantly increasing stopping distance.

We have a serious rust issue with our 2002 Toyota Tundra. Toyota replaced a frame but reattached all the already rusted pieces back onto the new frame. The break line has rusted through on several occasions. We have gone through a red light & stop sign. No was hurt, we were lucky but this truck is a death trap. We have hit the side of the garage trying to get it out of gear because everything is so rusted. We have contacted Toyota & have been told it's a maintenance issue not a defect. This truck 100% a defect! it is a pile of metal sitting in our driveway because I refuse to put my family in it. It us irresponsible to drive this vehicles, so in our & the publics best interest it sits in our driveway.

I have a 2002 Toyota Tundra that I bought from del Toyota in thorndale PA. I bought this truck new from this dealer. Toyota sent me a letter for the recall of the frame. I took my truck to del Toyota to have the frame looked at in 2012 and they said the frame just needed sprayed. I was fine with that. The problem is now my frame has 4 inch holes in it up by the engine on both sides. There is not whey my frame would have rusted out that fast since the dealer looked at it in 2012. So I took my Tundra back to the dealer to have them inspect the holes and they told me they would call Toyota to get a new frame on it because I had the truck in during the recall period the first time. Little did I know Toyota said they will not replace my frame because the recall period is over. Then del Toyota told me to call Toyota corp and talk to a case manager. So I called Toyota corp and talked to nicole (the case manager) and she told me Toyota would not replace the frame because the recall period is over. I told her my truck was in for the recall and they sprayed it when the frame should have been replaced. She told me again Toyota will not replace my frame. So now I am stuck with a unsafe vehecle that I feel unsafe driving and will not pass inspection anymore.

While coming to a complete stop at or below 10 mph, the anti skid system begins to pulse the brakes which is felt at the brake pedal. No warning lights or system errors noted by Toyota of rockwall, texas. Service manager advised the owner/operator of the 2002 Tundra to "drive it until a warning light illuminates on the dash".

Do your job NHTSA. The 2000-05 Tundras have a brake problem. How many complaints do you need to recall an obvious safety problem that Toyota has ignored? they are on the ropes now for some of the other problems that they have been ignoring for years. You can act tough and strike now, while they are unable to strike back.

Approx every 3000 miles the rotors warp and have to be replace. It is a dangerous situation if traveling or pulling trailers. I do not do either and very careful with truck. Still happens. Dealer didn't do the TSB before I bought it with 16,000 miles on it. I don't put many miles on it so it was out of warranty when first had the problem. Didn't realize it was a recurring problem until the second time I had to have it fixed. Lots of forums on the same problem. No coop from Toyota or dealers.

The brakes have a serious brake vibration when applied. It originally only happened when going down long grades but now it happens all of the time. The brakes and rotors have been replaced but that only fixes the issue for about 5k miles.

Steering vibrates excessively every time when braking the vehicle at speed greater than 40 miles per hour.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I got under my 2002 Toyota Tundra trd sr5 extra cab to assess the rust this past weekend. I was dumbfounded! control arms, front wishbone, suspension brackets, and rear differential look like a shipwreck that's been under the sea for 100 years. The rear differential housing has rusted completely through and is leaking through the side of the housing! the spare tire holder is so rusted the wheel is about to fall off. All shields and safety guards have fallen off or will soon. I bought the truck new in Nov of '01. It now has 84,000 miles. I've had all recommended services performed at the dealer. They never mentioned the rust although they do a "safety inspection" at every service. I've always washed off the salt in the winter. The body panels show no rust at all and the outside of the truck looks like new. I have taken excellent care of this vehicle. I had a chevy truck kept under the same conditions that after 15 years and 250,000 miles looked nothing like this. I cannot drive this truck in this condition.

I have had nothing but problems with my 02 Tundra. . The truck shakes violently while braking I have had brakes and rotors replaced 3 times within 4 months I learned about this service bulletin through another website while learning that hundreds if not thousands of people are having the same problem.

Brakes wear out prematurely and vibrate when applying the brakes. No accident, just defective materials or bad engineering that should be corrected. Brakes are too small to adequately stop the vehicle. Toyota needs to recall and put larger brakes in to adequately stop the vehicle before accidents happen.

