'05-06 Taco ring gear failures
 

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthrea...2&page=1&pp=30

any of you guys with the new Runners having this issue??

what the hell is Toyota trying to pull here??

I've been watching that thread as well. It's the first I've heard and I've done some pretty ugly stuff w/ no problems. I'm wondering if the taco's have a completely diff 3rd. Since there's really no way until both is next to eachother, I'm still waiting for that opportunity.

I've been told by those who have worked on them (including Tim @ ARB) that the rear 3rds are exactly the same as previous models, ie, the e-locker and the 8.4 (either open or with LSD)

There hasn't been much interest in this thread here but there damn well shouldl be! Check this out:



"after talking to toyota customer service experience for over an hour today i have given up trying to get toyota to help with my warranty claim. they truely dont have any intension of backing up their products. they tried to tell me it was the modifications to the suspension and the tires and then i had to put him in his place on that note. then he said that he has to back the dealers decision and that since im in hawaii he couldnt do anything in the first place. i continued with why they are advertising an off road vehicle and then when i take it off road you say the warranty is voided, he said that the truck is designed for this but anything that happens afterwards is not covered, considered abuse, go figure. after that he started with the suspension and tires again and i told him he had to prove it, which he stated that he didnt. when i mentioned the magnousun-moss warranty act he put me on hold to talk to a tech. then i continued with this is bs and how i would like them to investigate my claim, he said he cant because he doesnt have any evidence to look at. i told him i had everything and that i would be more than willing to send him all the pics i had(of my truck and all the paperwork). he then declined that too and said that he is taking the dealers side and that he cant go over the dealers head with a warranty claim of his own. after that i asked to talk to someone that could and he said that he is as high as the chain goes in the customer service department(must be some ass kissin, paper pushin bitch). finally i told him how myself along with many other people are a little pissed off how my case has been handled and that after this converstion i cansee toyotas CS is going to ÅÅÅÅ. then he apoligized for me feeling that way and i said no im sorry i sent 30k on a piece of ÅÅÅÅ truck that you guys dont support and that thats ÅÅÅÅed up your selling a hacked truck with a hacked warranty. then i hung up. so that made my day today."

and:
"I think you next step should be to call Toyota back, and speak to someone else. There is always someone higher up the ladder, insist on speaking with that person. You might also try a search on the internet to see if there are any customer service reps that have helped other people out and try that person.

If that still doesnt work then it's time for small claims court (not sure what the dollar limit is for small claims in HI) or a lawyer. I'm sure they will listen to you then. And YES! Toyota USA (not the dealer) should be responsible for the final decision and should be able to over-rule a dealer, the dealers are privately owned but still represent Toyota USA. It is a "FACTORY" backed warranty, not a dealer backed warranty.

Not only that, but giving the dealer full power over these decisions is a very wrong idea. Let's see, warranty work: dealer makes maybe $200-300 paid by Toyota Corp. and no moneys for the parts, non-warranty work $1000+ on labor and more for the profit they make on the parts. This is probably the biggest reason why they are denying your warranty, they want to make more money."

Is this what we have to look forward to with Toyota??? If so they have lost me and my wife as a customer. We have 3 toyotas in the driveway now and have owned 4 others...and HAD planned on buying another this year.

This is complete and total BS on Toyota's part and we, the consumers, need to let them know that this is unacceptable.

Lets see some comments!!

My comments....you put too big of a tire on your rig and the stress caused failure. Why is that Toyota's fault?

Plus, you raised the angle of the driveshaft with a lift=more stress to the drivetrain. Why is that Toyota's fault?

The entire underside of your vehicle looks rusted, did you drive it through the beach and not rinse it off, multiple times?

These are all indicators to Toyota that you abused your vehicle. If you want to drive your off road vehicle like there is no tomorrow, I would recommend a used vehicle, not a brand new vehicle.

The marketing nerds make you believe your new vehicle is indestructible, but in reality, if you plan on hard core offroading, buy a used vehicle and beat it up. Toyota is more concerned with overtaking GM (Quantity) than building a bullet proof 22RE again. Toyota trucks will never be what they were and what made them famous, they are too PC and are not concerned with their image, that image is already established.

