11 Toyota Tundra Statistics You Should Know (Facts & Numbers)

Toyota’s first full-size pickup, the Tundra’s entrance into a segment filled with long-term stalwarts such as the Ford F-150 was unprecedented.

Sporting a powerful V8 engine, the Tundra wowed customers and automotive critics with its impressive performance, off-road agility, and towing ability. Soon after its release, it was nominated as North American Truck of The Year for 2000. It also received a ‘Truck of The Year’ award from Motor Trend Magazine in 2000 and 2008.

Since then, the Tundra has remained one of the top models in the full-size truck segment. Buyers who want a pickup truck with solid off-road performance, impressive hauling capabilities, and safety will find the Tundra attractive.

This guide contains important statistics concerning the Toyota Tundra line of models.

Read on to get production numbers, depreciation rates, recall data, towing capacities, and many more:

Table of Contents

How Many Toyota Tundra Have Been Sold Per Year in The U.S.?

At the time the Tundra was released, critics deemed it too “small” to compete in the pickup truck segment.

However, all doubts were cleared after Toyota sold 100, 455 Tundra models in its first year. Tundra’s first-year sales were the highest in Toyota’s history and were double the sales of the older T100 model.

Annual sales of the Toyota Tundra have been stable since then, averaging over 118,879 models per year. Except for the years between 2009 and 2011, yearly sales of the Tundra have never dipped below 100,000 models. Toyota has sold 2,377,571 Tundras since over the course of the model’s 20-year existence.

Below is a breakdown of yearly sales of the Tundra since it started selling in the U.S.:

Year	No. Of Models Sold
2019	111,673
2018	118,258
2017	116,285
2016	115,489
2015	118,880
2014	118,493
2013	112,732
2012	101,621
2011	82,908
2010	93,309
2009	79,385
2008	137,249
2007	196,555
2006	124,508
2005	126,529
2004	112,484
2003	101,316
2002	99,333
2001	108,863
2000	100,445

What Year Did Toyota Start the Tundra Models?

Toyota started production of the Tundra at its Princeton, Indiana plant in 1999, releasing it to buyers in 2000.

The Tundra marked Toyota’s entry into the full-size pickup segment, competing directly with the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, and others.

It shared many features with the older Tacoma and T100 models, including a 3.4 L V6 engine. However, the Tundra later dropped the V6 engine in favor of a bigger 4.7 L V8 engine, the first instance of a V8-powered Toyota truck.

Although Toyota has made several changes to the Tundra over the years, most of its core elements have remained the same. While other Toyota trucks such as the Tacoma have received major redesigns, the Tundra has not.

The first generation of the Tundra lasted from 2000 to 2006. The second generation started the following year (2007) and is still on.

Another statistic you’d definitely be interested in is about the best and worst Toyota Tundra years.

How Is the Fuel Economy on a Toyota Tundra?

Although Toyota is known for making fuel-efficient vehicles, it apparently took a different approach with the Tundra.

Both the V6 engines used in the model’s early years and the succeeding V8s are incredibly fuel-thirsty. Hence, it is not surprising that the Tundra has the worst gas mileage in its class.

One could argue that pickup trucks aren’t known to be fuel-efficient, but the Tundra’s fuel economy is simply dismal. The 2020 Tundra is rated at 13 MPG (City) and 18 MPG (Highway) for a combined 15 MPG. By comparison, the rival Ford F-150 earns 19 MPG (City) and 25 MPG (Highway) for a combined 22 MPG.

Below are EPA-rated gas mileage figures for the 2020 Tundra models:

Model	City MPG	Highway MPG	Average (Combined) MPG
Tundra 2WD 5.7 L (8-cyl.)	13 MPG	18 MPG	15 MPG
Tundra 4WD 5.7 L (8-cyl.)	13 MPG	17 MPG	14 MPG

How Quickly do Toyota Tundras Depreciate?

The Toyota Tundra may not sell as much as its rivals in the full-size truck segment, but it definitely has the best resale value of the lot.

Because of the Tundra’s attractive combination of performance and comfort, consumer demand for the model has remained high. As a result, used models tend to command high prices on the used-truck market.

According to iSeeCars, the average five-year depreciation rate of the Toyota Tundra is 35.9%, the lowest in its class. The Tundra also made iSeeCars’ list of top 10 vehicles with the lowest depreciation, placing fourth.

