2016 Tacoma DCSB OR Rear Diff replacement + other stuff

Update 3/31: The service manager called to check in with me today. A Toyota Engineer did come down and they took audio and video of the rear end. The parts will be here tomorrow, but the engineer wants to come down and drive the truck on Monday so I won't get it back until next week. Also, there are apparently 9 other Tacomas across the country having the rear diff replaced as of right now, so they are very interested to get the bad one out and analyzed to see what the next steps are going to be on Toyota's end.

Concerning the vibration; the engineer said that this is truly a character of the trans from 1 to 2 and from 2 to 1. The service manager said he's not so sure, which is why they want to drive it to compare to see if it's related to the rear diff and if there is any change once this has been swapped out. He said they will know more once this is done and they are trying to get another Offroad to drive to compare, but I told him that it's a common problem to all models, so to drive one of another flavor. He said he would do so, so this could end up getting drawn out longer because I'm not taking it back until it's perfect

They are also apparently NOW checking/calibrating the build line on trans cooler models, so they are not low. I'm not sure how low mine is/was, but this has been manually checked and fixed for me. He said there could be a TSB for this real soon, so I'll believe it when I see it.

I went by and picked up some paperwork because I got my title in the mail and the hood looks really good and professional. It's not a slop job and looks almost factory, so I was pleased with that.

And lastly, Toyota requested that everyone contact the Toyota Customer Care with any hood, rear diff or vibration issues (anything for that matter). The more complaints they get, the more data points they can gather, which will help us all with the issues popping up. Someone will figure this out and it will probably be a normal guy working in the shop, not a high paid engineer. The more people looking into this, the better for everyone! So I would encourage everyone to take some time, then a deep breath, and start reporting things with case numbers to Toyota directly, not your local Toyota dealer. I really think Toyota wants to make this right, but they have to know these issues and have actual documentation, not he said she said or typical service folks blowing things off. And for sure, they have my specific case in the books for reference.

I'll continue to update!

 

I was one of those 9 I betcha I wonder what will be the cause of your failure

 

Not yet, because they haven't taken it out yet to see what is up. I suspect low fluid or out of spec tolerances of some sort. It only happens when on the gas, not when you let off, so it is something to do with the pinion for sure.

 

Well I sent an email to Toyota Care about the drive line and my u-joints not being lubed. Toyota Care wanted to refer me back to the dealer. I told Toyota Care that its more of a manufacturing issue, trucks with dry u-joints and low fluid should not get to a dealer like that. What if the dealer thinks manufacturing is doing their job?? They wouldn't lube my truck at 5K cause it wasn't covered by Toyota Care??? WTF.... So I said it's not a dealer issue. Check with production please.

 

Rear diff whine was common on the last generation as well. Mine does it light throttle around 55. Im guessing gear pattern is not where is should be.

 

Yeah, mine really developed into a ROAR that was super loud. When the service manager and I drove it initially, we had 25 mph winds. He commented on the door sill howl and how much louder the rear was in the cross winds. So you could easily hear it over the door seal howl, the other howl from the holes in the front end and the rear diff roar. It was like a group of dogs singing, lol. To be honest, this sounded like my dads old 63 3/4 ton 4X4 ford that couldn't go over 55 mph. That's how loud.

BTW, no updates as I assume it will be Monday or Tuesday.

 

Ouch, I thought mine was noisy after I got new larger AT tires!

 

The vibration on slowing can't be the transmission as many manuals have it as well.

 

That is an excellent point. I'll make sure to tell them that now when I talk to them next week. That narrows it to the drive train or engine. Well, I guess that helps narrow it down...

So maybe too soft or too hard of mounts somewhere? Also, I've read some about a needle bearing, but I'm not too educated on that yet. Anyone have the good advice on what to have them check out since I have an engineers attention?

 

I can confirm this point. I have this vibration/shudder on deceleration which starts around 20mph. I have an off road manual transmission and it happens if slowing down in neutral too.

100% not transmission related.

 

I had needle bearing issues in my 2nd gen. That is NOT what the shudder on slowing is. Not sure what it is but it's not the needle bearing.

 

Are you the guy that lubed your u-joints the day you brought the car home? If not check the u-joints!! After lube my drive-line is a lot smoother and quieter.

 

Update 4/4/16: Got my truck back this afternoon. The howl is gone! The hood is fixed! However, the 15-25 vibration is still there. Maybe a little better....or I just want to think it's better. Tech's said they really don't know what it is, so like everyone else, "it's normal". They also checked the trans and said it was full, but they just ran the scan. Oh well, I'm just going to drive the hell out of it now and enjoy my extra warranty

I sure did miss it and am glad to have it back.

 

I have the same issue, and the noise goes away when switching to 4wd. I noticed that the front driveline spins with force when this happens, leading me to believe that the front diff is causing a fluid shear force, just enough to rotate the front driveline and cause this noise. I am not certain though.

 

Update 4/5/16: Well, I've decided I'm not satisfied for a couple different reasons. I've put about 50 miles on the truck and the whine is gone, so that's awesome. However:

1. the hood still vibrates on 1 side, so it's not completely fixed.

2. On the invoice of repairs, it clearly states "Customer states truck vibrates from 15-25 mph, Gene verified and confirms this." Gene is the service manager that did the ride along and drive along with me, so this is documented, yet they did not even address this after the fact. I called my case manager again and she looked into everything, confirming that it is clearly documented, but no action was taken to even attempt a fix. This to me, is like going to the doctor, having an X-ray for a broken leg, confirming the broken leg with the doctor, then sent home without a cast or crutches.

3. For some reason, my truck is now out of alignment. I thought it might be the air pressure, so I adjusted it to spec and the wheel is clearly at a 2 o'clock position now when it tracks straight down the highway. I'm not sure if the way they ran it on a lift and strapped it down, pulled it out of spec or what, but it's messed up.

4. They did not manually check the transmission level or grease the front end, or check the front diff levels. Not only are my marks still there I made for me to double check, but you can clearly tell a wrench hasn't been even used on any of those parts.

5. To top it all off, the left bumper licenses plate light is full of water and quit working.

So, now on to the next chapter of this story....

 

Holy lord Jesus make it stop

 

I know right! This made me laugh, for real. I have no problem giving people a chance to fix their problems, but this next go'round may not go so smoothly. Its both hysterical and gut wrenching at the same time....

 

What he said.

 

Dang man I would be irate! Hope they make it right, keep us updated.

 

You clearly are not getting the "lesson" the steelership is trying to teach you.

Sounds like they messed up your alignment NOT working on your truck. Wow... I'd be looking at going to another dealer for service. Ask Toyota Care if you can do that since you are not getting proper service where you're at now.