Too bad about your problems, I am fighting a home builder on a bigger scale of problems, but understand your frustration. Seems to me a lawyer is the only way to go if you continue to fight it, otherwise it will just make you madder dealing with Toyota schleps.

come on guys,im a service manager at a dealer,if your truck comes in with a lift a big tires with drivetrain problems im sorry but ur out of luck,toyota calls back a lot of parts from dealer for r/d,if they deem its from abuse and not defect they will charge the dealer back on the claim-its not that the dealer does not want to help in most instances-we have to cover our tails,did you buy the truck from the dealer that looked at it or do you have any service done there-if not youd be SOL with me to,we've not had any rear end trouble with trucks or 4runners,if you guys want to off road youve got to be prepared to pay the piper

This also means the new FJ could be prone.

I really don't think the FJ will be as prone to this. I think a contributor to the Tacoma failures is the amount of axle wrap the new trucks have. Axle wrap seems to have always been a problem for Toyota trucks, the linked rearend in the FJ may keep enough shock of the rearend.

Springover+32"Tires+250HP+5spd auto or 6spd manual w/low first gear+rearend that was designed 20 years ago (if the e-locker is indeed based off the V6 Diff)=Kaboom!

good points but...why all of a sudden these problems are cropping up with only a 2" difference in tire size and a mild lift? Older TRD Tacos with the same elocker rearend have been throwing 35s on their rigs, a solid axle, 4.7:1 crawlers and a supercharger and have had zero problems?? Now, go to 37+" tires and ring gears start breaking...;)
Toyota has a problem here whether you see them at your store or not and they need to figure out what that problem is, not try to throw it back to the consumer. We already have one documented STOCK truck with this same failure so please don't tell us that a mild and lift and tire upgrade are to blame; we are not that stupid. Several of us had conversations with the two engineers that Toyota USA sent (along with a pre-production TRD Off-road pkg Tacoma) to our Takeover in S. Lake Tahoe and we warned them about several design flaws that were patently obvious...the low-hanging crossover exhaust and using the old style elocker in a truck with much more power and weight were the most obvious. Unfortunately they didn't listen to people like Marlin from Marlin Crawler who knows more about Toyota 4x4s than any room full of Toyota engineers.

Besides, have you even bothered to watch all the videos that are on the Toyota website concerning the new Tacoma?? If they want to get out of the off-road market, fine but stop the advertising blitz showing how "tough" these trucks are supposed to be and then not back up their claims.

from one of the ttora threads:

"This is just a very small cross section of the general public. The majority of people that post on forums usually paint whatever picture they choose.

If in fact Toyota is not honoring valid warranty claims, shame on them.

What the hell would be considered abuse for a truck where the factory website clearly advertises these vehicles being put to the test?

Or how about the new FJ doing the Con?

What kind of message is Toyota trying to send to us, the consumer? "Hey guys, we are the strip club of the automotive industry. You can look, just don't touch." Or "Do as I say, not as I do."

This concerns me on many levels. I bought my truck new in September of last year.

Toyota,
If you are watching this thread, I would suggest you get your act together. Yes, you will still sell vehicles. Yes you will still make a profit. You probably will not go out of business or even lose any sales.

You will lose the loyalty of your customers. Instead of your consumers having a warm fuzzy feeling that they are driving a safe reliable vehile, they may be like me and have a constant nagging fear, wondering where and what might go wrong.

Will I buy another new Toyota? You have a long long way to go before I would even consider it again. Yes, Toyota, you got my 21k this time. If things don't straighten up, it will go elsewhere next time. That is my promise to you. Unlike your so called Warranty, this is something you can count on.
-Mike"

Well, I hope not and if they do start coming up with problems I sure hope the SMs out there will honor the warranty. The new FJ has been billed as an OFF-ROAD vehicle! Toyota has spend tons of $$ trying to promote it as such (gee, kinda like the Tacoma, hmmm) including a few well publisized excursions on the Rubicon trail. They have another trip planned to coinside with Norca TTORA's annual Rubicon run this July.
So, if/when something breaks is Toyota going to tell the consummer, "sorry, I see a scratch on your skid plat and some mud on your wheels! You have obviously abused your truck! We will not honor your warranty because of that."

Give me a break!

My comments....you put too big of a tire on your rig and the stress caused failure. Why is that Toyota's fault?

Do you really consider 2" in diameter "too big" a tire to the extent it will cause drivetrain failure? Why has this not been a problem in the past with the earlier Tacos? 37s seem to be the "break" point for the elocker with the earlier rigs, not 33s.

Plus, you raised the angle of the driveshaft with a lift=more stress to the drivetrain. Why is that Toyota's fault?

Not so at all. If tall blocks are used I will grant that this only adds to the inherent axle wrap problem that all the spring-over Tacomas have had since day one but when the lift uses aftermarket springs, matching shocks and spring shims to realign the rear driveshaft there really is no change in stress levels.

