1999 Toyota Tundra Limited 4.7 V8 from North America
Summary:
You can't buy a harder working more reliable truck for the money
Faults:
There were some small nuisance issues. The antenna base became loose. This was a defect with upgraded parts available.
At 75,000 miles the check engine light came on. I had it checked out and it was faulty oxygen sensors. This was a problem on the earlier tundras. I was informed the new units will last much longer.
At 118,000 miles the front seal on the transfer case began to leak and will need replacement.
The driver seat has a bracket inside that causes the leather to tear on the side. This happened early on. I did not repair it and it has not gotten any worse.
At about 100,000 miles the reflector on the right headlight broke loose and rattled around the inside of the light. I had to replace the entire unit.
General Comments:
The only maintenance I perform is oil and filter change every 5000 miles.
I have changed air filters and spark plugs twice.
I change the coolant with factory coolant and distilled water every other year.
I replace brake fluid and flush brake fluid system every other year.
Brake pads last about 60,000 miles and the brake shoes last about 110,000 miles.
This truck is quit and handles well.
When traveling cross country is cruises well at 90 miles per hour and is smooth and quiet.
I am 6'2", 250 pounds and 52 years old. This truck is very comfortable for me.
I have used this truck to tow an antique dozer and other equipment totaling over 10,000 pounds and the power braking and handling have been excellent.
If I have a complaint it is that Toyota needs to get better gas mileage from this engine. I get 15-16 miles per gallon no matter what speeds I drive with our without air conditioning. If I tow 10,000 pounds loads the mileage drops to about 13 miles per gallon. The v-8 is a small block and should get much better mileage.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th February, 2004
7th Jun 2004, 13:26
The poor gas mileage is the most aggravating issue I have with my bone-stock 2002 Tundra SR5 4x4 ... it only gets 11 ~ 11.5 MPG (50/50 city/highway) and that's driving it like a grandma! It gets much worse if I put my foot in it.
I parked it in early 2004 with only 10K on it and went back to driving my 1996 Tacoma 4x4 when the California gas prices started getting out of control ... at least the Tacoma gets an average of 15 MPG (with a 100# camper shell on it).
I've though of looking into the 'VORTEX VALVE' for increasing the MPG ... I hope it will help???