2005 Toyota Tacoma

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT SMELLED ASPHYXIATE GAS FUMES WHEN COLD STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 8,000, AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE IS UNKNOWN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS. *AK THE CONSUMER PROVIDED A COPY OF REPAIR INVOICE. THE DEALER STATED CREAK SOUND CLUTCH PEDAL WHEN DEPRESSED AND DIFFICULTY PUTTING INTO 4WD, BUT FACTORY NEVER ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 07/06/07 *TR

1) 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA "LURCH" WHILE SLOWING OR STOPPED. I HAVE NOTICED IT WITH OR WITHOUT A/C OR DEFROST ON. GENERALLY, I COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AND A FEW SECONDS LATER, IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD SLIGHTLY. 2) WHILE IT HAS NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, IT IS SOMEWHAT DISCONCERTING. 3) NO REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT PARTS HAVE BEEN EFFECTED. I'VE GUESSED IT IS A TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFT, AND THE RESULTING INCREASED TORQUE AT THE REAR WHEELS RESULTS IN THE LURCH. THE MORE FIRMLY THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE LESS NOTICEABLE THE PROBLEM. *JB

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO A PREVIOUS COMPLAINT REGARDING DIFFICULTY SHIFTING PARTICULARLY FROM 1ST TO 2ND. AFTER SENDING THREE CERTIFIED LETTERS TO TOYOTA (THE LAST SENT TO THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE) I FINALLY, MORE THAN 6 MONTHS LATER, RECEIVED A WRITTEN RESPONSE. PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THE REASONS I CITED FOR MY FAILED MEDIATION ATTEMPT (IN PARTICULAR BEING GIVEN BAD ADVICE, WHICH, AT THE TIME, I NAIVELY ACCEPTED, BY THE TOYOTA FACTORY TRAINED SPECIALIST ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE MEDIATION) I WAS GRANTED A SECOND ATTEMPT AT MEDIATION. THE TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO BEHAVE IN THE FASHION I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. I SIMPLY CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS "NORMAL" FOR THE GEARS TO INTERMITTENTLY CLASH (AND THE COLDER IT IS, GRIND) WHEN SHIFTING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING 5 SPEEDS FOR MORE THAN 2 DECADES. *JB

2005 TOYOTA TACOMA (6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION) HAS EXPERIENCED EXCESSIVE TRANSMISSION NOISE AND CLUTCH JUDDER WHEN STARTING IN FIRST GEAR SINCE THE DAY OF PURCHASE. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN, AT TIMES, EXCESSIVELY DIFFICULT TO SHIFT AND THE JUDDER HAS BEEN, ON RARE OCCASIONS, EVIDENT IN SECOND GEAR. BOTH PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN INTERMITTENT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED. ON THE MORNING OF JULY 28TH, THE JUDDER PROBLEM WAS PARTICULARLY BAD AND WAS EVIDENT WITH EVERY START IN FIRST GEAR AND SOMETIMES IN SECOND GEAR. IT BECAME MORE VIOLENT WITH EACH START AND AT ONE POINT, AFTER THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS FULLY RELEASED, THERE WAS A SUDDEN SLIP OF THE CLUTCH DISC FOLLOWED BY SUDDEN FRICTION. THIS RESULTED IN LOSS OF TRACTION OF THE DRIVE WHEELS AND SUBSEQUENT TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. CONTROL WAS REGAINED RELATIVELY QUICKLY BY DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL TO REMOVE DRIVE POWER FROM THE WHEELS AND A CATASTROPHIC EVENT WAS NARROWLY AVOIDED. TOYOTA HAS ATTEMPTED REPAIR OF THIS JUDDER PROBLEM THREE TIMES INCLUDING A COMPLETE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT AT 6,500 MILES, BUT NOW CLAIMS THAT THE VEHICLE OPERATES NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO A DEALER SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT DESCRIBED ABOVE AND THE SHOP FOREMAN SAID AGAIN, THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. HE ALSO CLAIMED THAT PER TOYOTA'S DIRECTIVE, HE IS NOT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNLESS HE HAS PRIOR APPROVAL FROM TOYOTA TO DO SO. *JB

WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND, THERE IS AN INCONSISTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE MECHANICAL SENSATION THAT VARIED FROM A MILD YET DISTINCT ROUGH TRANSITION (CREATING THE PERCEPTION THAT I WAS FORCING THE GEARS) TO A DRAMATIC MECHANICAL SENSATION OF GEARS CHANGING (AT TIMES ACCOMPANIED WITH A CLICKING SOUND). I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE MASTER TECHNICIAN (MT) DRIVE THE TRUCK AND SEE IF HE WAS EXPERIENCING WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING. HE SHARED THAT HE COULD FEEL THE GEARS AND SAID HE COULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IF THE FACTORY TRAINED SPECIALIST (FTS) AGREED IT NEEDED REPLACING. FTS DROVE THE TRUCK WITH ME AND DID NOT FEEL THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING ABNORMAL ABOUT THE SHIFTING (VEHICLE OPERATES AS DESIGNED...). BECAUSE THE PRESENT SHIFTING SENSATION MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE FORCING OR GRINDING GEARS WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE GIVEN I CAN TEND TO BE MORE FOCUSED ON THE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND THAN ON DRIVING AND IT IS UNCERTAIN WHETHER THE TRANSMISSION WILL POSSIBLY FAIL WHILE I AM DRIVING THE TRUCK. I HAVE OWNED AT LEAST 5 OR 6 FIVE-SPEED VEHICLES. I HAVE ALSO WORKED ON TRANSMISSIONS. IN ALL MY EXPERIENCE WITH 5-SPEEDS I HAVE OWNED, I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A SHIFTING PROBLEM LIKE I AM PRESENTLY EXPERIENCING. THIS IS A BRAND NEW, SUPPOSEDLY, QUALITY TOYOTA VEHICLE AND IT UNQUESTIONABLY SEEMS THAT SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I AM CURRENTLY IN ARBITRATION. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE WAS SHIFTED FROM FOUR WHEEL DRIVE HIGH OR LOW, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ALWAYS SHIFT. THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE AUDIBLE ALARM STATING THE VEHICLE HAS NOT SHIFTED CAME ON. AN ADDITIONAL 5 ATTEMPTS WERE NEEDED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED. THE TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MANUFACTURER DROVE THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THIS WAS NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. ALSO, WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW ZERO DEGREES THE KEYLESS ENTRY WOULD NOT UNLOCK THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP TESTED THE KEY FOB AND REPLACED THE BATTERY, BUT THIS DID NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 3/22/2006 - *NM

DURING RECENT COLD WINTER WEATHER, HAD COUPLE INCIDENTS WHERE BRAKES APPEARED TO NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY ON MODERATE ICE/SLUSHY ROAD CONDITION AND THIS CAUSED ON ONE OCCASION TO RUN THROUGH INTERSECTION DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BEING FORTUNATE THAT NO OTHER TRAFFIC WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME. THIS ALL COMES AFTER A TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AT 6271 MILES AND REAR BRAKE WORK ON THE VEHICLE AT 6558 MILES. THIS TRUCK IS LIKE A LEMON. *NM