Buzzy Vibration at certain RPM's..read before buying!

I just called in to Customer Care again to update them regarding my last service appt where the tech confirmed that the vibration was there. The phone rep has forwarded me onto a case manager now.

Can anyone share their experience with their case manager (positive or negative)? E.g. their names, what to look out for, etc.

 

The "case manager" at the dealership?

 

The case manager from Toyota corporate. I recall others not having a ton of success..

 

Search this thread for "monique"

 

I honestly believe it is part of their training to say they haven't personally heard of the issue, unless Toyota has officially addressed the issue publicly.

I was talking to one representative about the issue and she said something along the lines of "I'm glad you are calling here and documenting this exact issue, I have too many people call in about this and say they are writing about it on blogs online, etc. but we can't pull data from online websites. People need to call in and speak with us in order for there to be a chance for it to go to management and flowed down to engineering."

I was overjoyed, I thought one had finally admitted that more people were calling, so I immediately asked "Wait, so you HAVE had more people calling about this???" and she paused for a second and said "Well, well, I can't say I have heard about this issue, this is the first time I've heard of it, but there are 200 of us here so I can't say OTHERS haven't heard of it!"

Such is life behind the corporate veil....

 

Oh, he surely will forget what he said when I actually trade it in.....we've purchased plenty of vehicles from him
(and so has family and friends), though, so I can imagine him trying to keep me as happy as he can....

We shall see, since his dealership also sells GMC's and I told him to check out a Canyon Denali (not out until 2017MY) and let me know a price with my trade...

 

Nice, never let a good dealer go, I've yet to find a good one.

 

So after reading this thread, and paying a little more attention while driving, what I can say is that I do not have a vibration that is as bad as some are describing. However, at about 2100 rpm there is a very slight change in the type of vibration I can feel coming through the steering wheel. The overall vibration intensity doesn't change but it does seem to shift to a lower frequency and feels a bit more noticeable. It's nowhere near as intense as some people, who complain of their hands going numb, but I think what I'm feeling is this same vibration just a lot less intense.

Also, I've been able to reproduce the 25-30mph deceleration under light braking shudder that seems to be mostly concentrated at the dash, but maybe floor too. It's also not that intense, and I honestly probably never really noticed it just because roads here are so shitty and it's less intense than the normal washboard effect I experience on all Michigan roads. It's pretty consistently there though, but again, not that intense for me.

Perhaps they'll get worse with time, as I only have 4000 miles on the clock. Either way, right now it's not bad enough to worry or bother me, but I'll call the corporate number and let them know. I'll also bring it up at my 5000 mile service. Maybe this will help those who are having more of a problem with greater intensity vibrations.

 

First off, thank you for filing a complaint with corporate.

Have you tried putting it in 5th or 6th and going up a slight grade or full on hill at 2100-2400 RPM? That is where it is even more intense for me, once on a slight incline.

Downhill seems to be fine. Flat is noticeable but dare I say reasonable at this point, but once up an incline in that range, my steering wheel turns into a Dremel tool.

If you don't have the vibration or at least don't notice it, then that is great!

 

Alright guys...just got off the phone with my case manager...nothing really new here although she did state that she has heard of this issue from other customers! So that right there is a step in the right direction. I did ask about the best way for Toyota to find out about this issue and to actually get something done and she said to have the dealership document it and to also contact Toyota directly and open a case about it (both of which I did). We need as many people as possible to do this so Toyota gets the hint.

What really ticked me off is that I told her that all I have owned vehicle wise is Toyotas (4Runner, Camry, 2 Tacomas) and that this issue really tainted my views of Toyota, especially the way it is being handled. She didn't thank me for being a loyal customer or even hint that she cared at all. I'm sorry to say it, but this will probably be the last Toyota vehicle I own! She didn't offer me anything to help. Even after me telling her I've had more problems in 3+ months of owning this truck than all of my other vehicles combined (low ATF, radio problems, ticking noises, etc).

DO SOMETHING RIGHT TOYOTA OR LOSE ANOTHER CUSTOMER!

...end rant.

 

The 2nd paragraph is pretty much what I got when I called. They just don't give a shit.

Dealers don't seem to be reporting it either, they only way corp seems to know is by
the customer which again is pretty sad.

