Buzzy Vibration at certain RPM's..read before buying!

Hello, all.

I just finished a 260 mile trip from Flagstaff to Las Vegas for a conference I am attending. As I started the trip with only 430 miles on the new '16 Tacoma Limited 4x4, I was constantly varying the speeds driven, per the manual, which says to do this for the first 1000 miles. Unfortunately, I cam away from the trip with numb hands and lower arms. I noticed that at speeds approaching and over 70mph, there is a distinct 'buzz' in the steering wheel. The wheel does not shimmy or shake and the vehicle tracks true when you let it go; however, the buzz is always there. At 65-70, it is only lightly noticeable; however, if you grip the wheel tightly, you can feel it. At 75-80, it literally became uncomfortable for me after a while. It seems to intensify on shifts from the 6th to the 5th overdrive gear as the vehicle RPM rises with the shift (the truck does this a lot to maintain speeds, even on slight incline grades). I also felt that I could distinctly feel it in the footwell. At a full stop with the vehicle in neutral, I could raise the RPM and not feel anything at all.

My first step is to take it to the dealer to have them check the balance on the tires; however, I am puzzled that, if is a tire balance issue, why would it intensify on a downshift? Why no shimmy or shake at all in the steering wheel, just the transmitted buzz?

I have read nothing either here or over at toyotanation.com in the 3rd gen forum there that anyone else has experienced anything similar. My FJC (prior vehicle) worked hard at 80mph; however, there was never any buzz at all like this in the steering wheel and foot well (and, for that matter, I've never experienced this on any other vehicle like this...I've had tires out of balance but always got a slight shimmy/shake to go with it).

In the back of my mind, I'm concerned that this is a transmitted buzz from the engine caused by something allowing it to transmit up the steering column; however, admit that I might be over thinking this and it is all a tire problem...

Any comments or input is appreciated. I have to be honest and say that, if this is not fixable, I could not continue to drive this truck, as I take several long trips on freeways at 75-80mph and could not handle the numbness/discomfort from the issue.

I certainly don't recall feeling anything of the kind on my test drives; however, even though I got up to 75-80 on those drives, they weren't long enough for me to have truly noticed this....

 

If anything when you are at the dealership when checking balance etc. drive another model if they have a different brand of tires on it. I am unsure if the limited comes with one brand but an offroad would be another brand. I have a few roads around my area where there is a stretch of different types of concrete and asphalt and things feel different at different speeds. There is one spot on a hot day you would swear your about to throw a belt it's so bad. It's just a section that is so beaten and rippled you think you lost a wheel weight.

 

Let the TSB's begin.

 

could even just be the tire type. not unbalanced.

I know when I had BFG G force KDW on my old subie i had a lot of wheel vibration, and it was just from the tread of the tire.

 

I guess we should ask if it's his first Tacoma or truck for that matter as well. I know coming from a A4 this felt like a tank in comparison to my car. However my shop truck (reg cab 8ft F150 eco) the Taco feels pretty damn good.

 

First Taco, not first truck. Traded a '10 FJ Cruiser in. Have owned half tons in the past. Definitely a step up in ride/handling/etc from the FJ. The FJ was definitely like riding in a tank; however, never this type of 'tingly' transferred via the steering column, with any of the tires I had on it (both street and aggressive) even when it was working hard going up a steep grade trying to maintain 75-80.

Tires mounted on the Taco are Michelin LTX M/S2's. The buzzy vibration through the steering wheel came from any/all roadway surface types driven on; and, the roads to Vegas give you every type imaginable. Tires were whisper quiet on many surfaces and noisy where you would expect them to be.

The two I test drove were both Sport models with 17's. The Limited has 18's but neither tire was very aggressive and at lower speeds there is no transferred buzz that I can tell on mine.

I appreciate all the input and suggestions.

 

Let us all know, I am curious myself to see what is found. It's not unheard of but perhaps a tire has an issue, which is always fun to figure out.

 

Interesting! I get a bit of a steering wheel shake when I get up to about 120 km/h (75 mph), I was trying to remember if this occurred in my 2006 but it's been a while.

Could this be an alignment issue, or unbalanced tires? Previous ride was a F150 Platinum that drove quite differently. Is this just normal because the Tacoma's just ride a little rougher. Tires are the stock Firestone Destination LE2.

