4x4 Won't Engage - Brand New Tacoma - Looking for answers - Please Help

Hi Tacoma world. I intended to join this community to rave about my new Tacoma. Unfortunately, I may be one of the few who are deeply unhappy with what appears to be a very fragile, easily broken vehicle.

Quick story - Brand new OFFROAD Edition with extra warranty service purchased. 0 miles in Feb 2018. In Sept 2018 I got a flat at around 10k miles. Dealership gave me a new tire. Now in Jan 2019 I have 18k miles and on a recent ski trip in a snow storm my 4x4 Hi would not engage or disengage. Just kept blinking. Eventually something happened as I heard and felt a loud CLUNK and it appeared to be back in 2x2 but light never stayed solid. Brought to dealer and they told me my tires had 6/32 tread on my right tires and 9/32 on my left and the difference was causing my 4x4 to not engage.

My Question: How can 1 new tire with the rest at 10k miles cause this lopsided condition. I have brought my tires to the dealership at each service interval and expected them to be rotated. I've poured through this forum and online and haven't seen anywhere that when you get a flat tire with a 4x4 Tacoma you need to replace all 4 tires but that is what Toyota is telling me to do at $1000 out of my pocket.

Not to mention that I lightly bumped something and scratched some paint on my bumper and apparently caused my BSM sensors to miss align... thousands more out of pocket to fix and besides some paint scuffs my bumper looks completely fine.

I had a 2003 Frontier before this that had multiple flats and multiple light bumper bumps and I never had any problem with the 4x4 not engaging or sensors not working. I feel like my brand new $44k truck is FRAGILE which is not why I bought a Tacoma in the first place.

Any comments or helpful tips or anything to make me feel better about this purchase last year would sure cheer me up!

Thanks!

 

Welcome to Tacomaworld.
This vehicle is not any more or less fragile than any other new vehicle.

You should open a case with Toyota proper, let them guide you on your next step with your dealer.

However, Toyota is not responsible for you running over a nail or your lack of driving skills. Good luck!

 

The 4WD won’t engage because of 3/32 of an inch difference between the tires...that’s total bullshit!

 

Thanks hiPSI. I totally understand all that. My question to Tacoma World is this: Is it normal or common practice for Tacoma owners to have to replace all 4 tires when they get a flat in just one? That is what the dealership is telling me. My flat was only at about 10-12k miles. Shouldn't regular rotating of my tires at my service intervals have evened things out a bit? I have opened a case with Toyota Proper and will update this thread with how it is resolved but unfortunately, right now I'm going to pick up a very much still broken $44k truck from a dealership who really doesn't appear to want to solve the actual issue.

My next step is to bring my tires to a local raceway and have them shave the tread down so all 4 are completely even. Drive it a bit more and see if it really is the tread difference. If it is still broken then the dealerships answer of tread difference is wrong. If it is fixed than shame on Toyota Corporate for building such a FRAGILE vehicle. My 2003 Frontier never had these issues.

 

I doubt the tires caused the 4wd system to not engage. It’s likely just an easy scape goat to get a way out of having to actually spend any time troubleshooting for a real problem. How much time did you spend working on getting into 4hi? Sometimes you’ll have to stop, go, turn, reverse, put the transmission in neutral and click your heels three times all while it’s flashing and trying to engage.

 

OP - Do you do the 4wd once a month thing? Supposedly helps keep everything lubed or something.

 

the first right move is to ask here before letting the dealer spend your money. get a flat and replace 4 tires and ignore uneven wear causes? no thanks.

 

The 4WD won’t engage because of 3/32 of an inch difference between the tires...that’s total bullshit!
that's absolutely right
wonder did you engage 4x4 correctly? hope you not offend to my question.

 

why don't to take the truck back to a Toyota dealership with this story?

 

Wow, I've heard of some shitty dealership excuses and logic before but that one is new to me lol.

Ive had one 32" and one 33" tire up front, different treads and wear patterns, and my 4wd worked just fine.

 

I had around 13k on my tires when I replaced one and had them put the new one in the rear. My 4x4 works fine...

Something sounds fishy.

 

Can also confirm the tire thing is BS. Got a sidewalk puncture with about 10k miles on my tires and got a new one. Never had any issues.

 

If Tacomas were that fragile and unreliable I doubt you would see the retained value and longevity that you do. Something isn’t right.
And x2 on the question about monthly use of 4x4.

 

You cannot compare those trucks man. That's like comparing my 1978 Chevy to your Frontier. Not the same.
With that said, a slightly worn tire is no problem for the 4WD. Did you make sure the new tire you put on was the right size to begin with?

 

@BillsSR5 good God man do you not read ANYTHING before responding... WTF...

First post in... "Brought to dealer and they told me my tires had 6/32 tread on my right tires and 9/32 on my left and the difference was causing my 4x4 to not engage"

 

can you read, I said take the truck back to A Toyota dealership, not the same Toyota dealership

 

Here's a silly question- how fast were you going when you engaged 4 hi? How often have you engaged it or attempted to engage?

When disengaging did you try stopping and reversing a few feet?

Engaging and disengaging at speed is still a relatively new technology, and I haven't yet seen a truck that perfected it. Essentially the transfer case needs to be under light load when engaging and be completely slack when disengaging, either through coasting, braking, or reversing. If you're trying to pull a hill while switching back and forth, it's not going to be a smooth transition. It isn't broken if occasionally you have to come to a complete stop to coax the transfer case to do it's magic. If it's consistently being stubborn while coasting at 20 mph on flat ground, then yeah, something is probably wrong.

I had a 2000 frontier, it had a lever-action transfer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but i thought the 2003 had the same. The push-button 4wd systems like the new tacomas take some getting used to from that, because unlike my meat-fisted hand forcing the transfer into position, the electronics won't engage if it thinks it's at risk of chipping teeth when doing so.

Yes the tire excuse is bullshit. But if it were me I'd play with it for a few hours and try to replicate the conditions when it engaged vs not, which would help with the diagnosis.

 

Ask to speak with a Toyota Corp zone rep. Your truck has to be covered under warranty.

 

Wow - Thanks forum! You all rock. I'll be bringing your responses to my case as well to help my cause.

To answer some questions -

Yes, I engage it once a month. We are an outdoorsy family and hike and ski all winter - hence why i bought the expensive OFFROAD edition.

As for the new tire that was put on - I am the furthest thing from a mechanic out there. I put my trust in the dealer that they both gave me a good new tire and that they have been rotating them properly at all my service intervals I have gone to.

Here is a video I made after picking it up the first when they said it was due to my tread difference. They rotated the tires and told me everything was fixed. This video was made less than a quarter mile from the dealership.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiL0w8vDePY

 

Your first mistake was putting your trust in the dealership.... I have worked with a couple really good dealerships but NEVER trusted one lol...

I am in agreement go back with the info you gather from other experiences and don't give up until you get your rig fixed RIGHT!