Gallowbraid
Adventurist
I need to rant so if you're reading this you get to listen (or run away now). Perhaps this will quickly degrade into a brand vs brand pissing contest.
Toyota for years has been plagued by vibration problems in Tacomas, 4Runners, FJ Cruisers and Tundras. Ultimately most of the problems boil down to a needle bearing in the front differential that is being forced to support the CV axle due to a cast housing for the spider gear in the differential. Toyota has, for years, called this vibration a "characteristic" of the vehicle. Often times the best solution an owner can get is having the dealer continually replace this needle bearing over and over until they're out of warranty. East Coast Gear Supply has come up with a more permanent solution in a bushing that replaces the needle bearing. It has tighter tolerances and prevents the CV axle from vibrating.
During one of the autoshows prior to the launch of the 2016 Tacoma Mike Sweers, Chief Engineer for the Tundra and Tacoma, was asked if this problem would carry over to the 2016's:
"With regards to ride quality, we asked Sweers if the hasslesome driveline vibration issue is finally resolved. Confidently, he told us “if you find one with it, I’ll buy you dinner!” He said the problem was an engineering and manufacturing issue throughout the previous generation. The new truck has different engineering and new spring angles which eliminate the problem."
- Tim Esterdahl with TacomaHQ January 16 2015
Well guess who owes me dinner?
Over the last couple of weeks the exact vibration that so many others have noted has popped up in my 2016. I took it in to the dealership for inspection and they verified that it is the CV axle vibrating within the bearing. The fix is the same as well, replace the defective bearing with a new defective bearing. On the Toyota boards some owners are getting as little as 500 miles out of new bearing before the vibration returns.
Looks like I'll be tearing into my new, still under warranty, 15,000 miles on the odometer truck and replacing the bearing with ECGS's bushing. This is a true first world problem, and I'm whining, but it still irks me. Get it together Toyota. Mike Sweers owes me a steak.
Toyota for years has been plagued by vibration problems in Tacomas, 4Runners, FJ Cruisers and Tundras. Ultimately most of the problems boil down to a needle bearing in the front differential that is being forced to support the CV axle due to a cast housing for the spider gear in the differential. Toyota has, for years, called this vibration a "characteristic" of the vehicle. Often times the best solution an owner can get is having the dealer continually replace this needle bearing over and over until they're out of warranty. East Coast Gear Supply has come up with a more permanent solution in a bushing that replaces the needle bearing. It has tighter tolerances and prevents the CV axle from vibrating.
During one of the autoshows prior to the launch of the 2016 Tacoma Mike Sweers, Chief Engineer for the Tundra and Tacoma, was asked if this problem would carry over to the 2016's:
"With regards to ride quality, we asked Sweers if the hasslesome driveline vibration issue is finally resolved. Confidently, he told us “if you find one with it, I’ll buy you dinner!” He said the problem was an engineering and manufacturing issue throughout the previous generation. The new truck has different engineering and new spring angles which eliminate the problem."
- Tim Esterdahl with TacomaHQ January 16 2015
Well guess who owes me dinner?
Over the last couple of weeks the exact vibration that so many others have noted has popped up in my 2016. I took it in to the dealership for inspection and they verified that it is the CV axle vibrating within the bearing. The fix is the same as well, replace the defective bearing with a new defective bearing. On the Toyota boards some owners are getting as little as 500 miles out of new bearing before the vibration returns.
Looks like I'll be tearing into my new, still under warranty, 15,000 miles on the odometer truck and replacing the bearing with ECGS's bushing. This is a true first world problem, and I'm whining, but it still irks me. Get it together Toyota. Mike Sweers owes me a steak.
