Steering Column Slop on 09 DC

I'm trying to figure out if I have the same issues?

I notice when going over smaller bumps (like you mentioned on dirt roads) i can feel what seems like a loose steering wheel (rattle). I'm not good at the mechanic tech stuff, but it just feels like a loose feeling about and 1/8 of an inch of play. it's hard to explain. it just doesn't feel solid.


Also, I notice that when in neutral at slower speeds, when i drive over bumps, there is a lot of loose rattling going on under my truck.

I have a 2009 4x4 access cab MT. This ONLY happens when going over bumps in neutral. The rattling alomost echos, when i hit a bump, the bump causes the noise, and then it feels like something is loose and just shakes around a couple times? what could it be?

I'm not even sure what these parts are but, from doing research here people have said it could be:

anti rattle clips on brakes? - but the noise is there even when i brake over bumps

sway bar/links?

tie rod ends?

could it be that the steering wheel play and fron end noise are related?


IT"S A NEW TRUCK!!! ahhhhhhh

 

Toyota has my 09truck now trying to figure out where this noise is coming from. I don't have play in my steering just the noise like you when you hit a bump in the road. I think the noise is coming from the steering column but Toyota is focused on the left front suspension. Has your problem been resolved yet? the mechanic working on my truck told me Toyota had reports from 4 other areas of the US on the same issue but none listed a resolution.

 

Has anyone gone to this link yet? http://www.tacomaterritory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11145&page=5 Sounds like these guys are talking about 1st generation, but maybe its the same? I am about to buy a 2010 tacoma, but keep finding posts about poor engineering. Starting to think about ford or chevy...eh

 

I have been through that link. The stearing column is different in the second gen.

Good luck with the new purchase. I went around and around from about March until May truck shopping. Looked at everything out there and finally settled on the Tacoma. I think if I can get the issues I have fixed, then I will be happy. I think the only other truck I would have bought would have been a Silverado.

 

finaly a thread where other are having the same problem as me. every time i had an oil change i had them check on this hoping it was a different mechanic and still no reolution. i find it horrible on dirt roads and even worse in winter on hard packed ice and snow.
i seen on a thread somewhere where they weld something but apparantly it comopromises the saftey of the column collaping on impact and could end up putting a steering wheel through your torso

 

I was at the dealer yesterday again regarding this. I have checked proably 5 trucks outside the sealer and mine was the only one that had slop in the intermidiate shaft. I shot video of mine v. my dad's truck ('07 w/ 30K on it). His truck as no slop and rides fine off road. I thought I had them convinced ti fix it until they called me and told me it was normal, all of there truck on the lot had it. I didn't believe them, so I went right down. I checked an '05 '06 and brand new '09. All of them did teh same thing my truck did. The dealer won't replace it.

 

My Dad's '07 TRD Sport
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vMpNlIyb5o

My '09 DC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_BFMc25yJU&feature=channel

I should just steel his.....

 

I have the exact same feeling in my 09. I thought it was normal becuase I took two other trucks out for a test ride on a dirt road and all have the same feeling. If they didn't have the same feeling I would have been worried.

 

I finally tracked it back to its source. At the damper slip joint on the intermediate shaft, the shaft mates with the universal flange via a clearance fit bushing. There is a lot of slop in that bushing. Watch the below video. It isn't that great, but the last couple seconds, you can see the shaft moving in the center bushing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzhU2EWJg3w

 

My 09 trd sport dc does same thing. Drives me nuts. My 2001 felt like this after about 140,000.

 

sow hat do we do about it?

 

I took mine truck back to the dealer right after I bought it because of the clunk sound it would make going down my gravel road. They checked it out and said it was the sliding yoke and that all tacoma's do it, that it's normal. I still don't like it.

 

I can confirm that this is yet another "normal" condition along with an auto trans that does not hold the appropriate gear while off-power down-shifting dropping instead to 1st (this causes the engine racing and lurching while cornering people have been describing).
Add to the list the squishy brakes, rolling at idle when the AC is in use. Bottoming out with trivial loads in the bed. A ticking engine. The list goes on... these items are there to test your love. The tacoma is the reincarnation of that insecure girl/boyfriend you had in early highschool that needed constant validation.

Come to think of it. a list of known "normal" conditions might be a good sticky thread to save new arrivals a lot of angst.

 

Better video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snJ8r5YlYFU

So it may be that a lot of trucks do it, but there are a lot of guys that fix 'normal' annoying conditions. Anyone got an idea how to fix it?

 

When you say "squishy breaks" are you describing the feel or does yours actually make a squish noise? During the first part of the pedal travel mine will make a squish noise, each and every time, no matter the condition or how fast/slow I push the pedal...

Back on to the thread though... My 2008 Tacoma had this same feel and my 2009 does as well. Haven't checked the column for slop, but since my 08 felt the same I didn't think much of it happening in my 09.

 

Excellent job of capturing many of the off-normal issues we are having. Especially good to see another correct description of the auto tranny behavior instead of the nonsensical "lag" it seems to have been branded with. Bad shift logic, pure and simple.

As to the thread... I will have a good look at the sway bar, tranny mounts and exhaust next oil change. Mine only seems to clunk when rocking side to side while off road and it doesn't feed back through the steering column. Who knows....

 

I think I'm having the same issue with my 09' DC. I noticed it a month or two after I bought it when driving down gravel roads. It seems to happen only when under about 15 MPH and very mild bumps. After I go faster or hit larger bumps in the road, I don't hear it. I assume this is because the speed is just putting more pressure on and thus has less wiggle room for slop. Anyway, I took mine into the dealer the other day for my first free oil change and to get the suspension TSB for harsh ride started. I also asked them to take a look into this clunking I hear at low speeds coming from the front end or steering column. After leaving it for the day I got the call and was happy to hear that they are ordering the leaf pack for the TSB. I then asked if they found anything with the front end noise and his reply was "Oh yeah!! You had rocks in your front bumper and your front license plate was loose." I found this a little comical and didn't feel like pushing it since they're doing the TSB, so I just said I'll test it out again. I do feel a little better after seeing this post and knowing that its somewhat "normal". Thanks

 

normal for tacoma sure...normal compared to any other truck in the world? i dont think so. honestly i think this is mostly felt with thos with the stock tires and people with the tires at 35 psi. i dont think the lift kit folks with the big tires feel it as much

 

Hey guys, first time long time. Anyways, I have the steering wheel slop you guys are referring to on my 08 DC LB. What I believe has helped this issue is the tilt steering column. I am a fairly tall guy and since day one that I had the truck I have always had the steering wheel adjusted all the way up to get my long legs in and out and for comfort of driving. Had this problem with the sloppy steering, took it to a few different shops and they said everything was cool. THat is when I thought to adjust the steering wheel all the way down when I was driving off road. I think it helped out a lot. Also not just all the way down but even if you adjust the steering wheel a little down from all the way up it has helped me. I have been meaning to take apart the lower dash to see if I can see what could be causing this issue in the tilt steering column. Try it out and see if it helps you, it seems to have helped me. Maybe this will lead to a permanent fix.

 

Wow,
My 09 has the same NORMAL steering slop.
I was driving a very easy off road and I was sure the tie rods werejunk.
I checked them when I was swapping out the shocks yesterday and they were tight.

I notice it at freeway speeds as well. Real noticeable at low speeds on dirt.
Reminds me of the old wore out trucks from the 60s with about a 1/4 turn of the steering wheel before somethinghappens.

Not up to Toyota standards at all.
Just like the NORMAL shifty shifting trans.