Toyota’s Tundra engine recall is a manufacturing defect campaign, which requires full engine replacement – not a software update or minor fix. It targets the V35A-FTS 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine installed in 2022-2024 Tundra trucks and certain Lexus models.
During production at Toyota’s Alabama manufacturing plant, metal machining debris was not fully cleaned from the engine assembly. That debris contaminates oil passages, damages crankshaft main bearings, and can cause the engine to knock, run rough, stall without warning, or fail to start. At highway speeds, a sudden stall creates a direct crash risk! Which is why NHTSA classified this as a safety defect requiring recall action.
Toyota has now been forced to issue three separate recall campaigns for the same underlying problem:
| Recall | NHTSA No. | Date | Vehicles Covered | U.S. Units |
| First | 24V-381 | May 30, 2024 | 2022-2023 Tundra (gas), Lexus LX 600 | ~102,000 |
| Second | 25V767 | November 6, 2025 | 2022-2024 Tundra, Lexus LX, Lexus GX | ~126,691 |
| Third | 26V320 | May 20, 2026 | 2024 Tundra non-hybrid | ~44,000 |
Source: NHTSA Recall Database; Toyota USA Newsroom, 2026
In its May 2026 announcement, Toyota confirmed that even after adding “additional controls for removing manufacturing debris,” some engines still contained enough contamination to damage the number-one main bearing. Three recalls. The same defect. The same engine family.
Your truck may be covered if it is a 2022-2024 Toyota Tundra equipped with the V35A-FTS gasoline engine. Here is the full breakdown:
| Model | Engine | Recall Status |
| 2022 Tundra (gas) | V35A-FTS | Covered – full engine replacement |
| 2023 Tundra (gas) | V35A-FTS | Covered – full engine replacement |
| 2024 Tundra (gas) | V35A-FTS | Covered as of May 2026 (Recall 26V320) |
| 2022-2024 Tundra Hybrid | V35A-FTS hybrid config | NOT covered by recall – subject of class action lawsuit |
| 2022-2024 Lexus LX 600 | V35A-FTS | Covered |
| 2024 Lexus GX | V35A-FTS | Covered (November 2025 recall) |
Source: NHTSA; Toyota USA Newsroom, 2026
The i-FORCE MAX hybrid variant is excluded from all three recalls. The ongoing class action directly challenges that exclusion.
To check your specific VIN, use Toyota’s official recall lookup or the NHTSA VIN tool.
Owners with the V35A defect typically report one or more of these symptoms – some appearing well before the engine fails completely:
Throttle lag and sudden surge. The most widely reported symptom is pressing the gas and getting no response, followed by a sudden burst of acceleration. The class action describes this as “throttle lag,” “jolting,” or “lurching” – which creates serious collision risk at stoplights and in traffic (TopClassActions, 2024).
Engine knocking. A metallic knocking noise under load is an early sign that debris has damaged the main bearings. Multiple owner reports on NHTSA’s complaint database describe this starting at highway speeds.
Rough running and hesitation. Debris blocking oil passages disrupts consistent combustion, causing the engine to run unevenly at idle and during acceleration.
Complete engine stall while driving. Some owners experienced a full loss of power at highway speed with no warning – exactly the scenario NHTSA classified as a crash hazard. One owner reported that their 2023 Tundra engine locked up entirely, with metal shavings found in the oil pan (TopClassActions owner reports, 2025).
Engine failure after dealer repair. Several owners reported their replacement engine – installed under the recall – immediately exhibited ticking, knocking, or new problems, suggesting some replacement engines also contain manufacturing issues.
As of early 2026, over 3,000 complaints were filed with NHTSA specifically tied to V35A engine problems in 2022-2025 Tundra models – an exceptionally high complaint count for an engine in its first four model years (LawFold, 2026).
If you have experienced any of these symptoms, document the date, mileage, and exact behavior in writing every time – not just when you visit the dealer.
