2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA Power Train Problems

My original owner 2002 Toyota Tundra Truck was being backed up in reverse with a utility trailer attached up a very, very moderate incline on a driveway pushing the trailer onto a gravel pad ALONGSIDE (parallel) the driveway. As it started to spin gravel the truck was put into a 4 wheel Drive LOW RANGE. This is in keeping with the TOYOTA owners manual publication 0M34417U Part Number 01999-34417 Print date 02-0109-01. We followed the manual instruction on 4 WD operation. Within a few feet the truck stopped as if the wheels had hit a curb and there was no further movement no matter the accelerator pedal position and the engine speed was unchanged as if it was in a stall. All of a sudden there was a loud bang underneath the truck and the truck raced rearward 8-10 feet jackknifing the trailer into a tree and upending the truck...

REAR DIFFERENTIAL IS LEAKING OIL DUE TO FAULTY METAL USED IN MANUFACTURING. DIFF. IS LEAKING THRU RUST HOLES IN HOUSING METAL AND NOT THRU SEALS.

THE REAR AXEL AND DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING/CASTING IS CORRODED THRU SUCH THAT OIL IS LEAKING THROUGH THE DIFFERENTIAL HUB ONTO THE ROADWAY AND RESULTING IN A LOSS OF GEAR OIL WITHIN THE DIFFERENTIAL AND AXELS. AFTER DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THIS OIL WAS OBSERVED ON THE SPARE TIRE (MOUNTED UNDER THE BED) AND UP THE BACK OF THE BUMPER. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT ONE DEALERSHIP I APPROACHED TO DISCUSS THE COST OF REPAIR INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE SEEN THE PROBLEM MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS OBVIOUSLY SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING AND I BELIEVE IT TO BE THE RESULT OF A DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED/MANUFACTURED COMPONENT. I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED DUE TO THE HIGH COST, BUT IT IS NOT DRIVEABLE AS THE DIFFERENTIAL WILL NOT HOLD GEAR OIL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. UPON INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS LEAKING. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE CHAIN THAT HELD THE SPARE TIRE IN PLACE FRACTURED FROM THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BROWN'S TOYOTA OF GLEN BURNIE (7167 RITCHIE HWY, GLEN BURNIE, MD 21061 (410) 761-9000) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR AXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 81,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS VERY LOOSE. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE TIP OF THE LEVER TO FIND THAT IT WAS FRACTURED FROM THE MOUNTING BRACKET. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER (TOYOTA OF VISALIA, 922 S BEN MADDOX WAY, VISALIA, CALIFORNIA 93292) WAS CONTACTED BY TELEPHONE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 153,000.

THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING IS RUSTED SO BAD THAT OIL IS SEEPING THROUGH RUST PITS. THE FRAME IS ALSO RUSTED AND HAD TO HAVE IT WELDED. ALSO LOST THE SPARE TIRE DUE TO RUST.

PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN FEBRUARY 2017 AND WAS INFORMED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE REAR END DIFFERENTIAL WAS BEGINNING TO LEAK DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST. FURTHER INSPECTION OF UNDERCARRIAGE DO TO A NOISE UNDER VEHICLE FOUND THAT THE FRAME AND BODY MOUNT HAD DETERIORATED DUE TO RUST CAUSING A HOLE IN THE BODY MOUNT CAUSING THE CAB TO FLEX AND BOUNCE ON THE FRAME. VEHICLE TREATED BY TOYOTA FOR EARLIER RECALL DUE TO RUST OF THE FRAME AND GIVEN A 5YR EXTENDED WARRANTY. BODY OF VEHICLE IS FREE OF RUST, FRAME AND DIFFERENTIAL HAVE EXCESSIVE RUST MAKING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO OPERATE.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ON A ROAD ~35 MPH WHEN MY REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY LOCKED UP CAUSING THE TRUCK TO ABRUPTLY COME TO A STOP.

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.

FREQUENTLY FROM A PARK POSITION AND THEN SHIFTING AND TURNING SEEMS TO LACK RESPONSIVENESS.

