Tundra Headquarters TundraHeadquarters is an enthusiast site dedicated to the 2007-and-up Toyota Tundra. Here you'll find reviews, news, and parts and accessory information about the new Toyota Tundra. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 76 0 1 1309

Articles from Tundra Headquarters

Toyota Tundra Fuel Gauge Questions 2007-10-23 13:02:56 Over the past few months, we’ve received some questions about the Tundra’s fuel gauge. Basically, they all come down to this: 1) When my truck’s fuel gauge shows “E”, I’ve actually got quite a few gallons left in the tank. What gives? The big reason — the fuel gauge sending unit is fairly low-tech. There’s a float in the fuel tank, and it’s somewhat inaccurate. Part of the inaccuracy is due to the technology itself — a float will rise and fall depending upon if the truck is turning, is level, has been moving recently, etc. Floats can also get “stuck”. For instance, if you leave your keys in your ignition in the “on” position (truck’s not running, but one crank and it will be) the next time you fill up, chances are when you jump in your truck to go you’ll see your fuel gauge reading less than “F”, even though you just filled it. That’s the nature of the float. The second re ...

Product Review: Volant Cold Air Intake 2007-10-18 15:26:19 We found out about the Volant’s new cold air intake for the 5.7L Tundra on TundraTalk.net, a nice forum for Tundra owners. After reading a few positive reviews from forum members, we contacted Volant and asked them if they might be interested in allowing us to review their product. They gladly accepted, and a brand new cold air intake arrived at our door. Our first impressions of the Volant intake were positive. Opening the package, we were amazed at just how simple this kit is. There’s the air box, duct, filter, some clamps, a hose connector, and some nuts and bolts. The air box’s chrome surface (see photo) is covered with plastic film to protect the finish as you install the kit — a nice touch. There’s also a brochure and some very rudimentary instructions. Speaking of instructions, installation is brutally simple. This has definitely got to be one of the highlights of this kit. Simply remove the stock air filter, engine cover, loosen a couple of clamps, ...

Consumer Reports Says New Tundra Is Below Average 2007-10-17 00:27:49 Toyota quality is slipping, and Consumer Reports says it’s due in large part to the new Tundra. Evidently, Consumer Reports has found that the new Tundra, specifically the V8 4×4 model, has “below average” reliability. Even more astounding, the new Camry V6 model was also found to have “below average” reliability. Because of the poor showing of these two new models, Consumer Reports has decided that they will no longer automatically recommend new Toyota models as they have in the past. Instead, Consumer Reports says that they will now wait for a full year of survey data before making a recommendation. Before anyone decides to return their new Tundras, we’d like to clear the air. 1. Consumer Reports shouldn’t automatically recommend any model. Ever. While it’s great that Consumer Reports had enough confidence in the Toyota design team to automatically recommend everything Toyota made, isn’t the idea of an “automatic recom ...

Toyota Tundra Bed Bounce Owner’s Survey: Initial Results 2007-10-11 18:18:30 Our Toyota Tundra “Bed Bounce” owner’s survey opened on Sept. 22nd. Since that time we’ve received about 100 validated responses. Here’s the statistics we’ve compiled: 1. Nearly 79% of survey respondents have NOT filed a complaint with Toyota. Amazingly, this problem seems to be under-reported by a factor of five. We’re not sure why people haven’t chosen to send an email or make a phone call, but we’re concerned that this lack of effort might ultimately lead to Toyota officially ignoring the issue. 2. The TRD package doesn’t seem to effect bed bounce frequency or severity. About 51% of survey respondents reported owning a truck with the TRD package, and that percentage held for people reporting “severe” bed bounce and for those reporting “weekly” or “daily” occurrence. There’s no link we can find between the TRD package and the bed bounce problem. 3. Less than 10% of respondents descri ...