The marketing nerds make you believe your new vehicle is indestructible, but in reality, if you plan on hard core offroading, buy a used vehicle and beat it up. Toyota is more concerned with overtaking GM (Quantity) than building a bullet proof 22RE again. Toyota trucks will never be what they were and what made them famous, they are too PC and are not concerned with their image, that image is already established.

Hmm, Toyota has spent major bucks promoting the new FJ as exactly that, a hardcore wheeler including full-spread articles about their Rubicon runs (another of which is scheduled for July). Will they turn around and refuse warranty work if/when things start breaking when customers take them on trails like that?? If so then shame on Toyota.
If they want to build Mall Crusers, fine, but don't blanket the market with adds and TV commercials with claims of how "tough" their trucks are when they have no intension to back them up.

Too bad about your problems, I am fighting a home builder on a bigger scale of problems, but understand your frustration. Seems to me a lawyer is the only way to go if you continue to fight it, otherwise it will just make you madder dealing with Toyota schleps.

Agreed, the same procedure that got the 4Runner head gasket recall going will most likely have to be used here. However, since such a small % of trucks that are actually used as the advertisments will ultimately be effected I doubt much will ever be done.

Good luck with your construction nightmare. Our HOA sued and won but the settlement wasn't nearly enough to cover all the damage from shoddy workmanship.

it is disappointing to see the new trucks failing so easily, but i'm not going to blame the dealers.

true, them looking at the mud on your truck and denying you warranty is a bit over the top, but modifying a truck and expecting them to cover it isnt going to happen.

now, if this really does become common in more and more stock trucks, that is just ridiculous. it is not so much of a local customer service issue as it is a factory quality issue.

and the whole thing about the advertising, yeah, thats really annoying. they shouldnt be making claims their products can't support. ESPECIALLY if this stuff like this starts failing on the FJ. If that happens, i will consider the FJ a total failure.

i wouldnt expect any major support from toyota anytime soon though. it's going to take a lot more than 5 or 6 (known) ttora members nationwide to get a recall. it's going to take a lot of unmodified and un-'abused' tacomas.

I agree. The numbers of Off-Road pkg Tacomas even on the road after the first year can't be that high and that is the only model that is having this issue. If they are smart they will quietly discontinue the elocker in the Taco until they replace the entire rearend with something beefier...like that will ever happen, LOL

Hytenor-

I missed the broken stock truck post on ttora, was his covered under warranty?

Justin

Interesting, very interesting. I was all fired up to buy a new Taco, this thread gives me pause.
It's for damn sure I'm not going to take an '06, which they found for me (body style, color, options & 4x4.)

Good call, thanks for the head's up.

And you can tell Toyota I said so.

no problems with '06 gears have been reported...just '05 Tacos and FJCs with the e-locker rears.

I liked how the guy said his ring gear lost a few teeth pulling out of his driveway...

My response in that thread:

"That's ridiculous they won't warrant the broken teeth. Why have commercials of the Tacoma (or any of their offroad vehicles) romping offroad if they're gonna say that you abused it during normal driving. Why have commercials of a Tacoma driving out of a meterorite collision if they won't fix something as simple as a ring gear..? They promote stupid driving and blatant abuse of the vehicle but won't fix something when a truck apparently wasn't even abused..?? That's strange to me."

toyota customer service sucks a big one, i hate them but i love the trucks so i will buy one, i called repeadidly o ver an issue and got nothing, i got the regional manager to even look at it, what funny is they made so many mistakes with me and would not answer my questions, they owed me expliations and i never got them. o well still a cool truck

Toyota cust. service give this a shot

1 800 331 4331

I thought I'd jump in and let you guys know that a friend of mine with an '05 Doublecab TRD had a catastrophic ring gear failure while off-roading (took out his ring gear, pinion, driveshaft, maybe an axle shaft), and the dealership that sold him the truck replaced all broken parts under warrantee. An incredible total of $4000 in damage. He has a dealer installed 3" revtek, and 285x75r16 Procomp Muds. I guess we'll see if it happens again... I told him he should think about selling his e-locked 3rd and get an open with an ARB instead.

He was pulling another truck out of the mud backing up when the damage occured, rolling on the coast side of these gears sounds like a BIG no-no. Ironically, just a few weeks before I had been talking to him about how I heard the Tacomas with e-lockers had weak rear ends... oops.

So anyway, there is hope out there for people that have this problem... yay :ignore: