Knocking noise when suspension is flexed.

I have a 2014 Tacoma TRD Offroad with less than 1k miles. It is completely stock. The only thing I've changed is the gas. I took it offroad and every time the suspension was flexed there was a loud knocking/popping noise under the truck. Sitting in the drivers seat with the windows down, it sounds as if it's coming from the front end and you can feel it in the floorboard. I went back the next day with a friend. I went over the same terrain with him looking under the truck. He said from there it sounded as if it were coming from the rear end. He was unable to see exactly what it was though. I tried it in 2WD, 2WD with traction control off, 4Hi, 4Lo and 4Lo with a-trac. Had the same noise in all modes. I took it to the dealer along with a video I took of the noise. Technician said he was unable to duplicate the noise therefore nothing was wrong. I offered to take him with me to the trail I went on but his boss denied that. I've read numerous post on here with people having the same noise but it was after they upgraded suspension or their truck was a few years old or something like that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. The noise is really annoying. Everything works fine on the truck it's just really noisy. Thank you in advance.

 

No it is sporadic depending on how much the suspension is flexing. Once it is flexed enough to make the noise though, yes it does it continuously.

 

Yeah that wouldn't be it. The noise I have is definitely metal on metal. Thank you anyway though. Any help is better than none.

 

I would check the sway bar links and the upper mounting points of the coil overs and make sure everything is tight. Mine is a 13 and it's never made any clunking noises when playing.

Mine does make a high pitched noise in the rear, like a chain rattling when the rear tires hit bumps. I'm hoping it's the spare tire chain.

 

Just checked! Coil overs and sway bars are tight.

 

Loose spare swinging around maybe?

 

It's definitely not normal. Call the dealer manager; raise some hell (politely, of course). I have found this is the only way to get Toyota to fix things. No sense of customer service.

 

If it the noise happens when flexing, try jacking the front end up until the tires are off the ground or close to it and see if it makes the same noise. If so, try to safely have someone watch the different parts as you do this. Watch for the spring to see if it's catching and releasing. Watch the ball joints and all other suspension components while they're decompressing.

If you can pin point it before taking it back to the dealer, it will save you a lot of heart ache of having to hassle with them. If they don't hear the noise, they'll just tell you to go away. The clunk definitely isn't normal.

 

i have a little mound in my yard and i run up and down it sometimes to play with the suspension. mine is an 06, but i do remember when it was stock i would hear a pretty loud 'pop' or 'knock', if i turned the wheel all the way to the left (driver side) when i was on flat ground and then went up the little mound flexing the suspension. i always figured it was just bushings being pushed to the limit.


does it happen when you have the front locked? if your turning sharp when it happens and the front is locked it could be just one of the wheels 'hopping' because one is rotating more than the other to make a turn while flexing?

my jeep would do that when i locked the axles on dirt or pavement when i turned sharp, like if i was turning sharp left and not in mud, with the axles locked the passenger side wheel would 'hop' or 'churp' whatever trying to keep the same rotation as the driver side and vice versa, if that makes sense

 

Mount a go pro or have someone record with their phone to replicate the noise and put it on youtube, it will help tremendously.

 

mine does it too. only when going through twisty stuff for me. my best guess is something to do with the bed.

you'll notice these frames aren't exactly rigid and I think the plastic bed twists and makes the noise. check this picture out. notice the deflection?

 

Just posted a video on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_v9PevabYA

 

It only happens when the suspension is twisting. If both front or both back tires hit a bump at the same time (ie....a speed bump) then it does not happen. If front left goes down and front right goes up or vice versa that is when it happens. Again, it doesn't matter what mode i'm in. 2WD, 4Hi, 4Lo, 4Lo with A-trac. Same results with all modes.

