Problems with 2005 Toyota Tacoma SUSPENSION

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota tacoma. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v604000 (suspension) and 13v337000 (seat belt) however, the part to do the repairs was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Took vehicle in for inspection, notified that the frame has excessive corrosion (rust) on the entire frame with signs of metal separation. a crack was also noted on the passenger side where the front and back parts of the c-frame are welded together. when the surface rust was ground away, the crack was 5" long and the bottom of the c-frame had two large perforations. with this condition, the vehicle will not pass the inspection. the dealer contacted regional rep and owner contacted toyota customer service - both advised no assistance and the frames were of a different production lot then the prior recall (2nd gen vs 1st gen). also cited age and mileage being a factor. other than the frame, the vehicle is in very good condition. 2005 tacoma with 131000 miles should still be a passable vehicle. *tr

as i was leaving work i slowly drove over a speed bump. the rear end of my truck began to bounce like a boat in choppy water. i got out and looked to see if i had a low tire. all four tires were fine so i kept looking. upon closer inspection to the left rear wheel well, i noticed that the shock rod had broken off at the theaded end and shot straight through the bed of my truck. i immediately took the truck to glenn toyota for inspection. initially they took great interest until after they learned that toyota manufacturing would not cover the catastrophic failure. now the truck rides like a boat in choppy water and even the slightest bump in the road causes an exaggerated response in the suspension making it dangerous to drive. there is no previous history of damage to the vehicle nor has it been mistreated. *tr

The toyota dealership where i purchased my new 2005 tacoma 7 yrs ago, informed me my truck will not pass state inspection due to holes rusted through the frame. the largest of the holes was located under the driver's side on the inside of the main box frame component. there are similar holes along other box style frame parts. these rust holes originated from the inside of the box frame and not from where any rust preventative could be applied by the owner. any post production application of undercoating or underbody oil by the owner to the interior of these boxed areas is not possible since they are inaccessible. the dealership informed me that there was nothing they can do without toyota headquarters approval. i called the toyota customer relations line at 1-800-331-4331 and after a long conversation with the representative i was told that my truck model was not covered by either a vehicle warranty or a remedial action by toyota. researching this issue on the internet reveals that toyota tacoma models have had frame rusting problems consistently since the mid 90's. my options from toyota, all at my own expense, are to: 1. find a frame shop that can patch these holes but most likely the patch will only last a year. 2. have the frame replaced which the dealership roughly estimated it to be close to $12,000. 3. junk the truck and get a new vehicle. i bought this truck expecting to get at least 300-400k miles. the truck looks new, the body has no rust, it has no mechanical problems and runs great. i have religiously followed the recommended service schedule. *tr

Frame falling apart! *tr

Vehicle was at dealer shop for brake job and technician reported rusted-through failure of frame which renders the vehicle unsafe to drive. this is a second generation tacoma, 2005 model year. *tr

The frame is rusting. there are hole starting to form. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota tacoma. the contact stated that an abnormal ticking nose was heard from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the u-joint needed replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 74,500 and the current mileage was 76,000.

Sudden onset of steering intermediate shaft u-joint seizing making steering difficult. also lost return-to-center of steering. this could pose a serious risk of over-steering into oncoming traffic when making a left hand turn at a tee intersection. the unprotected u-joint is exposed to striking of road debris and salt spray. the u-joint does not have grease fittings or any obvious means of lubrication. internet research suggests this is a very common defect for toyota tacomas with approximately 75k or more miles starting with model years 2005 and newer. *tr

I have a 2005 toyota tacoma prerunner 4x4 with only 83,000 miles. there is recurring issues with the front wheel bearings going out. front left has been replaced 3 years ago, then front left stub axle was replaced less than a year later under warranty by toyota. the right front wheel bearing also went out 2 years ago and were replaced and now the left side is going out again. *kb

