Buzzy Vibration at certain RPM's..read before buying!

I'm not a mechanic but I do remember reading another thread about a droning noise folks are getting at certain speeds. The person in that thread said he had his truck at the dealer with corporate folks for the noise and he overheard those corporate people mentioning that they (Toyota) also needed to look at the new engine and how the exhaust system works. So perhaps it is related.

I did mention the cold weather behavior to the field technical specialist on our test drive. He said "hmm, that's interesting" but didn't really say anything else. It has to get really cold for mine to go away. Yesterday we dipped down to 11 degrees and it was gone. But it's back into the 40s today and the buzz is back in full swing. Seems like 20 degrees and below is the mark.

I am going to try that hose clamp, as I am curious now.

 

I have a 2016 4x4 TRD Off Road Access Cab V6 Auto with this vibration / buzzing condition.

The buzzing sensation can be felt in the pedals, floorboard, steering wheel and the passenger floorboard.
It does cause a tingling sensation in the hands and feet. Which feels like: "pins and needles", "numbness", "sensation that you cannot tell if your feet are hot or cold", etc...

It is most noticeable around the 2100 - 3000 RPM range, but can be felt in lower RPM's. I feel it from 1200 - 2100 range also.
It displays this condition mostly with a light load on the engine. Gear selection and speed doesn't seem to matter. I can feel it in any gear and at any speed.
Light to moderate engine load and RPM's seem to be the key.

I would describe it more as a buzzing sensation rather than a vibration. Mainly because I believe people would normally associate the word vibration to an out of balance wheel / tire scenario. Which I would not believe is the case here. The truck does not shimmy and the steering wheel does not rock (pulsate) left and right.

I too like member gen3 in his post #200 Unusual Vibration at certain RPM's noticed or it seems that the vibrations felt can match the exhaust tones / notes.

I did call Toyota and dealership originally. The dealership and I took it for a test drive and they confirmed "vibration under load around 2000 RPM".
We then test drove another new similar vehicle on the lot, 4x4 OR DC V6 Auto. "Observed same vibration which is normal and characteristic."

I have called the dealership and Toyota again about this issue. The dealership will look at this some more and I now have a case manager from Toyota.

 

True, it is a buzz like an electric razor (sometimes even stronger than that) and not a shudder you'd feel on a driveline vibration. What fascinates me is how much this differs on each truck. Most that I test-drove didn't have it; however, I never test-drove one past an hour, so I couldn't say it wouldn't have shown up later. My father's Limited has it, and it took a day to show up. But it is so light that you'd be hard pressed to notice. If mine were like that, I'd not even take it in or make an issue of it. Yet some, like mine, have it pretty hard: I mean, it buzzes at a frequency and intensity that resonates through my pants and shoes to the point where the buzz in the pants and shoes buzz my skin. And when you hold the wheel, it goes to your bone and you'll do anything to get out of that range. I'm coming from a '14 Tacoma that never had any issues, so this was a surprise. I said "wow, what in the world is this?" Never felt anything like that in a truck before. I know it's a truck and I know that no two will be alike. Just a fascinating piece of this puzzle to me.

 

The thing that fascinates me is that is goes away when the air temps are cold. That has to be something that should help diagnose the issue. The motor should run at the same temp in hot air or cold air. So it seems like maybe it is something besides the motor like exhaust, or???

 

Finally got around to calling Toyota for mine; I have a case number now. The representative I spoke with said he had not heard of these issues with the '16 yet. Which may be true, I guess. I was hoping to hear, "Yes, we are aware, and our best team is on it."

 

Hey Everyone,

I'm new to this forum but wanted to add more information to this post. I'm a recently new Taco owner (first time) and am somewhat disappointed with this driveline vibration, pending a fix or resolution to it by Toyota.

For starters, I just purchased a brand new 2016 Tacoma Limited 4x4 and have driven about 300 miles on it so far. During the test drive, I picked up on the vibration in the gas pedal almost immediately. I asked the sales advisor what it could be and he thought it was the cold air (it was about 30 degrees that day) and wasn't too worried about it. Since I had my mind set on the truck, I decided to purchase and am now concerned about the same vibration everyone else is feeling. Note: I also drove a 2016 TRD Off-Road 4x4 and felt it somewhat but not to the extent of my Limited.

