2001 Toyota Tundra Suspension Problems
- 36
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 36 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- ball joint · 17 records
- lower ball · 10 records
- ball joints · 8 records
- spare tire · 6 records
- side wheel · 5 records
- passenger side · 5 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 150–400k mi | 19 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
| 60–100k mi | 6 |
| 30–60k mi | 2 |
| 1–30k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Suspension
My ball joints on the driver's side wheel catastrophically failed this morning without warning (no knocking/rattling/vibration/etc.). Luckily i was only going 15 mph. I am concerned that toyota is aware of an issue with the ball joints that could cause this failure without warning. I am worried for future incidents that would not be so lucky and happen on a highway going 70mph or more (which i was doing 10 minutes…
Crash reported
ODI 11256445
Body · Suspension · Wheels
Bought truck new in 8/2001. Brought truck to dealer when it was recalled for rust in 2012 and was told rust wasn't bad enough to do anything. Brought truck back to dealer multiple times after 2012 (last in 11/18) and was told everything was fine on each occasion. In 8/2019 i heard a squeak from undercarriage and when i looked, the spare tire crossmember was hanging down and the right side upper shock mount was…
ODI 11254476
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving 50 mph and making a right turn, the contact heard an abnormal noise and the front passenger side wheel detached from the vehicle and was stuck on the side. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to park the vehicle on the side of road. The vehicle was towed to…
ODI 11232250
Suspension
Front lower left ball joint broke at 40 mph while crossing rr tracks.the tire/hub completely tore loose tearing off brake line.and just luckily avoided a deadly head-on collision.this is the most dangerous vehicle i have ever owned.this problem must be addressed.my problem is l also own a 2001 toyota sequoia which has the same front ball joints.this is total bull. I would had sent a picture,but the truck left the…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 11131849
Suspension
2001 toyota tundra. Frame rusted out. 194,000 miles. Installed new exhaust system in fall 2017. Frame was ok had some surface rust. On memorial day i installed new caliper, rotor, & shoes. At that time i could see the frame was bad, i could put finger through the frame. Truck unsafe to drive.
ODI 11109987
Steering · Suspension · Unknown Or Other
December 2017 - shop informed me of serious frame corrosion/perforation, i called toyota corp. Was told to take to dealer for inspection. Dealer inspected march 2018 informed me not to drive vehicle as the frame was unsafe. Dealer would not release vehicle to me without me signing their form about unsafe vehicle. I phoned toyota corp. And was told no assistance was available. How is this possible / legit? The main…
ODI 11079954
Suspension
The lower ball joints on these first generation tundras are all prone to early failure when using any other brand than oem. I have talked to dozens of first gen owners and all agree the lower ball joints on the trucks are a huge weak point. I had my driver's side front wheel come off of my truck while turning down a street in a busy intersection, causing extensive damage to my tundra. The wheel went about 50 feet…
Crash reported
ODI 11193099
Body · Steering · Suspension
Lower drivers side ball joint popped out going down hyway. Tire ended up collapsing in on drivers fender door and broke cv shaft and twisted a arms. Very dangerous. No prior sign of clunking or popping.
