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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2019 Toyota Tundra · Updated July 2026 · ~$4,150/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A durable late-V8 year whose long recall list is nearly all free software, labels, and the fuel-pump fix — buy it with the campaigns closed.

The 2019 Tundra is a late XK50 truck with the 5.7-liter V8 and a small complaint file (71), but it carries ten recalls — the most in the range. Almost all are free software and label fixes; the substantive one is the low-pressure fuel-pump recall (20V-682, expanding 20V-012) that can stall the engine, remedied with a free improved pump.

The engine and transmission are the same durable pairing that runs to 200,000-plus miles, so this is a paperwork year: get every recall shown completed by VIN — the fuel pump first — inspect the cam-tower oil leak, and check the frame and brakes if the truck came from a salt state. A clean, campaign-closed 2019 is a genuinely low-risk truck.

Evidence: 71 NHTSA complaints · 10 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 71 federal complaints — a small file — but ten recalls, driven by the expanded fuel-pump campaign, headlight and turn-signal items, airbag/stability software, the power-steering gear, and several labels. All free. The 5.7-liter V8 remains the reliable 3UR-FE, and there is no mechanical failure pattern.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

71

Federal complaints

10

Recalls

Known issues

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

Low-pressure fuel pump can stall the engine — recall 20V-682

major

Recall 20V-682 (Toyota 20TA02) is the expansion of 20V-012 and adds the 2019–2020 Tundra: the low-pressure fuel pump in the tank can fail and stall the engine while driving. The remedy is a free replacement with an improved pump. A December 2022 federal settlement also created a Customer Support Program (a CSP — quiet extended-warranty coverage) for certain 2014–2020 vehicles whose pumps were repaired. Owners describe sudden loss of power at speed; confirm the recall shows completed by VIN.

Recall fuel-pump replacement

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2019 Tundra · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (recall documents, fuel-pump settlement CSP, SSC K0B, Toyota internal codes)

Headlight circuit and dim turn signals — recalls 21V-688 and 20V-410moderate

Two lighting recalls carry through to 2019. Recall 21V-688 (Toyota 21TB06/21TA06) covers a headlight circuit that can power the high and low beams simultaneously and overheat the connector — a fire risk; dealers modify the harness free. Recall 20V-410 (20TB12/20TA12) fixes front turn signals that flash too dimly on LED-headlight trucks (FMVSS 108). Both free; verify by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2019 Tundra · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (recall documents, fuel-pump settlement CSP, SSC K0B, Toyota internal codes)

$0

Recall lighting remedies

Airbag-ECU software and pre-collision radar — recall 18V-685, campaign K0Bmoderate

Recall 18V-685 (Toyota J0X) covers 2018–2019 Tundra: the airbag electronic control unit (ECU) could falsely detect a fault and fail to deploy the airbags (FMVSS 208/214); free software update. Special Service Campaign K0B (an SSC — a service campaign short of a formal recall) addressed the 2018–2019 millimeter-wave radar sensor, where water intrusion could deactivate the pre-collision system or trigger inadvertent braking — matching the false-brake complaints in the file. Confirm both by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2019 Tundra · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (recall documents, fuel-pump settlement CSP, SSC K0B, Toyota internal codes) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut XK50 buying guide; 5.7L 3UR-FE breakdown)

Cam-tower oil leak and the rust-belt tax (5.7L V8)moderate

  • 5.7L V8 (3UR-FE)

The XK50 mechanical inspection is unchanged. The cam-tower oil leak (a $1,200–$1,500 reseal, mechanic estimate) weeps onto the exhaust manifold — check for smoke and a burning-oil smell, not just a puddle. If the truck lived up north, inspect the frame, front calipers, and rear wheel-bearing backing plates from underneath; a rotten frame is a walk-away. Note that from 2019 Toyota dropped the transmission cooler, so if you tow heavily, a thermostatic aftermarket cooler is worth considering.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2019 Tundra · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut XK50 buying guide; 5.7L 3UR-FE breakdown)