Yes. A class action lawsuit was filed on December 2, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont. The case is Tom Daly et al. v. Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Case No. 2:24-cv-01318-mkl.
The three named plaintiffs – Tom Daley of Vermont, Marty Holstien of Oregon, and Terrance Regan of North Carolina – filed despite Toyota having already announced free engine replacements. Their argument: the recall is too narrow, and the fix may not work.
The lawsuit makes three core claims:
The recall excludes Tundra Hybrid trucks. Hybrid models show the same symptoms – throttle lag, stalling, and engine failure – yet Toyota excluded them, citing the hybrid powertrain’s backup capabilities. The plaintiffs argue that justification is legally inadequate (TopClassActions, 2024).
The original recall excluded 2024 model year trucks. One plaintiff owned a 2024 Tundra with documented engine failure – a model year Toyota initially said was unaffected. Toyota’s third recall in May 2026 now covers those 2024 trucks, which directly validates this argument.
Owners were left with no repair timeline. The lawsuit states: “Plaintiffs and class members are currently stuck driving a vehicle that Toyota knows is dangerous, but has no concrete timetable for a workable fix.”
The plaintiffs seek class certification, damages for warranty violations, consumer fraud, violations of state consumer protection laws, legal fees, and a jury trial. The case is currently in active litigation as of June 2026 (LawFold, 2026).
Yes – and this is separate from the recall. A lemon law buyback forces Toyota to repurchase your truck at close to full purchase price if it meets the legal threshold for a defective vehicle.
Toyota’s recall gives you a free engine swap. A lemon law buyback gives you your money back. They are different legal remedies, and one does not cancel the other.
Under a lemon law buyback, Toyota is required to refund:
Toyota subtracts a mileage offset – calculated based on miles driven before the first repair attempt for the qualifying defect. After that deduction, most Tundra owners are looking at a refund in the range of the truck’s purchase price minus that offset. Tundra prices start around $40,000 and run well above $60,000 for higher trims (LemonLawAid, 2025).
The process begins when you or your attorney sends Toyota a formal demand. Toyota cannot refuse to engage – they must respond, calculate the refund, and either issue a buyback or face a lawsuit where they pay your legal fees if they lose.
A Tundra qualifies as a lemon when its engine defect substantially impairs the vehicle’s use, value, or safety – and Toyota has been given a reasonable number of attempts to fix it without success.
Read the full guide to know how does a lemon law work?
Federal lemon law (the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act) applies in all 50 states. Most states also have their own stronger protections. California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act – one of the strongest in the country – presumes a vehicle is a lemon when any of these conditions are met within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery:
Engine stalling at highway speed – one of the documented V35A symptoms – qualifies as a defect that could cause death or serious injury. That means two failed repair attempts may be enough to qualify your Tundra under California lemon law.
Every state has its own thresholds and deadlines. California’s 2025 updates under Assembly Bill 1755 clarified that owners have one year after the final warranty expires to file suit, or six years from vehicle delivery – whichever comes first (American Lemon Law Group, 2025). If you are outside California, contact a lemon law attorney in your state to confirm your local threshold and deadline before they expire.
A successful lemon law claim for a Toyota Tundra can produce significantly more than a recall repair. Here is what owners can receive:
Full vehicle buyback. Toyota repurchases the truck and refunds your down payment, all monthly payments, taxes, registration, and fees – minus a mileage offset for use before the first qualifying repair attempt.
Replacement vehicle. Instead of a refund, you can request a comparable replacement vehicle at no additional cost.
Out-of-pocket reimbursement. All costs you paid related to the defect – rental cars, towing, independent inspections, and any repair bills paid before the recall was announced – can be recovered.
Attorney fees paid by Toyota. Under both federal lemon law and California’s Song-Beverly Act, if you win, the manufacturer pays your legal fees. You pay nothing out of pocket for representation.
