Hum on deceleration

Anymore, I think if there was a hole in the side of the Block they would try to say its normal.

 

Thankfully, the difference between "normal" and "acceptable" still exists. Just because its a "normal characteristic of the vehicle" doesn't mean its okay. My dog could normally bite children in the hands. That's still not acceptable behavior. Remember when, in 2010, Toyota accelerator pedals were getting stuck? That was a normal characteristic of 2.3 million vehicles. It's still shitty; it still warranted a recall.

It's actually worse that that's Toyota's response, because if you follow that logic through, that means they think having a howling, vibrating, buzzing, clunking truck is normal. By definition normal means it's usual, typical, or expected. They are basically saying that this is expected for a Toyota Tacoma to howl. It's typical for these trucks have terrible transmissions.

To me, that's a worse position to take than just saying: we recognize that this is an issue for X number/percentage of owners. We are working to find a permanent solution. We will extend the warranty of the rear differential to 8 years 125k miles.

 

This is a great idea.
Any volunteers?

 

Yeah, I had my truck in last week for my radio and dash lights that go from bright to dim and back to bright many times while driving...

Can you guess the reply I received?

 

GKN
PO Box 55, Ipsley House, Ipsley Church Lane,
Redditch, Worcestershire B98 0TL
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1527 517 715
Fax: +44 (0)1527 517 700

 

Nice, thanks. But the UK?!

 

Yup. GKN is a UK company.

 

Ok all. I finally emailed my dealership yesterday concerning the rear end noise and the condition of the fluid after a mere 4300 kms.
My email in part:

"I have had a rear end howl that has gotten louder over the 4300kms I have put on the truck. It occurs only when I am driving on a decline or on flat road and feathering the throttle. This occurs anywhere from 80 kph and above.
Being the person that I am, I checked the fluid level in the front and rear diff and in the manual transmission the day after I purchased the truck. In my research I had found that many 2016+ Tacomas were being delivered to customers with low fluid in these areas. I requested that the sales dept arrange to have these fluid levels checked for low fluid prior to me taking possession of the truck but they refused. So, I purchased differential fluid and MTF from Trevor the day I picked up the truck in case it was needed. I am aware that the FSM states that 5mm below the fill plug and above is acceptable but the fluid in all three areas were below 5mm. The rear diff required 700ml, the front diff 300ml and the transmission 300ml.
As a preventative measure I recently changed the diff fluid in my rear differential. I am going to attach some pictures of the shmoo stuck to the magnetic drain plug, a towel that I cleaned the drain plug with and a picture of the fluid showing the particles that have contaminated that fluid so completely.
This is not my first tacoma, nor my first time examining used differential fluid.
I’m looking to see what you think of the pictures and what your suggested for a course of action."

Service managers response:

"Thanks for the email regarding your concern of the rear differential fluid condition on your Tacoma. This is not contaminated fluid and is a normal condition . It does not represent any defect in materials it is the product that accumulates as the gears and axles rotate and eventually causes the fluid color to change darker. No action should be taken . I realize that you are quite a distance from our dealership but any local Toyota dealer can test drive your vehicle with you in regards to the noise you hear."

Frankly I am surprised. @BamaToy1997 what do you think?

 

You willing told the dealer you were changing fluids and monkeying around with your diffs? Are you out of your mind? Dealers love cancelling warranties. Make sure you document what fluids you used with receipts and make sure they are OEM approved other wise it sounds like an easy out for them concerning their warranty obligations.

 

Monkeying around? Maintenance is not monkeying around. Canceling warranty, I think you're misunderstanding something.
I diverted from anything the FSM stated.

 

Anything you do to your vehicle outside of a recognized dealership personnel touching it can be considered monkeying around by a dealer or Toyota. It was a tongue in cheek statement but the point is that If you used a non approved fluid or they decide you didn't get the level correct you potentially could lose your warranty on that component.
Courts have already decided that doing your own maintenance is not a breach of warranty as long as you keep good records of what fluids were used and receipts of any parts proving you performed the repair as described in manufacturers repair instructions.
However; a dealer can say anything they want about whether you voided a warranty on a component or not. Most people are obvious irate but are unwilling to force express warranty or breach of warranty obligation disputes all the way to court.
Also 1/2 of the owners ( not saying you ) have no business touching their vehicles...remember the guy that dropped a plug into his transmission trying to top up the fluid level...or the guy(s) that fill the engine with 12 quarts of oil and drain the trans and try to drive it?? easy warranty out for the dealer if ANYTHING goes wrong and shit happens occasionally.

