Soon To Be 3rd Gen Owner

Lemons exist. Your experience is certainly unfortunate, and you have cause to be upset. I would be too. I think you put it best with using this:

Your experience is also unique, and you're disproportionately vocal. It is good to have some well-informed caution, but it gets disproportionate when I hear about your issues in every thread involving third gen issues.


I hope my diff doesn't grenade at 10k. If it does, it'll be replaced under warranty. Lots and lots of third gens out there with way more miles, and no issues.

 

You hear about Smitty's issues in every thread because every time any issue is mentioned someone calls him into it.

And I think Smitty's truck is on its 3rd differential.

And I've said it before, the actual issue lies with how Toyota does NOT seem to care about resolving the real issues.

Just look at how many have been told their vibration, differential noise, clunky shifting, poor mpg, etcetera is "Normal"

And anytime a new member comes in and mentions a problem they are immediately labeled a Troll by the White Knights and then never heard from again after such a warm welcome.

 

This sweet little eye candy pulled me right in here!

SMITTY 4 PREZ!

 

I love mine man. Congrats on the soon to be upgrade.

 

With the tsb done most of the complaints go away mine did.

 

I don't believe posting gods name in vane is a good thing to post. Use some class.

 

Smitty wasn't the only one, my 16 was on diff number two going on three before they agreed to move me into a different truck. Smitty is good peeps. Hard to judge/really know someone through a monitor and keyboard, he gets a bad rap most don't know his back story and assume too.

 

Agreed. You know what else has a diff "howl" my GMC Sierra at 72k and no issues with it. Diff howl has nothing to do with the quality of the diff or it showing some sign of blowing up. It's a completely overblown topic.

 

Oh yeah that must be why toyota engineers and master techs are replacing them right and left.

 

You can jump into any truck and play around with the speed and the throttle until you get the rear dif to whine. My dads Silverado with 400k miles whined. Just because you hear some sound or resonance coming from the diff does not mean it's gonna blow.

 

God damn Toyota, I was lied to and about when I got mine. Have chosen to get the eolian version, no M or A tranny, just a big sail on top of it. Now we have high winds in the area and the sail popped a rope. Should have gotten a steam powered version. If I would have known this will happen with the sail I should have bought the slightly used Yugo on the lot. Great cars.

 

Can I ask you more specifics about your driving habits? Speed? RPM? Where in the "mountains" do you live?

I ask because I also drove an auto that hunted like Elmer Fudd. There has GOT to be something that I am missing here...

 

Sorry but I call bullshit. I've owned half a dozen trucks in my life and several cars including a 1968 GTO which I have today and NONE of them made the noise this tacoma makes.

 

If they addressed the cheap interiors the Tacoma would have a hard time competing at all.

 

He's not as unique as you'd like to think. I think I have all or at least most of the issues he has. So do a ton of other people.

 

Whatever man. I drive trucks for the job I have now and the job I had before this. I drove my buddies 1st gen Tacoma and that thing made all kinds of crazy noises and it's north of 200k and works just fine. i Get it you had a diff blow on you and you are salty about it. Until I see some solid proof that the diff "howl" has something to do with diff failure then I'm not going to believe that it does. You can call bullshit all you want but I'll go jump in that sierra for work tomorrow and hit 55 and listen to that diff howl and keep on rolling down the road.

 

I have a 65 Chevy. The diff howled on it. I opened it up and there was a pin, about an inch in diameter, that held the entire assembly together. It sheered off and melted back into place... it was trashed to the point we couldn't even get it apart to put it back together.

Rear end noise usually does mean a problem... that's why people stuff saw dust in there to shut them up.

 

The noise itself is a problem that needs to be corrected.

Just because you are okay with a howling diff doesn't make it "okay". They shouldn't howl. Regardless of whether or not they fail because of the noise.

 

I'd imagine that made a hell of a racket