Jalopnik: Toyota Tundra

Libyan blood on American trucks

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:00:00 EDT

Two armed Libyan government personnel are firing teargas on protesters in a city street. A common sight except for the uncommon vehicles they're in: U.S-built Toyota Tundra pickup trucks, modified for combat by a U.S. company. An exclusive Jalopnik investigation reveals how these trucks ended up in the hands of Moammar Qaddafi's government. More »

The Perfect Toyota Truck For The Zombiepocalypse

Ray Wert — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:45:00 EDT

This is the Toyota Sportsman, a concept truck built in coordination with Bass Pro Shops for the extreme ~~zombie slayer~~ outdoorsman. How extreme? There's an 86 square foot deck, pop-up camouflaged hunting blind and a portable armory. [PickupTrucks] More »

REPORT: Toyota Kills Sequoia, Grants Tundra A Reprieve

Ray Wert — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:50:00 EDT

Toyota is reportedly killing the full-size Sequoia SUV. We hear they're not planning on building a replacement off the ~~Taurus~~ Camry platform. [PickupTrucks] More »

Top Gear Filming On Active Volcano

Wes Siler — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:15:00 EDT

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By modifying the same truck they took to the north pole with water-cooled tires and a roof-mounted ash-guard, the Top Gear team just scaled an active Volcano in Iceland for an upcoming episode. More »

Report: Toyota Planned Raptor, Lightning-Rivaling Super Tundras

Wes Siler — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:20:00 EDT

Before the Carpocalypse and before Beige Bit Back, Toyota planned two super trucks based on the Tundra. The first; an independent rear suspension rival for the Raptor, the other; a 504 HP drag racer. [PickupTrucks.com] More »

The Tundra Frame Rust Recall Service Bulletin You'll Soon Be Seeing Across The Country

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

Toyota's now extended its original Tundra frame-corrosion recall from trucks in 20 cold-weather states to all 50 states. This is the service bulletin soon to be generating huge lines in those extra 30 states. More »

Toyota Tundra Truck Frame Recalls Probably Expanding

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST

The Toyota Tundra rusted-through frame recall's probably expanding, like the company's headaches. [Pickuptrucks] More »

Toyota Recall: Three Chicago Show Vehicles Fail Floor Mat Check

Ray Wert — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:15:00 EST

Given the recent spate of recalls, we thought we'd check the dozen-or-so production Toyota vehicles on the Chicago Auto Show floor. Two of them — a Tundra and Corolla — don't have floor mat and a Camry's mat isn't fastened. More »

How Toyota's President Lied To Matt Lauer

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:15:00 EST

This morning on The Today Show, Toyota president Jim Lentz lied twice to Matt Lauer about Toyota's 2.3-million-vehicle accelerator pedal recall. More »

Man "Unintentionally" Accelerates Recalled Truck Into Toyota Dealer Showroom

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST

Mikel Valviva attempted to return his recalled Toyota Tundra to a Louisiana dealership and was told he'd have to wait for a repair. He refused and tried to drive off but the truck "unintentionally" accelerated into the dealership showroom. More »

Toyota Recalls 110,000 Tundra Pickups For Frame Corrosion

Ray Wert — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Toyota, bowing to owner reports, issued a safety recall today on 110,000 2000-2003 Tundras sold in 20 cold-weather states and DC to fix frame rust problems that could cause ~~fiery death~~ the spare tire to fall off the truck. More »

Toyota's "Brooks and Dunn" Pickup Has Belt Buckle Door Handles

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:00 EST

Toyota's Tundra Midnight Rider Tailgater concept by Brooks & Dunn has got western belt buckle-styled door handles. As the name implies, it's designed to be the ultimate tailgating vehicle. But seriously, belt buckle handles. More »

Nelson Piquet Jr. Going To NASCAR?

Peter Orosz — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EDT

Renault’s crash-happy dismissed Formula One driver is set to do something very different after his brief, unhappy career in single-seaters: drive a Toyota Tundra in circles. More »

NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Tundra Frame Rust Reports

Ray Wert — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EDT

NHTSA's reportedly opened an investigation into reports of frame rust and corrosion in 2000 and 2001 Tundra pickups, an issue similar to the problems in 1995-2000 and 2001-04 Toyota Tacoma trucks last year. [PickupTrucks] More »

Toyota Service Reps Caught Stealing, Watching Porn In Customer's Car

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EDT

Jason got his Toyota Tundra back from the dealer and noticed change missing. His complaints were ignored. When it happened again, he stuck a camera in the truck and saw some pretty interesting behavior. Updated. More »

