Bad design Toyota! Water leak expected. WTF! Recall... oh sorry TSB!

Just for the reference window cowl removal section in FSM is under

Wiper & Washer: Windshield Wiper
Motor Assy: Replacement.

 

I havent had a problem with mine. I can see the seal is getting a little warped. As for the how that is designed...you will pretty much find that most modern cars are designed that way. And perhaps your windshield installer damaged the seal on the cowl since he did not remove the cowl and it obviously looks like to me it should be removed to properly remove and reinstall the windshield. Sounds lazy if he doesnt want to removed the it b/c of the wipers?

 

I had to replace my blower motor at about 40k on my '07 Tacoma (among a laundry list of other problems). When I pulled the cabin air filter it looked like a landfill. Complete bullshit. I've had so many problems with this truck it's driving me f'ing nuts. We've owned Toyotas forever and I've never seen anything like this. I don't think we've seen the end of the quality issues either. There are still cars accelerating out of control after the recall fix. Glad to know our trucks were recalled over six months ago on two different issues and nothing's been done about it. Love the truck even though I'm sick of waking up to problems all the time.

 

Thanks for the info. I had the same leak on my truck and because of what I learned here, I figured out what the service department couldn't and they were able to fix it.

 

I bought a 97 F150 used from the State of Colorado. It had 146k on it when I bought it, and it's anyones guess how much time that truck spent sitting idling away as a mobile air conditioner. It was a secondary vehicle, but I had no problem with driving it cross country, and did so on more than one occasion. I had two issues with the truck during the time I owned it. One was a failed EGR valve, the other a fuel pump. Given the age and miles on the truck, neither were out of line for repairs. It had 178k on it when I traded it in. I actually regret getting rid of that truck as it's only "problem" was that I was averaging 16 mpg. The Tacoma represents the SIXTH truck that I've purchased in my efforts to downsize. from a 1/2 ton truck.

I'd have to say that it was one of the best trucks that I'd owned, second only behind the 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins diesel truck that I owned prior. I don't know what some of you guys do to your vehicles, but I've owned trucks sporting virtually every single badge that can be found on compact and full size trucks. None of the problems that I had with any of them couldn't be directly pointed at abuse or neglect by the previous owners - including the Isuzu badged GMT 355 redheaded bastard cousin to the Colorado/Canyon trucks. I fully expect my Tacoma to do the same.

 

I have had several Tacomas and each time I purchased one found that it was very hard to get the dealer to budge on price. I had so many tell me that if I did not buy it at their cost someone else would....and they were correct as the Tacoma had a rock solid reputation and rightfully so.

I was shocked when I purchased my 09 and had trouble actually believing I was about to pay close to 30k for a damn truck.....talked myself into it by saying "well it is a Toyota and should last forever"

My point is while growing up as a child (I am 41 now) everyone knew the Toyota and I never heard one person talk bad of one. The truck was a legend with that little motor running forever and not any problems to be heard of. I figured back then they were worth every penny and thus far all of my others gave me close to 200k each on miles without any issues at all. My 1999 4x4 has almost 180k now and it still runs daily and I bought it with 2 miles on the clock. Since that time I have replaced one set of brake pads and a battery.....zero other issues with no leaks, air still works, factory clutch still good (no chirping)...etc:

Honestly for the price we pay for these new Tacomas there is simply no excuses for any cost cutting and yes they should be every bit as reliable as their past models. I have learned much here and appreciate all of it however I have also read some very dissapointing threads on the newer models.

The manual tranny issue with the shaft wearing out...weak springs...auto trans problems...that horrible factory stereo...wind noise from the windshield not sealed...several threads of new trucks not starting...just a huge list of issues that grows daily.

Now I understand this is common with many vehicles and before anyone says "if you dont like it buy something else" I must say this was not common with the Toyota 4x4 in the past. Yes we deserve more for our loyalty and our cash and Toyota once understood this concept. I enjoy my 2009 Tacoma however have had a few nagging issues. I am beginning to feel like I am walking on egg shells waiting for something to happen and I paid lots of money for a Tacoma thinking I could avoid this feeling.

I have really enjoyed the feeling of owning past Tacomas not having a care in the world when driving them anywhere for any distance. I am slowly growing very dissapointed with the Tacoma. Honestly I paid no attention to Toyotas other issues with different vehicles as it simply did not effect me. It now seems as if Toyota as a whole is lagging behind. Yes it may be small issues for the most part but again this was never the case in the past and there is simply no excuse for it today.

