3rd Gen Poll: Rear End Noise howling when feathering throttle

So I just had my leaf springs and dampeners replaced because my truck was covered under the TSB for the humming noise and I almost passed out when they told me the cost for the parts. $2200 dealer cost for the fix. The service person told me if I had to pay for the repair out of warranty it would have been over $3k. I almost told him keep the parts, pay me the money and I’ll buy a new suspension of my choice.
On the bright side the truck is quiet.

 

Just to be clear... you had the rear end howl before the fix, and it went away after they changed the leaf springs and dampers (i assume the cab mount ones)?

If so, that's great!

 

I hope it stays gone. It didn’t work for me but did reduce the noise I heard by half. The noise only got louder as the miles added up. Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

I posted in this thread a while back. My noise was very consistent. Between 55-45 on deceleration. I changed out the dif oil -no change. I noted at that time that there was pressure when I took off the fill plug. I had just received one of those super lubes, the one that has 8000 PPM borate. There's a friction test on Youtube that's very telling (at least to me) Anyways, I shot about a tablespoon in my dif (it's concentrated and very expensive) and removed the dif breather and "unplugged" the breather. Not sure what the deal is with that. It's not like the one on my 4Runner.

Well, It really seems the noise has diminished. I used to let off the gas and the noise was very prevalent. Now I have to listen hard and I "think" I hear something but I'm not sure. It certainly is quieter. I'll post up what I used once I verify my results. Don't want any bad info out there.

 

Here's the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94aI5VPaeM

 

Moondog, I’m sure you already checked, but in case you haven’t, when I looked for the TSB after the dealer did the repair there were a handful of others that addressed the same issue. If the howl came back you might want to go back to the dealer and press them to try another repair.
From reading the other posts on this issue though it looks like it can be hit or miss on whether dealers are willing to help out. Good luck.

 

Heck, I'd be thrilled if the noise was reduced by half on mine.

Really weird that it came back over time after replacing the leaf springs on yours ... wondering if maybe the bushings are tight enough when new to dampen the vibrations, but then break in with miles allowing the vibes to return. I can't imagine its the springs themselves as there's nothing really to "wear out".

 

Thanks. They replaced my diff and it was completely quiet for about 1500 miles and then came back with a vengeance. I sold it after that.

 

It was actually my diff just getting louder. As mentioned in earlier posts, they replaced my diff and mine had ground gears and excessive shavings in it.

 

When you said the noise came back with miles, are you referring to after the diff was replaced or springs?

 

After the diff was replaced. It was gloriously quiet for about 1500 or so miles but slowly started coming back, only to be present at several different speeds.

 

I was never told about the original diff in mine as far as shavings go, but the Toyota engineers they spoke to said to replace it. According to my dealer, my truck had the updated springs. They also changed the dampeners, but if I recall correctly, the updated ones were already in place and they chose to try that solution. After the diff replace, it was quieter, but could still be heard. I received the feeling from my dealer that they hit their end of the road with it. I didnt pressure them after that. Went on a 2500 mile plus road trip after and the noise was always there. Dont remember it getting louder or worse...
I traded the truck in not long after that. 2018 DCSB OR AT 4x4

Really want another Tacoma, but not sure I want to deal with this again...

 

I brought my truck in again and they said they wouldn't investigate it further. They said it's coming from “around the diff” but they won't pull the fluid to see if there's shavings in it. “Toyota won’t pay us to go investigating random things until we find a cause”. Excuse me? That’s part of finding the cause. They said another customer had a same complaint but was “way louder” so they looked at his diff... Also brought up the TSB and said it wasn’t done. Showed them the body mount and how it didn’t look like the TSB and the tech was like “they changed the dynamics of the vehicle so they didn’t need that part anymore”. I’m calling corporate this is absurd

 

It is absurd, no doubt.

 

Just to add a bit to this comment... I LOVE Tacoma’s!!!! I’ve owned several (8?) over the course of the last 20+ years. And I can’t wait to get another one when they get this problem figured out.

But I’m not gonna roll the dice for $37k only to end up with another one that howls like the last one I got. I simply can’t tolerate a howl on the highway and listen to that sound constantly at 60mph for three hours on a two lane road trip.

We see a lot of “it’s not that big of a deal” comments in this thread. And to you guys that feel that way- awesome!

But if you take a lot of road trips on two lane at 55-65mph and have the howl... get ready. It’s a fact. It’s very annoying to a lot of Tacoma owners. There’s nothing to argue. It is what it is.

 

True.... But it appears that the vast majority of trucks either do not have the howl or it is quiet enough to not be a problem. Of course, threads like this make it seem like every truck has it, but that's just because those of us with the problem are here looking for solutions.

Here's hoping you have better luck with your next Taco

 

I'd argue the vast majority do have it. Look at the TW poll alone for the statistics. At least 51%, not including the "not sure" category. That implies either Toyota has a horrendous quality control problem, or it's a design flaw.... I tend to believe the latter, as a 51% manufacturing flaw would be extremely unlikely for a company like Toyota to just be like "eh, whatever" for several years or more.

I think a lot of people just assume its how the truck sounds, and are able to ignore it.

 

The majority of those to who the poll have the problem which is currently 1190 votes. Who is to say that is even the majority of TW people as how many users are there? And then you have to figure in the amount of trucks sold each year. Not sure how accurate these figures are, but from 2016-2019, Tacomas averaged approx 221,053 trucks sold each of those years. According to these figures, there were 884,215 Tacomas sold between 2016 and 2019 with an additional 17,112 sold at 2020 when the figures were posted. So when you look at 1190 votes compared to those numbers, that is a very small percentage.

Source: https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/toyota-tacoma-sales-figures/

Last night I searched for 3rd Gen Tacoma issues on Youtube and not one rear end whine issue came up. I do wish there was a way to see how many cases have been reported to Toyota Corporate regarding this issue.

 

Yes, this poll has a relatively small sample size, but it's still representative. TW comprises a diverse group of owners from all over the country, from various backgrounds, and age groups.

 

Every 3rd gen Taco I’ve been in with over 2K or so miles does it. My brother-in-law has a 19. I asked him if his did it and he said no. Then I told him what to listen for and now he is not a happy camper and cannot unhear it. Some people are not bothered by noises (my youngest son and next to youngest daughter, for example) whereas others like myself and my wife (would not ride in my Taco) are. Like so many others on here I’ve driven Tacos for decades. My truck had a LOT more issues than just the rear diff noise but I wish the noise didn’t bother me and I’d buy another one. The problem is that it drives me crazy and I can’t and won’t jump on another one until this issue is fixed. I fear that’ll be at least 2023 when the next gen Taco arrives as a 24 model.