Rattling coming from rear end.

Hey everyone, I’m not much of a car guy but for a few months since I purchased my 2008 Tacoma there has been a rattling noise coming from the rear end. I went under the truck today and what I believe is my leaf spring, part of it was not connected. Not sure if this is something that needs to be completely replaced or can be fixed. The broken one is on the driver side. I included a picture of the passenger side for comparison.

 

I think you may need new springs, that one is missing a little something in the middle.

 

The peice at the bottom of the picture is the part of the spring that keeps rattling around. Didn’t know if it could just be put back in place. And I’m assuming if I am changing one side I will have to replace the passenger side as well?

 

You have the 2 leaves plus the overload. Toyota did a recall and replaced them with 3 leaves plus overload. There is a large chunk of the 2nd leaf broke off and laying out on the highway somewhere. Get to the dealer and get your springs replaced for free.

Have them inspect your frame also. You may be eligible for a new frame. I hope you're not too late. On the frame, it's 12 years from the date it was originally sold new.

 

Missing part of the middle leaf in that pack, you can see it in the first pic. The springs shouldn't be that far apart. Now you are just about riding on the main leaf only, that snaps you could be in for a real bad time. I'd see if Toyota will give ya the recall springs quick.

 

Thank you everyone, made an appointment with the dealership.

 

In the mean time, register your truck with Toyota and find out when the date of 1st use was, so you know if you're within the time frame for a frame replacement. Your frame is pretty damn rusty. Hope you're not too late.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/my-vehicle/vehicle-specification?source=myVehicle

 

I was gonna say, that frames not looking too hot.

Try to get that broken spring secured in the meantime, there have been reports of broken springs on the driver side puncturing gas tanks...

 

Yea when I looked under I noticed almost everything under the the truck was rusted and peices crumbling off everywhere. The truck made it through hurricane sandy so most likely that’s what it’s from. The date of first use was June 8th 2008. How would I find out if I’m able to get a new frame, I’m assuming from the dealer?

 

Beans?

 

Crawl underneath and look for a hole in the frame. Especially look beside the catalytic converters. If you find a hole 10mm or larger, you qualify for a new frame. Find the hole yourself before you take it in. There have been dealers that told people that their frame was fine, when it’s not. Your cutoff date will be June 8, 2020. Make absolutely sure you get it inspected by that date. 1 day later and you won’t get a new frame.

 

The catalytic converters are what sorta look like bulges in the exhaust pipes up nearer the front wheels. The area of frame behind the front wheels (particularly near those catalytic converters) is most prone to delamination and perforation. Wear some goggles and don’t be afraid to tap lightly with a hammer while inspecting as much of the frame as you can.

if you’re lucky you’ll get a new frame and leaf springs! Let us know how it goes.

 

As others have mentioned, the middle leaf has broken completely off. And as others have said, try to get new ones under the recall. Just wanted to give you more reassurance by repeating what others have said so I too look like I know what I'm talking about.

 

Just got a call from the dealer, im getting both leaf springs replaced for free, when I checked under the truck I didn’t come across any holes in the frame. They looked it over as well and said that there is a lot of flaking and rust but there are no actual rot holes so I’m not eligible for a new one. I should have the truck back in a couple weeks. Anyone know how to make A couple holes in a frame and make it look natural ? Lol

 

just beat the shit out of it with a hammer till a hole appears

 

Tap very gently on the frame with a hammer and punch near the catalytic converters. If you slam the punch through and make a perfectly round hole, they will claim you punched the hole and you will be permanently denied a new frame. Make sure there’s no fresh shiny marks when you’re done.

This is what my frame looked like after gentle tapping. There was no hole previous.

 

Got some good news today, dealer called back and said they submitted pictures of my frame to Toyota and they stated a lot of the top portion of the Frame has actually completely rotted away and needs to be replaced. Bad news is that they said normally it takes 8-10 weeks to have the frame shipped, however I live in nyc and due to the Coronavirus the trucks that typically bring the deliveries aren’t coming as often as they usually do. So I’ll be in the loaner car for atleast 3 months.

 

That's pretty good news, but dang 3 months is quite a bit of time. Can't be that bad though.....what loaner car did they give you? Wasn't a prius was it?

 

It’s a 2020 rav 4 so it’s not to bad, nice to have a something that the radio works in though.

 

WooooooHoooooo! That’s awesome. I knew that from the pic you posted that your frame had to be pretty bad. Glad you got it approved before the 12 year mark. One thing you have to realize is that they build the frame just for your truck.