2022 TRD OR - Rear diff howling?

Hey everyone,

For the last few thousand km's my 2022 Tacoma TRD OR (all stock besides an aftermarket skid, sliders, rack) with 16.3K has been making a high pitched howling sound on the highway.

It happens between 82-96 km/h (51-59 mph) if I let off the throttle and the truck is coasting. When I'm on the accelerator the noise basically goes away. I did some research here and it seems like it might just be harmonic acoustics, but figured I'd check in and see if anyone else is having this issue on their newer Tacoma's.

I called a few dealers and none have ever heard of this before unfortunately.

*All the armour & rack have been on long before the noise started, it's definitely driveline related*

 

drop it at dealer and tell them to call you when the sound is gone.

 

this is common, mine has a faint howl (about same speeds and scenario), I just left it. I'd rather have a reliable factory setup rear axle, then to let the goobers at the dealer tinker with it.

 

I'm with you on not having people touch my stuff, I've done my fair share of diff related work from when I had a Jeep TJ.

How loud is yours? I find mine cuts through music faintly but it might just be me hyper focusing on it now.

 

it's faint, I have to turn the radio down, I normally don't listen to music/talk that loud, but this truck is overall fairly loud/noisy, so it is turned up to like 10-12 (I think). I am not anti dealer, but I have read the stories of the guessing and part swapping, related to this diff noise, and I have convinced myself it is something they can't get out and will only make things worse. Apparently there is also some aero noise in the frame or suspension holes some experience, but I thought later years had a plastic plug to reduce/eliminate this,,, but not real sure.

 

That sounds pretty much identical to mine then, I'm usually at 10-12 volume on the highway and it's faint overall but still enough to drive me nuts.

 

My '06 TRD OR had under certain conditions. Sold it after 15 years and 127K miles. Never changed or got worse.
My '21 TRD OR emits the same sound. Kinda like some harmonic. You really have to pay attention to hear it.
I've chalked it up to a Taco idiosyncrasy that's somewhat common and harmless.

 

They all have it.

 

Minor howl here too. Bit lower in the speed range and it has to be just the right conditions (slight downhill).

I believe there was a recent thread where someone was able to get their diff replaced and it solved the problem. I think his was more pronounced however

 

No howl yet from my 2020. If I remove the chin spoiler, I'll start picking up wind noise like howling around 50 mph, and it will get louder at 60.

 

Mine makes harmonic sounds from the rear starting around 30mph kinda faint at around 58mph you can deff hear it more noticeable . Can only hear these noises eith the windows closed though. Dealer replaced by rear differential and it made zero difference. I’ve just accepted that it’s how the truck is made and kinda gotten used to it. 2023 sr5

 

when i first heard it i thought was the tires, after that never cared again

 

That's unfortunate the rear diff replacement didn't fix it. Did they just swap the carrier or the entire differential?

If it sounded more like tires and less high pitch it wouldn't bug me as much, but it definitely cuts through wind noise/ the stereo even at higher volumes.

If it's a Taco quirk, it is what it is.

 

look at the tires for issues, maybe rotate them

 

*First post

2022 purchased new. Currently w/ 24,500 miles. Rear diff harmonics began before 10K on 4x4 w rear locking diff. At 20,000 miles I decided I should not have to ignore it any longer. Dealer agreed and Toyota warranted rear carrier assembly replacement by dealer master technician. Relatively quiet for a few hundred miles, then rear diff harmonics returned. Last week at 24,000, took it back to the dealer. They agreed that the issue persists. Toyota prescribing another, identical rear carrier assembly warranty replacement when parts arrive next week.

Will the 3rd rear carrier assembly inside this rear end solve this or is something else creating the issue for the rear diff? We shall see.

 

"I called a few dealers and none have ever heard of this before unfortunately."

I bet if you called them again, pretended to be someone else, they'd say the same thing. This has been a gripe since I've been on TW. Dealers generally deny any knowledge.
Mine doesn't howl, which is one of the reasons I didn't update when I had the opportunity. That, and I have it just the way I want it now.

 

Please feel free to post an update once the third one is in. That's brutal you've gotten to that point, but it's definitely an irritating sound when it's pronounced. Mine must have started around 8.7-9K miles.

 

I've had 6 Toyota trucks since 1981. All 4wd MT's. All bought new. They all made that noise. The locking diffs were a little more noticeable. No failures. Hell, if I bought one that didn't do it, I'd be worried.

 

good to know but you would think (hope) that if this is common and inherent with the design, they would have either fixed it by now or at least publish information stating the cause and there is no concern with longevity.

 

I’m on a third assembly on my 2019 TRD OR. Third started howling too. All less than 36,000 miles. Shavings noted by tech on first two. I regret purchasing mine with all the problems mine has experienced to date now that it is out of warranty. Mine is a stock street princess. Good luck.