Average lemon law settlements in California range from $5,000 to over $100,000, depending on vehicle purchase price, documentation strength, and repair history (Lemon Law Buyback Calculator, 2026). For a truck that costs $50,000-$65,000, a full buyback is the most common outcome for owners with solid repair records.
Joining the class action lawsuit is a separate option. But individual settlements from class actions are typically far smaller than individual lemon law buybacks, and class actions take years to resolve versus months for lemon law claims.
What Tundra Owners Should Do Right Now
Follow these steps in order. The documentation you build now determines the strength of your case.
Step 1: Record every symptom in writing. Write down the date, mileage, and exact behavior every time a symptom appears – engine knock, throttle lag, stalling, rough idle, no-start. Do this even between dealer visits.
Step 2: Take your truck to an authorized Toyota dealer for every repair. Independent shops do not generate official warranty repair records. Every dealer visit must produce a written repair order with the symptom and repair described. Keep every copy.
Step 3: Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Confirm whether your specific truck is covered by any open recall. If it is, schedule service and document the repair date, what was done, and the days the truck was out of service.
Step 4: File an NHTSA complaint at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem. This creates an official, timestamped government record of your vehicle’s defect. It costs nothing and directly supports any legal claim. Over 3,000 Tundra owners have already done this – adding your complaint increases pressure on Toyota and NHTSA (LawFold, 2026).
Step 5: Contact a lemon law attorney before talking to Toyota. Once you have two or more repair attempts documented for the same engine issue, call a lemon law attorney. Consultations are free. Under the lemon law, Toyota pays your attorney fees if you win – not you.
Step 6: Do not sign anything from Toyota without legal review. Toyota may contact you about the recall with repair timelines or limited goodwill offers. Before signing anything, have an attorney review what you may be giving up.
Yes. Toyota has issued three separate recalls for the V35A engine defect in Tundra trucks. The first was in May 2024, the second in November 2025, and the third in May 2026 – the most recent covering approximately 44,000 model year 2024 Tundra non-hybrid vehicles. The remedy for all three recalls is a full engine replacement at no charge, performed by authorized Toyota dealers (Toyota USA Newsroom, 2026).
Yes. The class action is Tom Daly et al. v. Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Case No. 2:24-cv-01318-mkl, filed December 2, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont. The lawsuit claims Toyota’s recall excludes 2024 Tundra models and all Tundra Hybrid trucks that exhibit the same defect. It seeks damages for warranty violations, consumer fraud, and violations of state consumer protection laws. The case is in active litigation as of June 2026 (TopClassActions, 2024).
Yes, through a lemon law buyback – if your Tundra meets your state’s repair threshold. A buyback requires Toyota to repurchase your truck and refund your down payment, monthly payments, taxes, fees, and related out-of-pocket costs (minus a mileage offset). This is a separate legal remedy from the recall. Toyota’s free engine swap does not eliminate your right to pursue a buyback if your truck had multiple failed repair attempts (American Lemon Law Group, 2025).
It depends on your state. California presumes a vehicle is a lemon when the owner experiences two or more repair attempts for a defect that could cause death or serious injury, four or more attempts for the same defect, or 30 or more total days out of service – all within 18 months or 18,000 miles of delivery. Because the Tundra engine stalling at highway speed qualifies as a safety defect, two failed repair attempts may meet the California threshold. Other states have different standards, so confirm the threshold with a lemon law attorney in your state.
No. A recall by itself does not qualify a vehicle as a lemon. What qualifies a vehicle is a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety – combined with a sufficient number of failed repair attempts or days out of service. If Toyota’s recall repair fixes your engine on the first try, you likely do not have a lemon law claim. But if your engine was repaired multiple times before or after the recall without a lasting fix, those attempts count toward your lemon law threshold regardless of whether a recall was in place (Lemon Law Experts, 2025).
If your Toyota Tundra has been in the shop for engine problems and you want to know whether you qualify for a buyback or cash settlement, contact Lemon My Vehicle for a free case review. Our attorneys handle Toyota lemon law claims nationwide.
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