Is 2012-2013 Tacoma a Class Action Lawsuit On Wheels?

After dealing very unsatisfactorily with the brand new lemon Tacoma I just bought, and researching the auto manufacturer I have trusted and admired for decades, it looks to me like the 2012-2013 Tacoma suffers from a design flaw that causes it to whistle loudly above 35 mph.

Though widespread, Toyota HQ treats it like an individual problem. Very much like the way Toyota treated the fiery crashes attributed to their stuck pedals. Users had called in hundreds of times to complain, and reports from crashes poured in, but Toyota purposefully ignored the problem until it literally exploded on the public. Toyota tolerated a number of unnecessary deaths and injuries to temporarily (and unsuccessfully) cover up the problem.

That Toyota made very reliable, rugged Tacomas for a decade is without question. Like most others in that period, my own 2002 Tacoma continues to perform flawlessly. The question now is whether the dramatic and striking re-design for 2012-2013 is going through the same kind of curse the 2005 Tacoma re-design went through. Recall that the 2005 Tacoma had significant issues and recalls involving almost every aspect and part of the truck, from stem to stern. As though the truck was rushed to market before being fully vetted and tested for solid performance.

After talking with two attorneys about my own experience, it seems that the only way that this is going to get resolved is through a class action lawsuit against Toyota. I am not a lawyer and I stand to make no money by posting this. My purpose is to provide notice to my fellow Tacoma enthusiasts that they are not alone and that there is strength in numbers. Sadly, it all too often takes lawsuits to coerce car manufacturers to do what they are already supposed to be doing in the first place and what you pay for when you buy their product.

In the case of the Tacoma, Toyota is resting on its laurels, and milking our wallets.

 

the whistle is likely coming from the grill area...usually in between the hood and the top of the grill...fix it yourself, you're making way to big of a deal out of it.

 

Dude, all that whistling noise is caused from is weather stripping..... add a little piece to the part between the grille and hood. BOOM! Fixed.

Sadly, this is how America is becoming. Sue over anything and everything.
"Spill a cup of coffee, make a million dollars."

 

If you read the experiences other Tacoma owners are having, you would not be flip and casual about how those people protect their significant investments.

One guy writes that his brand new Tacoma warranty was nullified by Toyota when they accused him of performing the fix on the weather strip by himself (it had been done by a Toyota tech at the dealership).

Many people have had to relinquish use of their brand new Tacomas while Toyota techs try to fix a problem that is at best temporarily fixable. The circumstances are unbearable to many people. It's a huge issue.

 

the only people who win in class action suits are the lawyers, and the consumers pay for it in the long run with higher priced goods.

Anyone who suggests a class action suit has NEVER read the actual payouts. Lawyers make 25million and everyone else involved gets 2.00 worth of crap.

 

Good luck with a class action suit based on a noise and not safety. In many states now the respondent can force the plaintiff to pay the legal defense fees if the respondent wins. There isnt one human on Tacoma World that could pay for those fees.

 

So what other way do you suggest consumers to get what they paid for? What else creates incentives for manufacturers to deliver as promised and paid for?

Where lawyers make the most is on the punitive damages, awarded for egregious behavior. And there I agree that it should not be distributed to the one plaintiff but rather distributed equally among the consumers.

 

This site is full of Tacoma owners and there doesn't seem to be any wild stories of disgust...

That one guy is an idiot if he really thinks that removing a little bit of weatherstripping actually voided his warranty... NO manufacturer can void an entire vehicles warranty for fixing something yourself unless they can prove that your fix caused a warrantable part to fail. There are already laws in place to protect the consumer in that instance. A tiny bit of research would have revealed that.

 

Sue over a little noise, really?Good luck with that.

 

12 no whistle..... I would trade it in for another mfgr that has no problems...

 

So a Tacoma owner is an 'idiot' for reporting back what he was told by Toyota? The point here is to bring attention to a persistent issue. What else should we be doing here at Tacoma World? Posting photos of our Tacoma altars and Tacoma - theme underpants? Shoot the messenger make ya feel good?

 

No, he's an idiot for actually believing that removing some weather stripping would void his warranty. It's not news that some dealerships are dishonest and some downright dirty. Toyota Corporate would not void his warranty because he removed some weatherstripping regardless of what some shady stealership told him.

The 2nd Gen Tacomas have their share of issues and, out of all of them you could have chosen, you really want to start a class action lawsuit over a little whistle noise??

 

Thanks for the good wishes! It isn't "a little noise." It is so loud that I cannot use my phone and the radio won't drown it out. It makes the vehicle un-useable. If it cannot be used, it is not merchantable. That is a legal issue indeed. I paid cash for my truck and it does not perform. New truck? Nope. Refund? Nope.

 

Just trade the truck in and slit your wrists.

Be gone.

 

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Perhaps you could program it with the words so it will stop whistling?

 

Glad I have company in my wardrobe selections, except mine has Darth Vader on the back side

 

3yr 36k mile warranty? yep