Would you tow with rear diff recall?

Topic. Aunt broke down with a fairly big camper. She was able to make it home. Camper is located about 260km away (like 210 miles). Is it bad to tow with the recall. Then go on a 5000 kilometre road trip 2 days later?? I need advice quick as I'm getting bombarded with angry texts.

 

You bought a new truck that has tow capabilities. If your worried about towing it's time to trade and get something that can tow.

 

I said I could do it for $100 lol... stupid idea or is that asking too much cash from a family member?

 

As long as its not dripping go for it, you have warranty and you need to use the truck as a truck.

 

Are you specifically included in the recall? If yes, I'd still tow it. If no, I'd still tow it. IMO you bought the truck for situations like this,if anything happens it'll be covered under warranty. Drive it.

 

I would ask for a full tank of gas and a 12 pack.

 

I think it's only bad if the diff gets really low on fluid. Check it and fill if needed. Just my thoughts

 

Not sure how close you are, but I'd never ask family for money to help them out. Hell I'd never ask a friend. If they gave me a case of beer or bottle of wine as a thank you, it's a nice gesture, but I typically wouldn't ask for money in exchange...

 

Okay guys awesome advice!! Thanks I was worried .. just because of the recall but I am under warranty. Time to Tacoma tow in style

 

You'll be fine...

 

Hook & Book !!!!

 

Are you under recall? Is it dripping or just seeping? If it's just some seeping, it's fine.

For family, I'd do it for free WTF you charging family for?

 

Make sure to post some pics

 

$100 will probably barely cover your gas to and from considering you'll get much worse mileage on the way home towing the camper.

 

IMHO this whole rear differential thing is being blown out of any semblance of reasonable proportion.

Having read through both the initial recall notice and the 6/15/2017 update it seems to be that--through either piss-poor supervision or quality control, just plain ol' incompetence, or any combination thereof--the nuts fastening the differential carrier assembly to the mating studs on the rear axle housing were not properly torqued during the manufacturing process; and that:

1. Some axles show no sign of weeping or leaking gear oil. The remedy here will be to properly torque the nuts (18 "ft·lb"¹) and check/top-off the gear oil;
   
   
2. Some axles are weeping/leaking gear oil and may or may not have lost enough to warrant replacing the differential--the gear oil will be drained and the quantity drained determined:
   
   If > 2 liters of gear oil was recovered the carrier-to-axle housing gasket will be replaced, and the original carrier remounted with new nuts, torqued to 28 "ft·lb"¹;
   
   If < 2 liters of gear oil remained the differential will be assumed to have been damaged and will be replaced, with a new gasket and the new "28 ft·lb" nuts;
   

I actually find this last bit to be Toyota erring on the side of caution--a "good thing" as Martha Stewart would say. The full capacity of the axle is 3.2 to 3.4 liters. Having never owned a FWD vehicle as my primary ride (wife has had several) I can testify that a 2/3rd fill would have provided quite adequate lubrication in any of those I have owned--in my younger years one or two I've owned leaked enough that they probably ran 75% of their life 2/3rd full.

So 'twas I to own one, or as I convinced my neighbor dreading the recall of his 2017 DCSB, and it was dry or just slightly "misting" (NOT weeping or leaking) I would simply tighten the nuts to 18 lb·ft, consider this case closed, and move on to dealing with the rest of my life. In fact 'twas my own vehicle, and not the neighbor's, even if it were weeping/seeping a bit I would likely re-torque the nuts, check the fluid level/top-off if needed, and move on to my next challenge...

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¹ - Toyota uses the unit ft·lb in the recall procedure to specify torque; this is incorrect. The Imperial unit of torque is the lb·ft (force * distance), ft·lb is the Imperial unit of work (distance * force).

 

As this is all true it usually does not get recalled until there was a safety issue and safety issues always get blown up since it can cause injury or death. Didnt a rear end lock up a few times before the recall? This is what prompts a manufacturer to jump on an issue as fast as they did.

 

I have been led to believe that one or more "rear-ends" did "lock-up" and cause vehicles to "leave the road".

However as one who has driven rear-wheel drive vehicles for over 60 years, only a complete dolt brain-dead idiot (a category which I acknowledge unfortunately includes a good portion of our population) could possibly drive a Tacoma to the point that a dry differential seized up; and to the extent that the truck was "thrown off the road"; and not be aware some 500 to 1000 miles earlier that something was was really frigging wrong.

As Harry Callahan said, "A man has to know his limitations." For those with little to no knowledge of things mechanical I guess letting the dealer confiscate their vehicle for 2 or 3 or ?? months is a viable option. For me it would not be, not by a long shot...

 

Finally- last three posts...
Recall- tighten some nuts, yet there's 40 plus posts here from people trading to 6YO fords, afraid to tow, etc...

Just go get your nuts tightened and drive on.

 

More idiots on the road than you think. Ha ha

 

So I did the haul. Tow was excellent. Definitely gas mileage was 50% higher with the camper attached (prior to tow, 9.6 litres 100/km, with camper 13.4 litres 100/km). Was roughy 800 pounds. Towed it 280ish kilometres. What a ride lol ugh I'm sleepy .. 6 hours of driving after work in total forgot to take pics d'oh....