2005 prerunner sr5 had grinding sound from right front at about 40mph when turning left. no sound when turning right. dealer checked and determined left front wheel bearing was bad. replaced left front wheel bearing ($516.32). when leaving dealer lot after picking up the truck i noticed the sound still came from the right front wheel . brought back to dealer who checked again and determined right front wheel bearing was bad. also said left rear may be going bad. cost to replace right front wheel bearing $337.01 (dealer didn't charge labor this time). about 1 year after bearings replaced the grinding sound has returned. vehicle now has about 107k miles. reluctant to return to dealer and pay another $800-$1000 to repair wheel bearings that appear to be either poor quality or installed incorrectly. dealer claims replacing wheel bearings at 80k miles is not abnormal. *tr

I purchased a brand new tacoma 2005 trd 4x4 4 door from the dealer in 2004. in 2009 the truck started making popping, cracking, and squeaking noises from the suspension and from the engine. now, the truck makes squeaking and cracking noises just getting in and out of the truck and even just opening and closing the door. i took the truck into several shops could not determine the cause. i started researching online, found numerous 2005 tacomas's with the same problem. this is when i found out that several recalls were made on tacoma, but we were never notified. on 12/9/2010, i called the dealer, i was told that toyota acknowledge popping noise from the engine on 6/28/2005 and acknowledge rear suspension squeaking noises on 8/13/2009, but the dealer claimed that the truck has to be under 3 years old or 36,000 miles to cover under warranty. this is manufacture defects, toyota should be responsible for correcting this problem, they did not notified the owner within warranty period. *tr

Excessive rust on vehicle frame and suspension components. *tr

Leaf spring split in 3 places, toyota dealership wants to do nothing about it, says it's not a manufacturing defect. *tr

I purchased a 2005 tacoma double cab 4x4 short bed with trd off road package and tow package new in nov 2004. at 37k miles i put a set of trd sport wheel takeoffs on my truck. when i had them balanced and rotated at 47k (for the second time) i notice a slight vibration that seemed to come and go, different speeds, etc. i took it back and had it checked again. they swapped fronts to back and that seemed to cure it. the same thing happened at 52k and again at 56k miles. the tire man talked about replacing the tires if it would make me happy. at 60k miles i put on a new set of top of the line tires. it still has the vibration. if it's not the tires, the truck has never been wrecked or damaged, what is causing this problem? it seems that several others have similar problems and no one has a solution. *tr

2005 toyota tacoma, operated for approximately 7 years in a cold weather, high salt-use area. frame now has large areas of excessive rust & frame de-lamination, potentially reducing frame strength and integrity. *tr

10000 miles prior to purchasing the truck new my rear axle started 'clunking'. after bringing it in for the rear suspension tsb they told me that it won't completely rectify the axle sway('clunking')! i need this fixed by toyota, this will lead to other mechanical problems. it is a 05 toyota tacoma quad cab short be 4x4. *tr

Within a year of purchase, the rear leaf springs became soft and the truck bottomed out on bumps. i took it to a local dealer (haddads, pittsfield, ma) and they refused to service it claiming nothing was wrong. i later took it to a springfield dealership and received the same answer. i then took it to superior spring in pittsfield. they found both springs were broken and had to be replaced. i called toyota and they refused to honor the warranty, claiming i had over loaded the truck. i had not ever carried more than a few hundred lbs in the bed of this 1/2 ton truck. i have owned the truck since new and been the sole operator. a few weeks ago the steering became sticky. my mechanic replaced the steering shaft at a cost of $400. he stated that toyota should recall the vehicle for this because he sees this part fail often due to poor construction. also, the frame on this truck has significant rust already and does not look like it will outlast the body and drive train. i'm not pleased. *tr

Less than one year after purchase the rear leaf springs failed on both sides. two dealers plus toyota headquarters refused service, so i had to pay for a private spring shop to replace them. they have since been recalled but to date i have not received reimbursement. in 2014 the steering shaft had to be replaced and at the same time the frame was determined corroded beyond repair. toyota made promise to replace the frame under recall in nov 2014 but to date has not delivered and has not indicated when i can expect the repair to be made. for over six months now i have been left with an unsafe vehicle that i can't sell or replace.

