Drivetrain Vibration 15 - 25 MPH Toyota will not perform the TSB on my truck - HELP

stopped by university motors this morning where i bought my truck, and spoke to the service manager. he looked up the TSB and scheduled an appointment to 'diagnose' my vibes for next wednesday morning. hopefully i get all the work performed.

 

Now in a quandry;
I have the vibe at exactly 20mph as spec in the T-SB. But it isn't THAT bad; It's less if the tank if full and/or loadbed contents. Also some decel vibe and a tad bit at 40 and 60. Don't really notice it much on heavy accell. Did the tire and alignmment thing and no help.
And, believe it or not; i flipped the spare over so the valve stem is pointing down, and vibe lessened
Also as the suspension has settled, could that change it for the better?
So do I let the dealer do this, and what happens if it's worse after the fix???
Have only 4 months to do this b/f 3/36 is gone.

 

i was denied today at university motors in morgantown, wv. they performed the 20k service and i asked them to install the plug that connects the tag light harness to one of the lights. that cost 100$ in labor and i'm pissed about that. but anyway, the service manager comes in and says the tech cannot duplicate the problem. i told him, all he needs to do is pull out of the dealer lot and accelerate up the hill and he will feel it. he says he will have the tech ride with me.

we pull off the lot and sure enough, vibes up to 25mph. he tells me that it's not extreme enough to perform the TSB. he also stated that the TSB will not fix the vibes. i explained that i already measured my driveline angles and they are not to spec. so i want the new trans mount and new shimmed rear springs to bring the driveline into spec. he tells me that the vibes will have to get worse before they will fix it. "but you should be good since it''s all documented." are you kidding me? this is why i've always done my own maintenance and repairs. now i don't know if i should just begin my mods and deal with the vibes myself with carrier bearing drops and axle shims or if i should fight with toyota on this.

 

Just a thought... There are many threads here that discuss vibrations. Some of the partial/cures range from special wheel balance setup, alignment changes, driveshaft support bearings/play, driveline angles, etc. Although my 2 door base is not having these problems, it seems to be more prevalent with longer cab models. My thought is in reference to the statements below copied from above

" ...... And, believe it or not; i flipped the spare over so the valve stem is pointing down, and vibe lessened ....."

'.............. It's less if the tank if full and/or loadbed contents ............"

Is it possible that the frame design itself is allowing sympatric vibrations to build in the chassis frame and causing smaller vibrations to resonate and amplify the vibs ???

Changing stresses on the frame (drive line angles, bed loads, Payloads, fuel weight, etc.) seem to make improvements/worsening to this issue. Can the Frame design (i.e. metal forming/welding locations and supports) be part of the issue? Can someone would try a full bed load or temporally add a couple chassis cross supports to the frame and advise? Or has this already been tried??

Am I just smoking something here??

 

You are totally right - I've always suspected this is a combination of driveline balance, pinion angle, and axle wrap. The TRD Off-road only has a 3-leaf spring, and it could easily be going harmonic with the torque in 1st and 2nd gear...

Here's the most interesting thing, though - I'm 100% convinced that Toyota knows exactly what the issue is, but the financial impact of fixing it is too big, so they are, instead, jerking around their most loyal customer base. In the end, they've determined that losing a customer like me just costs less than fixing the issue.

So...I'm done. No more Toyota for me. I test drove a Silverado Crew Cab LTZ yesterday, and that thing is freaking sweet. 385HP and over 20MPG average - it wails on this hunk of crap and drives silky smooth through all 6 gears. I'll laugh at every Tacoma I see on the road as I'm passing them up with better gas mileage, bigger towing capacity, and a real posi-trac rear end.

Thanks again to everyone on the thread that has chimed in with advice. For those of you also suffering at the hand of this evil company, I hope you can get the issues resolved. For me, I'll wave good bye and good riddance to Toyota forever.

 

While I'm no fanboy and will most likely purchase a full size as my next truck, don't be blinded with the thought that the vehicle you mentioned has no issues. A quick search shows 10 recalls and 13 TSBs for the new Silverado.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners...del=SILVERADO&searchCriteria.prod_ids=1884945

 

Has anyone out there had the vib problem cured with a frame replacement ???

 

My only problem understanding the TSB is the rear leaf spring part numbers section where it references your cab style, firm ride suspension, and also refrences another TSB.

I definitely have this vib under hard acceleration, and have the 3-leaf pack on my 2013 DCSB 4x4 TRD OR. Does this mean I qualify for the 4-leaf pack in this TSB? Because I was denied it in the "harsh ride TSB" bc my 2013 doesn't apply to that one. But it's still way too sloppy in the rear end.

 

Since you also have a 2013, when u had this done did you go from the 3-leaf pack to the 4?

 

We have 2 2014 silverados on our lemon law schedule now. They are both for clicking and vibs from the rear. So far they changed driveshafts, rear pinion checked, left side springs and still not fixed... The last thing dealer said is no fix available. GM knows and is working on it... Just FYI...

 

Not really interested in the Toyota vs GM argument, especially considering how many joint products have been developed in partnership by the two over the years, but based on what you're telling me this is an isolated problem, and GM is willing to work on it. My issue with Toyota is that this is a widespread and widely known problem, and Toyota refuses to work on it. Big difference.

 

FYI - just had the TSB for vib done to my truck yesterday and it's now smooth as glass!! the pinion angle was way off. Because I'm a tech they wrote down all the before and after specs for me... My pinion was 1.23 before and now it's .90 huge difference. Pretty pissed that the factory can screw up so bad on assembly...

 

When they still refuse by all means ACT LIKE A DICK because there's a better than average chance that you're smarter about the situation than they are.

 

My 09 was full vibes, dealer did a couple of the relates tsb's a d no change. Toyota eventually sent me a letter saying there was nothing wrong with my truck and that anythini was claimin was a characteristic of the truck. The letter had no details to my complaints or attempted fixes, it was like arguing with a drunk bipolar child when talking to corporate. Anyway.... Good luck with the gm... They do drive nice but dont leave the pavement with that thing to much.... Im in a ford now and it had vibes after the add a leaf they put in, inasked thmmif they knew how to check my pinion angle and was told ya, I said well maybe theres a good place to start, they added shims and got things into spec and it drives smmooooth.

 

What was this Spec?? Was it the backlash ???


Just like to know ....

 

It was out of spec by a lot. Amazing how smooth it is now. I wish you guys luck on getting it done.

 

i've still been trying to get this work done. toyota customer care tells me my VIN# is not included in the TSB. i have a '13 4.0, six speed MT. i don't understand how '14's can be included but mine is not. does anyone have any insight on how i should proceed, or just install my lift and adjust my driveline angles accordingly on my own?

 

Somebody is lying to you. Your truck is clearly in the TSB. My truck is not included per the TSB because it was just built in July 2014. They did it and it's very smooth. All I can say is keep fighting. What state do you live in??

 

I used to only drive GM trucks. And because they are NOT willing to repair certain issues, that why I switched to Toyota. GM most always creates a TSB and says it's normal. In my line of work I see the flaws of all US manufacturers. To be honest none of them do the right thing all the time... They all want to make money that's the bottom line...

 

i'm in west virginia