2012 Stock Tacoma Driveline Vibration

When I had the pack of engineers under my truck, I asked them about:

TSB-0132-08 for Driveline Vibration Between 15-25 MPH. Some customers may complain about a vibration felt in the seat, floorboard, and/or steering wheel between 15 – 25 mph caused by a second order driveline vibration. R & R Rear Engine/Transmission Mount.

They dismissed it as the 2012 already incorporated that design change.

-Jeff

 

I dropped of my truck this morning and got it back. Well the toyota engineer whom I spoke to was correct. The transmission mount was replaced with a revised mount designed to reduce the vibration. There is still a slight vibration but nothing like the way it was when i first got this truck. One again I have a double cab short bed TRD Sport with the upgrade 18" tires. So there you have it. The truck is roughly 75 % cured

 

I had this happen since I test drove a different truck than what I bought. Took off the lot, hit the highway and WTF it was vibrating like hell. It got worse too. Well I'm busy, that's why I bought a new truck so by the time I had the dealer look at it (different dealer than I purchased it from because my original dealer sucks c@ck) it had 15K miles on it. They couldn't figure it out of course but I called Toyota and said give me a new truck and they got a specialist to come look. Turns out it was a bad drive shaft. Problem solved, love the truck right now.

 

only have 650 miles on mine but haven't felt any vibration issues on my TRD off road 4x4.

 

I have 400 miles on my 2012. 100 of that was driving home from the dealer. Today I noticed a vibration when slowing down. It felt like warped rotors to be honest with you. My last 3 vehicles have been 2 FJ Trail Teams and a 4Runner sport. They all had driveshaft issues, but it was with the yoke. The driveshaft would make this awful "clunk" and you'd think you got rear-ended about 5 seconds after stopping at a light. They found a fix for the driveline yoke issue, but were only doing the fix on the Lexus GX470 and pretending they had no idea what was up if you were driving the FJ or the 4Runner (which was really funny since my 4Runner had the same exact engine and drivetrain as the Lexus).

But Toyota decided they were only going to acknowledge driveline problems with Lexus owners and the TSB was specific to the Lexus for a long time. A lot of guys in the FJ/4Runner world were printing off the Lexus TSB and taking it into dealers and demanding the driveline issue get fixed as it was obviously a universal problem to all vehicles built in the Hino plant.

So... why am I pointing this out? If there is some driveline vibes going on, it may be worth checking out the TSB's on the Lexus GX470 (the previous model to the current 460), the FJ Cruiser, and the 4Runner, as they all share almost identical parts with the Tacoma. I know some things are different, but this thing drives, handles, etc. almost exactly like my FJ with the exception of getting used to the rear drum brakes as it slows down more gradually (not a bad thing... just getting used to it, because when stopping with the FJ it was like a fly hitting a spiderweb you'd stop so fast).

I definitely felt today upon slowing down that it was driveline shudder and reminded me of both FJ's I owned. They both had the issue show up at about the 500 mile mark and I sold both with less than 5,000 miles on them. I'm realizing I put that it felt like warped rotors earlier... let me clarify that I don't think that is what it is... because that makes no sense with how few stops I've made and for it to happen with only a few weeks of driving. I just mentioned that because when you talk to a dealer there will inevitably be somebody who has a dealer say it is a rotor issue and that's not their problem as it is a "wear part" and you obviously are stomping on the brakes, heating them up, and warping them. Don't let them feed you that bull. This series of Toyota vehicle has a long and storied history of driveline shudder/imbalance/and yoke issues that go back until at least mid-2006.

 

Mine has had the drive train vibration since I got it a month ago. Happens during hard acceleration from stop. Will take it to dealer and reference the threads here and the need for them to check trans mount bracket, DS balance, eccentricity, DS angle.

I will provide all feed back I can get,
Thanks to all for sharing experiences!

 

I received a call yesterday from my dealership. The Toyota engineers want to take a second look at my truck, so I've set up an appointment for Tuesday, April 17. I'll keep y'all posted on what they do and say...

-Jeff

 

Thanks Jeff, please do.

My update this week:
I called 800-331-4331 and spoke w/ Toyota USA rep who created a reference number and phoned the Toyota dealer (the one who's been good to me, I like them). A dealer rep called me saying Toyota USA can't look at my truck for 5000 miles - they want the suspension to settle. So I called 800-331-4331 again today explained
1) I'm not willing to drive a problem vehicle for 5000 miles before it's looked at again
2) at 5000 miles I'll probably hear that the worn tires are making the problem difficult to identify
3) it's a drive line problem on a brand new vehicle and it needs to get fixed.
4) I'm avoiding driving it because of this prob, doing 5000 miles will take me a year or more.

Now, new case # is opened today and I'm supposed to hear back from a Toyota USA rep on Monday.

