I drive an automatic 2017 Tacoma TRD Off-Road which currently has about 69k. Since purchasing the vehicle, I’ve have multiple reoccurring issues. I’ve had to have the transmission replaced at 50k after they found metal shavings when I kept complaining about slippage even after a TSB update. I’m still having slippage with the new transmission which they won’t acknowledge.
On top of this, they can never seem to get it aligned properly. The front passenger tire's outer tread wears down a lot faster than the others but the dealerships continue to say there’s nothing wrong. I’ve replaced the tires with heavy duty ones and it’s very clear that that tire continues to get worn down way faster than any others. I’ve taken it to 4 different dealerships and keep getting the run around. I had to really push for the original transmission issue to be addressed which lead to them finding metal shavings around 50k and I’ve been trying to get them to deal with the alignment issues with no luck.
I’ve called corporate with no real assistance so I’m at a loss on what do.
Additionally, I've received very poor service from the Toyota dealerships. I took it in for a dead battery and they said it was fine. It failed to start when I was going to leave and then they said the battery was bad. They've not performed services I've asked for - like rotating the tires, checking the suspension, or even doing the alignment. I've even been charged for services that were not rendered. I've had a dealership put over 200 miles during a "test drive" when I went in for the first transmission issue. I've talked to body shops that were referred by Toyota that say it's most likely a suspension issue but Toyota fails to even look at it claiming that my truck pulling to the right is just road crown even though the tires continue to wear down unevenly.
Any help would be awesome.
Welcome to Dealership World. You need to find a good, independent mechanic who will appreciate your business instead of shine you on. Outer tread wear is an indication of either too much toe in or too much positive camber. A professional alignment shop (not a dealer) should be able to easily diagnose and fix this problem. Is this vehicle still under warranty?
Thank you for the response. I appreciate any help. I am starting to get really tired of how dealerships think they can operate.
It's not under warranty anymore, but I started complaining about the issue while it was still under warranty and have been hoping they'd deal with it since I brought it up to them numerous times. I've taken it in like 30 times in less than 2 years. The original transmission was replaced while it was still under though. The outer tread only wears on the single tire and all they say is the alignment is fine and expect road crown.
I'll have to take your advice and find a professional in my area. Maybe they can also figure out why every time I hit my brakes there's a huge clunk in the rear as well that Toyota wants to claim is perfectly normal and just how their vehicles operate.
See what the independent shop says. Depending on their findings, you’ll have to choose between getting it fixed, or getting rid of it and buying another/similar vehicle.
