40 MPH Vibration

I have a 2012 double cab TRD and have been noticing a vibration in the steering wheel and through the floor that appears at 40 MPH and fades out by 50 MPH. But here's the thing, it only does it in 5th gear (automatic tranny), disappears when you downshift to 4th, back out of the throttle or put it in neutral. It is a little more pronounced in 4WD.

Originally thought it was a driveline vibration, but if that was the case it would do it in 4th as well as 5th.

Any ideas? Like to figure things out before taking it in to the dealership otherwise they just scratch their head, pretend to do something and it doesn't get fixed.

 

If the steering wheel shakes then 90% of the time it's a wheel balance issue.

Not sure what wheels and tires you have but I would start with swapping my front wheels to the rear and seeing if the shaking in the steering wheel goes away. If it does then you know you just need to get the wheels balanced again.

Is your truck stock?

 

Search for TSB's. Pretty sure there's one for this, not sure exactly what the fix is though.

 

Yes, it is completely stock. Never had a tire vibration before that would only appear on one gear or go away when backing off on the throttle.

 

Stay. On The. Throttle.

Seriously, check for technical service bulletins (TSBs).

 

Got the truck aligned and front tires balanced last week at the dealership. Vibration is still there. Guess I will be going back...... Again.

 

Youre not the only one. My truck does the same thing. It starts shuddering right around 40 when it shifts into fifth. It's worse when I'm going up a hill. I've seen a few threads on this but nobody seems to know what's causing it. It doesn't appear to be the driveline.

It's talked about in this thread starting on page 2.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/87938-transmission-shudder-2.html

 

Check the transmission mount.

 

Check it for what ?

 

If you ( and he ) don't know maybe take it to someone who does. They have been known to crack and break at the rubber.

 

So , tears in the rubber bumper ?

 

Go out and look at the transmission mount connected between the tail shaft housing and the cross member.

Why are you baiting me? You aren't this dumb.

 

I'm not baiting you , serious question

I mean does it need to be broken or torn or ?

ie am I looking for damage or failure ?

I'm not a mechanic Jimmy , I'm a carpenter

 

" I'm a carpenter " And a damn fine one from some posts I've seen!

Sorry... I guess from all of your posts I've read I assumed you would know what I was talking about.

For it to have a vibration I would look for torn rubber between the two metal plates ( one plate mounted to the transmission then another mounted to the cross member with two large rubber pieces bonded between them ).

As another point I understand that Toyota is replacing some transmission mounts for vibration issues, so it could be that there is a supplier issue and the rubber in the mount is too flexible.

To inspect it get under the tail shaft and push upwards on the tail of the transmission while looking at the rubber blocks. If they are broken you should be able to see the break open up. It may not be obvious just sitting.

 

I inspected the transmission mount tonight, did not see and abnormalities. Thank you for your help on trying to figure this out.

 

If your steering wheel is vibrating it's in the front. Possibly bent cv, tire balance or tire is out of round. Can your wheels be balanced on both sides of the wheels? Are they? That is the only true balance. Mine can't on a '13 and I feel this but I put some balance beads in mine and it smoothed out. Alignment won't cause a vibration unless it is baaaaaaadd anlmost to the point of undriveable! Are your front end parts good?

 

I had the exact same thing about 10 weeks ago. I rotated the tires (front to back/back to the front) & it went away. So yesterday it was time for rotating again and the steering wheel shake started back. It has to be an issue with a tire. Mine haven't been balanced for quite a while either.

 

...continued...

So I checked the transmission mount and it is fine. Went back to the dealership and pointed out the issue. Had the technician ride with me while I discussed the issue. He was in the middle of examining the rear suspension and how the vibration is normal when I asked how come it does not do this in 4th gear; he went quiet. So they found one tire slightly out of balance and rotated it to the front. Now I have a steering wheel vibration at 40 which would tell all this vibration is caused by the tire. But here's the kicker, it goes away still when I shift to 4th. Also had a load of rocks the other day and sure enough, no vibration which would tell me also it is a wheel vibration. So confused...

It's almost like the truck has a harmonic frequency at 40 MPH and in 5th gear.

 

Hi,

I have a 2015 Tacoma 4x4 (double cab) that also has the vibration at 40 mph......

I've only had my Tacoma a few months now (its an all stock truck with no lift) and when I first got it, it was shuttering & vibrating at 35-45 mph, almost like your driving over a rumble strip......The Toyota dealership replaced the torque converter, which helped a lot!!! Unfortunately, the vibration is now just happens at 40 mph, (its not as bad as before) its kind of a very mild vibration at 40 mph. The dealership inspected my U joints, carrier bearing and driveshaft and they said everything was fine, I'm pretty sure they also check the trans & engine mounts too....I also had my tires balanced too, I still have the vibration at 40 mph. I'm thinking that I may try another set of tires, I have a set of NEW Hankook Dynapro AT M (aggressive tires), maybe I'll switch my tires with my buddy who has a STREET TIRE on his 2014 Tacoma. I drove my friends 2014 Tacoma, which is similar to mine, and his drives perfectly! with no shutter/no vibration issues!!

Anyway, did you or others ever get yours fixed? Did you get rid of that vibration at 40 mph, if so, please tell me what it was?

Thanks!!

 

I have the exact same problem. Just replaced the tires and front and rear suspension. All the other vibrations have gone away. This one stayed. Only happens in the top gear around 40-45 mph. Had one of my U joints replaced. Still there. It’s like the truck shouldn’t be shifting that soon.