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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2016 Toyota Tundra · Updated July 2026 · ~$4,150/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A last-of-the-old-guard 5.7L V8 truck whose only real questions are a cam-tower oil leak and, if it lived up north, the frame.

The 2016 Tundra is a mature XK50-generation truck with the legendary 5.7-liter V8 (the 3UR-FE, 381 hp). Mechanics are blunt about how little goes wrong mechanically: the transmission 'hardly has any problems,' and the engine routinely reaches 200,000–250,000-plus miles. The 118-complaint file is spread across dim front turn signals, brakes, steering, and structure — there is no expensive engine or transmission pattern.

What you actually inspect on a 2016 is the front-of-engine cam-tower oil leak (a $1,200–$1,500 reseal, mostly labor, per an independent mechanic) and — if the truck spent time in a salt state — the frame, calipers, and rear wheel bearings. A southern, well-maintained 2016 is close to a buy-and-forget truck. A rusty northern one carries the rust-belt tax across the whole underbody. Verify the free recalls by VIN, especially the power-steering gear (21V-920).

Evidence: 118 NHTSA complaints · 6 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 118 federal complaints spread thin across lighting, brakes, and steering — no powertrain cluster. The 5.7-liter 3UR-FE V8 is one of the most durable engines Toyota ever built. The recalls are a knee-airbag bolt, a resin bumper, accessory-wheel lugnuts, labels, and a power-steering-gear item shared with 2007–2021 trucks.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

118

Federal complaints

6

Recalls

$1,200–$1,500

Cam-tower reseal (mechanic estimate)

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Cam-tower oil leak (5.7L V8) — the inspect-first item

moderate
  • 5.7L V8 (3UR-FE)

The 3UR-FE V8 uses a two-piece cylinder head, and the form-in-place sealer between the head and the cam tower weeps oil over time — 'notorious,' per two mechanic sources. Because the engine sits at an angle, the oil drips onto the exhaust manifold and burns off, so the first sign is light smoke and a burning-oil smell rather than a puddle; the driver's side leaks more. It is commonly missed on inspection, 'sometimes purposefully.' The reseal runs $1,200–$1,500 (mechanic estimate, mostly labor) unless it is done during other cam work, when it is far cheaper. Look through the wheel well and at the front of the engine for oil weeping before you buy.

This is a 5.7L V8 (3UR-FE) problem. The 3.4L twin-turbo V6 (V35A) and i-FORCE MAX hybrid (V35A + electric) don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Cam-tower reseal (mechanic estimate)

$1,200–$1,500

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2016 Tundra · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut XK50 buying guide; 5.7L 3UR-FE breakdown)

Power-steering gear can leak — recall 21V-920moderate

Recall 21V-920 (Toyota program 21TB10/21TA10) covers 2007–2021 Tundra and 2008–2022 Sequoia: the power-steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly and can develop an oil leak, causing a sudden loss of power-steering assist. Dealers inspect and replace the gear as necessary, free. A companion campaign, 21E-103 (21TH01), covers the same JTEKT service parts. Verify by VIN; a 2021 owner on a later truck paid over $6,000 for this assembly out of scope, so confirming the free repair matters.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2016 Tundra · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (recall documents, Toyota internal codes)

$0

Recall power-steering gear replacement

Belt chirp, water-pump weep, and other V8 maintenanceminor

  • 5.7L V8 (3UR-FE)

Routine 3UR-FE housekeeping: an accelerator-belt chirp cured by a new tensioner; a water-pump weep-hole coolant leak, common around 60,000–120,000 miles and relatively cheap to replace proactively; and some high oil consumption as the engine ages, which mechanics say does not hurt longevity as long as you keep it topped up. None of these are dealbreakers — they are the maintenance rhythm of a well-understood engine.

