Tacoma Dirty Secrets?

Be advised, while you get a full sized spare tire, the wheel it comes on does not match the four wheels on the truck, so you really can't put it into the tire rotation without the truck looking stupid.

 

I've read about throw-out bearing issues/problems, but it shouldn't be a show-stopper if you want an MT.

I came over from Jeep too. (01 XJ, lifted, locked, etc)

The major components over here in the world of Toyota (engine, frame, brakes, transmission) are pretty much good to go. The suspension in stock form is what I consider to be very capable. It's no loaded Rubicon out of the box, but it hauls plenty, tows more and chances are it won't let you down.

Plus, like Jeeps, Tacomas/FJs are a great canvass for modification and enjoy a fair amount of aftermarket support.

My $.02, keep the change.

 

Howdy,

Back in May I traded my 2006 lifted and armored Jeep LJ in for a 2011 Tacoma Access Cab 4x4 SR5 and do not regret it. I am getting twice the gas mileage and have even more room for gear.

These are not so easy and cheap to lift and run 35's as our Jeeps and from what I been reading are not as great of rock crawlers without major mods (which is what I am into).

LOL wait til you price bumpers and sliders for these trucks!!! OUCH!!

But all that being said, I love the truck and the nice ride it provides vs the LJ and will not miss the "death wobble".

I have decided if I am going to do serious crawling then I am gonna get a buggy and this Taco can pull it no problem.

 

double post

 

you wont regreat it....i love jeeps and if i build a rock rig it would be a stripped jeep but if you want a great ridding ,reliable truck to mod and offroad and use as a DD then you canot beat a tacoma...1st gens are more rugged,2nd gens are more comfy and roomy....both get the job done......if you like offroading and dont need interior room i recomend a 1st gen ext cab trd off road...if you need a roomy truck for family and gear get a 2nd gen double cab.....4cyl and 6cyl. are both great so are the 5sp,6spd maunals and also the 4spd,5spd autos....with that being said ive owned and modded chevys,fords,jeeps,an old nissan and several toyotas....my 06 trd sport is probly my favorite truck yet

 

This is my third Tacoma.. an 01 off road 4x4, 06 sport 4x4, and now the 09 off road 4x4.. the off roads are great man. The locker and the Atrac in the 09+.. thy are tanks. I've never had an Issue with any of them besides the occasional rattle, blower motor squeak which can easily be fixed, and an alternator died on the 01. no drivetrain, engine, or suspension issues. I came from a 98 Wrangler as well and dont regret one second of owning my tacos.. the only issue I have.. THEY ARE ADDICTING.. lol. go with a v6 four door trd off road and you won't be disappointed.

 

The true "dirty little secret" regarding Toyota....

...Waterpumps and their gaskets.

(Still love my truck though!)

 

Well the manual transmission gets worse mileage than the auto. The auto is also rumored to be a little bit stronger. The trd offroad has a locker in the rear, the sport has limited slip. lifting it causes vibration issues or wandering on some, but is usually cured with uca's.

 

We have both a 08 Jeep Wrangler Sahara and a 011 Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab and live way up in the mountains of East Tennessee.

To be honest, once we moved up here, it has been a constant vehicle upgrage, the 08 Mazda 3 got traded in on the 08 Sahara in March 09, when the vehicle got stuck in the driveway daily due to snow and ice. The 07 Ram 1500ST 2wd with four studded snow tires got traded for a 11 Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab when it could ONLY make it up the driveway with 1,000lbs of sandbags in the bag.

Now the Tacoma gets far more use than the Wrangler does, but that might change when the wrangler gets new tires next spring when the snows come off next. As for mechanical issues, there have been NONE with the Tacoma....NONE.

The Jeep needed upgraded shocks out of the box, now it needs a brake job due to a warped rotor, it gone to the dealer repeated times, and they finally rebuilt the gear box due to popping out of gear. In our opinion, the Tacoma is a superior vehicle, and it actually cheaper. Gas mileage is the same, and the back seats of the Wrangler are terrible to get in and out of.

While we don't do trails (the 62 Dodge Military Power Wagon, M37 is our backwoods vehicle), we do drive on unpaved mountain roads almost every day...

Oh, both vehicles are still on stock rubber (with dedicated snows on rims for the winter), and we are looking forward to improvement with new aftermarket tires.

Howard

 

I am a former Jeep owner... and now I am on my 3rd 4WD OFF ROAD TACOMA (5 year leases) with a combined total of 268,000 miles driven...

These trucks are so good, I can't see ever driving anything else. The key is reliability... they don't break down and very little ever fails or needs fixing.

Tacoma #1 was a 2001 extra cab 4WD Off Road TRD:
Nothing failed, and at 90,000 miles a drip from the water pump was seen, so it was replaced.

Tacoma #2 was a 2005 double cab 4WD Off Road:
Brakes made intermittent noise when it was only 8,000 miles old and ended with new pads installed after a few more thousand miles.
The rear springs were too soft and allowed the truck to bottom out with any passengers or bed load, when hitting bumps (I added Ride Rite Air Springs to solve that).
The 'clock spring' wire harness failed and caused the air bag warning light to come on.

Tacoma #3 is a 2010 double cab 4WD Off Road:
No problems, the rear springs don't need help like the '05 did and now at nearly 30,000 miles and is the best Tacoma yet...

My friend has a Jeep Rubicon, and after every trip to Baja he seems to have to fix something else. When I come back from a Baja trip, I use my truck to go to work the next day!

 

IT'S A TRAP!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piVnArp9ZE0?version=3

 

Depending on what you do with it, expect to replace your wheel bearings every 4-5 years or so, and likely your front diff bearings are shot from factory.

 

hahahaha

 

Any one have problems with drive shaft balance or center bearing? Is going to a single peice drive shaft a good idea?

 

Any down side to straight shaft?

 

The only problem I have with my 08 DC is the overhead temperature gauge is not 100% accurate and I have not been able to find a way to adjust or calibrate it. It is only for reading outside temperature. Then again it is not really that big of a deal.

 

Im having problems with vibration and cant quite figure out if its coming from the center bearing or balance of drive shafts or both. By the time i get them both balanced.$160. Then have the center bearing bought $200 and pressed on $50. Im right about the same as having a new drive shaft made.

 

but the vibrations from the front diff after lifting can be replaced to fix the problem correct?

 

Tacoma's are way more reliable, I am a Jeep man and love Jeeps but would take a Taco over a Jeep for a daily driver any day simply because of reliability and durability. Tacoma's are sturdy and tough trucks. My only complaint on mine so far is the squeaky leafs, but I am going to eventually do the bicycle tube trick to fix that.
When browsing for a vehicle I was considering a Jeep Rubicon 4 door, but decided against it because the engine sucks and the quality of them are just not as good as a Toyota, plus the Tacoma had better safety ratings and better MPG ratings.

 

Best answer ever. I laughed out loud sitting in a room all by myself dying of laughter.