Should I be worried?

I have always wanted a Yota 4x4. I wanted one for the quality, off road capabilty, value and mostly for the dependability. With that said, I traded a 2005 Dodge Ram Hemi that I had from brand new and never gave me any mechanical troubles basically. Had my Tacoma for a little more than 5 weeks now and the other day went to crank it (first crank of the day) and it didn't start at first, but I didn't think much of it as I thought I had let off the key too soon. Now today after work, went to crank up and it turned over and over several times before it finally started. It took just long enough for me to think oh sh*t! and then it started. I'm getting worried now. Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

IF it's under warranty take it to the dealer. 05 TRD here with 80k and the only thing that broke was cupholder seperator. Still has all factory bulbs and battery. Trust me your not gonna get stranded with your Yota unlike the Dodge.

 

Hmmm....6yrs with a flawless Dodge?....you sure like to gamble.
I had two Dodge/Jeep vehicles...150k miles and no trouble either.
Wish my Taco was as well-built.

 

Yeah, wait a bit when you have it on the ON position, then start.

I noticed this helps sometimes...other times my truck just takes a little longer to start than the other cars we have. I think its just a trait of the 2nd gens.

 

I notice that a lot of people make excuses to justify subpar quality. It really friggin irritates me that I have to worry about how reliable my truck will be. It is unacceptable to me how widespread these problems are and there is apparently no solutions.

 

No shit, hate that too. Call bullshit bullshit!

That being said, I usually do turn key on and wait for the pump to prime. Have had no problems starting my 05 4 cyl even if just jumping in and cranking immediately. Jumps to life in 2 seconds or less. I park in garage tho and no crazy arctic temps most of the time either.

 

What type of gas are you running? On my '99 I was running the better gas grades (not regular) and had that problem. When I switched to regular, it went away. Also, as noted above, give the truck time to prime. When you turn on the ignition, the gas pump primes for two seconds shooting fuel into the injectors.

 

Yeah try resting the key in the "on" position for a couple seconds before cranking. Hopefully that will help. Or check the throttle body and MAF sensor, they might be dirty and messing with the intake/startup recipe.

Someone here on TW once said (joking), with these new Tacomas, the engine management computer will calculate the next four lunar cycles before it gives the order to inject fuel. That may be true when the engine is warm. 97.21% of the time, mine will start after a full second of cranking (3-4 "chirps"). Occasionally when it's fully warm and I go to restart it, it takes a little longer... I'll let off the key when it normally starts but it does not fire so I give it a 2nd, longer crank. This really baffles me because everything is primed up and ready to go, and it takes longer to fire than a dead cold start? Weird... But my old Mustangs, when they were warm, you just barely bump the starter and they would fire right up, super easy and really confidence-inspiring. Not so with these warm Tacoma startups... some of this new technology stuff is over-rated.

 

I never knew about the 2 second pause on before turning over. Mine usual starts right up on 3-4 starter bumps.

More frequently it won't start because I do not have the clutch pushed all the way down.

 

I run regular. That is what the dealer told me to run and didn't need anything more. With gas prices the way they are, that helped me in my decission to trade the Hemi Ram in. It took mid grade.

As far as the "prime the fuel pump", that really pisses me off! I bought Toyota for quality, dependability, better mpg and value. So far it appears I'm only getting the latter. I have owned several new vehilcle's and have Never had to do the prime thing and have never heard of anyone else doing this, including Toyota owners. I shouldn't have to worry about how to start the effing truck, I've had it 6 fricking weeks! Never had a mechanical issue with my Dodge! All my life I have always heard how great these trucks were and have wanted one for a long time. Now that I have one and right off the bat I see a potential problem! I've owned Ford's Dodge's and Nissan's and never had any issues except on the 89 Dakota which didn't hit until 90k miles and that was some sort of sensor that caused it to stall and the overdrive switch went bad. I love my truck so far but If this continues I will take it in and if it doesn't get resovled I will probably not buy another Toyota. I just find it funny that all the Toyota people I've known over the years brag on their trucks and how dependable and all and made fun of my Ram being a Dodge and what a pos they were. Maybe I'm jumping the gun on this, but It's just ironic to me to finally have a brand new Toyota and it is the first vehicle that has ever shown any signs of problem right from the start.

 

if i had a 2011 truck, i wouldnt even be here on TW. i would smile and haul it into the dealership. i would haunt some poor service technician.

mine is about to run out of warranty, i am here for the DIY advice. good luck.

my 06 starts with no issues.

 

My truck has done this 2 times in the 7 months I've owned it. I'm really not that worried about it, it started the next try each time. Every other time the truck starts up just like every other toyota V6 I've ever heard. My advise to you, if your that worried about it, make it the dealers problem. Even if they can't fix it now, they would have documentation of the issue if anything was to happen down the road

 

Ok, did it again yesterday after work. So would the fuel level have anything to do with how quickly the pump gets the fuel flowing? Yesterday when it did it I was planning to fuel up after work and was just below 1/4 tank. And today with a full tank, started very quickly. Hadn't noticed or thought about this before, but I will pay more attention now.

 

Yep...especially if you aren't on a level grade.

Just make it a habit to turn to the on position, then crank. I did this with my last vehicle because I had an aftermarket Walbro 255lph fuel pump and needed to prime, it became habit after a while.

 

Dealer had mine all day on a Saturday a few weeks back (new 2011), and they couldn't find anything wrong. They checked fuel pressure, electrical systems, ignition, etc. Said keep an eye on it and let them know if it gets more consistent or repeatable. Otherwise they're chasing ghosts.

I've since talked to several local people who have Tacomas, and they pretty much say it's the nature of the beast to take a few more cranks than most other vehicles that seem to be "turn-key-and-fire".

I did notice when I first got it and had the problems that I, like you, was probably letting off the key too quickly. When you do that, then try starting it again, it REALLY cranks a bit before starting. My guess is that could be due to the fuel pump as others have stated, but my mechanic skills extend as far as changing bulbs. Now that I stay on the key a second or two longer, I've not had the problem again.

 

I'm not letting off the key too quickly, it is turning over and over several times before it starts. Yesterday it took so long I finally let off and then tried again and then it fired right up. This is the 3rd time it has done it that bad in the 4 months I've had the truck.

 

Check your battery cables. My truck did something similar, turns out the battery wasn't tightened down enough. No issues since.

 

Have a new 2011 taco have 8k on it now all through a brutal winter. my truck starts as soon as I turn the key without waiting at all.

 

what kind of jeep did you have?

 

Really what in the heck are you talking about?