Do I have a Lemon? I am not impressed by my first Toyota

[error_repair]

Been a loyal Ford man for my whole life. Decided that I would try a Toyota Tacoma. I loved the styling and I thought I would be getting a high quality product. I have a 2008 DC 4x4 Auto

I bought the truck in Nov 07 and it currently has 3000kms.

These are the issues that I am having or have had

1)Loud whining noise between 50-80km/h. I have had it to the dealer 5 times. They hear the noise but dont know where its coming from so therefore they cannot rectify. One one occasion they told me that they adjusted a heat shield to help resolve the issue. How would a heat shield make such a noise?

2)Today I went to start the truck. It turned over about 30 times before it started. The dealer was closed to they have not had a chance to look into this

3)I find that when the truck goes from 1st to 2nd gear there is a clunk almost as if I got rear ended.

4)This really isnt a problem but more of a engineering issue. Loud ticking noise when truck is under load.. ie accelerating. Was told by dealer that this was normal and is caused by a vacuum valve of some kind???

I am not a hard guy to please. When I drop almost 45k on a truck i expect it to be well put together

I could have saved thousands by buying a Ford.. Should of!

Can anyone comment on my grief

Thanks

[the.phantom]

I have had it to the dealer 5 times. They hear the noise but dont know where its coming

sounds like it is time to go over the dealer's head and talk to district manager!
if they can hear it and 5 times that is hard to explain !

[nmaier]

$45k for a Tacoma!!!!!!! I am so in shock that I don't even know what to say. Does it have gold seats?

Alright, now that the shock is gone and I have regained my composure, I'll try my best to answer. The loud noise at speed might be the whistling caused by air coming in a small crevace in the windshield, I have never heard it on my truck, but I have heard others claim the same noise. I don't have an automatic, but I have heard the Tacomas shift kind of hard. I have never had starter problems on mine, always starts first crank. And these trucks really do tick a lot, even at idle, you will get used to it.

45k????????? seriously? If that is the price they are in Canada, then you might as well just pack up and move to America, Land of the resonably priced Tacoma's.

[error_repair]

Truck with tax and all the other BS fee was as follows

36000 for truck SR5 TRD Double Cab 4x4
1500 freight
2250 federal tax
3000 provincial tax
100 air conditioning tax
1400 5yr/120 km warranty
3000 cost to finance

What pisses me off is that our currency is close to par and in the US the truck are so much cheaper..

[shawnd2]

I agree that the prices are very high here in Canada. I too have an 2008 and all though not perfect, I am happy with it.
If you are bringing it to Sunrise Toyota, I would try another dealer. I delt with Dave the service manager when I bought my 1996 Tacoma from Jackson Toyota in Barrie. After bringing it in 27 times in less then a year for reocurring issue I finally stopped going to him. Although a far drive I found Orangville Toyota extremely good to deal with, and they solved the issues that I was having. Just my opinion, I have no interests in Orangeville Toyota (I just brought my truck to Dixie Toyota for service). However Dave is the most incompetent person I have ever dealt with from Toyota.

I also eneded up buying my truck from the U.S. It ened up costing me around $30,000 CND taxes in. If you do decide to buy another truck keep the US in mind!

Shawn

[surfsupl]

I am not a hard guy to please. When I drop almost 45k on a truck i expect it to be well put together

WTF?.....I would have bought a Tundra!

[the.phantom]

do the math if a tacoma cost that much what do you think a tundra would cost

i've got a friend in Quebec and for the longest time i thought everyone made over $100K cd just to survive with taxes and charges. and then she told me about gas prices ,wow ! gotta be tough


i see that now a lot of places carry the daytime running lights mod and have it in a kit as required up there

[Glk21c]

Originally Posted by error_repair

2)Today I went to start the truck. It turned over about 30 times before it started. The dealer was closed to they have not had a chance to look into this

When starting the truck, especially below 50 degrees F, hold it in the on position for about three seconds, then turn it completely so it will start cranking. Believe it or not, this works so that it will start in the normal amount of engine cranks, maybe one addtional

[Jason.MZW20]

Originally Posted by error_repair

2)Today I went to start the truck. It turned over about 30 times before it started. The dealer was closed to they have not had a chance to look into this

Electronics are almost always slower when cold. Try what was said above to let the ECU read the coolant temperature and adjust the fuel and ignition timings for cold start.

3)I find that when the truck goes from 1st to 2nd gear there is a clunk almost as if I got rear ended.

Have the leaf spring TSB done if you truck still has the 3 leaf pack. I've found that axle wrap affected my 1-2 upshift more than I thought. My replacement transmission is smooth as silk, and there's no bumping or clunking when coming to a stop, accelerating, or otherwise.

4)This really isnt a problem but more of a engineering issue. Loud ticking noise when truck is under load.. ie accelerating. Was told by dealer that this was normal and is caused by a vacuum valve of some kind???

Poor exhaust manifold design. It is "normal" and is less noticable once the engine is at full operating temperature. If someone created a good quality header, you could hack off the warm up cats and have them welded onto the headers to stay smog legal. I think the metal is too thin and is allowing some exhaust valve sound to escape.

I'll also go on to say that the solid lifters and VVT-i will cause a lot more valvetrain noise. The first iteration of the Camry's 2AZ-FE sounded like a diesel, clacking, and clanking at idle. They finally fixed that with revised heads. The 1GR should receive new heads soon. It should include the new roller rocker system found on the other GR engines, and dual VVT-i to further increase emissions compliance. That should give the 1GR some extra life.

[kjoy]

Hi,
I just put a 3 inch lift on my 06 Tacoma DCAB 4X4 TRD Offroad 6 speed manual truck and I find that the front is higher than the back or so it seems when you sit in it? Talked to the tech who installed it and he said that it should be the same front & rear.But when you sit in it-you can tell it's not.............I'm looking at skyline more than I am the road-Mine is the earlier version Tacoma--Is the 3 leaf in rear that may be causing this?
I didn't notice it so much before the lift was installed-I guess these trucks apparently bottom out quite easily under a load,I have mine dressed up with accessories so it's not really a work truck and I 've never had anything heavy in the box.

[AlpineTaco]

Call up a few of my past posts... I can tell you that Toyota lost me as a customer. Currently I'm waiting for the Dealership's General Manager to get back with me on my shifting issue. So far he's ignoring me, and won't return any of my calls.

[KTMike]

I have an 07 SR5 AC, 4wd, TRD Offroad, with an automatic.

I am not experiencing any of the problems you describe. I'd start complaining loudly.

-- mike

[mtkawboy]

O problems with my 06. Only thing that annoys me is the really fast idle at start up when its super cold out and how long it takes to come back to normal

[error_repair]

The high idle is crazy.. So loud you cant even talk..

[L R H]

The fast idle is for emissions, the cat(S), and the O2 do not function until hot. Most of the noise from the fast idle is from the fan/fan clutch, which takes a few to redistribute the settled out oil