Driver's Side Wheel Bearing

I bought my 2017 Quicksand Tacoma back in Nov of 2016. It was brand new. I have done considerable amount of work to the vehicle to get it where I need and want it.

The truck has had a Leer cap, Prinsu racks, Icon stage 4 suspension, Dakar springs, Southern Off-road Style Hybrid Bumper, Smittybilt Winch synthetic line, TRD T4R wheels, and Copper STT Pro wheels put on since purchasing the truck.

I noticed around 1800 miles there was a thud or clunk occasionally when turning into my drive. I had the truck re aligned and the noise didn't seem as bad. My thought being the tires were rubbing from not enough caster.

After a 2.5 hour trip there and back I began to be more observant of the noise and slight thuds. When I got home I attempted to manipulate the tire in the 3&9 position believing it was still an alignment problem and the tie rods could be the culprit.

To my surprise the wheel had significant movement with the truck still being on the ground. I jacked up the front and I manipulated the wheel at the 12&6 positions and also had significant movement.

I then believed my new 3600 mile Tacoma had wheel bearing issue. I removed the axle but and attempted to see if anything was misaligned. Reinstalled with same problem. My truck is under warranty. So I new I would take it to Toyota for warranty repair.

Now I have had zero issues with my third gen. My truck has only seen dirt and wash board roads. The truck has not been in any accidents or hard struck any objects. I am very concerned to have a wheel bearing going bad with so little mileage and light driving done with the truck.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Lower ball joints also create play in the wheels when they start to go bad, might be worth taking a good look at those and seeing what they look like. Can also cause a clunking sound/sensation when turning the wheels. Either way since it's still under warranty you might be able to get it covered through Toyota (though they might say it's due to the aftermarket suspension). My 3rd party powertrain warranty on my '04 covered my lower ball joint replacement last year (even with aftermarket suspension) so it's possible.

As for the wheel bearing possibility, when you spin the wheel while it's lifted up off the ground does it make a grinding/whirring sound?

 

After dropping it off at Toyota they have confirmed it was my wheel bearing. I am still at a loss of why the bearing would fail pre-maturely.

 

That is strange, is it going to be covered under warranty?

 

May want to buy a spare CPS sensor too...

 

Yes it is covered under warranty but seriously what caused this? I have owned lots of vehicles and modified 3-4 to this level. Just makes no sense.

 

I don't have any useful advice but your truck looks good

 

What would necessitate a spare crank shaft position sensor?

 

Do you wheel it hard? Only thing I can think of aside from it being a random factory fluke.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/truck-dead-lol.487443/unread

 

The only rough it has seen was 65 mph on a mile of wash boards. That was after I noticed slight thud sound. I still thought it had minor put of alignment. I haven't begun wheeling it hard. That's why I I'm confused to the cause.

 

Likely a factory defect accentuated by lift, heavier wheel and tire combo and highway speed dirt roads. Still shouldnt have happened that quickly though

 

Defective assembly from factory. It happens.

 

It could be just a faulty part, as opposed to having an 'operational' cause.

You know. Like the guy who found motor oil in his differentials, and apparently his wasn't the only one.

Or the CPS units that fail and leave the vehicle sitting.

Parts like those all come from multiple vendors, and get assembled 'somewhere'. It may be Japanese engineered, but it's globally sourced/sub assembled/assembled.

Sometimes you just get a bad batch of bananas. Looking great on the outside, bruised up on the inside.