Tacoma quality going down hill...

i came from a standard 95 ranger to a 2009 tacoma v6 auto.. so i'm not sure where the problem is heh.. jsut heard there is one

 

My truck's 4WD acuator failed too up on a mountain at 14k. Toyota covered it under warranty ($500) but was one of the reasons I purchased the extended platinum coverage from Troy right before my 3/36 expired. Good post.

 

Just got off the phone with the dealer. They said in addition to needing a new rear diff, I need a new rear right wheel bearing.

OK, I drive an AWD car and parts/labor is around $200. I'm not expecting that it will be too much for the truck.

$600 for a rear wheel bearing on the truck... parts only apparently you can't replace the bearing on its own, you have to replace the hub assembly (as informed by the service advisor).

Anyone have a DIY for a rear hub assembly replacement?

Any leads on inexpensive Toyota parts north of the boarder?

$4000 for this service, and that is with a 15% labor and 10% parts discount.... and I still have:

- no A/C
- no radio reception
- airbag system problem

 

...I'll put this the best way possible. Toyota nowadays is something I wouldnt own without a warranty.

 

Sorry guys I know this thread is 11 pages long, I haven't read every post, tonight i plan on reading more. I just wanted to chime in about every ones repair bills. First why is everyone going back to the dealership? I'm not poking fun I'm just asking, I work at Napa Auto Parts, I talk to "techs" all day long, sorry guys some I wouldn't want anywhere near my truck. I feel like many of you are more disappointed about how much it cost to fix your truck, then the fact that you have to fix your truck. When you take your truck to the dealership to get it fixed you are going to pay much more than a local garage. Me personally, I owed an 88 Toyota, a 03 Dodge Dakota, and I'm buying a 2010 Toyota Tacoma. I never have, and never will go to any shop for repairs; I own a toolbox and can fix my own vehicle. I understand not everyone can fix their own car, but when you take it to the dealership then complain about the bill, you’re kind of asking for it. I have heard many things about the Tacoma that leads me to believe that it isn't what it once was. When I decided to buy a new truck I compare all of the midsize trucks, and was VERY disappointed. There is not one midsize truck on the market today that screams quality. The ones that stuck out to me was Tacoma, Ranger, Frontier. Out of all of them the Tacoma 4cly 4x4 had the best price and performed the best, it actually was impressive performance wise. The Frontier 4x4 doesn't offer a 4cly. In my opinion the Ranger is underpowered for the gas mileage it gets. That’s my two cents, I agree but what else is there? What should someone who wants a midsize truck buy, that’s better than the Tacoma, factoring in every aspect of the truck?

 

Hold on a sec, Buck.

You bought a used, 4-year-old truck, knowing that 05 reliability was less than earlier models. You don't mention whether or not, prior to purchase, you had knowledge of your used truck's previous service record or the previous owner's driving behavior. Yet you're comfortable generalizing the issues with your used truck to all 2nd gens.

Do you see the problem with that reasoning?

You bought a used truck. You acknowledge you were taking chances. Did you have a mechanic check it out before your purchase?

They wouldn't be acceptable on a new truck and would be covered under warranty. On a pre-abused truck, they'd almost be expected.

 

I see it like this, Toyota had to be head & shoulders above big 3 in every aspect to come here & get a market share enough to keep them going. They did that & have conquered some time back(all patriotic feelings aside). I feel they are now kicking back on expenses needed to conquer a market and cruising a bit & maximizing profits in the name of mpg on lighter/cheaper materials. This also feeds into capitalism part on longevity. If it lasts too long then you lose repeat purchases necessary to keep up. They are playing the game. They are not here to conquer & impress, they are in maintain mode & squeeze the most they can out of the whole ball o wax. Quality & longevity suffer in that realm. They'll keep just enough quality there to be ahead of others but not the level that it once was when trying to break into the US market. Shittier than it once was but good enough to still just top what others are doing for advertising purposes. Pretty much the same story for everything, it's where the market has taken us. Embrace the concept nowadays of your choices being the lesser of the crappy instead of how it should be - best of what is good. Take elections for example. Pick the lesser of the bad....

 

You can skip through most of it... it went way off topic.

Only reason why I took it to the dealer because I was told by a family member that their good friend works there and will help me out as much as they can.... but in the end, it wasn't worth it.

I also had it in my local trusted mechanic prior to bringing it to the dealer, and their diagnosis was that the transfer case had to come apart, and it would be $$$$.

I'm disappointed that I have to fix my truck, and how much it is costing me to fix it.

I have tools and a good mechanical aptitude, but very limited time and space to do extensive repairs. Most minor/medium repairs I will take on myself regardless.

I come to the forums to learn about my vehicles. All vehicles have their quirks and quarks. Word of mouth perception of Toyota is that they make quality, reliable (and some go as far to say bomb-proof) vehicles.

