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

Can't thank you all enough for the comments.

A quick response to some of the recent comments.

famof5taco - I'm not mad in any way about my flat tire. Shit happens. That is of no concern to me. I'm not even that mad about the BSM sensors. I work in the Aerial Remote sensing industry and know a lot about sensors. Maybe not the BSM sensors, but sensitive electronics in general and I think the design and placement of those BSM ones with their susceptibility to damage from any slight bump or excessive mud/dirt is very poor design. But.. I did bump something, so I can't logically be mad. More disappointed that they weren't built a little tougher. My single and only reason I'm mad and on here is because I believed the dealership was feeding me a line of bullshit and telling me I had no other recourse but to drop $1k out of my pocket for new tires, when I know for sure there is something wrong with my 4x4 system (I both run monthly, and know how to engage properly).

Yes - I've done a bunch of research and heard that AWD vehicles like Subaru need all 4 tires replaced if one is lost to keep tire dimensions perfect - because those vehicles run AWD all the time. I have not heard of that being needed for 4x4 Tacoma's hence my confusion and annoyance at my service center telling me that.

I posted the "buyer beware" video with that language on purpose. Please, I don't want to get into a debate on this on this forum as it's not relevant to this issue but I believe we live in a world where a single person stands little chance against large companies when they feel wronged or misled. That video is me trying to draw comments and attention to the situation to help build my case with Toyota for them to step up and do the right thing. I called corporate on Wed and started a case. They promised me a follow up call in 24 hours. I didn't get one. All the time my service representative at the dealer literally kept saying "sorry, they don't make trucks like they used to I guess" and repeatedly told me I had to buy 4 new tires to fix the problem, insisting that it was the tire tread difference.

Update:
Drove to dealership, my service guy (Dennis) was out so I talked to the Service Manager (Joe). He told me that his top technician (Steve) experienced my 4x4 issue on a drive and also a very physical and loud clunking when he finally got it to disengage back to 2x2. Joe said that Dennis had been misinformed, told me to keep my rental, and on Monday when his top service guy was back in they would dig deeper and assured me they would get this fixed.

I realized that I haven't really shared with you all my truck... and how much I truly have loved it (up until Dec 24th when my 4x4 failed for no reason...). Here are some photos and fun video I put together when I first got it (sorry about the song choice - was for humor).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz5Fw2rawEA&list=PLuXKiTGlUn8mQnED-qzlFGMmlYlxDcHPP&index=19

 

Couple more... Prinsu Rack, 4L Roadshower, ARB Awning, ARE Cap with wing doors.

 

I miss these too. nothing like physically locking in your hubs, VS having fingers crossed they do it on their own in these trucks.

 

Glad to see they're gonna take care of you. Good luck, and sweet truck

And hopefully once you're fixed up,you can keep enjoying why we all buy our Tacos

 

Further update:

NO I'M NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF. Just got a call from the dealership and was told "Joe wasn't in the loop" and that I would indeed need to buy 4 new tires and that "4x4 owners know that if they get a flat they need to get all new tires".

Needless to say I'm mad. Real mad.

 

I could see this on an AWD vehicle but a part-time 4wd not used on dry pavement doesn't make sense.
See if they'll swap wheels from a truck on the lot and try the 4wd engagement?

 

I know it has been said, but take your business to another dealer and call Toyota (open a ticket with corporate). You're pissed off (rightfully so), but just put the anger away and be sweet to the people on the phone. I'm pretty sure they'll help you out. It sucks that you've had to go through some shit, but just smile through it and get your shit fixed.

 

Yup - I agree. I've done my best not to yell or raise my voice but also convey that I'm very upset my truck is not the reliable vehicle I expected it to be and that I do not accept a small tread difference is causing this. I was flat out told by someone at Toyota that their top service technician also said tread shouldn't be causing this. Then today was told that they were "out of the loop" and shouldn't have told me that". I'm getting mixed messages and everyone I talk to including everyone on this board says that my small tread difference should not be causing this. I feel like I'm at the mercy of a large corporation who is refusing to the right thing by either giving me 4 new tires or more importantly, fixing my 4x4 which I DO BELIEVE IS NOT RELIABLY WORKING.

And yes - I do have a ticket with Corporate but I'm not sure that is actually helping me at all...

If I'm actually forced to buy 4 new tires and my 4x4 does the same thing and won't engage I'll be making a new video and at that point may not be able to hold my anger as well....

 

So someone at Toyota NA told you it was the tire? Or just at the dealership.

 

Hey OP - As others have said, the tire size thing is BS and there is something wrong with your truck.

