Annoying Rattle - Odd Location

*** Applies to a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road V6 ***

I thought I would share an interesting rattle that I was finally able to locate and might help save the sanity of others with the possible same rattle source.

Like most everyone else that complains about a rattle/squeak, I had the passenger side dash speaker grille squeak. I simply added a small black piece of foam and that issue was resolved.

I had no noticeable squeaks or rattles for several months until the temp dropped well below freezing. This rattle was only noticeable at idle with the transmission shifter in drive or reverse. It literally sounded like it was behind the glove box and I checked everything I could reach without tearing the dash apart. Then for some odd reason, I thought I'd open the hood and see if something was loose on the firewall. To my amazement, it was the pesky little wire clip on top of the air box as shown in the included picture and circled in red. I simply twisted it around slightly and made sure it was secured properly and the issue went away. Life was good again!!!

 

Really...? You could hear that inside the truck over the sound of the motor...!! Damn, I better check mine..(I don't hear it, but I'm partly deaf..)... hehe

 

... until the temp drops again

 

Yeah, I would've never guessed it and thought someone was crazy had they told me to check that clip or even that area. However, it was the fix for mine. I guess it's the way the cable was slightly vibrating and rocking the clip back and forth. Just like the rear diff whine resonating back into the cab, this was resonating through the firewall and driving me crazy.

As for the temp dropping again statement, I was messing around with this while it was about 20 degrees and as soon as I messed with that clip, it never happened again...even with another week of 0 - 30 degree temps. So, I'm fairly confident it's fixed.

 

I have not owned 2nd gen, but is it any better as far as quality goes? Toyota is supposed to be synonymous with quality, I’m having hard time seeing said quality. On a slightly different note, I used to have 92 Camry with over 300k, that car was solid in every aspect

 

I've owned both a 2012 TRD Off-Road for almost 100,000 miles and now this 2017 TRD Off-Road for a year. All I can say is...if given the chance I would NOT go back to the 2012.

Some notable improvements on the 3rd Gens include:

1.) Ride quality is MUCH better.
2.) Handling is MUCH better.
3.) Technology. I like the nice little readouts for tire pressure, gas mileage, distance to empty, and other things like that.
4.) Power...yes...I'm know there are many mixed feelings on here, but my 2017 runs night and day better than my 2012 V6 4.0 and it ran really good. This 2017 just takes a little bit more pedal push to get there, but when you learn the engine/transmission combo and get into the power band around 3500 RPM's and up, it just flat out runs like a scalded dog. Plus, if you desire even more, press that little "ECT Power" button. It does make a slight difference. For the record, my truck hasn't had any type of engine/transmission mods or updates since it left the factory in Mexico.

Some notable disadvantages include:

1.) Slight rear diff whine, which would nice to get fixed at some point with the new possible fixed release by Toyota.
2.) Transmission struggles to remain in 6th or 5th gear with any slight hill or even in heavy wind. It makes using the cruise control annoying, because it's almost guaranteed to downshift to 4th every time, where if using your foot, you could likely keep it in 5th gear.

So, I went to the dealer expecting to hate the 3rd Gen with everything I'd read on here, but drove away with a new truck and couldn't be happier. Go test drive one or two and see what you think. Just remember...nothing is ever going to be 100% perfect. Everything will have pros and cons. You just have to decide whether the pros outweigh the cons in your decision making process.