Key facts
- Defect: Machining debris not cleared from the V35A-FTS 3.4L twin-turbo V6 during manufacturing can adhere to the #1 crankshaft main bearing; under sustained higher loads the bearing fails, causing engine knock, rough running, no-start, or stall — loss of motive power at speed.
- Three campaigns, one defect: NHTSA 24V-381 (filed May 30, 2024; 102,092 vehicles), 25V-767 (Nov 6, 2025; 126,691), and 26V-320 (May 20, 2026; 43,566). Cumulative: 272,349 vehicles, of which ~255,213 are Tundras; the rest are Lexus LX and GX.
- The "270K" headline is cumulative, not new: there was no single June 2026 expansion. The only 2026 action is the 43,566-truck 26V-320 filing of May 20, 2026.
- Excluded: i-FORCE MAX hybrid Tundras (all years), the hybrid-only Toyota Sequoia, and 2025+ Tundras built after August 5, 2024 with the improved #1 main bearing.
- Remedy status (June 2026): 24V-381 — full engine replacement, free, 13–21 hours labor, loaner provided; Toyota says 77,000+ completed. 25V-767 — remedy still under development; trade press and NHTSA-page aggregations point to July–August 2026 after at least one postponement. 26V-320 — remedy being finalized; owner letters July 6–20, 2026.
- Market backdrop: Tundra Q1 2026 sales were 34,616 vs 35,550 a year earlier (−2.6%, per Toyota's official Q1 release), as The Drive's June 3, 2026 piece by Joel Feder argued the truck is threatening Toyota's reliability reputation.
Which used Tundra model years have the engine problem?
Non-hybrid 2022–2024 Toyota Tundras with the V35A 3.4L twin-turbo V6 (i-FORCE) are the affected population, spread across three NHTSA campaigns. 2025 and 2026 Tundras — built after August 5, 2024 with an improved #1 main bearing — are not recalled, though Toyota states it "continues to monitor the effectiveness of this improvement." The same defect also covers 2022–2024 Lexus LX and 2024 Lexus GX models.
| Campaign (NHTSA) | Filed | Models / years | Units (US) | Remedy status (Jun 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24V-381 | May 30, 2024 | 2022–2023 Tundra; 2022–2023 Lexus LX600 | 102,092 (≈98,568 Tundra per Toyota/media split) | Free full engine replacement; 77,000+ done per Toyota |
| 25V-767 | Nov 6, 2025 | 2022–2024 Tundra; 2022–2024 Lexus LX; 2024 Lexus GX | 126,691 (113,079 Tundra) | Remedy under development; anticipated Jul–Aug 2026 (already postponed once) |
| 26V-320 | May 20, 2026 | 2024 Tundra | 43,566 | Remedy being finalized; owner letters Jul 6–20, 2026 |
| Not included | — | i-FORCE MAX hybrids; Sequoia; 2025+ Tundra | — | Hybrids excluded by design; post-Aug 2024 engines have improved bearing |
One critical caveat: the build windows of 24V-381 and 25V-767 overlap, because campaign membership is determined by the engine's production period, not the truck's build date. You cannot infer recall status from a model year or build date — only a VIN lookup is reliable. Not every 2022–2024 truck is in scope.
What exactly goes wrong with the V35A engine?
Machining debris of a particular size and amount, left over from manufacturing at Toyota's Alabama (Huntsville) and Tahara (Japan) engine plants, can adhere to the crankshaft's #1 main bearing. Under sustained higher engine loads the bearing fails, producing engine knock, rough running, no-start, or a stall with loss of motive power — potentially at highway speed, which is the crash risk that triggered the recalls. Toyota's own 26V-320 chronology is the sobering part: engines built after the first recall, with additional debris-control improvements, showed the same #1 bearing wear pattern in Feb–May 2026 teardown and bench testing; a single sufficiently large debris piece can compromise the bearing's fatigue strength. As of May 13, 2026, Toyota counted 30 field technical reports and 360 warranty claims possibly related to the 26V-320 population.
Is the i-FORCE MAX hybrid or the Sequoia affected?
