#ToyotaTundra

Extensively previewed prior to their 2012 SEMA Show debut, the Toyota Celebrity Dream Build Challenge vehicles did not disappoint on the floor in Las Vegas.

Back in August, Toyota revealed its Celebrity Dream Build Challenge with NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch, and NHRA racers Antron Brown and Alexis DeJoria building custom Toyota projects for the 2012 SEMA Show.

A stock Toyota Tundra hauled the nearly 300,000 lbs. space shuttle and towing rig a total of 12 miles this past Friday, delivering the ship to its final resting place at the California Science Center.

As the space shuttle Endeavour nears its final resting place at the California Science Center, a Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck will be responsible for towing it on the shuttle’s last leg of its journey.

Back in late August, Toyota announced its custom vehicle build-off featuring four of its drivers: Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Antron Brown, and Alexis Dejoria. Each driver has now selected their Toyota vehicle and the shop at which it’ll be built, and the customization has begun. 

The pickup truck is an icon that embodies the working spirit. It’s every blue collar employee’s calling card and farmer’s best friend. Truck buyers grow especially close to their vehicles as trucks are a  key tool in earning a living, depending on them to last through days and years of service.

Owners of a 2011 Toyota Tundra should look out for a recall notice, as Toyota will be recalling 502 of them for a wrong label on the pickup truck. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota lists the wrong load-carrying capacity on the faulty labels.

Toyota has teamed up with DC Shoes and West Coast Customs to build a one-of-a-kind Ultimate Motocross Truck, set to debut at this year’s SEMA Show. Based on a Toyota Tundra full-size pickup, the build team used feedback from various Motocross athletes to help create a truck that every motocross rider needs to make an event trip easier.

They’ve been problematic ever since the Feds mandated them back in 2007. Now, the Toyota Tundra is the latest to join the list for Tire Pressure Monitoring System woes.

Given their high center of gravity and the questionable driving abilities of some people, pickup trucks are more often likely to end on their roof than cars and some crossovers. As a result, having a truck that scores high in roof strength tests would seem to be a bonus right?

Toyota is launching its “100 Cars for Good” program, where the company will donate 100 cars to various non-profit groups. Facebook users will choose which groups will receive the vehicles via a voting process.

Toyota is voluntarily recalling 51,000 Tundra pick-up trucks regarding a defect that reportedly occurs in 0.05 percent of Tundras sold. A drive shaft component, known as the slip yoke, may have been casted incorrectly, leading to a possible part failure.

Since it’s introduction in 2007; the current generation Toyota Tundra has had its fair share of issues, but one of the most prominent was a notably bouncy ride, particularly with an unladen bed on rough roads. Although this characteristic is common among all pickup trucks, the Tundra seems to have received more complaints than most. In fact it’s become such an issue that aftermarket companies have offered solutions to address the problem, ballast being the most common, while the complaints from Tundra owners went largely ignored by Toyota.

Kyle Busch isn’t without controversy both on and off the track. And while his fellow NASCAR drivers might have an unflattering thing or two to say about him, there’s no denying Busch is a force to be reckoned with on the race track. In an unprecedented set of events at Bristol, Tennessee, Busch drove two Toyota Camrys and a Toyota Tundra (no… not at the same time) to sweep the NASCAR weekend, becoming the first driver ever to do so.

The three events Busch swept were the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. It was definitely a historic achievement for Toyota’s presence in NASCAR, and for Kyle Busch and his team. Now if only he could play nice with the other drivers.

Official press release available after the break.

When it arrived on the scene, the genuinely full-sized, second generation Toyota Tundra appeared to have the goods to take on the likes of Ford, GM and Dodge. With it’s brawny styling, 381 horsepower iForce 5.7-liter V8 and 10,800 towing capacity, along with Toyota’s reputation for quality, ads declared  “the truck that’s changing it all.” However, after getting off to a healthy start, the Tundra hasn’t enjoyed anywhere near the success its maker originally hoped.