Bought my dream truck.. and it shakes like CRAZY. Help me!!!

First of all this site is a godsend. Also yes I have read pretty much every thread about jitters and shakes and vibes. None seem to apply to my situation at this point...

I just bought my first Tacoma and it’s been my lifelong dream to own one, not even joking. I love this truck SO much. I flew to Phoenix to buy this 2004 with 78,000 miles on it, with one owner who lived in Phoenix only. I bought it straight from a Toyota dealership. It appeared to be in absolutely pristine shape.

But on my drive back home to New Mexico, I noticed it was shaking like crazy starting at about 50 mph. Like.... the fat in my cheeks was vibrating, that kind of shaking. I kept thinking I had a flat tire it was so bad. When I got home I took the truck to some Toyota specialists in Santa Fe who thoroughly inspected it and spent a long time properly balancing the tires... they concluded that the tires were bad from having sat for too long, which made sense because the truck had been sitting in a garage for two years before getting sold to the dealership.

Sooooo I went and bought $750 new tires, which was insane considering I had just bought a rather pricey truck (pricey for me anyway). The violent shaking subsided substantially at highway speeds- totally smooth now. However now what wasn’t that noticeable before seems to be getting even worse - on even the tiniest little bumps on dirt roads, the entire front end goes into a massive jitter/rattle that feels like the whole thing is just going to fall apart. Like it literally takes a minute or two for the shakedown to subside after hitting a little bit of washboard or bumpy pavement. This results in me driving the truck like it’s about to fall apart, anxiously going about 2 mph over bumps on my dirt road to avoid the psychotic jittery shakedown that gets triggered by literally a pebble. At 50 mph over bumpy pavement it is insane as well, crazy jitters that I can feel directly knocking in the steering wheel. Like super super unenjoyable driving experience, meanwhile this truck was literally my lifelong dream!

They checked the tie rods and I guess they checked the whole steering rack and u joints, balanced the tires, brand new tires, etc... I am so stressed and confused about what’s going on!! Any input would be so so appreciated.... so bummed about the mystery shakedown in my dream truck. <3

 

Should of done a good test drive BEFORE buying,both on the road and freeway.

 

My first thought is shocks. If they're worn out, any bumps are going to be exciting in a bad way.

 

Did they put it on the alignment machine? If not, research reputable alignment shops in your area. A good shop will do an inspection of the suspension components before performing an alignment.

Check your regional thread on Tacoma World. Might be able to find a recommendation to a decent alignment shop/toyota specialist.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-mexico-owners-bs-thread.32579/

If you have any pictures of the front end, post them and we can take a look. If not, turn the wheels to the left, take a pic, turn to the right, take a pic, etc.

Welcome to Tacoma World!

 

Okay. thank you! I have noticed after bigger bumps it doesn’t do the rattle, but instead does a bit of a bobbing thing which does sound like shocks. Kinda was hoping it wasn’t the shocks, but if it is then I’d like to just get it fixed so I can enjoy driving it. Thanks so much

 

Meant to tag you. Thanks so much

 

Sounds like your shock absorbers are junk. Might also Jack the front up and look for abnormal play in anything. And looks for oil leaking from shocks. I know its low miles but it's also 15 years old and stuff sitting around not getting drove is rough on vehicles. If the shocks say Toyota on then they are most likely factory.

I know you just bought the truck but it's kinda either buy a new one or keep fixing the older cheaper one, either way your going to pay up some way.
Enjoy your new truck though I like the size of 1st gens and the couple I've been in had ice cold a/c which I'm sure you'll use alot in new mexico

 

Yeah. It's a 15 year old truck, things that wear are probably pretty worn.

Speaking of which- what engine does it have? If it's a v6, you might look into a timing belt.

 

Yes that is obviously not helpful at this point but definitely true haha. I wanted the truck so badly and it was in such beautiful shape compared to everything else I had seen online for 1st gens, that I just went for it, and after flying to Phoenix at 5 am and taking a bus to the dealership I was basically brain dead. But yes if I’d done a good highway cruise I would have at least noticed that the tires were messed up!!

 

Thank you so much!! I have an alignment appointment Wednesday and I’m hoping it helps at least some, the one I’m taking it to says they’ll do a shake out of the front end.

Thanks to this site I actually am able to go to a shop and somewhat know I’m talking about, you guys are the absolute best. I will definitely check the link for specialists in the area, thanks so much

 

Check your carrier bearing, I would also check your motor mounts and definitely make sure it is in spec with an allignment.

 

Cool I am definitely going to look into the shock situation. There is definitely play in the steering wheel like it feels loose, which freaks me out. But the shocks seem like they definitely need to be replaced no matter what.. I am totally down to do whatever I have to get it driving smoothly.. totally does have good AC too, thank god.

 

Thank you!!! Getting aligned this week and will add the other two things to my list of things to get checked out. Trying to drive to California next week and kinda concerned about the whole thing falling apart on me thank you so much for the help

 

It’s a v6 and I have no idea what’s up with the timing belt, going to add it to the list... thank you so much

 

Could be a vacuum leak as well. Some people have gotten bad vibrations from that. I wouldnt do a long drive till you get it squared away

 

Okay cool will add that to the list as well haha. It’s so annoying because I specifically took it to these Toyota specialists in Santa Fe who are awesome with amazing reviews, so nice, only work on Toyota’s, and they said the truck was “impeccable”... but then what’s up with this rattle. I will for sure check out the vacuum leak situation though, thank you so much for the help

 

Hope that you're handy. Old trucks can be spendy if you dont learn how to work on it. Luckily we have a lot of DIY threads hear. YouTube is also and excellent resource to learn from. Good luck on the truck. It's a great find.

 

As of now I would not refer to myself as handy... at all. haha. but I love reading threads here about people doing work on their own trucks, it’s amazing. I bought the 1st gen because I think they’re so beautiful... Maybe my love affair with this truck will motivate me to learn how to fix it myself. Thank you for the encouragement!!

 

I posted this in another thread - might be helpful for you as well...

As for maintenance, for starters head over to toyota's site and sign up (you'll need your VIN#) for the toyota owners section. you can easily view whatever service history is on file for your truck.
https://www.toyota.com/owners/my-vehicle/service-history

While there, check out the recall section and be sure you are clear (again, will need your VIN#) -
https://www.toyota.com/recall

**If the recall for Lower Ball Joints is still open for your truck, call your local service department and schedule for them to do the work asap. If it has been done, it will show in your service history.


This will return vehicle info including what it was sold with and when it was first put into service.
https://www.toyota.com/owners/my-vehicle/vehicle-specification