NEW TSB, Whine Noise From Rear of Vehicle

My 2018 made less noise leaving the dealer, but it was still present after a rear diff swap. They also lowered my tire pressures which I am thinking attributed to possibly making less noise. Not long into my road trip a few days later and the noise is back in full force. I put the pressures back to where I like them the night before my trip. Will see if I can take a video as well to cover the 2018's.

I have to call Monday as Toyota wants me to take it back to the same dealer. The first rep I spoke with that opened my case commented "Wow, you first fix as $3000!". So I imagine that is the diff replacement bill.

Pisses me off that I have to go back for a fourth time to waste my time, more mies and such on my truck to diagnose their issue. And I know m dealer is perfectly fine saying "this is normal".... Fell like I am just wasting my time. Wish the 4runner Off-Roads used a different diff....

 

It's a delicate balance to let it go enough so that it doesn't drive you crazy and yet keep applying the pressure to the dealer and/or Toyota Corp. Don't let it go, man. I feel your pain. This is 100% unacceptable in a new vehicle. And 100% abnormal.

 

I full agree that it is 100% abnormal and unacceptable. My concern is that any respectable dealer or mechanic that can let that go off of their lot and think it is normal is not trust worthy. And for Toyota to have cases of this since the 2016's and still not have a fix is ridiculous. I bought a new vehicle because m 3rd gen 4runner was getting high miles (to me) so I thought I would buy new. Seems as though Toyota isnt what it used to be. I will definitely keep up the fight unless I come across a really good deal on something. Hell, even the Wrangler Unlimiteds are looking good at this point lol

 

I trust my service manager. I could tell he was holding his tongue when I asked him if he thought it was acceptable to be sending me off with a howling truck after the TSB. I got the feeling he was as disgusted as I am.

But the owner of the dealership? Best I can say about him is he's a scam artist. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. But that's my impression after going through this experience. I'd leave a scathing online review if I didn't have compassion for his employees. They're just trying to make a living.

But this isn't over and I have an open mind. There is still opportunity to make this right (~two months after I drove the truck off the lot~). Because I'm an all-around good guy most of the time.

 

Sorry if I sound jaded, just frustrated with having such an issue with a new vehicle and it taking three trips into the dealer before they even looked into the noise. And to me, it seemed as though my Service Manager was happy to get me out the door even though I was very nice to him throughout this whole ordeal. Toyota asked if I had called them again to schedule a new appointment and I said "no because they felt it was a normal trait of the vehicle. And they feel it is normal since a brand new one does the same."

Having multiple good friends who are mechanics and some who own their own shops, if I had any of them look at it they would immediately say something is wrong. I've test drove some of their customers vehicles with similar noises and know how they react. It astounds me that anyone would feel it is ok to let a vehicle off the lot like this, especially one that is brand new.

I am curious though with the noise. Having read a reference or two here stating it goes away after a lift and tires, I wonder if it is somewhere else in the drive-line and not the diff itself. The pinion angle could be off, the carrier bearing could be at a bad angle causing a noise at the t-case, bearing itself or pinion, etc. Although the chassis scopes as mentioned before pointed to the diff area according to my dealer. They felt they also ruled out wheel bearings. However, tomorrow I may pull out my angle finder and see what angle he rear shaft is at regarding the t-case, bearing and diff.

 

Hey, I hear you. I'm extremely frustrated, as well. And angry. Complete BS that they're trying to get people to simply "go away". I've gotten the "it's normal" line from corporate twice so far. And both times, the service manager called them back and told them it's not normal. Customer service has been shameful.

Regarding your speculation that the source is somewhere other than the diff, I'm sure that's a possibility for some people. They get caught up in this mix while looking for a cure.

I find it remarkable that Toyota hasn't at least arrived to the point of handling these cases all in the same way. It's all over the map. That reinforces my gut feeling that they'd prefer we simply "go away". But I think the symptoms people are experiencing in this thread are similar enough to lump them into the same "problem" (i.e. "the diff").

That fact that most of us hear the sound the most at 58mph +\- 2mph seems to be significant. Although I now hear the sound everywhere from about 3-75mph.

 

Is this TSB updated to accept Access Cabs?

 

Post TSB “fix” my howl changed. It’s now most prominent about 58 whereas before it was around 54. Mine is probably 75% better, but I am starting to think that number is shrinking to 50% better. I hope not but I can hear it now better than I could right after the TSB. The trucks should not be doing this.

