2016 Tacoma DCSB OR Rear Diff replacement + other stuff

Service bulletin TT-0390-16 now available for reference.

I bought my truck on 3/12, no issues. Drove awesome and all is well. However, after a 100 miles or so, I started hearing a whine from the rear end that is getting louder, and from 15-25mph I started to get a shutter in the wheel, seat and brake pedal when both accelerating and decelerating. I also noticed the hood started vibrating at idle and really bad on the highway.

This morning the local service manger went for a ride along w/400 miles on the clock. He confirmed all of the above and said this was the first out of 50+ tacomas, that he has had in. I also explained hearing about low fluids and said that it was news to him.

Late this afternoon, they called me with a loaner and said the body shop is looking at what the best action is to take on fixing the hood. Also, a Toyota field tech is supposed to come listen to the rear diff. They stated it will need to be replaced, but want to see if the 15-25mph vibration is related before they proceed.

I called Toyota Corp and filed a complaint because I don't even have the title on the truck yet and am not sure what I want to do. I'm not over the top furious and think they are trying to help, but jeesh....for $37k sticker this is not cool.

I'll keep this updated in case anyone else is interested.

 

Update:

Truck was in the body shop today getting the hood fixed. The dealership has put in a TASK case and a Toyota rep is flying/driving down Monday or Tuesday to see what the next step will be on the rear diff and other vibration.

Anyone else had this issue?

 

How did you make out with the dealer??

 

My rear diff has a whine under very light loads in the OD gears mainly (around 55-65mph...not sure of the RPMs at those speeds--2-2500?). It can be present in other gears but most noticeable under lighter loads.

I have a new set of gears on the way that the dealer is going to replace. AFAIK, I am not the only one this has happened to.

 

Toyota really dropped the ball with this vehicle. I hope they get it squared away with the 2017 MY. Otherwise, I'll have to purchase a different vehicle. I won't gamble with $35,000.

 

Update 3/28: Hood has been repaired and a new rear diff has been ordered. Once installed, they are going to see if that fixes the shake from 15-25 mph as well (2 birds 1 stone). If it does, we are good, if not, the Toyota engineer is coming back down. They are also manually going to check all fluids and not mess around.

Also, I'm negotiating a 7 year/100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty with Toyota Corp. They seemed to think this wouldn't be a problem to get done and I'm asking for some credit for accessories (I really want a tonneau cover, so go big or go home).

The service manager and sales manager have been nothing but friendly to me, as I have been with them. The sales manager did admit they should have checked the fluids like I requested. They won't tell me how low the rear diff was, but I'd almost bet it was low and is partially to blame (but that's just me being me, but it could have been bad parts or a combo).

No ETA on when I'll have it back and I did express my concern with the gas mileage the Tundra they gave me to drive, because I drive a lot for work and this thing sucks gas, so they are swapping it out for an Avalon tomorrow morning. They are being really good now, where initially, they were very skeptical about all this.

Believe it or not, I went through a lot of these same things with our new 2013 Cruze when I bought it, so I learned that being proactive, nice and civil, although hard at times, pays off better than being an ass. These people didn't make the mistakes, and I acknowledge that upfront with them. They understand the frustration and I think are doing the best they can, so I appreciate that. I know it'll all work out, but with the engineer coming down, I think this will help everyone else that might have this issue because they are doing this research for a TSB I believe.

 

Sucks that you had these issues, but at least it sounds like they are taking care of you.

 

Thanks for the update. I had to grease/lube my drivetrain even tho I asked my dealer to do it at the 5K service. I looked at my diff and it looked like they had removed the plug and either checked the levels and topped them off. That is part of the 5K service (not the lube tho??). I saw evidence they had the plug off on the diff - there was a fluid residue on the diff like a drip of fluid from the btm of the hole so I didn't check it. My drive line is quieter now and I'm getting +2 more MPG gas now too since the service and DIY lube. Other than dry u-joints my truck has been GREAT.

Good luck ...

 

Update 3/29: Toyota care called me today, not the 2 business days they stated. Toyota is refunding me my first payment of $429. They are also giving me a Toyota Platinum Vehicle Service Agreement with $0 deductible for 7 years/100,000 mile warranty. This includes:

-eligible repair costs after 3yr/36k warranty, including parts not covered in Gold & Powertrain plans
-24/7 Roadside Assistance (towing, gas, flats, etc.)
-$50 per day for rental
-$100 per day for lodging & meals if outside 150 miles of home
-this is transferable 1 time without a processing fee

So they really are making a great effort. I'll post more as I know.

 

Good to hear they are taking care of this.... not good about the current transmission and now diff problems that seem to be popping up all over the place.

 

My rear diff is whining as well. Most noticeable when loafing along in sixth gear (MT) between 50-55 mph. I noticed it at around 1000miles, I'm at 4000 now. I'm 100% positive the whine is coming from the rear diff. Aside from 30 years of mechanical experience, I had another truck that the previous owner had rebuilt the rear diff on, the gears were not shimmed correctly and it made the identical noise and in the same conditions that my taco in making. Now onto why I'd rather get a fu**ing root canal than take my vehicle to a dealer. I took it in the other day, I got the "master tech" to go for a ride with me. He heard the noise. His synopsis was that it is these "aggressive" tires that Toyota puts on the TRD Off Road trucks. I did my best to explain to him why that is ridiculous. A; the whine goes away the second you push in the clutch. B; It does not change with speed, if it was tire noise it would change or increase in frequency as speed increased. C; I can make the noise come and go simply by lightly touching the gas to "unload" the drive train btween 50-55. Unfortunately my daily commute consists of 50 miles right in this "sweet spot" of whining rear diff. It's not loud at all but I can hear it even if the radio is on. The dealer also felt compelled to to tell me how much they doubt such a new truck would have this prob and that they have not heard anything about it in the 2016s. At that point I felt compelled to show him the service receipt someone posted in another thread. I sure do hope they issue a TSB for this. Not sure what to do next.

 

Hey Wotaco - did you lube your u-joints?? Mine were dry at 5K completely dry. 10+ pumps of grease each zirk. They were never lubed from factory or dealer prep - zirks still had paint on them.

I forgot to mention after 5K service a few weeks ago they topped on my rear diff and I had to lube my own truck - I'm getting WAY better MPG - like 4 mpg better, same driving.

 

Wotaco, I'm in the same boat as you. Dealer thinks it's normal, and won't do anything.

Where was a service receipt posted? I couldn't find one.

 

I can imagine the inconvenience of going back to the dealer and making lots of phone calls. But this would just be something I can live with if I was given the same deal. I hope your experience keeps getting better.

 

I lubed all the zirks and topped off rear diff. It was a little low(about 8 oz). Had no effect on noise.

Check out post# 58 https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-noise-update.405066/page-3

 

Ya, so far so good. Still waiting to hear, but I'm not going to call. I have an Avalon now and that thing is pretty cool, so I'll enjoy it while I have it

I would recommend you call and try for this as well. There's a record of mine, so they can't say they haven't had any issues.....worth a shot.

 

An Avalon! I got a Scion IM loaner, it's the most underpowered thing I've ever driven. I got a call from the dealer today, They're bringing in an engineer from Toyota to assess the rear diff noise and he apparently has enlightened the service manager to the existence of this issue. Moving in the right direction anyway, I'm much less pissed than I was when the master tech told me it was tire noise.

 

Sub'd....may be referencing this with toyota when I go in at 5000 miles

 

Are you in California? My Service GM said someone from a Cali Toyota called them today.

 

Maybe i missed it, but did they tell you what the primary cause of failure was? I posted about mine in this thread:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rearend-whine.407373/