Toyota Tundra Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2022 and 2023 At least twice the 39.5 complaints of a typical Tundra year. Most described: hesitation.
Best years: 2017 and 2021 Under three quarters of the 39.5 complaints of a typical Tundra year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 22 mpg combined, arrived in 2022 and has held since. Includes the Tundra hybrid.

Tundra problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Tundra year drew 39.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (29.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (39.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2023 Tundra Avoid Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	286	419	13
2022 Tundra Avoid Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	209	435	13
2016 Tundra Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	68	120	5
2010 Tundra Most described: rust or corrosion	56	163	15
2018 Tundra Most described: driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages	48	100	8
2014 Tundra Most described: door lock or latch problems	32	93	4
2019 Tundra Most described: stalling or shutting off	31	74	9
2020 Tundra Most reported: engine	28	48	4
2017 Tundra Best Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	27	78	5
2012 Tundra Most described: loss of power or limp mode	21	156	3
2013 Tundra Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	21	85	5
2011 Tundra Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	15	135	10
2015 Tundra Most reported: brakes	14	51	4
2021 Tundra Best	12	24	2

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Tundra for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	2	39
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	5	145
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	10	362
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	13	419
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Hybrid	13	435
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	15 mpg Gas	2	24
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	15 mpg Gas	4	48
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	16 mpg Gas	9	74
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	16 mpg Gas	8	100
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	16 mpg Gas	5	78
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	5	120
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	4	51
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	4	93	3 to 4 stars
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	5	85
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	3	156
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	18 mpg Gas	10	135
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	17 mpg Gas	15	163	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2023: 419 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Tundra
Model year	Complaints
2010	163
2011	135
2012	156
2013	85
2014	93
2015	51
2016	120
2017	78
2018	100
2019	74
2020	48
2021	24
2022	435
2023	419
2024	362
2025	145
2026	39

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 15 to 20 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 20 since 2022. Hybrid: 22 mpg (2022 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 20 mpg · hybrid 22 mpg

Show as a table

Toyota Tundra best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	17	–
2011	18	–
2012	18	–
2013	17	–
2014	17	–
2015	17	–
2016	17	–
2017	16	–
2018	16	–
2019	16	–
2020	15	–
2021	15	–
2022	20	22
2023	20	22
2024	20	22
2025	20	22
2026	20	22

Every Tundra year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Toyota Tundra vs Ford F-150MPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Toyota Tundra years should you avoid?

The 2022 and 2023 Tundra are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 39.5 owner complaints of a typical Tundra year in its first three years. Owners of the 2023 most often describe hesitation. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Toyota Tundra years?

The 2017 and 2021 Tundra are the best years: they drew 27 and 12 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 39.5 complaints of a typical Tundra year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Toyota Tundra years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2023 (286) drew the most, then the 2022 (209). Owners of the 2023 most often describe hesitation or slow acceleration.

Which Toyota Tundra years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (15), then the 2023 (13). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Toyota Tundra problems?

In the 2,527 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe hesitation or slow acceleration (346 complaints, most of them for the 2022, 2023, and 2024); loss of power or limp mode (229 complaints, most of them for the 2012, 2023, and 2024); and stalling or shutting off (183 complaints, most of them for the 2022, 2023, and 2024). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Toyota Tundra year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 22 mpg combined, first reached by the 2022 hybrid version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.