A Tundra Passed Toyota’s Hammer Test. A Month Later, Its Owner Says the Engine Failed

A 2023 Toyota Tundra owner says his engine failed about a month after it passed the inspection owners call the hammer test, at 63,780 miles.

Owner Gabriel Ctracho posted the account in a Facebook owners' group, and it was picked up by Torque News and then by Pickup Truck + SUV Talk . He says Toyota replaced the engine and wouldn't let the dealership work on the failed one, because it wanted to understand why the truck had passed.

Pickup Truck + SUV Talk says it hasn't seen his repair order or inspection results, and that Toyota hadn't responded to its request for comment.

What the Hammer Test Actually Is

The nickname makes it sound cruder than it is. Toyota's V35A Crank Bearing Inspection is part of the recall over machining debris left in these twin-turbo V6 engines during production, which can cause knocking, rough running, a no-start or a loss of power.

A technician attaches an accelerometer to the engine, strikes the crankshaft pulley with a plastic hammer, and inspection software checks the results and vehicle data. It needs three acceptable measurements before it decides whether the engine has to be replaced.

What a Pass Does and Doesn't Mean

One truck doesn't prove the test is flawed, and nobody outside Toyota has said publicly what failed on this one. It may have nothing to do with the recall condition.

Other owners are passing. A running survey on the Tundras.com forum listed 20 passes and three failures when Pickup Truck + SUV Talk checked on Oct. 30, though that's self-reported and isn't a sample of all trucks.

If you've been through the inspection, keep the repair order showing the date, the mileage and the result. And if your truck starts knocking, running rough or won't start, a past pass isn't a reason to wait. Toyota tells owners with those symptoms to contact a dealer.