ODI 10995035
Frame And Members · Suspension
2001 toyota tundra. Consumer writes in regards to excessive corrosion of the frame and suspension components. *ld *js
ODI 11031089
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving 65 mph, the driver side wheel detached from the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle slid 100 feet into the median after the failure. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front driver side upper ball joint fractured, which resulted in the driver side wheel detaching. The a arm,…
ODI 10839040
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving less than 5 mph, there was an abnormal noise heard on the front driver side of the vehicle. The front driver side lower ball joint fractured without warning and caused the contact to coast the vehicle off the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). The manufacturer…
ODI 10821976
Suspension
The l/f lower ball joint broke while vehicle was being driven, causing a great deal of collateral damage to the following components which need to be repaired and replaced: l/f lower ball joint; l/f knuckle popped out from upper ball joint; rack pinion assembly bind and twisted when left front collapsed; l/f axle shaft popped out and grease out; l/f caliper hose broken; alignment needed as part of repair. Due to…
ODI 10819798
Body · Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. While driving at an unknown speed, an abnormal banging noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear cross member was completely corroded and the rear shock was fractured. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously serviced under an unknown manufacturer customer satisfaction campaign in which the…
ODI 10776433
Suspension
After having tires placed on 2001 tundra, the mechanic & his supervisor advised me to go to nearby toyota dealer due to concerns of rust compromising frame. [in april 2012, the frame received a corrosive resistant compound due to safety recall 90m as toyota did not feel the frame qualified for a full frame replacement. I was informed that crc would prevent the rusting that initiated the recall]. Upon arriving at the…
ODI 10749786
Fuel/Propulsion System · Suspension · Unknown Or Other
Took my 2001 tundra in for the frame recalls. I had 52616 miles on a garage kept truck. They said my frame would be fine and would have a crc compound applied apr 2012. After a few weeks i took it back in since the compound was falling off, may 2012. They reapplied the crc. I told them i had concerns over spraying over rust, but said they were sure toyota would stand behind it. Feb 2014 the technician made a comment…
ODI 10760669
Body · Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. The contact stated that the rear driver side subframe perforated due to excessive corrosion. In 2012, the vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 09v444000 (suspension); however, the failure recurred. The remedy consisted of spraying a corrosion protector onto the entire frame, which failed to prevent the subframe corrosion. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10732264
Body · Suspension
I purchased the vehicle in october 2014 and was informed about a frame corrosion issue causing failures and failure to pass vt state inspections by a family friend in january. I contacted toyota and provided [xxx], the customer service representative with all vin information. He looked up service records and informed me that the vehicle had a corrosion application applied in 2010 under the previous owner and there…
ODI 10704304
Suspension · Unknown Or Other · Wheels
Accelerating on an on-ramp to go on the freeway, a massive bump was felt. I lost control of the car using momentum and difficult steering to get me to the side of the freeway. I discovered the wheel was disengaged and was only attached by the brake line. Mechanic inspected the damage and said the ball joint broke off causing the wheel to be disengaged. *tr
1 injury
ODI 10650871
Steering · Suspension · Underbody Shields
My power steering blew out. It began squealing very loudly and losing fluid rapidly. I have had this truck 7-8 years and never had an issue with the steering. Today, a mechanic tells me it's rusted out and i need a new power steering rack, pressure line and bushings. This problem is very similar (identical...) to issues i've read before concerning the tundra and the recall of the rusted frame. On 1/4/2013 @ 158,495…
ODI 10643378
Suspension
While traveling very slowly down a smooth, dry dirt road my driver's side lower ball joint snapped. Luckily i wasn't going fast in traffic. The truck is at a repair shop right now. I contacted toyota's customer service, but haven't gotten a reply. On toyota's offical web site i entered my vin to search for outstaning recalls and got this answer, " there are no open safety recalls or special service campaigns for…
ODI 10617450
Power Train · Service Brakes · Suspension
I purchased this vehicle new in 2000 and had the entire unit undercoated for rust protection and sound proofing. The truck has been garaged since new and since i travel for business has low mileage. This is my personal vehicle not a work truck. As time went on i began noticing the rust under the chassis and then i received a recall notice for the spare tire bracket. I found out later that toyota used the spare tire…
ODI 10896244
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota tundra. The contact stated that the cross member was sprayed with a corrosion protection compound according to nhtsa campaign number: 09v444000 (structure); however, the coating was deteriorating. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.…
ODI 10683060
Steering · Suspension · Wheels
Was driving home on a 2-lane rural highway when i heard a very loud bang and found my vehicle scraping and skidding down the road for approximately 100 ft. Fortunately, no one was coming from the other direction and no one was behind me. Wound up in the middle of the road. Managed to force the truck onto the left shoulder. After getting out, found the left front wheel flat on the road and jammed up inside the wheel…
ODI 10562887
Suspension · Underbody Shields
On april 11 2013 i purchased a 2001 toyota tundra. Months later while checking the tire pressures at a gas station, i was shocked to notice that there was a hole in the frame about two inches across. I called my nearest toyota dealer, woburn foreign motors, and spoke with nicole who ran the vin number and told me that jaffarian toyota in haverhill had inspected the truck on 20 april 2012. Therefore, they would not…
ODI 10712228
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns 2001 toyota tundra. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the front passenger's side tire detached from the vehicle. The contact was able to safely pull over. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where it was stated that the ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate…
ODI 10536095