2000 Toyota Tundra Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about rust: frame rails, cross members and cab supports corroding through, frequently discovered during state inspection, an oil change or when the spare tire carrier drops. A second, smaller group describes brake problems, both rusted-through brake lines and a shuddering or pulsating pedal. The rest are scattered reports of front ball joint wear and a throttle pedal that stops responding.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Frame and cross member rust-through

   • 494 complaints (49%)
   • median 109,254 mi at 10.0 yrs old (398 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 22 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2026

   Complaints describe frame rails, rear cross members, cab supports and the spare tire carrier rusting through, sometimes with visible holes or metal flaking off in sheets. Many owners say the condition was found by a mechanic during routine service, an oil change or a state inspection, and that the truck then failed inspection. According to the complaints, dealers inspected the frame, applied a spray treatment in some cases, or declined repairs because of the extent of the corrosion; several owners report being advised not to drive the vehicle. Reported from roughly 35,000 miles to well past 250,000 miles, often after a number of winters of road-salt exposure.

   Recall 09V444000

   What to check: Put the truck on a lift and inspect the frame rails, rear cross member, cab supports and spare tire carrier for scale, flaking metal and holes before buying. Ask whether the 09V444000 frame inspection or treatment was ever performed and keep the paperwork.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2000 Toyota Tundra. The frame is rusting underneith the car. Toyota acknowledges this is a problem and shouldn't be happening, but will not fix the issue. Truck will not pass inspection at this time. We are looking at having to pay for this defect out of our own pocket because Toyota will not take responsibility.”

   NHTSA complaint #10322887, filed 2010-03, 100,000 miles

   “Noticed rusting on my 2000 Toyota Tundra about 4--5 years ago didn't think much about it because of Tundra's good reputation surprise' surprise' Tundra went in for some minor repair & was promptly told by my mechanic that the frame was totally rusted & that it was bending while it was up on the lift ......took it to ira Toyota in danvers mass where I purchased it ,again upon inspection by a Toyota mechanic . …”

   NHTSA complaint #10291576, filed 2009-11, 105,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Rusted brake lines and shuddering brakes

   • 229 complaints (23%)
   • median 67,000 mi at 7.9 yrs old (156 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,650 (median of 22 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2026

   Several complaints describe brake tubing along the frame corroding and bursting, with the pedal going to the floor and fluid lost; one owner also reports the parking brake mechanism rusted and not working. Others describe a spongy pedal or a rapid pulsation and steering wheel shake under light to moderate braking, where rotors were turned or replaced and the vibration returned. Owners say dealers either found nothing wrong, resurfaced the rotors, or quoted replacement of pads, rotors and calipers. Reported from very low mileage up to nearly 300,000 miles, with most appearing between about 55,000 and 165,000 miles.

   What to check: Have the steel brake lines along the frame and at the proportioning valve checked for rust pitting, and test the pedal feel on a long, light stop to catch any pulsation. Ask when the brake fluid was last changed and whether the rotors have been resurfaced or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Rapid pulsating of brakes under light to moderate braking at almost any speed. Suspect a design defect in the anti-lock brake system. Took vehicle to Toyota several times, was told nothing wrong , brake rotors were turned finally after some insistence on my part. Problem seemed to go away but came back. Brakes have been done again and problem still occurs. This phenomenon has been observed in several other Toyota vehicles we have owned, a 1993 camry, a 2001 avalon and a 2005 lexus es330. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10583741, filed 2014-04, 2,000 miles

   “The brake line tubing at the proportioning valve on the left rear inside frame rail corroded and burst causing all brake fluid to escape and the brake pedal went to the floor and made the vehicle difficult to stop. I was traveling close to home at a speed of approximately 25 MPH. I down shifted and was able to slow to 5mph to drive the vehicle to my home garage where I replaced the tubing,fluid and bled the brakes. Fortunately no accident occurred, I discarded the old tubing and fittings after the repairs were made. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10294451, filed 2009-12, 111,000 miles
3. 3
   Other or unknown

   Throttle pedal stops responding, code P1121

   • 58 complaints (6%)
   • median 102,584 mi at 10.2 yrs old (40 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2026

   Owners describe the engine losing power or the accelerator going dead while driving, sometimes at highway speed or while pulling a trailer, with the check engine light coming on. In several cases restarting the truck restored normal response, and a scan returned code P1121 pointing to the accelerator pedal position sensor. Complaints say dealers quoted diagnostic fees and repairs of roughly a thousand dollars or more without guaranteeing a fix, and one owner reports the pedal sticking fully engaged until the brakes were applied hard. Mostly reported between about 95,000 and 260,000 miles, often during steady highway driving or while towing.

   What to check: Ask whether the accelerator pedal position sensor or throttle body has ever been replaced, and have any stored codes read before purchase. A road test that includes a steady highway pull and a part-throttle acceleration is worth doing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While merging into interstate traffic in my 2000 Toyota Tundra v-8, I accelerated to passing gear. The accelerator remained fully engaged. I stomped the brakes hard and fortunately the accelerator disengaged. I had no option because of congested traffic and the median was steep. I have owned this Tundra for several years and experienced this fully engaged accelerator once before. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10313996, filed 2010-02, 125,400 miles

   “While pulling a travel trailer with our 2000 Toyota Tundra sr5-v8, we lost power and the check engine came on. After pulling to the side of the interstate, we shut off the engine. After about 5 minutes, we started the engine again, found we had power, but the check engine was still on. We drove another 100 miles to out destination. After several hours, we started the truck again and the check engine light was not on anymore. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10267614, filed 2009-05, 131,000 miles
4. 4
   Suspension

   Front ball joint and suspension wear

   • 58 complaints (6%)
   • median 111,000 mi at 10.7 yrs old (49 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2026

   Complaints describe front ball joints failing at relatively low mileage, with the steering pulling or wandering, clicking from the front end over bumps or when the brake pedal is pressed. One owner reports the upper ball joints were replaced and failed again within about 20,000 miles, and another describes a fractured front stabilizer along with the rust found underneath. Repairs reported are replacement of upper and lower ball joints, and in one case the axle as well. Most often reported between about 50,000 and 70,000 miles, with a few at much higher mileage.

   What to check: Have the front end raised and the upper and lower ball joints checked for play, and listen for clicking while turning the wheels at low speed. Ask whether the ball joints have been replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The lower ball joint on my 2000 Toyota Tundra went out while driving at a speed less then 30 MPH it only has 69,000. Miles this could have been deadly if we where on a main road, or even going at a higher speed......”

   NHTSA complaint #10335562, filed 2010-06, 67,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2000 Toyota Tundra. During routine inspection a mechanic discovered that the carriage frame had corroded. The frames left rear corner had a hole inch in diameter, and the right front stabilizer was fractured. The failure and current mileages were 113,000. The VIN was not available.”

   NHTSA complaint #10293197, filed 2009-11, 113,000 miles

Buying note. Because rust underneath is the dominant theme in the complaints, a lift inspection before purchase matters more than cosmetic condition on this model year. Budget for a thorough underbody check and a brake line review, and ask for any recall or rust-treatment paperwork.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.