YearToAvoid

2006 Toyota Tundra Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Avoid

Complaint Index

80/100

#5 most-complained of 21 Tundra years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2006 Toyota Tundra has 545 NHTSA complaints, 10 recalls, and a complaint index of 80, making it the 5th-worst of 21 model years and rated Avoid. Structure & Body issues are the top problem area, at 31% of complaints.

Complaints
545
Recalls
10
Crashes / fires
38 / 0
Injuries / deaths
20 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
15.5
14 city / 18 hwy

Top 2006 Toyota Tundra problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Structure & Body170 (31%)
  2. Airbags134 (25%)
  3. Suspension, Wheels & Tires114 (21%)
  4. Other71 (13%)
  5. Engine57 (10%)
  6. Brakes35 (6%)
  7. Steering25 (5%)
  8. Transmission & Powertrain23 (4%)
  9. Electrical System19 (3%)
  10. Fuel System16 (3%)

What owners report

  • Owners report sudden loss of steering control at highway speeds, in some cases leading to rollovers.
  • Suspension or wheel failures have caused vehicles to sway, lose control while changing lanes, or roll over multiple times.
  • Some drivers describe the brake pedal sinking to the floor with the ABS activating, reducing stopping power.
  • Airbags reportedly failed to deploy in the front in some frontal-impact crashes even though side airbags deployed.
  • Sudden unintended acceleration has been reported after light accelerator pedal contact, resulting in a crash into an embankment.
  • One owner described an unexpected forward lunge at high RPM while stopped with brakes applied and the transmission in drive.
2006 Toyota Tundra complaints: complaints filed per quarter482005 Q42009 Q12011 Q42014 Q32017 Q22020 Q12022 Q42025 Q3
668 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2005 Q4 to 2026 Q2; peak 2015 Q4 (48).

2006 Toyota Tundra recalls

10 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 19V741000Oct 17, 2019Airbags928,220 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.

  2. NHTSA 16V396000Jun 2, 2016Structure & Body7,749 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

  3. NHTSA 16V065000Feb 5, 2016Airbags320,409 vehicles

    Air bags:side/window

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently.

    Risk: If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of occupant injury.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB.

See all 10 recalls for the 2006 Toyota Tundra →

2006 Toyota Tundra fuel economy and fuel cost

City
14 MPG
Highway
18 MPG
Combined
15.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$4,175
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2006 compared with other Tundra years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2005Caution653761215.5
2006Avoid805451015.5
2007Avoid753901215
2008Caution703271215

All Toyota Tundra years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2006 Toyota Tundra reliable?
NHTSA lists 545 complaints and a complaint index of 80 for the 2006 Tundra, ranking it 5th-worst among 21 model years and giving it an Avoid rating relative to other Tundra years.
What is the top problem area for the 2006 Toyota Tundra?
Structure & Body complaints make up 31% of all reported issues, followed by Airbags at 25% and Suspension, Wheels & Tires at 21%.
Does the 2006 Toyota Tundra have recalls?
NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for the 2006 Tundra, covering airbags and structural components such as seat heaters, with none classified as do-not-drive.
At what mileage do 2006 Tundra problems typically show up?
The median mileage at failure across all complaints is 96,000, though Structure & Body issues show a median of 120,000 miles and Electrical System issues show 43,925 miles.
How does the 2006 Tundra compare to other years?
With a complaint index of 80, the 2006 Tundra ranks worse than most other years, though 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Tundras have higher complaint indexes of 90, 100, 95, and 85.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.