Whats the most abusive you've been to your 2nd gen?

Just curious about what your experiences have been with durability. Not reliability, but durability.

See, I have owned a 2000 Cherokee XJ and an 05 Grand Cherokee WK and beat the snot out of both of them (in different ways). The XJ I drove through high school and freshman year of college as my first car. Naturally, I lifted it (without doing track bar relocation, slip yoke eliminator/t-case drop, no sway bar drop, nothin) and hit every pothole and puddle I could (sometimes at speed). I then sank it to the axles in clay mud and rotted out the rockers. Ran over curbs head on at a perpendicular angle to the bumper, so basically like driving up a stair. I'd do U-turns over medians, skip parking lot entrances in favor of hopping curbs, etc. Ended up with BAD death wobble, paid probably $1500 fixing it/the parts it broke while wobbling (one time I shook my exhaust in half, threw it in the back seat and just kept driving). The Grand Cherokee was slightly more babied, but still had its share of donuts in the snow and once got stuck and snatched out rather roughly, messing up my alignment (and I was always afraid the frame was tweaked).

Now, both of the vehicles were unibody, and with the XJ I couldn't even close the hatch when it was flexed out because of frame flex. My question is...How much abuse can a 2nd gen Taco take? I would assume dirt roads with potholes would be okay at some speed, and only mess up the alignment really? How much risk is there to do frame damage while wheeling or being pulled out of mud or snow by a trailer hitch? I have a reg cab 4 cyl, so my thinking is that at least many components of the truck were made to hold up to the weight of an access cab and maybe even a v6 model truck so...In theory, it should be pretty stout, with the shorter frame and lighter weight? Would adding something like Bilstein 5100s on .85/1.75 cause it to perform better off road/potholes at speed or worse, due to less down travel? Or is down travel really affected?

Let me hear how you've abused your Tacoma and how it held up! Stories welcome!

 

I towed 6k tens of thousands of miles in my 2008 4cyl 4x4

I gave that truck the limiter till she popped, and put a new engine in.

I shot that truck with a glock.

I towed an 18 wheeler in low 4, onto the pavement from the pavement. Had to fill the bed for traction.

That truck went through 4 front wheel bearings, 2 alternators, an engine, 3 throw out bearings, cv axle and front diff

I towed a number of trips of 10k worth of concrete tear out with my 2012.

I towed over 14,800 lbs 1200 miles with my 2013.

I loaded 2700 lbs of fence supplies in the bed of my 2013 and drobe 45 minutes home.

I burned the tread off the tires for fun in the 2013.

I let my wife drive my 2015 (lol jk)

I loaded a 1400 lb safe in the bed to move it across town.

 

Tailgate is weak, throwout bearing sucks, front wheel bearings suck, stock rear springs suck, frame flexes a lot but honestly they habe been tough as fuck.

I baby my 2015 in comparisson, but I ran my 2008 ragged. Aside from towing, most of the abuse goes on older Toyota's because they are tougher in every measure other than towing and engine than Tacoma's

 

In 2nd gen Tacoma's I have broken in different times

-diff
-springs
-shock
-frame bent (accident)
-tailgate bent
-bed side bent
-tow plug on every one
-alternator
-wheel bearins
-windshield
-engine
-throw out bearing
-abs sensor
-A/C condensor (accident)
-all the lights
-a wheel
-a flare
- cv shaft
-plastic bed
-tires
-skid plates
-power steering pump
-power steering rack
-exhaust
-tie down in the bed
-tow hook
-console

And I think they are one of the toughest US market vehicles made (near new)

They have never left me stranded, for anything other than abuse

-alternator (mud)
-accident
-power steering (still drove)
-throw out (still drove just no clutch)
-engine (starved of oil off camber)
-diff (front)

 

Dang

 

I got my truck for work, shortly after I purchased it I went to pick up a tile shipment to expedite a remodel I was doing...

Anyway initially I asked them to put a whole pallet on...the moment the forklift put it on I immediately regretted it...the whole bed squatted down and the fenders were nearly touching the tires. I asked the guy if he had seen anyone do this and he was like 'yeah...all the time...' I asked him to take it off and I'll take half and come get the rest later. He rolled his eyes like I was being a baby but he agreed. It was an hours drive but I was afraid of busting my truck like the first weekend I got it. Being the stupid guy I am I opened the pallet and loaded up about half the boxes(25) each being 55 pounds and then some smaller boxes(~20) each weighing about 30 pounds and some miscellaneous tools, thinset, concrete. and grout in my bed too. Plus myself and some other stuff it was definitely way overloaded. Truck was still squatted down but it seemed okay...and I was in a big rush, this was two days before Thanksgiving, so I just took it and left. Drove back to LA and man...was that the longest drive ever...every time the road had a slight dip or pothole I thought it would bottom out or the suspension was done for...

