One Rebuild and a New V6 Later, Toyota Tundra Owner Says His Truck Still Stalls

Toyota, once the shining example of automotive reliability, has damaged its reputation in recent years with costly mistakes. Chief among those mistakes is the leftover machining debris inside the 2022-2023 Tundra’s twin-turbo V6, an engine that enthusiasts were already skeptical of since it replaced a bulletproof 5.7-liter V8. Toyota recalled more than 100,000 of these engines last year and announced it would replace them all, which it’s still in the process of doing. Unfortunately for one Tundra owner who’s already had a full engine rebuild as well as a complete engine replacement, he claims the problem still isn’t fixed.

Eoin Foley bought a used 2022 Tundra from a Toyota dealership in Prince George, British Columbia, in May 2023. He says that his truck started acting up less than a year after purchasing it. Barely 18,000 miles into ownership, Foley’s Tundra suddenly stalled while he was driving with his family. He thought it was odd, so he restarted the pickup and drove it away normally. Then it happened again. And this soon turned into a trend, with the Tundra sometimes stalling in the middle of intersections while his children were in the backseat. Not only was it frustrating; it was getting dangerous.

Foley took his Tundra to the dealer he bought it from. Techs there couldn’t diagnose or recreate the problem, so they tried replacing various parts, sensors, and electronics to see if the truck would stop stalling. Nothing worked, and neither Foley nor the dealership knew what to do. The Drive has seen email correspondence between Foley and Toyota Canada, though most of their discussions were over the phone.

This went on until May 2024, when Toyota announced a recall for the twin-turbo V6 engines over debris from the machining process that can enter the combustion chamber. The recall applies to 2022-2023 Tundras throughout North America, as well as the Lexus LX600. Engine stalling is a frequently reported symptom, as is full-on engine failure, so clearly the issue wasn’t isolated to Foley’s truck—it was a Tundra problem.

Just as news of the recall went public, the dealership rebuilt the engine in Foley’s Tundra. And by “rebuilt,” Foley tells us that they ordered nearly every engine component as new and assembled the V6 at the dealer. This took three months, though fortunately for him, he didn’t have to pay for the loaner vehicles while he waited. He then got his truck back with an effectively new engine.

There was only one problem: it still stalled.

For the next several months, Foley’s Tundra stalled periodically. It didn’t happen every time he drove it, but frustratingly, his two-year-old pickup was still not working correctly.

During that time, Foley says he regularly took it back to the dealer, which continued replacing parts and attempting fixes that ultimately didn’t work. He was also in talks with Toyota Canada, and the automaker tried figuring out how to get his truck back on the road trouble-free. Foley asked Toyota if it would consider buying back the Tundra from him at its market value, which he claimed to be CA$61,630 (US$44,525), but the automaker supposedly declined. The conversation took place over the phone, so there’s no written record of Toyota’s denial.

Those discussions went back and forth for a while until March of this year. That’s when Toyota was finally able to replace Foley’s Tundra engine altogether. Since a brand-new V6 was sent to the dealership, it was swapped in a couple of days, rather than fully rebuilt over three months. In theory, that should have been the ultimate fix—except Foley claims this engine’s stalling, too.

Foley says he’s exactly where he was when the saga started, even after a full engine rebuild, a complete engine replacement, and miscellaneous other repairs. He recently asked Toyota Canada again to buy it back, and this time, he says he was offered CA$54,000 (US$38,996). Foley told The Drive that this figure isn’t enough to buy him out, despite a quick search of AutoTrader.ca showing several 2022 Tundras with similar mileage for sale around that price.

When reached by The Drive for comment, a Toyota Canada spokesperson replied, “The quality of our products and the satisfaction of our customers are Toyota Canada’s top priorities. We recently performed a full engine replacement on this vehicle. Since that time, we have been contacted by the owner and will be doing some further investigation.”

Foley said on Friday that Toyota has his truck and is shipping it to Vancouver for more testing. The automaker provided him with a crew-cab pickup loaner per his request so he can still tow trailers with it in the meantime.

At this point, it seems like all anyone can do is wait for the results of those tests. Toyota has already offered to buy back the Tundra, but in Foley’s eyes, it wasn’t enough money. The dealership won’t buy it back either, as there’s nothing it can do with a stalling truck. And because Canada lacks a lemon law, there’s no clear legal path forward. This saga is ongoing, and while a solution hasn’t been reached, Toyota seems to be actively working with Foley to find the answers.

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