2016 Tacoma Chirping/Squeaking

Hi,

I have been chasing down a chirping on my 2016 Tacoma 4WD TRD Off-road (69k miles) for what seems like 2 years now. It tends to come and go.

I replaced the drive belt in January 2023 (10k miles on it) and it seemed at first that the problem went away.. then it came back.

I tried greasing the drive shaft U joints and that seemed to do the trick. Then it came back.

I was pretty convinced for a while that it was the U joints so I've been using a penetrating lubricant on the outside of the joints every few months and have greased with the zerk fittings every 6 months for about a year and a half to try any push any dirt out. I haven't had any luck.

I've taken it to multiple mechanics and they are pretty stumped, one was thinking it was rubbing on a rear drum brake, but I think the noise is coming more from the middle of the car. It also seems to be at a faster frequency then the wheels which is why I'm thinking its drive shaft related. Not sure though.

The mechanics are very convinced its not the U joints due to low miles and no shaking.

It used to happen only at speeds <25 mph but seems to happen at almost all speeds now. It doesn't appear to be related to braking, going over bumps, or accelerating. It only happens moving forward, not reverse.

I found a youtube video that is very similar to the sound I'm hearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hkya59dODX0

Any thoughts?

Much appreciated!

 

I am always intrigued by generic descriptions that state things like I've taken it to "multiple mechanics" and "nobody can figure it out". What does that even mean? You took it to your friend's place who has a carport and a floor jack? Your brother-in-law looked at it with the hood open?

Some dude thought it was a rear brake issue? But you state nothing about what was done as a result of that guess. Was the wheel even removed?
------------------
People who are serious about diagnosing troublesome, repetitive, ongoing nuisance issues usually state things like

"I took it to my local Firestone Car Care Center and despite a road test, application of wireless, magnetic "chassis ears" (noise sensors), and a complete visual inspection while racked on a lift, they were unable to diagnose the noise." That is a NOT a likely true outcome by the way, because if you did that, they would've found the noise.

Or they state things like "I took it to the dealership and they told me they found this problem and it is blah-blah-blah but I don't understand what they said and why it is so expensive". Can anyone help? THAT IS BEING HONEST.
---------

There are several things I dislike greatly.

1) Coming online to a forum, posting generic non-helpful BS in terms of what you ACTUALLY did to troubleshoot your problem, linking a useless YouTube video, and expecting a *free* miracle diagnosis as to your problem. That is right at the top of the list.

2) Not taking your truck to an independent shop and spending 1 hr of diagnostic labor to determine your problem. That sound, if that is what you are experiencing, would easily be diagnosed at any independent shop with competent techs and a lift. Break your wallet out and prepare to part ways with $150 to find your problem. Just do it.

Everybody else here is just guessing and resulting in you greasing parts that don't need to be greased, changing belts that are perfectly fine, and otherwise chasing your tail.

HTH

 

I took the truck to 2 independent shops and both performed a drive test as well as a visual inspection on a lift.

The first shop stated they were unsure of of the issue, but due to the frequency at which the noise occurred, suspected it was related to the drive shaft. However, they could not identify any issue with the drive shaft. They recommended I take the truck to a Toyota specialist mechanic and perhaps they may have better luck diagnosing the issue.

The 2nd shop I went to were the Toyota specialists. After multiple drive tests with multiple mechanics, and a visual inspection they said they were pretty sure it had to due with the left rear brake. They told me that they removed the wheel and inspected the brake. They found some spots that looked like wear on the brake (I think between the lining and outer housing), however they stated I had about 50% of life left on the rear brakes and it wasn't worth replacing. As a potential remedy they told me to try braking hard when going about 5-10 mph a few times to see if that helped. This did not help.

I also called the Toyota specialist shop a 2nd time. After describing my issue they stated that there are many bushings, bearings (suspension, steering, etc.) that can causing squeaking. However, they were very confident it is not failing u-joints because the miles are low, there is no shaking, and the issue has persisted for almost 2 years without other symptoms. They said to get some lithium grease and try lubricating all of these components to see if that helps. Perhaps only lubricating certain components at a time to see if that helps narrow down the issue.

I have had experience with Firestone mechanics and I would say these shops are more competent and actually willing to provide good diagnostics.

I thought I gave a decent description of my own mitigation efforts (belt replacement and u-joint servicing). If you could be more specific on details that are missing I can try to provide them.

Too add, from online research I've found that people identify failing u-joints as the cause for vehicles that only have squeaking as a symptom, but not shaking. So I'm still not sure I want to disregard the u-joints as the issue quite yet. I've done some off-roading and there was a small dent on a flange that is part of the drive shaft. The first mechanic identified this and didn't think it was an issue. I can provide a picture if needed, but its pretty small so I wasn't concerned about this being the cause.

Hope that helps.

 

A nick on a driveshaft flange should not cause squeaking. But you may as well post the picture.

I would re-examine your D-side rear brake again. The second shop may have pin-pointed the general location, but not the exact source. One thing to consider is that these Tacos *still* have DRUM BRAKES in the rear. Drum brakes have .... almost.... but not quite become obsolete.

It is quite possible the technician who looked at your D-side rear brake assembly was uncomfortable and/or untrained to disassemble it for more detailed inspection. It could be a parking brake adjustment. It could be nothing more than a squealing dust shield.

 

That is probably your driveshaft center support bearing. I just got mine replaced under warranty at 47K miles, it made the crickets chirping at any speed going forward, and not in reverse. Jacked up the truck and ran the tires in 4th gear (traction control off), no noise at all. Truck had to be under load. Right back on the ground and it came back going forward.

Starting on a cold morning, no noise, but after driving a bit and warming up it came right back. I told the dealer what I thought it was and they confirmed and replaced it. No more noise. Mine happened under the exact same conditions as yours. And I also used that linked video to help diagnose mine myself.

Like you said, it is a much faster noise than the wheels. I knew immediately it wasn’t related to wheel speed, it had to be upstream of the diff and it was.

I had no vibrations. Driveshaft was smooth as silk, just the noise. The needle bearing inside the center support bearing can run dry I guess which is what the noise was. I seem to be getting slightly better mpg after getting it fixed, guess it was making the driveshaft slightly harder to turn. I partly wondered if my 5.29 gears sped up the failure, but I doubt it because there are plenty of folks I found through searching with the same issue at low mileage. Seems to be a defect that happens sometimes. Thankfully, as bad as it sounds, I have yet to see it be a catastrophic failure.

 

Mine made a similar noise but much quieter. Ujoint was the issue