05-07 tacoma front suspension limits chain use

[barmour]

29 Mar 06 This is a letter submitted to toyota about my 05 taco and the problem is on the 06, 07 taco and the forerunner. Please call toyota main and help file a complaint if you care.

05/07 Tacoma Suspension Design-DESIGN FLAW and potential SAFETY HAZARD.

This is not a question but a description of what I and other previous and current tacoma or truck owners consider a DESIGN FLAW and potential SAFETY HAZARD.

-I've owned nothing but Toyota (3 Tacoma's & Honda vehicles for past 550,000 miles over the past 20 years and I'm highly disappointed with the front end metal suspension knuckle that sits 1/4 inch away from the middle of the tire tread. This is on the 05 - 07 tacoma crew cab 4X4 shortbed w/trd, tow pkg (OC)options.

-This causes 2 issues
1. The outdoorsman that go off roading for hunting, fishing, or joyriding cannot use standard off road chains for mud, snow during off road situations on the front tires. The 265-70-16 or the 17 inch tires are to close to the suspension and the word is getting out to potential new tacoma buyers about this problem and could cost toyota hundreds of thousands in tacoma and general sales lost due to this design flaw in the outdoorsman market. You can even stick the tip of your pinky finger between the metal knuckle and the tire sidewall. The only solution is to run the small tires and that would still be marginal with any thick off road chains. I can't even run the low clearance chains or cables designed for cars.

2. This could cause flexing of the tire during normal on-road and off-road bumps causing the tire to flex and possibly rub against the suspension knuckle. This situation is compounded if a tire runs a little low on air pressure and could cause a premature cut tire or blowout.

Another unrelated item--The new 05/06 tacoma rear suspension bottoms out to easy. During a recent hunting trip Oct 05 in Colorado. I had my hunting gear distributed evenly in the crew cab and the shortbed (appx 100pds in the back seat, only myself 220pd in driver seat, and appx 400 pds in the truck bed. The truck bed had appx 275 pds between the wheel well and tailgate and other 100-150 max in front of bed evenly distro'd. The truck bottomed out quite easily on fairly minor ruts on dirt roads and on highway ditches that were only minor sloped and should not have cause the truck to bottom out. The truck was not close to the 50% weight limit and the rear of the truck standing still was not sagging much at all from the weight. I was really shocked that it sounded like the truck bottomed out on minor slow speed ruts and during highway road humps or dips. This never happened with my 95 or 98 tacoma unless I had 75% plus of the bed carry limmit met. I think you need to beef up or retest/redesign the springs and/or shocks to meet the new trucks weight and load carry capabilities better.

I hope this info helps and would hope Toyota will address this promptly and try to cure this problem for current and future truck owners. I was planning on trading in my current for a new tacoma in a year or two max, but if this problem persists, I would have a hard time buying a new tacoma if these issues are not addressed.

[DevinSixtySeven]

yeah, didn't you get the memo stating that all future automotive releases to the public are to be as difficult to modify as possible, and are intended only for parking lot poseurship?

i feel for ya...i've recently eyeballed the wheel well clearance on an fj cruiser, a new tacoma, and a new xterra...it's like they assume nobody will ever need to run chains, want to run larger tires, or in general do anything other than add 20" chrome spinners. it is very, very disappointing, since not only is it a truck, it's a toyota truck.

don't hold your breath waiting for them to fix it...trade it for an older tacoma, and put the money you saved in to a pair of good solid axles, so you can bump the front axle forward a bit and run chains or the tires you need to get to the backcountry.

my g/f wants a tacoma...and after a lot of inspecting, she's decided she wants nothing to do with the most recent taco and tundra designs. even the fj requires an axle swap to properly run a large tire...the body mount is too close to the front tire.

-sean

[Splicer]

Originally Posted by barmour

front end metal suspension knuckle that sits 1/4 inch away from the middle of the tire tread. This is on the 05 - 07 tacoma crew cab 4X4 shortbed w/trd, tow pkg (OC)options.

The new 05/06 tacoma rear suspension bottoms out to easy.

Yup, both of these conditions are fairly well known and will affect some people more than others. For the most part, I can live with them (so far, anyway) -- but some can't, and it's unfortunate that Toyota chose to design these trucklets this way.

[milosity]

crap! I wish I would have read this a month ago. I just bought an 07 and took it out to redmountain for opener. The very FIRST thing I noticed was the unusually sensitive rear end. Seems like going over a cigarette butt would make it bottom out. Definitely poor choice on Toyota’s part. I wasn't however aware of the front-end issue. I’m looking to do an upper arm/coil over lift from camburg, obviously going up in tire size. any idea where it becomes problematic??? I figure I wouldn't go any bigger than a 33 anyway, but I definitely appreciate the heads up.

[tywidner]

Originally Posted by milosity

crap! I wish I would have read this a month ago. I just bought an 07 and took it out to redmountain for opener. The very FIRST thing I noticed was the unusually sensitive rear end. Seems like going over a cigarette butt would make it bottom out. Definitely poor choice on Toyota’s part. I wasn't however aware of the front-end issue. I’m looking to do an upper arm/coil over lift from camburg, obviously going up in tire size. any idea where it becomes problematic??? I figure I wouldn't go any bigger than a 33 anyway, but I definitely appreciate the heads up.

if u get the camburg upper a arm set it will help alot. im running 285/70/17 (33x11.5) and i have minor rubbing on the chassis and mud flaps. but thats with factory backspacing and wheel specs. alot of people get tires with less backspacing to solve this problem. i bought my truck with a revtek lift and american racing wheels already installed, so far the only major mod ive done is the camburg a arms, much more clearence. before i couldn't even get my finger between the tire and a arm.