Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
The yoke assembly on rear driveshaft broke and the rear part of shaft fell to the ground while making a turn on paved road. I was about to back down an inclined boat ramp to put boat in river. The boat was an aluminum john boat, motor and trailer not weighing over 800 pounds. Vehicle and boat could have gone in river or the truck could have hit someone. The vehicle was towed and is being repaired by local repair shop. There were no warning lights or any unusual noise prior to the incident. The truck has 135,000 miles on the odometer. The shop were the repairs are being done said this was a common problem he has seen on many Toyota Tundras and not any particular year.
Tamara recall - I was exiting the freeway, making a left hand turn onto the city street, I was traveling approximately 25 miles per hour. As I entered the intersection, on a green light, a 1996 GMC yukon ran a red light, travelling approximately 40 miles an hour and hit me on my front end, damaging the bumper, fender, door, hood and bed on the drivers side. I was wearing my seatbelt but the impact was hard enough to propell me upwards, causing my left shoulder to hit the frame above the window which caused a grade 3 separation of my left collarbone.
Toyota Tundra 2006 double cab 4wd automatic transmission. I was 4 wheeling and stopped behind a polaris, by approximately 5 feet. I was in drive and 4wd and brakes applied. I stopped because the polaris had stopped. All of a sudden with the brakes applied my Tundra lunged forward at a very high RPM crashing into the polaris. At that point I put the transmission into park and shut the engine off. Had I not responded with the action I took I would have shoved the polaris with 2 people into a very deep wash. Needless to say there is a great deal of damage done to my Toyota. The Toyota has major damage to the front end. Had I not taken the action that I did, we all would have ended up in the deep wash with major injuries. When I arrived home I immediately called tim's Toyota in prescott arizona where the vehicle was purchased. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Tundra. The contact was driving 30 MPH and there was an abnormal increase in engine rpms causing the transmission not to shift correctly. She depressed the brakes and the tachometer increased to 2 and would not decline. In addition, when she attempted to shift into reverse and released the brakes, the rear tires began to spin and she crashed rear-end into a boulder. The rear bumper was damaged and there were no injuries. The dealer stated they were advised by the manufacturer not to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle has had three transmissions since purchase. The failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 53,000. Updated 11/9/10 the consumer stated the transmission had to be replaced three times. …
Had truck towed due to broken brake line and was advised by mechanic that frame was severely corroded with holes above front wheels and was not safe to drive. Rear end also severely corroded. Contacted Toyota dealer, no warranty or recall on 2006 frames although tundras and tacomas older and newer than 2006 are getting warrantied frame replacements due to recalls. Dealer went to the garage that had towed the truck and inspected the frame. Dealer advised us to get holes in frame fixed at our expense. Dealer verified that there was an earlier recall to spray frames, but the spray had limited availability from Toyota and they were unable to fulfill the recall when we brought the truck to them for this service. The vehicle currently has 150,000 miles on it and should have been drivable for many more. …
Drove my truck about 200 miles that day. Pulled into my driveway and unloaded a formica counter top in my garage then pulled my truck to it's normal parking spot. Walked back to the garage and saw a rather large grease spot. Looked at the rear of my truck and the rear end housing was leaking around the pumpkin area. Took it to my mechanic and he told me my whole rear end housing was rusted out and had to be replaced. Since this is a problem with these trucks (frame was replaced a year ago) my mechanic told me there are no good used rear ends to be found and it would require a new rear end housing. If Toyota had made a recall on frame issues, why haven't they done the same with the rear end housing. A catastrophic failure of the rear driving train seems to me would be a major safety issue!!
The rear differential cover plate is leaking gear oil. The cover plate is fixed in place not bolted on. The excessive corrosion of the entire rear axle assembly is the problem. The only solution is to replace the entire rear axle assembly. There is an existing recall for Toyota tacomas so I contacted Toyota and they will not address the problem without a recall initiated by NHTSA. Should this cover plate totally fail while on the highway the resulting in loss of control the resulting accident May cause loss of life for this vehicle and other vehicles traveling on the same highway.
Takata recall 2006 Toyota Tundra sr5 4x4. Purchased about a year ago. Power steering failed a couple months in while driving to work. Found fluid leaking I crawled underneath and founf the entire frme rusted and both anti roll bar links have separated from control arms. The bushings and nuts were missing and the powersteering link is from rotted boot on the pasenger side.
A very disturbing vibration coming from underneath the truck during acceleration between 30 to 40 then again from 60 to 70. The whole truck shakes !!! I have taken it to the dealer but of course everything is OK by them. No where to turn .
This filing is in reference to my 2006 Toyota Tundra sr5 v8 4.7 ltr 10,000 miles. For the past few weeks of driving the above referenced vehicle I started to notice a knocking metal sound under the center console when accelerating and braking... I took no immediate action as I found it to be a very light sound. After a few more days of driving the knock became more noticeable I was more alarmed, when I got home I got under my truck with a flashlight and started to take a look around, after careful inspection I found that 3 of 4 12mm hex bolts on the automatic transmission mount/ crossmember were missing further more the case was that the rear transmission mount located near the driveshaft were loose enough that could be moved with minimal strength with my hand I was able to recover 1 bolt that fell into the crossmember along with a plastic retainer. …
Transmission complaints in other Tundra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2006 Toyota Tundra?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2006 Toyota Tundra, 4% of the model year's 545 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Tundra transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.