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

As an engineer who has to tear down problems and diagnose them, my hope and assumption is that if @DRBANE is able to do this, then Toyota engineering has probably tested this in many more extensive and controlled ways to understand the extent of the issue and where it is originating.

It seems like a problem which is easily diagnosed, especially by the people who built it.

 

Well, we can't make the assumption that they have made any measurements or started working it in earnest. Other than some verbal acknowledgments of the vibrations during some test drives, there is a whole lot of silence on this. And, realistically, Toyota's team that may work issues like this could be spread pretty thin and not have a lot of time to dig in. That's why I've been looking at it myself a bit. Hopefully, if the source(s) are identified, they can quickly confirm & then fix.

 

As a Product Engineer that supports currently manufactured consumer products, I can tell you that unless sales is demanding it be fixed, it saves money, or its a safety issue, it probably isn't top priority.. We have to make sales/customer service push this so that it becomes a priority.

The engineers hands are probably tied with projects that are scheduled months in advance..

 

If so, it's lousy. I can't see how a reasonable company wouldn't have an engineering group watching and improving existing models, especially ones in the early run of production.

 

If they care about their reputation they do but all we can do is hope they are working on it..

 

As someone who is waiting for this issue to be resolved before I purchase, I just got off the phone with Toyota for the 2nd time (1800-331-4331). The first time I called back when the number was first posted at the beginning of February, they basically said they didn't know anything about the issue, and thanked me for calling. This time I got someone who took some time to check for TSBs, recalls, or any info they had, still found nothing, but actually offered to open a case file regarding the matter. So apparently even non-owners can get a case opened up. I encourage anyone holding off like myself to take a few minutes to call and get a case opened up, just to add to the pressure.

 

I do product design and also manufacturing support as well. Priorities are always what stops you from shipping things out the door. Otherwise, there are always going to be degrees of "broken" that need attention, and only so many resources you can afford to throw at it.

 

Yeah that's very understandable. I realize was being overly optimistic and full of high standards. Can't a guy wish on a rainy Friday...

 

We should start bombarding the Toyota Usa face book page....might hurt sales enough to get heard.

 

Man that sounds rough after looking at that graph of movement. No pot holes or anything?

As for my truck only vibration I feel is while braking and it always hits between 25-20 mph. Seems like it might be tire tread or something.

 

Thats a good idea. Not sure if it will hurt sales but more exposure is a good thing.

 

Is anyone reporting this to the NTSB on their site? That will get us quicker resolution I would think as if it's so bad as to cause numbness it is a major safety issue.

 

This thread is starting to take off the last few days.. More new buyers looking for answers... Sorry they have to join this club but it's good for everyone as a whole...

 

The first several runs I definitely hit small pot-holes, mild inclines, and other bumps that were glaringly obvious in the graph. I threw those out as junk and didn't even include those in the post. Found a nice flat stretch on a two-lane street that was smooth with little to no traffic. Did one with light acceleration in the 1000 RPM range for the base line. Then did the other two stretching into the 2000-2300 RPM ranges. Still looked bumpy on the graph but it was spot on when the vibration intensity peaked through the steering wheel. I could see it jump and knew I wasn't hitting potholes or other road turbulence. I know inclines seem to make the vibration worse, so I wanted to try a run on a hill and found one. That was harder to capture. It was a decent incline but on a major three-lane boulevard with more traffic and no easy U-Turn. Then the transmission was shifting more erratic than usual, so it wanted to constantly jump hard and fast past the 2,000 range no matter how much I tried to ease into it on the gas. Thus the last one was short, but I still hit the mark after a few tries. I really need to take off the heavy phone case and then find a way to mount the phone to the wheel. Weekend project.

 

I encourage everyone affected [or want to buy a Tacoma] by this defect to notify local media to the potential public safety danger [numbness in extremities] from this vibration. Thanks to DRBANE there is now data that offers a clearer example. We only need one print / video story to alert the public to this serious threat to public safety. I made my notification tonight.

 

Glad to see this thread really catching some traction. Again my vibes are exactly like explained in this thread but at a level I can tolerate. I would assume there are many trucks like mine out there where guys have just not really paid attention and feel it as just a characteristic of the truck. Mine is annoying but nothing more. I think I have gotten used to it to some extent. I feel for you guys who have it bad enough to park the truck. There has to be an explanation to this if some trucks simply don't have it. The poster above who has a loaner while his is at the dealer drives this point home.

 

This is not a "normal operating condition." Come on down and drive my loaner Sport [made in Texas] - smooth as glass-no vibration. Drive my broken Limited [made in Baja]- runs like an excavator.

 

I encourage you to post the NTSB reporting information so we can prevent a fatal crash due to numbness.

 

Mine is like both of these! Half time smooth other times hummmmy. Same with performance also. Half time its responsive, fast and sporty..other times its like sluggesh and non responsive. Crazy.

 

Agreed. I was trying to say that your example proves that some trucks have this issue and some don't. This means there is something different. Which means it can be fixed.