P11EC00... wasn't the first, won't be the last

2018 TRD Off-road 4x4 - 53,200 Miles - Out of Powertrain Warranty due to time

2/9 - Driving home from work and engine light turns on. Truck isn't shaking, no strange noises, no loss of power that I can tell. Drive home because it is after 5pm and dealerships are closed, but don't push the truck just in case.

2/10 - Take to my local dealership for diagnosis. Tried to wait at dealership but after 2 hours and no updates I'm getting concerned and walk over to my tech to ask for an update. He walks me back to the service bays where I'm introduced to the mechanic who has my engine bay in pieces. Says he doesn't know what it is yet, but he is working down the list. I head home and get the dreaded call later that afternoon - CYLIDER #1 AIR-FUEL IMPALANCE. COMPRESSION LEAKING THROUGH EXAUST VALVE. CYLINDER HEAD REPLACEMENT NECESSARY. Says they cannot even begin the process until Monday because its almost closing time, but they will touch base with me then.

2/12 - Get a call from my service tech to walk me through everything and he emails me the quote... parts, labor, & tax = $7,873. Replacing the cylinder head, gasket, intake & exhaust valves, and miscellaneous small parts/springs/etc. Parts on order will take a few days to a week, actual replacement is a 2 to 3 day job. No Loaner Vehicle will be given bc it is not a warranty or recall claim.

I cannot believe that a truck with so little miles, that has been meticulously cared for IMO, could just one day throw a failure and code such as this. I know I wasn't the first, and I definitely won't be the last, but for anyone else who hasn't run into this with their 3rd Gen, I'm affraid its not an IF BUT WHEN scenario.

 

Hey I wouldn't get bent about this. I would suggest getting your truck back and deal with it yourself. There are additives you can use to clear up that issue in the exhaust valve. If your truck running ok then go for the clense method. I had this issue with other vehicles and it worked.
I have a 2016 Taco OR with only 103kms on it and knock on wood not an issues mechanically. I do keep adding additives every time I fill up. Now i don't put in the lowst grade fuel either. I get about 700kms/tank that's about 440 miles/tanks. Not bad if you ask me.

 

These Tacos are built solid. Keeping them healthy is the trick to longevity. It wouldn't hurt to get a tune put in either like I did. No more hunting for gears or lag in response to the gas peddle.

 

How did they start disassembling without your consent? Id raise some hell and demand it be put back together without charging you

 

You got unlucky . It usually happens around that mileage 50t miles . https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/p11ec00-error-code-update.780479/ .

 

Uuuffff. My 2017 had this at 35,000 and change so was warrantied, took them 3 weeks to fix but I got a loaner. They won't wiggle since this is a known issue?

 

Running a diagnostic should have been enough to determine the issue. I have never had to that to any vehicle having a valve issue as slight as that. These are buitl tough Tacos. Putting additives like Seafoam works well to keep things running clean. Dealerships like to take advantage of those with no wrench experience. I would get it back and do your own research. The solution is out there.

 

I have yet to see any of the 6 cylinder imbalance codes solved with any sort of additive. It’s usually a physically damaged valve or valve guide that causes it to not seal right. For whatever reason it happens in cylinder 1 more often than the others.

 

OK thanks for letting me know

 

Don't be such a drama queen. It sucks when things go bad but your bad experience with a freak problem doesn't mean others will have the same issue.

If I were to bet, it's probably a valve or head casting defect that took time to show. This stuff happens and it's why cars have warranties. The repair will be cheaper almost anywhere else because dealers no longer rebuild, they replace assemblies. In this case it's likely a complete head assembly and they're probably throwing in everything attached to it. At that price I would not be shocked if it's a full long block.

Find a reputable local shop and get a second opinion. Odds are they work with a machine shop and your total cost will be much less.

 

This isn’t the first time this has happened. Put the P11 code in the TW search and read up on all the others who have had the same ”freak” issue, their experiences might yield pointers on how to handle it.


Either way it still sucks, I know I’d be livid in your position.

 

It is very unlikely they are quoting a long block, as those don’t exist from Toyota. The standard approach is to replace the part needed and the parts it affects. In this case a cylinder head and either the valve or valves affected. Plus gaskets, fluids, etc. Unfortunately the labor is super high on basically anything this engine needs which leads to quotes like this.

When the dealers install a short block, it usually costs more like 10K or more. And the P11 codes aren’t a “freak failure,” there are enough of them that it’s at least something semi repeatable causing them to come up. Manufacturing maybe, yet the vast majority happen to the same cylinder, so I’m not convinced it’s not something in the tuning or engine design that tends to cause some of them. Unfortunately we will never know, as Toyota is done with this motor and they never officially addressed it. Most probably won’t have the issue, but it sure sucks if they do.

 

Came to vent and share my dealership experience, not be a drama queen as someone suggested.

I’m not a certified mechanic, but I’m also not an idiot. I’ve done research, contacted 2 other area dealerships, called a local mom and pop shop, and have seen how many other threads are on this site about the same issue I’m having. It’s easy to type away that it’s not a big deal when you’re not the one without your truck being stuck with the huge repair bill.

 

My dealership admits this is a “known issue” - even went so far to say cylinder 1 is the main culprit most of the time - but it isn’t being recognized by Toyota as an issue and no recall has been announced. So those of us who get the unlucky news are just stuck with it.

 

They had my permission.

 

It certainly sucks……

As far as the disparaging comments, there are some here that are just best to ignore.

 

Wish there a way to prevent this
I'm past the 50t miles mark now but still having my fingers crossed it won't happen to my 2017 . I did have the dealership do their induction cleaning around 50t miles on my 2017 and plan on having it done at 100t miles . Currently at 90t miles now. So far so good . Fingers crossed . Hope things get sorted out for you. Btw, lexus has a tsb on this but non on tacoma. I guess we're considered low life by toyota .

 

The bright side, if you can call it that, is that so far out of the 40 or so posted about here, I haven’t seen any of those have any repeat issues down the road. So I guess the replacement of parts fixes it long term.

It just bothers me that it happens to cyl #1 most of the time - makes me think there is a defect in the design that leads to some of them having the problem even though they maybe had perfectly non-defective parts at assembly. That’s the concerning part. But then, when it happens to the other cylinders (rarely), why? It’s a mystery.

Another odd thing is of the 3 manual transmission owners I’ve seen here with these codes, they’ve all been P11ED. Which is cyl #2 and happened at much higher mileage, like 150K, 220K, and 300K. I do wonder if the low rpm lugging of the automatic somehow contributes to the autos that have problems at low miles. But I don’t know.

 

There are in all likelihood >1M of these engines in Tacomas on the road. Maybe freak is the wrong word and exceptionally rare is more appropriate but commonalities do not make it common.

I get the frustration. I was a mechanic for over a decade and I saw it many times with customers. I just dealt with it myself over a transmission issue where the dealer blackballed my warranty over a lift at 30k. Sometimes you get drawn the short straw and the solution is you either pay up or find an alternative like trading in for a 4Runner.

Vehicles have problems and the people who experience them tend to scream the loudest. Confirmation bias is real but that doesn't mean there's some massive issue here... you singing doom and gloom doesn't help anyone and just continues the cycle. Sharing you experience is one thing but with a post title like that and the it's going to happen to everyone last paragraph, that doesn't sound like that was the intent.

 

Legitimate comments, and there’s certainly some frustration fueling my comments. No one has a crystal ball, but my words aren’t incorrect - I clearly wasn’t the first owner to get hit with this and won’t be the last. For all that don’t, I’m jealous… for those who do, welcome to the club.