 

thats bad, man especially for being new i would bring it back to the dealership. i am guessing faulty bushings on leafs? or arms in the front?

all else fails... i have done this before, i had brought in our old toyota suv because it was having vibration issues but i could not make them happen at the dealership and the techs kept saying they found no issue. after SEVERAL times dropping it off, i got a tech to come ride with me for a while and go through my everyday stuff, then he heard what i was talking about and it was fixed. in that case it was a wheel bearing on the left rear wheel. apparently only acted up after being on the highway awhile or something.

maybe goto the dealership and find a cool tech you like and go with him to speak to the service manager and act like the unhappy customer and request the tech come ride around with you for the day worked for me

 

Yeah I tried that with the dealer but the service manager denied it. Said if he did any work that wasn't on the premises of the dealership then it would have to be on his own time. I think I may just bypass them and write Toyota directly on toyota.com. At first I thought it may be the a-trac. I saw a few threads on here of people saying they had issues like that with the a-trac. One guy even posted a video of a-trac making a bunch of noise like that and said it was normal. I still find that hard to believe too though. I only thought it was that because that was the mode i was in when it first started. I soon realized that it did it no matter the mode. They sure don't make them like they used too. I've got an 86 Yota with the 22r in it. It was my first vehicle. I couldn't even guess how many miles were on it because the odometer has rolled over a few times. I've put that thing through hell and the only thing I've replaced was the started because I sank it in a pond so far that you couldn't see the dash anymore. Once I pulled it out and tried to start it with water in the starter, it fried itself. Thank you everyone for your help. I'm going to give it another try with the dealer. Wish me luck!!!!!

 

yours is similar to mine, but I have much more of a "pop".

about the same frequency, but yours is slow and grumbly and mine is fast.

stand behind your truck and compare bed/cab alignment on both sides

 

I may try that. Anything is possible.

 

as a LONG time buyer of new toyotas and lexus vehicles i will fill you in on some not very good facts, it will save you some time bro...

1. we all know lexus and toyota are the same physically, basically

2. we all know for the same model a lexus costs a good $20,000 more than the similar toyota

3. besides the pretty and comfortable stuff, that $20,000 extra buys you nationwide service direct from toyota and a LOT better and longer warranty. you get treated and your vehicle gets treated the same (required to be) at any dealership in the country, whether you bought it there or not.

4. (i learned this the hard way) toyota dealerships are independently owned and operated, meaning, the local owner makes all decisions on what goes on. PERIOD! corporate toyota has ZERO say-so in stuff like this. if you buy alot of cars/trucks from your local dealer he will give you stuff, otherwise, basically they do not care because why spend extra money when you do not see getting a return on the money spent.

5. lexus on the other hand IS nationwide and the dealerships ARE NOT owner independent. i could call 1-800-25-LEXUS right now and have someone here in an hour. when you buy a lexus you are assigned a service rep! he is your guy/gal, you can call them directly. if i have ANY issues about ANYTHING i can drive up to a dealership in california (i live in louisiana) and instantly they have my full service records, instantly i am issued a loaner vehicle, and everything is taken care of, no ifs, ands, or butts!

6. calling LEXUS corporate causes a shiat storm right away and they will make sure you are taken care of by the nearest dealership immediately!

7. calling toyota corporate they say thanks for calling, we will note the issue, they literally HAVE NO say-so in making a dealership do anything that is not an all out official recall.


i love my tacoma, would not trade it for anything, do not take it as i am bashing tacomas or toyota, it is just the way it is.

 

Just talked to dealership today. Had the tech ride with me to show him the noise in person. after crawling around under the truck for a while as I was going back and forth making the noise, he says that it sounds like it may be coming from the cab mounts. Where the cab mounts to the frame. There is a rubber bushing with a metal bolt going through the center. He said it sounds like one of those is loose and as the truck flexes the nut is slipping and it's the threads sliding in and out of the hole that's making the noise. He's got it torn apart now looking at it to make sure that's it. I'll keep ya'll posted on the results.

 

Well it's fixed finally. Come to find out, the transmission cross member was loose and was rubbing on the frame every time it flexed.