I hope I bought the right truck...

The reason you read about probs is that you're on an enthusiasts website whereby people talk about very minor problems. If you start hearing about quality problems on 60 Minutes (eg like the Ford SUV tires problem) then start regretting your purchase. At the moment, your truck is fine (and it wil probably stay that way) - so relax.

 

In my 08 I have hauled a variety of loads and haven't had any issues with my truck. I have no plans of having the leaf springs changed unless a problem actually arises. Does anybody know how much weight you need to put in the bed to cause the symtoms that the TSB addresses?

 

2009 rock......you will see in years to come.
I hope this is not a pipe dream, only time will tell.

 

Mine....
1974 Nissan Datsun (4c- Used). Points always had to be adjusted. Awsome but Ugly TRUCK LOL

1984 Ranger (4c-Used). Blew oil, Motor blew before 70K, UJoints, oil pump, Whistled while driving.

1985 Chevy 1/2 ton (v8-Used). Clutch went out @60K, Ujoints, Wheel bushings, Alignment, Brakes went out, starter, finally rear end dumped.

1991 Bronco II (v6-Used), Intake Warped dumping anti freeze in the oil at 75K. 4x4 went out at 80K (after the new engine)

2000 Nissan Frontier (4c - New). Diff Leak at 1K Miles, AC out @ 55K, Inside headliner Fell in, UJoints, Knocked on startup on hot days, Power steering leak, factory battery blew up sending acid all over. Brake leak. Seatbelt broke.

1999 Jeep Wrangler (I6- Used). Death Wobble, UJoints, Tranny started grinding at 70K, Radiator leaked at 60K, Clutch out, Front seal on back axle leaked, Dash always stopped working (bang it a little), Front Wheel Bearings, seat belts, Exhaust manifold cracked and started leaking (x2)

2009 Tacoma 4x4 (4c - New) Radio

 

Does seem a bit strange to worry about things that haven't even happened yet...and may not.

Buyer's remorse can suck the life out of you if you let it. Relax and enjoy the thing.

 

"Who knows what the future holds"? You gotta be kidding. We have another Debbie Downer!!!!!

 

Not complaining, just concerned. It is the type of responses to this thread and others like them that made me buy the Tacoma in the first place. Looking at the responses over just a few hours, it is clear that there are still plenty of satisified owners (me among them) out there. This thread has taken a positive tone. I think we needed that around here. Just look at the last few weeks of posts (alot of ranting/negative).

I am a new but still happy Tacoma owner.

 

On second thought I couldn't drive up an almost verticle mud wall once. I swear I almost took it back to the dealership right there. And the V6 can only embarrass most V8s, not all of them.

 

It seems that I conveyed a feeling of "buyers remorse" with my initial comments. That was not my intent although reading it now I can see that it sounds that way. There is nothing out there that I would rather own.

 

Bottoming out the rear suspension while hauling heavy loads can DEFINITELY affect safety.

The bottom line is that Toyota lists the payload for this truck as 1290lbs. On many Tacomas, it is not. Those of us purchasing the truck in part for its payload rating are indeed being wronged...we are not being provided with the product we are told is being purchased. In any other market this would be illegal.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my taco and wouldn't trade it for anything - but this shouldn't have happened in the first place and shouldn't be so difficult to get addressed.

 

Excellent mea culpa. You are forgiven fine sir. I have 2006 and NOT ONE SINGLE FAILURE. NADA. I only joined this site because it's the first vehicle that I have actually fallen in love with. I f**k it every night.

 

Good point Pete. We are Taco Perfectionistas.

 

Not on the initial ones...your reply 27 said:

'I am a new but still happy Tacoma owner. '

This smacks of 'I know I'm going to be disappointed at some stage'.

 

PT6....look at it this way.....if ANYTHING fails on your Taco....you WILL find the REASON and FIX here on TW. In fact, I strongly suspect Toyota operatives monitor this site like dirt on a mudflap.

