Rear differential recall.

That would qualify as a symptom.

 

Check to see if your VIN is one on the recall

https://vinrcl.safercar.gov/vin/

If they have a fix at hand, that would be fantastic news, as my dealer called me this AM, and said there is no current fix and to keep driving the rental.

 

IMO ,because of the snapping bolts Toyota needs to investigate . FYI - a little about heat treating metal . Depending on the metal , there are specific processes to get the outcome with the specific alloy of metal one wants. Many factors are involved and can be critical to each type of metal depending on it's use.
Simply put , too soft of metal will stretch and may not hold torque. Too hard of metal can cause the bolt to fracture or snap apart.
Some bolts are heat treated for a one time use such as cylinder head bolts so they stretch on the initial torquing and stay put and allow for heating and cooling of the engine etc.
This should have been a non event because making bolts is nothing new for decades and points to an error in the basics of metallurgy . I hope whoever made these bolts did not supply other critical bolts for our trucks , but it was most likely a bad batch of bolts via poor steel quality , or heat treat process .

 

hmm, 17 OR, not on the recall list... looks a bit 'seepy'
in tomorrow for my 8000km, dealer told me on the phone that they'll be running the VIN for the recall

guess I'll see what happens tomorrow

at least if they fix it they'll (probably) check the fluid level!

 

Mine didn't have the leak. Hopefully most of you have it as easy as i did, just lost an hour waiting.

 

At least by the sound of it, if the VIN isn't on the recall list they may go on the warranty side and give you a general fix (maybe not per the recall fix). And they won't confiscate your truck LOL.

I spoke with my recall/inspection guy at my dealer and he seemed a little confused when I told him about people on TW saying their trucks were being kept. Still confuses me why some dealers want to keep the faulty trucks and some act like they've never heard of a dealership doing that.

 

My buddy with an OR took his in. Dealer replaced gasket and used loctite on the bolts. Done under warranty not recall.

 

Perks of not being on the recall list... Yet. Good to hear.

 

I should add that the dealer said cause of leak was due to bolt torque out of spec.

EDIT: And was done in roughly 4hrs.

 

I thought I read it was 3+ hours for the fix.

I've also read and have been told by dealers that NOTHING
is getting fixed for quite some time.

 

Hopefully I'll have a similar report

 

4 hours to replace a pumpkin cover gasket? Dang. Even 3 hours is too long for a competent mechanic.

I assume (and hope) they are doing a vehicle inspection and/or checking other suspect items while it's on the lift.

 

Speaking of a "Pumpkin" the 3RD Gen. rear differential looks odd to me compared to other trucks I've owned in the past..

 

Just came back from dealership, they said they're not even servicing the recalls yet because they've gotten no support in parts or procedure from Toyota yet, and don't expect to for a bit.

 

My 2nd gen doesn't have a removable cover, it's welded. Just the drain/fill plugs and vent tube. Says a lot about their confidence in the internals.

But I just looked up pictures of the 3rd gen rear axle and the cover appears to be welded also. Not sure what gasket is being replaced... but what do I know about 3rd gens anyway.

 

Went in for service and dealer kept my truck for the recall it was leaking with no date of fix..at least they put me in another Tacoma as a rental..

 

My latest status FWIW from the service manager is that Toyota has released the 'procedure' but has not yet provided any parts. Again, no ETA on parts.

Tomorrow, my truck has been in the shop for a week.

 

Shit too bad Lemon law doesn't apply to recalls