Leveling Kit Recommendation? Will it void my warrenty?

Looking to get a leveling kit for my Tacoma but I have a warranty from the dealership that I do not want to void. Any recommendations on brand and size?

 

Any lift will void the warranty on those parts. But they can also try to blame other issues on the lift too.

Examples -
You get a lift (springs, struts, and rear leafs) and you get a clunk in the suspension later. The dealer may say its because of the lift without looking at it, even if its not due to the lift.

You get your lift and one of the springs breaks, since its a aftermarket part it wont be covered under your toyota warranty.

If you have a issue with the TSS system with a lift, the dealer will say its because of the lift without checking it out unless you pay for the checkout.


If you install the lift and end up with a radio problem, they can not and will not blame the lift on it and will fix under warranty.

 

In order to void your warranty, they must prove that the modification is what caused the issue. Technically, you're in good shape then, but it's a much different matter when you have to fight them and you need the truck for transportation. Keep the lift under 3 inches to avoid most issues.

 

I mean, if you just want to level the front for the aesthetics, you can do a spacer lift for very little money and it won't hurt your truck (despite what you might hear to the contrary) lol. You do not have to do a full suspension swap to bring the front up by an inch.

 

This is a key thing. Even if you know the issue your having is not caused by the lift, the hassle and expense of trying to get it covered is often not even worth fighting.

 

@5nahalf summed it up perfectly. Also consider that it is common for the driver side needle bearing to cause a vibration after lifting the truck. Remedy for that is removing the bushing and installing a sleeve (ECGS Bushing).

 

https://www.extremeterrain.com/rough-country-2-leveling-kit-0519-6lug-tacoma.html

Something like this is what I was thinking. Is this what you mean when you say spacer lift?

 

Yep. I had one from Head Strong Off Road for years (and I even off roaded my truck) with no issues.

 

Seeing the truck is new keep away from any lift for 3 years or until your warranties are over to save you headaches with Toyota. Other wise you will be faced with the problems mentioned earlier about dealer blaming it on the lift. It's up to you. Just saying.

 

You can also get the factory lift kit, it will be covered under warranty if installed by the dealer. Its not a great kit for the money, but at least you'll keep the warranty intact.

Warranty on the OEM kit is 3 year 36k miles when put on a new truck, 1 year 12k miles on a used truck.

 

A very good read on that prickly subject...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ffs-lets-all-stop-referencing-the-magnussen-moss-act.609911/

 

You could look at the Toyota TRD Performance Lift kit.

Basically a 2 and 1, using a riser for the rear.

they swap your grille for a Pro style (all black letters) grill and you get re-valves Bilstein shocks with TRD graphics. And they swap front camera and radar locations to keep the TSS working (allegedly).

I have the kit; it’s dynamite, but expensive for what it is.

Good road feel, stops most brake dive when braking too!

Huge thread here - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyota-trd-oem-lift-kit.695620/

 

Lots of dealers sell TRD suspension components. To completely rule out any chances of not being covered buy the parts from your dealer and have them do the install. Yes it’s going to cost you but they might do some price matching on the struts if you show them a cheaper online price.

 

I've heard that leveling does not void warranty, but switching out the shocks does.

I think its all up to toyota and what they decide

 

The radio problems in these trucks is not fixable in the first place. I gave up after the warranty head replacement was a piece of shit too.

 

Also true, I replaced my radio after my XM trial ended.

 

Here is free legal advice:

https://www.findlaw.com/consumer/consumer-transactions/what-will-void-a-warranty-.html.

One key thing stated in that article is that you need to read your warranty if you really care about this issue. I bet few if any people on here have read it. I have not.

Regardless of the laws it really comes down to a judgement call of someone at Toyota, because litigating is not likely have a large ROI unless it is a class action lawsuit being financed by someone with deep pockets.

 

I went with a leveling kit when my truck was practically new and it rode the same as it did before. Spacers are good as a cheap upgrade. If you plan on doing any significant off-roading I would stay away from a spacer lift. I do not like how soft the suspension is on the Sport so I will be going with 5100's in the near future.

 

I think I understand what you are trying to say, but this is a bit misleading. If the part is warrantied by Toyota, I assume it is still warrantied after being removed and then reinstalled on my truck (or another truck?). I think what you are trying to say is that replacing one part of the truck with a non-OEM part does not void the warranty for the entire truck. Non-automobile warranties might work that way but automobile warranties don’t typically work that way.

 

TRD lift, dealer installed. Full warranty.