Is the Toyota Tundra gen 2 2007–2021 Transmission a Reliability Risk?
Overview
Second-gen Tundra (2007–2021). Big truck. Old-school layout. Longitudinal drivetrain, Aisin automatics, real transfer case on 4WD, real diffs front and rear. No weird CVT stuff. No DCT drama. And yeah, in my experience, that basic recipe is why these things rack up miles in the U.S. without the tranny turning into glitter.
But don’t get lazy. Two rear-prop-shaft safety recalls live right in the middle of this story, and if you ignore them, you’re gambling with a driveline that can come apart under you. I’ve seen owners swear “it’s fine” because the truck drives straight. Cool. The slip yoke doesn’t care about your optimism.
Recall 07V579000 (Toyota recall 70G) hits certain 2007 model year Tundra 4WD trucks. NHTSA describes improper heat treatment, the rear propeller shaft slip yoke ends up too soft, wears wrong, and the failure path is shaft separation. If it separates, the shaft can hit the road surface, and NHTSA also calls out the fuel tank contact risk. That’s not a “noise complaint.” That’s a bad day.
Recall 11V254000 (Toyota Safety Recall B0F) is for certain 2011 model year trucks with a 3-joint rear propeller shaft. NHTSA says the slip yoke may have been improperly cast from a specific production lot and can fracture, again leading to prop shaft separation. Same end of the movie. Different opening scene.
So yeah, VIN recall status is part of the inspection. Not optional. Not “later.” Now.
Which Transmissions It Uses
This generation is automatic-only in the U.S. market. No stick. No “rare manual unicorn.” If someone tells you they’ve got a factory manual 2018 Tundra, they’re confused or lying.
| Transmission Code | Gears | Drive Layout | Engine Pairing | Production Years Within Gen 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A750E | 5-speed | RWD | 4.0L 1GR-FE V6 | 2007–2014 |
| A750F | 5-speed | 4WD | 4.0L 1GR-FE V6 | 2007–2014 |
| A750E | 5-speed | RWD | 4.7L 2UZ-FE V8 | 2007–2009 |
| A750F | 5-speed | 4WD | 4.7L 2UZ-FE V8 | 2007–2009 |
| A760E | 6-speed | RWD | 4.6L 1UR-FE V8 | 2010–2014 |
| A760F | 6-speed | 4WD | 4.6L 1UR-FE V8 | 2010–2014 |
| AB60E | 6-speed | RWD | 5.7L 3UR-FE V8 | 2007–2021 |
| AB60F | 6-speed | 4WD | 5.7L 3UR-FE V8 | 2007–2021 |
One note, because people love to argue: you can VIN-confirm the exact transmission family on any given truck, and you should when money’s on the line. Field Observation from what I see rolling into shops: the 1UR-FE trucks live in the A760 family in this platform. Still, if you’re buying, don’t “assume.” Confirm.
Main Failure Patterns
Torque Converter Shudder (TC018-07 territory)
This is the big one. The famous “my Tundra is vibrating like I hit rumble strips” complaint. And yeah, I’ve seen dozens of these. Some mild. Some nasty. Some people drive them for years like that and act shocked when the fluid looks like swamp water.
Toyota wrote it up in TSB TC018-07. Symptom window matters: intermittent shudder on light acceleration after an upshift, around 20–45 mph (32–72 km/h). That’s a torque converter clutch behavior problem during lock-up application. It’s not the gears “lunching.” It’s not the whole tranny grenading. It’s messy friction behavior inside the converter, and when it’s bad, it spreads debris.
How customers describe it? Rumble strip. Buzz. A weird shake you can’t un-feel once you notice it. Sometimes it’s temperature-sensitive. Sometimes it only shows up on that one stretch of road where you always cruise at the same speed. Ridiculous, but real.
What it isn’t: a guaranteed death sentence for the AB60. The AB60 geartrain is stout. I don’t see piles of these coming in with the case split in half unless something else went sideways first (neglect, contamination, towing hot with cooked fluid, that kind of thing).
