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

Hey: I have EXACTLY the same problem with my new 2016 Off Road. The steering wheel vibration is totally unacceptable. You described it perfectly. It is present any time pressure is put on the motor or drive train. I also suspected that there is something unbalanced in the transmission, since the continuous down-shifting from 6th to 5th in Interstate driving gets very unpleasant buzz in the steering wheel (and somewhat in the accelerator pedal). I have had three dealers look at it, and all said it is "normal". NOT SO. If it were normal, everyone would have the problem. I test drove two other trucks, that weren't anywhere close to the problem I have. It IS NOT a tire issue. If it were, it would be present at all times. One technician told me that it was likely a torque issue in the mating of the double drive shafts. He said that the drive shafts have been a problem for years, but Toyota doesn't seem to be able to fix it. I was also told not to expect any satisfaction from Toyota for at least a year. Hey Doobiewah. My email kam@mccartney.ws is available to you. You have a friend in this fight. I, too, will not accept the "normal" excuse. Let's get some action.

 

Ordered new limited came in 12/12/15 4wd auto test drove b4 signing papers had vibes at 2100 rpm in 4 th 5th & 6th will not buy truck Tks for heads up

 

they do this because every clown in the world could come into the dealer and they'd all
be bitching about something, and the bays would be full of non-issues


you check a few and say they all do it, and problem customer goes away


those that come back and press the issue, then it gets some attention


this is how to weed out the wheat from the chaff

 

anyone having this issue, you can save a lot of time and speculation


a) put in 4wd

b) remove rear propeller

c) you are now in open diff fwd

d) go for a drive, still have the problem or not ?

 

I, like the rest of you, have been pondering. If I had to take a wild stab at it...but before I do, let me say I don't know what is happening, but allow me to make careless speculation for the sake of discussion.
Okay, I have been leaning towards the vibrations coming from the engine. I have reviewed a couple of the power maps for the engine, and frankly, it is almost impossible to tell what is going on there. There is A LOT going in inside the engine. We have two different fuel injection systems and transitions between the two. These require very different ignition maps (I imagine) for the direct ignition and port injection. We have variable cam timing on both the intake and exhaust, not to mention the Atkinson cycle, which requires some of the intake air to be expelled back into the intake manifold and the associated gimmicks to control acoustic noise in the intake manifold. I could be wrong on that last part.
The bsfc map shows an efficiency peak in the 2000 rpm range and high engine load. Could it be that in the attempt to squeeze every bit of energy from a drop of fuel, the engineers have accepted a power delivery characteristic that is less than smooth?
Could it be that, as the engine re-maps itself, it is finding its way into a less than desirable region of ignition and direct injection causing a resonant vibration in the 2100 rpm range? Is it possible to reset the ecm so it thinks it is a new engine. If we could do this and drive the truck and the vibration is less we might be getting somewhere. Just a thought to share.

 

Can we reset the ECM but disconnecting the battery for some given amount of time or is it more complicated than that? If this is all it is, I am happy to be the guinea pig as I have the manual and no shift points or driving styles will be lost if I do this.

 

So for me, sometimes I notice it more, sometimes less. Don't understand why yet. Not sure if I'm just more in tune with my spidey-senses on some days, or if it is just plain old worse on some days.

Some days I can pick up the feeling through the steering wheel (albeit vibrating at a lower frequency) at idle sitting at a light.

 

Damnit. This was supposed to be another auto only issue

 

Mine seems a little different than the autos. I can just feel a lot of buzzy sensation coming through the floor, door and a little at the wheel. Mine does not seem to be exceptionally bad at a specific rpm, but is worse when I am making the engine work hardest like at cruising speed and accelerating up a grade. It is super anoying. Maybe I am just oversensitive to it. A lititle Tacoma world hypochondria. I had my tires road forced balanced today to no avail.

Of my four Toyota's this is the first one I have ever bought new. Maybe I am just expecting too much. You can accept a little vibration or some issues with used vehicle.

 

Truck: 2016 TRD Off Road Double Cab 4x4 Auto Trans. Currently has around 2300 Miles, purchased/delivered @ Nov 15 at Hoover Toyota (AL).

I have a vibration at 15-30mph. ONLY at this MPH range, no other that I can detect (and I'm anal about noise and vibrations) It's more pronounced in deceleration, but I think that's because it's "masked" by normal vibration in acceleration. I can feel it when coasting, or braking in that MPH range. I have even accelerated on a smooth surface and put the truck transmission in N and coasted it out of gear through that MPH range, with and without braking, and it's still there. It does not seem to be associated with an RPM range. It feels like aggressive tire vibration, but it has the OE Goodyear Wranglers, which are not the type tread to produce such a vibration.

Yes, I (and dealer) have eliminated all the standard stuff, ie tire pressure/wheel alignment, etc.

Took to dealer. Tech drove it, eliminated tires. He even dropped the rear drive shaft and drove it in 4WD (so now front wheel drive). Vibration still there, but "less noticeable". Open case with Toyota. Found reports of similar issue. Advised to drive comparable truck to see if same. Tech noted similar vibration in comparable truck on lot.

Their assessment: "Common problem" but unknown origin basically. No safety issue, ok to drive for now.

My assessment: Other than this issue, which is a mild nuisance but for it's my brand new truck, it's an otherwise spot on truck/vehicle. Great in the mud at my hunting club. Nice on the roads other than when stopping and going down through this MPH range.

 

Well I spoke to soon. I can now feel the slight vibration on high way speeds as well. It's not to annoying but I could see the issue on a long trip.

 

I have about 2,300 miles on a DCLB OR 4X4 Auto and I've done mostly in-town driving. On the highway recently (55-60 mph) I've noticed a slight vibration in the steering wheel. Not enough to numb my arms, but it gets annoying. Doesn't feel like the tires, but it's noticeable and I will bring it up when I bring it in to Toyota next.

 

I shall keep this going until they fix it or I trade it in and never buy another Toyota again. Overall, I would love the truck but for this annoying issue....however, I can't really drive my new $40k truck any long distances due to the problem....and that is just plain sad....

 

Any of you guys check your u-bolts?

 

The master tech who originally checked my truck did check the entire drive train, including the u-bolts. The only thing he refused to do (thank God!!) was loosen and re-tighten the mounts. DRBANE reports that his got worse after technical support recommended to his dealer to do this....

 

I have an interesting theory here and not saying it has any merit so don't laugh too hard. I have a 2014 Toyota Camry I4 with MPFI (multi port fuel injection) system and 2013 Honda Accord I4 with DI (direct injection) system. I have no vibration on Camry I4 at all but can feel vibration at certain speed on my Accord with DI and it is very annoying. Not sure if the vibration is just much more pronounced on engines with DI compared to MPFI. Your 2016 Tacoma V6 uses DI system, which is different than 2015 V6 with MPFI system. I wonder if the slight offset to accommodate DI system is causing or producing this undesirable vibration. The only remedy would be having sophisticated active engine mount. Just a dumb theory.

 

I started to the other night in the dark and got side tracked with wind and blowing cold ass snow. I did get two checked before my fingers started falling off and they were both over 50 ft/lbs. This weekend I should have some daylight hours and will check all of them.

 

Not a dumb theory at all.......

 

I wonder what the reasoning behind that was.

I was thinking along the lines of a rotated axle under load.
Did he check your drivetrain angles?