Broken Taco'

+1

 

Yeah, I get what you're saying. But at the same time, I think something had to go wrong for it to be able to render itself inoperable by switching from 2wd to 4wd back to 2wd. Again, I'm not arguing your point, but Toyota has a reputation for being built like a tank, and if I did something wrong (not admitting that I did, obviously) the technology built into the truck should have detected it and prevented this level of damage. We know for a fact that if you are driving at 60 mph and flip it from Drive to Reverse, that the computer actually puts it in Neutral to protect the transmission. I would have expected something similar to happen if it were not fully engaged in 2wd.

 

You read the manual. Page 245. It doesn't say anything about having to be in motion to switch from 2H to 4H. It says only to engage below 62MPH, not that you have to be moving.

Back in January we had a snowstorm that dumped 3 feet on us overnight. I parked my truck in 2WD that night. When I left for work at 5:30 in the morning I wouldn't have even been able to get moving without 4WD

 

Chit just happens!
This what warranties are for, and Oh how I miss the good old days of manual transfer case engagement.

 

You bring up a great point; there are those situations when you have to start off from a dead stop in 4WD LO, and you can't get to LO without going through 4WD High first. Again, supposed to be one of the greatest off-road capable vehicles in the world, and it broke going through a traffic light. Something's off there, just sayin'

 

spiltbolt, that's an awsome video, do you have access to any more videos like that?

 

I drive my share of trucks plowing in the winter. One of them is a 2nd Gen Taco. It's been great, never broken, even though it goes through a lot of conditions that cause the 4WD system to bind.

OP, this isn't your fault. If it was, the dealership would tell you that it wouldn't be covered under warranty. The manual states to only use it in adverse conditions, but there is absolutely no way you can damage the 4WD system if you're just going in a straight line. It's a truck issue, not a YOU issue

 

Well nothing else went wrong, if you went straight gear would finally jump into 2wd position. You have new truck so there is not a lot of free space there. When you put 30 000 miles than gears will slide easier.
To do what you asking ( prevent stupid action) would mean installing tons of sensor, and people like me already hate all the (protect the dumb) in those trucks. That's why Honda Ridgeline has no transfer case, so people can not f-Ed it up .

 

But he was not going straight he turned . (Something that should not have been done.) it's an absolute no no.

 

As stated in the original post, all lights had gone off, indicating the truck was back in 2WD. Obviously it wasn't, but it was saying it was. That's a truck problem.

Like I said before, we use a Tacoma to plow some smaller lots in the winter. That truck goes through hell and hasn't broken. Our Chevy on the other hand...

 

This is not intended to be a dig at you but just calling out how stupid the scenario sounds...if he were driving his $40K truck straight it would be fine, but he turned, so it broke. Seriously?!? Just take a step back and LISTEN to how that sounds.

 

Seriously? Do you know how many times I've turned at a stop light in 4wd in Vermont? Now sharp into a space not a good idea ....

X2

 

A bicycle.

 

I believe this ^^^ not busting on the OP BUT - I ALWAYS engage the 4WD-HI first even while rolling to a stop BEFORE I engage 4WD-LO... You can stop and go direct into 4WD-LO but I personally never went to 4WD-HI sitting still, engage HI and then turn to 4WD-LO all in the same position. I think of it as a kinda reverse gear in a manual tranny without synchronizers for the 4WD-LO position - must be stopped and "sometimes" I need to move a tad to engage the gears.

When I first got the truck and started using the 4WD - it sometimes didn't want to go into 4wd LO - the more I use it the better it got and now it pretty much engages right away but I still engage the 4WD-HI in gear and rolling before I stop and engage the 4WD-LO.

I'm coming from old Jeeps with 4WD - with a separate shift lever for 4WD - always had to be stopped lock the hubs and then shift - the shifting into 4WD was always a little glitchy and sometimes I had to move the truck a bit to get it engaged.

With the electronic stuff nowadays I think the gears and hardware mainly the same stuff, it's not a jet plane here. Just electronic actuators instead of a locking hub with manual shift lever.
Without the actual feel of the shift knob the operator doesn't know it's not quite in gear ... hit the gas and now we are here now with an f-up transfer case.

I bet the fix will be to disconnect battery wait a few minutes and re-connect. Start truck and back to normal. Actuator hic-up is my bet. They are not very smooth due to the nature of the beast here.

My .02 TIFWIW and price paid.

 

It only sounds stupid if you don't understand difference between 4wd and AWD. You know your truck is 4wd not AWD ?
Every 4wd vehicle does the same thing, AWD desn't care. that's why Toyota removed manual transfer case because people could not engaged and they were girding gears. Next step is Togo ridgeline way and remove button too.

 

But truck wasn't moving so gear was not in full 2wd position...yet. Light went off because it wasn't in 4hi position. Toyota wrote in manual to "Shift when speed below 62 MPH" they did not write stopped or with speed below 62MPH.
English is my second language and even I understand that.

 

Well, if the actuator thinks your in 4wd, it's assuming you know it's not supposed to be on pavement and turning. It doesn't register the terrain youre on. The truck doesn't have a failsafe system for stopping people from using 4wd on pavement.

I'm not saying it's your fault, sounds like a faulty equipment sending a bad signal.

 

See, now you're just getting rude . Yeah, I know it's a 4wd. No, I'm not an expert on the new technology - my last 4wd was a '76 FJ40 and it was all manual and was mainly just driven in the woods. Maybe it does make a difference when you can actually feel the gear slip in and engage, but like I said, all the bells and whistles on this brand new and expensive truck said it was in 2wd and ready to drive. So I'm sticking to my own opinion - it's stupid to believe that it broke because it was turning through an intersection. Afterall, we're not talking about any tight turns here - turning through a large multi-lane intersection involves very little turning of the wheel in the first place. If the difference between 0 and 10 degrees of the steering wheel makes or breaks (literally) this truck, then Toyota can keep it. But I don't think that's the case, so I'll happily keep driving it after they fix it

 

Even on pavement, on such a small turn, with such a small distance driven, the tires (with some binding), should just slip through and let the truck go.