check engine and trac off light

2016 tacoma sr5 with tow and apperance package, MGM

2 days old, only 141 miles and this happens. i was heading to work on H2 north just past ka uka blvd overpass when the check engine and trac off lights came on. was going about 60mph and truck started to decrease speed to 40mph. no matter how much i pressed the gas pedal i could not go more than 40mph. truck is at the dealership now getting checked out.

 

I'm sorry to hear about that. But that's not how you tow a RWD vehicle.

 

cant see it in the pic but they put a rear dolly also.

 

yea me too. while on the side if the road i tried restarting the truck and sometimes had a rough idle and felt a loss of RPM to the point where it felt like the truck was going to shut off.

 

Gosh, that's a shame, and more than a little disappointing.

I wish you luck, and please let us know how it turns out.

Frank

 

too bad its not like subaru when that comes on you just disconnect the battery then it goes away. funny, subaru knows it does that but have no idea why it does that haha.

but that sucks on brand new truck.

 

yea im a little dissapointed but for some reason i still like the truck. i hope the dealership just tells me they will give me a new one or might have to trade in for a 4runner TRD PRO.lol

 

Your truck likely is in "safe" mode - runs enough so you can pull over and call for a tow!! Hopefully its something simple and all they have to do is reboot/reset. That's not a good thing with the truck in safe mode usually something serious or hopefully a loose wire on a sensor (more likely).

I had a timing CHAIN stretch in my Honda that threw the CEL, every automatic that had the same issue in the Honda had to get towed but in the M/T I could drive around NP and save up the coin to get the timing chain replaced (ouch).

 

This is correct. In mechanic or tech terms it's called limp mode. The vehicle computers detect something wrong with the vehicle and then it puts the car in limp mode. Still driveable but just enough to where you could pull over in a shopping center or on the side just as bobrown was saying. I wonder if the trac/VSC is on the same CAN network as the ECM. If so, then if something went wrong with the trac/VSC system it could also illuminate the CEL or vise versa. Sorry to hear this. Hopefully it works out

 

Hope all goes well. Keep us posted.

 

what did the tow cost you? I would have driven to the dealer at 40mph

 

so far dealership stating that they are unsure of the problem and will keep the vehicle till monday and see if they can find a solution.

fortunately i work with the towing company that i called so was free. i initially tried using the road side assistance but they said my account didnt show roadside assistance. im guessing they didnt process the paperwork yet since the truck is 2 days old.

 

Should he have lifted from the rear wheels instead?

 

If it threw a CEL it should throw a code. I'm curious to know what the code was

 

when i pick up the truck, hopefully monday ill try ask the dealership for the codes.

 

Either that or have a dolly on the rear wheels like he actually did. The best way to tow any vehicle is on a flatbed. The main thing is to keep any drive wheels from moving on pavement.

 

What is a "CEL"
Edit is it check engine light?

 

I have seen a report on this in a Tacoma before. (one of the last builds at NUMMI before they stopped production)
It was caused by a soft set wire harness connection. It vibrated loose once it have a couple hundred miles on it. Hopefully its a simple as this for you.

 

I had those lights come on and the truck did run a little rough. Turns out my gas cap was not screwed on properly.