Tundra Tailgate Design Flaw Update 2007-10-11 11:09:09 In response to some questions about our last Tundra Tailgate post, we’ve done some more investigating, and we think we’ve figured out how why you should never drive with your Tundra’s tailgate unsecured. 1. The gas strut assist. The Tundra’s tailgate is slam-proof because a gas strut (hidden inside the wall of the bed) reduces the effect weight of the tailgate as well as dampens any rapid movement. There is an un-intended consequence here: if the tailgate isn’t secured (i.e. in the closed position OR locked in the down position by the bed-extender or some weight) it may “levitate” at the removal angle. 2. Tailgate removal without tools. Try this experiment: Lower your Tundra’s tailgate. Now, with it in the down position, “throw” the tailgate up into the air. When you get the force right, you’ll find that it will “hover” at about a 45 degree angle for a second or two. Keep in mind that 45 degrees is the angle ... Design

Toyota Tundra TRD Dual Exhaust Product Review 2007-10-03 22:34:00 A lot of new Tundra owners upgrade their exhaust systems. In fact, it’s probably the most popular accessory that people add to their new trucks. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) there are literally HUNDREDS of options. Big names like Borla, Flowmaster, Gibson, and TRD all offer kits for the new Tundra. Of course, if you don’t want to spend that kind of money, or if you like the idea of a custom kit, you can visit your local muffler shop and talk to the experts, and you can even order parts on the internet and install them yourself. Like we said, LOTS of choices. However a lot of people like to go as “factory” as possible when choosing accessories, and we can certainly understand why. First of all, it’s very easy. If you’ve bought a Tundra, chances are you trust Toyota to make a good product. You can rest assured the TRD exhaust system is a good choice. Secondly a lot of people like factory-backed accessories because the ...

New Tires From The Tire Rack 2007-10-02 22:04:34 If you’ve never visited TireRack.com, you owe it to yourself to check it out. They’ve got just about every brand of tire, quite a few different types of after-market wheels, and a unique tool that allows you to see how a new set of rims will look on your vehicle. They also stock suspension kits, air intakes, brake pads, and a handful of other stuff. What I like best about the Tire Rack, in addition to the good pricing, is that they have a great collection of reviews on tires. I was just buying a set and I really appreciated the fact that I could read dozens of reviews on the particular brand of tire. The reviews weren’t all good either — as a matter of fact, I upgraded myself from a cheaper tire based on some user reviews. Overall, it’s a good system. The choices for custom wheels are another matter. While I really like being able to see how wheels will look on my car, I think Tire Rack’s wheels are overpriced for the most part. They do offer some wh ...

2007 Tundra Sales Projected To Exceed 200k 2007-10-02 16:38:08 Based on our sales projections, Toyota will sell approximately 205k Tundra trucks this year. That’s more than a 60% increase in sales over 2006. Clearly, the Tundra has been an unmitigated success for Toyota. Toyota’s success doesn’t show any signs of slowing down either. The upcoming 2008 model Tundra should sell better than the current model for a few reasons. First of all, Toyota has stated they intend to reduce the amount of standard equipment on the Tundra, especially on the base model. We expect the base model Tundra will be approximately $2000 less expensive, while the top-end models will maintain the same pricing. Reduced cost on the base model should translate into greater fleet sales of the new Tundra, a market that Toyota currently is not competitive in with the 2007 model. Additionally, Toyota’s 2007 production management was less than perfect. Dealers were often given trucks that weren’t in demand and then required to sell those vehicles befor ...

Decode Your Toyota Tundra’s VIN Number 2007-10-01 16:25:15 Here’s what the letters and numbers in your Tundra’s VIN number represent: FIRST THREE CHARACTERS: The first three characters of your Tundra’s VIN number indicate where your truck was built. 5TF - Truck was manufactured at TMMTX 5TB - Truck was manufactured at TMMI FOURTH CHARACTER: The fourth character of your Tundra’s VIN indicates the body type. J - Reg. Cab 2WD K - Reg. Cab 4WD L - Reg. Cab 2WD Long Bed M - Reg. Cab 4WD Long Bed R - Double Cab 2WD S - Double Cab 2WD Long Bed B - Double Cab 4WD C - Double Cab 4WD Long Bed E - CrewMax 2WD D - CrewMax 4WD FIFTH CHARACTER: The fifth character of your Tundra’s VIN indicates the engine. U = 4.0L V6 T = 4.7L V8 V = 5.7L V8 SIXTH, SEVENTH, & EIGHTH CHARACTERS: The 6th, 7th, and 8th characters in the VIN indicate the trim level of the truck. 521 = Base 541 = SR5 581 = LTD NINTH CHARACTER: The 9th character in the VIN is used as a check digit. TENTH CHARACTER: The 10th character in your truck’s VIN is ...