 

One rep I talked to on the phone said they don't always pull reports from the dealer. They will utilize dealer reports to see what has been attempted to solve the issue, but the main driver for getting the problem to the engineers is calling toyota corporate on the phone.

That is why everyone needs to know, friends, family, neighbors, strangers, to call the phone number. It's either going to be that or somebody needs to vibrate so hard they dislocate their shoulders and fly off the road. So we obviously need to get as many people as we can to call the number.

 

Might be a bit before I'm back around a hill, but when I get a chance I'll check it out. I can notice the change in vibration enough that if I close my eyes I know exactly when 2100 rpm is hit, but it's really not anything that bad to me. I could see how if the intensity was higher it would be annoying. Like someone said its kind of like a vibrating toothbrush or whatever. I've definitely been able to reproduce it consistently.

 

FWIW, I also get horrible vibrations in my daily 6 speed MT Acura RSX Type S. Between 1800-2200 rpms, it can vibrate so much you'd hear it over music if i hang in that range long enough. Over the years, i have gotten used to it believe it or not. But its a bit curious that i hear about various transmission issues in 6spd vehicles from different automakers.

 

I just consider it part of the character

 

I didn't really notice it in the beginning of my ownership as where I bought the truck, it is flat with 55mph expressways, no major highways. It was travelling on US40 to Las Vegas, with the ups and downs of the road, that it became quite noticeable, especially on the even slight grades when there was any type of load on the engine while in the 2100-2400RPM range. I think I originally blew it off to vibration from the stereo as I listen to modern Prog music all the time in the car.....If you are in an area where it is flat, it might not jump out and bite you like it does during loads on the engine going up even slight grades...

 

With almost 7 months and over 12,000 miles of dealing with this I jumped off the train and traded it in last week. I took a pretty big Financial hit but I can say that I've not been more happier with my choice and I got a really good price. After looking back I can say that I was never happy with the truck because of the vibration. I believe this particular posting will grow and others will become more and more infuriated with Toyotas lack of responsibility on this issue. I will continue to check on it periodically hopefully someday they will make good on this truck. The only way I will ever consider another new Toyota is for a full apology from Toyota and some type of Retribution for my loss. ( yes I know that's never going to happen so goodbye Toyota).

 

Took it to the dealership service 3 times so far;
1st time: Balanced the tires, hooked it up to the computer, all systems read fine... no fix
2nd time: Road test with advisor, he felt it. He advised wait for TSB for a Software Update.... no fix
3rd time: Demanded a Trans Fluid check, three techs determined fluid level ok.... no fix
Called Customer service: They are now looking into how many complaints there are on this, if they can deem this a defect, they may do a buy back, under the lemon law here in NC.
Please call the Toyota Customer service to complain! 1 (800) 331-4331

 

Good luck, but I'm sorry to say that I highly doubt it would be deemed a defect that would warrant a buy back. At least not any time soon.

As it stands right now, it is either normal to Toyota or they haven't had enough complaints to move it down through the company. I work at a very large engineering company and this stuff can take absolutely forever. A bunch of people have to call in, management has to gather and analyze the data (across all complaints), this vibration issue has to be deemed to affect enough customers to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (possibly millions) to fix, then the engineers have to do a root cause analysis, determine a fix, then it has to be validated across multiple test vehicles, then rolled out to us (and this all happens while most of the team is working on other vehicle models as well). It isn't something as simple as a fluid check. It is either a complete design oversight or an internal/external supplier quality issue. I don't expect a solid solution within the next 2-3 months, but I hope for one down the line.

The good thing is Toyota doesn't make drastic changes between model years, so there is a STRONG chance this will show up on the '17's and so on until it is addressed. So more people will experience the issue and hopefully more people will call in. And if no '17's experience the issue, well that can narrow it down a whole lot.

I personally am just living with the issue because I can not afford to take a loss on the vehicle. I also still believe that the Tacoma is the best mid size truck option out there, period (and I love having a manual transmission). I do hope for a solution sooner rather than later and I make it a point to tell anyone that mentions vibration in their Tacoma to call the number and take 10 minutes file a formal complaint.

 

Not saying it is the same issue, but it might just be. See my other post on another thread and watch the ECGS video.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...a-vibration-noise.407327/page-9#post-12268506