2021 Tacoma engine head failure

68,000

 

Probably because the 2TR AKA 2.7 L has been around for a lot longer and is in tons of models around the world. Basically it's tried and true and is a true torque motor versus the 2GR which has been adapted to everything from the Tacoma to a Lotus evora.

Variations of the 2GR are in far more models than just the taco however, I said nothing about the 2TR so I'm not really sure what argument you think I'm trying to make?

 

Most of those were utility company work trucks. Fleet managers aren't logging into Tacoma world to discuss their issues.

 

True, but I would think you’d at least hear of SOME reoccurring issues with them, even if from a very small crowd. I haven’t heard of a single repeat issue, unlike the ACIS flap, worn valve guides and resultant burnt valves, timing cover leak, crossover pipe, HPFP noises/leaks, etc. on the V6.

Same deal with the dual VVTI 1GR. There may only be half as many 4Runners made and sold per year as there are Tacomas, and yet they don’t have a V6 failure thread with 60 posts (roughly half of our thread with 120 posts - not all posts are engine failures but still). If those had any common reoccurrences, you’d hear of them I think. My personal opinion is that this engine is significantly less reliable than the others and that we are only getting started with seeing the long term affects of that. It’ll be a while before the later models really start to rear their heads. That’s just what I think anyways, I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think I am.

 

It's inherent in the design /engineering . Less parts less points of failure. It's part of the price you pay for more hp/tq.

 

Because the 2.7 is stupidly reliable, and can take abuse too

 

I know, but I feel like that proves the point that I and others point out that the majority here ignore. People want to act like the 2GR-FKS is as reliable as the other engines, or is close enough that the problems it has aren’t problems, but just unfortunate rare events. It’s not like they’re “frequent” but they happen enough to be design flaws that you hope just don’t happen to you. But it makes the ownership of the truck less enjoyable, to me anyways. Especially with the underwhelming power output that comes with it.

 

I'm sure that there is a small but statistically valid truth that the 3.5 has some issues. You just have to temper what you read on here with the idea that people only post about the bad stuff. I've never thought to post on here that my truck has had zero engine issues through the first 120k miles, for example. People don't post that stuff because it's not newsworthy.

I do feel bad for those that have had issues. I just try to keep in mind that less than 10 percent of Tacoma owners are even on this forum and of those, we're only likely to hear from those that have issues.

 

hopefully an extended warranty ?

 

It has more to do with the fact that it was a design that shoe-horned an existing engine family to a new head for emissions vs built around being a solid motor. Also clearly the build execution and material choices is severely lacking in the 2gr-fks. It will not be remembered fondly by future generations of drivers.

 

I'm not talking about 2GR-FE, FSE, FXE etc. I'm talking about the specific FKS variant. Your argument was that there's only a small fraction of FKS's blowing up considering there's 2M in production. My response was that it is not a solid argument since there are way more 2TR-FE powered vehicles worldwide and way less reported self-grenading.
When I go to a Toyota service department I like to ask how many FKS they see crapping the bed, and the answer is never 0.

 

Almost all of the people who drop in to tell the forum they have an engine issue never answer simple questions like if they bought used or new. No real maintenance history is provided. No pictures of any diagnosis work on their end. (Simple stuff like pictures of the oil filter ) It's all 2nd hand information from a mechanic to a person who doesn't have any practical knowledge of what the mechanic is talking about.

 

How often did you change the oil/dealer serviced? Hope you had the gold package or extended warranty. I'm adding one to mine next year for sure!

 

Probably because if someone has issues with the 4Runner they're going to complain on the 4Runner forums? And not the Tacoma forums?

I mean yes but again the 2TR has nothing to do with the 3.5. completely different engine designs.

 

Actually, they did have a thread for major issues with the 4.0. I was active in the 4th gen 4Runner forum. I still have my 2004 4Runner and it's coming up on 300k miles. There's quite a few pages talking about premature head gasket failures. I came across the thread after my head gasket shit the bed at 120k miles. It cost me $5k to fix, I was pissed, and I wasn't alone.

That actually proves my point though. By reading the forum posts about it, you'd quickly come to the conclusion that the 4.0 was a POS to be avoided at all costs. Now, here we are more than a decade later and people in this thread are not only calling the 4.0 a great engine but equating it to the 3.4 which may actually be the best engine Toyota has ever put in a truck.

The point I was trying to make with my previous post is that everyone should take the problems reported here with a grain of salt. Nothing is ever as bad as it sounds in these forums.

 

Exactly. We talk about the problems because they stand out.

 

This thread made me swap a 2.7 into my 3.5