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

I have a dclb 4x4 sport that was made in Baja on 2/12/16 with some 265/70/17 Nitto Grapplers and it drives smooth.

 

Mine is super smooth and comfortable. TX build 1/21, DCSB MT V6 OR for what it's worth.

 

Maybe the problem was solved with new models in January 2016?

 

Perhaps, and if so then I'm sure Toyota is working on a way to roll the fix out to the already built trucks experiencing the problem.

 

We should take a poll on what part of the drive train has the problem?
Transmission?
Drive shaft?
Leaf springs?
Bearing?
Engine?

 

What this with the Limited Models? [I own one]. Could it be sabotage? Mine rides like a tank - rough. Driving a Sport until I figure this out. This Sport rides smooth.

 

I have also noticed an abnormally high percentage of owners experiencing vibration have Limited models.

 

Agreed. This sport model is a double cab, made in Texas. No vibration. The transmission feels like the Limited - with out the vibes. Why would the Limited models ride like a base line work truck?

 

It's across all models I've driven and others have reported, from both Texas and Baja plants: SR5, Sport, Off-Road, and Limited. This includes an Off-Road I drove last week with 5 miles on it. Took a few minutes to show up; the engine needed to warm up. Then it was there, bad.

Mine is a Sport manufactured in Texas last October and it vibrates like a nasty beast. Tonight on the way home it was in prime form. Made my hairs stand on end, buzzed my clothes, and caused my dash components to vibrate to the tone of a big bumble bee.

I'm curious that you're finding issue-free ones though.

 

I am determined to figure this out. I have owned many problem free Toyota products. I am not willing to give up on the brand yet. This Sport model drives very well. Gives me hope, that this will work out. My Limited drives like your Sport - "Made my hairs stand on end, buzzed my clothes, and caused my dash components to vibrate to the tone of a big bumble bee." My sympathy.

 

Doobie, just my ten cents: nothing more than a garden-variety CYA form letter. They’re simply covering themselves over what they see as the potential liability: the steering wheel, which is a crucial component to maintaining safe control over the vehicle. My visceral response would be:

Thank you kindly for the inane template response. Let us clarify several matters for the official record. Please respond to each of the following within 30 business days.​

1. Does Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. (“TMS”) and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (“TEMA”) design, test, manufacture, assemble, advertise, promote, distribute, and sell the 2016 Tacoma to the general public with an intentional vibration that is an integral piece of the vehicle’s design and value? ​

2. If so, please explain why TMS has hitherto decided against advertising, promoting, or representing said vibration to consumers? (I'll swing a wild guess. The answer is not “because we here at TMS believe consumers will find it an awesome and welcome surprise!”)​

3. When does TMS plan to begin advertising and promoting said vibration to consumers?​

4. Are TMS and TEMA confident that this vibration, and any concomitant numbness, will not interfere with a driver’s ability to maintain safe control of the vehicle and thus poses no unreasonable safety risk? (Just say it: “nothing abnormal” translates to comfortable, enjoyable, and safe in our view!)​

I’m half-joking but half-serious given the BS corporate responses we all get. Really wouldn’t help though. One would have better luck getting a person to swallow a lump of coal and shit it out as a diamond than getting a corporation to confess potential liability or defects.

While it’s maddening, I don’t believe a CYA form letter reflects what Toyota will do. I still believe direct complaint volume controls. You’ll all doubtless get the canned response email. However, the report still counts toward the specific complaint volume. Eventually, I think corporate will field so many complaints that they’ll tire of hearing about it and authorize a TSB. Look at how hard and long they tried to fix the driveline vibration. That was more of an annoyance than a safety issue. Yet enough people complained.

Drivers do not like vibrations in their vehicles. Toyota has vibration engineers who work to mitigate it. Now, given the way Toyota Corporate responds, they would have you thinking these vibration engineers are there to put vibration into the vehicles—not to eliminate them. But I know many engineers. They take enormous pride in their creations. I don’t believe a good engineer would consider this vibration acceptable. In fact, this would drive them crazy. Things happens despite the best of intentions, and these engineers would likely hunt this down and blast it away as fast as they could if they had the latitude. Perhaps they already have. I think the corporate lawyers, advertising executives, and bean-counters (mostly the lawyers) just get in the way.

Keep plugging, reporting, hunting, and staying optimistic. I’m not ready to give up either.

 

Thanks. My sympathies to you also, especially after hearing you owned your Limited for several thousand miles without issue. May I ask how you got your hands on a Sport? Is your Limited at the dealer for diagnosis and they gave you a Sport loaner? I ask because you're in a unique spot. I would be asking the dealer to drive the Sport and Limited with you; then explain why one has it and the other doesn't, especially if the vib is "normal" and "characteristic." If they can't explain, I'd have them call the regional Field Technical Specialist to come down, drive both with you, and then explain .

 

Can someone post a video of the vibes?

 

It's like, a feeling man.

You can't like, see feelings.

 

If it is vibrating the dash and passenger seat, surely it can be shown in a video. Just trying to get an idea of how bad it actually is.

 

My '16 Limited has the buzz, also. Most noticeable on smooth roads when running between 40 and 55 mph with the engine running at low RPMs. The buzz comes on for about 2 seconds then goes away for about 2 seconds the repeats.... Very frustrating for a truck I just gave $40k for! Also, the 'searching for gears in the tranny' issue was addressed at my local dealer today. They told me the truck has to 'LEARN' how I drive before that will really subside. Hmmmm..... My truck has 600 miles on it, btw.

 

As for the transmission "learning", my understanding is it takes about 1500-2k miles for it to happen. In the meantime, I'm avoiding using the ECT mode until then otherwise it may not "learn" correctly.

 

So, the fact that someone who has experience with a truck that has this issue can drive another truck and find it to drive smooth gives me some hope. Although it makes it quite a head scratcher as well. My assumption till now was all Tacomas had it; just at different levels of intensity, some where it was low enough to not even be an annoyance while driving. But I thought it would be one of those things where if you know exactly what you are looking for, you would always find it...