Truck King broke their Tacoma

Well as only of only actual owners of the 24 Tacoma on the forum I feel pretty weird reading a lot of the comments here. There's a ton of hate for Toyota and some of the negativity may be deserved, but some of it is not. I have about 2500 miles so far on my Taco and the only things wrong with it have been some minor software bugs, one of which seems to have been something wrong with the phone I had and not the trucks fault, and a blown fuse that took 3 secs to replace. Both my wife and I have been very happy with the truck. We've loaded it down to very near max payload, taken to 9,500+ feet of elevation on Colorado trails, crawled some fairly easy rock obstacles, climbed and descended 25-30 degree inclines as well as been off camber by about that same amount and has no issues at all. We never once lacked any power even on those inclines, the AT4Ws had little to no slips and on a couple I left it 4 high when I should probably should been in low.

I fail to see which of the other midsize trucks has any better technology in any area, with the exception of the trailer back-up assist from Ford. Or where it lacks features compared to other brands either. It is priced higher across the board, I agree with that. You can get better bang for your buck in the other brands. But that doesn't make the Tacoma a bad vehicle to buy or a "stinker', at least not as someone who purchased one and is really loving it so far.

On the 23 GMs only having software problems, I believe that to not be the case:


There was month long stop sale on the GMs for engine problems back in Feb, and there was a recall on the fuel injector. That plus the software issues that bricked peoples trucks.

But that all being said, I wouldn't call the vehicle a "stinker" or not recommend it to someone who was looking for a midsize truck. I drove both the Chevy and the GMC and there are going to be issues with all trucks of all years, 1st year or not.

I'd recommend the Ranger as well, have recommended on the Frontier on this forum and to others as well as the Gladiator or Ridgeline. I don't think you go wrong with any of them. I'm not a Toyota or any brand loyalist. The Tacoma was the best truck with the right features for me when we bought it and that should be the case for many people.

On the differential, if there has been only one report that anyone can find thus far, why can we not trust the chief engineer when he lets us know what actually happened. I have not seen that same type of openness from any other brand. It may be because someone broke an off the record agreement and maybe Sheldon would have done the interview anyway. It's strange to me that that so many people always jump to the negative stance on things like this. I thought it was very well explained by Sheldon and how many people will every be on a high degree of incline on rocky icy terrain with what amounts to street tires trying to climb up a steep trail?

Could they have added even more tolerance? Sure but if you try and engineer for every edge case, you'll never ship a product nor will that product be affordable. If every brand tried to top all the others in every category, we'd likely end up with 6 of the same truck and that'd be boring. I love the variety between brands, it's a great thing.

Now, this issue with the manual is a different thing. Since there are multiple failures that would be concerning to me if I were in the market for a manual. Toyota doesn't get a pass if there have been multiple failures and they will need to figure it out, which they will, but that that's not a consolation for those who own the truck. That being said, a manual transmission is not for everyone, trucks shift very different from cars and that takes some getting used, but shouldn't really be a problem for anyone with experience driving a manual.

I found it interesting that they Elmer says he's not sure if it was him or not. It could have been a mistake and Toyota looked at the data to determine what happened. They didn't throw TFL under the bus for using the wrong terrain mode for a situation, they owned up to the issue and issued a statement with their findings. @testerdahl how often does that happen with other brands addressing issues like this? When Car Confections had the transmission fail on the 24 Santa Fe, the dealership just dealt with, no real explanation other than it failed and that happened to them twice. Being this was manual and Elmer was doing something you don't normally do in everyday driving, though I have had several manuals in my life and enjoyed them all, but you can make mistakes sometimes, he may have dropped it into 1st on accident. That stuff happens.

Anyway, I don't go around crapping on the truck y'all bought and own. if you own it and you want to crap on it, then that's one thing you have experience with it and have a story behind it. This guy is pretty upset and hates the 24 Ranger because his engine failed on him so he has a right to let off a little steam about it. But the post right under that points out how long that engine has been used by Ford with very little issues, but anyone can have them. I hope it's not me and so far it hasn't been with the 24 Tacoma. And I don't wish any of you have issues with your vehicles either. We all spend our hard earn money on these things and they should last.

