2013 Engine Vibration through Steering Wheel at Highway Speeds and during gear down

Hi All,

Seems like a great forum and hoping to connect with other owners.

I am (was) the proud owner of a new 2013 Tacoma 4x4 TRD Sport. Has 1000 miles on it.

In general I am very pleased with the truck, but I noticed that at highway speeds there is an irritating vibration from the engine through the steering column. Its subtle, but after a couple of hours its enough to mark your forearms start to tingle such that you have to flex your hands to get your arm feeling right again.

Took it to the dealer - they don't have any other Tacomas to compare it to, but service manager says he doesn't think its a big deal. Asked me if I had owned a truck before (suggesting that trucks are different from cars - really??). I told him it was unacceptable, and he basically said that there was nothing he could do. Called Toyota and opened a case with them, waiting now to hear back from the dealer. Wondering if there are any other 2013 Tacoma owners that experience same or similar vibration.

I just drove 5500 miles in a week (from Western Canada to Florida) in a Ford Edge with no vibration. I have also never experienced this in other vehicles I have travelled a long distance in/owned (Nissan Titan, GMC1500 gas, GMC2500 Diesel, Mazda B4000, Ford Explorer etc etc).

An additional issue is that the when decelerating the engine revs drop low (6/700) before coming back up as it shifts into first gear. Seems odd to me, but dealer says its normal.

Looking forward to hearing from folks to see if anyone else is experiencing the vibrations or idle issues.

Thanks,

Drew.

 

Any luck any feed back. I think we may have similar issues. But asking people on here that have some of these issues seem to say these are the characteristics of these traucks. I to have had f150/f250/tundras chev all drove smooth.

 

My best advise is go to another dealer. My 2012 is as smooth as silk.

 

Thanks for responses. Dealer is still sticking to their 'this is normal operation'. I opened a case with Toyota. They asked me what I wanted. I replied 'just a truck that works like a $35k purchase should. They are looking into it.

@Tacozilla - If you are having a similar issue I will be sure to keep this thread updated. I am going to work hard to get this addressed as it doesn't seem right to me. I cant even drive more than about 45 minutes now without getting a tingling sensation in my forearms.

 

I notice the same in my 2012 DCLB. Noticeable vibration at 75-85 mph, enough to shake the passenger seat.

 

Appreciate that any info would be helpful. PM me if I can be any assistance.

 

I'd start with a wheel balance - have them pull the weights off and redo it. It's rare, but sometimes a weight gets a little loose and wobbles around. If that doesn't do it, then maybe a tire rotation and alignment. Those are good, inexpensive, starting points.

If it helps, my truck is smooth as butter - even after installing a lift. This should be a fixable problem - nailing down the cause might be a pain, though.

 

Balance the front tires if that does not fix it balance the rears and put them on the front. It is possible you got a bum tire. Stock Tacos are pretty smooth.

 

its not the tires, me and alot of other people seem to think it has to do with the drive shaft and CV angles. my 2010 shakes as well and toyota says its normal.... normal my ass i have driven old trucks to new and single one vibrates like this. look up the vibration topic and read up.

 

look up the thread labeled "steering wheel shake"

 

Mine is not that bad, but I have owned enough trucks to know that there is something that just does not feel right. I noticed today that when on the freeway and going up a slight incline I give it just enough gas to keep it at speed there is the slight vibration from something on the steering wheel and gas pedal. when I let off the gas its smooth as glass no matter what speed. So I am thinking its not tires, wheels bal, alignment.

So trying to figure out if this is normal or its something. When I get sometime I want them to look at the motor mounts and trans mounts, maybe cracked or maybe I am. I do not know.

 

Hey Tacozilla,

It definitely sounds like we are having the same issue. What you say above about going up a slight incline and then then coming off the gas and its as smooth as silk is the same example I have given the guy from Toyota. I am going to experiment today with the engine vibration by using my iPhone and an app that records vibration to see if I can get some actual data on the difference between power on/power off. No idea if it will work or not.

Like you say, its not huge, but it just doesn't feel right. I expect to hear back from Toyota today or tomorrow. I am going to be on the highway for about 4 hours today so will definitely get a chance to experiment.

Like you, I have been wondering if its just me being overly sensitive to the vibration, or having too high expectations. I don't believe its either.

