2016 Toyota Tundra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
156 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2016 Toyota Tundra, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 11/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 24,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2016 Toyota Tundra has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2016 sits among all Tundra years
What owners report
“If the headlights are set to auto and i signal a left turn and turn to the left, the headlights shut off and the interior lights switch to "day mode". The issue seems intermittent. It seems to occur in cooler temps (<50f).”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Tundra
“The integrated brake controller does not apply enough power to the trailer brakes.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2016 Tundra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 100 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 15,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 3,800 and 41,694 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Tundra vehicles. The affected vehicles have a passenger knee air bag module that was attached to the instrument panel mounting brackets with incorrect bolts.
Fix: All of the affected vehicles have been inspected and any incorrect knee air bag mounting bolts have been replaced, free of charge. The recall began on June 22, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles accessorized with Southeast Toyota accessory 20-inch Rockstar wheels installed by Southeast Toyota or a Southeast Toyota dealer. The…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement lugnuts, free of charge. The recall began June 23, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tundra vehicles equipped with a resin rear step bumper and resin reinforcement brackets (vehicles with chrome step bumpers are not affected). In the event of an impact to the…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the resin rear bumper reinforcement brackets with steel ones, and replace the rear bumper tread, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2017.…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 20V024.
Technical service bulletins
228 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and body & structure — are on file for the 2016 Toyota Tundra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2016 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 2016 Toyota Tundra reliable?
The 2016 Toyota Tundra drew 156 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 11/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2016 Toyota Tundra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2016 Toyota Tundra are electrical (41 complaints), brakes & stability (34), and body & structure (21).
At what mileage do 2016 Toyota Tundra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2016 Toyota Tundra problems around 15,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 3,800 and 41,694 miles.
Does the 2016 Toyota Tundra have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2016 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.