 

Yep mine changed too after the tsb. The two bad spots (28 and 58mph) are now a couple mph's faster. The other thing that changed is now I hear a low toned howl from about 30-45mph. That one is nearly constant, and not as influenced by the pedal. There are definitely two different frequencies of sound for me post-TSB. I also hear a little something when I go from R to D and it chirps while going through 3mph. The same higher tone as the 28/58mph sound.

I wouldn't say the tsb improved things for me overall. If you're out of warranty and your "howl" is tolerable, I wouldn't recommend getting the tsb. If it's not tolerable, it's worth a shot.

 

If you can find a copy of the most recent TSB, it lists the VIN numbers that can get the TSB done.

 

I have maintained all along that it’s a resonance issue BUT it’s a noise that is louder than what the engineers thought it would be and they seem to be dumbfounded when it comes to fixing it. But, I think they are choosing not to fix it because the fix may be much more significant and costly than we think. This is similar to the GM cabin pressure issues where a higher up from GM slipped and told me that they could not fix it, would not try, and would only buy them back if the pressure was at a certain level. I said nope, it’s making my wife (with MS) sick. The Yukon had other issues too but long story short, they bought it back and gave me one with far more options on it. I think the only way this truly gets fixed is to continue to make noise but it’s likley going to take people utilizing the Lemon Law to get buy backs. Money talks in this world and LL claims look bad. In fact, of the 4 (plus another partial buy back) I’ve done, they all asked me if they could just buy my vehicle or trade assist (always for a better one) so they didn’t have to classify it or report it as a lemon. Toyota could very well be strategically stalling or handing out free warranties just to avoid truly fixing this issue because they may ave seemed it more cost efficient to pay the squeaky wheels and let this go. It happens.

 

Funny, as I've been speculating the same regarding both resonance and the approach being taken by Toyota. It really does seem like resonance. But if it IS, it sure seems like they'd be able to pinpoint the source in 3 years time. That's what has me stumped. And then there's the guys that have the diff pulled and find metal shavings inside.

 

Remember that resonance is just a sound. It could be a sound from any source. Whatever this is, it is an excessive noise. Could it be pinion angle? Sure. Could it be a design flaw? Sure. Something is causing excessive noise and I suspect whatever it is might be more costly to fix than to simply apply a noise reduction type TSB (bandaid) and buy out a few squeaky wheels. What if something has to be redesigned to fix it? I bet Toyota knows.

 

Just a heads up, this issue goes back to the second gen which also had a TSB for the same issue.

 

I need to get this done asap, so annoying

 

While resonance is very possible as well, I have seen some comment it happens in the 4runner off-roads as well. With those be a completely different suspension and frame, this would point to the only group of components that is the same, the rear axle assembly. While the housing has different attachment points for the suspension differences, are all the internal parts the same?

 

I don't drive much so it may be some time before I know if the new diff fix lasts or not. I will report any negative changes. What has stood out to me after reading all 31 pages here and some on the 'megathread' is that my problem manifested itself differently than most. The whine only occurred under steady application of power and stopped completely when coasting at any speed. It was loudest between 50-60 and tapered off over 60. It made transient appearances below 50 and was not audible at all cruising 70-80. My truck is a 2018 SR5 DCLB 4x4 AT. It has now had the TSB including springs and differential carrier or 'third member' replaced at 1072 miles just to summarize.

 

Our 2017 ACOR had it. Regeared and it went away. I had the shop that did the re-gear tear it down and they could find nothing. Said it was just a noise.

Our 2018 Pro does not have it...however I swapped out the wheels and tires immediately.

My son's 2nd gen has it. As Lt. Dangle stated, the second gens also had it....to the point they issued a TSB cover almost all of the second gen model years.....this is nothing new.

 

How did you get Toyota to install the TSB when our SR5s are not part of it??? I fought the dealership and Toyota for months and they still refused to install the TSB. I ended up doing it myself. Still have the howl. Ridiculous.

Edit: On Saturday I sent Jim Lentz another email about my howl. A different member on here had the TSB applied to his SR5 and I used his case info as a reference (with his permission of course). I have been nothing but polite and patient through this process yet I keep getting denied. Now other SR5 owners are getting help?? Kind of makes me mad ha

 

I don't know, maybe it was just timing. I first reported the issue on 8/28/18. I was also calm and polite, discussing my experiences as well as those of others on this forum. The service writer scheduled time for a tech to evaluate it. On 9/5/18 the tech drove the truck and duplicated the whine. Service writer told me the VIN made it eligible for the TSB. I don't know if that's true or they just wanted to keep me happy. They ordered parts and scheduled me for 9/17/18. I made transportation arrangements on my own rather than wait around for hours. Service called me that afternoon and said the TSB didn't stop the noise so they would replace the differential next day. I picked it up then and all was good.