$1,200–$1,500

Cam-tower reseal (mechanic estimate)

more than the truck is worth

Frame replacement

Power-steering gear and label recallsminor

Recall 21V-920 (21TB10/21TA10) covers the 2007–2021 power-steering gear that can leak and lose assist — free inspect/replace, with 21E-103 (21TH01) for the service parts. Three label recalls — 18V-711 (J0Z), 18V-900 (J08), and 19V-244 (Gulf States 19R1) — correct load-carrying-capacity labels (FMVSS 110). Confirm each by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint + recall database, 2019 Tundra · NHTSA recalls and manufacturer communications (recall documents, fuel-pump settlement CSP, SSC K0B, Toyota internal codes)

$0

Recall remedies

If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving — dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

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

  1. 20V-6822019–2020 Tundra (expansion of 20V-012): low-pressure fuel pump may fail and stall the engine. Free improved-pump replacement (Toyota 20TA02); linked Dec 2022 settlement CSP.open
  2. 21V-6882018–2021 Tundra: headlight circuit may power high and low beams simultaneously, overheating the connector (fire risk). Free harness fix (Toyota 21TB06/21TA06).open
  3. 20V-4102018–2020 Tundra with LED headlights: front turn signals may flash too dimly (FMVSS 108). Free wire-harness fix (Toyota 20TB12/20TA12).open
  4. 18V-6852018–2019 Tundra/Sequoia: airbag ECU may not deploy airbags (FMVSS 208/214). Free software update (Toyota J0X).open
  5. 20V-0122018–2019 Tundra (among many): Denso low-pressure fuel pump may fail and stall the engine. Free pump replacement (Toyota 20TB02/20TA02).open
  6. 21V-9202007–2021 Tundra / 2008–2022 Sequoia: power-steering gear may leak, causing loss of assist. Free inspect/replace (Toyota 21TB10/21TA10).open
  7. 21E-103JTEKT power-steering-gear service parts, same defect as 21V-920. Free (Toyota 21TH01).open
  8. 18V-7112018–2019 Tundra: load-carrying-capacity label overstates weight by 10 lb (FMVSS 110). Free corrected label (Toyota J0Z).open
  9. 18V-9002019 Tundra standard/long bed with spray-in bedliner: load-capacity label miscalculated (FMVSS 110). Free corrected label (Toyota J08).open
  10. 19V-2442019 Gulf States Tundra (among models): load-capacity label may become illegible (FMVSS 110). Free corrected label (GST 19R1).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 — 2019 Tundra

Three 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 40540 (Tundra 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 5.7L 14 MPG · RWD, 4.6L 16 MPG · 4WD, 4.6L 16 MPG.

$4,150/yr

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

Theft

Stolen about 30% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2019–21 models, published April 2022 (report WT-21). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4WD.
Other series: Toyota Tundra double cab 4WD 81 · Toyota Tundra CrewMax 133 · Toyota Tundra double cab 68, where 100 = average.

70 vs 100

30% below 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.

Recall fuel-pump replacement$0
Recall lighting remedies$0
Cam-tower reseal (mechanic estimate)$1,200–$1,500
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.

Shopping this year?

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Verify the fuel-pump recall (20V-682 / 20V-012) shows completed by VIN — this is the stall risk.
  2. 02Confirm the headlight-circuit (21V-688) and dim-turn-signal (20V-410) recalls are done.
  3. 03Check the airbag-ECU software recall (18V-685) and the pre-collision radar campaign (K0B) by VIN.
  4. 04Verify the power-steering-gear recall (21V-920 / 21E-103) and the three label recalls by VIN.
  5. 05Inspect the front of the engine for a cam-tower oil leak (smoke / burning smell without a puddle).
  6. 06If it lived in a salt state, inspect the frame from underneath plus front calipers and rear wheel bearings; if you tow heavily, consider adding a thermostatic transmission cooler (2019 dropped the factory cooler).

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