Is my 2008 Access cab a lemon?

Hi folks,

About a year and a half ago (Dec. ‘17) I swapped my 2009 double cab for a 2008 access cab TRD and I feel like every time I take it into the dealership for service I come out with a new major mechanical malfunction and a significantly lighter wallet. Full disclosure, I service the truck every 5k at the same Toyota dealership that I bought it from, but the vehicle was shipped to them from a different dealership in their company.

The switch was made for logical (110K on the ‘09 vs. 45k on the ‘08 with a brand new frame), financial (50 bucks off the monthly payments), and vain (charcoal gray to navy and it had a cap that I could stand up in) reasons.

The first major malfunction occurred about 2 months in when my serpentine belt snapped and wrapped itself around the block as I was going over the Sagamore Bridge. That was covered under warranty. The next one is totally my fault: I didn’t test the A/C unit when I bought it since it was winter time. Turns out the compressor was shot. Minor inconvenience but still. Nine months in the rear axle seal leaked into the brakes. No cause given and so I just paid the fee. Recently it had been just minor upkeep (tires, front breaks, etc) until I learned that my drive shaft was corroded. Thankfully that was covered but it was out of commission for almost a week.

Now the same rear axle seal has to be replaced almost a year to the day from the last one. This time they discovered that it was a bad wheel bearing that was an underlying issue. They’re working to comp the seal replacement but they can’t cover the bearing replacement because it was an underlying issue.

Honestly it has been very cathartic to write this down, so I apologize if this comes across as bitching. The biggest question I have is this: Is my truck a lemon?

Thank you for your time!


EDIT: I forgot to mention that my commute doubled when I bought the truck. It now as 88.7K on it almost all highway driving.

 

Hey tbh I had the same issue with the rear wheel seal, 2010 with 110k miles. Replaced the seal, still leaked. Replaced bearing and seal, all is well. My alternator just went at like 108k, busting the serpentine belt. This stuff is relatively minor, and despite the low miles it's still 11 years old. Rubber wears out irregardless of miles. Also my ac had a problem last year but it was the clutch and not the compressor, although the shop tried to sell me on a new system! DiY ftw.

 

Nope, it's just an 11 year old truck that probably wasnt maintained properly. Sorry to hear that youre having all those issues though.

 

Welcome to the forum
STOP going to the stealership.
Find a local mechanic you can trust and have him service it.

 

My Left Rear axle seal went out at about 70k.
I speculate that the diff breather failed to function right?
This could have caused a vacuum and sucked the seal in?
As the seal was sucked inward.
Either that or it was pressed inwards on installation at the factory?

Either way, I try to jiggle the rear diff breather form time to time to keep if free.
I honestly have no idea if I’m doing any good, but it makes me feel better.

 

Just curious, did you see a CarFax? I would be looking for mileage discrepancies. Somethings are failing at a relatively low mileage even based on the age.

 

Thanks everyone! I figured a lot of it was the age of the vehicle. I think I just needed to hear it from somewhere other that the dealership. I did see the CarFax and it seemed legit.

 

I feel for you. I bought a 2005 (way over paid, but I wanted it). Low miles (50K). In three years I put on a new exhaust system ($800), new AC (bloody fortune) and other little things here and there. But the truck is great so I just keep on putting money into it.Of course, I am waiting for the statistical roulette to see if the head gasket goes (frankly, I am not too worried about it, I will just fix it when it goes and keep on going). Wear and tear happens.

This article has been enormously helpful to me:
https://jalopnik.com/heres-what-it-cost-to-make-a-cheap-toyota-tacoma-as-rel-1796712352

 

What was their definition of corroded driveshaft? Was it just super rusted out? Sorry about all the issues you've faced though. I've put a lot of money into my new to me '06, but most has been just preventative maintenance / mods. I would take BINK05TRD's advice though and stop going to dealership. I almost spent $2k for them to fix a clunk I have coming from my front end which turned out just to be my front bumper extensions which I am getting from a member on here for free... Only reason I bring my truck in to the dealership for is my oil changes which include the 27 point inspection. Even then, I feel guilty bringing it in.

 

I’m old and my Dshaft is bit corroded as well. Years of abuse and lack of proper judgement I suspect..

 

Age has a lot to do with it. The worst thing for a vehicle is to just let it sit. A 2 year old truck with 150,000 miles will be in better shape then say a 12 year old truck with 45,000 miles.