2012 Tacoma no 4x4 in last NH snow storm??

Ok, so like my 2012 Tacoma decided for the 1st time to be a piece of junk to me... it literally spun like i was in neutral when i was 'supposedly' in 4x4, only could go in reverse right into a freakin snow bank, 4x4 light was orange blinking...... brought to dealership, of course its fine, works like a charm, they asking me if i had snow in the tires??? what the $%^&? Umm my 3rd Tacoma, i know what im doing and at 22k, this was NOT FUNNY, I had to drive 50 miles to work out of 4x4 on unplowed roads with NO WEIGHT in my 5ft bed, talk about crappy! any ideas anyone? I dont get it, what snow inmy tires got to do with anything? truck was parked in garage all night, i drove it about 1/2 mile then pulled over to engage the 4x4.

 

If the 4x4 light is blinking its not on.

 

This....^^^^^^^^^^

Which dealership literally blew you off ??? Great CSR there....

Have you tried engaging the 4x4 since?? and has it worked properly ???

Welcome to TW from another NH TW'r....

 

YES, I did! It worked fine, I have engaged it twice and it works fine, I have done nothing different, it engages no problem. I am going to engage it EVERY DAY and when it does it gain I am going to call AAA and have it towed right to dealership and , well you know how the conversations is going to go......

 

yes i know hun, it was orange blinking, i was in DRIVE and all the truck would do is rev , and rev, no forward, my only option was reverse and i ended up sliding in snow bank, i had someone push and i was able to swing out of teh snowbank in reverse, THEN when i put back in drive she went forward, light blinking, no 4x4, drove 50 miles with light blinking.............

 

That may have been your folly. My truck doesn't like to go into 4Hi when stopped. Next time you encounter slippery conditions, just engage it while driving normally. Don't pull over and stop.

 

This ^^^

 

Now this is what the dealership SHOULD have asked, correct....??

My '02 has ADD and a few times while trying to "hook up" into 4-Hi it quitely refuses BUT if I slow down and put it into neutral or come to a complete stop...all is well...

2nd gens have a different set-up and by these accounts ,4x4 activety can still be as fussy...

 

Yeah, my '12 doesn't like to go into 4WD when stopped. If I stop and turn the knob, the light will just blink at me about 50% of the time. From there I have to roll forward or backwards a few feet and then everything engages.

If you stopped, turned the knob, and just waited, you could have waited forever. If you stopped, turned the knob, drove a bit and it still never engaged, then something is wrong with the truck.


FWIW, this B.S. is exactly why I miss my old CJ. Stop CJ, lock hubs, throw shifter into 4HI and go. Hell, my first Tacoma (97) was the same way - manual hubs with a J-shifter. I miss both of them. I really wish Toyota would stop putting this electro-vacuum-gizmo junk in our trucks. Save it for the Mall Runner Rigs!!

 

I think ADD needs the two front wheels turning at the same speed to engage. I get the flashing indicator if I try to engage it with even a slight steering wheel angle (like when compensating for road crown).

During the Feb storm, I got hung up on a snowbank. Had to engage 4Lo and the rear locker to get through.

 

These trucks have exacting procedures for engaging 4x4 and 4lo. I see this quite often and more often than not it's driver error. The system sucks and there is no reason for a computer and electric motors to do a job a lever can do.
That being said. You CANNOT start twisting the dial and have things jump when you want them to.If you get it out of sequence, that 4x4 light will flash forever and no amount of turning or backing up will help.
At least once a storm, we have someone come in with the light blinking because they didn't read or understand the instructions. Then it takes me a min or two of working the system to get it back. Then i take the customer to school.
The best advise i can give anyone is this.
Read your manual #! I mean really read it and understand it.
If you get into a non engagement issue DON'T START SCREWING WITH THE KNOB.
If you are going from 2 to 4 and it blinks be patient.
I myself always throw my truck in neut while i do it and let it roll. This is just me. Takes the pressure off the drive line.
If it won't engage put the knob back into 2 where you started. DON'T switch it back and forth. It does nothing and makes it harder to get it back.
If the light still blinks back in 2wd , pull over and stop. Shut the truck off and restart. Watch the light. If it still blinks, start driving about 10mph and work the wheel back and forth. stop and back up 3 or 4 lengths. Shut the truck off. start it back up. if the light is out your free.
Rethink how you switched to 4wd. Saying all i did turn the knob is NOT thinking. Where you turning, accelerating, braking, spinning.
Yes we have issues with actuators and such and yes they screw up. but when a customer comes in saying they can't go over 40mph and i get in the truck and the truck is in 4lo and they don't notice. Makes you wonder.

I work my 4wd actuators once a week. I work my 4lo twice a month. And i do it on DRY PAVEMENT. I don't need certain conditions to run them through their cycle. My son does the same thing with his truck.

Take the tips for what it's worth. But if it everything is working fine before and then after, there is nothing anyone can do to FIX it. More than likely cause it wasn't broken in the first place.

 

I have had the same 'problem' a couple of times when switching to 4hi. They can be finicky to get the front wheels into gear at times. Staying off the accelerator during switching helps engage/disengage it.

I know it's your 3rd Taco and I'm sure you know what you're doing, but I doubt your truck is faulty.


BTW, are ya sick of this snow by now...? I am.