TSB BS

A TSB essentially means that the vehicle manufacturer recognizes that there is a reoccurring design problem with their product and has engineered a remedy. These problems are actually uncovered after extensive real world testing at the time and inconvenience of the buyers. Why don’t manufacturers wake up and incorporate these upgrades into vehicles immediately upon discovery and avoid future customer dissatisfaction. Manufacturers should be required to notify all owners of any TSB applicable to their vehicle particularly while under warranty and the dealers need to fix the problem just like a safety recall. I would like to see some help from the Fed in this area.
Every manufacturer is guilty of this TSB ----- B___ S___ game-----not just Toyota. As a matter of fact most other manufactures, at least in my experience, are probably worse. If all manufacturers were required to be up front with their mistakes we would get a better product.
Almost $30K for a pickup truck and you get some BS run around and it really doesn't matter who made it. Really sad.

 

X2

 

A TSB does not necessarily mean they found a design problem, it could mean they found an application problem.

For example, the rear leaf springs. 99% of Tacoma buyers never seem to have a problem. For them, there is no design problem. The other 1% of Tacoma buyers are either more sensitive, or they haul really heavy loads so often that they want something significantly stiffer. For them, there is a design problem; the TSB addresses that.

 

When I bought my truck I checked the specs for towing and hauling becuase its a truck & I planned to do both. The first time I hooked up my tow pack equip DBL Cab to my camper I knew I had a problem. When I tried to haul a load of mulch I knew I had a problem. If a truck is rated to haul or tow a certain amount & can't w/o being on the load stops and riding like shit I see that as a design problem. If toyota intended these trucks to be mall crawlers with the beds there only to haul groceries they should have rated them as such, IMO that is a design problem.

 

Exactly.

A TSB is not necessarily a 'replacement' or a 'fix' for something. It also includes information to for the TECH's to peform (or assist) in doing certain proecdures.
For example:
http://www.matrixowners.com/tsb/TS-AU001-06.pdf
http://www.autoclockrepair.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/2005_Tacoma_Compass.204145952.pdf

Besides....after doing all the work just to satisfy 1% of the owners (and $$ to implement) you'd have the other 99% of the people complaining about something new. Although I agree they should put the TSB springs in every truck - you'd probably have another 1% of the owners complaining they were too stiff.

 

If the they put the TSB leaf packs on from the factory anyone test driving could feel how stiff they were on a test drive & decide if they could live with the ride or not. It's not realistic to expect potential buyers to load up a truck to capacity on a test drive in order to see if the springs can handle the load they are rated for IMO.

 

And if the customer doesn't do that- Then they don't need the springs. I know plenty of folks who drive 1/2ton trucks cause they like the seat/visibility height...Nothing to do with having a bed or hauling anything.

If they DO load up the truck- There is a TSB for that.

 

I got no problem with Toyota making the springs soft for a better ride mall crawling, just rate the vehicle for what it can haul safely & don't mislead your customers. I probably would have looked at getting a new Tundra again if I knew it wouldn't haul anymore than it did safely in stock form.

As far as the TSB yeah I got it done and it works fine now but Toyota didn't pay me what I make per day for bringing it in riding the shuttle home & waiting for them to call saying its done. I should not have had to do that to make my brand new truck to make it perform to the specs set by the manufacturer.

 

They shouldn't limit getting the work done only during the 3 yr 36,000 mile warranty period.

 

Your choice to take a lost day- I've taken my truck in several times and managed to figure out a way to go to work. And it is an uncomfortable/crappy ride- It's not proven unsafe or un-doable. If it was- It would be a recall. And about the Tundra part- You used "it" too many times in that sentence- cause I have no idea which truck you were talking about or what you were trying to say.

Why not? 36K of using a truck with moderate to heavy loading can wear springs out. They aren't on the hook forever- You paid for 3 years/36K. Not to mention- 1st owner: If you drive it for 3 years and/or 36K without noting a problem - Then you don't really have a problem. And 2nd owner- You should research and know what you are getting into.

