Power Train Problems of Toyota Tundra - part 2

Over the past several months my truck 2023 Toyota Tundra has randomly died, completely shut off and sputtered to a stop. After these instances occurred the vehicle has had trouble to re-start. As a result I took my truck into the local dealership in topeka KS, lewis Toyota, which did not complete any of the recall work, they said that the inicident could not be duplicated. For follow up, I took my vehicle to crown Toyota where its currently receiving body repair from an unrelated traffic accident. I have given the service manager ryan wingert the total background of what has happened verbally several times, outlining the vehicle randomly just shutting down and not being able to re-start until several minutes has past and computer reset occurs. I feel that the vehicle is un safe to drive and Toyota is not honoring any proactive follow up with my claim, stating that the dealerships have not been trained on the procedures to perform the work or the repair and pointing toward Toyota corporate offices for a fix. I'm exaughsted from the endless loop and I want to ensure I receive a safe and reliable vehicle back from Toyota. To date, the dealership has had my truck in there possession over two months with no resolution. The type of customer service and lack of follow up on critical safety items I feel puts our roadways at further risk of continual accidents due to Toyotas lack of engagement and follow up. I take full advantage of the freedoms we enjoy every day, being a service disabled air force veteran of over 20 years of service, I take great pride in the active checks and balances holding us all accountable. I appreciate your efforts and follow up regarding my claim. Dont hesitate to email me or follow up by phone. [xxx] - [xxx], thank you! [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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The issue is a dangerous hesitation during low-speed rolling acceleration. In real-world driving, when I slow down but do not come to a full stop — such as when merging, changing lanes, entering traffic, crossing an intersection, or rolling through a turn — the gasoline engine can shut off while the truck is still moving. When I then press the accelerator to re-enter traffic or move quickly out of the way, there is a noticeable delay before meaningful propulsion is delivered. This hesitation is not a minor comfort issue. It creates a real safety risk. In a small hybrid passenger car, electric-only rolling behavior may be acceptable because the electric motor can often move the vehicle adequately on its own. But this is a full-size half-ton pickup. In my experience, the electric motor alone does not always provide sufficient immediate response for the weight and use case of the vehicle. The result is a dangerous dead zone where the driver is asking for acceleration, the vehicle is rolling, traffic conditions are changing, and the truck does not respond quickly enough. If a Toyota hybrid half-ton pickup is moving, the gasoline engine should not shut down in a way that prevents immediate acceleration when the driver presses the accelerator. This behavior has created multiple close calls for me. The most concerning scenario is a rolling slowdown followed by the need for immediate acceleration — for example, pulling into traffic, changing lanes, or clearing an intersection. In those moments, a 2–4 second delay is not merely annoying. It can be the difference between safely completing a maneuver and being exposed to a collision.

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While driving my 2024 Toyota Tundra hybrid, the engine suffered a catastrophic seizure at approximately 37,974 miles. The dealership retrieved substantial metal machining debris (swarf) from inside the engine, which had contaminated the #1 main bearing. This is the exact same manufacturing defect Toyota has publicly acknowledged in multiple safety recalls for 2024 Tundras. Service manager dan moran at Toyota of colorado springs confirmed during a recorded call that his dealership has seen the identical debris-related engine failure in other hybrid Tundras. Despite this, Toyota excludes all hybrids from the recalls. Even with clear physical evidence matching the recalled defect, Toyota directed an in-house rebuild (using a new short block but many of my original contaminated components) instead of providing a full factory crate engine. I was never offered a choice in the remedy. This sudden engine failure created a serious safety hazard due to unexpected loss of power. The current repair does not fully eliminate the known root cause (manufacturing debris contamination). The vehicle was well within warranty at failure and remains so. The dealership has the debris and full repair records available for inspection. I have also submitted the debris photo, repair documents, and recorded call summaries to ncds (case #[xxx]) and the colorado attorney general’s office. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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It is unknown exactly what causes the issue. But intermittently when taking off from a stop, the powertrain hesitates to respond to my input on the throttle. The hesitation lasts anywhere from half a second to a full second. This puts my safety and other driver’s safety at risk because I cannot reliably tell whether I will be able to pull out quickly and safely in front of an oncoming vehicle. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer on my particular vehicle. There has been no inspection. There are no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms. This issue has happened since the truck had only 9,500 miles on it.

