Let down by 3rd gen

You will read a lot of negatives, but I am truly enjoying mine without any problems.

 

On a 4x4, it gives power to the front wheels. Does not exist on a 4x2.

 

I love my Taco... just sayin...

 

I believe from the above example, why their is so much complaining about 3rd Gen Trks! This is the most tecnically advanced truck I have ever owned. There are to many people buying trucks to look cool and want all the things that are in sports car or high end models to be in trucks but don't really know anything about what they are buying. I see in a lot of these threads " If I spend 39K,40k for a truck I want this or expect that". Toyota is doing a fine job building vehicles with very few problems that will appeal to different buyers. This forum is a very small percent of 3 Gen Trk owners compared to the over all number of owners not complaining. Nothing is perfect in this world if You want it perfect You should have built it!

 

Truth.


Got over 2k miles on my Pro and it beats the sh*t out of my 2008 TRD OR in every way. Love it. Whatever minor issues that may arise I'm pretty confident Toyota will resolve them.

 

FYI, counting for inflation, a basic 1986 SR5 4X4 with a 4 cylinder and 5 speed would cost $28k today. MSRP for the truck was about $11.8k and it looked like this.



That was the top of the line pickup back then. My current TRD OR LB V6 4X4 would have cost 16,700 in the same dollars.

 

My 2nd gen (12/2005) got a new tail gate, exhaust manifolds, leaf springs/shocks, spiral cable and steering column. The driveline vibration was never solved.

Beyond the warranty it needed a lot of replacement parts. When I traded it in 2015 it needed a new frame for 2 reasons, rust and the engine mount issue that 05/06 trucks had.

 

You were let down by the second gen...

 

I didn't think before I posted. I just forgot what it was called.

 

Not entirely. My point is the 2nd gen had major flaws early in its production and Toyota adressed of most of it over the years. The 3rd gen will have all these issues worked out in time.

 

Exactly! If anything thank us beta testers for finding this stuff for the later buyers!

 

Wait you mean to tell me the highly coveted 2nd gens had issues? Get the hell out out here!

 

Well I guest I am one of the lucky ones. My 06 Tacoma 4x4 never had any major issues. I just had minor things go out like the outside temperature reading gauge and the CD player after 5 years. Other than that she gave me 10 years and 240,000 miles of driving pleasure

 

Well all I hear in the 3rd gen section is how great the 2nd gens are and how bad the 3rd gens are. Sometimes I get confused what section I'm posting in

 

They all have quirks and issues, Toyota tends to work them out and stands by their product that's what makes the brand different and for the most part it's still a quality product compared to everything else. Mine has some issues Toyota fixed them all and when I told them I was disappointed in this last Tacoma they helped me rebuild my confidence with great customer service and until that changes I will continue buying Toyotas. Everyone needs to relax. Most of those 2nd gen guys will be buying 2020 3rd gens. Be thankful us beta testers are helping find these things.

 

Yep, I traded my 2015 Tacoma in on my 2016 TRD OR and couldn't be happier. I love mine

 

I'm happy with my purchase, but a lot of the QC issues is due to the fact that these trucks are made in the USA / Mexico.

Let's face reality folks.

Manufacturing process and the people hired to do the work has a lot to do with it. Toyota has been recognized for having one of the best automobile manufacturing processes in the world - more specifically in their factories in Japan. Many of the larger auto manufacturers have attempted to replicate their process, but fail to achieve the same level of quality....ie, toyota factories in the US and Mexico.

It is difficult to replicate the work ethic and pride the workers have at the Japanese plants. In general, the Japanese are proud of their level of quality and tend to have better work ethic vs the labor force in the US/Mexico. I have had the privilege of touring several toyota, ford and gm plants. Lets just say that there's a stark difference. My brother actually works at the ford plant here in Claycomo....the stories I hear...lol. Makes me nervous about buying a Ford F-150. Nonetheless...still good trucks.

I hate to make such a blanket statement, but I feel that a lot of labor force that manufactures automobiles here in the states do not take pride in the work that they do. I'm sure that there are some that are passionate about the work that they do, but unfortunately it's a very small minority. ...A long time ago, Made in USA = the best quality. It's about time we take ownership and go back to taking pride in the work we do, and the goods and services we produce.

 

Agree but also think a lot of these issues such as the diff howl (toyota still dosent know why) are because the truck was rushed to market and little testing was done hence a lot carried over/built on from previous gen things like the whistling control arms, etc wouldn't have been issues if this truck was a long term design/tested.

 

That is an assumption my friend, but you are entitled to your opinion.

Typically, R&D is not the issue. All automobile manufacturers put a lot of weight into research and development. It just does not make sense for a multi billion dollar company to take on such risks. There are always variables that you can and cannot control. R&D is one of those things you can control and it is worth it's weight in gold...Toyota knows this.

Also, Toyota carrying over a lot from the previous generation is actually refuting your point. They do this to reduce risk and of course..$$. They have always done this. If everything was 100% fresh off the blocks....we would have 10x the issues.

 

As is your assumption about manufacturing quality control.
And reinforces my point, oh crap GM is getting back into the midsize market, we need to hurry up and refresh the Tacoma, can't do that quickly redesigning the whole thing. And if the truck was tested long term why are there so many little issues like the transmission update, control arm whistle, all of those would have been noticed in long term testing/development.