Vibration On 09 Tac TRD Off Road

Hi, I have a 09 Tacoma V6 auto TRD Off-Road, bought it new & have put on about 13k miles. I have had vibration in the floor & somewhat in the steering. Got 4 new Michelins from Costco, but still not much relief. Any ideas? Took it to 2 different dealerships, they test drove & said it was normal. This is my 3rd Tacoma, but the others I had in the past (2000 & 2006) drove much better. Any opinions?

Thanks.
Shawn.

 

Sorry to hear about your problem. Dealerships (imo most of the time) don't care about your troubles. With that said...

Take them in your truck and point out the problem. Then get in one of their NEW 09's without the vibration sounds and then tell them they need to fix your truck. Document all your attempts and if they refuse to help write directly to Toyota Public Relations.

I hope you kept your stock tires because i'm 99% sure they will end up saying that your Costco tires are the problem even though the vibration happened before... GL and keep us updated.

 

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your input, & I would definitely check the links you have provided.

Here are some findings from my end:

My truck was built in Mexico, I wish I had known beforehand --- I have had several quality issues over the period of months. For example, I have noticed hissing sound from the windows when cruising at highway speeds. Anyhow, I live in Texas - Dallas Metro area, & the many of the roads here are rough, that is why many vibration related problems get masked, they come & go, & the problem becomes apparent on a smooth road. The Toyota dealerships so far have not been able to impress me, let alone a tedious task to troubleshoot vibration, that would be way too much to ask.

I had the driveshaft checked & corrected at a local axle place --- it was .020 inches (twenty thousands of an inch) off, & according to my research it should be within .003 to .005 (three to five thousands), which is an extreme precision. Driveshaft is made by Spicer-Dana, if anyone wants to Google it. It was an-all-day task at the shop, & cost about 160 bucks. My ride is a lot better now, but not as good my previous 2006 Tacoma, that in fact was a TRD Sport & drove like a charm, & was built in good sunny California. Vibs had been mostly between 55 to 60 mph.

Second: I have found that the way OEM aluminum wheels are machined in Tacoma, they are NOT centered on the hub, but centered on the WHEEL LUGS, which is not a good design from wheel balancing stand-point. That means there should be a lug-centric adaptor to correctly balance the wheels/tries, & Toyota has that at the dealerships, & it ALL depends on the understanding of the fellow-balancer to use the correct adaptor.

3rd: There is some pedal vib when idling & cruising. Many auto makers have used hydraulic mounts (fore & aft) to smooth the vibs, not sure how mine looks like. This would be my next chore. I’ll be doing some more homework & will keep the info posted.

Cheers!
Shawn.