Toyota Truck Owners Clamoring For Recall Over Dangerously Rusted Frames

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:30:00 EDT

Apparently the historical anecdotal rust problem with Toyota trucks is rearing its ugly head again, as owners of early decade Tundras and Tacomas are lodging complaints with NHTSA over rusted and dangerously deteriorating frames. More »

Rick Huseman Unintentionally Performs World’s First Truck Double Front Flip

Wes Siler — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST

Rick Huseman performs a perfect double flip in his racing Toyota Tundra in this video, making the difficult move look both easy and intentional. More »

Toyota Tundra Dually Returns To SEMA With Monster Diesel Mill

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST

Toyota Tundra Dually concept debuted at the 2007 SEMA show but returns for an encore with its 8.0 liter Hino heavy truck inline-six diesel engine normally used in a 35,000 lb beasts, an Eaton five-speed manual transmission and a matching Hino rear end, and you've got a truck beefy enough to drag the entire SEMA show around. We would have loved to know more about the specifics of that powertrain, but Toyota tooted its horn about the "opulent interior" and “Road Warrior exterior," 22.5 inch Alcoa wheels, blah, blah, blah. Tell us how many fully loaded train cars it can pull. Incomplete details below. More »

Toyota Brings A Ducati To SEMA Via Big Red Custom Tundra

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

Toyota apparently wanted a little of that Italian passion mixed into its Toyota Tundra crew cab for SEMA. Engineers stretched the frame and dropped on an awesome 6.5-foot bed set-up with all kinds of storage for track day support, then slathered the whole thing in red paint. The truck actually looks pretty darn slick in Ducati livery matching the accompanying 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR Motorcycle. Those dark, 22-inch Alcoa wheels do their part to set the paint off, but its the 500 HP supercharged V8 under hood that makes the 'go' match the 'show.' Full details on the truck and its modifications below. More »

Toyo Tires Shows Off 2008 SEMA Line-Up

Mark Arnold — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The Nissan GT-R, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Studebaker hot rod, disfigured Bentley Continental GT, and lifted Toyota Tundra you see here are the five cars Toyo Tires will be bringing to the upcoming 2008 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. But what's the one thing they all have in common—besides wearing Toyo rubber? They're all ridiculous caricatures! Well, the 1931 Studebaker Model 54 hot rod might not be so bad, but if the rendering pictured is accurate, its non-existent ride height means it's nothing but a trailer queen. The most subtly tuned of the rest is the Nissan GT-R, which sports some carbon-fiber body parts, an Amuse titanium exhaust and Endless six-piston brakes. The rest of the bunch are a bit more radical. More »

Toyota A-BAT Gets Green Light, Tundra Diesel Gets Black Flag

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:20:00 EDT

According to Pickuptrucks.com, Toyota has given the go-ahead on a production version of the radical Toyota A-BAT concept first revealed at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. The compact, unibody pickup would be equipped with an expandable four foot cargo box and hybrid synergy drive while fitting into the footprint of the RAV4. The A-BAT would be one of only a few members of the compact segment (along with the Ford Ranger, which we still are told is on the outs, and the Pontiac G8 ST), as the rest of the competition has moved into the midsize range without saying so. Further making the point that the big truck market is on the skids, rumor has it the Toyota Tundra Diesel boss "Ken" Watenabe promised we'd eventually be seeing now has the status of indefinite delay. More »

Toyota May Export Tundra And Sequoia

Andrew Stoy — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Toyota appears to have hit upon a novel way of unloading excess US truck and SUV supply: Send the vehicles overseas. While no firm decisions have been made, Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, told a group of industry observers the company's full-size Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs could be attractive to buyers in other countries. We'd presume he's talking about African nations, Russia and Asia, places where large vehicles still command a strong following thanks to folks with lots of money to spend. Either way, it sounds like a win-win, since Toyota could take advantage of the weak dollar and keep its US factories humming while we could offload our junk on someone else for a change. [Automotive News, Sub. Req.] More »

Toyota Corporate Blog Urges You To Buy A Toyota, Then Ride Your Bike

Andrew Stoy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Toyota is taking an unusual step on their Open Road corporate blog by promoting the idea of driving less. At first glance, this would seem oxymoronic, but Toyota is careful not to say "don't buy a Tundra." They're just saying that once you do buy a Tundra, you should leave it parked in your driveway for special occasions and hoof it everywhere else. The PR folks at Open Road also offer some suggestions in case you actually have to drive your new Toyota, like avoiding drive-throughs (Prius owners with engine shut-off are excepted of course) and turning off the engine at red lights. After all, "Idling is bad." Umkay. So what to make of this unconventional strategy? More »