Tundra Design Flaw: NEVER Drive Your Tundra Tailgate Down! 2007-09-27 17:43:34 Glenn sent us this note, and we think every Tundra owner should know about this. Thanks Glenn for taking the time to share. Here’s Glenn’s story: ********** OUCH!!! I put my tailgate down on my 07 Tundra Crewmax, and forgot about it being down, as I was involved in something that diverted my attention away from the open tailgate. I drove away not realizing it was still down. As I went down the street and over a bump in the road, I heard some banging, so I pulled over only to find my tailgate hanging from the support strap wires, and slapping against the back of the truck! Thankfully, I found a place to pull over immediately, and that I had all the windows, including the window facing the bed down, so I could hear it. Both tail light lenses are now damaged, but luckily, the tailgate itself and the bumper do not seem to be damaged much, except for minor paint damage on the inside of the tailgate. At least not that I can tell at this point. Page 35 of the operators manual says ... Design

Contact Us Comments Lost 2007-09-22 18:44:00 With great regret and embarrassment, we’ve just determined that our last software update resulted in the “Contact Us” form functioning improperly. Any messages you’ve sent us via Contact Us form since September 8th were not received. If you’ve sent us a message and you haven’t gotten a response, please send it again. Sorry we lost your messages — Jason the admin/I.T. guy/main writer/designated email responder will use more care when updating the site’s software. Our apologies. ...

Toyota Tundra Bed Bounce: Owners Survey 2007-09-22 13:33:50 When we received Toyota’s response to our bed bounce email we realized a few things. In no particular order, here’s what we think: 1. Toyota can’t officially acknowledge the problem until they’re prepared to act. 2. Until the current owner community publicizes the problem, Toyota has no reason to acknowledge it. 3. There is no independent data to verify the size, scope, and severity of this problem. We decided the best way to make Toyota acknowledge the problem (and therefore do something about it) is to gather some hard data. To that end, we’ve created a Toyota Tundra Owners Bed Bounce Survey. The results of the survey will be published on an ongoing basis once we’ve received enough responses to create some statistically significant data. In order to make sure the data we gather is accurate, we’re going to verify owner responses a few different ways. First, we’ve got a VIN number checker that will make sure the VIN number entered is accu ...

Toyota Tundra Diesel Near Development 2007-09-11 17:07:45 We’ve heard a lot of rumors about Toyota offering a diesel engine in the new Tundra, but we’ve just read of official acknowledgment that a Diesel Tundra is near development. “In terms of (diesel) introduction into the U.S., the Tundra is the best (vehicle) to do that…The question is when is the best time to do that? That is determined by the customer…It’s something we’re looking at, but we have to see if we can price a diesel and still make it affordable.” Those are the words of Toyota Executive Vice President Kazuo Okamoto, and the following is clear: 1. The Tundra will have the first Toyota diesel to debut in the US market. Toyota has been making noise about developing diesels with Hino for use in the European and Asian markets. Considering Hino’s commercial success with large diesels in Asia, it’s reasonable to assume that Hino also has the expertise to assist Toyota in producing a diesel engine for the US market that can ...

Bed Bounce: Toyota’s Response To Our First Email 2007-09-08 18:39:47 Earlier this week, we sent Toyota a request for information about the Tundra bed bounce issue. We described our understanding of the issue, our position as an advocate of the Tundra community, and then requested the following: 1. Have Toyota’s engineering and/or quality teams been informed of this issue? 2. Are there any tests currently in progress to diagnose this problem? 3. Has a fix for this problem been devised? If so, when will it be available? 4. What steps can current owners that are suffering from this problem take to make sure they’re given priority when a fix becomes available? 5. Is this issue being corrected on the 2008 model? We had high hopes that Toyota would communicate with us about this issue, but instead they replied with something that basically amounts to a non-response stating: “As of today, Toyota has not issued a Special Service Campaigns (SSC) or Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) for the concern you have described.” Clearly, this respon ...

Where do Tundras Come From? 2007-09-05 23:31:13 Ever wonder where all the parts that make up the new Toyota Tundra come from? Here’s a link to a U.S. map with some of the parts suppliers and their respective locations: Toyota Tundra Supplier Location Map It isn’t a complete list — Toyota doesn’t publish this information, so you have to find out the old fashioned way. If you find any errors, or if you work for a supplier that makes parts for the new Tundra, contact us with your company’s name, address, and the part(s) made, and we’ll add it to the map. ...