Diff howl

I’m at about 12k and the rear diff howl is getting worse. I have a Monday appointment to get it looked at but worried they say it’s normal.

Has anyone actually got their truck back fixed?

 

Different issue. OP, be prepared for a uphill battle with the dealership and corporate. I went to two different dealerships all told me it was " normal" when there their techs knew it wasn't. I did ride alongs with my shop foreman and techs. The Field Service Tech will come out and do his check ride. He has ultimate say.

 

has anyone made a video/sound of the diff howl, I am not sure about whether mine has it, or is it that noticeable?

 

It’s pretty obvious and you should be able to make it happen essentially on command. There’s a video of it somewhere but I’m not about to dig through that mega thread to find it.

Go like 55mph +/- 5. Take your foot entirely off the gas and then start just barely feathering the throttle again until you hear it. For me it sounds kind of like a higher pitch whine. Once you find the sweet spot you should be able to make it do it consistently. When my truck first began doing it, it was almost always right between 55-60mph. Now it’s more between 50 and 55.

That said between a fluid change and the roof rack I barely hear it anymore; but it’s still there.

OA

 

Just take a the shop forman for a ride and have them note the noise on the work order. Do it a few times and then just keep driving it. If it fails after the warranty period you will have several complaints on record where they acknowledged the noise and did nothing.

Turn up the radio and keep going. If it's normal you will have many years of reliable if a bit whiney service from your truck. If not, you will get it fixed at no cost to you (except maybe the cost of a letter to Toyota from an attorney citing all your work orders).

 

The last time I did a vin check it showed no recalls. I was thinking of changing the oil to see if that helps. If the music is off it is fairly annoying. I hate having to go to the dealer, they never seem to impress. Maybe I’ll get lucky but doubt it.

 

I talked to a few lemon lawyers about my case. They said it would be hard to prove, they'd have to hire expert witnesses to go against Toyotas engineers. Lawyers are very lazy when a case requires any work and they dont think the payout is that great. Most of them just view the differential as a " sound" I had to explain to them this is what supports the rear axle when your tires spin. For them they want the clear cut case of " rod knock" or the vehicle is inoperable... So they want to pick À la carte of the available supply of lemon cases out there.

I had proper evidence 3 or more attempts and a summary prepared for each Lawyer. Most of them basically said contact them if it locks up or gets worse. Cant make this stuff up!!

 

It's a business. If you ran a business would you not want the obvious cases? Lawyers dont exist to help people, they exist to make money.

 

My father is a personal injury lawyer. I grew up in this, so I understand. But lemon lawyers work off contingencies and are usually paid back my the auto companies if they win the case in court. The plaintiff or client is usually never charged for lemon law.


I think the best thing to do is trade in the Tacoma and walk away from it. Let Toyota understand the 3rd gen is a failure..

 

what the hell is the sound, like something faint and barely perceptible in the distance,
or something loud enough you really notice

because I have superman hearing, and all vehicles emit noise, whirrs, ...etc. my truck
makes noise but nothing that stands out as a problem. you got metal gears and a
metal motor stuff is gonna make noise, but from outside the vehicle driving by, the sound of the tires rolling should be what you hear, not much else

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3MnEdMSS-I

 

Oh yeah that is a howl. got it. I ain't got that. damn...thanks

 

Well, it kinda is. It might do that forever and then the dealer rep would be 100% correct. You don't like the sound of it but it doesn't break then it's not a problem for Toyota. You get it documented now so if it does actually become an issue later - you are on record as having been complaining about it since it was still covered under warranty. You aren't going to sue Toyota when/if it breaks. You are going to have an attorney send a letter for an hour of his time that basically says "Hi, I'm a hungry lawyer. My client's truck broke like he told you it was going to. You agreed there was a noise but didn't want to look in to it further. Replacing a diff is cheaper than taking the next step with me."

So... there isn't anything you are going to do NOW except drive it or sell it. Mine has been doing it for 10k miles without getting worse and I've been towing in the mountains at 99% of the tow rating. But I've three pieces of paper from each service I've had done so far that say "Observed high pitched sound at 48-52MPH while trailing the throttle. It is a normal characteristic of the vehicle." We shall see if that is the case. It does not bother me to be right or wrong.

 

If you guys follow the rabbit hole down. You'll find Hino motors a contractor for Toyota is responsible for these quality control issues. They're the ones behind the leaky gaskets under the NHTSA recall, whinning differentials, Tundra bearings going out..

 

That's my video. Dealer replaced with another diff and the same howl happened again just as loud. Second time around they said it was normal (confirmed normal by Toyota engineering).

I got rid of the truck, not what I was willing to pay $32k for.

 

Understood. Yours is a great example. Its harder to capture on a cell phone than you think. I think replacing won't do anything if they're all shoddy workmanship.. As I said before Hino Motors are responsible for howling diffs, the massive leaking gasket recall and Tundra bearings going out. So Its really a roll of the dice if you get Toyota to put a new diff in. Maybe it was setup properly, maybe it wasn't??

Toyota corporate put a stop to replacing anymore and they're starting to say its " normal". Their supplier is literally screwing them over, but Toyota wont acknowledge the issue and they keep pumping them out.


https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17V285-9745.pdf


Manufacturer of Rear Carrier Differential Housing Hino Motors Manufacturing USA Inc. 37777 Interchange Dr. Farmington Hills, MI 48335 Telephone: +1-248-442-9077 Country of Origin: USA

 

FWIW, You could have paid a quality race shop to set up the diff properly for a fraction of the depreciation you ate doing that.

 

True. But why even go there. I would be questioning what is going to break next. Replacing a differential is not normal on a new vehicle, the consumer shouldn't have to do that.

 

Dude... every single post you make is on the same subject. Most of your posts about shoddy workmanship, Hino and everything else is just your opinion and not fact. Give it a rest already and trade the truck or enjoy having it. Life is too short to obsess on one thing. Sorry you are upside down but sometimes you just have to take the hit and move on. Have a great weekend and think about something other than diff howl!

 

Do you have any better information? I'm glad you're enjoying your " truck". I've considered trading it in, but Toyota says i'm already 3k down negative equity before the first oil change ha. Not to mention I lost 5,500.00 in the singing process. So it would take another few thousand down to secure the payments i'm comfortable with in a 4 Runner or a Tundra.

So yes, I'm bitter. Not sure why don't want me to get this information out? Have you talked to lawyers about your truck, have you written a 6 page summary of events about Toyota denying you owed warranty work? No you haven't. Put yourself in my shoes.