Toyota, the star brand of reliability, has issued a recall affecting more than 443,000 units of one of its best-selling models. Believe it or not, this is happening. The Toyota Tundra, including hybrid versions, has a rear light design issue that could affect proper visibility in low-light conditions, especially during nighttime driving.
So far, what is known is that the ventilation system of the rear lights has a gap through which moisture enters. This causes corrosion to develop much faster and leads to the failure we’re talking about.
But… From Toyota? Yes, from the leading brand of the most reliable cars. This little technical issue has already been announced through the NHTSA. Here’s everything.
What’s going on with the Tundras?
As we said, the problem is mainly focused on the design of the reverse light housings. The adhesive used for these housings allows moisture to enter the inside of the light, and corrosion appears in a very short time due to the humidity.
Of course, it’s not as serious as an engine failure or brake pad issue, but it can be quite annoying and also reduces rear visibility for drivers.
The consequences…
Corrosion is never good, imagine it in your car’s rear lights. It can cause total failure, and although the vehicle includes a rearview camera, visibility is still insufficient, especially during nighttime driving.
Which vehicles are affected?
The recall includes a total of 443,444 Toyota Tundra and Tundra Hybrid vehicles from model years 2022–2025. The affected production includes vehicles assembled between May 10, 2021 and March 26, 2025. For hybrid versions, the period is from June 30, 2021 to March 20, 2025. Do those dates sound familiar?
What’s the solution?
Toyota has informed its customers that dealerships will replace the rear light assemblies at no cost to the customer, of course. In addition, they will inspect the associated wiring harness and replace it if they detect signs of corrosion in the connectors.
It’s not the first major issue with the Tundra
This is the eleventh recall affecting the 2022 Tundra model, which has raised doubts about the reliability of this generation. Last year, Toyota also had to replace entire engines in more than 100,000 units due to metal shavings in the crankshaft of the turbocharged V6 engine.
Losing credibility?
Toyota is one of the most reliable brands, but the Tundras haven’t been their winning horse, that’s for sure. It’s always been considered a strong and robust vehicle, but so many failures are making consumers lose faith in these vehicles.
What are users saying?
Many people have started pointing out on social media and forums that the number of recalls seems unacceptable for a model of its category, while others consider this failure the fault of the engineers who didn’t pay enough attention when assembling the vehicle…
What does Toyota say?
As we said, Toyota has taken action and will begin notifying owners at the end of June, but you can check earlier by verifying your vehicle’s VIN to know if you’re included in this recall.
So if you have a Toyota Tundra made between 2021 and 2025, contact your dealership. Even though it may seem like a minor issue, a rear light failure can endanger your safety and that of those around you.
Toyota is trying to stop the crisis with fast responses and free solutions, but the truth is that this new recall once again calls into question the reliability of one of its star pickups… Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again!