Toyota Tundra Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 161 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the Toyota Tundra across 25 model years. The 2024 model year has the most (34). The words owners use most often: “turn signal” (19% of reports).
- 161exterior lighting complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 32%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Turn signal: mentioned in 31 of 161 complaints (19%)
- Exterior lighting engine: mentioned in 16 of 161 complaints (10%)
- Notifications numbers: mentioned in 16 of 161 complaints (10%)
- Headlights shut off: mentioned in 9 of 161 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 85 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 161 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 6 a fire, 1 an injury.
Toyota Tundra exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Tundra | 6 | 4% | 11,619 |
| 2024 Tundra | 34 | 10% | 17,500 |
| 2023 Tundra | 20 | 5% | 28,350 |
| 2022 Tundra | 5 | 1% | 65,000 |
| 2021 Tundra | 2 | 8% | — |
| 2020 Tundra | 3 | 7% | 6,650 |
| 2019 Tundra | 5 | 7% | 7,750 |
| 2018 Tundra | 4 | 4% | 35,000 |
| 2017 Tundra | 17 | 22% | 23,600 |
| 2016 Tundra | 15 | 13% | 31,450 |
| 2015 Tundra | 5 | 10% | 57,000 |
| 2014 Tundra | 1 | 1% | 86,979 |
| 2013 Tundra | 3 | 4% | 46,358 |
| 2011 Tundra | 3 | 2% | 18,000 |
| 2010 Tundra | 2 | 1% | 19,450 |
| 2009 Tundra | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2008 Tundra | 2 | 1% | 55,000 |
| 2007 Tundra | 3 | 1% | 9,701 |
| 2006 Tundra | 3 | 1% | 155,000 |
| 2005 Tundra | 2 | 1% | 37,700 |
| 2004 Tundra | 1 | 0% | 105,200 |
| 2003 Tundra | 4 | 1% | 109,000 |
| 2002 Tundra | 7 | 1% | 95,000 |
| 2001 Tundra | 4 | 1% | 33,130 |
| 2000 Tundra | 9 | 1% | 90,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Exterior lighting:back up lights
Model years: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Toyota Tundra and Tundra Hybrid vehicles. Moisture may enter the reverse light assemblies and cause a light failure.
Risk: Reverse light failure may reduce visibility, and not alert pedestrians and other drivers that the vehicle is backing up, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace both reverse light assemblies and repair the wire harnesses as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 23, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331.Toyota's numbers for this recall are 24TB06 and 24TA06.
Exterior lighting:headlights; electrical system:wiring
Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Tundra vehicles. The headlight electrical circuits may power the high and low beams simultaneously, which could overheat the electrical connector.
Risk: An overheated electrical connector can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will modify the engine wire harness assembly and replace any damaged bulb, bulb connector, and/or headlight assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB06 and 21TA06.
Exterior lighting:turn signal; electrical system:wiring
Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Toyota Tundra vehicles equipped with LED headlight assemblies. Due to a wiring error, the front turn signals may not flash brightly enough. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the turn signals or hazard lamps do not flash brightly enough, other drivers may fail to see that the turn signal or hazard lamp functions have been activated, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will modify the wire harness connected to the front turn signal bulbs free of charge. The recall began August 17, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB12/20TA12.
Exterior lighting:tail lights
Model years: 2000
Problem: Vehicle description: light duty trucks. The tail light socket may have been improperly molded, resulting in the locking tab having insufficient force to retain the bulb.
Risk: If the bulb falls out of the socket, the brake or tail lamp function cannot occur.
Fix: Dealers will replace the tail lamp sockets.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Toyota is taking way too long to address this problem. 3 years is to long. 1Unrepaired Recalls associated with this VIN May 15, 2025 Manufacturer Recall Number25TB06 NHTSA Recall Number25V322 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete, remedy not yet available Summary Due to moisture accumulation over time…
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V320000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were…
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving 6 MPH and parking the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, and the brake lights became inoperable. Additionally, the rear cross traffic warning light was failing. An unknown warning light was illuminated with an audible…
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact received notifications for NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V322000 (Exterior Lighting) and 25V767000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to perform the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle…
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tundra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the radio started blinking, and the vehicle lost power and stopped in the middle of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, there was a burning odor, and white smoke was…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Toyota Tundras have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 161 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the Toyota Tundra. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Toyota Tundra exterior lighting?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the Toyota Tundra?
The most frequent phrase is “turn signal”, in 31 of 161 complaints, followed by “exterior lighting engine” (16).
Other Toyota Tundra problems
- Structure problems (1,730)
- Engine problems (820)
- Suspension problems (814)
- Power Train problems (804)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (555)
- Air Bags problems (494)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (462)
- Electrical System problems (456)
See all Toyota Tundra problems.