Sources: Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut XK50 buying guide; 5.7L 3UR-FE breakdown)

Frame, calipers, and wheel bearings — the rust-belt taxmoderate

This is a rust-belt special. The XK50 frame is strong but 'loves to rust' if it is not washed and undercoated; a rotten frame is a walk-away because replacement costs more than the truck. Salt-belt trucks also seize front calipers and rot the rear wheel-bearing backing plates (a Toyota kit exists but it is labor-heavy), and the secondary-air exhaust-manifold runners crack and corrode. A southern 2016 sidesteps all of this; a northern one must be inspected from underneath, not judged by the body.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2016 Tundra · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut XK50 buying guide; 5.7L 3UR-FE breakdown)

more than the truck is worth

Frame replacement

Recall housekeeping: airbag bolt, bumper, wheels, labelsminor

Four smaller free recalls touch the 2016: 17V-416 (H0K) — the passenger knee airbag was attached with incorrect bolts; 17V-051 (H0C) — a resin rear step-bumper bracket can break away and is replaced with steel; 17V-311 (Southeast Toyota SET17A) — accessory 20-inch Rockstar wheel lugnuts can crack, applies only to trucks fitted with those wheels; and 16V-420 — an incorrect accessory load-capacity label. Confirm each by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2016 Tundra · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (recall documents, Toyota internal codes)

$0

Recall remedies

The 3UR is really a great engine — maintain it well and it can live a very reliable life to 200,000 or even 250,000-plus miles.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Toyota dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 21V-9202007–2021 Tundra / 2008–2022 Sequoia: power-steering gear may leak, causing sudden loss of assist. Free inspect/replace (Toyota 21TB10/21TA10).open
  2. 21E-103JTEKT power-steering-gear service parts for 2007–2021 Tundra / 2008–2022 Sequoia — same defect as 21V-920. Free (Toyota 21TH01).open
  3. 17V-4162016 Tundra: passenger knee airbag module attached with incorrect bolts; may loosen. Free inspect/replace (Toyota H0K).open
  4. 17V-0512016–2017 Tundra with resin rear step bumper: bracket may break away if damaged. Free steel-bracket replacement (Toyota H0C).open
  5. 17V-3112013–2017 Tundra/Sequoia with Southeast Toyota 20-inch Rockstar wheels: lugnuts may crack and detach. Free replacement lugnuts (SET17A).open
  6. 16V-4202015–2016 Southeast Toyota Tundra (among others): load-carrying-capacity label may be incorrect (FMVSS 110). Free corrected label.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2016 Tundra

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

15 MPG combined (13 city / 18 highway) for the RWD, 5.7L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 36808 (Tundra 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 5.7L 15 MPG · 4WD, 4.6L 16 MPG · RWD, 4.6L 17 MPG.

$4,150/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Collision losses run about average here. Neither a red flag nor a discount at the insurer.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2014–16 models, published December 2016 (report R-16). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WD.
Other series: Toyota Tundra double cab 4WD 87 · Toyota Tundra CrewMax 92 · Toyota Tundra double cab 92 · Toyota Tundra double cab LWB 4WD 98, where 100 = average.

95 vs 100

5% below average

Theft

Stolen about 24% more often than the average vehicle. Worth pricing comprehensive coverage before you buy, not after.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WD.
Other series: Toyota Tundra double cab 4WD 93 · Toyota Tundra CrewMax 125 · Toyota Tundra double cab 128, where 100 = average.

124 vs 100

24% above average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Cam-tower reseal (mechanic estimate)$1,200–$1,500
Recall power-steering gear replacement$0
Frame replacementmore than the truck is worth
Recall remedies$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Check the front of the engine and through the driver's-side wheel well for a cam-tower oil leak — smoke or a burning-oil smell with no ground puddle is the early sign.
  2. 02Verify the power-steering-gear recall (21V-920 / 21E-103) shows completed by VIN.
  3. 03If it lived in a salt state, inspect the frame from underneath, plus front calipers and rear wheel-bearing backing plates, before anything else.
  4. 04Confirm the free recalls by VIN: knee airbag (17V-416), rear bumper (17V-051), accessory wheels (17V-311), label (16V-420).
  5. 05Listen for a belt chirp (tensioner) and check the water-pump weep hole for coolant.
  6. 06Exercise the four-wheel-drive modes and confirm the transmission shifts cleanly — this drivetrain rarely fails, so anything unusual is worth chasing.

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