Did I Buy a Lemon?

Literally the first step in "getting things moving" is taking it to the dealer. You still refuse to do that.

100% you do not have anything even remotely close to a lemon. You have a new vehicle that may or may not have a minor or possibly even a major issue. This is not all that uncommon. You seem to be the type that expect perfection in an imperfect world. You will be disappointed.

While Toyota quality did arguably take a dive after the 1st gen Tacomas, your issues hardly amount to something like that. New vehicles often have little minor issues crop up, new noises you're not used to, and very often they don't shift or drive quite like you think they should. Those are issues with your expectations, not the vehicle. I know that when I bought my '17 4Runner, I kept hearing a tick that sounded like a valve tick. Turns out it's just a completely different engine than my 3.4L and thus sounds different. It also shifts different. Who knew...

It's been 8 pages of people telling you to take it to the dealer. Do you plan to heed that advice, or are you going to sit at your keyboard and complain about it for another 8 pages first?

Your continued delays could very well jeopardize any claim you might (eventually, IF you ever take it in) have. I could see the dealer, or Toyota Corporate asking "so wait, tell me again how long you continued to drive it with a suspected issue before bringing it to the dealer for diagnosis and service?"

I gotta say, this is a pretty classic 3rd gen thread, and is a reason 3rd genners are often the butt of jokes elsewhere on the forum.

 

3rd gen tacos have a ton of issues with the drivetrain? Haha, what?

I have quite a few buddies with 3rd gen tacos and they have been flawless, including mine.

 

Talk to your service department and tell them you have an issue that's a bit finicky to repro and you'd like a service tech to do a ride-along for 10 minutes so you can repro it for them. I've never had a dealer turn me down.

Sounds like you're in the software industry? If you can't repro it on demand within a few minutes or explain specifically why you'll need more time, they're going to mark that puppy "won't fix" in Jira and move on. Just like you would for any ticket that comes your way.

 

Grinding sounds within specific RPM ranges can sometimes be a loose bolt/washer vibrating at a given harmonic.

Poke around the side you think you hear it most and lightly tap around with a soft stick looking for something that might make a rattle.

 

OP's gunna be going into the dealership full Karen mode with a lawyer ready.
Don't forget to have your phone video recording and shove it into their face for "yours and theirs safety".... and our entertainment.

 

You only have one path to get it fixed. you have to take it to the dealer and play the game. if it was my truck and so new to purchase I would go back to your salesman and do not give him a heads up with what is going on. have him give you a ride along. let him tell you what is going on. during the ride along then ask him about the odd sounds. if there is a dis agreement then ask to drive another truck to see if it sounds the same. at that point the salesman has to explain it or send you to service. either way it has to get into service to make you a happy customer. when in service ask for a loaner if they are keeping it over night. if they do not give you the response you want as to speak to the service manager. You cant even approach lemon law until the service has had it in for the same problem at least 3 times and are still unable to fix it. after service then call Corporate and register your complaint. register after every service where you have problems. do all the service stuff in the morning make appointments. its not the dealers problem if you don't have the time off or transportation its just life and problems get in the way. it took 2 years to get my truck working the way it should just because it was a new model and a first year model. I was in the same boat, why is this happening to me, none of it is my fault but it is me jumping through the hoops. I had almost all the issues the 2016's had plus a couple more. my first new truck, but my second Toyota truck. my 1986 was a solid truck with no issues. within a month of my new truck a was really scared of what I bought into and now 3 years down down the road I am happy again. best thing I did was buy the 8 year 100,000 mile platinum warranty. almost paid for its self when i had the gauge cluster replaced last year. this truck is so much nicer that my 1986 but my 1986 was better built and a damn solidly built and designed truck. not much else out there to replace it and they all have problems so what you going to do?

 

Appreciate the very detailed reply!

It is super helpful to see the dealer ratings, as the ones I had been to were either at the very bottom or not even in your pictures.

I will be taking it to one of the dealers on your list

 

You aren't the first person to be wrong about that.

First Toyota didn't design or manufacture the transmission, Aisin Corp. did and sells them to Toyota.

If you would have performed the manual trans fluid level check you might have a better idea of the situation. The trans case is compact and filled with components, when it warms to operating temp the level is much higher than at ambient temp. once it gets warmer than ideal (but still not over heated) the level is even higher. I would offer that Aisin did not provide an old school 1960's Chevy Powerglide style dipstick because the it would not be even close to accurate.

Scores of owners whine endlessly instead of just doing the relatively simple manual check. I realize they are highly educated mechanically...but can't for some reason wipe their own ass.

 

Funny how those dealership techs are somehow subpar to the idiots on a web forum.

 

Ya they really don't build them like they used to. It is a lot of computer controlled stuff now, so that will guarantee more issues.

I don't really have two years worth of patience to deal with Toyota trying to fix it, which is why I am really just thinking about driving it for a year or two and selling it. If it self-destructs before then it should be covered under warranty.

 

Why the hell do you think this will take 2 years?! I mean, if you keep complaining about it instead of taking it in for an actual diagnosis, yeah, it just might take 2 years.

Shit or get off the pot, but stop complaining about how long you think it might take you to poop when you haven't even sat down yet.

 

Thank you everyone for the responses! A bunch of you spent a good deal of time and effort trying to help me, and I really appreciate that.

I think it's all agreed that most likely I do not have a lemon, and I should just take it to the dealer.

The one thing I am still on the fence on is the two sides of people on here:

One side claims that everyones 3rd gen taco makes weird noises and vibrations and that's just how it is.

The other side says their Tacoma has driven perfectly since taking delivery, and that these noises and vibrations are not normal.

I really could not come to a conclusion on this so I guess I'll leave it for others to debate.

..

If anyone is having similar issues with their new Tacoma I would really appreciate a comment with any updates/fixes that you have.

 

The commenter I was responding to had similar issues. They explained that it took 2 years of back and forth to have the issues fixed.

 

If I ever get a horrible pain in my abdomen, I'm gonna skip the hospital and ride it out for a year or two. If something goes wrong, I can always get a malpractice attorney later on.

 

Neither of these things are completely true, nor do they even apply to you. These are people's anecdotal stories from the internet. It is absurd to think your situation is one or the other of these two extremes.

If you feel something is not right, TAKE IT IN. This isn't rocket science.

 

Yeah, and why do you think that is exactly what will happen to you? You haven't even called the dealer, let alone taken it in.

You seem to be the type that is afraid to do in to the doctor because that one time a surgeon left a sponge in a dude's stomach.

 

Dude, we are on page 9 and I'm not even sure if or what your problems are.

Can you give a quick summary of what you are having issues with? I know you posted them earlier, but this has gotten kind of sidetracked and cluttered.

 

Original issue: whirring/Whining noise around 2-2.3k RPM under load. Happens somewhat frequently, but was tough for me to reproduce. Sounds like it's coming from in front of driver.

After some comments, people suggested I try it in 4hi. Driving in 4hi on the highway I started feeling very harsh pulsing vibrations in the driver foot well and pedal. This happened around 1900RPM at highway speed and would go away if I raised or lowered RPMs.

I also did a tight left turn leaving parking lot and heard one knocking noise from the driver wheel well, but was unable to reproduce that, so I didn't really mention it.