ProblemsToyota › 2021 Tundra

2021 Toyota Tundra Problems & Owner Complaints

23 NHTSA owner complaints
1 crash 1 fire 1 injury

Age-normalised, this year draws ~3.8 complaints per year on the road — ranking 11 of 11 Toyota Tundra years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

Thinking about buying a specific Toyota Tundra?

This page shows problems reported across all 2021 Toyota Tundras. Before you buy that one car, enter its VIN: get a free open-recall check, then unlock the full $19 safety report: every complaint, safety ratings & a downloadable PDF for that exact vehicle.

Checking a specific 2021 Toyota Tundra? Enter its VIN

Free recall check · optional $19 full safety report before you buy

What owners report

Electrical System is the most-reported problem area on the 2021 Toyota Tundra, cited in 4 of 23 filed complaints (17%).

Seats is next (4 complaints, 17%), followed by Visibility/Wiper (3), Exterior Lighting (2), Forward Collision Avoidance (2).

Across all complaints, 1 report a crash, 1 report a fire, 1 report injuries.

The most safety-critical cluster is Air Bags: 1 crash, 1 injury report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2021 Toyota Tundra, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 23.

Unknown Or Other 6 1 fire

“Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to…”
NHTSA complaint #11450576, 2022 · fire

“My sunroof exploded due to weather conditions while i was driving with my family on highway during heavy rain storm”
NHTSA complaint #11623695, 2024

“My moon/sunroof exploded while driving for no apparent reason.”
NHTSA complaint #11586983, 2024

Electrical System 4 1 fire

“Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to…”
NHTSA complaint #11450576, 2022 · fire

“The software in the combination meter's electronic control Instrument Panel LCD display frequently goes blank I have taken my vehicle at least 5 times since I bought it 18 months ago as a new vehicle and it is yet to be remedied. This is the same issue that the 2022 Thundra has, 2021 should be included in the recall as well to remedy this problem”
NHTSA complaint #11510734, 2023

“When I turn the key to crank my radio doesn’t come on , A/C won’t blow and I have to jiggle the keys or restart it to end the issue. My husband has witnessed thi happen many times. Scared I might have an electrical issue. Contact me back for assistance to me for this issue please. It doesn’t happen every time either.”
NHTSA complaint #11692748, 2022

Seats 4

“Drivers seat has lateral movement in it associated when vehicle is engaged in a slow speed descending right turn. Dealer claims nothing is wrong.”
NHTSA complaint #11576948, 2024

“I've taken my truck in 3 times for a problem with the driver seat having excessive play. Whenever I stop at a light or pull off the seat rocks back and forth. Each time I've taken it in to the dealership they tell me that it is a seat track issue and that if I raise my seat the play will lessen? I've tried that and it still didn't correct the issue. This problem has gotten progressively worse and I'm worried that the seat is going to collapse completely one day when I stop or pull off. I've driven different Tundras of friends and relatives and those trucks don't have this problem. I fee…”
NHTSA complaint #11574117, 2024

“The seats shifts back and forth when brakes applied or hit the accelerator pedal. I’ve taken to two different dealers n made complaints but not results or repairs have been made.”
NHTSA complaint #11491083, 2022

Visibility/Wiper 3

“When I was driving and snow accumulating on the windshield put stress on the windshield wiper arm. The arm stopped working and I later found that the arm stripped out. I contacted three different dealerships and Toyota America and was told the wiper arm is no longer made ( part #85221-0C021 ). I told Toyota if it rains or snows I can not drive the vehicle due to laws and safety issues. I thought under the Magnuson-Moss act, a manufacture had to keep parts for items under warranty.”
NHTSA complaint #11510463, 2023

“Vehicle is now 6 months old from original & new purchase. Within 30-days of ownership, (1) approx 1.5mm in size chip was fully repaired half way up from the front of the windshield. Eight hours ago (1) extremely small pebble, approx 2mm in size, contacted the front windshield 2 inches from lower portion centered in front of the driver and NOT in the area of the previous repair. Now, the same chip is a full length horizontal crack. Windshield material(s) seem to be extremely prone to failure and possibly not up to NHTSA or federal specifications...”
NHTSA complaint #11471227, 2022

“Driver side wiper does not work while passenger side works. Has not been into dealer yet, due for state inspection now, June 2022. No warning, would not work when attempting to leave home.”
NHTSA complaint #11467015, 2022

Exterior Lighting 2 1 fire

“Wayne drove the truck to work. It was an icy day in Texas so he drove slower than usual. He went to pick up a part (for work) from another shop, he arrived at the shop, turned off the truck and went inside to retrieve the part for work. A few minutes later he came out to his truck and the hazard lights were blinking. He did not turn them on. He then noticed the cab of the truck filled with black smoke, he opened the door, raised the hood to take off the battery cables. The fire destroyed his dash and all electrical in the dash. There were no warnings or messages that appeared prior to…”
NHTSA complaint #11450576, 2022 · fire

