'06 Tacoma tranny

[highland145]

29K miles on my '06 Tacoma 2x4 v6. 3 times over the weekend, I put it in drive, gave it a little gas and it "thunked" into gear (has not been abused). Can't check the fluid because it's a closed system. Still under warranty but what the heck. I expect better out of Toyota.

So then I had the bright idea of going to Kelly Blue Book. Trade in is $17k and new Tacoma, stripped, is $22.3k invoice/$24.3k msrp. I figure $6k and I get a new truck. 3 dealers in the area and they all tell me they can't get one for invoice of less that $24K+. My first thought is that they are full of it. Could KBB be off? Any thoughts before I continue harassing the salesmen?


12/29/09- Dealership said my rear brakes were overtightened. Asked how that happened by itself and reminded them that they were the last ones to work on the rear brakes. $100 for the "fix".

Then the insanity fell on me like a ton of bricks. Left with a 2010 4x2 prerunner SR5 but only paid $23083.00 OTD. Basically cost me $170.00/mo for the last 3 years to drive the '06. That's better than a lease. They must really need to move some product.

 

[slag]

I figure $6k and I get a new truck.

You have a new truck. 3 years old is a new truck.

 

[highland145]

You have a new truck. 3 years old is a new truck.

If the tranny is hosed, I don't care if it's a 2010. I'm afraid of what else is waiting in the wings. So $6K/36 mo=$167/mo Not bad for a 3 year "lease."

Just sold my 1990 Prelude. Guess I should have kept that one and sold the truck.

 

[jlee]

....warranty? It's worth getting it looked at, assuming everything else is fine. I haven't heard of any problems with the 05+ Tacoma autos, though the 6sp manual transmissions weren't known for excessive strength.

 

[Vette73]

Wait... so you have a Tacoma and are worried about its relability so you want to trade it in on another Tacoma?
WOW


Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

 

[StageLeft]

Maybe you can find a new one at that price but I highly doubt you can get basically the same truck for only 6k more. Yours had to have depreciated more than that OR the price of those new ones you have is not accurate or they have less options.

Anyway, don't you have a warranty on this? Unfortunately, if it's a rare issue it could be very hard for Toyota to diagnose. If they are unable to and you do feel it's a serious issue, it would then be worth considering replacing the truck before the warranty on power train expires--but that is years away.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Here's a hint, dealers don't go by KBB or Edmunds or NADA. They have their own "book"
If you're going to get rid of a vehicle just because it has problems, why would you get the same thing again?
It's an 06. It has a 5 year 60K drivetrain warranty. It's covered. Get it fixed.

 

[highland145]

Replacing the tacoma with another sounds stupid to my logical brain but I don't have any confidence in the other makers either. At around 5k miles the brakes started squealing. Toyota replaced the rotors and drums because they were warped. The tech blamed it on the "lack of pay given to auto workers." I almost wet my pants laughing. I suggested maybe the poor quality steel from China and he looked at me like I had 3 eyes.

Did have a salesman tell me that they don't ship the stripped model shown on KBB. Has to be a special order and 2+ months out. Looks like the service department is getting a visit.

 

[Vette73]

Sorry but GMC, Chevy, and Ford are way better then Toyota has for trucks.
If not for the name people would not touch a Tacoma with all the problems it has had from engine to rust.

My dads current GMC has over 200k and he beats the snot out of it and still has the orignals trans, motor, etc...
His last one was about 100k, no major work, but he did not want the 3/4 diesal anymore.

 

[highland145]

Sorry but GMC, Chevy, and Ford are way better then Toyota has for trucks.
If not for the name people would not touch a Tacoma with all the problems it has had from engine to rust.

My dads current GMC has over 200k and he beats the snot out of it and still has the orignals trans, motor, etc...
His last one was about 100k, no major work, but he did not want the 3/4 diesal anymore.

Definitely dissatisfied at this point. If I bought a Ford, my bro (a ford man) would have a heart attack.

Got spoiled with the quality of Prelude after 19 years.

 

[StageLeft]

US does have good trucks. Given high resale of this you might get a good deal trading it in on an F150. If you want to prevent heart attack from your brother read up some reviews, you may find it is a high quality truck.

Replacing brakes at 5k and tranny problems at 29k is something I'd expect from first-gen of Chinese vehicles once they bring them over here, not a Toyota. But then we wouldn't have expected those trucks to literally fall in two with a stiff kick, either. Name buys a lot of forgiveness, doesn't it?

 

[highland145]

Thanks for all the input. Reorganizing my auto maker belief system appears to be over due.

 

[highland145]

Updated my original post.

 

[jlee]

Sorry but GMC, Chevy, and Ford are way better then Toyota has for trucks.
If not for the name people would not touch a Tacoma with all the problems it has had from engine to rust.

My dads current GMC has over 200k and he beats the snot out of it and still has the orignals trans, motor, etc...
His last one was about 100k, no major work, but he did not want the 3/4 diesal anymore.

Engine...? The Tacoma motors are rock solid (at least the older ones)...the frame rust was quite a bummer, but my engine / trans was rock solid at 198k when it went back to Toyota.

 

[PricklyPete]

Well congrats on the new truck...although a little surprised by you buying a new one after the problems you've had on your current one.

