A Tacoma Story

You are very fortunate then. Here in Florida lifted trucks are very common but warranty coverage on the suspension after a lift is not, unless it's a TRD lift kit.

 

Yeah, I think he's pretty awesome. Definitely the best and smartest dog in the history of ever.

And he's been way more places than a lot of people:

https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGx...2?story_media_id=2649305670719883995_48196585

 

Contact Toyota corporate. You've been far too patient. And it doesn't sound like the vehicle should even be driven. If corporate gives you the run around keep pushing. The dealerships are being lazy plain and simple. I've seen plenty of wheel bearings fail without excessive play. While I skimmed over your initial explanation, it does sound like wheel bearings. Shouldn't have even let you have the vehicle back. Does Idaho have a Lemon Law? That's a back-up plan.

Edit: Here you go: Idaho Lemon Law: An Overview – Idaho Consumer Law

Seems like you might have ground for them to take the vehicle back. I'm no lawyer. It sucks, but it might be the only solution. Try Toyota first.

 

I’m not doubting that, it’s just surprising since it’s not that common. Wish it was like that in the northeast where I live. I just bought a ‘21 with extended warranty but I knew going in after adding an aftermarket suspension that the dealer prob. won’t support any suspension issues that arise. I do however expect everything else to be covered. Hope it works out for you.

 

Ha! One of the mechanics who agreed there was an issue said the same while we were driving around. If It was paid off, and/or the warranty was up, and I thought it would help, I might consider it. But, it was fine this way for years; tons of people lift these higher and don't have problems; I've had multiple glorified station wagons, bought for $5-8k, that had 100k mi or more on them, almost all of which were IFS, that I lifted twice as high, stuffed with 33/34/35s even, then drove for years, sometimes 100k more miles, and only ever needed minor parts like a ball joint replaced, like once in a while. I've had one other truck with steering issues but they were dealt with and didn't return. I've also had a truck that broke all of the most expensive parts, engine, trans, tcase, axle, etc. Likewise, you'd fix the issue and at least have some time to drive it before something else would break. This hasn't been fixed completely since it first broke back in March. Also, just the thought of putting that kind of money into a truck with so little get up :/

 

Yes, it’s just that the vast majority of needle bearing issues happen on lifted trucks (regardless of the TSB in 2018). I’m not excusing Toyota for this, they know that lots of Tacoma owners are going to end up lifting their trucks, and they should be designed and made strong enough from the factory to accommodate that. But that said, I still think all of your problems are likely a result of the aftermarket lift and possibly the previous owner and the unknown history. Even though the products are researched and tested well by companies like Old Man Emu, all lifts have an inherent risk of premature damage to components, and there are mfg. warnings about this risk.

I also agree it’s been a domino effect in your case, all likely resulting from an incorrect initial “repair”. I was mainly just thinking about your statement that all perspective 3rd gen owners should spend that $2K or whatever extra on extended warranties, because your used truck with aftermarket suspension had a bearing issue and subsequent other issues because of bad diagnosis/bad techs. I think the 3rd gen is still a very reliable truck, and yours is unfortunately the exception, not the rule.

I have a small 1” lift on my truck and I don’t expect to see the kinds of issues you are experiencing... I sure hope not. But now that Toyota is even putting trucks out from the factory with 1-2” lifts, I’d be surprised that they’d be confident enough to do that if this was a widespread issue. On a side note, I did not know that Toyota changed the needle bearings to a bushing in 2018. Seems a lot of people with 2018s and later still buy the ECGS bushings, so I wonder why?

 

Read the full thing, didn't notice the dog. Thank you for mentioning it because damn that is actually one majestic dog.

OP sorry you're having such shit problems. I know this sucks to hear but you probably just got a dud. A lot of us have nothing but smooth sailing, my 2016 had a rear shock go once in the 5 years I owned it and treated me well. I expect my 2021 will too but as you said... even the mostly widely regarded "reliable" vehicles can all go to shit pretty quickly. Hopefully you get some resolution soon.