Rear Driveshaft Clunk/Thunk (“bump-from-behind”)
Ever roll off a stoplight, barely touching the throttle, and it feels like someone tapped your rear bumper? That’s the vibe.
Toyota addressed this with T-SB-0147-11 for 4WD (2007–2011) and T-SB-0148-11 for 2WD (2007–2011). It’s driveline lash and slip characteristics, and the fix is replacing the propeller shaft with a revised unit when the condition is confirmed. It’s a refinement fix. A band-aid fix? Sometimes it feels like it. Still, when it’s done right, it usually behaves.
What burns people is misdiagnosis. I’ve seen shops slap on mounts, chase “shift harshness,” blame the tranny, and the whole time it’s the shaft doing its dumb little clunk.
Rear Axle Bearing Noise (T-SB-0151-10 and updates)
Rear axle bearings. Boring. Expensive. Common.
Toyota put out T-SB-0151-10 and later updates like T-SB-0089-22 for abnormal rear axle bearing noise. You get the growl or howl that rises with vehicle speed. It doesn’t care what gear you’re in, it doesn’t care what your RPM is doing. And when it gets loud, people start thinking the diff is failing. Sometimes it is the diff. A lot of the time, it’s the bearing.
Here’s the part people hate: it’s not always a quick “pop it out, pop it in.” On older trucks, rust adds drama. Seals matter. Axle surface condition matters. If you do it sloppy, it comes back. Then everyone’s mad. That’s the real-world pattern.
Front Differential Noise (T-SB-0121-08, early 4WD)
T-SB-0121-08 covers a cyclic growl/howl/rumble at 15–30 mph (24–48 km/h) on certain 2007–2008 4WD trucks. I don’t see it every week. I do see it enough that I don’t ignore it when a buyer says “it makes this weird low-speed rumble and it’s driving me nuts.”
Diagnose it right. Tires can lie. Wheel bearings can lie. Driveline angles can lie. The diff is guilty only after the basics are clean.
Rear Grind/Rub on Turns (T-SB-0013-13 Rev1)
This one wastes a lot of time because it sounds scary. Grinding from the rear on turns? People jump straight to “rear end is toast.”
T-SB-0013-13 Rev1 is about rotor-to-parking-brake backing plate interference. It’s not a differential failure. It’s not the tranny. It’s metal touching metal where it shouldn’t. Fix the interference per the bulletin pathway and move on with your life.
Rear Propeller Shaft Slip Yoke Recalls (the safety stuff)
Don’t confuse the driveshaft clunk bulletins with the safety recalls. Different animals.
07V579000 is the 2007 4WD slip yoke hardness/heat-treatment defect with separation risk. 11V254000 is the 2011 slip yoke casting/lot defect with separation risk on 3-joint shafts. I’ve had trucks on a lift where the owner had no clue these existed. That’s why I keep hammering VIN checks. It’s basic. It’s also the difference between “nice truck” and “ticking time bomb.”
Typical Repair Costs
Let’s talk money. People hate this section. I get it. It’s the part where you realize the tough old truck still costs real dollars when something acts up.
Prices swing with region, rust, shop rate, parts availability, and whether you’re dealing with a shop that diagnoses or a shop that guesses. I’m giving ranges you actually see in U.S. service bays, not fantasy numbers.