“LED lights are loose and rattle and flash all over the place. While driving over 40+mph or going over any bumps on the road . This only affects TRD PRO tundra’s with factory Ridgid lights . Toyota does not have a toyota approved repair even after going to dealership multiple times and calling toyota USA . They will not do anything for this safety issue besides offer lemon law options . Toyota states this is the only one with this issue . I have done research and brought this issue on a toyota trd forum and received over 100 complaints of other trd pro tundra owners with the same issue and to…”
NHTSA complaint #11471047, 2022

Forward Collision Avoidance 2

“Pre collision warning has erroneously activated numerous (>10) times on the same section of roadway. No other vehicles, pedestrians or animals were present on roadway.”
NHTSA complaint #11576943, 2024

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds using adaptive cruise control mode, the rear brake lights failed to illuminate whenever the vehicle slowed down independently. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and the contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. Adaptive cruise control having no brake lights shown when doing it's job. This is a MAJOR safety factor and need rear brake lights to avoid accid…”
NHTSA complaint #11452427, 2021

Before you buy this car, see its exact open recalls + full $19 report Enter the VIN of the 2021 Toyota Tundra you're looking at, free recall check first

Steering 2

“The power steering failed at around 38,000 miles. The dealership indicated the entire assembly needs to be replaced which cost more than $6,000. This is apparently a known manufacturing issue as they recalled a significant portion of the vehicles made in 2021.”
NHTSA complaint #11629458, 2024

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V920000 (Steering) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”
NHTSA complaint #11496696, 2021

Structure 2

“My sunroof exploded due to weather conditions while i was driving with my family on highway during heavy rain storm”
NHTSA complaint #11623695, 2024

“LED lights are loose and rattle and flash all over the place. While driving over 40+mph or going over any bumps on the road . This only affects TRD PRO tundra’s with factory Ridgid lights . Toyota does not have a toyota approved repair even after going to dealership multiple times and calling toyota USA . They will not do anything for this safety issue besides offer lemon law options . Toyota states this is the only one with this issue . I have done research and brought this issue on a toyota trd forum and received over 100 complaints of other trd pro tundra owners with the same issue and to…”
NHTSA complaint #11471047, 2022

Air Bags 1 1 crash 1 injury

“Airbag , it was bad accident on freeway , but my car airbag did not work.car did not inspect with dealer , they were not any waring sign”
NHTSA complaint #11709234, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Engine 1

“Were were driving, my 2021 Toyota Tundra, just stopped running. No check engine lights had come on until the engine stalled as we coasted to a stop on the side of the road. We had it towed to the Central Maine Motor in Waterville, Maine 04901. Central Maine Motor -Toyota service just got my truck in to a service bay today 1/29/26 and in formed me the failure was due to the fuel pressure module and a fuel pump failure. Toyota has other years of vehicles that they have issues recalls for and my truck has the same fuel system and fuel pump as in those year vehicles, but no recalls for my truck, a…”
NHTSA complaint #11714344, 2026

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that after inserting the fuel nozzle into the vehicle, fuel spilled back out of the vehicle onto the leg of the contact. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. The failure reoccurred approximately one year later, and the dealer was unable to duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that during the failures the fuel tank had approximately a quarter tank of fuel and the vehicle had been driven for approximately six hours on an extremely hot da…”
NHTSA complaint #11621002, 2023

Fuel/Propulsion System 1

“Were were driving, my 2021 Toyota Tundra, just stopped running. No check engine lights had come on until the engine stalled as we coasted to a stop on the side of the road. We had it towed to the Central Maine Motor in Waterville, Maine 04901. Central Maine Motor -Toyota service just got my truck in to a service bay today 1/29/26 and in formed me the failure was due to the fuel pressure module and a fuel pump failure. Toyota has other years of vehicles that they have issues recalls for and my truck has the same fuel system and fuel pump as in those year vehicles, but no recalls for my truck, a…”
NHTSA complaint #11714344, 2026

Power Train 1

“The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and jolted, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 48,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11649812, 2025

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2021 Toyota Tundra draws about 3.8 complaints per year on the road, ranking 11 of 11 among the Toyota Tundra model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

Before you buy this Toyota Tundra

Don't buy on the strength of a problems page alone. Check the exact VIN of the car you're looking at. The open recalls are free, and the full $19 safety report pulls every complaint, safety rating and a downloadable PDF for that one vehicle.

Related

Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.

SaveVIN

Free vehicle recall & safety reports using public U.S. NHTSA data.

Uses public U.S. NHTSA data SaveVIN is an independent service, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to NHTSA, the U.S. government, or any vehicle manufacturer.
For official recall notices, check nhtsa.gov/recalls and register your vehicle with its manufacturer. SaveVIN alerts are best-effort and do not replace official notices.