Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| DL00303 | 10/01/2003 | 10004512 | Synthetic rear differential fluid maintenance and repair information. *tt | 12/17/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 4573 | 02/28/2005 | 10015554 | 2003 tundra repair manual correction for the torque converter clutch and drive plate (automatic transmission). 00400-rm956-u1. *tt | 07/28/2005 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, he switched from four wheel drive to two wheel drive and the entire front end of the vehicle abruptly and violently seized. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the entire front differential was replaced. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 120,00 and the current mileage was 125,000. kmj | |||
| 10/31/2011 | 120000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. the contact stated while driving 30 mph he switched from four wheel drive to two wheel drive and the entire front end locked up. it was a very jarring and violent stop. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the entire front differential was replaced. the manufacturer had not been notified. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 120,00 and the current mileage was 125,000. dt | |||
| 11/02/2012 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Took 2003 toyota tundra in for frame rust corrosion program 09v-444000. was told frame and other components had extensive rust and multiple 10mm holes by lead service technician at local toyota dealership. service manager explained that my 2003 toyota tundra frame was extensively rusted and unsafe to be on the road and they wanted to take my truck immediately and provide a rental car due to safety concerns. asked for a plan of action of the scope of work to be performed (corrosion compound verses frame replacement) before giving possession of vehicle. photos of 2003 toyota tundra frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system were taken and sent to lead service tech three states away in texas. was informed extensive frame rust exists on all components (frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system) but it is not covered because vehicle is no longer registered in wisconsin. purchased this 2003 toyota certified vehicle in wisconsin in april of 2010 and no information was given to me at regarding the nhtsa investigation or any rust inspections that were performed. toyota corporation refuses to repair, replace or add corrosion resistant compound to any severely affected rusted components. significant rust issues exist on this vehicle and still toyota corporation refuses to provide any documentation of their inspections. toyota corporation will not put in writing that the frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system is safe or road worthy. deadline for all rust repairs is december 31, 2012. toyota corporation is stalling consumers to keep from doing any repairs and leaving unsafe rusted 2003 toyota tundra's on the highways. please initiate a new nhtsa investigation regarding this matter for the safety of consumers. *tr | |||
| 11/02/2012 | 55000 | ||
| Took 2003 toyota tundra in for frame rust corrosion program 09v-444000. was told frame and other components had extensive rust and multiple 10mm holes by lead service technican at local toyota dealership. service manager explained that my 2003 toyota tundra frame was extensively rusted and unsafe to be on the road and they wanted to take my truck immediately and provide a rental car due to safety concerns. asked for a plan of action of the scope of work to be preformed (corrosion compound verses frame replacement) before giving possession of vehicle. photos of 2003 toyota tundra frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system were taken and sent to lead service tech three states away in texas. was informed extensive frame rust exists on all components (frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system) but it is not covered because vehicle is no longer registered in wisconsin. purchased this 2003 toyota certified vehicle in wisconsin in april of 2010 and no information was given to me at regarding the nhtsa investigation or any rust inspections that were preformed. toyota corporation refuses to repair, replace or add corrosion resistant compound to any severely affected rusted components. significant rust issues exist on this vehicle and still toyota corporation refuses to provide any documentation of their inspections. toyota corporation will not put in writing that the frame, rear cross members, spare tire carrier, rear brake lines & fuel tank mounting system is safe or road worthy. deadline for all rust repairs is december 31, 2012. toyota corporation is stalling consumers to keep from doing any repairs and leaving unsafe rusted 2003 toyota tundra's on the highways. please initiate a new nhtsa investigation regarding this matter for the safety of consumers. | |||
| 10/29/2012 | 124505 | 3 | |
| For the third time since i have owned the vehicle where the shift control goes into the steering column, where it connects has broken. this is a piece of metal that has again snapped making it unable to shift the car. what happens if i was in drive and could not shift into park? i have had this fixed twice before, once when i was stuck on the road and once towed to toyota. *tr | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 110907 | ||
