Shuttering clutch.

Hi I have a 2012 4x4 double cab. 8000 miles. Ever since I bought it the clutch and truck shutter in first gear on take off. It does this until warm. I have never smoked the clutch. I have always driven a manual and I have never had to replace a clutch in my life, my last 180,000 mi tacoma included. When I brought it in for first service dealer told me it's the nature of the beast. I call foul. The situation makes for a pain in the ass. They proceeded to also tell me the clutch isn't under warranty anyway. WTF. I have searched but can't seem to find anything on this particular problem. Also, is there an email for Toyota of America you can write: I kind of feel like my dealership is being shady, despite their "presidential" award? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you ahead of time. Bob

 

My truck does this from time to time too. Mostly when it's cold out. My solution has been to try and not let the clutch out quite so much before I start to give it gas and get the revs up a bit. That seems to help it go a little bit smoother.

I think what they mean by the clutch not being "under warranty" is that there is no known TSB or recalls for this particular issue with the clutch.

 

Stock sucks, that's just all there is to it. I went with an URD stage 3 clutch with the fancy throw out bearing upgrade. It's like an on/off button now. Fantastic clutch for the money!
http://urdusa.com/p1260519140/URD-C....html?osCsid=7f6f3d7ffece55667654301de9de1486

 

My 2010 does the exact same thing....it's not really a problem...just an annoyance...and its usually when i don't give it enough gas when taking off... I have never had an automatic vehicle in my life, and actually never had this happen to any of my vehicles....Come to think of it, this toyota has had more problems than any other of my vehicles...but i like it a lot more than any of the others.

 

2012 here too, with similar issues. Had it at the dealer, apparently the clunkyness and slop in the drive train is "normal" as is the clutch action. I've had lots of manual vehicles in the past, and this one takes some "operator adjustment" to start and shift smoothly.

 

I bought a 2007 4.0 6spd with 120K. The truck shutters like crazy when cold. I except it because the truck is used it used and has plenty of miles. I would not accept it with a new truck and low miles. If the dealer would not do anything I would insist a Toyota rep test drive the truck cold with me and tell me to my face it is a normal condition and that is the way Toyota builds trucks. JMHO

 

Same here with the dealer saying that the clutch is not under warranty because it is "wear and tear" item which toyota does not cover on their warranty.. Trust me i was like wtf....

 

My 6 spd will shudder on occasion in first gear take off. Usually when it's colder out.

 

No offense to you manual guys but after driving a couple 2nd gens w/6 speed 4x's , you can have'm absolute shit for drive ratio, especially in low range, i don't care what kind of 4x you have, any 4x truck worth its salt in low range/1st gear you should be able to just about let the clutch out withouit any throttle , get out & walk along side it (& thats without a crawl box)

 

Oh yeah the clutch thing, actually I think there was a TSB on particular 2nd gens. or an issue that was/has become a bigger problem csjumper2003 (chris) is on his 2nd or 3rd clutch (truck has like less than 50k & he drives pretty mellow on the pavement & not abusive offroading soooo...

 

Here is a brief write-up on my experience with the clutch binding on take-off: Clutch Pedal Binding & Creaking Noise

After having the TSB (TSB-0186-12) completed on my 2010, the problem was alleviated. Maybe this will solve your issue.

 

Yeah I heard one of the biggest complaints about the 2nd Gen 4x4's was the absolutely terrible manual transmission. Odd gear ratios. bad cold starting (as OP described). Guys upgrading from the 1st gen 5spd were sorely disappointed and many choose an automatic instead.

Oh and almost all dealers are shady. Thats their job. It's how they make their money. if they're honest then they don't make money off the regular idiots who are duped into getting services there abd aren't apart of TW

 

I definitely don't give it any throttle in 1st low on mine. I can let the clutch out with no throttle on an incline and it goes.

 

Any clutch design is a trade off...I have a '11 access cab 4.0 six speed. Yes the clutch is kind of clunky, but with the 3.73 and the trailer package, it is ideal for the mountains in which I live.

Howard

 

Just got the URD upgraded clutch bearing installed last week. What a difference. Feels like a new clutch. Smooth as butter and no more shakes when cold. To me cheapest and easiest way to make it a lot better and well worth the money.

Dave

 

Clutch SHUDDER is not uncommon, and can be caused by several different things from poor pressure plate pressure, to oil on the disc, or bad clutch springs.

As for the dealership stating that the clutch is not under warranty, they are actually correct. The clutch disc ITSELF is not covered by warranty after I believe it is 10k miles or something like that. Why? Because the clutch disc is considered a friction wear item, just like your brake pads and brake shoes.

That being said, it is only not covered if it wears out normally. If the pressure plate is weak, or something else fails that CAUSES the clutch to wear, then you can easily argue the case for a new disc.

 

I have been having the same issue with my '12 with 24k miles. I just took it to the dealership on 26 July and they were able to replicate the issue. They are going to replace the disc and cover assembly and bearing under warranty.

 

Awesome! Scheduling an appointment at the dealer next week, armed with this, hopefully they'll do something. I get the clutch pedal creek/squeak, and sometimes bad chatter during starts.

 

07 6-speed with 145,000 km and it shudders on take off almost every time when the truck's cold. Especially on hills. When the truck's warm it doesn't happen. I've had the truck for 1-1/2 years now and I blamed it on the previous owner smoking the clutch several times while pulling his 5000 lbs boat around. Just assumed the friction disk was a little glazed (which it may be). I've been holding off replacing the clutch since it doesn't shudder or slip once it's warmed.

The take off shudder seems to be a known issue but with 145,000 km no dealer will warranty it. Does anybody know if a URD clutch will fix the take off shudder? Is there another solution?

FYI, my 95.5 2.7L 5-speed had 320,000 km when I sold it and it still had the original clutch, which worked great. It never ever shuddered on take off. Plus I ran 32's with a rear locker for the last 100,000 km!

 

uh huh... and let's compare crawl ratios for a whole host of different 4x4s...