 

Here are my experiences:

1975 Chevy 3/4 Ton 350 auto -- Carburetor issues, cracked fuel line, rusted/leaking freeze plugs, sold for junk when trans failed at 95K

1984 Toyota Truck 4X4 22RE manual -- radio tuner, paint peeling on hood and windshield surround at 55K. Otherwise bulletproof.

1987 Wrangler 4X4 I-6 manual -- nothing. Well, the engine pinged a little and the carb had a tendency to flood on washboard roads. But still had original clutch and brakes (not even new pads) when I sold at 126K

1990 Jeep Cherokee 4X4 I-6 auto -- nothing. Sold at 160K+

1993 Ford Ranger 4X4 V6 manual -- rear main seal at 15K. Front diff at 25K. Trans locked up at 37K. Replaced with junkyard trans and sold. Never again....

1995 Jeep Cherokee 4X4 I-6 auto -- right side motor mount broke twice, once at 33K and again at 53K. Dealer fixed first time under warranty and then under dealer goodwill policy, replacing radiator and fan surround both times and the engine at 53K (block cracked at mount). New radiator at 115K.

2009 Tacoma 4X4 2.7 manual -- radio acted up on day one. Now at 3K, so far so good.

 

Explain? It's done REGULARLY on just about every variety of truck, car, minivan, and horse-drawn carriage. It can cause premature wear, uncomfortable ride, and irregular handling characteristics but it will not be unsafe until the weight exceeds the capacity of the u-bolts, axle housing, hubs, frame, etc. If you're hauling that much weight an extra leaf won't save you and you made a serious error in judgement when picking a mid-size truck. I think you're confusing driver error with mechanical instability. People that unknowingly bottom out their suspension may still drive it like it can absorb bumps or respond predictably to sudden changes in direction/weight distribution which could cause them to loose control and crash, sure. But if not having springs (which is basically what bottoming out the suspension equates to) trailers would be exploding all over the place with far greater loads than you'll ever put in the bed of your truck.

Actually Toyota lists the payload for the truck as 1350lbs, they also go a step further and define payload as

The tongue load (weight supported more or less only by the rear suspension) is only 350lbs. Towing capacity is only 3500lbs, which you could exceed easily in a vehicle recovery.

The difference between a 3 leaf pack and a 4 leaf pack is not 1000lbs, as your outrage would imply. A regular cab 4 banger owner may never have any problem with his 3 leaf pack, while a double cab long bed with 4 adults and all their crap in the bed definitely will. I think the issue is more that Toyota has completely different trucks riding on the same suspension. More than likely is that they noted the response from customers the first couple years regarding weight capacity (apparently very little) and used that to conclude that owners don't mind the 3 leaf pack, so they kept it. But not wanting to do a disservice to the select few who wanted increased weight capacity, they offered a free replacement. And with nothing to hide they labeled the heavier trucks to annotate the reduction in rated bed capacity so the driver would be aware of the reduction in payload due to their vehicle choice. Unfortunately some dealerships use this as a cop out to get out of doing warranty work, but a call to Toyota Corporate has shown repeatedly that these are isolated incidents, not Toyota policy.

I'd rather have a company that reads the reaction of their consumers and does right by the majority, than a company that's completely oblivious to market interests and goes bankrupt, even if it means I have to drive a Corolla around for a day while my "broken" truck gets "fixed."

 

No kidding.

You have to wonder about some of these guys.

Really.

 

Maybe you did buy the wrong truck. I know to this day I'm still loving my truck. Only had it since October but love a heck a lot of stuff about it. I have zero regrets at all

 

Hey! Poor guy is probably denying his wife Kotex' purchases to make the monthly payments....he's allowed to worry. He's just not allowed to talk about it on TW until something ACTUALLY breaks.

 

Shhhh! Don't encourage another poll.

* I bitch about my truck before i have had a problem.
* I wait until after I have a problem to bitch about my truck.
* I bitch about my truck vicariously through others?
* I am going to bitch about my truck because my horoscope suggested tomorrow will be a day with 'mechanical' issues.
* I never bitch about my truck, even if it deserves it.
* I never bitch about my truck.