I have had a problem with the brakes on my 2002 Toyota Tundra pulsating upon brake application since about 12k miles I have had the rotors turned, installed slotted rotors but nothing seems to work. I am at the end of my rope. These brakes shake so violently that they are starting to scare me to even use the truck.

Brake problem. My vehicle shakes to the point the vehicle nearly loses control when slowing Toyota is aware of problem but refuses to do anything about it. Extremely dangerous at highway speeds when brakes are applied. Have called but they refuse to do anything about it.

Toyota has a design problem with the front brakes on 2002 Tundras. Front brakes vibrate when applied. There are multiple tsbs on this problem, but Toyota will not perform the TSB 092302 without my paying $2310, to fix their design problem!!!!!!!.

When applying brakes at speeds above 50 mph a shaking occurs in the front brakes, stopping distance is increased and controllability is harder to maintain. Took vehicle to Toyota dealer in town, and he said the brake system needed overhauling, and that there were two technical service bulletins br004-02 and br003-2 detailing the problem and fix. Due to the fact that the truck was out of warranty, it would cost.

2002 and 2003 Toyota Tundra brakes warp every 10,000 miles. I have owned a 2002 Toyota Tundra since it was new. At 35,000 miles, I began to experience a brake problem with violent shaking of the front end. My normal mechanic told me that it was warped front break rotors and they would have to be ground down flat. I did this and then experienced the same problem at approximately 45,000, 55,000 and 65,000 miles. I am now nearing 75,000 miles and the vibration is starting. I only drive about 10,000 miles a year and have had heavy loads on the truck about 5 times in the last 8 years. My mechanic showed me a set of instructions that mechanics had for upgrading Toyota Tundra breaks because of a design problem with undersized front disc brakes and drum brakes in the back after my last brake job. I contacted my Toyota dealer and was told that brakes are generally covered and are considered routine maintenance. However, they were aware that the brakes on the 2002 -2003 Tundras had a design problem and did not hold up properly. They continued that the brakes had been upgraded with a labor only charge for anyone who contacted them within the first 3 years or 36,000 miles. They also stated that this brake upgrade kit was no longer available as a kit and I would have to purchase the parts separately if I wanted to fix the problem. The cost of the parts is over $2000 without labor. The Toyota 800 number told me I had no options because brakes are routine maintenance, period. Currently, my only plan is to continue to have my rotors turned every 10,000 miles until I need new ones. Hopefully other Tundra owners will do the same or their safety will be greatly compromised. My front end suspension is also showing wear.

2002 Toyota Tundra. Brakes are not big enough for truck. Truck vibrates badly when stopping. This will be my fourth set of brakes in less than 92,000 miles. Toyota knows they have a problem with the brakes but refuse to do anything about it. Sometimes I wonder if the truck will stop when I leave the interstate.

Consumer complaint regarding 2002 Toyota Tundra. The vehicle makes noise when turning left. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that five of the lug nuts were loose due to stress. 5 of the lugs were left loose. One stud broke and one lug nut was holding the wheel in place. The consumer noticed that the tire were worn and asked the service manager to have them checked. It was determined that they were indeed worm and the tires were replaced. After the tires were replaced the consumer notice a problem with the front end that was not there prior to the tire replacement. The dealer replaced all 6 lug nuts, 1 stud and cap which was installed incorrectly. The brakes were replaced at 20000 miles and 90000 miles. About 6000 miles after the last brake service the consumer notice a pulsation when the brakes were applied. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they replaced the rotors.

Dt:contact complained about brake problems. When the brake were applied they were spongy and it required extended time/distance for the car to stop. The brakes have been replaced several times every 3-4,000 miles. The front and rear brakes were changed in 3/2005.

During a routine service the front rotors were found to be defective, as well as the rear drums.

Brakes are defective, the pulsation of the brakes is critical and dangerous. The consumer stated that apparently there was a service alert concerning the pulsating brakes of this vehicle good up to 36000 miles. The consumer had the brakes redone at 59000 miles before he received the alert. At 83000 miles the pulsation of the brakes became dangerous again. The consumer would like to know what recourse to take in reference to the defective brakes.