 

Well....have the appt Friday at 10:30. Service Manager said I was the only complaint like this he's had. He checked the service bulletins and also found nothing. His theory was it was a slightly OOB front tire. I hope it is that simple.

Will report the outcome late Friday.

 

I have an inquiry with a buddy of mine that manages a tire shop. I am curious to see what simulated speed a balancing machine balances to. Like if you said I was driving 150 kph how can they remedy it if the machine only balances to let's say 120 kph.

 

Ok so basically most machines have a regular mode that would make it good up to let's say 100kph but some now have a performance mode which measures it more accurately to let's say 150 kph.

 

Is your tire pressure set to the pressure on the door jamb?
Every Toyota I've driven off the lot has been way over inflated.

 

It

it was at 35. I lowered it.

 

I'm having a similar issues on my TRD OR DC 4x4 A/T. I believe it's just a bad or unbalanced tire on the right rear, but will post again if it's something different. It's directly related to speed at 75-77 mph and not related to rpm

 

Road force balanced ?
Is the Haweka adapter still used for the 2016 ?
Considering you are not feeling the vibe while parked in neutral , I am willing to eliminate the engine from the equation . All we have remaining is the drive line and 4 tires .
Find out if your tires were road force balanced using the Haweka adapter on the tire machine. Here is the pdf tsu00296.pdf

 

I was thinking about having the tires road force balanced if the dealership says they are all ok....not sure what type of balancer the dealership has; however, I believe that a Discount Tire nearby has a road force balancer.

I appreciate your input.

 

At the dealer now. Their most senior Tech, a guy of about 55 w many years experience, said tires all good, no balance issues. Drove it and came back, confirming a definite buzzy vibration in the steering wheel at 2100-2300 RPM. He could also feel it in the driver's footwell. He contacted Toyota tech hotline and they claim to have no other complaints like this. They went to engineers, who said to have tech loosen and then re-torque all engine and trans mounts to specs.

Will report back once I get further. Was told I'd be here for a while....

 

Well, the Master Tech at the dealer said all mounts were properly torque'd to spec. The vibration is still there. They are escalating it with Toyota and I now have the case number.


I did get a PM from another member and he said that he test drove several Limiteds and Sports and they all had the buzziness to some degree, many worse than others and ALL at 2100-2300 RPM; however, he also drove 3 TRD O/R's and NONE of them exhibited the buzzy vibration at all. Interesting development and hopefully this will lead us to a resolution.


This is the first time after purchasing several Toyotas (over 10) that I can honestly say that I am disappointed in my purchase. I truly hope they can make this right because, overall, I like a lot about the truck; however, this 'buzzy' engine is downright unacceptable.

 

Well, my Dealer just got in an O/R and they are going to hand it to the Master Tech to test once it is prepped to see if he can feel the vibration there. No matter his results, I'm calling corporate and pounding the drum about this and making it a bigger issue with them than I think my dealer has. NO vehicle designed for the road should numb one's hands and I am taking the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" approach here until either I'm satisfied, or I look at dumping the truck.

I'm starting to lean towards those two overdrive gears in the trans as it is in the 2100-2300RPM range in those gears where the vibration is most evident in both the steering wheel and the floorboard area. Also concerned that a regular vibration where it is located (general highway traveling speeds) could cause other issues down the line. Year ago, I had a Harley that had a certain buzzy vibration in the lower frame and even loctite would not work well holding some things together. HD finally came up with a re-designed motor mount that resolved the issue. I'm hoping that is something as simple as that....

 

Well, dealership has tested other trucks and has come to the 'conclusion' that it must be normal as they found it on all 4x4 Sports and Limiteds they have tested. When I asked the Asst Service Manager if this was acceptable in a $40k truck, he was DEAD SILENT. I then asked him what I was supposed to do since the problem was bad enough to numb my hands and wrists on long drives, and I could not imaging a Tundra, or a Colorado/Canyon, being acceptable with this issue. His response was TEPID at best, saying that they had "filed a report with Toyota, and there was nothing more they could do. Maybe you should call the ToyotaCare line and file another complaint? Just let them know that we already filed our report and give them the case number we gave you."


I'm calling and will see what Toyota will do; however, this is starting to really irritate me since the dealership seems to want to be totally hands off on this. I'm starting to regret that I traded in my FJC for this truck. Overall, I like much about it; however, this issue is ridiculous in todays day and age.....and I'm getting more and more PO'd at the dealership for not seeming to care one bit.