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

Wow, informative posts over the last 24-hours. Hands and foot on a professional sanding machine (or chainsaw) at times is spot-on what I’ve said before. Nice to see that data to corroborate. Now I don’t feel like just a complaining old(ish) man whose grown bitter and oversensitive with age. Sure am interested in the other members driving issue-free trucks and having this drop, then driving loaners without issue. @Patrick1046, I feel for you. This didn't show up on my Limited until a few hundred miles in, but I've forgotten what "normal, smooth as glass" felt like. @Doobiewah, the legal response was also depressing.

I’ve added my voice with the dealer visit and reporting to the Toyota case manager level in early February. The dealership documented the problem but couldn’t do anything without a concrete fix procedure from Toyota. When I then got a call-back from an assigned case manager Monique Sherri, she shut me down pretty hard (and admittedly set me off). Once I got to the case manager level, I sensed that was as far as I could go. Everything seemed to funnel back to that same case manager. I called back once to add information and the front-line rep told me she’d forward it to Monique, who call me back within one business day. I said, NO, I don’t want a call back or more correspondence with her. The rep said any calls or requests funnel through the assigned case manager with a standard 1-day call back. So I asked the gal to disregard and politely ended the call. I just don’t have it in me to deal with the same case manager and response again. I suppose I could request a new case manager somehow. Not sure how else to press with you all.

Anyway, I’m glad you many of you are making some progress with dealers and Toyota’s help line. I’m struck by how disjointed the responses and evaluations seem across dealerships and customer representatives, but I guess that’s to be expected with such a massive operation. Thank you for the testing and results. Keeps me optimistic and patient.

 

Well, I also work on a product (used by more than hundreds of millions of people around the world), and yes things get shipped with some degree of problems sometimes. But a serious issue that would negatively affect even 1% of users - I assure you we will be all over it and fixing it prioritizing it over new things if needed be.

 

I'm not sure who is currently driving the "smooth as glass" Toyota Tacoma but please if it is a loaner vehicle please take a picture of the VIN number and post it so we can all let Toyota know that these trucks do exist...

 

The loaner has 1600 miles on, yes- it is smooth as glass. My Limited was smooth as well at 1600. Something "moved" at 2200 miles and now I can't drive it as I said [loaner] was made in Texas in January 2016. My broken Tacoma was made on a Friday in December 2015-Baja plant...

 

Gotcha. Mine was made in Baja also in October. I will be in for my 10,000 mile checkup in about a month I'm going to test drive everyone they have on a lot and see if I can find a good one.The last time I drove by the dealer a couple weeks ago they had about eight or nine on the lot but yet they say they are selling as fast as they get them...

 

How is yours running at 10K? This loaner is a double cab sport -runs like it should - smooth...

 

@Patrick1046 have you pointed the dealer to this thread? The reason why I ask is I am wondering if they are open to considering some of the observations listed here. Have they opened their own technical case with Toyota on your truck? Just curious if you know the status on what's been looked at or checked for your Limited.

 

Sir - the issue with my truck has been acknowledged and the vehicle was taken off the road. That is why I am in a loaner. What Toyota plans to do is still a mystery to me. I will update you all when I know the resolution.

 

I will be 50 years old this year I've owned well over 40 vehicles in my lifetime and this is the most unsatisfying vehicle I have ever owned bar none! It has been unpleasant from day one. There is nothing like this vibration in any vehicle ever. Maybe 5 or six times for 10 minute stretches the problem has disappeared. With those few times it was nice just to daydream what it would and should be like... I have never taken anyone to court in my life nor do I want to but if there was one thing that sticks out that would be worth it is this situation it is that frustrating...

 

I can totally relate--I have owned 30 vehicles in my life and I have never owed anything this expensive that could not be driven at 2200 miles. I still think there is something to do with the plant / parts. The root cause of this will probably be one defective part.

 

sorry to hear some or you are having this buzzy/vibration issue. I have the sport with around 2600 miles so far and NO issues with this. I did have a howl sound from rear end, but warranty replaced the differential gears and it was fixed. Love this truck. Hope you get the problem fixed soon.

 

There is hope. It seems like @Patrick1046 vehicle is one of the few the dealer has held on to for any amount of time. I mean, hell, they even gave him a long term loaner. This means the dealer is doing something. Why would they let a customer rack up miles on a loaner if they are not at least working with Toyota to fix it. Just a thought but it seems promissing.

 

Hope, yes - remember I own multiple Toyota vehicles. This is not right. Hang in there everyone. This will work out.

 

Hi Jeff.

Could you comment on the differential howl noise? I own a 2016 TRD-OR and have none of the vibration issues mentioned in this thread, but I do have what I see as excessive noise in the cockpit. In another thread it is discussed as possibly noise from the cabin vents. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cab-noise.397446/ but perhaps its not and something else, such as your differential noise. I would like to hear more on your issue (as would others, I assume)..

 

I have you by more than a decade and I couldn't agree with you more! My 1999 HD Road King has smoother handlebars at speed than the steering wheel on this $40k truck. I occasionally, too, get this eerie smoothness and think that maybe it's all gone, only to have my moment of hope shattered by the buzzy vibration re-surfacing it's ugly head just moments later. Not sure, though, that I'd ever take Toyota to court, unless my hands/arms get numb and that causes me to lose control in an emergency situation. Toyota has until the '17's come out to get this fixed; otherwise, I'm trading it in and Toyota (which has been my vehicle of choice since my 20's) will never get a sale from me, again, because of my financial loss that I'll have to take (I usually keep my vehicles 5-7 years). The 'legendary' Toyota reliability/trade-in value is great; however, if I can't drive the vehicle I own on any long trips, I might as well not own it. As it is, we are racking up many more miles on our Avalon Hybrid than we wanted and it will be traded in a year or more sooner than we planned. If the truck is not fixed, then the replacement for the Avalon will not be another Toyota, either.

 

doobiewah how many truck have you driven since discovering this problem? What percent have the vibration problem? Have you found any 4x4 off roads with the vibration?

 

I looked on the NTSB site and there is only ONE report of the vibration/buzzing from Colorado.

 

the noise was a low "wolf cry howl sound" around 55 mph. This sound only happened when you let off the gas pedal...when you push down on the gas pedal again, the noise went away; therefore, it was not a wind related howl sound as described in other threads (fixed by plugging some holes the swing arm area). So, after riding around town with the chief Toyota mechanic, he too heard this sound. After he called the Toyota Factory/engineers, we learned they where aware of the problem and have a fix procedure in place. Next, the Factory sent the replacement differential gears to swap them out....problem fixed. Warranty covered everything.

 

A half dozen....in a few, it was barely noticeable. In others, same or worse than mine. The senior Master Mechanic at my dealership (55 YO with 30+ years as a tech) told me that he can feel it in every truck he's driven...he told me mine was the first.....but not the worst, BTW. As to the O/R model, originally, it seemed that they were the least likely to have the issue; however, in the end, it seems across the model line with the V6, both manual and automatic trans, mostly 4x4; however, probably only because they don't sell that many 4x2's (same with M/T....).

 

Jeff
Thanks for the reply. OK, does not sound like my issue. I'd bet its just the vent noise others have mentioned. Been looking for the RPM related vibration that others are feeling, but just don't seem to have it.