Updated 7/13: Droning or Howling Noise (Drivetrain? Rear End?) Video

I know this has been mentioned in other threads but wanted to start my own as I now have video of the noise as well. Note I have already plugged the holes in the front LCAs and this video is taken at about 60mph on freeway, noise increases as throttle is not applied (so like on a very slight decline) however this is mostly a flat roadway.

I know others are experiencing this problem but do not recall any finite solutions to the issue. I plan to bring it up to the dealer during my appointment next week. Will update as I hear from them.

The noise is loud enough now where I can hear it over my radio in some cases. I'm sure Toyota will tell me it's normal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpaUEjnKpzI

 

what tires?

 

OEM

 

What are the OEM on your truck? I know different models come with different tires....My OEM Rugged terrains have became stupid loud after they got 10k or so on them, and now at 20k they are noisy as a damn dick cepek knock off mud grip

 

TRD OR all come with GY Kevlars. It's not the tires.

 

Im sure its not, but I was throwing it out there before someone else does....

That howl is similar to my 15 when the rear differential took a shit @ 8k miles. The carrier bearing had worn out dropped the driveshaft angle and caused the ring gear to slowly implode

 

That is what I'm guessing is going on. My truck is completely stock except for the mudflaps.

 

mine is too

 

Under what conditions would you hear the noise and were you able to replicate in those conditions? Or did it just howl/drone all of the time at certain speeds? If I apply throttle the noise goes away but if I'm coasting down the freeway it is nearly constant and gets louder if I start coasting down a hill (the less throttle applied) Also what was the repair parts and labor that they had to make?

 

Mine was around 50-60mph coasting and less throttle like you said. It would be stupid loud at 50-55 and disappear at 60ish The repair/parts were new carrier bearing, new differential gasket, fluid and new rear differential assembly. Took them about 1 hour and it was back on the road.

 

I have it too, had the dealer look at it they said they didn't hear anything. I can replicate it 100% of the time on the freeway with light throttle at 59 mph exactly (radio off though). I told them to take it on the freeway and they would hear it. They responded with "the freeway is too far away (5 miles), our techs are too busy to just go for long test drives anytime someone feels like it. Your truck only has 5000 miles on it, it is still breaking in."

I had the day off so I was in no mindset to bitch and argue all day about it, it howls, if there is a problem that makes the diff howl, it is a bearing that isn't set correct or gears that arent quite meshed correctly (I had a diff fail on my last truck), it will absolutely 100% not make it through the 60k power train warranty without being completely undeniable, so whatever, if it is because of that I'll see them again later.

 

I understand your situation on it. I simply can't deal with the noise any longer. This truck is too new and I paid too much for it to just live with it. If I have to I will schedule an appointment with them to ride along with me in the truck. Luckily this particular dealer is literally right off the freeway, not even 300 yards away.... I doubt they'll have a problem taking it on the freeway. If they do I will be raising hell with corporate again. My 2003 Ford Ranger had 160k miles on it and drove/sounded better than this thing.

 

My dealer tech put the truck on the lift that allows the wheels to hang, jumped in the truck, tossed it in drive, and hit the gas pedal. The wheels freespinning in the air without road noise really enabled him to hear it really good.

 

The first step will be getting them to admit to hearing it, but maybe you can reference this new mysterious TSB to see if they can figure anything else out about it:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...as-under-my-truck.432460/page-3#post-12731709

 

FYI. I changed the OEM tires to ultra quiet Michelin tires and the howl did not go away.

Also, someone mentioned a while back that they installed a 6ft. long foam pipe wrap/insulation between the cab and bed in order to minimize the noise coming into the cab. The horizontal section was installed just below the vent openings at the back of the cab. I have not tried this yet, but I did purchase the pipe wrap today.

I am reluctant to install the pipe wrap section since I go thru border patrol checkpoints on various highways in south Texas and New Mexico. The agents may view the non-standard piece as a place to hide contraband which will be hassle as they will either rip it out or X-ray the truck.

 

Mine does it too. It's on my list of grievances. Mine is even louder. At first the dealer said they couldn't replicate it. After demanding that a tech ride along with me I was able to get him to admit he heard it but their stance is that it's normal. I'm not waiting on my dealer to get another manual transmission truck in stock so that I can drive it and poke a hole in their stance of it being normal.

I mentioned it to Toyota Corporate along with a few other things (manual transmission stuck in gear, vibration while braking, etc.). The girl that I was speaking to was very compassionate and said that my list of complaints was longer than any that she's had before and that I'd definitely hear back from the 2nd tier case manager the following day. When he called, he was the biggest douche that I've ever spoken to. His name was Danny Castro and he claimed to be the regional manager for the Kansas City region. He flat out told me that they weren't going to do anything for any of my complaints. No concessions, no good luck, nothing. Just thank you for your money, now piss off. When I asked to speak to someone else he said 'I'm the only person that you are going to talk to about this.'

It has to be the differential. The sound comes on right as I give it barely enough gas to keep speed. If I either give it more gas or let off of the gas, it completely goes away. Tire noise would be constant with speed. In my experience, sounds that are throttle sensitive are usually related to the differential.

 

May the fleas of 10,000 camels infest Mr Castro's scrotal region

 

Mine does this too. My 06 was quiet, but it was an sr5 4x4.

The dealer verified the sound, but said it was normal diff whine.

I can hear mine with the stereo set to about 20 on the volume on FM. Above 20 will begin to overtake the whine.

It may be normal or common , but it remains to be seen if it will result in a problem.

Differentials do whine though. Put yours in 4lo and you'll hear the front diff/xfer case whine. So, some is normal but the rear diff whine is unusually loud.

Any 3rd gen rear diff failures out there? Not really seeing that many but not many miles on them at this point.

 

Seen a few myself; preload was not correct.

 

Yes there have been a few.