I am so glad my truck survived and although I know(think?) it can take abuse like that I do not like to push my luck. Especially since I had just gotten when this happened.

A lot of people in the construction trades push their trucks to the limit but usually they have older trucks or at least a full size. I often wonder what it would have been like getting a Tundra but I am not sure I could handle driving around parts of town in a full size. Maybe for my next truck...

 

hydrolocked twice! pulled plugs got water out, truck started up and got it home
Over heated engine past the red, cause radiator was plugged from mud (i wasnt paying attention) dealership did leak down and whatever tests says engine is still healthy that was 15k ago, and still going
Overheated transmission causing it to purge itself from overpressurization, replaced trans cooler and flushed trans fluid haven't had any issues
broke my rear driveline on a rock, drove about 100 miles home on the front diff with speeds up in the 70-75 no issues and drove around like that for another 2 months cause i was too broke to fix the rear driveline

I am impressed with how it has held up but I am pretty sure the lifespan of the engine has been shortened...

 

The wheel bearings in the back will fail much over 2500 lbs in short order. As will the diff bearings after that. 2nd gen tacoma frame may bend too, it flexes a lot.

Roughly 1500 is no problem. And should be considered a limit if you want your junk to last.

 

Driving FWD is no problem lol!

 

The wife joke was fire lmao. 14,800 eh? Was that with a v6 model?

 

I was sketch at first... but then figured if I brea the front I can justify a solid axle swap.... well that never happened haha

 

The 14,800 was 2013 access cab v6 6spd 4x4. Honestly i was worried before the trip, and the whole 1200 miles.

Not only did I end up running about half in 4x4, in a blizard.

But I bent both trailer axles thanks to an asshole driver, and lost trailer brakes in the mountains.

The 2013 never missed a beat, it did outstanding. I would never recommend or do it by choice again but it never quit.

Manual trans was the saving grace after the trailer brakes shit the bed, the 4.0 engine brakes pretty decent.

 

I hear ya on the full-size thing. I got the taco because my Grand Cherokee felt bloated to me. Low to the ground and blind spots everywhere. Honestly a full-size truck would’ve likely had fewer blind spots than that thing. I never did left shoulder checks because I could see nothing past the B-Pillar. It was just too thick. I mean I literally could not even see a glimpse of the glass at all, let alone see out of it. 100% B Pillar. I also liked the narrowness of the Tacoma as I have extremely bad anxiety while driving, pertaining in particular to a fear of cutting into someone else’s lane accidentally. I actually used to LOVE driving but I think I have some ptsd (and I mean that literally) from some bad panic attacks I’ve had recently (the kind that send you into a shaky paranoid state for days or weeks at a time). So taco it was lol. I’ve driven 8’ Bed Chevy trucks (1500 and 2500), as well as an F150 Supercrew, but I just felt more comfortable in the smaller taco. One day I’ll probably go up in size once I gain my confidence back, at least to a bigger Tacoma if not a full-size truck.

 

How easily exactly does this frame bend? I’m not planning on overloading with weight really. More worried about if I get really stuck and tugged out or if I tug someone else out. Living in Maine, both events happen fairly often...

 

Yeah I did notice today (as I’ve only had the taco for a few weeks) that it really does do well engine braking. I can hear a change in sound when I let off the gas, little grumble

 

Also grossed out over 17k another time,

7k truck and 10k trailer.. kept loading shit because it looked like it was sitting good, hit the scales and was like wtf.. haha.. send it.

No issues at all, and other than being slow as fuck, felt completely happy and safe, i have all the safety shit, outside of a breakdown there was no hazard.

 

I plan on getting a tailgate reinforcement plate, and maybe eventually a trailer hitch receiver to stiffen the rear frame and give me a recovery/tow point and maybe a front skid plate, just because I can be an idiot sometimes. Basically I need to idiot proof this truck because I tend not to back down to peer pressure

 

Lol it doesn’t freak you out having a trailer so much heavier than the truck? I’d be afraid of being pushed by the trailer

 

The only one I have bent was in an accident, just noticed the 2nd gen frame flexes much worse than my old Toyota's. That and i have wrecked old oness as hard as the taco with no frame bend.

I don't think it is a big issue or worry. My 2008 was burried in a lake and a 12k winch couldnxt move it. Had to pull it with a GMC Topkick, pulled from the center of the reciever and luckily no bend!

 

No, just have to be aware of the dynamics.

The standard argument is flawed, a ram 3500 tows a peak over 3 times its own weight. It is all about checking all the boxes.

Not that I would recommend it, lol.