| Repair Category | Typical Scope | Cost Type | Service-Bay Benchmark (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torque converter shudder correction (TC018-07 condition confirmed) | Converter replacement, fluid service, verification drive | Service Bay Benchmark | $1,400–$2,800 | Severity and fluid contamination drive totals; sometimes cooler service or extra parts pile on. |
| Rear propeller shaft replacement (TSB driveline clunk condition) | Propeller shaft assembly replacement, driveline check | Industry Estimate | $900–$1,900 | Wheelbase/config changes parts cost; rust can turn a clean job into a wrestling match. |
| Rear axle bearing repair (one side) | Bearing, seals, axle service/inspection | Service Bay Benchmark | $700–$1,500 | Do it sloppy and it comes back. Then it’s your problem twice. |
| Front differential noise repair (TSB-verified early 4WD condition) | Diagnosis + repair per bulletin pathway | Industry Estimate | $900–$2,500 | Range reflects whether it’s service/adjustment vs internal component replacement. |
| Transfer case actuator/shift system repair (4WD engagement complaints) | Diagnosis, actuator or related component replacement if needed | Projected Rating | $800–$2,700 | Not a dominant official-bulletin pattern here; still shows up, and it isn’t cheap. |
| Complete transmission replacement | Reman/used/new unit installed | Industry Estimate | $5,500–$8,500 | Usually tied to neglect, contamination, or secondary damage, not “normal life.” |
Best and Worst Years
People always want the magic answer. “Tell me the worst year.” Life doesn’t work like that. What I can tell you is which years carry official recall exposure and which clusters carry the common service-bay headaches.
| Year Range | Powertrain Setup | Transmission Codes | Regulatory/TSB Exposure | Dominant Drivetrain Risk | Overall Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 4WD (multiple engines offered) | A750F / AB60F | NHTSA Recall 07V579000 | Safety-critical rear propeller shaft slip yoke defect on certain units | High (if recall not completed); Medium (if verified complete) |
| 2008 | 5.7L 4WD/RWD | AB60F / AB60E | TSB TC018-07 | Torque converter shudder drivability condition (20–45 mph window) | Medium |
| 2007–2008 | 4WD | AB60F | T-SB-0121-08 | Low-speed cyclic front differential noise on certain units | Medium |
| 2007–2011 | 2WD/4WD | A750E/F, AB60E/F | T-SB-0147-11 / T-SB-0148-11 | Driveshaft clunk/thunk (refinement) addressed via revised propeller shaft | Low–Medium |
| 2011 | 4WD (certain configurations) | AB60F / A750F / A760F | NHTSA Recall 11V254000 | Safety-critical rear propeller shaft slip yoke casting/lot defect on certain units | High (if recall not completed); Medium (if verified complete) |
| 2012–2021 | Most configurations | A750E/F, A760E/F, AB60E/F | Known bulletins + normal wear | Bearings, seals, maintenance-driven complaints over time | Low |
Warning Signs & Early Detection
Torque converter shudder screen
Don’t overthink it. Drive it.
Light throttle, normal street speeds, let it upshift, then cruise in that 20–45 mph (32–72 km/h) band. If it hits you with the rumble-strip shake right after the shift, and it repeats, you’ve got something worth chasing. Scan data helps a lot here. Watching torque converter clutch slip behavior during the event separates converter shudder from random vibration.
And yeah, check the fluid. People act like that’s old-school nonsense. It isn’t. If it’s burnt, dark, stinks, or has obvious debris, you’re looking at a truck that’s been run hot or ignored.
Rear axle bearing screen
Speed-related growl, steady tone, doesn’t match RPM. That’s the classic. Load it left, load it right, listen for change. Chassis-ear tools make it almost unfair how fast you can isolate a side when it’s actually a bearing.
Driveshaft clunk/thunk screen
Stop. Go. Stop. Go. Light throttle. If it “thunks” like a cheap driveline, you don’t condemn the tranny right away. You check driveline play, slip behavior, u-joints, and whether the revised prop shaft path applies per T-SB-0147-11 or T-SB-0148-11. I’ve watched people spend money in the wrong place because they didn’t want to hear “it’s the shaft.”
Recall screening
For 2007 and 2011 4WD trucks, you do the recall check. Period. 07V579000 and 11V254000. Verify by VIN. Then verify by paperwork when possible. Then look at the parts. Rust-belt trucks can turn clean driveline work into a mess fast.
When to Walk Away
- Open recall or no proof of completion for 07V579000 or 11V254000 on an affected 4WD truck.
- Severe, repeatable shudder in the TC018-07 window, plus burnt/contaminated fluid, plus zero maintenance history. That’s the trifecta I don’t like.