I own a 2025 Toyota Tundra sr5 non-hybrid. The vehicle has transmission hesitation/delayed throttle response after a rolling stop. When I slow down but do not come to a complete stop, then press the accelerator again, the truck sometimes has a 1–2 second delay before it responds and begins moving/accelerating. After the delay, acceleration can come in suddenly, which makes the vehicle feel unpredictable and dangerous. This happens in normal driving situations such as rolling through turns, slowing for traffic, approaching intersections, or merging into traffic. The delay creates a potential safety concern because the vehicle does not respond immediately when throttle input is applied, which could increase the risk of being hit by cross traffic or not being able to accelerate as expected. I had two close calls so far where the vehicle wouldn't accelerate through a cross traffic intersection. The issue is intermittent but repeatable and has occurred at least a dozen times over my one year ownership (purchased brand-new in March 2025). There are no warning lights present on the dash. The issues started to be apparent almost immediately and has been continuing. During a 5k mile service visit at bobby rahal Toyota in mechanicsburg, PA, I explained my concern to a service advisor, and they advised me that Toyota is aware of this problem but there is not fix for it. This was approximately 6 months ago. As of today, March 30, there is still no fix for this issues that I am aware of.

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Dead pedal incidents. At least 4 times in the 6months of ownership, I've experienced where when you press on the gas to go, there is no acceleration for approx 2 seconds. Its almost caused an accident 2x of the 4x times its happened. I feel it may be related to the transmission. Prior to this truck I had a 22' Lexus ls500 fsport which I think also has the 10 speed trans and twice experienced similar conditions. It kind of feels like the trans is slow in downshifting, trying to figure out where it needs to be.

The vehicle experiences hesitation when starting to move from a stop. So if I come to a stop and pull out into traffic it sometimes hesitates before applying the throttle that has been input via the pedal. This could cause serious injury because its almost impossible to determine when its safe to pull out into traffic because you do not know how long it will take for throttle to kick in.

I am seeking a case review regarding a persistent and unresolved drivetrain issue with my 2025 Toyota Tundra (non-hybrid) that began immediately following a dealership service visit and has continued for over one month without resolution despite multiple repair attempts. Since that time, the vehicle has exhibited consistent transmission-related defects including failure to shift properly into higher gears (notably not reaching 10th gear at highway speeds), rpm hanging under light throttle, delayed acceleration followed by sudden surges in power, and harsh or erratic downshifting that causes the vehicle to lurch forward when slowing to a stop. The vehicle also demonstrates inconsistent torque delivery, where boost builds but power is not transferred until a delayed and abrupt engagement occurs. These issues are most pronounced during normal highway driving conditions and significantly impair drivability and safety, particularly when merging or maintaining speed. I have brought the vehicle to multiple Toyota dealerships for inspection, where diagnostic scans have not produced any fault codes and I have repeatedly been told the vehicle is operating “within normal parameters,” despite the ongoing and reproducible performance issues. The dealerships have been unable to replicate or resolve the problem, and I have received inconsistent explanations ranging from normal operation to speculative driving pattern causes. I have an active case open with Toyota corporate, but after a month of delays, lack of diagnosis, and no corrective action, the issue remains unresolved. Given the ongoing safety concerns, repeated repair attempts, and inability of Toyota to identify or fix the defect, I am now left without a resolution & am instructed to drive the vehicle despite drivetrain issues.

The same thing that I reported in incident number xxx happened again recently. From a stop. I went to make a right turn on red in a four way intersection. The oncoming traffic to my left was also stopped. When I started to proceed the truck felt like it was in like 5th gear, moving barely but no real power, then it dropped into what felt like 1st gear and lurched me forward. I almost hit a car to my right that was stopped and traveling west bound and the power loss also was concerning. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

When at proceeding from a stop or a "rolling stop", the vehicle has delayed throttle response or lag. Causes big problem when trying to get into traffic. This has been ever since I have owned this vehicle.

When slowing down to make a turn and then accelerating again the vehicle is not in correct gear to take off, it revs the engine but doesn’t move like it should. When this happens if you put shifter in manual mode and downshift it acts as it should. There is a TSB that fixes this problem but I think it needs to be a recall due to turning left in traffic and not being able to accelerate can cause wreck TSB-0032-26,.

The vehicle ofter hesitates for 1-2 seconds when accelerating from a stop or a slow roll. This has almost caused an accident on several occasions when trying to get out into traffic.