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO REVERSE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE BRAKE APPLIED, UNEXPECTEDLY THE COLUMN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTER COMPLETELY BROKE LOOSE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE COLUMN BRACKET AND HOUSING WERE BOTH FOUND TO BE FRACTURED, WITH THE BRACKET SEPARATED FROM THE HOUSING. THIS RENDERED THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. *TR

VEHICLE HAS "GROWLING" NOISE COMING FROM FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. NOISE IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH VIBRATION IN STEERING AND AFFECTS STOPPING AND ACCELERATION AS FAULTY PARTS BIND IN GEARING. THIS FAULTY EQUIPMENT HAS OCCASIONALLY LOCKED ONE WHEEL WHILE TURNING, FORCING VEHICLE WEIGHT TO ONE SIDE. IN WET ROAD CONDITIONS VEHICLE HAS SLID WHILE CORNERING. MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, AS SEVERAL OWNERS REPORT THE SAME ISSUE. DIFFERENTIAL IS REPLACED AS A LAST RESORT BY THE MANUFACTURER AND ONLY COVERS THIS FAULTY PART(S) UNDER THE FACTORY WARRANTY. *JS

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PUT THE TRUCK IN GEAR TO LEAVE A GAS STATION THE ENTIRE SHIFTER MECHANISM BROKE OFF AT THE MOUNT WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN. AFTER 1 GOOGLE SEARCH IT SHOWS THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH MY TUNDRA TRUCK (MANY POSTINGS AND COMPLAINTS-ISSUES). I WAS IN A PICKLE TO MOVE MY VEHICLE AND WAS NOT SAFE IN DOING SO. *TR

I NOTICED A POOL OF OIL UNDER MY REAR AXLE. I INSPECTED IT AND SAW THAT THE WELDS WERE FAILING DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST. I HAD THE FRAME AND BRAKE LINES REPLACED UNDER THE RECALL AND THIS IS CLEARLY RELATED TO THE RUST PROBLEMS (I HAD THE POWER STEERING RACK REPLACE LAST MONTH DUE TO RUST) BUT TOYOTA WON'T FIX IT UNTIL THERE IS A RECALL. I HAD IT REPAIRED (THE WHOLE AXEL REPLACED) AT A LOCAL GARAGE FOR APPROX. $2,340. WITH THE POWER STEERING RACK REPAIR THAT COMES TO ~ $3,300 IN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS. THE GARAGE SAID THEY SEE THESE PROBLEMS ALL THE TIME ON THE TUNDRAS WITH THE FRAME RECALL. *TR

THE REAR TRANSAXLE HUB DOES NOT HAVE A BOLT ON COVER, BUT IS WELDED SOLID TO THE AXLE CASTING. I NOTICED OIL ON THE GROUND AND INVESTIGATION REVEALS THE HUB COVER HAS RUSTED THRU, ALLOWING OIL TO RUN OUT. IF ALL OF THE OIL HAD DRAINED OUT AND THE VEHICLE DRIVEN,THE AXLE COULD HAVE SEIZED UP,CAUSING A SERIOUS VEHICLE CRASH AND PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH.TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED VIA LOCAL DEALERSHIP, AND THEY DENIED ANY COVERAGE. BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND THE SAFETY ISSUE,AND THE FACT IT IS NOT REPAIRABLE, MAKES ME WANT TO COMPLAIN. THE LEAK WAS TEMPORARILY PLUGGED WITH EPOXY, BUT HAS RECENTLY FAILED AGAIN. NOVEMBER 23,2013 .CHECKING VARIOUS INTERNET WEB PAGES, THIS APPARENTLY IS A COMMON PROBLEM ACROSS ALL TOYOTA TRUCKS AND MOST YEAR MODELS, NOT JUST TUNDRA.WITH THE FRAME RUST THRU AND CROSS MEMBER RUST THRU RECALL,ALL OF THESE RECALL AREAS ARE WITHIN INCHES OF MY RUST...

VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH PARKING BRAKE ON. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE TRUCK IN DRIVE. THE SHIFT LEVER WENT LIMP AND NO LONGER CHANGED THE DRIVE SELECTOR. I MANAGED TO GET IT INTO DRIVE AND GOT IT HOME AND PARKED IT. I HAVE NOT CALLED THE DEALER YET. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF TWO TOYOTA VEHICLES. VEHICLE ONE IS A 1992 TOYOTA PICKUP EXTENDED CAB 4X4 3.0 V6 WITH 220,000 MILES ON IT I BOUGHT IT WITH 124,000 MILES ON IT. VEHICLE TWO IS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA SR5 4.7 V8 WITH 47,000 MILES I BOUGHT IT WITH 39,000 MILES ON IT WITH ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER. THE NEW FRAME IS INSTALLED ON THE TRUCK BUT I HAVE NOTICED NOW THAT MY REAR AXLE HOUSING IS COMPLETELY ROTTED AND RUSTED OUT AND LEAKING ALL OVER THE PLACE. THE STRUCTURE OF THIS IS NOT SAFE AND I TRAVEL AN AVERAGE 6,000 MILES A MONTH FOR WORK. MY 1992 TOYOTA TRUCK WITH 219,000 MILES REAR AXLE IS IN BETTER SHAPE THAN THE 2002 TOYOTA. I HAVE SPOKE WITH TOYOTA DIRECTLY AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE SITUATION. THERE SHOULD BE A LAW SUIT AGAINST TOYOTA FOR NOT REPLACING...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT GEARS FROM PARK TO DRIVE, THE HOUSING BROKE AWAY FROM THE SHIFT LEVER. AS A RESULT, HE SHIFTER BECAME STUCK IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BY ENGAGING THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE GEAR BOX HOUSING HAD A STRETCH FRACTURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 137,000.

I HAVE A 2002 TUNDRA SR5 WITH ~65K MILES. THIS MORNING WHEN I TRY TO PULL ON THE DRIVE GEAR SHIFT HANDLE TO MOVE FROM PARK TO REVERSE. THE SHIFT HANDLE SNAPPED OFF UNEXPECTED - BROKE. TOYOTA DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE ~$600.00 TO REMOVE AND REPLACE WITH A USE STEERING COLUMN (IF THE USE CAN BE FOUND), AS THE NEW STEERING COLUMN WILL COST OVER $1K. I BELIEVE THIS IS APPEAR TO BE A FLAWED DESIGN FOR ATTACH THE SHIFT LEVER. THE SHIFT LEVER HANDLE SHOULD BE OUT LIVE THE TUNDRA WITH ONLY ~65K MILES. I NEED HELP TO GET TOYOTA TO COVER THIS DESIGN DEFECT AS THIS COULD RESULT SAFETY AND COSTLY. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA TUNDRA AND I HAVE HAD APPROXIMATELY FIVE OCCASIONS WHERE I HEARD A CLUNK WHILE DRIVING THE TOYOTA TUNDRA AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING DURING THE MONTH OF JULY 2010. ON AUGUST 13, 2010, I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH WHEN I HAD DRIVEN THE TUNDRA APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES, I PULLED OFF OF THE HIGHWAY TO REFILL WITH GASOLINE AND AS I SLOWED DOWN TO THE PUMP, THE TUNDRA BEGAN TO EXCESSIVELY SHAKE AND STALLED. I THEN STARTED THE VEHICLE UP WHICH STARTED WELL AND I CUT IT OFF TO REFILL WITH GASOLINE. ONCE I BEGAN TO TAKE OFF, THE TUNDRA BEGAN TO SHAKE AGAIN AND STALLED, NOT MORE THAN 1/10TH OF A MILE FROM THE PUMP. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND WHEN I PUT THE TUNDRA IN GEAR, THE TUNDRA CONTINUOUSLY STALLED NO MATTER WHETHER IN DRIVE, NEUTRAL OR REVERSE. EVERY TIME I...

UPPER BALL JOINTS, REAR SPRINGS, BRAKES FRONT & BACK, AND MANUAL TRANSMISSION, AND O2 SENSORS TOO! THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN REPAIRING AND WAS NOT AWARE OF ALL OF THE RECALLS ON MY TRUCK! SO FAR I HAVE JUST REPAIRING IT UNTIL TODAY, AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE NEWEST RECALL! I WILL BE CALLING MY DEALER MONDAY.... *TR

PARTS FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST...POWER STEERING RACK AND COUPLING ASSY. REAR AXLE HOUSING FAILURE DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST . POWER STEERING LINES RUSTED OUT.2002 TUNDRA TRD...TOTAL REPAIR COST $3900.00 OVER 1 YEAR PERIOD. ---LAST REPAIR 11 SEP 2009...AL PAPER WORK ON FILE AT NASSIEF FORD & TOYOTA JEFFERSON,OH 44047--PH 4405761010. *TR