3rd Gen Tacoma A/C Noise

Taking my 2021 Tacoma in tomorrow to get this done.

 

Will you post back about the experience? I feel like this could potentially be a multi-day repair and could result in a lot of issues due to the amount of disassembly that's required.

On the other hand, mine also feels slightly low on refrigerant and it would be a way to get a free recharge...

 

I will give an update. The Toyota service department is thinking it'll take one day, but we will see.

 

Day 1

Toyota technicians could not replicate whistle sound. They said they had been trying all day. I told them I would come over and drive with tech to show them, as its easy to replicate. They also offered that I just come pick it up today as well.

I reiterated that this whistle sounds is very annoying, and would be coming over to show them.

I also confirmed the new sub assembly was actually an entirely new part. They confirmed that it is a different part with different part number.

Received a call at 4pm today and they finally replicated the whistle.

The tech told me Toyota warranty pays them 4 hours for the job. But it will actually be 8 hours of work. Should have the truck back in one to two days.

Will update after install. Praying there is no whistle

 

my 2020 would do the whistle all the time...haven't heard it much on my 2021 but i haven't used the a/c in a while

 

Oh boy.... 8 hours of work... only paid for 4? I have had some pretty good warranty service at Toyota (first gen frame replacement). And some pretty terrible warranty service at Toyota (basically everything else).

Based on the amount of work this one takes, the fact that its gonna take them 2x as long to do the work than they are getting paid, and that it sounded like they really didnt want to find the issue, you'll likely no longer have the annoying whistle, but you'll have a rattling dash and an inoperable defroster along with a leak in the windshield....

Hope all goes well sir... based on most of my experience at Toyota, they will wind up mucking this up....sounds too complicated for a guy not getting paid to do a good job

 

*Update*

Day 2
We found out the coolant must be drained as well. This was an issue as I have Evans waterless coolant. Got them replacement coolant. They said they would detail the truck but warned me they probably wouldn't be able to get as clean as I had it. I took that as a compliment.

Day 3
Dealer had to order replacement foam for installation of dash. As original was torn during disassembly.

Truck was done late Monday. Picking up today.

So all said and done it took seven days.

 

I'm curious if the A/C feels colder to you afterward. Mine has the whistle and cycles more than I expect when it is super hot outside and I can smell it briefly output damp air when the compressor is off, even when I have it on max A/C and full fan.

I'm not sure if it is low on refrigerant or if the expansion valve has an issue/orifice is clogged or something.

 

The A/C feels exactly the same, very cold.

 

I just completed a 1-hour drive with A/C on the entire time. The intermittent whistle is now gone. Dash and all of the interior look the same. No dash issues.

One thing I did notice when reviewing the dashcam. The Toyota technicians were not conducting the test properly at first. Engine RPMs never got close to 3k RPM. RPM was too low and they didn't run the engine long enough. A senior tech came later and instructed on the proper steps. Once steps were followed it whistled for them.

Repair Procedure
1. With the vehicle engine running in Park and the parking brake firmly applied, turn ON the air conditioning and set the temperature to low. Slowly bring the engine speed to 3,000 RPM and hold this RPM until the compressor begins to cycle ON and OFF.
Is there a 1 – 3-second whistle noise heard from the air conditioning system each time the compressor cycles ON/OFF during hot ambient temperatures?
 YES — Continue to step 2.

This experience was a lot longer than expected. But I was in a position where it did not affect my daily life. If you have the time for your truck to be in the shop for up to a week; then this service will not be a problem for you.

This was well worth it for me.

I want to thank ezatnova for letting us know about the Toyota Technical Service Bulletin.

 

Tagging this to see others’ experiences with the repair.

I have a 2018 v6 and have been living with this annoying noise since new. Unlike others, my AC is just about constantly on (life in FL), so I’ve learned to just ignore it as much as possible.

Also curious about the repair. Typical of any manufacturer to admit a problem affects a broad range of years, but only offer repairs to those in warranty. By Toyota’s own TSB, all 3rd gens are potentially affected, but at most half are eligible (due to out of warranty on 2016-2018 and anyone over mileage…)

 

Hey guys - first post here! But wanted to comment I’m having this service done right now. Here’s my experience so far:

Dropped off my 21 SR5 4cyl this morning at the dealership and went for a ride with a tech. We were able to replicate the A/C whistle noise a few times. They called me just before close saying this will fall under the TSB mentioned above.

They ordered the parts and begin work tomorrow. We’ll see how long it takes and I’ll report back to let you know the results!

 

yay for hearing damage.
"Did U hear that whistle?!"
"what?"

 

Back with the update! Parts were out of stock and took 5 days to order. Just had the service done this morning under warranty. It does require them to take apart the dash to get to the evaporator.

The whistle is finally gone! No noise to report anymore. If I start hearing it again I’ll update this post. for reference I had this service done at 11,750 miles.

 

I just dropped my truck off today for the TSB. I will update on the results!

 

Update:

Got my truck back. Got half way home and noticed it’s still making a whistling sound after warranty repair. I looked at the invoice and noticed they used the previous part number rather than the new number per the TSB PDF. Will be bringing it back tomorrow.

 

I've heard this on mine here and there, and have had other cars do it in the past.

I don't have a lot of faith in the dealer tearing apart the dash- seems like it may cause more issues in the long run.

 

Update: all fixed! No more annoying noise

 

Did they have to tear your dash apart again?????

 

yes but that annoying whine was worth getting rid of