For what it's worth a lift kit can and will put stress on your CVs so that's explained, and weight can put additional stress on your axles and wheel bearings which it looks like you've got a bit on your truck. A wheel bearing can score races or damage rollers/balls, crack a cage, brinell, over heat what have you and still not create play but create lots of noise, grinding, or drag. With sealed bearings it's a lot more difficult to see what's going on inside. Maybe ask whatever shop replaces your bearings to cut 'em open for you so you can see what kind of damage has happened to them, if any, to add to the story of how and why.

Additionally our steering racks have been known to fail prematurely due to larger tires, more weight, more stress etc. Rack and pinion steering is pretty light duty all things considered, and it shouldn't fail but as anything else it certainly can. I've seen it more with 35s, and never with 33s but I'm positive you aren't the first. This would explain wandering steering, or catching and not catching in certain situations or at certain speeds.

Good luck, let us know what happens next!

 

I actually just got off the phone with them before I started responding to everyone today. This morning was just about the worst experience I've had since this started. The lady I spoke with did seem as genuinely helpful as she was probably able to be within her abilities. I had already printed that doc off last week. After reading through the details the past few days, I think there's probably enough documented failed attempts at repair for more than the required time to do something with that. Plus it really does feel like a safety issue. But, I really just want the truck back the way it was. I have it set up for exactly what I need it to do and it did that well enough before this headache started. I keep thinking it just needs the right mechanic to say these are all the current issues and then fix them at once. I'm just hoping it isn't past the point.

 

Will there be a movie version?

 

O I know a lot can go wrong when you lift. That said, there's been a diff spacer nut on there since the original install which is supposed to correct those CV axle angles. The truck does appear to carry some weight. Really it won't be far off from any other Tacoma with a topper. The tent and canopy are both aluminum and weigh just over 300lbs combined. For reference, an ARE fiberglass topper for a short bed with carpet, windows, and a few accessories can be over 200 lbs. A reinforced roof and an empty rack on top of that that can probably come pretty close to matching in lbs.

That steering rack is definitely extremely light duty. I wouldn't doubt if it was just a slightly modified version of the same part they use for the RAV4 or Highlander or something. It was replaced about 8 weeks ago, the pump a few weeks later. It definitely needed to be but also I couldn't feel any difference in how it handled before and after either of those parts were swapped. Bc of this, the hanging/dragging and the way it's handling in general, I'm almost certain the issue is somewhere within the wheel assembly if not the bearing itself. If the passenger was able to seize and not have play, I would think the driver could be just as bad if not worse considering that's the side the diff bearing went out on and same side the driver's CV axle was in worse shape.

Yeah, I regretted not keeping the one bearing replaced by the random tire shop as that could have been very educational for myself, the Dealership, or corporate service manuals. The other is getting swapped on Monday. I'm going to have that one dissected for sure. Tbh I hadn't even considered it before but I'll have them inspect the inner hub as well. Maybe a bearing was torqued enough to ovalize the race and inner or the spindle was tweaked and something isn't able to fully seat now. Good points for sure. I'll be sure to update next week once I know more. Thanks man.

 

It's a saga no one wants to experience...that's for sure.

Take it to corporate...all the evidence with the dealerships is documented. Hopefully, you reach an advocate at that level who can make arrangements to right this wrong. I would imagine this kind of publicity would not be good for Toyota...and someone at corporate should take notice.

Ed

****

 

Yeah, more than anything it just feels like everyone is backed up for weeks and are only scheduling enough time to get everyone in and out as quick as possible.

Even if they are supposed to be checking and servicing everything, probably best not to assume they actually have.

Speaking of services, before the rack was replaced, I had to add ps fluid to drive it over and I noticed the fluid that was left in there was as black as old motor oil. Probably didn't help my situation. Toyota doesn't have a schedule on changing that, just whenever a tech thinks it's time. I don't they did before I bought it since the miles were pretty low. I think that happened around 72-74k. I think most vehicles are around 50k. So probably way past due

 

Was War & Peace a story? Asking for a friend.

 

Yeah, everyone is busy/backed up these days. You shouldn't feel rushed out of the dealership because they over-schedule/can't manage their work orders.

My first experience with the 5K Mile scheduled MX and my request to change the oil (at my expense) found the technician sloppily put back the Air Dam screw bolts at an angle...for whatever reason he assumed the job cumbersome.