The frame of the truck is rusting out at an accelerated rate. the welds are rusting out at high stress points (engine mounts and suspension areas). toyota has a history of this problem with the tacoma. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota tacoma. the contact stated that the rear suspension shocks had been replaced more than eight times due to a recurring failure. the contact also mentioned that when the vehicle had warranty the dealer replaced the component each time until the contact's factory warranty had become expired. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and the technician stated that both shocks had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 36,000. the current mileage was 172,180.

Potential safety hazard 29 mar 06 05/06 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'm highly disappointed with the front end metal suspension knuckle that sits a 1/2 inch away from the middle of the tire. this is on the 05 tacoma crew cab 4x4 shortbed w/trd, tow pkg (oc)options. -this causes issue 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 destroyed. 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 limit 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. billy armour. *nm

Over normal use of the vehicle, it has sustained several paint chips. the paint has been chipped on the front side of the bed, from debris being thrown up by the front tires, and on the rocker panels. toyota obviously thought of the issue by placing a thicker coat along the bottom of the vehicle. it did not work. the rear springs are also squeaking already. usually not an issue as the bushings wear out, but a little concerned after only 4600 miles have been put on the vehicle. *nm

I have 2005 toyota tacoma double cab 4x4, vehicle has a vibration in the front end as if the front tires are out of balance, the tires have been balanced two times in the last few months which doesn't seem to be the issue. the problems seems to occur at speeds of 55 to 65 mph. it comes and goes and get to point sometimes if feels very unsafe to handle at higher speeds. i have told the dealer twice about it and they say there's nothing wrong, yeah right. *jb

Just bought 2005 tacoma prerunner double cab 4x2 trd off road vehicle after driving it for a couple of days when driving on the highway and reach speed between 60 to 72 mph the vehicles sways back and forth like a patch of wind is pushing the vehicle or when passing a semi truck the vehicle will sway back and forth. brought back to dealer mechanic said that is a common problem now with this vehicle and there is no fix for it. this is a serious problem which can cause an accident at high speeds. its like the wind is blowing the vehicle from side to side. don't know if toyota is aware of the problem but i would appreciate if this could be investigated and reported to toyota for a recall and fix this serious problem. i have been searching for a fix to this problem with no success as of yet. *nm

Back in june 2005 i observed a significant "rubbing" noise coming from the front end of my 2005 toyota tacoma. upon taking the vehicle to the dealership for warranty repair i was informed that the left front wheel bearing was bad. on october 24th 2005 i returned to the dealer experiencing a similar "rubbing" noise and was told on this occasion that both the left and right front bearings had failed. this vehicle only has 20 thousand miles on it. i was informed that they must be poorly manufactured bearings. i'm concerned that this may be an ongoing problem as well as a safety issue. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota tacoma. while driving between 35-40 mph, the contact heard a loud knocking and grinding noise outside of the vehicle. in addition, the check engine and abs warning indicators were illuminated on the instrument panel. suddenly, the vehicle stalled and the warning indicators remained lit until the engine was turned off. roadside assistance was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the rear pinion and gear failed. the vehicle was repaired, but was taken to an authorized dealer on two separate occasions for identical failures. the vehicle was repaired twice under warranty. the failure mileage was 25,000 and current mileage was 82,000.

Dt*: the contact stated there is a vibration in the front end of the vehicle at speeds of 25 to 35 mph. the front tires have been replaced once trying to remedy the problem. the independent repair shop personnel determined the vibration was due to defect in the front suspension . the manufacturer has been contacted. *nm

My 2005 toyota tacoma pickup has severe paint chipping problems on the rocker panels, lower doors, and front of the bedsides. toyota is denying responsibility. they want to do a paint repair which will depreciate the value of my truck instead of giving me a new truck which is the only way to properly correct the problem. unless they were to strip my truck down to bare metal and repaint from scratch, there is no other way to do it properly.