 

Mine does it regardless of throttle, but becomes more pronounced when I hit the gas

 

should be smooth at any and all speeds

the only thing not currently resolvable is some vibration
between 5-25 mph that smooths out above 25


on highway at 60-80-or even 110, it should be smooth as butter

you have an obvious alignment/wheel weight/tire problem, or (rare)
an imbalanced shaft. in no way should this not be covered by dealer IMHO

 

Sounds like the same issue. I am frustrated and I have only had this thing 5 days. Also have a noise that sounds like my blower fan when I turn off the truck it sounds like it rubs then stops. This noise only happens after you have driven the truck. If I start the truck, let it idle then turn it off, no noise. I drive it 10 feet then turn it off I get the noise. My A/C fan switch is also off and this happens.

Another member on here told me that they have put some type of emissions fan/blower on the 2012/2013 models and that is what I am hearing. Do to this noise happening when the fan switch is off, I agree with him. wondering if anyone is also having this issue and is it fixable.

Keep me posted as to what the dealer told you. PM if needed. I am going to try and get some time set aside to take mine to the dealer as well. see what they say. I am sure it will be the same as all the other people on here "its normal". I just need to get it documented with them..


well I can not upload this TSB so here is the number TSB-0249-12 Tacoma driveline vibration. But owners are reporting no difference after work is done. Might have to just deal with it.

 

I thought that it could be the alignment but when you take your foot off the gas it becomes smooth. So it has to do when the engine is under torque. The driveshaft out of balance, could be.

 

Yeah, read my recent post in the thread http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...-driveline-vibration-video-documentation.html

The TSB failed to fix the problem. And Toyota DOES have a problem!!

 

The rep from Toyota and I have missed each others calls the past few days but we are scheduled to connect tomorrow so I will update with the results of that.

I have been putting some miles in over the past few days so I have some more thoughts to share on the potential cause of this issue.

I have noticed that at idle (stationary) there is more of a vibration through the steering wheel and other parts of the cab (center console, gear shift, dash etc) than I would expect there to be. I am thinking that at idle I should barely be able to tell that engine is running. When you turn on the AC (still stationary), and the engine ticks up to accommodate the load the vibration increases. Not drastically, but even if you were only relying on touch (not hearing) you could tell that the engine was working harder because of the increased vibration.

I am not a mechanic, nor even mechanically inclined, but this suggests to me that the vibration is coming from the engine and somehow being transmitted to the chassis (more so than it should be), and then to the steering wheel/cab etc. Given that I am not moving when I can feel this vibration, it seems to suggest it is not transmission, driveshaft, or diff. I am wondering if this issue is as simple as a faulty/loose engine mount or something like that. Additionally, it would suggest that the original explanation I was given by the dealer of it being a 4WD is irrelevant.

I'd love to hear from someone who understands these things to confirm or dispute my hypotheses.

Just want to reiteration that the vibration I am feeling is not severe - just very irritating over short period and fatiguing over a long period. Imagine holding on to a hand-held massager (yeah, that kind) that was set to very low for an extended period of time. That's what it feels like at 70mph.

The crappy thing is that I love just about everything else with this truck. If I can get Toyota to acknowledge and fix this issue they would have a happy customer.

Drew.

 

@Tacozilla - the sound when you turn the engine off is normal (though why anyone would think that such a noise would be OK for a $35000 vehicle is quite beyond me). There is a vid on Youtube of another Taco owner so you can hear that to see if it sounds like yours. Mine sounds a little different.

I just heard from my local dealer. He as a 2013 DC TRD 4x4 in stock. He says he has driven it and it is the same as mine. He has offered that I can go and drive it tomorrow to see if I think its different, but I can tell that his mind is already made up. He is not denying the vibration - just saying it is normal. I asked him what would happen if the new one vibrated the same as mine and he said that I would be unlikely to get my money back but that they might help me trade it in. Um....I would rather just have this truck work properly.

 

Latest update: The dealer has had my truck for a week (as of last evening). All three steps of the TSB failed. They removed the driveshaft and sent it out to a "specialist." When they got it back and tested it (how, I'm not sure), they weren't happy with it. Toyota told them to order a new driveshaft, which they did. It should arrive today. Stay tuned!