2016 TRD Excessive Shifter Shake. Dealer Says Normal!

Hi folks, I hope someone can help me out. Last week I picked up my brand new 2016 TRD Off Road Access Cab (standard tranny) truck. It had 14km on it when I drove it off the lot. I noticed that when I hit any bumps the shifter would bounce side to side. Hitting a standard manhole cover at city speeds would bounce the shifter, at higher speeds it would bounce right out of my hand, and the front end of the truck feels unstable coming out of the bump. My first mistake was not turning around and going directly back to the dealership. But.. since it was the end of the day and I was starving, I decided to email the dealership as soon as I got home, which I did.

The salesman talked to service guys, told me that was not normal, and asked me to bring the truck back so they could look at it. I had appointments on Friday, but brought the truck back in on Monday. While waiting for the service dept to look at my truck I took another one out for a test drive and verified that this was not normal. I waited 3 hours at the dealership, and my truck didn't move from where I parked it. All the service manager did was call the Toyota engineers in Toronto, and he was just waiting for them to call back. I got tired of waiting and drove a Corolla loaner home.

Yesterday afternoon I got an email from the service dept saying that the engineers say this is "normal operation" and I can come pick my truck up anytime. I told them I disagree, and I will not be picking my truck up until the shifter responds like the other TRD I drove. I emailed the general manager - he ignored me. I am doing everything in email so I have a written record, and no chance of someone telling me "I didn't say that".

Here's what I really need.. other owners of 2016 TRD manual transmissions to tell me what their shifter is like. Does it bounce all over the place like a $1000 used Jeep? Or does it stay where it's supposed to like every other manual tranny I've driven in the last 20 years?

Thanks in advance.

Derek.

 

OP just a thought ..... in some states in the USA, we have a 7 day rule to return a new vehicle. If you are not happy with it take it back to the dealership and return it or exchange it. It sounds like YOU know things are not right. It is great getting opinions, but if you keep it to long you will be stuck with the problem; when you have just said the "other" Taco was fine.

Please let us know how you make out.

Good Luck.

 

First things first, did you test drive this truck before signing papers? If so, how did it feel on the test drive. If not, well, now you know you should have. Second, take your salesman and service advisor for a drive and ask them them the big question, Would you accept this if it was yours? If by chance there is another manual available, have them drive that one also and compare. It doesn't seem like it should be normal operation.

 

Thanks for the idea, but that doesn't exist in Canada (unfortunately).

 

Correct.. my first mistake is not test driving the truck before signing the papers. I test drove a different truck a month earlier, ordered mine at that time, and waited for it to come in on the train. I never expected a problem with a brand new Toyota (it's not a domestic truck after all) so I never thought to check out a truck that had only 14km on it.

I did take the service manager for a drive and he agreed that this was not normal. Instead of looking into it, though, he just bounce passed the whole thing to Toronto, and took off on vacation for 2 days.

I drove another truck (same one I originally test drove I think) on Monday when I dropped off mine, and it absolutely does not have the same problem.

 

Does it bounce out of gear? I'm conused. All manuals I have had will vibrate side to side and jiggle around as you hit bumps and dips. I'll try and take a video of mine later today.

 

It doesn't bounce out of gear. It's like the whole transmission is swinging side to side. I figured it was something simple like a broken tranny or motor mount, but I don't think the dealership even put the truck on a lift to check it out. Last I looked it was still right where I parked it.

Jiggling around a bit on bumps isn't the issue here. The shifter will travel about 3" to each side of where it should be when I hit a bump on the highway. Not normal unless you're in a beat up old truck or Jeep IMHO.

 

My doesn't do that at all and I hang on to the shifter pretty much all the ime ,,I would take it to another dealer ,,

 

Mine moves a fair amount. I'll take a video so we have some baseline to help out the OP.

 

Thanks for the info! I have also talked to another dealer in the next closest city, and they seem to be just as baffled as I am. The salesman I talked to told me "Oh no.. that's not normal at all" when I told him what is happening. He told me to call Toyota Canada so this gets escalated. I'm waiting for them to open now. I'm also waiting for my lawyer to call me back.

I'm a new Customer to Toyota too! This is my first experience with Toyota. After researching trucks for 6 months I was SURE I had the right one picked out. Now I'm getting more disgusted by the minute, and I want to push the whole deal back across the table, walk away, and buy some $2000 sh&tbox to drive into the ground instead. I can go through 27 of those before I hit what I paid for this piece of JUNK!

 

Thank you! This will be very helpful. If there is an issue with other trucks maybe there is a recall coming to address it.

 

video it (or it didn't happen)

1) go drive yours, video the wobble

2) go test drive a new 2016 same tranny type, video that on the same part of the street the first one wobbled, same speed

armed with this evidence no one can refuse to fix it

 

Perhaps they should check the engine and transmission mounts to make sure they are tight.

 

Bingo.

That said, it had better move SOME. If the engine and/or tranny were rigidly mounted you'd be shearing bolts and bad things would happen. So depending on how you hit a bump it should be moving around. That's what it's designed to do. It is just more exaggerated since the shift lever is longer than in a car. Just picked up our new truck 2 days ago and took it on and off road. The shift lever moves around but it doesn't rip out of my hand or anything.

 

1- I can't. It's now at the dealership, and I just got off the phone with my lawyer, who advised I leave it there.

2- I did. It was fine.

Apparently this dealership has no problem refusing to fix it unfortunately.

 

This is where I focused right from the start as well, and I told them so right from the beginning. As far as I can tell they have not even wheeled the truck into a service bay.

 

My shifter moves about 3" on each side of center when I hit a typical bump on the highway. The front end also seems more unstable coming out of the bump than I would expect, but I haven't had the chance to drive the vehicle enough to really tell what is going on there.

 

video a good truck now

and when (if) you get no results from dealer, video yours next

make it clear and easy to see you are doing the same driving in the same places to reproduce
problem.


so, it is gonna get fixed just collect evidence if in this phase they do not fix it, they will
have to fix it later you'll have proof

 

Good idea, localhost.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get video before dropping the truck at the dealer, where it currently sits. On advise of my lawyer, I am leaving the truck there. I have sent him a 7 page detailed account of everything that has happened so far, and he is currently drafting a letter that he will fax over there.

I was going to grab it out of there today and bring it to the other dealership I have been talking to, but my lawyer advised against this. Now we wait I guess.

Gotta say... pretty disappointed in my first ever experience with Toyota. This is not at all like what I have been told I could expect from Toyota. Dodge? Of course.