If we did our homework, we should be happy with what we buy. If we like what we have it's hard to see the other side sometimes and vice versa, But I wouldn't ever tell someone else their vehicle sucks if had 0 experience with it myself. I'm not sure why some people need to that to others, it's never made sense to me. Time will tell on all of these new trucks and all of then have and will have issues just like every other vehicle that came before them.

And on value, if you want a manual transmission there are not many choices out there. GM and Ford are both out of the running completely for a midsize.
 
Last edited:

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20240630_210034_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20240630_210034_Chrome.jpg
    798.3 KB · Views: 2
Fightnfire said:
It doesn't sound like this one affected any owners, luckily, and only 4 Colorado engines. GM is replacing all of the affected engines with complete swaps. Hopefully, Toyota does the same for Tundra owners and not just a short block swap.
Click to expand...
I hope they do as well, customers deserve to have their investments made right. I think it's in the best interest of the Toyota to ensure they fix it correctly so customers and dealers can resell them at a decent price once they've gone through the recall.

And @Fightnfire I was not picking on GM, just pointing out that bigger issues have happened to other brands too. As I said I'd recommend them, they are great trucks.
 
It is very rare for an automaker to issue a statement detailing what they found on the failure. The fact Toyota has essentially done it twice is exceptional. Whether or not you agree with their conclusions is another matter.
 
testerdahl said:
It is very rare for an automaker to issue a statement detailing what they found on the failure. The fact Toyota has essentially done it twice is exceptional. Whether or not you agree with their conclusions is another matter.
Click to expand...
It will be interesting to see what comes next for the Tundra engine recall remedy and if there's anything more done regarding the Tacoma clutch failure.
 
testerdahl said:
It is very rare for an automaker to issue a statement detailing what they found on the failure. The fact Toyota has essentially done it twice is exceptional. Whether or not you agree with their conclusions is another matter.
Click to expand...
I remember people here asking for Toyota or talk about what happened. The did and the first reaction is I don't believe them.

It's definitely a no win for them. I did feel like Sheldon is pretty genuine and you have said, he wants to build the best truck he can and wants people who buy them to love them.
 
Beninbeta said:
Well as only of only actual owners of the 24 Tacoma on the forum I feel pretty weird reading a lot of the comments here. There's a ton of hate for Toyota and some of the negativity may be deserved, but some of it is not. I have about 2500 miles so far on my Taco and the only things wrong with it have been some minor software bugs, one of which seems to have been something wrong with the phone I had and not the trucks fault, and a blown fuse that took 3 secs to replace. Both my wife and I have been very happy with the truck. We've loaded it down to very near max payload, taken to 9,500+ feet of elevation on Colorado trails, crawled some fairly easy rock obstacles, climbed and descended 25-30 degree inclines as well as been off camber by about that same amount and has no issues at all. We never once lacked any power even on those inclines, the AT4Ws had little to no slips and on a couple I left it 4 high when I should probably should been in low.

I fail to see which of the other midsize trucks has any better technology in any area, with the exception of the trailer back-up assist from Ford. Or where it lacks features compared to other brands either. It is priced higher across the board, I agree with that. You can get better bang for your buck in the other brands. But that doesn't make the Tacoma a bad vehicle to buy or a "stinker', at least not as someone who purchased one and is really loving it so far.

On the 23 GMs only having software problems, I believe that to not be the case:


There was month long stop sale on the GMs for engine problems back in Feb, and there was a recall on the fuel injector. That plus the software issues that bricked peoples trucks.

But that all being said, I wouldn't call the vehicle a "stinker" or not recommend it to someone who was looking for a midsize truck. I drove both the Chevy and the GMC and there are going to be issues with all trucks of all years, 1st year or not.

I'd recommend the Ranger as well, have recommended on the Frontier on this forum and to others as well as the Gladiator or Ridgeline. I don't think you go wrong with any of them. I'm not a Toyota or any brand loyalist. The Tacoma was the best truck with the right features for me when we bought it and that should be the case for many people.

On the differential, if there has been only one report that anyone can find thus far, why can we not trust the chief engineer when he lets us know what actually happened. I have not seen that same type of openness from any other brand. It may be because someone broke an off the record agreement and maybe Sheldon would have done the interview anyway. It's strange to me that that so many people always jump to the negative stance on things like this. I thought it was very well explained by Sheldon and how many people will every be on a high degree of incline on rocky icy terrain with what amounts to street tires trying to climb up a steep trail?

