The Lemon Index

All cars · Toyota Tundra

2008 Toyota Tundra.

The 2008 Toyota Tundra is about average by owner complaints: 152 complaints in its first 3 years and a Lemon Index of 104, where 100 is the average car. Owners complain most about speed control, it has 13 recalls, and it gets 14 to 17 mpg combined. The best Toyota Tundra year is 2015.

104Lemon Index · 100 = average car

About average.

Best year 2015 · Worst year 2022

Toyota Tundra
Photo shows a 2022 Toyota Tundra. Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · background removed

Before you buy. What matters most for this car.

Owner complaints152first 3 years
Fuel economy14–17 mpgcombined, EPA
Front crash★★★★☆NHTSA, driver

How serious. Out of 327 owner complaints, owners reported:

24crashes
7injuries
2fires
5tows

Older model year: fewer owners filed complaints back then, so treat the score as rough.

What owners complain about most. From owner complaints to the government.

speed control41%
transmission & drivetrain15%
suspension14%
engine11%
body structure9%

Share of this year's owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not the share of cars that break. One complaint can name more than one area.

Transmission problems in every Toyota Tundra year →

When owners reported problems. From owner complaints to the government.

half by 42K
0K50K100K150K200K

Most owners who filed a complaint with NHTSA had 12K to 99K miles on the car (263 complaints listed the miles). This shows when people who had a problem reported it, not the odds that your car will have it.

  • speed control complaints mostly came at 8K–44K miles
  • body structure complaints mostly came at 20K–129K miles
  • transmission & drivetrain complaints mostly came at 10K–85K miles

Recalls 13

  • steering 2021

    An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

  • steering 2021

    The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

  • seats 2016

    The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

Show all 13 recalls
  • seats 2014

    Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

  • equipment 2013

    These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight ad.

  • visibility 2012

    The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies.

  • tires 2011

    SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2011 TUNDRA VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS." THE TPMS ON SOM…

  • tires 2011

    TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 FJ CRUISER, LAND CRUISER, TACOMA, SEQUOIA AND TUNDRA VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE P…

  • equipment 2010

    GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD BETW…

  • equipment 2010

    SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE S…

  • speed control 2010

    TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 AVALON, MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 CAMRY, MODEL YEAR 2009-2010 COROLLA, COROLLA MATRIX, RAV4, MODEL YEAR 2010 HIGHLANDER, MODEL YEAR 2008-2010 SEQUOIA, AND MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 …

  • speed control 2009

    TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 PASSENGER VEHICLES.

  • equipment 2009

    TOYOTA IS RECALLING 27,080 MODEL YEAR 2005 THROUGH 2010 PASSENGER CARS BUILT FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2005 TO MAY 4, 2009.

Recall repairs are free at any dealer. A recall only matters if it's still open on that exact car, so check its VIN.

Check a VIN for open recalls

Problems Toyota told dealers about

Toyota sent dealers 280 repair notes for this car. The ones about its biggest problems:

  • Automatic transmission/transaxle
  • Rear ale bearing abnormal noise
  • Information on installing manual transmission shift lever or park neutral position switch

Ask a seller or mechanic if these were done. Some are free under warranty or a special program.

Safety

Stability controlStandard
Collision warningNot offered
Lane departure warningNot offered

Crash stars (older test): front ★★★★☆ · side — · rollover ★★★☆☆

NHTSA front crash test of the 2008 Toyota Tundra
Front crash test · NHTSA
Fuel cost and engines

About $3800–4600 a year in fuel (EPA estimate). Engines: 4.0L 6-cyl, 4.7L 8-cyl, 5.7L 8-cyl.

In owners' words

2008 Toyota Tundra. Consumer states a recall has been issued on the vehicle for the accelerator pedal. Consumer request refund for vehicle.

2008 Toyota Tundra owner · NHTSA complaint 10322009
More owner reports

2008 Toyota Tundra. Consumer received the floor mat recall and sticking gas pedal recall.

NHTSA complaint 10323112

In a 2008 Toyota Tundra, the accelerator pedal all of a sudden became non-responsive, multiple dash malfunction lights illuminated. When the pedal was pushed the motor would very slowly rev.

NHTSA complaint 10312316

Quick answers

Is the 2008 Toyota Tundra reliable?

About average by government complaints. It drew about the average number of complaints filed with NHTSA in its first 3 years, per car sold (Lemon Index 104; 100 is average, lower is better). The best Toyota Tundra year by this measure is 2015.

What are the most common 2008 Toyota Tundra problems?

In owner complaints to the government, the parts named most are speed control (41%), transmission & drivetrain (15%) and suspension (14%). That is the share of complaints, not the share of cars that break.

How many recalls does the 2008 Toyota Tundra have?

13 safety recalls (latest: steering). Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check a specific car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2008 Toyota Tundra get?

14 to 17 mpg combined, depending on the engine (EPA estimate).

At what mileage do 2008 Toyota Tundra problems start?

Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 12,000 and 99,100 miles. The middle report was at 42,400 miles, from 263 complaints.

Does the 2008 Toyota Tundra have transmission problems?

Transmission and drivetrain issues make up 15% of its owner complaints.

How much does the 2008 Toyota Tundra cost in fuel a year?

About $3800 to $4600 a year, by the EPA's current estimate.

What engines does the 2008 Toyota Tundra have?

4.0L 6-cyl, 4.7L 8-cyl, 5.7L 8-cyl.

What Toyota Tundra year is better than the 2008?

By owner complaints per car sold, the best recent years are 2015, 2011 and 2013.

Lemon Index = safety complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model year. 100 is average; lower is better. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect. How it works

Updated

Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data