If you’re seeking to find a reliable truck for towing, then the Toyota Tundra will most probably be on your checklist. It is a major contender when it comes to towing among the various popular modern trucks.
In recent past years, the Toyota Tundra trucks have shown pretty decent towing characteristics that have made them reliable for the task. However, the towing capacity numbers of the Tundra seem to fall short when compared to others from some manufacturers.
If you’re seeking information on the 2000-2021 Toyota Tundra towing capacity, then here’s all the information you need.
Toyota Tundra Overview
The Toyota Tundra truck was first manufactured in 1999 in the USA by Toyota Company. It has seen three generations of production, with the latest truck available for the 2022 calendar year.
About the truck’s towing capacities, there are a handful of specs to factor in. Some of them included engine choices, modes of transmission, and bed size, among others. The Engine size was the most significant towing capacity determining factor, just like in all other trucks.
In general, newer trucks had higher towing capacities than older models, mainly due to advancements in their constructions.
Toyota used unique engine codes to distinguish individual engine types on the Toyota Tundra trucks. Before we look at the towing capacities, let’s look into the codes and decipher their meanings.
Toyota Tundra Engine Codes
- 5VZ-FE: 3.4L V6 Engine
- 1GR-FE: 4.0L V6 Engine
- 2UZ-FE: 4.7L V6 Engine
- 1UR-FE: 4.6L V8 Engine
- 3UR-FE: 5.7L V8 Engine
- 3UR-FBE: 5.7L V8 Engine (E85 Ethanol Compatible)
To determine your truck’s exact towing capacity from the charts, you’ll need to put into account all the following pieces of information;
- The truck’s model number
- The engine type
- Cab type
- Driving system
- Bed type
- GCWR
- Grade (in some models)
Let’s look into the absolute towing capacity values now, shall we?
2020-2021 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
In 2020 and 2021, Toyota Tundra produced a single-engine type, unlike in all previous years. However, these two years still record different towing capacities for different Toyota Tundra models, based on their bed length, driving system, and bed type differences.
The 2020-2021 Toyota Tundra towing capacity is rated at 7,800-10,200lbs.
2019 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
The 2019 Toyota Tundra models had three engines; 1UR-FE, 3URFE, and 3 UR-FBE. Moreover, the trucks came with 2WD and 4WD drivetrains and two-bed configurations (standard & long)
The overall 2019 Toyota Tundra Towing capacity is 6,400-10,200 pounds.
The 1UR-FE engines had the lowest towing capacities, ranging between 6,400 and 6,800 pounds. The rest had similar towing capacities that came in between 7,800-10,200lbs.
2015-2018 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
The 2015-2018 Toyota Tundra trucks had similar engine characteristics. The towing capacities were close to those of the 2019 Toyota Tundra.
The overall towing capacities of the 2015-2018 Toyota Tundras were 6,400-10,500lbs across all available models. However, you had to link up your model code, bed length, engine, and drive train configuration to get an accurate figure.
Again, the lowest towing capacities came from the 1UR-FE engines, with an overall towing capacity of 6,400-6,800 pounds. The 3UR-FE and 3UR-FBE took the upper hand with a towing capacity of 7,800-10,500lbs.
2010-2014 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
The 2010-2014 Toyota Tundra models had four engines. These were the 1GR-FE, 1UR-FE, 3UR-FE, and 3UR-FBE.
The 1GR-FE had the lowest towing capacity, with a range of 4,500-5,200lbs. For this range, the average towing capacity was at 4,500-10,500 pounds. The 1UR-FE came in at slightly higher figures, recording 6,200-9,000 pounds maximum towing capacity.
The remaining two engines were V8 models and had the highest towing capacities for these model years. The 3UR-FE and 3UR-FBE both averaged at 7,700-10,500 pounds.
2009 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
We had four engines for the 2009 model year Toyota Tundra. The engines were the 1GR-FE, 2UZ-FE, 3UR-FE, and 3UR-FBE.
The engines were better labeled as the 4.0L V6, 4.7L V8, 5.7L V8, and 5.7L V8.
The 1GR-FE had the smallest towing capacity, owing to its comparatively smaller size than the rest. It averaged at 4,800-5,100 pounds.
The 2UZ-FE came in second, with towing capacities ranging between 6,200-8,500 pounds. The remaining two V8 engines had a combined maximum towing capacity of 8,100-10,800. However, the 3UR-FE was the better of the two.
2007-2008 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
We had three engine options in 2008; the 1GR-FE, 2UZ-FE, and 3UR-FE. The overall towing capacity of the 2007 & 2008 Toyota Tundra models was 4,800-10,800lbs. The smallest engine, the 1GR-FE, recorded the lowest average maximum towing capacity at 4,800-5,100lbs.
The 2UZ-FE comes with a higher capacity at 6,200-8,500 pounds. On the other hand, the larger 3UR-FE came in with the highest maximum towing capacity at 8,100-10,800lbs.
2005-2006 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
The Toyota Tundra 2005 and 2006 towing charts were identical. Both years featured two engine models; the 1GR-FE and 2UZ-FE.
Their combined overall towing capacity was 4,900-7,300lbs.
The weaker 1GR-FE had a towing capacity of 5,000-5,200lbs. The 2UZ-FE was more robust than the former and recorded a maximum towing capacity of 4,900-7,300 pounds.
2003-2004 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
We had two engine models for Toyota Tundras in the model years 2003 and 2004. These were the 2UZ-FE and 5VZ-FE. The 2UZ-FE was the stronger engine of the two and offered a maximum towing capacity of 4,900-7,300 pounds. The same range was used as the total average towing capacity for all Toyota Tundra models within the two years.
On the other hand, the 5VZ-FE was the weaker engine option and came with a maximum towing capacity averaging 5,000-5,200 pounds.
2000-2002 Toyota Tundra Towing Capacity
The Toyota Tundra models produced between 2000 and 2002 had the same engine options as those in the succeeding two years. However, the towing figures were slightly different.
The engine models in the 2000-2002 Toyota Tundra models were the 2UZ-FE and 5VZ-FE. Their combined average towing capacity was 4,750-7,200 pounds. The 2UZ-FE had greater towing capacities than the 5VZ-FE.
Which Specs Affect Towing Capacity?
Towing in the Toyota Tundra is affected by several factors.
Engines
Like in all other trucks, the Toyota Tundra’s towing capacity is primarily affected by the engine type installed. By looking at the towing charts and characteristics, you’ll notice that the larger-sized engine models recorded higher capacities. Again, V6 models were inferior to V8 engine models.
Cab Styles
Cab configurations also play a significant role in the towing capacities of different Toyota Tundra trucks in the discussed years. You will need to confirm your cab configuration to get an accurate towing capacity from the charts.
Other Variables
Other variables like the mode of transmission, bed length, and mode of transmission also struck minor differences in the towing capacities.
Conclusion
Those are the 2000-2021 Toyota Tundra towing capacities. However, if you need to achieve slightly higher towing capacities than the ones mentioned, you must install additional towing packages. There’s a towing capacity you shouldn’t exceed, so it is important to always confirm from your manual.
Bonus: Ford Ranger Towing Capacity [2000 – 2021]