If you are going to charge a premium cost for a vehicle then we should expect a premium vehicle. For now I will remain loyal hoping my truck will suprise me and if future models improve I will eventually trade for another. If I personally experience any other problems I will most likely be so frustrated I may buy a used first gen. or leave Toyota all together....after all we all know they are not getting any cheaper now are they?

 

I think a lot of the "problems" with the new Tacomas are due to the Internet. Every Toyota I've had in the last thirty years has had a few problems; however, I just fixed them and forgot about it. Now, every little thing that goes wrong with anything gets posted on a web page somewhere. Do a search for any model of vehicle combined with the word "complaints" and you will find scores of posts about it. However, in relation to the vehicles sold the percentage of complaints is often rather small.

 

Bulls-eye. We have a winner folks!!!

 

What kind of premium did you pay for your Tacoma? All the Colorado/Canyons, Frontiers, and Tacomas are pretty similarly priced.

 

I was driving a Tacoma when I bought a Nissan and only had the Nissan for 3 years when I traded it for my current 2009. I also still have the older Tacoma I was driving when I bought the Nissan. Believe me I looked everywhere and also looked at many different vehicles.

The Toyota for 2009 was close to 4k more expensive than a better equipped Nissan however I still bought the Tacoma based on past experiences and reputation. To many people this may seem similiar in cost however I do not feel that it is. If any believe cost is not an issue then based on past performance and quality alone the current Tacoma is not the same quality...at least in my opinion.

The internet surely helps with getting every little problem out in the open and that was a good point made on this being one of the reasons for so many things noticed. Many members still own older model Toyotas and are just as free to describe problems on the internet today as well. Reading through this forum often I do not see that many problems from the older Toyotas. Surely just as many 1st gen owners have internet today as the 2nd gen people.

I am still a supporter and fan of Toyota and my many trouble free years of ownership will keep me a supporter. I am saying however the 09 I bought left me a little dissapointed and this was not something I was used to from Toyota. I will add however that the little problems, and all TSB concerns, were taken care of very quickly by the local Dealer. Maybe the customer service will continue to keep customers loyal.

 

subscribed

 

Ok this is what I did.
After all the rain we had on the West coast recently I found my truck had the issue as well. Today I had the time and decent weather to do something about it.

First take off the cowell.

You will see the A/c box. If you look down you will see the A/C filter mine is a silver washable one I made.

If you look straight down from above the glass you can see as in the picture the path the water takes, off the glass and right down into the box and onto the filter and onto the floor mat.

I built a shed roof for the box so if water gets by the seals and such it will drip harmlessly into the drainage path it should take and find it's way to the ground.

I just cut a piece of galvinized metal 16"X6 and bent an angle and attached it with foam double sided tape to the fire wall. I ran it as high as the windshield would allow to make a shed roof for the water to run off of.

It is frustrating to think Toyota built the vehicle this way. There are two holes in the box for? probabaly something to prevent water from getting in there but the bean counters decide it cost to much!

Enjoy .
Merry Christmas
James

 

I like it a lot. I wanted to do something similar but never got around to it. Oddly enough, it's not leaking anymore since I replaced the cowl. Two thumbs up bro!

 

hmm. I havent noticed mine leaking but i'll have to double check..

 

Interesting. I put 4 windshields in my last 05 and it never leaked a drop. These cowl panels are pretty notorious for leaks on other makes too. BMW for one has serious issues with these (among several other things) causing leaks that on some cars can fill the compartment holding the ECU with water. I don't think Toyota's products are as good as they used to be either. And I've had lots of them over the last 20 years. Oddly enough as pissed as I was with all the issues I had with my last 05 I am completely happy with the one I bought a few weeks ago. I knew what I was getting into before I bought it and I got a smoking deal on it because it had too many miles for Toyota to CPO it and it needed some minor (to me anyway) work.

 

I think it is a poor design. If one part should fail to keep out the water due to age (3) years there should be something else to ensure water does not at the very least get to another part and make it fail. In this situation the AC blower.
As you can see by my fix. Very easy to accomplish. Just a bit of metal. It could have been a plastic bit form the factory. It will also keep out more debris than designed. When you get a chance check out the cabin filter. You will be surprised at the junk in there.
James

 

Has the OPs truck exploded yet?

 

Funny. I fail to see how this comment helps others solve a real problem.

Oh wait I see 18 months on the forum and 4808 posts. Nothing better to do than slam someone else for post counts. Nice. Merry Christmas

 

Put some saran wrap over it.