He also over-torqued the screws that hold the thin skid plate at the front of the underside.

My thought...if he rushed re-installing the Air Dam & skid plate, what else did he rush through the process of changing the oil?

Your experience just emphasizes the need to bring attention to those conditions while truck is in their care.

So many preventative maintenance situations should be addressed when in-checking the vehicle. Make sure they document everything by reviewing the analysis sheet they give you to sign before they start work on your truck.

Ed

****

 

Wow. I mean I laughed, I cried... But mostly I was left wanting more

 

Well, the driver's side wheel hub bearing was replaced right after I last posted on here. Steering still wasn't right. After another month or so, I took it back, they said nothing was wrong. Within a week the inner tie rod end on the driver's side was loose to the point where it was popping/clunking when rolling over small bumps. And, it was leaking power steering fluid. Took it back to them, they said you're right, the power steering rack is bad... again.

https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGx...9066832154673424_48196585&igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
(Stuck in snow higher than the doors for 4 days... In my driveway. Had to go to the beach after that one)



After almost 3 months of me calling every few weeks to see if the replacement part had arrived and them telling me that "it's still on back order", I called another dealership 2 hours even further away and they said "yeah, we can have one of those tomorrow". He also mentioned that, a rebuilt or remanufactured rack and pinion was on back order, so unless I wanted to wait for one of those I would have to use a brand new factory part.

I called the local shop right back and asked what the heck was going on. The service writer had no explanation. I asked for the manager, who was unavailable and evidently, couldn't be bothered to return my call. When I called back the next day and he was still unavailable, I asked for the dealership owner. Surprisingly, they actually put my call through to him. After explaining everything that I have in this post and that I've been driving around on a vehicle with a failed power steering rack for 3 months, which aside from probably being unsafe in the first place, seemed unnecessary considering the part was available and probably had been for some time. Additionally, this was just causing more wear to the other front end components. The same as every other time they had procrastinated repairs.

The dealership owner explained to me that the policy of Toyota USA was to replace a failed rack and pinion with a reman even if the vehicle was still under warranty. He did also say that their policy is to use a new one if they can't get a reman in a reasonable amount of time. He then agreed that 3 months was a rather long time to wait for a used part that controls the vehicles direction of travel. At that point I asked him for confirmation that they had indeed replaced the first rack and pinion with a reman. He told me that was probably the case but he would have to look it up to find out for certain.

I'd say I was a little frustrated by that point. Obviously. He told me to bring the truck in. I was already on my way to that town bc I was picking up family, that I hadn't seen in 15 years, from the airport there that afternoon. From there, we had a 15 day trip planned where I was supposed to be driving the two of us, in my truck, all over and around the Northern Rockies. I had explicitly stated this fact to the service department several times for at least 2/3 of those months they were telling me the part was on back order. And, I know, but it's one thing if they truly couldn't obtain the part. But when they actually could have just put a new one in the same week I told them there was another problem. While knowing the regionally sourced reman they had installed just months prior had ~"prematurely"~ failed (I hadn't even needed an oil change by then), in addition to multiple other parts failing and needing to be replaced under warranty b/c of delays and/or procrastination in repairing the original issue. You'd think they would have just sucked it up and ordered a new one, that was in stock. If for no other reason, maybe just to stop me from calling them every 14 days. Guess not?

So, the last thing I wanted to do was make someone I hadn't seen in a decade and a half, who had just flown 3/4 of the way across the North American continent, sit at a car dealership, in a town I'm almost for certain, very few of the people who live there actually like hanging out in, for hours and hours, while I was about to lose it on someone. I also wasn't particularly looking forward to driving around in some of the most remote and least populated states in the US, over multiple mountain ranges, with a failed steering rack that should've been replaced weeks if not months before.