Could they have added even more tolerance? Sure but if you try and engineer for every edge case, you'll never ship a product nor will that product be affordable. If every brand tried to top all the others in every category, we'd likely end up with 6 of the same truck and that'd be boring. I love the variety between brands, it's a great thing.

Now, this issue with the manual is a different thing. Since there are multiple failures that would be concerning to me if I were in the market for a manual. Toyota doesn't get a pass if there have been multiple failures and they will need to figure it out, which they will, but that that's not a consolation for those who own the truck. That being said, a manual transmission is not for everyone, trucks shift very different from cars and that takes some getting used, but shouldn't really be a problem for anyone with experience driving a manual.

I found it interesting that they Elmer says he's not sure if it was him or not. It could have been a mistake and Toyota looked at the data to determine what happened. They didn't throw TFL under the bus for using the wrong terrain mode for a situation, they owned up to the issue and issued a statement with their findings. @testerdahl how often does that happen with other brands addressing issues like this? When Car Confections had the transmission fail on the 24 Santa Fe, the dealership just dealt with, no real explanation other than it failed and that happened to them twice. Being this was manual and Elmer was doing something you don't normally do in everyday driving, though I have had several manuals in my life and enjoyed them all, but you can make mistakes sometimes, he may have dropped it into 1st on accident. That stuff happens.

Anyway, I don't go around crapping on the truck y'all bought and own. if you own it and you want to crap on it, then that's one thing you have experience with it and have a story behind it. This guy is pretty upset and hates the 24 Ranger because his engine failed on him so he has a right to let off a little steam about it. But the post right under that points out how long that engine has been used by Ford with very little issues, but anyone can have them. I hope it's not me and so far it hasn't been with the 24 Tacoma. And I don't wish any of you have issues with your vehicles either. We all spend our hard earn money on these things and they should last.

If we did our homework, we should be happy with what we buy. If we like what we have it's hard to see the other side sometimes and vice versa, But I wouldn't ever tell someone else their vehicle sucks if had 0 experience with it myself. I'm not sure why some people need to that to others, it's never made sense to me. Time will tell on all of these new trucks and all of then have and will have issues just like every other vehicle that came before them.

And on value, if you want a manual transmission there are not many choices out there. GM and Ford are both out of the running completely for a midsize.
Click to expand...
There is an old saying, GM vehicles run crappy longer than most vehicles run at all, that's been the case with all of the GM vehicles I have owned, they may run crappy sometimes but they still drive.
I remember my cousin gave me an early 80s Buick or Oldsmobile front drive car and we thrashed that car without mercy and it kept driving, we even drained the oil out of the engine and thrashed it, it was still running after about 20 minutes with no oil so we poured some old oil back in it and thrashed it some more until we ran it into a tree and finally would run anymore.
 
Beninbeta said:
I remember people here asking for Toyota or talk about what happened. The did and the first reaction is I don't believe them.

It's definitely a no win for them. I did feel like Sheldon is pretty genuine and you have said, he wants to build the best truck he can and wants people who buy them to love them.
Click to expand...
I agree with you about Sheldon, but nanny controls and cost cutting have been a staple of Toyota engineering for a long time now. Sheldon builds what they tell him he can build, he has very little control.
 
Hilux said:
There is an old saying, GM vehicles run crappy longer than most vehicles run at all, that's been the case with all of the GM vehicles I have owned, they may run crappy sometimes but they still drive.
I remember my cousin gave me an early 80s Buick or Oldsmobile front drive car and we thrashed that car without mercy and it kept driving, we even drained the oil out of the engine and thrashed it, it was still running after about 20 minutes with no oil so we poured some old oil back in it and thrashed it some more until we ran it into a tree and finally would run anymore.
Click to expand...
i remember one of my friends had a major issue with his Dodge Straus and they gave him what we called the hooptie. it was a Buick i think. I rolled hard through corners, but it got him and us where we needed to go.
 
Fightnfire said:
I agree with you about Sheldon, but nanny controls and cost cutting have been a staple of Toyota engineering for a long time now. Sheldon builds what they tell him he can build, he has very little control.
Click to expand...
I would say that Sheldon builds within the constraints he's given just like all engineers and product managers. What those are, who knows. Profits, profits, profits. I don't think it's much different than any other brand there though.