Vibration near front of 2002 Toyota Tundra access cab, most noticeable at 25-40mph without and with brakes applied. The vibration duration oscillates in direct proportion to the vehicle speed. And lasts from once per two seconds to twice per second. Have taken to dealer (don jacobs, WI) 4 or 5 times without satisfaction. Dealer has not been able to diagnose the cause, and recommended new tires to circumvent the wisconsin lemon law, which allows consumers to return a vehicle if the problem cannot be alleviated after multiple attempts to be corrected. Problem less noticeable after replacement of tires, but has since gotten worse. Not an engine problem, as I have shifted into neutral to vary the engine speed with no change in the symptoms. I have owned 3 other Toyotas prior to this one, but I believe this will be my last unless I receive some satisfaction. I submitted the vehicle problem to Toyota on a survey they sent me and have never received a reply. I guess they don't want our continued business.

While driving at any speed and applying the brakes. Pedal went to the floor, resulting in extended stopping distance. Also, front right wheel smoked and locked up. At 8,000 miles, vehicle intermittently screeched and smoke came out from right front. Brakes still operates; however, it has extended stopping distance. Also found where leak on the braking system. Dealer stated that vehicle fell under general maintenance.

While driving 65 mph driver applied brakes and pedal went to the floor. This caused the driver to skid into a meridian strip barrier. Driver maintained control of the vehicle, and was able to drive to the dealer for analysis. The mechanic could not resolve the problem.

2002 Toyota Tundra 43,000 miles has a severe vibration when braking at any speed, steering wheel shakes side to side and I feel like I'm going to lose control of the vehicle. Dealer (rockland Toyota) acknowledges the problems and will not pay for repair since I'm past the warranty period of 36,000 miles.

Poor braking and shimmy from Toyota Tundra.

40 mph. Driving down lookout mountain. Riding the brakes. Shaking so bad, I thought I might wreck. Scared me and my family very much. Dealer will not fix under warranty. Dealer "fixed brakes" 12,000 miles ago. Truck has 24,000 miles on odometer. Heard from other Tundra owners this is a very common problem.

When the brakes were applied from any speed the pedal nearly went to the floor. The consumer feels that this is a safety problem. The dealer and another mechanic informed the consumer that this is normal. The manufacturer is aware of the problem.

2002 Toyota Tundra. . . . . Violent shaking occurs when brakes are applied. Dealer has no solution or corporation doesn't recognize the problem. Feel that vehicle may be unsafe to drive.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Tundra. While driving approximately 35 mph or greater, the vehicle and steering wheel vibrated excessively when the brake pedal was depressed. Suddenly, the front end began to shimmy without warning. The failure occurred while traveling at any speed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they adjusted the rotors. The failure occurred seven more times without any resolution. The vehicle is currently being repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 110,000.

Brake pedal fades to floor when sitting in stop position.

I own a 2002 Toyota Tundra that has a manufacturer's defect in the braking system. This defect causes the front rotors to warp, which in turn causes my truck to shake violently during breaking and also hinders overall braking ability. After having my brakes serviced several times, I learned that Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin addressing the defect in the braking system of my model truck and detailing how to fix the problem. The cost of said repairs exceeds $2000. I find it absurd that Toyota recognizes the defect but refuses to execute a recall for the braking system. Basically, the consumer is left with three options: 1) pay $2000+ to repair a manufacturer's defect; 2) pay for brake service about every 2 or 3 months; or 3) drive a vehicle with poorly functioning brakes. I, along with many others who have experienced the same problem as I, am currently driving a vehicle with poorly functioning brakes, because I cannot and will not afford the cost of either of the first two options. It remains beyond my understanding how Toyota can get away with recognizing the problem with their vehicles but not atone for their poor craftsmanship. Additionally, many other owners have reported that, while their vehicles were under warranty, their Toyota service facility blamed the brake problem on individual braking habits. However, after their warranty expired, they informed them of the defect and offered to fix it at full cost. Ridiculous.