Thankfully, the dealership owner called back and offered a loaner while he got my truck sorted. I gratefully accepted the offer and we ended up having a rather nice road trip, across ID, MT, WY. Saw several National Parks, a lot of wildlife, and an abundance of pretty scenery. We covered a lot of ground, and really racked up the miles on the odometer of that brand new Tundra TRD Faux which had been parked on display in the dealership's patio when we arrived there. My dog Clark, had a great time too. The backseat was so much roomier than the one in the Tacoma that he usually takes up most of. The steering was spot on and the truck could be driven casually at highway speeds with only one hand on the wheel and no white knuckles, or feelings of impending doom. There were other convenient features, such as power seats, just like my old 2008 truck, and the 2004 prior to that both had. Kind of made me miss those old rigs. The fuel economy was still quite terrible for a vehicle released in the year 2022, but was still better than the Tacoma by 3-4mpg. And, they even had a policy which stated if the vehicle wasn't returned with a full tank, it would cost us $20. You all drove cars that required gasoline this summer. You do the math.


When we returned from our trip, I had a couple voicemails from the dealership letting me know that my truck was all set, was ready to be picked up, was still waiting for me to pick it up, and that I could pick it up anytime. So, eventually I did that.


Was it as good as new? Definitely not. In fact, at or around 55MPH, the front end began to shake. The steering wheel was rocking a couple inches in either direction. The front tires felt like they were taking turns making full contact with the pavement. The dealership was closed. They had left my key stashed under the truck. This was on a Sunday morning, in a town that has the same church every few miles. The only "mechanic" type place which was open on a Sunday was the Walmart Tire & Lube. Every other town between there and mine, don't even have a grocery store that's open on Sundays (it's the same store in every town too btw), much less a mechanic that could even look at your car within a month from the time you called to make an appointment.


Going back to an earlier chapter, I had replaced the previous set of tires with less than 30k miles on them, due to the fact that all four were missing the inside blocks of the tread, despite the outer edges having considerably more than no tread, despite the fact that they were being rotated by this dealership every 5k miles. The new front tires were starting to wear in exactly the same way. A fact I had made known to the service department on two separate occasions.


I was hoping/praying on this glorious Sunday morning that Walmart would somehow improve the driveability of a vehicle that had only just left the dealership from where it had been supposedly repaired, and from the number of voicemails I had received, likely had ample opportunities to be taken on test drives(s), where this issue could have been entirely avoided (too much to ask for? Totes).

I'll say, I have never had any of my vehicles inside of a Walmart before. In the parking lot on occasion, yes. But only briefly while I got in and out of there as quick as humanly possible.

Would I have them rebuild an engine/transmission, regear diffs/install lockers, install suspension, exhaust, anything electrical, etc., etc.? Absolutely not. Did I stand in the parking lot in sight of the open garage bay door, almost the entire time they had my key fob? Quite possibly. If so, I would've seen them methodically cross tightening and torquing the lug nuts exactly to spec. Which is more than I can say for the dealership.



Rotating/balancing made a difference. It still wasn't quite what it had been before the differential, cv axles, wheel bearings, power steering rack, power steering pump, power steering rack again, warped rotors, and slanted tires had all needed to be replaced. Although, It was driving in much straighter lines then it had for the past couple years. I could even take one hand off the wheel without it instantly feeling like a bad idea. And, I was able to make it home that day without destroying all of those same parts again. The hard pull to the right from the alignment being off by several degrees on the passenger side was hardly noticed for the next couple of hours (that was dealt with the following week). More than anything, I was very much noticing how incredibly underpowered the truck felt, because of, but in comparison to the 5.7, who's pedal I had become accustomed to mashing at each and every opportunity, for the past couple weeks.

That brings me to today, the present, which is presently around 6-8 weeks in the future? No, j/k, it's still just the present. And, how does it feel now? If I had to guess, I'd say, somewhere around 30% as "good" as it did way back 6-8 weeks ago. How many miles I have I put on it since then. Not enough to need an oil change or a tire rotation yet. What're the symptoms now? Pulling to the right again. Could be the alignment has already gone out? Small bumps or potholes are in no short supply in these parts. When interfacing with those same road surface "features", especially with one front wheel and not both, but also when both front wheels have discovered these objects, the truck tends to dive or jerk/there is a grabbing sensation from that wheel or a walking/wobble feel from both. Enough so, that you typically want to have both hands placed firmly on the wheel, prepared both physically and cognitively, to make a couple quick yet targeted corrections in order to stabilize the wobbling.





That's all I got for now.

 

There you go.

 

Nature is so beautiful. Thanks for the mini-novel!