2003 Toyota Tundra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
524 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Toyota Tundra, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 42/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Body & structure leads the reports, typically around 111,230 miles.
Below average
Where 2003 sits among all Tundra years
What owners report
“Frame is rusted and unsafe to be driven. I loved this truck but now what good is it?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Tundra
“Airbag light is on instrument panel. Per toyota dealer service dept,drivers side airbag needs to be replaced.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Tundra
“Took it to the dealer to inspect the frame and they told me it was unsafe to drive. Recommended me not to drive it. As the frame was rust and had multiple rust perforations in the front half of the frame”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Tundra
“Frame corrosion was not properly addressed during 2012 recall. As a result the frame has corroded in multiple areas and the brakes just failed due to brake line corrosion. Toyota is refusing any additional claims for damages. However they should have done more to address the frame corrosion during…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Tundra
“Steering column shift bracket broke in 3 places when trying to shift from park to drive, making shifting impossible. See pictures from 2 of 3 fracture locations, 3rd fracture is at an attachment screw (not shown). This is cause by an underdesigned part made of inferior cast aluminum. There are…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Tundra
“Frame cross member recall, I have called several toyota dealerships and all have denied me service to the recall”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Tundra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 341 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 107,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 55,000 and 141,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as…
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003,…
Fix: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or…
Fix: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2000-2003 TUNDRA VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY,…
Fix: TOYOTA IS ASKING OWNERS OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES TO REMOVE THE SPARE TIRE FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE UNTIL A REMEDY CAN BE OBTAINED. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR CROSS MEMBER AND RELATED COMPONENTS,…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
CERTAIN AJ MOTORSPORT COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO.…
Fix: AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, 'CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS.' THESE VEHICLES HAVE A MANUAL AIR BAG ON-OFF SWITCH TO DISABLE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG AND DO NOT HAVE A…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE MANUAL AIR BAG ON-OFF SWITCH, REPLACE THE OWNER'S MANUAL, AND AFFIX A NEW SUN VISOR AIR BAG WARNING LABEL. THE RECALL BEGAN IN EARLY JANUARY 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SURFACE OF THE BALL OF THE JOINT MAY HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED. THE BALL JOINT MAY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 09V444000.
Technical service bulletins
135 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2003 Toyota Tundra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 Tundra TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Toyota Tundra reliable?
The 2003 Toyota Tundra drew 524 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 42/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2003 Toyota Tundra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Toyota Tundra are body & structure (152 complaints), airbags (86), and suspension (64).
At what mileage do 2003 Toyota Tundra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Toyota Tundra problems around 107,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 55,000 and 141,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Toyota Tundra have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Toyota Tundra. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.