Breaking: Truck Rhymes With Fuck, Advertisers Exploit

Travis Hudson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:15:00 EDT

Hide your children, let your pets outside, the advertisers have finally stumbled upon a new gimmick in advertising. Little did anyone know the word truck rhymes with and sounds like that familiar four-letter f-word. What will happen when your kids start going around spouting off the word truck? Is it time to bring back whoopings? Is Toyota to blame with this Tundra advertisement? More at 11*. (Hat tip to Buckster!) [via Youtube] More »

Cincinnati Reds Toyota Truck Giveaway Is A Bit Of A Sham

Travis Hudson — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:30:00 EDT

Taking a cue from a similar Kansas City Royals promotion, Toyota has a giveaway going with the Cincinnati Reds for the upcoming baseball season. The promotion has a Toyota Tundra perched in the outfield. The deal is if a player smacks the Tundra with a home run, it will be given away to a lucky fan. The average baseball fan wouldn't know it, but there's a hell of a catch. More »

Most Liked Ad: Hummer For The Win!

Matthew DeBord — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:15:26 EDT

Just prior to Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's New York Auto Show keynote speech this morning, some guy who works for ~~The Dark Lord of All Media~~ Rupert Murdoch conducted a none-too-brief awards ceremony for carmkers, their marketing muckety-mucks, and their ad agencies. IAG Research, an advertising-effectiveness-measuring outfit, handed out the hardware, an example of which is pictured at left. More »

Chicago Auto Show: Motor Trend Has Wood For Tundra

Mark Arnold — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:00:00 EST

Here it is in all its glory: The winner of the highly-coveted Motor Trend Truck of the Year Award, the Toyota Tundra. Just look at all those steel girders! When Ray (who had been locked up in the press room for most of the day) saw this shrine to the golden calipers, he just couldn't help but get an up close look. More »

Motor Trend Names Toyota Tundra Truck Of The Year, Likes The Alliteration

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST

Motor Trend tapped the bulging Toyota Tundra as the 2008 Truck of the Year, besting GM's HDs and Ford's F-X50 Super Duty pickups. The trucks were pitted against each other at Chrysler's Yucca, Arizona testing facility, where the editors could have fun throwing them through various road conditions. They also hooked the trucks up to 7,500 and 10,000-pound trailers, just for kicks. The vehicles were judged in three categories: Superiority, Significance and Value. The Tundra just ended up being more significant, more valuable and more superior. [Motor Trend via PickUpTruck.com] More »

KBB Predicts Highest Resale Value Cars, Pats Super Bowl

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:45:00 EST

The folks over at Kelley Blue Book have announced the ten vehicles they predict will have the best resale value over the next five years in each category. Not surprisingly, the Corvette Z06 makes the list for "high performance vehicle" as there's no high privilege charge attached to buying a new one. They predict you should be able to get 50% of what you paid back in five years on the Vette. The full list below the jump: More »

Toyota Drops In Consumer Reports Annual Car Reliability Survey, Ford Improves

Ray Wert — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT

Apparently, the V6 version of the Toyota Camry, a long-time resident to Consumer Reports' "Annual Car Reliability Survey," is no longer welcome around those parts. And it's not just the Camry, but also the new bigger-than-big four-wheel-drive V8-powered Toyota Tundra and the Lexus Gs. All three of these vehicles "declining reliability" has canceled the "automatic recommended" rating given to the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands from CR. Hmm, that's no good thing — except it appears to be a boon for Ford, who's showing some serious increases in quality ratings this past year in the Explorer, the F-150 and the Mustang. Full list below the jump. More »

The Prius Halo Effect Continues?

Ray Wert — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:30:00 EDT

So maybe one of us is a conspiracy theorist when it comes to whether the Prius casts a green marketing halo over the entire Toyota lineup. Sometimes however, the one of us who believes it is able to provide some evidence for why he may not be wrong. Like this example we found this morning. If there's one site you'd expect the new Toyota Tundra — or any light- or medium-duty pickup truck — to not be covered on, it would be an enviro-friendly site like GreenCarCongress. Yet, for some odd reason, they've just put up a story on Toyota offering the Tundra pickup in 13 additional trim variations. We mean, we'd understand if Toyota were adding models with active fuel management, E85, diesel — anything that may remotely have to do with being more fuel efficient. But new trim packages? [GreenCarCongress] More »