Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Tundra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Good afternoon, my name is Anthony Eakins, and I live in south west Florida. I have a 2006 Toyota tundra and I absolutely love my truck I believe this is one of the best trucks on the road even though it was built in 2006 (275,000 miles) The issue I'm having is my frame is to the point where I will have to get rid of my truck. The other issue is the frame is so bad I can't even sell my truck. I know there was a recall several years back and I'm curious why my truck is not part of this recall. My truck is rusting right above the rear leaf spring shackles and right at the bend by the motor. I have taken extremely good care of this truck it stays in my garage and the frame has been sprayed with under coating professionally every two years. I even have a detailed list of everything that's been done with this truck since 40,000 miles. …
Luckily there has not been an incident as of yet. Shortly after I purchased truck in 4-2017 the steering rack rusted off, had that repaired, few months later noticed rear differential was dripping due to rust eating through entire casing. My mechanic informed me that there was a recall issue involving frame rust so I took it to Toyota service dept. where they inspected and said it was fine and that the recall had expired. I went ahead and spent $1100.00 for new tires and a few weeks later heard noise underneath, turns out exhaust reducer is rusted apart, but when I looked at frame I was shocked to see several holes, a couple the size of my fist and frame looks like it is starting to twist. I took it to dealer again to have them look at it and they just said there is nothing they can do for me at this point. The rest of truck is rust free, in great shape, it was 80% garage kept. …
Frame failure at driver's side front wheel due to excessive rust. Dealership inspected frame 8 months prior to failure and said it was safe to drive. Wheel and steering components broke free from frame. Truck was suddenly unable to move or be driven. Luckily it happened in a parking lot and not while driving on road or on highway at high speed. Yes independent service center confirmed frame failure. No inspections have been done. No warnings.
The truck has bad frame with many holes! The rusted frame! Affecting the suspension and many others parts of the truck the front driver side frame it's broken! I took the truck to Toyota dealer in Dalton Georgia and. So they refusing to do the job and they sent me back with the same problem problem they took pictures of the frame the guy that That take care of me told me that it truck is not safe for driving!
The frame has rusted so badly that the sway bar mount disengaged from the frame. Brought it to a Toyota dealership and confirmed that frame recalls were performed on earlier models with the same issue . However my year did not qualify.
Stabilizer links rotted off, fixed. Front end failing, falling apart at 78,000 miles. Also truck frame rusting badly, received recall 3rd notice a year after they expired it. I never received 1st 2 notices, they don't come not registered mail. We had mail issues with usps! The regular mailman was out for 2 years with cancer so we had substitute mailmen, we didn't always get our mail, get other peoples mail etc.. We would of called about the recall if we knew! I called Toyota corporate, they didn't care, said I had 3 notices, I only received 1 notice and it was a year after it expired! I am 2nd owner. The front end in the truck is falling apart, horrible vibrating/bumping and banging when driving down the road, truck now has 92K, I googled and it came back lower ball joint problem recall, 2006 Tundra. …
This started 1/7/2017 coming home from work back gravel road heater would not work noticed heat gauge went all the way up then came down to normal worked OK for a while did it again. Drive home approx. 10 miles did not get hot but temperature gauge registered hot slowly drove home put water in after cooled off. Had to leave at home till I made appointment to bring in. Did not bring to dealer which is 40 miles away drove 8 miles slowly to mechanic. He replaced radiator, filled with new coolant mileage 91003. Did not mess up until 2/27/2017 same road registered hot drove home shut off added water, had to sit for a few days till opening for appointment. He did not fix he checked out found 2 leaks one dealing with transmission and the other dealing with steering or ball joints. He is concerned because it ran out of fluid even thou I filled up asap. Never had a problem before. …
Feb 2019 - Toyota Tundra at 92K miles was inspected by nj Toyota dealership after owner complained of steering issues and concerns on the condition of the frame. Toyota technician inspected frame and noted "unsafe to drive" due to rust, perforations, corrosion in frame and steering rack no longer attached to frame...."vehicle is unsafe to drive" May 2018 - same Tundra w 78K miles passed virginia safety inspection from private station April 2018- same Tundra w 78K miles was inspected by md Toyota dealership service department..."frame rusted out in numerous spots. …
Tl contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tundra. While her son was driving 70 MPH the steering wheel started to shake. There was a loud noise and the vehicle steered to the right. He was unable to control the vehicle and applied the brake, however; the brakes failed after impacting the concrete wall. The vehicle went across 3 lanes and crashed into the median. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop. The repair shop was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The VIN and engize size were unknown but will be added when the hardcopy is received. The current and failure mileages were 29,000. The consumer provided multiple pictures of the vehicle and the insurance information for the vehicle. Updated 08/30/07
While driving on highway, felt a and heard a bump (no bumps in road) and lost most steering capabilities. After pulling to side of road. I noticed tires were pointed in different directions. After looking under the vehicle, I could see large rust holes in the frame and the rack was no longer connected to the frame. Toyota inspected the frame under recall in 2015 and said there were no problems and painted only the rear portion of the frame with an anti corrosion paint which has now also rusted away. I believe the frame should have been replaced under the original recall instead of covering with paint that did not do the job.
Steering complaints in other Tundra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2006 Toyota Tundra?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the steering of the 2006 Toyota Tundra, 5% of the model year's 545 complaints. The component named most often is rack and pinion › rack (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Tundra steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2006 Toyota Tundra, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Tundra steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.