Toyota recalling 228,000 Tacoma's due to oil leaks and possible loss of control of vehicle

Yep.

 

I was being Facetious as Toyota's answer to everything is thats normal....

 

Haha.. My tacoma has been at the dealer since May 1st. They also gave me a 2017 Nissan frontier as a rental. As much as I miss my tacoma, the frontier does drive better and it's saving me gas money haha.

 

Took my 2016 OR in on 5/5, for the rear diff leak. Re-torqued and sent me on my way, after discussing with Toyota corporate. They also ordered the rear diff gasket, which came in on the 15th. Just had it replaced on the 18th. So without being on the recall list, it still took 10 days to get the part. Covered under warranty. Service order stated that the leak was caused directly from being improperly torqued to begin with... Go figure!

 

So spoke with the service manager when picking up my truck yesterday. He said Toyota has no fix or parts for the diff leak. He said his guys just got back from training and the only thing Toyota is saying to do now is tighten bolts and inspect at the next maintenance to make sure it's not leaking. He pulled up the bulletin on the computer and it showed exactly that.

I questioned why they would not open the diff to inspect and make sure there is no damage. He just kept saying Toyota has no fix for it.

Makes me pretty nervous for sure. You think the first thing would be to inspect for damage. I feel like I have a time bomb in my diff now.

Definitely going to call corporate and start a case with them.

 

I don't think this is a "time bomb" type of situation. It's simply a gasket leak. Probably due to a faulty gasket design or wrong torque at the factory. The danger is that in a severe case, the diff would leak all its oil out. It would easily self destruct at that point. If you just have an oil stain or no stain at all there is nothing to be gained by opening the diff case up "just in case". If you have a wet oil drip, that's a different story. Otherwise, stop worrying and just drive it.

I don't know why it's so magical for Toyota to acquire proper gaskets and nuts to do the repair tho.

 

Update:

After dropping of my Off-Road for 15k service, among other services. I made it clear that I would like the rear gasket changed as there was weeping around the whole diff. He was already aware of the recall on the SR5s and sports.

So later that day he calls with update. After tech got ahold of it, and came and conversed with service rep, they called corporate. Corporate told them to just torque the bolts to spec and clean the diff. He told them the customer (me) wants the gasket replaced as well; mind you, I was already paying out of pocket for a rear diff service (got fluid changed over to Amsoil). He said that corporate told him all they would pay for via warranty was the re-torque of the bolts... So that's all they could do; i.e. they weren't going to pay for the tech's time out of their own pocket to change the gasket.

So, long story long, they just torqued the bolts to 33 ft. lbs, wiped the diff clean, and then did my fluid service... So at least I guess I know it's full, with a better and slightly heavier oil.

Told him before I left, look I know you can only do warranty work on what Toyota is going to cover the costs of, but the first sign of a weep, stain, etc.... Hell if I just get a damn sixth sense that the fluid is getting past the gasket, I'll be back, and we'll be at it again, and again and again until you're just tired of seeing me. I work at home and have nothing but time.

 

They retorqued to 33ft/lbs? The spec is 18 for the recalled trucks.

 

Taking mine in Monday for oil change and other various issues including rear diff. Going out of town next Friday for Memorial Weekend and have a few trips in June/July. Here are some pics, I don't see any leakage, but what do you think from your own experiences so far??

Thanks!

 

No leak found at this time, set the toe and let it go!

 

Mike determined your leaking rear diff is "normal for the vehicle"

 

I guess my thought is, they claim the "thud" was being caused by the diff. Seems if enough fluid leaked to cause it to thud, it may have internal damage. Im no diff expert though.

 

My thoughts exactly. I'm retired, I have nothing but time, and I have an 8-year/125,000 mile warranty, so I'll be doing the same thing if I get any initial push-back from the dealer about a new gasket and bolts. That's a damn long time to have to put up with me bitchin'. If they want to stay out of lemon law territory, they'll need to fix it correctly before they hit their third strike.

 

You can take the risk of trying to remedy these issues yourself or you can choose to hold Toyota accountable to fix the problems. Not everyone has the knowledge, skill, tools or time to start taking shit apart on their $35,000 vehicle nor should they have to. Raise Hell with Toyota, if the dealer doesn't help, call corporate open a case and try another dealer until you find someone who will listen. Raise Hell online in reviews, write letters, write emails, etc. You deserve to make as much stink as you want as far as I'm concerned. You're the consumer and deserve to get a working product free from defects or at least fixed.

 

Just got mine back from the 5K service. No visible leak which I knew before taking it in. They just tightened the bolts and sent me on my way.

 

That's what the paperwork says, torqued bolts to 33 ft. lbs. Honestly I've seen both posted the last couple of weeks... I don't care anymore, I just assumed they'd shear the fuckers off and give me a new rear diff. Fucking shit is starting to piss me off.

 

Sounds good but i haven't seen any posts where someone has actually done this. Anyone that has actually done this want to let us know what happened, either signing something (pls post what you had to sign) or insisted on taking the truck without signing and succeeded?

 

Gaskets leaking or wrong torque applied to fasteners happens ALL the time.Unless to a visible drip,I'd wait until they have all the parts for the fix! Yes,it's a pain,and it shouldn't happen ,but reality is,its mechanical and things fail.If there is a puddle underneath have it towed to dealer.