Symptoms: In the high 1k to mid 2k rpm you can feel a consistent vibration in the gas pedal and engine buzzing noise when under load. I feel this about 80% of the time under different acceleration conditions and have replicated both on the highway when mashing the pedal to pass vehicles, but also driving around town at low speeds.

I researched this problem via Google to see if others have been experiencing this and I came across a similar post on Toyota Forum: The 2nd to last post on this thread from "Taco Cruiser" states that it could be an ECU update issue that Toyota is working on, but seems to be unconfirmed? Does anyone have an update from their service advisors on this or has a Toyota case manager acknowledged an issue?

I have yet to see a service department yet but I want to have as much ammo as possible before I visit one/call Toyota for a case number.

Looking forward to further discussion on this with everyone else! Hope we can get a resolution soon (I'm in the military and am driving this truck across country).

 

Last theory I heard was that it might be a resonance in the exhaust during load. I'm hoping that changes as some carbon builds up.

 

Sounds like you have the same issue many of us here have to differing degrees. I made some progress with an evaluation by a field technical specialists; the OP made more with an engineering team site visit next month. There's also been some helpful recommendations by other members here, although I haven't had time to try them yet. But I wouldn't rely on these alone. My service department was candid and said the more people that report it, the better the chances Toyota will address it.

I would save yourself a visit to the dealership because all they will do is drive another truck, find the same issue, and call it normal for now. As another member pointed out in this thread, it's not that the service techs don't want to help. Rather, it's all they can do until Toyota comes out with a way for the techs to address it. So my advice instead would be to open a case with Toyota in writing by visiting http://www.toyota.com/support/#!/app/ask. Provide your VIN, include the solid description of the issue you wrote above, tell them you know others have reported the same issue, and ask that your case be added to the collective list. Then politely ask that they forward your note to Toyota's regional office and provide you with a case manager that will assist you with seeing this problem through to a resolution.

I'll share any news I get, and I'm sure others will too.

 

Oh, they are aware of it...they are trained to say that.....

 

Make the call to Toyota customer care. The more people who call, the faster and more efficiently we will have this issue resolved.

I read that same thing about an ECU update....nothing else I can find on it, and the Asst Service Manager at my dealership, who is also my service consultant, says there is nothing out there, yet; however, they are being told that "Toyota is aware of the issue and are working on a solution." He's not a BSer, so I would have a tendency to believe him.

DRBANE, myself, and several others all agree, this is unacceptable for a $40k truck(actually, unacceptable for a $20k truck, IMHO...not that there are any out there) ....and since some have the problem and others don't, you would hope that they will be able to find what separates them apart and fix ours....

 

Thanks for the feedback...I've never heard anything like that before, but would be interested to see if that's the culprit.

 

DRBANE - I really appreciate that feedback and I'll be putting that request in through the link you provided tonight. I think if all of us maintain some semblance of updating one another if we hear any feedback from Toyota, we can expedite the resolution of this problem. I'll make sure to post any updates after I hear a reply from Toyota.

 

You're welcome. I wish I had more but there is nothing official as of now. As Doobiewah mentions, the call or email to Toyota is crucial. I prefer the email because that ensures they document exactly what I wrote and want documented. And Toyota is good about responding. They will respond to you by email and with a phone call.

 

Just an update that I e-mailed Toyota and received an incident number on the auto-reply. I'll be sure to post an update after I hear from them, which I'm assuming will be after Christmas or so.

 

Fantastic! Thank you for adding your complaint to the collective!

 

I was having a similar issue and was getting blown off by Toyota but it has gone away Not sure what the deal was....

 

You really think the Taco rides better then the FJC does? I have a 2015 Taco and a 2014 FJC and there is no comparison on which one rides and handles better. FJC hands down. I have the DCSB TRD OR package on the Taco but I have the OR package on the FJC.

 

The engine, power delivery, etc. on the FJC is better, IMHO. My Limited handles better overall than the FJC at speed and the longer wheelbase helps, too; however, if they can't get rid of this vibration issue, I have to admit I made a mistake trading the FJC in, as I did like it a lot.

 

Yeah I got one of those as well. A few days went by and no calls, so I called the 1-800 number. They told me that was not an official case number yet...

But hopefully you'll get a call soon!

 

Thanks for the heads up! It looks like I'll be giving them a ring first thing Monday morning to check on status. Will keep everyone posted.