| Toyota had a re-call for excessive corrosion on the 03 tundra. i have been taking the truck in for inspections for 3 years & was told everything was ok. this year toyota said they had an ok to undercoat the frames. while my truck was in for the work it was discovered that the rear differntial had rusted through & was leaking oil. even though this componenet is on the underside of the truck just like the frame that was covered the repairs were not covered under the recall. it was obvious that the issue was caused by corrosion. total cost of the repair was $2000 for the rear differntial casing to be replaced. why was this not covered under the recall if the componenet is part of the uderside of the vehicle? | |||
| 12/01/2011 | |||
| I believe toyota sold hundreds, possibly thousands of this type vehicle to customers who asked for a limited slip differential and paid a premium to get one. many times when on slippery surfaces one rear tire just spins with no traction to the other. my window sticker says i have lsd and i don't. the mechaic at desert toyota told me i didn't have a ls when he changed my rear dif oil. i couldn't believe what he told me, no, you have a regular drive rear end. several months passed and i drove the vehicle down to precision toyota where i bought the vehicle. they just looked underneath the truck and said i had it. i said i didn't. they pointed to a decal and that was their proof. i asked for a test to be applied to it to prove it but said they were to busy and declined to do it that day. a day or two later i took the vehicle back to desert toyota where the mechanic worked that said i did not have lsd . when i described my concerns and asked for the mechaic they said he wasn;t available and gave me some other guy. they jacked the rear end up and told me when they spin one rear tire in one direction and the other tire spins in the opposite direction that proves i have ls. but the information i get off the internet and independant mechaics says the opposite is true. . they say if i spin one rear tire in one direction the other should also spin in the same direction. i believe toyota commited fraud and did not give me what i paid for and will not except the true facts.this rear ends puts me in dangerous slip and slide risks when on slippery surfaces that results in no traction | |||
| 09/22/2009 | 160000 | 1 | |
| When returning to my2003 toyota tundra, from a doctors appt, i noticed a pool of liquid, under the rear axle of the truck. having wife back truck up, i checked this viscous, clearish fluid, finding it to be a rear end oil/grease, and had been leaking from mid housing of the rearend. upon further inspection, i found this had been leaking for enough time that oil spots were all over the rear window of and tailgate of truck. i called toyota to look at it and they wanted ?$120 just to look at it, so i brought to a mechanic down the road form toyota and he found the rear axle housing had rusted thru. he in 40 years had never heard of this problem, and while searching for a replacement rear end, could only find one good used one in new england. he obtained and replaced my damaged one, for a cost of >$1000. he later told me he had another one come in less then a week, same problem. at home, i found oil had been leaking front the back of the truck for some time, evidenced by oil on the ground and wood near where the back of the truck was backed into driveway. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 12/09/2002 | 2500 | 2 | 09/21/2002 |
| The vehicle rolled back while in the park position. the transmission assembly was replaced. the consumer requested either a new vehicle or a full refund for the vehicle. mr scc *jb | |||
| 11/11/2002 | 1100 | 11/04/2002 | |
| 2003 toyota tundra 4wd with noise and vibration resulting from oil viscosity. ph | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 12/29/2003 | 10000 | 30 | 11/29/2003 |
| Overdrive malfuncioned at 10,000 miles. randomly the vehicle's overdrive transmission acts oppositely to what shown on the display screen. when overdrive off light is on, overdrive gear is still on - turn the overdrive swith on and overdrive off lights turns off but the vehicle is still on 3rd gear (overdrive off). malfunction stops when the engine is stopped. toyota states this caused by the customer clicking the overdrive switch quickly several times. this is incorrect statement, the overdrive malfunction happens even with one click. toyota also states this is normal condition as it is designed and the vehicle is safe to drive. i suffer poor gas milage and unsafe condition by transmission acting unexpectedly when malfunction occurs. engine speed goes up very high and noisy on highways when malfunction happens. customer is concerned about engine wear from long driving.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 55000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph. the clutch pedal stuck without fully releasing and the gear selector failed to shift out of gear. the contact was able to continue driving safely. the failure occurred on two separate occasions. the vehicle was unable to slow down unless aggressive force was applied to the brakes or the engine was turned off. the failure mileage was 53,000. the current mileage was 60,000. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 09/22/2009 | 160000 | 1 | |