Next update next week.

 

So I have a couple of posts on this subject and figured out a couple of solutions but still would like some data on the rear t-case mount anybody interested in measuring the distance from the bottom of the transmission to the top of the frame where the mount is connected if you need to know what I am referring to please look at the link in my previous post there is a picture of what I am talking about. Also started a mega vibration thread with the links including a link to this one.

 

Ok, I take this back, I would say slightly cured. Now, I should ask myself am I satisfied that it's only slightly better or should I pursue the vibration issue? I can still feel a vibration when I accelerate. The problem is that the toyota rep did tell me that the vibration I am feeling will not completely go away. I'm really not too happy. My wife's Tundra Rock warrior was smooth as can be so Toyota can make a smooth truck.

HRCH

 

Are the TSB's public information? Or something guarded by Toyota?
If they are public, where can I find them?

 

Here is a copy of TSB-0132-08

 

Sub'd

 

At Toyota today. I first took mine to Toytec after lift install. When in 4 wheel drive most of the vibration is gone. So they looked at the front and found that you can move the driver side CV by hand. It was a very noticable up and down movement. They thought it could be a bad bearing.

Dealer just said the movement was not excessive and no different than other Tacoma. Still checking.

 

Update of the week:

Toyota USA customer service called today.
1. They tried to tell me I should keep driving it and maybe after 5000 miles it will improve.
2. They tried to say it could have been the independent 18 wheeler transporter's fault.

I reaffirmed that the vehicle shakes like hell in 2nd, it's been verified by the dealer that it's from the drive shaft, and this can be resolved if Toyota chooses to.

I asked if they'd come get me if I lost the driveshaft while towing out on I5 or going up hill w/o trailer in a remote area. I also asked if they'd warranty the transfer case and diff due to the prob. The conversation turned to: "let's see what else we can do for you, and if nothing, there's the Toyota arbitration and vehicle buy back" (Great...Toyota can sell it to some other sucker as "buy back title").

So - if you've got a shaking Taco, call Toyota, maybe they'll start fixing the problem if there are enough of us involved.

-Austin

 

My truck spent a second day with the Toyota inspectors. They took more pictures and measurements, replaced the rear transmission mount, and installed shims on the axle to change the tilt of the differential by 1-degree (they wanted 2-degrees, but couldn't make it work).

There is little improvement in the vibration. No word on next steps.

Here is the verbiage on the work order:

Toyota inspectors are coming to inspect vibration in driveline. FTS (?) and GST (Gulf States Toyota) inspectors test drove and took more measurements of vehicle. Shimmed rear end of vehicle and vibration decreased, but is still present. (This is my favorite part) Vehicle is operating to manufacturer's specifications at this time.

-Jeff

 

FYI still love the truck and the rear leaf spring TSB is done with still no vibration with it sitting up higher.

 

I have less than 500 miles on mine, and also have the vibration from about 5-25 MPH, smooths out at about 30 MPH.

 

I cracked over the weekend. I couldn't take the drive-line vibration from my new Tacoma anymore. So, I called Toyota customer care department and told them to please "fix my truck" I was as polite as can be. Early this month a Toyota engineer inspected my truck and authorized some type of revised engine/transmission mount. I was told that the truck will be better but it would still be there. Well, it was only slightly better. So, I had to call. I just can't ignore something that I feel should not be there. I test drove another 2012 Tacoma TRD Sport double cab V6 and that one did not vibrate. So, not all Tacomas have driveline vibration. This Tacoma will vibrate from 5-25 mph. The harder the truck accelerates the worst it gets. It's even worse on hills. To add insult to injury, my new Tacoma has now developed a brake pulsation when the brakes are applied at around 45mph. With only 2,300 miles on my Tacoma, I won't accept this as being normal. So, hopefully by contacting Toyota about this vibration, toyota can fix my truck. I was assigned a case number and case manager is supposed to contact me sometime tomorrow.

 

I've been having the same issue with my 2010 with the TSB rear leafs. Vibrates the worst at 20-25mph and always does it when coasting slow down a hill. I really wish there was a definitive solution to this. I really like the idea of my truck but it frustrates me so much when I drive it. I had a 1-piece drive shaft built trying to fix it. Seemed to help a little but but not worth the money I paid to not eliminate it completely. At least looks like your dealer is trying a little harder than either of mine here in town. Mine tried to tell me I need to buy a carrier bearing drop to cure the angle that my TSB springs caused. And then my aftermarket Billstein 5100's were causing it. Talked to corporate, my dealer said I had a 3" lift (I definitely do not lol)... It's never ending, I'm about to trade my truck in and not look in Toyota's direction for a long time. My decision is mainly based on local customer service. I'm sure they could fix this if they really had the desire to.