RoadVitals

2016 Toyota Tundra Exterior lighting Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Exterior lighting reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
15
Latest May 24, 2025
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
13%
of 119 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Toyota Tundra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 15 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming exterior lighting

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Exterior lighting
Filed May 24, 2025

My right front headlamp is getting moisture inside the headlamp assembly. It can be inspected any time. Chance that headlamp will not work. Did not take to a dealer.

NHTSA ID
11662959
Incident
May 24, 2025
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 14, 2021

HEADLIGHTS IN THE ON OR AUTO POSITION RANDOMLY GO OUT WHEN BLINKER RETURNS TO NEUTRAL POSITION AFTER BEING ENGAGED. THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE IN MOTION AT LOW AND HIGHSPEEDS ON CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS AND COMING OUT OF A COMPLETED STOP. CANNOT DETERMINE IF THIS IS A SHORT IN WIRING HARNESS OR IF TRIGGERED BY FAULTY COMPONENT.

NHTSA ID
11396158
Incident
Jan 27, 2021
Mileage
33,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Dec 7, 2020

MY HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF WHEN USING MY TURN SIGNAL

NHTSA ID
11378388
Incident
Nov 30, 2020
Mileage
100,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Nov 28, 2020

MY 2016 TOYOTA TUNDRA 1794 CREWMAX, DURING WINTER MONTHS IN MIDWEST - THE HEADLIGHTS AND AND INTERNAL INSTRUMENTATION WILL TURN OFF WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT WITH TURN SIGNAL ENGAGED. THE AUTOMATIC LIGHTS ARE ENGAGED ON COLUMN STALK AND THE ISSUE OCCURS AT NIGHT. THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION

NHTSA ID
11376803
Incident
Nov 15, 2020
Mileage
60,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Jun 29, 2020

HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS, AND DASHLIGHTS ALL GO OFF WHEN USING THE TURN SIGNAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED HALF A DOZEN TIMES AT NIGHT WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS IN THE 30'S, BOTH WHEN TURNING ON NARROW UNLIT RURAL ROADS, AND ON THE INTERSTATE AT 75MPH WHEN CHANGING LANES. IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 1794 EDITION OF THE TUNDRA WITH THE AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS. YOU CAN FIND DOZENS OF OTHER TUNDRA OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM, INCLUDING A VIDEO ON THE TUNDRA.COM WEBSITE. SEE LINK BELOW: HTTPS://WWW.TUNDRAS.COM/THREADS/AUTO-HEADLIGHTS-SHUT-OFF-WITH-TURN-SIGNAL.22968/ THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPEND TO ME, AND IT IS SCARY DANGEROUS. I REPORTED THIS TO NHTSA BACK IN DECEMBER, AND TOYOTA HAS YET TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY HAVE NOT EVEN ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN. PLEASE GET THEM TO FIX THIS! EVEN MY TOYOTA SERVICE AGREEMENT WON'T FIX MY TUNDRA, BECAUSE THE DEALER CAN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM (IT'S NOT COLD, AND THEY CLOSE AT 6 WHEN IT'S NOT DARK!), AND THERE IS NO SERVICE BULLETIN OR ANYTHING FROM TOYOTA ACKNOWLEDGING THIS IS EVEN A PROBLEM. I'M BEGGING YOU, AT LEAST GET TOYOTA TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBEM AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT!!

NHTSA ID
11331443
Incident
Dec 22, 2019
Mileage
75,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Apr 24, 2020

HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS USED AND THE HEADLIGHTS SWITCH IS IN AUTO MORE. DEALERSHIP CAN'T/WON'T REPLICATE THE ISSUE SO THEY WILL NOT TROUBLESHOOT FURTHER. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT A LOT OF PLATINUM AND 1794 EDITION TOYOTA TUNDRAS ARE HAVING AND IT IS BEING IGNORED BY TOYOTA; HTTPS://WWW.TUNDRAS.COM/THREADS/AUTO-HEADLIGHTS-SHUT-OFF-WITH-TURN-SIGNAL.22968/ HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=2TZRPLQ9WP4 I'VE HAD IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO CHECK AND THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. PICKUP ONLY HAS ABOUT 26K MILES ON IT. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS ON A FREEWAY CLOVERLEAF IN THE RAIN AND LUCKILY THERE WERE STREET LIGHTS BECAUSE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MERGE. OTHER TIMES IT HAS BEEN SIGNALING TO TURN LEFT AND ENTERING THE CENTER TURN LANE ON MULTI-LANE ROADS. ALWAYS HAPPENS WHILE IT IS DARK OUTSIDE BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE IN AUTO WHICH MAKES IT MORE DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID
11322175
Incident
Nov 11, 2019
Mileage
24,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 26, 2020