| When returning to my2003 toyota tundra, from a doctors appt, i noticed a pool of liquid, under the rear axle of the truck. having wife back truck up, i checked this viscous, clearish fluid, finding it to be a rear end oil/grease, and had been leaking from mid housing of the rearend. upon further inspection, i found this had been leaking for enough time that oil spots were all over the rear window of and tailgate of truck. i called toyota to look at it and they wanted ?$120 just to look at it, so i brought to a mechanic down the road form toyota and he found the rear axle housing had rusted thru. he in 40 years had never heard of this problem, and while searching for a replacement rear end, could only find one good used one in new england. he obtained and replaced my damaged one, for a cost of >$1000. he later told me he had another one come in less then a week, same problem. at home, i found oil had been leaking front the back of the truck for some time, evidenced by oil on the ground and wood near where the back of the truck was backed into driveway. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Entire rear end housing rusted away requiring a whole new rear end housing. frame is rusting out on whole truck. *tr | |||
| 07/10/2008 | 15000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 toyota tundra. it currently has 101,200 miles on it. i purchased it brand new and when i reached 15,000 miles the shift column to the right of the steering wheel snapped off in my hand. i brought it to the dealer that i bought it and it took them three weeks to fix because they claimed not to have a tool needed to reassemble the various parts of the column. at approximately 39,000 miles the column again snapped off during normal operation. this time i took it to another toyota dealer because i had no confidence in the original one that fixed it. i had to argue with the new dealer over covering the repair under warranty which they did eventually do. once again the second dealer had the vehicle nearly 3 weeks and once again they cited the lack of the appropriate tool to reassemble the column. they actually said they had to fabricate a tool to make the repair. and finally yesterday, the column has snapped for a third time. i can assure you that this is not occurring in a fit of rage, nor am i aggressively handling the shift each time i engage the truck into drive. both dealers claim that this repair is unheard of at their dealerships which is probably true. i wanted to report it to you all in case there were additional reports coming from other areas of the country. thank you. marc a. lapierre *tr | |||
| 02/19/2004 | 25000 | 1 | 11/28/2002 |
| Truck cab shakes during higher speeds, toyota dealers reviewing the problem say that's just how it rides.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 107000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. the contact took the vehicle in for unrelated repairs when the dealer informed him that the rear differential was leaking and corroded. the dealer advised having the component replaced but the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileage was 107,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 04/04/2006 | 41000 | 1 | 08/27/2003 |
| I'm the owner of a 2003 toyota tundra (limited slip differential) sr5 4x4. in apr i brought my truck into the universal toyota dealer here in san antonio tx to replace a missing clamp and for a rumbling noise coming from underneath the truck. the first mechanic said he couldn't hear the noise, and again i brought the truck back in jun as the noise was getting worse. the lead mechanic then heard it and said that the noise is coming from the differential and that he has another tundra doing the same thing. i asked that he call the toyota tech line to inquire/report this. he notified me the next day that the toyota tech person said that this is a normal sound and not to worry about it. however i do have some safety concerns as i don't believe this to be a normal indication of what a differential should sound like. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 11/10/2003 | 6500 | 1 | 08/05/2003 |
| 2003 tundra rpm hang-up - safety issue hello all: | |||
| POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) | |||
| 11/10/2003 | 189 | 1 | 11/11/2002 |
| 2003 toyota tundra, (4wd) vin 5tbbt44143s36074 there is a very obvious vibration and humming noise coming from the front transfer case / differential. this causes a slight reduction ins speed and / or resistance to acceleration. the problem is most noticeable between 30 ~ 40 mph in colder weather, but is present at all speeds and weather conditions. the problem has been present since purchasing the vehicle as new, and is becoming progressively worse. toyota recognizes and acknowledges that there is a defect with some of the 2003 thunders and squish (documented in service report for this vehicle). it was describe to me by two toyota service managers and a toyota technical assistance representative as resulting from the fit / mesh tolerance of some gears in the front gear case being too tight. toyota has fixed the problem (re-design) in current production vehicles (starting some time during the 2003 model year production schedule), but has to date refused to repair the defect for all owners presenting this problem to authorized toyota dealers / service centers. some dealers / service centers have repaired the defects at random.*ak i suspect and fear that this problem will eventually lead to a failure of some kind that may present a safety hazard, i.e. gears wearing, slipping, or binding) when the vehicle is in motion, and this in turn may cause a loss or reduction of, or interference with, driver control.*ak | |||
| 1 | 11/22/2002 | ||
| While driving there was a noise heard coming from under the hood. dealer has inspected the vehicle and could not duplicate or correct the problem. ts the defect was with the transfer case which caused vibration and reduction in speed. *jg | |||