- Persistent vibration with evidence of random parts being slapped on without diagnosis. That’s a sign you’re buying someone else’s frustration.
- Rust damage on driveline hardware and flanges where the repair scope becomes a guessing game. Guessing is expensive.
Ownership Reality
Here’s the part where people get mad at me. “Toyota is bulletproof.” Sure. Until someone treats it like a lawn mower and never services anything.
I see two myths wreck wallets. Myth one: “lifetime fluid.” Myth two: “flush it constantly.” Both are dumb if you follow them blindly. These trannies like clean fluid at the right level. They hate being low, they hate being overfilled, and they really hate being cooked while towing because the owner never thought about temps.
| OEM Documentation Reality | What I See in Real Service Bays | Cost Consequence if Ignored |
|---|---|---|
| WS-type ATF and procedure-driven level checking | Bad fluid level after DIY work causes “transmission problems” that aren’t actually internal failures | Misdiagnosis, repeat visits, wasted parts |
| TC018-07 defines a repeatable shudder window (20–45 mph) | Mild shudder can linger; severe shudder makes more debris and drags the job out | Converter repair expands, sometimes cooler service gets added |
| T-SB-0147-11 (4WD) and T-SB-0148-11 (2WD) cover driveline clunk fixes | Confirmed clunk often goes away with the revised prop shaft pathway | People waste money blaming the tranny |
| 07V579000 and 11V254000 are VIN-tracked safety recalls | Trucks still show up with unclear recall status, missing paperwork, or “I think it was done” stories | Safety risk, plus ugly repair escalation if it fails |
| Rear axle bearing noise has TSB guidance and updated procedures | Bearings are a predictable wear expense on older full-size trucks | Ignoring it can chew seals and raise total cost |
I’m not telling you to baby the truck. I’m telling you to be realistic. If you want the drivetrain to go long, you treat fluid condition and recall completion like part of ownership, not an optional hobby.
Lawsuits, Complaints & Regulatory History
Staying tight to transmission and driveline only, the official regulatory anchors here are the NHTSA rear propeller shaft recalls:
- 07V579000 (Toyota recall 70G): 2007 MY 4WD rear propeller shaft slip yoke hardness/heat-treatment defect with separation risk.
- 11V254000 (Toyota Safety Recall B0F): certain 2011 MY trucks with a 3-joint rear prop shaft; improperly cast slip yoke from a specific lot with separation risk.
Then you’ve got the service-bulletin side. TC018-07 for torque converter shudder, and the driveshaft clunk bulletins T-SB-0147-11 and T-SB-0148-11. Those aren’t recalls. They don’t mean “every truck will fail.” They mean Toyota documented a condition and a repair pathway when the symptom is verified. That’s how the game works.
I’m writing this in 2026 and I still see people mix up TSBs and recalls like they’re the same thing. They’re not. One is VIN-tracked and safety-driven, one is symptom-driven and service-driven. If you don’t understand that, you’ll either panic for no reason or ignore something you shouldn’t.
Bottom Line
The drivetrain on this generation is tough. It really is. Most of the time, the tranny doesn’t grenade, it just keeps working. The problems that matter are the ones you can actually check, test, and verify.
- 2007 or 2011 4WD? Recall completion for 07V579000 and/or 11V254000 gets verified before you get emotionally attached.
- Shudder in the 20–45 mph (32–72 km/h) window after an upshift at light load? Treat it like TC018-07 until you’ve ruled out driveline and tire nonsense.
- Bump-from-behind on takeoff? Don’t let someone sell you a transmission overhaul before they’ve looked at the prop shaft pathways in the TSBs.
- Rear bearing growl? Budget for it on older trucks. It’s a wear cost, not a moral failing.
Do those things and ownership stays sane. Skip them and you’ll be the guy posting pictures of shavings in a drain pan, calling the truck “over-engineered garbage,” when it was really just ignored maintenance and missed paperwork.