I was on a trail and punctured my front right tire. At the time I was running the stock Goodyear Wranglers and had about 40k miles on them. Because of some previous alignment issues the tires wore quick and were getting near the end of their service life. I swapped the punctured tire with the spare, which was brand new and had WAY more tread than the other three. There were absolutely zero issues going in or out of 2WD/4HI/4LO despite the difference.

It appears you opened a case with Corporate. Assuming you have some type of case number, I would nag them a bit to get this resolved. Also, I would try to find a new service dealer; this one thinks he found a way to sell you some new tires you don't need and is sticking it to you.

 

Unfortunately, we can probably help you diagnose the real problem much easier than get your dealer to help you.
(https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4wd-actuator-troubleshooting-transfer-case-and-add.578262/)

So if you want help at that let us know... Good luck dealing with the dealers.

(BTW, if it were my truck i would put it in the air on 4 jack stands and play with engaging and disengaging, in addition to checking it out with techstream. In my opinion, at low speeds, a different tire OD would actually cause quicker engagements, as the slight difference in angular speed will line up the drives quicker than perfectly matched tires driving perfectly straight...)

 

OP why don’t you have the dealership switch out all four tires and rims from a different truck (doesn’t have to be a new truck on their lot if they give you a hard time) with equal tread before buying new tires. If it still doesn’t rectify the issue you can have evidence to support with corporate also.

 

I know you don’t want to hear this, but YOU need to Chill out dude.

I also know that you paid $XX,XXX for your truck and it should be PERFECT!!

Well news flash!!
We don’t always get what we want or pay for. Not most of us, and not always.

You have been given advice to find a new stealership, and yet there you still are.
Another news flash, you can’t turn a misfit stealership from incompetence and carelessness into a competent and customer aware outfit just because it’s YOU at their doorstep.

That said, no way a bad worn tire is gonna keep the truck out of, or into 4WD.
The various systems may not function as intended 100% of the time because there maybe a 10-20% tire size difference due to wear on affected axle side where the tire is, but the vehicle tires turn at different rates when you’re OR anyway and it still works.

Tell that stealer to take a hike. Then take a chill pill and find another stealership.
Nothing else can be advised here that is gonna make all your problems go away.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

You're a better man than me...I'd have stabbed someone by now.

 

The dealer's excuse for the BSM is bullshit. I got rear ended hard enough to where this minivan had a smashed front end and my BSM still worked fine.

 

+1. I would make a calm yet firm phone call to Toyota Corporate to let them know how you have been treated while you drive to a different dealer. If there is any doubt that these service departments can be slimy, just look at some of the TSB threads and see what people are being told. I have been fortunate to have a good dealer nearby but if half of the stories on TW are true then yikes!

 

I get what you are saying, but he said he opened a claim with corporate and they may want that dealership to be the one to fix it. It happened with my rear differential. Corporate made them fix it for the second time even though they were trying to give me the run around.

As for in the future, yes... Find a better dealer. The same dealer I am referring to didn’t want to address my clutch issue but another dealership fixed it without any hassle.

As far as relaxing... Everyine handles things differently. Not up to any of us to tell him how to react or to chill. I would be as mad as he is. Another person may be calm as a cucumber. Let him vent a little if he’s upset.

 

Actually the difference in tire size and even tread pattern can make it difficult for it to both engage and disengage. I experienced this when I blew a tire and needed a replacement, the new tire made it very difficult to engage and disengage. I was still able to get it work work when needed but I generally had to come to a complete stop and work the truck get it to slip in.

 

3/32s is 2mm, thats quite a big difference in rotational speed. If the replacement is on the front... I could see the ADD having a hard time engaging due to the rotational speed differences between the inside and outside tire, same with the rear locker if its on the rear axle.

One thing you can try....

Take all your tires and make sure they are exactly at the same psi. Take the new tire and drop it from all the others by 2 psi. This will effectively make that tire slightly smaller. Drive it around for a bit and then try to engage 4hi. If that doesnt work drop it by another 2 psi. Keep going till you hit 10 psi less then what you run normally on the other 3. If it still wont engage its not the tire size thats the issue.

Another thing you can try is throw the spare tire on the opposite wheel from the new one. Then try engaging it.

https://www.souzastireservice.com/tires-101/tire-matching-awd-4wd.aspx
https://www.dunntire.com/blog/Tire-Replacement-on-4WD-and-AWD-Vehicles

EDIT: @TLTPhotography

 

im driving with 4x4 atm because I dont have my rear drive shaft atm