 

I bought my 07 trd sport dc lb 4x4 new, and my rear springs squeaked like crazy. I took it into them under warranty at about 30k mi. They said they new about the squeak and ordered some grease? I got the truck back and it was fine, for a while. The squeak came back at about 65k. Really annoying! Do you think they will fix it even though im at like 75K, but they acknowledged and tried fixing the squeak at 30k? I read the fix on this site about inserting a tube between the leafs. (great idea btw)

I was under the impression the tow rating is what the truck can safely stop? What is the haul capacity?

 

Is your warranty still in effect? I can't imagine why it wouldn't be, in which case the TSBs would still be covered if you have the issues that they address.

 

They will still do it if your truck has the symptoms and is under warranty.

A TSB is simply a set of instructions to the techs on a known issue.

 

They'll do it even if it's not under warranty, but the owner has to pay for it.

TSB's come about for a number of reasons. Sometimes it has nothing to do with a repair, like the oil TSB that allows 5w20 and

$54 0w20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0w20 oil weights. It can change, clarify or expand on a service procedure or materials covered in the OM or FSM.

My beef has always been that the manufacturer don't make them easily available to any owner. You can't say it's because distributing them is expensive if they published it online.

 

Why does Canadien tacomas come with the 4 leaf pak from the get go and the US made trucks still do not?
Just curious.
FWIW, I had the TSB done for the truck bottomed out with my young nephews fit as a fiddle in the back seat.
That just isn't right.
Its a truck, if people wanted a soft ride there's the Highlander. Its all about $.

 

x100

I understand (but don't necessarily agree) that Toyota puts the 3 leaf packs to make the ride soft for potential buyers when test driving. But it is total BS that they have the weight rating much higher than what the truck can actually carry. It's a truck and it should be able to carry the amount of weight that it's rated for, if not more. (And yes, my rear suspension has bottomed out...we are in the process of moving and it bottomed out with about 300 lbs of stuff in the back with only me in the cab)

Seriously though, it's also BS that Canada Tacos get the TSB 4 leaf pack and we still get 3...makes absolutely no sense to me at all..

 

I so no reason the truck can't carry full data plate load... riding bump stops in the rear maybe. But it will do it.

 

I like my Tacoma so don't take this wrong......but...........TSB's suck.

Toyota needs to get out of the habit of the TSB business and engineer and build them right from the start. This running back and forth to the dealership sucks.

Toyota seems to be comfortable using the TSB B.S. as an excuse to fix what should have not made it out of the plant to begin with. One has to ask? Is Toyota just getting to large to control quaility before it goes out the door? Like I said, I like my truck, and this is really my only gripe with Toyota. I hope they get out of the TSB business.

edit- My wife's 2004 V6 Honda Accord has never had a TSB issue. So I don't buy that TSB's are a constant with all auto makers. We have 145k on the Accord and it runs performs flawlessly.

I have owned and driven Toyota trucks for the approx the last 20 years or so, (when a couple posters on here were only 5-6 years old) <<grin>> so I guess you could say I have a little knowledge and experience with Toyota trucks. My first new Toyota was 1989 Toyota 4x4 xtracab which I piled the miles on. It was a great truck a 4 banger..I kept it out of dealerships, did the services myself and and never ever had a "TSB" issue. Thinking back, TSB's did not even exist and if they did they were not as comon as they are now.

Toyota needs to get out of the "selling" TSB's with their products and refocus on engineering/production quaility control not speed and high volume mass production which produces.

I do like my Tacoma and do still have confidence in Toyota products, I just think the whole TSB is a PIA.

Ok, rant over...I am better now.

 

Not to mention- It's not a guaranteed problem. I drove my truck with 400+ lbs of motorcycle, 150 lbs of gear tool and gas, and my 165lbs self and didn't bottom out at all.

Where did the 300lbs measurement come from?? A scale or an educated guess??

That's the thing tho- For the majority of buyers- It's not broke so they don't need to fix it. They have an answer to the problem when it occurs- It's not an across the board thing.