 

I've gone around in circles with this issue for a year and 24,000 miles. I'm completely fucking fed up. I had really thought Toyota would have a TSB out by now. At this point I truly feel like Toyota should be sued for false advertising. Every bit of promotional media associated with the new Taco emphasized how fucking quiet it is. This howl makes this truck louder than my 2002, my 1996 and even my 1988 Toyota trucks. If they are going to call this "normal" then I call bullshit on all their advertising of how quiet these truck are supposed to be. Not to mention, the noise was not at all present when I test drove my truck (started at about 1500 miles or so).

 

good luck winning a court case on noises. Most states recognize "trucks" as loud, vibrating, smelly machines.
But DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. Call an attorney in your state, what harm is there in seeing what he/she has to say. A lawyer will tell you within 30 seconds as to whether you have a case or not and as to whether its worth it to them to pursue.

 

I agree, I didn't say I was going to try it. That's just how I feel. I don't have the time or resources to take on a corporation. Perhaps if we all crash our trucks and say that we were distracted by this terrible noise we could garner some attention.

 

If he were to do the opposite, and claim he didn't touch the fluids and they were able to tell that he DID, he would DEFINITELY lose his chances at a win for lying to them. As long as the fluids he used were of the proper spec, Toyota can't do a thing to his warranty or claim. Especially as he has the complaint already documented at the dealership before he changed his fluids. Easy case to win. Besides, the dealership has ZERO, and I do mean ZERO ability to void a warranty, or deny a warranty repair. That is a corporate decision. All the dealership can do is document their information and submit it to corporate office when asked for it. (Which will happen if this owner ends up contacting corporate office and complaining)

 

^This.

Make no mistake. Since the warranty is provided by Toyota and not by the dealer, if the dealer fucks up and causes long-term damage to your truck, Toyota will tell you it's a dispute between you and the dealer.

Dealer forgot to fill oil in engine: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dealership-forgot-to-put-in-oil-at-6000km.132514/
Dealer forgot to fill oil in engine: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/forgot-to-put-oil-in.455764/
Dealer forgot to fill oil in engine: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/disaster-after-dealer-oil-change.313957/
Dealer overfilled engine oil by 4 quarts: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...nge-at-the-dealer-im-not-happy-at-all.426227/
Dealer installed leaf spring bolt backwards, carving a groove in shackle bracket: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dealer-forgot-to-put-nut-on-leaf-spring-bolt.457601/
Dealer inflated tires to 40 psi: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tire-pressure-40psi-from-dealer.216180/
Dealer incorrectly adjusted brake shoes causing wheel to lock up: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rear-diff-mod-my-truck-is-stuck.477522/

 

absolutely correct. If I mess up timing when Im replacing a timing chain and grenade the engine then the dealer will have to pay for it. It is not the manufacturers fault as they have provided clear repair instructions on how the job is to be performed. Not too sure where this fits into the conversation though...

 

You are correct on a lot but the dealer can and does void warranties all the time. I personally do frequently.
Heres a random situation...a customer comes in complaining that the engine has a noise. I find an aftermarket tuner installed. BAsed on why it popped I can deny your engine right there on the spot and send you an estimate post haste. OR lets pretend you have aftermarket speakers that caused the factory amp to fail. I can deny your warranty on the spot. Corporate does not get involved unless the customer calls and bitches and begs to have their assistance. A FULL warranty dismissal is done on a corporate level but individual components or systems get denied constantly based on what someone did or didn't do to their vehicle.
Dealers are the eyes and ears of the manufacturers. What a dealer says the manufacturers will back up no questions asked. Its not until the situation becomes totally f.u.b.a.r. does a TSE/TSE/FSE ( engineer ) get involved. Only then does any decision made by the dealer get reinforced or overridden by corp. please don't get me wrong though, good dealers are CUSTOMER SERVICE driven as it directly effects their revenue both in service sales and kick backs from the manufacturer. Most dealers spend 10s of thousands every month in money they will never get back in things techs break, buying items for customers, paying people to do things to cars not necessarily covered and what's called " goodwill ". On the flip side deception or trying to get over on the dealer, being difficult to deal with or feeling entitled is met with prejudice.
I do have some experience in these matters...

 

Don't think you can "pull one over" on the dealer either. Youd be frightened and amazed what a dealer can see these days. As an example If you got a fuel system issue well....lemme check what gas you been using

Have a battery or charging system issue? well let me check how much you drive, how you drive and what caused this battery to be run down...

That's just SOME of the random information I can share. You be frightened what I can see.