2003 Toyota Tundra SR5 V6 from North America

Summary:

I'm afraid Toyota will have to make some major changes before I would consider buying another one

Faults:

At 26k miles I started noticing two different vibrations in my Tundra. The first was a side by side where the console would shake braking or not braking. The second vibration was a huge up and down, the whole steering column would bounce when I applied the brakes. I have owned Toyotas' for years and never had one of them in the shop for anything other than an oil change. I have now had the brakes changed out including new rotors (so the dealership says). I think the dealership didn't replace the rotors, but turned them instead. I am not at 35k miles and the problem is arising again. I'm at a loss as to why Toyota would let such a major safety issue go without notice or change.

General Comments:

The choice of tires for the Tundra is poor, causing uneven wear and tear.

The brake system is obviously not able to handle the weight of the truck.

The engineering of the brakes is poor and needs serious re-design before people get involved in serious auto accidents.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st December, 2004

4th Feb 2007, 21:28

I use to have a Tundra sr5 v8. I brought the car with 62.000 miles and I sold the car with 88.000 miles. The only thing what I did was the belt and 2 tires in the front, oil and gas :) I brought a van because I need more space for tools, but I love the Tundra. Why is the Tundra keeping its price high (for the used cars) if they are not good, and why is this not the case for American cars?

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2003 Toyota Tundra sr5 4.8 from North America

Summary:

Never buy another one

Faults:

The frame shake began at about 20K miles. I attributed it to the "factory" tires beginning to wear out and wear unevenly. At 40K miles, I put on a set of Michelin M/S LTX and the ride got worse. I started calling. I had the tires rebalanced with no improvement. I took the truck to an alignment shop, he told me it wasn't an alignment problem. I took it to a Toyota dealer in Statesville, NC. They told me it was characteristic of the Tundra ride and everything was fine. I took it to a Toyota dealer in Concord, NC and although they told me it was characteristic of the Tundra ride, they at least tried to lessen the shaking by lowering the air pressure in the tires. I called the Toyota company customer service line, was set-up to meet the area representative, Jim P..e, who went for a ride in my truck and was again told it was very normal. Does anyone else with a 2003 SR5 Tundra have a ride so severe they can make a milkshake on the front seat? Is this normal, or characteristic? I think its the pits and it didn't start out this way. It wouldn't be so bad if they would just fix it. I would pay to fix it. They tell me its normal and can't be fixed. Personally, I've had 3 other Toyotas in the past. This one is really bad. I guess I'll go back to Ford. It's no better, but it's easier to pay for.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th March, 2004

24th Mar 2004, 11:44

Is it a V8? I bought a '03 SR% in November and it's doing fine for now except the gas mileage.

23rd Apr 2004, 14:35

I have owned a 2000 bought new and have had the same prob. also have had front brakes warp every 10000 miles.

5th May 2004, 18:57

Did you check the U-joints? I have a 91 Ford Ranger that started shaking when going over 40 mph and it turned out to be the U-joints caused the drive shaft to unbalance.

2nd Sep 2004, 23:27

I have a 2002 extended cab 4X4, off road package, with 30,000 miles, and it rides like the day I drove it off the lot. Even pulling a bass boat, it rides like a Cadillac! I am hard on vehicles, and I would buy my next Tundra, (after I get 250,000 miles out of this one) in a heart beat!

13th Nov 2004, 09:26

I had a similar situation with a 1999 Avalon that had a problem with the transmission. I jumped through the hoops also trying to get this resolved under warranty. Unfortunately my result was the same as the Tundra owner (this is normal). I reported this complaint (from this site) to Toyota. Toyota has assured me that they will follow up with this customer and try to resolve the shaking problem.

Kellykj60@earthlink.net.

17th May 2005, 20:34

Sounds like the brakes. my truck feels like its gonna fall apart whenever I brake, and I have to get them serviced every 4-5k. Brakes should not be needed as often as oil changes, even a week after I get them worked on my truck shakes again, now it does it at random... prob a pad sticking or something.

27th Jan 2007, 14:00

One of our best friends just had the brakes go out on his 2004 Tundra (again). Isn't there a recall on this yet?? It seems to be a pretty common complaint with Tundras.

22nd Mar 2007, 21:50

The best "fix" for the Tundras MANY problems is simple: Trade it for Car and Driver's "World's Best Truck" (AGAIN). The unequalled Ford F-150. Not one of my 4 Ford trucks ever saw the inside of a repair shop. There are no better trucks made anywhere in the world at any price. You don't get better than ZERO problems in 15 years of driving.