Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
15–17 mpgcombined; city 13–15, highway 17–19; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$19,110–$21,660U.S. average; Ohio $17,070–$19,350 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2016 Tundra. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Tundra. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Service brakes
34
1
0
0
Electrical system
26
1
0
0
Structure
21
0
0
3
Exterior lighting
15
0
0
0
Unknown or other
15
0
0
0
Steering
7
0
0
0
Engine
6
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
6
0
0
0
Power train
5
0
0
0
Air bags
4
1
0
0
Vehicle speed control
4
0
0
0
Wheels
4
0
0
0
7 more parts
Suspension
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
2
0
0
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
1
0
0
Seats
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Tundra over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Steering: hydraulic power assist system; Steering: rack and pinion
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Tundra vehicles. The affected vehicles have a passenger knee air bag module that was attached to the instrument panel mounting brackets with incorrect bolts.
Risk: The incorrect bolts may cause the air bag module to loosen over time, affecting the performance of the knee airbag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: All of the affected vehicles have been inspected and any incorrect knee air bag mounting bolts have been replaced, free of charge. The recall began on June 22, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0K.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles accessorized with Southeast Toyota accessory 20-inch Rockstar wheels installed by Southeast Toyota or a Southeast Toyota dealer. The Rockstar wheels were installed with lugnuts that may crack and detach.
Risk: Lugnuts that crack and detach may cause the wheels to separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement lugnuts, free of charge. The recall began June 23, 2017. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET17A.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tundra vehicles equipped with a resin rear step bumper and resin reinforcement brackets (vehicles with chrome step bumpers are not affected). In the event of an impact to the corner of the bumper, the resin bracket may be damaged but not be noticed.
Risk: If a person steps on the corner of the bumper that is damaged, a portion of the bumper may break away, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the resin rear bumper reinforcement brackets with steel ones, and replace the rear bumper tread, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0C.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota Camry and Highlander, 2015-2016 Toyota Tundra, Scion FR-S, and tC vehicles. The Load Carrying Capacity Modification Label may not reflect the correct added weight of the installed accessories. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars."
Risk: An incorrect label may lead an owner to overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 228 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2016 Tundra, the latest on Jan 7, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (112), electrical system (53), structure (46), equipment adaptive/mobility (11), engine and engine cooling (10).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Engineering analysis EA19001 Electrical overstress · covers 11 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2016 Tundra.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: standard pickup trucks. EPA greenhouse gas score: 2–3 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Tundra Rear-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
15 / 19 / 17
Tundra Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
14 / 18 / 16
Tundra Rear-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline or E85
13 / 18 / 15
Tundra Rear-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
13 / 18 / 15
Tundra Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline or E85
13 / 17 / 15
Tundra Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
13 / 17 / 15
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data