On another topic how's your boys Ranger performing?
 
@testerdahl

The talk on the Yota forums is that not only couldn't the MT handle 8hp extra (Which is just weird) but that the torque curve is strung much further out than the AT. Instead of 317 @ 1,700 it's 310 at 2,800.

1719855645773.png
 
Beninbeta said:
I would say that Sheldon builds within the constraints he's given just like all engineers and product managers. What those are, who knows. Profits, profits, profits. I don't think it's much different than any other brand there though.

On another topic how's your boys Ranger performing?
Click to expand...

He becomes a full time driver July 31st, so just practicing the manul a lot for now. It's running great though, good truck. Every time I'm in it I'm reminded of how much trucks have become like bigger, lifted cars over the last 20 years.
 
Things tend to run a bit hot on TW. I'm in agreement with some of the less "Toyota quality sucks now" comments that he accidentally tried to money shift, failed to get it into gear and trashed the clutch:
1. This happened three months ago. I don't do 5 to 3 shifts at 50+ miles an hour myself but I'm sure there are those who do or at least engine brake pretty aggressively. It seems like every stick driver has a different opinion on how to drive a stick. There are a significant number of 2024 MTs on the road now, myself included. If it was a problem I would expect we would have heard other reports before this one.
2. The transmission is a carryover from the Hilux (diesels with more torque than the T24A-FTS). I don't think Toyota put in a trans that can't handle the torque. They may have derated it a bit because of driveline vibration at high RPMs. At least that is the explanation I recall from Sheldon. Jeff Lange had a comment to this effect and he is the EF Hutton of TW (when Jeff speaks people listen, or at least should).
3. The grinding in the video. Says to me that he probably missed 3rd and was trying to force it into 1st.
4. He never made it completely into 1st. If he had the engine would have blown at 90 kph. 1st on the 2024 is a really short gear. In that respect, it's probably a good thing the clutch went. Better the clutch than the engine.
 
The only solution for Toyota is to dump the Tacoma and Tundra and sell the far superior Hilux Champ in the USA.
 

Attachments

  • 20240701_192027.jpg
    20240701_192027.jpg
    169.5 KB · Views: 2
Fightnfire said:
(Edit, sorry for the long winded answer)

There are transmission issues popping up on the forums specifically with the manual transmission, I think that's why videos have been made and it's being discussed. We don't know if the manual transmission issues are specifically due to the clutch or other components yet just because people on forums aren't journalists that get full length review and answers from Toyota or engineers.

I have not seen diff issues on TacomaWorld which is the other major forum I spend more time on. I've said it before I'll say it again a very small percentage of owners actively participate in an enthusiast forum.

So for me this is a bigger story going a little further back than just the new Tacoma. The third gen Tacoma from inception was plagued with issues that in the end were never solved. They kept pumping out the exact same engine with the same transmission. They tried a reflash of the transmission a couple of times but that didn't solve any problems and in some cases made it worse. It was a pretty terrible driving experience.

Then after the third gen Tacoma disappointment the new Tundra comes out and as we are all aware of has had major problem after major problem not just with the engine. The engine portion of those issues also bleeds into some Lexus vehicles.

Now we have the new Tacoma which is having manual transmission issues and a broken diff, both happened to be caught on camera by automotive journalists. The likelihood of that happening leads me to believe it is not a one-off occurrence. It is having other issues reported by owners on forums but those are typically the type of issues I would expect to see in a new release vehicle.

Generally speaking Toyota gets a pass, that's obviously an opinion. But if I focus in on TFL and we look at Andre's trail Boss it has had two issues. An update glitched the software and drained his battery which was experienced by a small amount of other users. Also his rear camera has failed and they have struggled to get it fixed, I have not seen that reported by anyone else but like Toyota's diff I'm sure someone else has had the problem. They talk about The trail boss issue in every single mid-size comparison they've done but it amounted to a small software issue that was addressed and shouldn't happen again. Hasn't happened again and that was over a year ago. Nothing mechanically has gone wrong with an all-new designed and released truck with all new parts. That's pretty damn good from GM in my opinion where Toyota has had substantial issues with their last three new trucks.