Some models it beat to the honor include the Chevy Silverado, Ram 1500, GMC Sierra, and Honda Ridgeline.

Did Toyota Recall Any of the Toyota Tundra Models?

While a reliable truck, the Tundra has had problems of its own over the years.

Some of these have been severe, warranting a total recall of the models affected. In its 20-year history, the Toyota Tundra has been recalled 51 times. Below is a breakdown of recall stats for each model year:

Note: A recall could involve more than one model year.

Hence, we sorted the M.Y.s based on the number of recall actions they have been involved in:

Model Year	No. Of Recalls
2014	14
2005	12
2007	12
2009	11
2006	11
2004	11
2008	11
2011	9
2003	9
2000	7
2002	6
2001	5
2017	4
2013	4
2016	4
2018	4
2019	3
2014	3
2015	3
2012	2

How Much Do the Tundra Models Pollute?

Due to its gas-guzzling V8 engine, the Tundra emits far more greenhouse gases than most vehicles.

Full-size trucks typically have high pollution statistics, but the Tundra takes it up a notch further. However, pickup buyers are hardly concerned about the environmental impact of their vehicles, focusing more on performance.

Hence, the Tundra’s heavy environmental pollution hasn’t reduced sales yet.

Below is a breakdown of the CO2 emissions of the 2020 Tundra models:

Model	CO2 Emissions	Emissions Score
Tundra 2WD 5.7 L (8-cyl.)	595 grams per mile	2/10
Tundra 4WD 5.7 L (8-cyl.)	614 grams per mile	1/10

How Much Can the Tundra Models Tow?

Towing ability on the Tundra is largely impressive, thanks to a powerful 5.7 L eight-cylinder engine that produces a whopping 401 lbs-ft of torque.

For the 2020 lineup, the maximum towing capacity is 10,200 pounds, while the minimum is 8,800 pounds.

We’d advise that you check the tow rating for your Tundra pickup before hauling anything, though. Tow ratings on the Tundra models often differ based on cab type and trim level.

We also have a list of every Toyota Tundra model and the cargo capacity.

How Reliable Is a Toyota Tundra?

Many have described the Tundra as a “workhorse” for its ability to withstand heavy abuse without breaking down.

These models have been known to last for thousands of miles whilst in excellent condition. In fact, the Tundra’s impressive reliability is one big reason new buyers are attracted to it.

Several automotive authorities have attested to the Tundra’s reliability, among them RepairPal and J.D. Power. RepairPal gives the Tundra a 3.5/5 reliability rating, ranking it as the sixth most reliable truck in the 17-model full-size truck segment.

Similarly, J.D. Power ranked the Tundra as the most dependable full-size truck in its 2019 Annual Vehicle Dependability Study.

How Safe Is a Toyota Tundra?

The Toyota Tundra comes with many standard safety features such as:

adaptive cruise control,
lane-departure warning,
automatic emergency braking,
and pre-collision warning.

However, it offers below-average crash protection, evidenced in its poor performance on the IIHS crash tests. The safety body rates Tundra’s protection for drivers and passengers in the event of a frontal crash as “Poor” and “Marginal.”

It also disapproved of the truck’s headlights, giving them a “Marginal” score.

What Is the Typical Buyer Demographic for This Model?

Most of the buyers of the Tundra pickup are men, with women owners forming a small minority.

They are considered wealthy and earn, on average, a yearly household income of $103,831. They are quite older, too, with many of them identifying as members of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1976) or Generation Y (born between 1977 and 1994).

As expected, those who buy the Toyota Tundra are not overly concerned with the fuel economy of their vehicles.

In addition, they typically will not consider paying a premium for an environmental-friendly vehicle.

Price, practicality, and utility are far more important considerations for this buyer demographic.

Toyota Tundra Theft Numbers

For some reason yet unknown to us, the NHTSA Vehicle Theft Rate Database does not have much data for large pickups like the Tundra.

Whether this is deliberate remains unknown. However, from the small data we could gather from the database, the Tundra doesn’t seem a hot target for thieves, unlike other Toyota vehicles such as the Camry or Corolla.

The table below contains annual theft rates for the Tundra models.

If you see a dash (-) placed after a particular year, then it means data isn’t available for that year.