No. All three Part 573 filings explicitly exclude hybrid-configuration vehicles, because a hybrid retains limited motive power and provides warnings if the gas engine fails. The Toyota Sequoia, which is hybrid-only, appears in no campaign — despite some news coverage loosely lumping it in. For a used-truck shopper, this makes the hybrid/non-hybrid distinction the first thing to confirm on any 2022–2024 Tundra.
How do I check whether a specific used Tundra is in the recalls?
Run the truck's 17-digit VIN through NHTSA's free lookup at NHTSA.gov/recalls or Toyota's owner site — these are the authoritative tools for open-recall status, and a Toyota dealer can pull the vehicle's repair history to confirm whether the remedy was actually completed. Because recall membership follows engine production dates, not model year, the VIN is the only reliable test.
As part of broader due diligence, a Zilocar VIN check screens for recall presence on the same basis and pairs it with the history a recall lookup won't show: ownership count, accident and airbag-deployment records, junk/salvage auction records, odometer consistency, and the truck's past sales listings — prices, mileage at each listing, and days on market. On this truck specifically, repeated relistings and price cuts during 2024–2026, or a quick flip after a short ownership stint, fit the pattern of owners offloading recall trucks. Suspiciously low mileage for the model year can also indicate a truck that sat immobile awaiting an engine.
How can I tell if the engine was already replaced under recall?
No consumer VIN history report can confirm an engine replacement — repair confirmation lives with Toyota and NHTSA, not history-data providers. To verify the fix: (1) check the VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls or Toyota.com/owners/recalls for open-recall status; (2) ask a Toyota dealer to pull the vehicle's repair history by VIN; and (3) demand the engine-replacement repair order from the seller. If the seller of a 24V-381 truck cannot produce replacement paperwork, treat the recall as open. For 25V-767 and 26V-320 trucks, no final remedy existed as of early June 2026, so every truck in those campaigns is by definition unremedied — price accordingly.
Should I buy a Tundra that already got a replacement engine?
A documented replacement engine carries Toyota's improved #1 main bearing, and Toyota reports more than 77,000 replacements completed — but some owners have publicly reported replacement engines failing again, including a Torque News account of a 2022 SR5 failing roughly 6,000 miles after its recall swap. These are individual anecdotes; no NHTSA or Toyota figure quantifies a re-failure rate. Trade press also documents dealers offering below-book trade-ins on trucks with engine-replacement records, which cuts both ways for a buyer: more risk perception, more negotiating room. The community habit of ~500-mile break-in oil changes on fresh engines is owner sentiment, not a proven preventive.
What a VIN check can and cannot tell you about a used Tundra
A VIN history check is a screening tool for this story, not a verdict: it can establish whether the truck is in scope and whether its history shows distress signals, but it cannot prove the engine was fixed.
| A VIN history check CAN show | It CANNOT show |
|---|---|
| Recall presence — whether the VIN sits in 24V-381, 25V-767, or 26V-320 | Whether the recall was remedied or the engine actually replaced |
| Specs/options — non-hybrid i-FORCE (eligible) vs i-FORCE MAX hybrid (excluded) | Which replacement-engine generation was installed |
| Ownership history and short-ownership flips (lemon-flip signal) | Per-unit dealer repair records |
| Sales-listing history: relistings, price cuts, mileage, days on market | Any NHTSA investigation activity |
| Accident/damage records incl. airbag deployment | The legal title brand (it shows junk/salvage auction records instead) |
| Odometer/rollback check; NICB theft; junk/salvage auction records; market valuation | — |
For remedy confirmation, go to NHTSA.gov/recalls, Toyota's owner portal, and a Toyota dealer's repair-history pull. Any VIN product that implies it can prove the fix was done is overpromising.
Does the recall situation hurt Tundra resale value?
Yes, the pressure is visible at both the market and individual-truck level. Toyota's official Q1 2026 release put Tundra sales at 34,616 versus 35,550 in Q1 2025 (−2.6%), though unofficial monthly tallies (GoodCarBadCar) suggest the gap narrowed through May; meanwhile trade press documents dealers discounting trade-in offers on trucks carrying engine-replacement records. For buyers, an unremedied 25V-767 or 26V-320 truck — where the fix was still pending as of June 2026 — is a legitimate negotiation lever, provided you are comfortable waiting for Toyota's phased remedy. A market-valuation pull on the specific VIN helps quantify how far a given asking price already reflects the recall discount.
