Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 24 safety complaints
about the 2021 Toyota Tundra with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the steering and the exterior lighting.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 4 complaints, 17% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers October 2021 to August 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
24 complaints on file
24
Complaints
1
Describe a crash
1
Mention fire
1
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 6 · 25%
6 25%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 17%
4 17%
SEATS 4 · 17%
4 17%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 · 13%
3 13%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 8%
2 8%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 8%
2 8%
STEERING 2 · 8%
2 8%
STRUCTURE 2 · 8%
2 8%
AIR BAGS 1 · 4%
1 4%
ENGINE 1 · 4%
1 4%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 4%
1 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 4%
1 4%
048
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 24.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2022 at 8.
12 9 6 3
212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Toyota TUNDRA, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
PU/CC 2WD
PU/CC 4WD
PU/EC 2WD
PU/EC 4WD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
21.9%
19.8%
21.9%
19.8%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed.
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
The risk
An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 22,462 vehicles across all model years covered
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Tundra vehicles. The headlight electrical circuits may power the high and low beams simultaneously, which could overheat the electrical connector.
The risk
An overheated electrical connector can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will modify the engine wire harness assembly and replace any damaged bulb, bulb connector, and/or headlight assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB06 and 21TA06.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 158,489 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
Airbag , it was bad accident on freeway , but my car airbag did not work.car did not inspect with dealer , they were not any waring sign
NHTSA complaint 11709234. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
fire
Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to the fire.
NHTSA complaint 11450576. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
The TPMS display went thermal. It blew smoke out of the unit that is mounted to the drivers side front windshield. We were able to disconnect USB power to the device and roll the windows down to ventilate the cabin and ultimately remove the device from the windshield and isolate it. If we would not have been in the vehicle at the time of the failure this could have been a catastrophic failure between the solar collector and the LiFePO4 battery going thermal. There has been no inspection of the vehicle as we were able to remove the device prior to any serious damage. There were no warnings, the TPMS display simply went dark and quite reporting tire data, then a strong burning smell followed …
NHTSA complaint 11756908, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Were were driving, my 2021 Toyota Tundra, just stopped running. No check engine lights had come on until the engine stalled as we coasted to a stop on the side of the road. We had it towed to the Central Maine Motor in Waterville, Maine 04901. Central Maine Motor -Toyota service just got my truck in to a service bay today 1/29/26 and in formed me the failure was due to the fuel pressure module and a fuel pump failure. Toyota has other years of vehicles that they have issues recalls for and my truck has the same fuel system and fuel pump as in those year vehicles, but no recalls for my truck, a 2021 Toyota Tundra built in Sept/Oct of 2020. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM …
NHTSA complaint 11714344, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and jolted, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 48,000.
NHTSA complaint 11649812. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
The power steering failed at around 38,000 miles. The dealership indicated the entire assembly needs to be replaced which cost more than $6,000. This is apparently a known manufacturing issue as they recalled a significant portion of the vehicles made in 2021.
NHTSA complaint 11629458. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My sunroof exploded due to weather conditions while i was driving with my family on highway during heavy rain storm
NHTSA complaint 11623695. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed November 23, 2021.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst