2020 Tacoma driveline vibration

Sorry for my first post here already griping about my new Truck, but with my previous cars, the forums have always been a great place for answers so here I go.

Just purchased a 2020 SR5 4x2. Love it and did a lot of research prior to purchase. This is my first truck and bought it as a daily that can pull my s2000 around when I need to..However, only a couple days after buying it, I started to feel this steering wheel shake around 20-25mph on deceleration. Never read about this prior to purchasing but of course after purchasing and feeling this vibration, I see a lot of Tacoma buyers feel this and it’s a known issue.

I’ve read a whole bunch of threads and even took the truck back to dealer. The dealer said it’s a normal characteristic of the truck and let me drive another 2020 on the lot. It did it also but to a lesser extent than mine does. The TSB for the rear leaf springs seem to cover the 16 and 17’s but nothing for my year. It’s a huge annoyance especially on a new truck.

My Truck is stock and not lifted at all. Has anyone found a fix for this? I don’t think it’s coming from the rear end at all also feels more like an issue in the front of the car somewhere. I read something about a needle bearing in the front but that looks like a 4x4 issue

Sorry for the long winded post but any help or guidance in the right direction is greatly appreciate

 

It's probably normal, it's a truck they behave differently.

 

I heard that a lot also. Just doesn’t seem right that the car vibrates while decelerating. Seems like some tolerances are off somewhere.

 

It may not be a Driveline vibration if you are feeling the steering wheel shaking. Maybe start with the basics and check the tire pressure and do a rotation.

 

I don’t feel like it’s that simply because i only feel it on deceleration at 20-25 mph. Tire pressure is solid around 31psi. If it was an out of balance tire I feel like I wild feel it around highway speeds and it’s smooth on the highway

 

I just purchased a 2020 SR5 4WD and noticed the drive line vibration in deceleration between 35 -10 mph. I took it in to the dealer and got pretty much the same story (1) it’s a truck - they behave differently (duh, no kidding!) (2) the technician found no error codes (3) said they compared it against another truck on the lot and saw no differences on the test drive.

I have driven trucks for a number of years and clearly they don’t exhibit this issue. That being said, I guess I will keep and eye on it and learn to deal with the minor annoyance. Keeping my fingers crossed that Toyota owns up to the problem and comes up with a fix.

#shouldaboughtacolorado

 

Are your vibes in the front or rear?

 

Definitely not the front. It’s hard to describe, it it feels like a vibration directly under me. I even took it out on a flat straight road and let the truck decelerate from 35 to dead stop without applying the brakes. The vibration show up just under 35 mph and disappears below 10-15 mph.

 

That is pretty common and there is a TSB for previous year models. The TSB has not been updated to include the 2020s but the fix can be done. I recently had my rear drums replaced on my 2020 to fix the same problem. Just have a good conversation with your service manager.

 

A very well known issue with the 3rd gens. There's a huge thread on here which discusses it.

Bottom line, there is no known resolution. Many have had their rear drums replaced, refinished, axles replaced, pinion angles checked... none of these seem to fix the issue permanently.

A bed mat does seem to dampen the vibes a bit.

 

My new 2020 Tacoma SR5 4x2 does the same thing - vibration when braking from 35mph down to 10mph or so. If you brake / decelerate with only the emergency brake it is very obvious as something wrong with the rear brakes. It feels unsafe to some extent. I am going to take it in to the dealer to see what they say about a remedy.

 

Yes, there is a sticky thread here that started in 2106. As a 2020 Limited owner who experiences the "rumblestrip" sensation too, it just sucks. Only 1600 miles on it. Next time at the dealer or 5K mile service I will have them inspect. Fingers crossed...

 

please keep us informed with your situation and what the dealership says

 

My truck is lifted and the dealer did it prior to selling it new. I have had plenty of driveline vibrations including what you describe. Be nice about it and firm and they will do all the TSB's along with anything the tech can think of...…….IF you are at a good stealership and your not a douche about it.

 

Good luck to you. Just FYI though, many members here have had their drums resurfaced and/or replaced countless times only to have the issue still be there.

IMO, it's a combination of the rear brakes not yet fully bedded in (new truck) and the fact that the soft rear suspension makes this truck prone to axle wrap easily. What helped alleviate some of the vibes on mine was to do about 5-8 hard braking applications from 50 mph. I also intentionally drove about 1/4 mile with the parking brake set slightly to allow the shoes a chance to heat up and spread an even film on the drums.

 

My 2020 SR5 4x4 has the same issue seems to happen between 20-15 mph when breaking figured it was just the light rear and lighter leaf springs. I’m not concerned with it at this point still new with only 700 miles. Has any noticed a difference with weight in the bed?

 

I noticed a difference after adding a bed mat (~30 lbs). And even more of a difference over Christmas when hauling a bunch of luggage in the back. So yeah, it does make a difference.

 

I really do not want to do the whole back and forth with the dealer routine - especially having read like you mentioned many times the issue was not fixed. But in my mind it seems like a really unsafe issue - pulsating brake pressure from the rear of a truck (where it is very light) seems like a recipe for in stability in certain situations. I think I might just live it with like so many others have been doing since 2016!!!!!!

 

So when I bought my 2020 it did it as well. I bought rear axle shims and set the pinion angle to the correct numbers. It was off by about 6 degrees a 3 degree shim took care of it. I now have zero drive line vibes.

 

Hopefully you will get the issue worked out. What is an s2000 if you don't mind my asking?