Differential Unit problems of the 2003 Toyota Tundra

I am a retired Toyota master diagnostic technician. As I was replacing my rear brake lines on my 2003 Tundra-with 79,962 miles, I saw a fluid leak under rear of vehicle. Upon inspection I found the rear differential housing has rusted so badly that the gear oil is leaking through the housing. Unfortunately the only remedy is the replacement of the complete rear axle/differential assembly. The frame has already been replaced-under recall. The rear brake lines have rusted through which had to be replaced- at my expense. Also the power steering lines have also rusted through which also had to be replaced- at my expense. It is obvious that the material that was used is of very low quality causing very dangerous situations. Ie; loss of vehicle control due to differential lock-up, loss of vehicle braking due to rapid fluid loss, loss of vehicle steering control due to rapid fluid loss. I am amazed that Toyota motor CO. Will not stand behind the product they sold-without being forced to. One quick look under a 2003 Tundra is all it takes to see that low/poor quality hardware and materials were used. Without repair and/or replacement of above stated components someone will get injured-possibly fatally. My brakes failed as I was towing a trailer in heavy, city traffic. I was going 35mph when a vehicle pulled out in front of me and then proceeded to stop suddenly to make a left turn into a parking lot. I slammed on the brakes and the pedal went to the floor. I was lucky there was room to maneuver to the right so I was able to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me. I'm sure there have been those less fortunate. Please investigate these complaints as soon as possible. These components should last for the lifetime of the truck. A differential is not an item one expects to ever replace. Owners have been complaining about these failures for years. Thank you. Sincerely,. . . .

Toyota had a recall of rusted out frames for 2003 Toyota Tundra trucks. Mine was replaced, but now the differential has rusted out and it requires an entire new rear axle. I filed a complaint with Toyota corporate and was told since my vehicle is out of warranty they will not stand by their product and replace an obviously defective part. This defect could cause the rear end to lock up while driving and possible cause an accident with injuries.

Bad frame rust bad suspension rust bad differential rust bad spare tire rust. If rust condition gets worse the possibility of suspension failure is very real. Some of these models need to be recalled or bought back before there is injury or death.

I took my 2003 Tundra to a transmission repair shop, independent, to have the rear differential evaluated due to crunching sound which occurred when taking off from a stop and leaking of fluid due to corrosion on housing. The shop called me that day two hours later and informed me that my frame was completely rusted out near the front of the vehicle on both sides making it unsafe to drive and not worth proceeding in any repairs of the rear differential at this point. They contacted the nearest dealership which told them that the frame perforation recall, NHTSA # 09v444 had expired 7/31/2015 six days prior. I was instructed to call Toyota, which I did. The lady informed me that the recall was still ongoing. I took the Tundra to that same dealership for them to inspect the frame. The next day they call me and inform me that I need to contact Toyota again myself. This is a Toyota garage telling me this. Tonight I get on Toyota's website and find two recalls in regards to the frame perforation. According to the toy website both status' of recalls offer remedies available and this site is updated 8/7/2015. I can see that my nearest dealer isn't going to be very helpful. My truck has 112,000. I'm the 2nd owner and have been diligent with maintenance. I do no off roading and use if to transport my motorcycle to races hundreds of miles from home.

The rear differential housing of the truck is rusted through and leaking gear lube, if it goes unnoticed the rear differential could lock up causing the rear wheels to lock up and cause a crash. This a very common issue with the 2000-2003 Tundras and is very unsafe, there is no reason the rear differential housing should rust through this quick, 30 year old trucks do have this issue but a whole lot of Toyota trucks do, if you do a search on google for rusted through differentials its all Toyota trucks, and its not just a differential cover its the entire housing, I would not be writing this if it had a cover I would have replaced it in an hour and called it a day. The frame of the truck was already replaced because it rusted through and now the differential housing is rusted through due to substandard materials used in its construction. This is a serious issue just like the frame that needs to be addressed.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while having the vehicle serviced, he was informed that the differential was rusted out and that fluid was leaking. As a result, the differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

