4x4 Won't Engage - Brand New Tacoma - Looking for answers - Please Help

The response to the dealer should be...what evidence or facts do you have to back up your claim? And yes I would like that response reduce to writing...watch how fast they backtrack. Sounds more like a bad actuator.

 

Oh - and my language of the YouTube video and general anger of being upset as you can imagine stems from a single man trying to get a large corporation to do what is JUST and RIGHT to fix this problem. I bought my Tacoma because of their reputation for being a TOUGH, RELIABLE truck. Both those things have been proven wrong by my bumper scratch that took out the BSM sensors and now the most important part of my truck not being reliable when I'm in a snowstorm with friends and family with me.

If Toyota, much less any other truck company, builds trucks with 4x4 systems that are now so sensitive that slight tread differences prevent 4x4 from engaging when needed they need to publicly tell their customers to check tire pressure and tread depth weekly and have a public policy informing owners they need to replace all 4 tires when they get a flat. Because that is basically what they are telling me is the problem and telling me I'm financially responsible to fix it. I drive safely, I don't offroad roughly.

From what I've read car companies make a lot of money on repairs. Could it be that they are building vehicles less reliably (like where they flimsily place the BSM sensors) to make more money on repairs down the road? Just a hypothetical question I've been mulling about.

 

I guess yours isnt chuck Norris tough

 

Try what I posted and see if it works.

 

And it begins... Took longer than usual this time... I was about to have just a little hope that this thread wouldn't go up in flames and that a new guy would be able to bring a concern to the table and not get burnt to the ground over it lol.

But so it goes... carry on... lol

 

Sorry, seemed appropriate. He got his answer.... the dealer is lying for some reason.

 

I wouldn’t blame Toyota...they are actually pretty good and when they get wind of this they will make it right...your issue is with the dealer not providing workers skilled in the tasks assigned to them.

 

My '06 Tacoma was engaged and disengaged dozens of times on the fly during the 12 years I owned. Worked just fine, sometimes needing to feather the throttle a bit. I had more wonky issues at slow speed but it still worked fine.

 

Once and for all, it's NOT the tread.

 

Again, I was just making sure he wasn't doing something crazy like putting a huge strain on the drivetrain while engaging. I can't assume everyone was born with lockers on their crib so I started with the equivalent of "did you try turning it off then on again."

After watching the video though, yeah, it isn't operator error, it's the truck, so disregard anything I said.

I'd be raising hell with that dealer, OP

 

Yeah you can count this as a full on lie by the dealer... It is 100% no question NOT a tire tread issue. Plain and simple.

 

Engage the 4wd regularly, get a couple of miles on it preferably on some dirt or gravel or with the passenger side on an unpaved shoulder. If it's sticky engaging or disengaging, run it forward and reverse and unload it by shifting into neutral. Same advice for low range. Use it, or possibly lose it when you need it.

 

The tire thing the dealer is telling you is the dumbest shit ive ever heard

 

OP - Did you tell the dealer that you have had the truck in 4wd since the new tire? What did they say to that?

 

It's not a good thing to drive any distance in 4wd on solid pavement if one tire is seriously more worn than another, or a size mismatch.
I can always tell by the noise when my sister comes up my cement strip driveway and turns around on the concrete pad. For some reason she puts her tacoma in 4wd and it's a loud battle between concrete and tread.

 

I'm new to Tacoma's, but not 4 wheel drive.

How in the hell could a transfer or 4HI switch know what your tread depth is?

Seems to be you could have a new tire on the front drivers side, a tire with the threads showing on the passenger side, and the same set up in the back, and it should still go into 4 wheel drive.

 

Your truck is new. And IMO those 4WD gears haven’t “broken” in properly. apparently you have to use it often when appropriate. Your symtoms happened to me my first 10,000 miles. Light would stay green randomly. Dealer was never any help. Eventually now it works every time. Either that or there’s something wrong. Good luck!

 

Don’t know what the third gen system looks like but I’m sure Toyota didn’t change it up much from the 2nd gens. This is either the ADD actuator(known for being pieces of shit) or one of the transfer case sensors. My 2nd gen did this twice. Once because of the actuator and once because of a sensor. Good luck.

 

I had around 300 miles on mine first time I used 4HI, and low. It worked perfect. Used it couple times since, and everything's been perfect so far....knock on wood.

 

At 11,000 miles I had a transfer case failure with my 2017 TRD Off Road. I was off roading and when I stopped I was switching from 4-High to two wheel drive. I heard the loud clunk, and the vehicle was stuck in four wheel drive / 4-High. The four wheel drive light on the dash continually flashed.

A dealership had to replace the actuator and two internal shift forks. Below is a "cut and paste" from my online service records.................

SUSPENSION/STEERING ~|~CUSTOMER STATES STUCK IN 4X4 MODE. PLEASE CHECK AND ADVISE ~|~CONFIRMED 4X4 LIGHT FLASHING TRACED TO TRANSFER CASE INTERNAL FAILURE. ~|~REMOVED, REPAIRED AND REASSEMBLED TRANSFER CASE AND RE INSTALLED. TEST DROVE GOOD

PARTS
NAME PART # QTY
RING, SHAFT SNAP 9052013002 4
ACTUATOR ASSY, TRANS 3641071010 1
F.I.P.G.,TRANS. 0029501281 1
SLEEVE, TRANSFER HIG 362350K030 1
FORK, TRANSFER GEAR 3631134010 1
FORK, TRANSFER GEAR 3631234010 1
F.I.P.G.,TRANS. 0029501281 1
WARRANTY