Toyota has a massive project on its hands with twin-turbo V6 repairs. More than 270,000 vehicles with the V35A-FTS engine have been recalled to date, with the only thorough remedy thus far being complete engine replacements. That remains the case for some Toyota Tundra pickups as well as Lexus LX SUVs, but now, the manufacturer will require many to undergo dealer evaluation with new inspection software to determine if their engines are actually defective. The new protocol is detailed in a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration document, updated on June 15. It reads as follows: “All known owners of the subject vehicles will be notified to return their vehicles to a Toyota and Lexus dealer. Using an inspection software, dealers will evaluate the #1 main bearing and collect available vehicle drive data to confirm the condition of that bearing. If the inspection software cannot confirm that the bearing will be free from abnormal wear due to this issue, dealers will replace the engine. The remedy will be provided free of charge.” To quickly get you up to speed, some of Toyota’s V6 truck engines have failed due to problems with the aforementioned main bearing. Manufacturing debris, called swarf, can adhere to the main bearing and cause knocking, rough idle, or total engine shutdown. It’s been the subject of three expansive recalls at this point, with the first issued in May 2024, the second in November 2025, and the latest in May 2026. RCLRPT-25V767-3307Download I had questions for Toyota about which vehicles this new protocol applies to. When reached for comment, a Toyota spokesperson explained that earlier trucks—those included in the May 2024 recall—will still receive engine replacements if they haven’t already. (So far, Toyota has replaced more than 70,000 twin-turbo V6s.) And when I asked if Toyota and Lexus owners who have had their V35A-FTS replaced already would need to undergo the inspection, the spokesperson replied, “No. A design change was implemented to the #1 main bearing starting July 2024, which has been used in vehicles that have received the recall remedy.” I also asked how this inspection software works, considering that the info is gathered from drive data rather than engine disassembly. The Toyota spokesperson explained, “Fundamentally, this inspection uses the resonant frequency of the front of the crankshaft to assess the condition of the #1 main bearing. Toyota’s development of this inspection included testing numerous engines to identify the resonant frequency differences between a #1 main bearing with and without abnormal wear. “In addition, available vehicle drive data is collected to determine if there has been enough load that has been put on the engine so that there is confidence in the assessment of the condition of the #1 main bearing. If there is insufficient vehicle drive data, the engine will be replaced.” Still, this isn’t enough to satisfy some owners, as they believe the problems run deeper. Ryan Gregg, a Tundra enthusiast and owner advocate, is just one of the outspoken drivers chiming in. “The Tundra owners’ community is disappointed, to say the least, to learn of the remedy for the most recent V35A engine recall,” Gregg said. “I’m reminded of a great quote from Martin Luther King Jr., ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’ We implore Toyota to reconsider their latest decision and ask that they keep the customer, not the bottom line, at the forefront of all future decision-making.” Gregg added, “From my perspective, this is their way of slowing the financial bleeding and also not admitting that there is an inherent design flaw/issue. It’s a way to buy them time.” Toyota Others in the 2022+ Toyota Tundra Owners group on Facebook are similarly frustrated. Some of them were early adopters of the third-gen Tundra, and they’ve seen this saga unfold over the past two years. Whether they blame it on an alleged design flaw or poor quality control, the outcome is the same: They’re unhappy with the back-and-forth. Toyota is still building new Tundras every day with the V35A-FTS. The automaker has made a series of changes to the first main bearing, and it claims that while manufacturing debris may still be present in new engines, they’re supposedly less susceptible to damage because of it. If failures occur on these revised engines, Toyota’s problems could snowball even more. The entire situation has made the Tundra a threat to Toyota’s reputation built around reliability. Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
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