My 2003 Tundra sr5 4x4 access cab broke down coming to a complete stop during interstate driving in 2wd at the posted speed limit. Upon a lengthy and expensive tow to my mechanic, I was advised the rear differential had failed due to extensive rust not only on the rear differential cover, but over the entire rear axle assembly. The rust was so pervasive it allowed differential fluid to leak from the carrier assembly resulting in heat and friction leading to the catastrophic failure of the differential gears. The truck has just over 48,000 miles on it and had previously been recalled for replacement of rusted fuel tank straps. I received no satisfaction from any Toyota dealer except to be referred to Toyota USA. As such, I contacted Toyota motor sales, USA direct on oct. 28, 2013 and was assigned a case number (incident: 131027-000079). As expected, Toyota's oral reply on oct. 29, 2013 failed to acknowledge any responsibility for the excessive rust that is plaguing many Tundra owners and is resulting in expensive repair costs that would ordinarily be unnecessary had the vehicles been properly manufactured. Rather than simply apologize for the inconvenience and advise the matter would be elevated to management and rather than hide behind warranty expiration excuses, Toyota should be ashamed of its maleficence and in the interest of maintaining its reputation and owner base, do the right thing and correct this well documented deficiency. Toyota's response is typical of what other owner's are reporting on various web sites including "tundra solutions" and others. This is a serious defect for which Toyota should accept full responsibility. This failure could have led to a serious accident had there been a rear end collision or had control of the vehicle been lost while steering into a muddy median where road construction was in progress.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that the rear differential was leaking. The dealer stated that the rear end housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

I believe Toyota sold hundreds, possibly thousands of this type vehicle to customers who asked for a limited slip differential and paid a premium to get one. Many times when on slippery surfaces one rear tire just spins with no traction to the other. My window sticker says I have lsd and I don't. The mechaic at desert Toyota told me I didn't have a LS when he changed my rear dif oil. I couldn't believe what he told me, "no, you have a regular drive rear end. " several months passed and I drove the vehicle down to precision Toyota where I bought the vehicle. They just looked underneath the truck and said I had it. I said I didn't. They pointed to a decal and that was their proof. I asked for a test to be applied to it to prove it but said they were to busy and declined to do it that day. A day or two later I took the vehicle back to desert Toyota where the mechanic worked that said I did not have lsd . When I described my concerns and asked for the mechaic they said he wasn;t available and gave me some other guy. They jacked the rear end up and told me when they spin one rear tire in one direction and the other tire spins in the opposite direction that proves I have LS. But the information I get off the internet and independant mechaics says the opposite is true. . They say if I spin one rear tire in one direction the other should also spin in the same direction. I believe Toyota commited fraud and did not give me what I paid for and will not except the true facts. This rear ends puts me in dangerous slip and slide risks when on slippery surfaces that results in no traction.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, he switched from four wheel drive to two wheel drive and the entire front end of the vehicle abruptly and violently seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the entire front differential was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 120,00 and the current mileage was 125,000. Kmj.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Tundra. The contact took the vehicle in for unrelated repairs when the dealer informed him that the rear differential was leaking and corroded. The dealer advised having the component replaced but the vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was 107,000. The VIN was unavailable.

I have a 2003 Tundra access cab 4wd truck. Took it to the Toyota dealership for the rust recall inspection and to investigate oil leaking from the rear differential housing. Dealership said that the frame was fine but the cross members and tank supports need coating. They also advised that the rear differential housing was rusted to the point that oil is leaking and would have to be replaced. They said that Toyota is not responsible for the replacement of the rear axle housing. The vehicle has 108k miles. I can not believe that with all the known rust issues that Toyota will not stand behind this problem.

I'm the owner of a 2003 Toyota Tundra (limited slip differential) sr5 4x4. In Apr I brought my truck into the universal Toyota dealer here in san antonio TX to replace a missing clamp and for a rumbling noise coming from underneath the truck. The first mechanic said he couldn't hear the noise, and again I brought the truck back in Jun as the noise was getting worse. The lead mechanic then heard it and said that the noise is coming from the differential and that he has another Tundra doing the same thing. I asked that he call the Toyota tech line to inquire/report this. He notified me the next day that the Toyota tech person said that this is a normal sound and not to worry about it. However I do have some safety concerns as I don't believe this to be a "normal" indication of what a differential should sound like.