Transfer Case went out

2016 DCSB SR5 2WD 3.5L 74,XXX miles

I recently started feeling a shimmer/shake in my truck when accelerating between 20-40MPH at low RPMs & the truck felt a bit sluggish. I initially thought I maybe had some bad winter blend gas, so I bought some chevron fuel system cleaner which didn't fix the issue. I did a little research on here and thought maybe it needed a transmission fluid exchange so I decided I'd bite the bullet & dropped it off at the dealership this morning. I just got a call back from the service adviser & their diagnosis was that the transfer case needs to be replaced, a $2K+ repair.

The silver lining for this is I bought the truck certified preowned from a Toyota dealer, so there is a 100K mile powertrain warranty through that program, so all I have to pay is $50.

I asked the service advisor if he's seen this before or what may have caused this to happen, he had no idea and had never seen this on a 3rd gen Tacoma. Anyone heard of this before?

 

Need more information. What went wrong with the transfer case?

 

Did they say what was actually wrong with the transfer case or just that you needed a new one?

 

It's not Friday
It's not April 1st
So, when did 2WD trucks start getting Transfer Cases?????

 

Lol. I didn’t notice he has a 2wd until you pointed it out. Nothing is adding up here.

 

the transfer case is only used in 4wd. you got scammed. you sure they didn't replace the torque converter?

 

I mean he's definitely got a transfer case problem...... it's missing one.

 

Maybe he means the differential?

 

Yea, the front differential.

 

my bad, torque converter

 

i wonder if the ATF was ever changed. probably not.

 

Why do they think it’s the torque converter?

 

Because they can make easy money off the warranty claim and the customer won't complain since it will only cost him $50.

 

Kinda suspicious. It could easy be an engine issue.

 

They ruled out the transfer case.

 

Something smells wrong with this whole scenario

 

The shudder/shaking at low speed/low RPM is a symptom of the torque converter going out no? After they gave me the diagnosis I did a little poking around and the symptoms I was experiencing & the diagnosis seemed to line up. What else could these symptoms be pointing to? No check engine light, i changed the spark plugs @ 60K per OEM recommendation - engine doesn't seem to be misfiring

 

I guess I'll find out when i pick it up if it's still shuddering

 

What's the recommended service interval? Can't find one in the owners manual.

 

new fluid every 30k. so drain and fill every 10k miles i what's recommended by most people. manual says it's a "lifetime" fluid but thats BS