2012 Toyota Tundra reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 155 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Tundra over 15 years — 7 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Tundra years here — under the median of the other years, which is 11. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Hydraulic power steering, Labels, and Inactive sensor control module.

2012 Toyota Tundra SR5 — Photo by RL GNZLZ from Chile, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0

Complaints

155

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (57 of 155), then Fuel and propulsion system (25) and Powertrain (21). Those filings include 7 that report a crash, 2 that report a fire, and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Tundra has 85 complaints, 7 per year. The 2012 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota Tundra. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall steering, hydraulic power steering 2021-12-23 · NHTSA campaign 21E103000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 17, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TH01.

Recall steering, hydraulic power steering 2021-11-23 · NHTSA campaign 21V920000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Recall Labels 2013-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000

Summary Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Remedy Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2013-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000

Summary Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Remedy Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Complaints by component (155 total)

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Powertrain

Electrical system

Steering

Structure

Air bags

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Speed control

Service brakes

Wheels

Seats

Suspension

Engine and engine cooling

Fuel system, gasoline

Seat belts

Tires

Hydraulic brakes

Latches, locks, and linkages

Show 11 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-08-19
"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 149,000. The vehicle was a dealer sale. An independent mechanic checked the vehicle history report and discovered…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-07-02
"Product almost set my car on fire, luckily I was stop at a car wash when one the cleaning crew members noticed smoke coming out from under my hood my hood , I opened the hood and the actual light bulb was on fire, it…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-04-03
"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 137,355. The contact…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-01-12
"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private dealer sale. At…"
Electrical system · filed 2025-04-28

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Toyota Tundra PU/CC 2WD	4 stars	3 stars	5 stars	3 stars
2012 Toyota Tundra PU/CC 4WD	4 stars	3 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2012 Toyota Tundra PU/EC 2WD	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	3 stars
2012 Toyota Tundra PU/EC 4WD	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2012 Toyota Tundra PU/RC 2WD	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	3 stars
2012 Toyota Tundra PU/RC 4WD	4 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Tundra two-wheel drive	4L, 6-cyl	Automatic (5-speed)	Rear-wheel drive	16	20	18 MPG	$3600
Tundra two-wheel drive	4.6L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Rear-wheel drive	15	20	17 MPG	$3800
Tundra two-wheel drive	5.7L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Rear-wheel drive	14	18	15 MPG	$4300
Tundra four-wheel drive	4.6L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Part-time four-wheel drive	14	19	16 MPG	$4050
Tundra four-wheel drive	5.7L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Part-time four-wheel drive	13	17	15 MPG	$4300
Tundra four-wheel drive flex-fuel	5.7L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Part-time four-wheel drive	13	18	15 MPG	$4300

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (XK50), 2012–2021

Body styles Regular Cab, Double Cab, CrewMax

Oil 0W-20 (4.6L and 5.7L V8; 2021 is 5.7L only) , 8.5 qt capacity

Tire size P255/70R18 to P275/55R20 (275/65R18 on TRD Pro and many SR5/Limited trims)

Towing capacity 10,200 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 21V920 (Toyota 21TB10 and 21TA10) covers certain 2007-2021 Toyota Tundra and 2008-2022 Toyota Sequoia vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak. An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota Tundra See every Toyota Tundra model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota Tundra reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota Tundra?

Is the 2012 Toyota Tundra more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Tundra has 85 complaints, 7 per year. The 2012 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota Tundra been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota Tundra has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota Tundra?

Owners have filed 155 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Tundra with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota Tundra get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota Tundra is 16 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Toyota Tundra take?

2nd-gen US V8 (2012-2021): 0W-20 (~8.5 qt with filter). 3rd-gen 3.4L i-FORCE (2022+): 0W-20 (~7.7 qt with filter).

Does NHTSA campaign 21V920 cover the Toyota Tundra?

It covers certain 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia vehicles (Toyota 21TB10/21TA10): the power steering gear may have been manufactured incorrectly; dealers inspect and replace as directed.

What generation is the 2020 Toyota Tundra?

2nd generation (2012-2021 in this catalog). The 3rd generation starts in 2022.