THE HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR DASH LIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHEN USING THE BLINKER. I HAVE OWNED THIS TRUCK FOR 3 MONTHS NOW AND IT HAS HAPPENED ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. I CANNOT REPLICATE THIS ISSUE ON MY OWN.

NHTSA ID
11311602
Incident
Feb 25, 2020
Mileage
30,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 2, 2020

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE ACTIVATION OF TURN SIGNAL INTERMITTENTLY SHUTS OFF HEADLIGHTS. TO RE-ENERGIZE HEADLIGHTS I HAVE TO MANUALLY SWITCH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH FROM AUTO TO ON. THIS IS VERY DISTURBING AND DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IN RURAL AREAS. I AM HOPING SOMEONE ADDRESSES THIS WITH TOYOTA, SINCE IF THEY CAN'T REPLICATE THE ISSUE THEY SEND YOU HOME!

NHTSA ID
11306597
Incident
Dec 11, 2019
Mileage
32,000 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Dec 22, 2019

ON MY 2016 TOYOTA TUNDRA 1794 EDITION, WITH HEADLIGHTS IN "AUTO" POSITION, WHEN I USE TURN SIGNAL, THE HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS ALL OCCASIONALLY TURN OFF. ONCE TURN SIGNAL SHUTS OFF, LIGHTS COME BACK ON . IT TYPICALLY HAPPENS AT NIGHT WHEN IT'S COLD OUT. IT HAS NOW HAPPENED PROBABLY HALF A DOZEN TIMES IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. WHILE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, IT'S VERY SCARY, AS I'M DRIVING BLIND ON A RURAL ROAD UNTIL THE LIGHT COME BACK ON. ON THE TUNDRAS.COM OWNERS WEBSITE, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE. HELP! BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.

NHTSA ID
11290778
Incident
Dec 22, 2019
Mileage
70,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Nov 13, 2019

IF THE HEADLIGHTS ARE SET TO AUTO AND I SIGNAL A LEFT TURN AND TURN TO THE LEFT, THE HEADLIGHTS SHUT OFF AND THE INTERIOR LIGHTS SWITCH TO "DAY MODE". THE ISSUE SEEMS INTERMITTENT. IT SEEMS TO OCCUR IN COOLER TEMPS (<50F).

NHTSA ID
11279752
Incident
Nov 12, 2019
Mileage
54,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Nov 10, 2019

WHEN ENGAGING TURN SIGNAL, ALL LIGHTS EXTINGUISH MOMENATARILY. THIS IS AN INTERMITTEN AND HAPPENS AT RANDOM, BUT NOT CONSTANT. THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED WAS EARLY MORNING BEFORE SUN RISE I WAS IN A TURNING LANE AT A RED LIGHT STOPPED, ENGAGED LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND ALL LIGHTS WENT DARK. THE NEXT TIME I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MERGE AND ENGAGED TURN SIGNAL IN TRAFFIC ALL LIGHTS WENT DARK. I SEARCHED THE INTERNET FORUMS TO FIND THIS IS A COMMON OCCURENCE WITH TUNDRA PLATINUM AND 1794 MODELS. MY VEHICLE HAS NO MODIFICATIONS AND ALL LIGHTING IS FACTORY INSTALLED.