If it makes you feel any better...here's another anecdotal story about Tacoma quality... I've had a 2005 Tacoma (TRD Off Road with 6spd manual) and have had no problems with it whatsoever. It's not a "luxurious" vehicle and after 5 years and nearly 60K miles there are a few squeaks here and there, but it works 100% without complaining. I've only changed engine oil/filter, trans oil, differential oil, air filter, flushed cooling system, and replaced tires. With the exception of the tires, total cost so far has been somewhere around $250 for oil and filters (I use synthetic...so a bit more than regular cost). I hope it continues this way for a while. I recently checked the brakes and I have ~75% on the rear and nearly ~50% on the front...thanks to manual transmission.

Edit: I forgot to mention I do have a couple of chips on the paint on the hood...can't say that that it is necessarily "bad paint" job as this truck has been driven in crappy conditions behind other trucks on dirt roads/off road... not to mention a number of highway trips. So a few chips can be expected.

 

[Greenman]

29K miles on my '06 Tacoma 2x4 v6. 3 times over the weekend, I put it in drive, gave it a little gas and it "thunked" into gear (has not been abused). Can't check the fluid because it's a closed system. Still under warranty but what the heck. I expect better out of Toyota.

So then I had the bright idea of going to Kelly Blue Book. Trade in is $17k and new Tacoma, stripped, is $22.3k invoice/$24.3k msrp. I figure $6k and I get a new truck. 3 dealers in the area and they all tell me they can't get one for invoice of less that $24K+. My first thought is that they are full of it. Could KBB be off? Any thoughts before I continue harassing the salesmen?


12/29/09- Dealership said my rear brakes were overtightened. Asked how that happened by itself and reminded them that they were the last ones to work on the rear brakes. $100 for the "fix".

Then the insanity fell on me like a ton of bricks. Left with a 2010 4x2 prerunner SR5 but only paid $23083.00 OTD. Basically cost me $170.00/mo for the last 3 years to drive the '06. That's better than a lease. They must really need to move some product.

You can't check the tranny fluid in a toyota?

 

[TridenT]

You can't check the tranny fluid in a toyota?

Toyota Tacoma maybe.. I know you can in 2003 Toyota Corollas at least... >.>

 

[fleabag]

Replacing the tacoma with another sounds stupid to my logical brain but I don't have any confidence in the other makers either. At around 5k miles the brakes started squealing. Toyota replaced the rotors and drums because they were warped. The tech blamed it on the "lack of pay given to auto workers." I almost wet my pants laughing. I suggested maybe the poor quality steel from China and he looked at me like I had 3 eyes.

Did have a salesman tell me that they don't ship the stripped model shown on KBB. Has to be a special order and 2+ months out. Looks like the service department is getting a visit.

you just made my day with this post.

 

[highland145]

You can't check the tranny fluid in a toyota?

Nope. Closed system. "Should never need checking." In the Mr. Bizarro world, this is normal. Didn't realize I had shifted to that dimension.

 

[exdeath]

The closed system idea is retarded. There is friction material and other wear items that require fluid to be maintained. I've seen this on the newer GM transmissions also. A guy I know at one of the shops I use swapped out a transmission and at the last minute realized that there wasn't a drain plug on the new one, and ended up swapping the pan out with the old one.

Anyhow, you are almost always better repairing minor issues than buying another vehicle. You can fix the problem and get it right the 2nd time around where the factory failed and get 100k miles out of it, or at the very least not worry about that single part ever again if it's fixed right. Or buy another brand new truck and run into the same problem again at 29k plus rolling the dice on a list of new quirks and unknowns.

And you're sure it's the transmission and not just a broken mount somewhere?

 

[highland145]

The closed system idea is retarded. There is friction material and other wear items that require fluid to be maintained. I've seen this on the newer GM transmissions also. A guy I know at one of the shops I use swapped out a transmission and at the last minute realized that there wasn't a drain plug on the new one, and ended up swapping the pan out with the old one.

Anyhow, you are almost always better repairing minor issues than buying another vehicle. You can fix the problem and get it right the 2nd time around where the factory failed and get 100k miles out of it, or at the very least not worry about that single part ever again if it's fixed right. Or buy another brand new truck and run into the same problem again at 29k plus rolling the dice on a list of new quirks and unknowns.

And you're sure it's the transmission and not just a broken mount somewhere?

Not sure of anything. They kept it for the day and said it was the rear brakes. The "thunking" sound was definitely coming from the front.

I think it's a crap shoot either way. Originally got one with a problem or it's a common problem (couldn't find much on google about the tranny). There were a several of reasons for the new purchase.
1. New truck with new warranty. The new ones have limited lifetime powertrain instead of 5/60k.
2. Cash out of pocket/months of use was excellent.
3. Previously, I mentioned the drums being replaced by them. When the tech told me their diagnosis of the current problem, I reminded them that they had replaced those same drums. She quoted dates and work but said it was the rotors, not the drums, that they had replaced. I couldn't argue because they had my paperwork in the truck but I knew that wasn't correct. So the problem wasn't fixed and I would have to go back again in the future. Solution: Trade and let the dealership use the warranty for repairs. After the fact, I found the original work order and it was the drums.

Left tie downs in the storage under the rear seat so went back yesterday to get them. The used car manager had the truck out for a demo and wouldn't be back until today. I'm almost hoping they ask me what that noise is. They will get a big smile and I'll point them to the service dept and say,"They just took my $100.00 and told me it was fixed."