2012 Stock Tacoma Driveline Vibration

I test drove several Tacomas: base, PreRunner, 4-cyl, V6, manual, auto, etc and did not notice this trait. When I took a short test drive in the one I bought, I did notice it, but it was slight enough to overlook on the mostly freeway test drive. It really became apparent while running errands around town the next day.

-Jeff

 

Maybe the vibration is Toyota's way of helping us achieving the gas mileage figures listed on the sticker.

-Jeff

 

I'm not sure I agree that trucks have to be unrefined. My 2005 F-150 SuperCab was as smooth and solid as a luxury car.

You bring up a good point about the driveline angles, though. I wonder if any of us with the vibes are driving base Tacomas or if the vibes only afflict PreRunners, 4X4s, and modified trucks. Perhaps a poll is in order.

-Jeff

 

Ive got a double cab,4x4 short box 6 speed v6 and it vibrates at highway speed
every thing is stock and it seems to be getting worse the tires are balanced and the wheels are clean inside and out..... Im pretty sure its a driveline issue
there is no play or loose bolts on the shaft but the steady bearing seems to be sagging to the bottom side of the rubber
next time ive got a day off im going to go to the toyota dealer and take a look at a new one and compare
ive got 80,000 K on it

 

I've been driving older vehicles for so long I'm not sure I would notice a slight vibration. But if I do now, I'm gunna be pissed at you Jeff. jk

 

I bet the 5 lug tacoma is smoother than a prerunner or 4X4 because it sets lower with a more straight driveline angle.

 

HA! I never noticed the vibes in my 2011 until I got on TW.

 

You made a point.I bought a new 2000 tundra and loved it until I went to tundrasolutions.com and saw complaints.I started looking for problems that never existed and lost a lot of love for that great truck until I quit visiting the site.The little problems I was looking for disapeared then.It seems that a lot of the problems reported were from trolls stirring trouble.I look at tacoma world every day but only threads that will not give negative results when nothing is wrong.The people most happy with their tacomas probabally never visit a forum.This is a great site to visit for ideas for option ideas,radios,what to expect if you put on a lift,etc,but don't dwell on some of the complaints or you will lose the love for your truck.

 

Well Said........

 

I actually like my truck more now that I've taken her on a couple of road trips over this holiday weekend. We're bonding. There are a lot of things I like about the truck and I'm glad I bought it - vibration and all. I checked the forum every day, too! There are a lot of passionate Tacoma owners here and I enjoy learning from and with them. This is a "discussion" forum, right?

Back on topic, I picked up my license plates from the dealer where I bought the truck while in Houston this weekend and spoke to one of their more experienced service writers. He claims the vibrations are normal and come from the transmission. I'm not sure about that, but he relates the vibes to the torque convertor, which he says also causes the jolt (?) sometimes felt when braking to a stop. He says it is the torque convertor locking/unlocking. He has noticed both sensations driving Tundras, too.

-Jeff

 

funny, but i've noticed the same vibration on my '11 trd sport dclb. i can feel it in both the steering wheel and the shifter (auto). i have less than 1000 miles on the truck, and sometimes it feels worse than other times.

if it is "normal" i can probably live with it, but it seems strange for a brand new truck to have this little vibration.

 

i have a new 2012 tacoma double cab v6 trd offroad. i have 1000 miles on it and when i accelerate i feel a big shake/ shudder from 0 to 35mph and when i stop from 30 to 0 mph any soulutions should i take it back to dealer or is this a quick fix. i got a hell of a deal on this truck i screwed the dealer i bought it at so i hate to take it back to them

 

Welcome to the 2012 defective drivetrain club. Check out the other threads on this issue, there are a few of us having this looked at by the dealer, and many people have been just living with this prob for awhile.

 

Here ya go fixed my vibes and have a thread on it.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/208402-finally-fixed-my-vibes.html

 

thanks! I've been reading your posts, and will be mentioning it to the dealer too.

 

yup! my 2012 has this exact shudder you guys are talking about. From a stand still under medium to hard accel it shudder until it shifts to second and it goes away...... it feels like a driveshaft issue?

mine has 1000 so far, still doing it and it started from leaving the dealer parking lot

i saw the 4runner driveshaft fix but theres no fucking way I'm going start digging through junkyards to fix a problem from the manufacturer on a brand new 2012 truck with only 1000 miles on it, seems Toyota should be the ones getting dirty fixing this.

 

+1. Yeah, doing Toyota's quality control for them and absorbing all the associated downtime is getting old. I'll update with what I hear this week. This defect with the symptoms of vibration / shudder may be common, but it's in no way acceptable nor harmless to the other drive line components and their sub-components (short or long term).

 

Have a 2012 manual 6 speed and don't notice any shudder. I do drive like a 70 year old man though so that may be why. Love my truck.

 

Escalate this issue to Toyota Customer Care. All it takes is an easy phone call. I called Customer Care after my dealer said it was normal.

Two weeks later, I had seven Toyota engineers spending the day with my Tacoma taking measurements, test driving, making adjustments, etc. They acknowledged the vibration and said they wanted to check with other engineers in California about changing something with the leaf springs. I'm still waiting.

If enough people escalate this issue, perhaps Toyota will issue a fix.

-Jeff

 

Ok, I'll contact customer care - should be able to find that info online right? This is my first Toyota ever.

To be very specific this shudder is from 3-25mph during accel, even with super gentle accel (I havent been over 3000rpms yet while breaking it in). It occurs on flat ground or uphill, and I live in a very hilly area. Once I've reached 3rd gear it goes away. My truck has a 3 pack leaf spring setup from the factory and less than 100 miles total.

I'll do what I can to encourage Toyota to issue a fix. I'd like to keep this truck.