Tacoma lean? How bout the Tacoma seep? Show me yours because It's the Toyota Way

I know there is an existing thread about rear differential recall from the early 3rd gens. There are also a few other threads on the same issue. Some of these photos are a bit similar to mine. I just came across some accounts of rust in new vehicles (not the Taco) and was just checking when I saw what I thought were oil stains in the differential. I immediately searched and the prior posts came up but no reports in 2021 models (or if I missed it, I apologize). There are no stains on the garage floor. Bought the vehicle in January 2021. The closest thing to off-roading was running down gravel roads on a couple of farms, otherwise 99% on pavement thus far.

I am coming up on my 10K service - should I bring this up with the dealer or wait and see if there is any change in the "staining" or "weeping" and bring this up later? Should the dealer be able to flag this with their inspection? Or is this what Toyota considers "normal"? Appreciate any feedback - if there is a related thread in 21s I would appreciate the link but failed to find in my searches. Thanks.

 

Just have them document it. Lately if it's not dripping on the floor, it's a seep which toyota won't fix. Had mine fixed but it came back after 20t miles. I Wiped it off and has been clean since then.

 

Thanks, appreciate the insight. I am leaning towards that direction.

 

Check for a stuck breather?

 

Have toyota document and torque down the nuts to proper spec (and verify at home that they did).... unless its dripping on the floor dont worry about it after that.

 

Got it. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.

 

Will look into that - I've seen references to it in other threads.

 

Def let Toyota document it. Alternative is to pull it off and reseal with RTV, not that hard, took me about 3 hours to install a new third member. Not sure if that voids warranty, just throwing out ideas

 

Not this again

 

Well, it won’t rust so that’s good, right?

 

Not a '21 but guess what I noticed the other day with mere 6,600mi on the clock on my '20? Going in to get it documented with local dealer next week who will probably just snug up the bolts, rinse and tell me to keep an eye on it.

Not super worried since it's a weep but if it goes beyond that, it'll be noted. I've seen posts on who got it "fixed" multiple times and each time it came back (or was worse). Not sure why they don't use a rubber gasket or RTV.

 

Very similar to the pattern of "weep" on my rear diff. I already have an appt with a dealer for the 10K service and I indicated the staining in the RDiff in the "notes" section. I also sent an email to Toyota customer service, along with photos, just to have it documented in case others have contacted them. I also indicated the upcoming service visit. No response yet.

 

All the pictures and prior posts have basically the same pattern of seeping in between studs. So they could very well be too loose, surfaces are warped, gasket not thick enough, heat differential between two surfaces causing temporary issue... etc.

I have no clue why they use a gasket rather than rtv almost all other mfrs use. Not expecting anything extraordinary but I'll update after next Friday's appointment. If I had 60k it would be a different story but seeing this after 6k sounds like a bad design.

 

A quick update: I sent an email to Toyota CS, documenting the rear diff staining/weeping and I received a response today, along with a case #. I called the support # and told rep that: 1) this should have been fixed a few years ago (as per TSB for 2016-2017s?), 2) did not expect this issue for a 2021 vehicle purchased new and driven for less than 10K miles, especially after the earlier TSB 3) would like to have this documented in case of potential mechanical issues later past the factory warranty period (I did purchase extended warranty).

Long story short, my 10K appt with a dealer about 2 hrs from me has been moved up a week early to have this issue documented/addressed/fixed. Rep facilitated the discussion with service advisor (after trying other dealers in the area-no loaners available or service backed up days, in case I have to leave vehicle in shop). I am aware from prior posts that dealer might dismiss it as "normal" but my goal is to have this documented and addressed right now (and especially if other folks are experiencing same).

 

You can bring it up with the dealer, but there’s always a chance they might over-tighten (just like they do oil filters) and strip one or more fasteners, so be vigilant if you choose this route.

More than likely some of the fasteners got loose or were not torqued to specs. The diff breather and oil level should be checked (for overfill/under-filled) and adjusted if needed.

I’m certain there are other ’21,'20,'19,'18,'17s like yours and maybe even worst just like on the previous recall.

This is normal on all diffs on all make/models. This is supposed to be checked on all vehicles during regular maintenance but is often overlooked or dismissed as a minor annoyance.

 

I'll make sure I check my carrier and pumpkin after my dealer checks it out. I put the diff breather mod on mine at 500mi so its not a failed breather in my case. Not going to push the dealer to replace my diff or make them tear into it to fix it; they can make it worse just by touching it. But it'll be noted either way so if it gets worse, I'll raise hell then.

 

Thank you for the insights - I did check the breather and it appears to be freely moving and fairly clean. I will work on checking the oil next. I understand the risk of bringing this up with the dealer, but on the other hand, if this is not documented, Toyota might think everything is OK and forget the Kaizen way...

 

Got it. I'll take lots of photos, videos, make plenty of notes about before and after. There's one or two videos out there about Toyota's approach to quality control and about continuous improvement. I am a bit disappointed that a subject of a major TSB from 2016-2017 still persists in 2021. I might be an outlier but I suspect that if we take a random sample of 100 rear diffs, that the reports of seeping/staining won't be outliers

 

Another update: I was looking up documentation of the prior recall and came across this document: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCAK-17V285-5030.pdf, which states, among other things: "If the vehicle is operated with an insufficient amount of oil in the rear differential, the differential may seize and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash." It also stated that the date of the recall was to start on June 12, 2017. I posted the initial report on TW on June 12 2021 Pure coincidence of course, but I went ahead and filed a report to NHTSA just in case there are 2021 (or earlier) Tacoma users not on TW who are experiencing same issues.

Another document related to the earlier recall, for reference: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCRIT-17V285-6633.pdf

 

You have five yr or 60k if anything happens, so there's that.

My diff fasteners were loose and I had the minor stains. All I did was check and torque the fasteners to specs in the proper sequence, clean all the stains and no more stains 50k miles later, no stripped bolts or worries from king Kong hands touching my truck