I own a 2025 Toyota Tundra 1794 with the 3. 4l twin-turbo engine. The engine failed at approximately 53,000 miles while I was driving on the freeway in houston, texas. I was traveling at highway speed when the engine suddenly lost power and the truck became unsafe to continue driving. I had to pull over to the shoulder of the freeway with traffic moving at high speed. My [xxx] daughter was in the vehicle with me at the time. The sudden loss of engine power at highway speed created a serious safety hazard because it left the vehicle disabled in active freeway traffic. The vehicle had been properly maintained with regular oil changes and normal driving conditions. After the failure the truck had to be towed to the Toyota dealership, which I had to pay for out of pocket. The dealership performed an engine teardown that took about one week. They informed me that the engine block and most internal components that come into contact with oil will need to be replaced. The dealership told me the failure is not currently related to the existing Toyota Tundra engine recall. The truck is currently at the dealership and they estimate approximately 30 days to complete the repair. The dealer also informed me they have multiple Toyota Tundra trucks waiting for engine repairs and that no truck loaner vehicles were available. My understanding is that a Toyota case number has been opened for this failure and that the diagnostic details are recorded in that report. I am concerned that sudden engine failures at highway speed represent a serious safety risk information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While at a 2-way stop sign, when attempting to accelerate while turning right, the truck hesitated and did not move. Pressing the accelerator further down did nothing for what felt like 1-3 seconds and then all of a sudden it rushed forward. This is incredibly dangerous as there were vehicles heading towards me. This is not the first time this has happened. It happens nearly daily, while the engine is warm, while the engine is cold, in eco, normal and sport modes. The only time I had zero issues was when the computer was reset after having service done to the truck. It ran incredibly well and shifted and ran as expected.

My vehicle is equipped with the same v35a-fts 3. 4l twin-turbo v6 engine and #1 main bearing assembly that is currently under federal recall for catastrophic engine failure (recalls 24v-381 and 25v-767). Despite the shared mechanical defect of machining debris and bearing tolerances, Toyota has excluded the I-force max hybrid models based on the assumption that the electric motor provides sufficient 'limp home' capability. I believe this is a critical safety oversight, as a sudden internal combustion engine seizure at highway speeds creates an unpredictable loss of motive power that a small hybrid battery cannot safely manage in high-speed traffic. I am filing this to urge the NHTSA to expand the recall scope to include hybrids, as the primary power source is fundamentally defective and prone to stalling without warning.

The brakes squeal when reversing and sometimes when you’re driving forward coming to a stop. It has done this since the day I picked it up at the dealership. The dealership says there’s no remedy for it yet. The next thing is the front fog lights also draw moisture just like the rear reverse lights. Dealership says there’s no remedy for it or fix for it. I’ve had to have the radiator replaced twice in this vehicle and it only has 44,000 miles on it. The dealership says it’s a factory defect. Not sure if that’s true or not. It was not covered under warranty so I had to spend $200 to use my extended warranty. I do not think that is right it should’ve been covered under the manufacturers warning, especially if it was a manufacturer defect. The last but most important thing is the lag when you give it gas. This happens from a complete stop or also like if you’re trying to accelerate to get on the highway you can press it nice and slow and it won’t takeoff or you can mash on it all the way to the floor and it still takes a few seconds and then kind of vibrates and pops like it’s trying to skip gears before it takes off and goes. Dealership also says there’s nothing wrong with it. I believe it is a factory defect or some kind of wiring problem. The reason why I think it is a computer or wiring issue is that if you put the vehicle in sport mode, it will not do it coming from a complete stop. It does do it when you’re getting on the highway even in sport mode. I am on a few facebook forums and I see this problem where people report this problem all the time and ask how to fix it. I would like information on how to get Toyota to buy my vehicle back. These trucks have had so many issues with engine recalls, engine replacement, and other issues that are an actual safety concern and I do not feel like it is a safe vehicle to be traveling with my family. Thanks, [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am an automotive engineer. I have been involved with vehicle development programs in the disabled vehicle conversion community for over two decades and have numerous patents in that space. I have been involved with vehicle testing and calibration as well. My vehicle demonstrates a significant hesitation when the accelerator is pressed that is not consistent. I live in a roundabout dense location where timing an entry into a roundabout is easy using a normal vehicle. The 1 to 2 second hesitation where there is throttle input and no action at all from the vehicle (engine does not rev, no motive power observed) is very dangerous. I took this up with Toyota and my vehicle was checked out and "learning transmission" memory was wiped clean with me being the only driver was the remedy. The issue got better for a short time but is back and this morning I pulled out thinking there was plenty of time in front of a bus a good distance away and the lack of motive power for a full second or two resulted in a near miss. This vehicle has about 20,000 miles and was purchased by me new. There are no warning lamps, and no dtcs thrown when this happens. I have seen several videos where people cite the same experience and a website where there is a class action lawsuit in place regarding this issue. This is completely separate from the engine recall issue. I feel as though this issue is a significant safety risk.

This was just the latest with this transmission. It happens 2 to 3 times per week. This time it was an intersection with a slight down hill. I stopped, then let off the brake as a car past in front of me. Since it was down hill, the truck started to roll forward. I then pressed on the gas pedal to pull out into traffic. The truck failed to responds for 1-2 seconds. There was plenty of space for a normal vehicle to make it, but with this delay, I barely made it. If you are not at a complete stop for at least 1 second, then accelerate, this thing fails to respond. It has been in many times for this, had the software updated, downgraded, generated reports for Toyota's engineering group. Still no fix. You never know how it is going to respond, but basically if you need it to accelerate, when you request it through the gas pedal, it will fail to do so.