I was a pretty diehard Toyota fan, I put 200,000 plus miles on my 2009 Tacoma and close to 150k mi on a 2008 Prius. I was interested in getting a third gen Tacoma and as I travel a lot for work I rented a third gen twice both in Southern California at LAX. In each trip I put about 7 to 800 mi on the truck and each time I rented it a couple of years apart I hated it. You can't keep it at speed on the freeway without constantly finding a new position for the gas pedal. You would be cruising easily at 65 and all of a sudden it would start losing speed and you would have to damn near floor it to get it back up to speed and that isn't once in the highway trip it's constant, cruise control didn't solve the problem.

As my kids were also growing I decided to start looking at full size trucks in 2021 and spent quite a bit of seat time in each manufacturer's option. I knew the new Tundra was coming and had seen it but wasn't a fan. I did go test drive one when they released and again wasn't a fan of it.

As a long time Toyota fan I had a belief in my head that they were king of reliability and quality and that GM, Ford and RAM were junk. Well to my shock they all three in their own way were better than the current Tundra. My AT4 has been rock solid as of 43,000 mi and knock on wood I haven't had a single issue.

I'm old enough to remember that when comparing trucks Toyota consistently offered a more basic option than the others but historically had better reliability and resale. If we take into account the now significantly higher entry price resale value starts going out the window quickly that leaves us with reliability... It's my opinion that when they tried to step up their game with the third gen Tacoma and offer a more modern vehicle with options the other manufacturers had been doing for years they started running into the same problems that Ford GM and Ram run into. The third gen Tacoma the new Tundra and the new Tacoma are the first trucks Toyota has made that are on par with the big three in options, tech and power.

It seems like they're having a lot of issues with that. It's a little easier to always be building a generation older truck...
Click to expand...
Let me preface this with the fact that I have never desired a Toyota because I always felt the fanboys put them on too high a pedestal. I drove my CJ back then as a daily and reveled in the fact that I had to constantly work on it. Screw those sissies! I had the same negative feeling for F150s, overhyped. Which is why, when I got a full-size in '06, I bought a Ram. Not once but twice. In no known universe do I claim them the best. The Hemi has its issues regardless of what the fanboys say.

But I'm still not seeing enough facts to back up the statement that the new Tacoma that was released is a failure. At least not yet. Like you said, there are only two camps; the Toyota fan club that defends any attack on the invincibility of Toyota and everyone else who sees a misprint on the warranty card as complete and utter disaster of the new Tacoma. One thing I have noticed though, is that most of the residents of the latter camp don't actually own a Tacoma. I'm truly in the middle, and until there is more evidence to the contrary, I think the sky, is in fact, not falling.

Why? Because right now, we have one documented (and videoed) issue with the front diff. One. Back in Feb. Nothing since. Not exactly damning evidence. And 3-4 forum members talking about manual tranny issues. As well as an online reviewer that just may have blown a shift. Considering how few Tacos sold so far are equipped with a stick that number could raise an eyebrow. But knowing that the tranny has been around as long as it has, apparently since 2015, and used world-wide drastically increases that number and becomes less concerning. Could there be an issue with 6-speed married to the new motor? Maybe, but if there was even a possibility, why would Toyota have dismissed it as driver error yet reprogram the module for the one-time TFL failure?

Last point about all this uproar is the point that GM has had a much bumpier start to their release. Nothing but crickets about them. The roof getting dented in a carwash? Really? Gotta admit, that's pretty funny. I won't bother talking about the engines that Ben mentioned although there were more of them than Tacoma front diff issues, just saying. I find it odd how everyone absolutely lost their mind when the TFL Taco broke but did drive home. Yet nowhere near the fervor when Andre's died in the driveway, and he took two days to get operational again. Of course he had the camera failure as well, and the third incident was the driver's pod was dead. There are still plenty of owners complaining about dead pods and software issues on the 2024s. To date there are no recalls of the 24's but two on the 23's: one for overtightened lug nuts and a second for automatic braking randomly engaging. Even with many more problems to date than Toyota, I still don't see the GM release being a failure either.

I'm in the market for a mid-size truck and was leaning towards the Canyon, but I'm hesitant right now due to the ongoing software issues. Although I believe they offer the better value, I'm not convinced they're the superior truck. (I hate a non-locking transfer case) Should I go ahead with the purchase; I'll need to swing by Walmart to grab a step stool like the one Tim uses. I appreciate the advice and the demonstration, Tim!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top