From doing my initial research on 2nd gen's, quality and reliability seems to be slipping. I almost purchased an F150 with equivalent features for $4000 less. I went with the Tacoma because bottom line, I wanted a Toyota truck since I had my first truck about 12 years ago. Also, they hold their value better so that was a deciding factor too. It's what deep down I wanted, so I got it. I didn't want to get a Ford because it was cheaper and later on wish I got the Toyota.

I took a chance despite my research.... and hindsight is always 20/20 - right!

I bought the truck from a non-Toyota dealer, not having any previous history other than CarFax and UVIP (Ontario thing similar to CarFax). The truck was registered to one owner only, being a female.

I drove 4h to see the truck, and I walked away because I was playing hardball. I inspected the truck for about 45 minutes. I checked the bump stops on the rear susp. to see if it was used for heavy loads, as it only had the 3 leafs, checked the motor mounts to make sure they were not caved in, checked over everything with a fine tooth comb. Truck had no signs of accidents, body and interior was excellent, and mechanically it was excellent. They ended up accepting my low offer, as I knew they were sitting on it for a while, and they had it delivered.

I am quite competent in determining general condition of a vehicle. Some things you just cant foresee when checking over a vehicle - I don't care how good of a mechanic you are. I did bring it to my mechanic after I purchased it for a look-over and he said that the truck seemed to be in quite good condition.



If you think that Toyota's quality and reliability is as good or better than it once was, I'd say you are mis-informed.

 

Of course, nobody said anything of the sort regarding quality and reliability.

Face it, you bought a used truck that looked great cosmetically but had issues. The seller did her homework and found someone eager for a Tacoma. You yourself judged it to be in excellent shape. Sounds to me like you're unwilling to accept responsibility for your error in judgement regarding your truck and are projecting your issues onto 2nd gens in general.

How many miles on it? Did she give you a good story about why she was selling it?

 

I have a 09 Mexican Taco and at 8k plus it's been so nice and NO problems...
For the OP there are lemons from EVERY builder.

Yuma Taco,

 

Is this is the thread where I say my Truck is Barcelona Red , and other people tell me in reply I have more than 4 wheels with 1 one person citing the steering wheel?

Way too much "..yea but.." "oh yea,well..." and general armchair mechanicing/Ralph Nadering....

ALL HANDS ABANDON THREAD!!!!

 

i just sold a 2008 bmw 335i with 11,000 miles that cost me nearly $50,000. I'm fairly sure it had a bad wheel bearing, it burned through antifreeze, had an issue with the turbos, had idiot lights come on constantly, sounded like a diesel...the list could go on. The fact is, they are mechanical and there are going to be problems. Also, they are made in a factory and if you read up on Six Sigma, you'll see theory on how companies try to decrease the number of bad widgets that come out of their factories. But what you won't find is a factory that puts out perfect widgets every time.

Fortunately for you, there are other truck manufacturers. I don't think this is a cult but rather a passion. Much like loving the same football team even though in 10 years you have different players. Some have brand loyalty and your disappointments, although unfortunate, won't skew most people.

If that type of logic did, nobody would be a Chicaco Cubs fan!

 

Truck had 112K Km's (70K miles). It was bought from a non-Toyota dealer as already stated, not a private sale from the original owner. The original owner returned the vehicle after their lease was up and this dealer purchased it from Toyota.

2nd gens overall have their common issues, as does any other vehicle. With all the common issues you guys on the forums are having with your 2nd gens (not only my specific ones), I am doubting Toyota's infamous good reliability stigma on new vehicles.

Did I take a chance buying the truck I did - Yes.
Did I end up with less than I bargained for - Yes.
Am I unhappy about the situation - Yes.
Should I or am I blaming anyone else for my situation - No.
Am I re-assured that Toyota quality isn't what it use to be perceived as - Yes.

 

If toyotas quality hasn't changed, I don't want one.

I have yet to see a 10 year old toyota pickup that isn't covered in rust.

 

rust has nothing to do with it

 

Rust has nothing to do with quality?

The OPs statement isn't a quality issue, its a used truck thats been jumped too many times problem.

The only quality issue toyota has had has been rust. All other issues are typical manufacturing tolerances that any car company will experience.

 

That is too bad because that is one nice car!


Overall, the North American auto industry is constantly trying to build things cheaper, faster and with leaner workforces. It would have been nice to see Toyota remain towards the top of the reliability tree, but in reality, most manufacturers are failing at this.

I can tell you that our '04 Hyundai was leaps and bounds better than our '84 Hyundai. At lease someone is on the right path.... well, the old Hyundai's had no other choice but to improve. There was no other way to go

Shame that vehicles are made as disposable commodities now a days.

 

yeah but i find any car will rust. i'm in newfoundland surrounded by salt water and salty roads. but if i get the vehicle rust checked every year it hold just as well as any other. a friend of mine jsut sold a 98 4runner without a spot of rust cause he rust checked every year

 

im sorry you have had problems.
i have owned both trucks...and the tacoma wins hands down

 

12,000 miles. Zero problems. That's all I can say. Damn, I probably just jinxed myself.