Poll, 30-10 MPH Vibration, Automatic Trucks, Stock Height

My 2016 had a slight vibe from the start that the dealer shrugged off. That vibe worsened with the lift.
Put it in 4x4 and see if the vibe goes away. If it does it's your needle bearing.
Replacing it with the ECGS clamshell bushing should fix it.
I say 'should' because my ecgs bushing is on the way and can't confirm, yet.

 

With vehicles I’ve had in the past this generally happens with aluminum wheels that are improperly torqued.
Ever since I started torquing the wheels after getting back from the tire shop I have had zero issues. I do use anti-seize on lugs and I do decrease the torque by 22 1/2%

 

I would say 60-70% better but it's a guess. Now I basically only feel it slightly in the steering wheel whereas before I could feel it in the seat and floor as well. I wonder if it was like it is now (post-TSB) from day one if I would have even though there was an issue considering it is a truck and knowing they aren't going to drive like a unibody SUV. At this point, I'm hyper-aware and always on the lookout for it. I can live with it like it is now but still not comfortable with the thought it might cause a bigger issue down the road.

 

My new sr5 2023 doesn’t have the vibration

 

Have you tried it with about 250 lbs in the bed? I just tested mine again tonight with the 1/2 degree shims, full tank of fuel and my KTM (~230 lbs) in the back and all the vibes went away except right at 53 MPH and only while coasting downhill (I live in the mountains). On flat ground and uphill there were zero vibes at any speed. That said, I'm feeling better about the truck. I will likely try some 1 degree shims next and see what that gets me. If that doesn't duplicate the "weight in truck" driveshaft results then maybe the modified/welded t-case drop and last resort, I can put a camper shell or some kind of off-road rack on it as I know for sure the 250 lbs combined with the 1/2 degree shims does the trick.

And for your worry about vibes hurting the truck, sure they can't be great but if it's any consolation this issue has been around since the 2nd gen Tacoma came out with previous TSBs and considering the results of the poll in this thread, nearly 40% of these trucks have some kinds of vibe and most make it a few hundred thousand miles still.

 

Oh man, I'm so far beyond that but thanks. Done all the usual troubleshooting on this, measuring angles, installed shims, truck has been to the dealer twice, etc. It's not the needle bearing on mine. Truck is stock height with about 13k on it. You are right about the bushing in general though. I have some 5100s on my shelf that I'll install after I sort out this vibration and when they go on, the truck will get the ECGS even though I'm only going 0.65" front and 0.0" rear. I may later add 0.5" to the rear or go 1.1" front/0.5" rear but I'd like to know I have a vibe-free solution I can always go back to in the rear at 0.0".

Thanks for the suggestion. I always torque then drive and re-torque them and they've been off and on many times.

 

I haven't tried since the TSB. It's only been a couple days and I still need to get it back in to fix the alignment. I did however, have around 650 pounds of rocks plus two passengers in it a couple weeks before I brought it in the second time. With that weight in it, zero vibrations in it. IMO that is what got the 2nd dealer to pay better attention to what was happening.
Also of note, my truck seems a lot smoother at higher speeds as well. Prior to the TSB, anything in the 70's or higher (I'm in South Florida ) the truck had all sorts of small, light vibrations. Never paid much mind to it because it's a truck and not designed to break land speed records contrary to some peoples beliefs, but now it's much smoother at highway speeds.

 

LOL this is awesome, my saga continues. I dropped the truck off this morning to fix the alignment after the TSB. Arrived back at the dealer at 3:30 PM and didn't leave until 6:30 PM. I have to drop it off again tomorrow and pick up a loaner because they can't get it aligned. The computer says it's aligned but no matter what they do it pulls one way or the other based on their adjustments. It was originally pulling to the right, now it's pulling to the left like the chassis is set to run ovals. I told the guy I'm not a mechanic but I am an IT professional and the first rule of troubleshooting is when was the last time it worked and what was the last change. The TSB. They are trying to align it through front adjustments but my guess is the leaf springs were not properly aligned when installed .

Oh, and the original vibration seems worse again with it pulling to the left.

 

Oh man what a pain. I have an update too but don't have time to type it out right now. I'll get it up soon. As for your truck I agree, always look back to the recent work for the cause of any issue that pops up. It's odd that'd there's any alignment issue since the springs have centering pins that drop into the axle spring perch. There isn't anything to align as far as I know. The front would only need adjustment if the rear ride height changed.

 

It's been a total of three days now and no updates. Has me wondering if they are repeating the TSB with different parts. This time they got me in a 2023 Tundra. Geesuz this thing is huge! Is it a pickup truck or a battletank? Damn fast also with those twin turbos. I knew full size trucks have increased in size but I haven't been in one since my 94' F-150. Our mid size trucks are the size of older full size.

 

I hear ya and more the reason I've not let my Tacoma go. I have had two work trucks this summer, a newer but high mileage F150 and a 2010 Silverado. The F150 felt huge and was a pain to park. Bad visibility and the hood, dash, etc. just made it worse. The older Silverado feels smaller and easier to maneuver around my project sites. They all ride rough (worn shocks) but don't vibrate! Like zero vibration at any speed. Win some and lose some. With new shocks the F150 I had would have rode really nice though. Anyways, to me there isn't a great alternative pickup if I sold the Tacoma. I like them mid size to fit in my garage. If I really flip out and sell it, the only things I like are the GX460 or 4Runner but... no bed and we already have an RX350 so what's the point in having two SUVs. This leaves me with trying to fix this stupid Tacoma or selling it and waiting for the 2024 and who knows what issues the whole new platform might have. If they haven't fixed the clamshell bearing and rear end vibes in 18 years, I kinda have no faith in Toyota at this point.

 

Well fellas, ultimately my driveline issue was never resolved after two years, countless hours reading on here, trips to the dealer and some shim experiments myself. I got tired of thinking about it and sold the truck yesterday and am moving on. Pretty nuts how many hours I've spent thinking about fixing that stupid truck. My last two options were to try a single piece driveshaft, double cardan mod, or a kinda crazy mod to lower the t-case mount and those are all totally unreasonable to have to do on a brand new truck. My son also just hit 6'3" tall at 16 years old so the Tacoma's days were numbered anyways. Good luck guys. I can say I'm pretty damn happy not thinking about this anymore!

Side note, bought the truck new for $34k plus TTL and sold it exactly 2 years later for $34k to Carvana. I even threw the steelies back on and sold it to them in stock configuration. Walking away happy.

 

6'3 @ 16 - your son might reach a decent height.