NHTSA ID
11279237
Incident
Nov 8, 2019
Mileage
30,900 mi
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Nov 10, 2019

ALL LIGHTS (HEADLAMPS AND TAIL LAMPS AND INSTRUMENT PANEL) TURN OFF WHEN USING TURN SIGNAL. THIS TYPICALLY HAPPENS WHEN CHANGING LANES AT HIGHWAY SPEED. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. SEEMS TO OCCUR IN 2015-2017 TOYOTA TUNDRAS (1794 & PLATINUM EDITIONS). SEE THREAD. HTTPS://WWW.TUNDRAS.COM/THREADS/AUTO-HEADLIGHTS-SHUT-OFF-WITH-TURN-SIGNAL.22968/PAGE-3

NHTSA ID
11279221
Incident
Nov 1, 2019
Mileage
15,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 6, 2017

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT TIME, THE WHOLE LIGHTING INCLUDE HEADLIGHT AND INSIDE LIGHT LIKE ODOMETER SCREEN, NAVIGATION SCREEN COMPLETELY BLACK OUT FOR FEW SECOND SOMETIME NEAR A MINNUTE. ITS ONLY HAPPEN WHEN THE BLINKERS ITS USED.

NHTSA ID
11022035
Incident
Mar 21, 2016
Mileage
18,000 mi
Driver assistanceElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Nov 15, 2016

I HAVE A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN REGARDING THE LACK OF DAYTIME VEHICLE INSTRUMENT ILLUMINATION ON MY NEW 2016 TOYOTA TUNDRA (WHILE DRIVING, STATIONARY AND ON ALL ROADS) DURING THE DAY. AS AN ELDER ADULT WHO WEARS SUNGLASSES TO PROTECT THEIR EYES (ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION) THE DASH BOARD (SPECIFICALLY THE SPEEDOMETER INDICATOR) IS BARELY DISCERNIBLE. EVEN WITHOUT SUNGLASSES THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS VERY DARK. I AM SURE THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OTHERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE INSTRUMENTS AND OPERATE THEIR VEHICLES IN A SAFE AND LAWFUL MANNER DURING THE DAYTIME OR WITH SUNGLASSES ON. I AM SURE THE DECISION, BY TOYOTA, TO NOT ILLUMINATE THE DASH IN THE DAYTIME SAVES A FEW PENNIES AND ADDS UP FOR THE MANUFACTURER WHEN YOU SELL THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES? BUT. . . NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE A DARK INSTRUMENT PANEL IS BOUND TO CAUSE MORE THAN A FEW ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ID
10926116
Incident
Nov 1, 2016
Mileage
100 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Dec 11, 2015

BOUGHT NEW 2016 TUNDRA LIMITED 11/16/2015 AND NOTICED THAT DASH LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS UNLESS PARKING LIGHTS OR HEADLIGHTS ARE ON. IN THE OFF/DRL POSITION OR THE AUTO POSITION NO DASH LIGHTS. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA HELP LINE I WAS TOLD THAT THIS CHANGE WAS MADE BECAUSE IF THE DRIVER CAN SEE THE OUTLINE OF THE NUMBERS ON THE GAUGES THEY DO NOT NEED TO BE ILLUMINATED. HE COULD NOT OFFER ANY REASON FOR CHANGING THIS STANDARD FEATURE. OTHER THAN NOT SEEING THE GAUGES SHARPER AND CLEARER ONE SAFETY DEFECT IS PRESENT. THE TUNDRA HAS GAUGES INSTEAD OF WARNING LIGHTS FOR ENGINE OPERATIONS AND THEY ARE SMALLER THAN THE SPEEDOMETER/TACHOMETER . THE TEMP GAUGE IS LOCATED ON THE LOWER LEFT OF THE DASH AND CANNOT BE SEEN CLEARLY WITHOUT THE DASH ILLUMINATED BECAUSE THAT CORNER IS DARK IF IT IS CLOUDY OR EARLY OR LATE . IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS ONE WOULD NOT SEE THAT PROBLEM ON THE GAUGE WHICH MIGHT LEAD TO ENGINE FAILURE ,ETC. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A VEHICLE THAT REQUIRED TURNING ON THE PARKING LIGHTS OR HEADLIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE THE DASH..DEALER SAYS THAT SWITCH CANNOT BE CUSTOMIZED. TOYOTA SHOULD ISSUE A FIX FOR THIS MISTAKE.

NHTSA ID
10809604
Incident
Nov 16, 2015
Mileage
10 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Data sources

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