The vehicle is either unresponsive or has a severe throttle delay from a stop or a very low speed, creating is a major safety issue. This could leave the vehicle in a position to not be able to accelerate, and risks becoming a hazard to other traffic, particularly at intersections. Understanding that a TSB is available for a transmission code reflash to resolve this issue, dealers are denying the repairs stating that they are unable to reproduce the issue in their limited test drives. It is not possible to predict when these severe hesitations occur, so reproducing the issue occurs on an unknown basis.

From date of purchase… when truck accelerates from dead stop, drive train shudders for several seconds before fully engaged. Suspect issue related to software, hybrid enterface with drivetrain, torque converter not locking up. Dealer verified condition with test drive. Concluded it was operating normally. I don’t buy this explanation. Is it going to fail me entering traffic? will it get progressively worse?.

Throttle lag/ hesitation after complete stop.

My car got stuck in 4wd with 4l light blinking. I wasn't able to get out of the gear and the sensor had to be recalibrated just to fix this issue.

Engine started knocking, complete loss of power and had to pull over immediately to avoid any further issues such as an accident.

I have throttle lag or hesitation when pulling away from a stop sign or atop light. I have almost been hit several times from it. Something needs to be done.

On my 2023 Toyota Tundra trd pro hybrid at 72,241 miles, the vehicle started making a knocking noise. Engine turned off and wont start at all. Had the truck hauled to Toyota dealership for service. After them having it a week, they called to let me know that the engine is completely locked up. Metal shavings in the oil and motor wont turn over at all, even with a rachet on the crank bolt. Luckily I bought a extended warranty when I purchased the truck used as Toyota is claiming only the non hybrid engines are under the Toyota recall for the engines. After reading and researching they have the same engine just one doesnt have the hybrid assist on it. Toyota told me that the extended warranty company was coming today to check it out and would let me know where to go from here. They said its a very very uncommon issue on the hybrids but after researching that, that was a lie.

I was stopped and went to pull out of the gas station. With my foot on the throttle I pull out. And it would not accelerate. I had to pump the gas pedal I almost got hit by oncoming traffic due to the lack of acceleration this has happened multiple times very dangerous.

When pulling out on the highway I have lag in the powertrain.

Like most other third gen Tundra owners, I experience a significant delay at random between pressing the throttle and actual vehicle movement. Often in unsafe situations, such as in traffic or at intersections, the vehicle will not move for 1-5 seconds upon pressing the throttle/pedal. When it finally does move, it will jump forward, startling passengers. This is a clear safety concern that occurs across Tundra 3rd gen models that Toyota has not addressed. I have personally been in several situations where this delay carried a risk of an accident. This has occurred since the truck is new. It now has 30k miles and is meticulously maintained.

The gas pedal has no response when coming to a stop and pushing on the gas pedal. Multiple times I come to a stop, push the gas, no response, 1-3 seconds later; the vehicle jerks forward. On occasion it has nearly lead to an accident and I do not feel safe in my vehicle.

Transmission does not shift into gear after accelerating from a brief or rolling stop.

Severe throttle lag and hard shifting when accelerating from a stop. This has caused several near misses when the vehicle will “stall” in the line of traffic causing lack of acceleration. Often happens when stopping at a four way stop or other stop sign followed by immediate acceleration. Was able to replicate it several times and happens on its own once a week. A widely known issue for the newest generation of Toyota Tundra. There are no safety lights, notifications or error codes. The vehicle did this both before a complete engine replacement and after.

Have severe throttle lag and/or hesitation when giving gas from a stop. It causes a unsafe condition when you give it gas to go and it hesitates so bad I have almost gotten into accidents. This has been happening since new. Currently 30k miles on the truck.

Throttle lag when I accelerate from a stop, such as at a red light or stop sign, after I gently press down on the gas pedal, there is consistently a 1-2 second delay before the truck accelerates. This can cause potential delays in getting through an intersection, in turning in front of oncoming traffic, and getting going in traffic. This happens consistently since I’ve owned the vehicle since the summer of 2025.

Extreme lag response from stop on numerous occasions causing vehicle to not move for well over 1-2 seconds. Seems to happen mostly within 5 mins of start up. Had to stop slightly out in intersections several times due to this lag not allowing me to proceed safely. It doesn’t sputter at all, it just doesn’t move.

Pickup has regular but not every time throttle delay. For 1-3ish seconds and then it charges forward. Making pulling onto a busy road a bit of a gamble. Seems very very unsafe. I’ve had the new engine put in and still the same issue.