Why aren't more tacoma owners up in arms about their trucks?

[toylandcruiser]

I switched from Land Rover (owned everything from a Defender to LR2) last year and bought a new 2019 Tacoma Off-road. I've since learned that Tacomas have:

1. oil lubrication issues when ascending hills that lead to low oil pressure / engine burning oil / even a thrown rod
2. can hydrolock after going throw shallow water & toyota doesn't publish spec "fording depths" like Jeep & Land Rover

These seem like big issues - the first led to me blowing the engine in my Taco...I'm pretty surprised there isn't more online about them. I wish I knew about them before buying my truck. Is this just a fluke? Or do Taco owners not ford water / ascend steep hills? How does Toyota get away with branding a truck "off road" but not publishing an acceptable fording depth?

I'm hoping this won't turn into a flame-fest...but I'm sure it will. I'm honestly just very confused and frustrated...so frustrated I've put my story online (neverbuyatacomaoffroad.com). I'm hoping others will learn from my mistake. I don't know what else to do. If I keep the truck I'll buy a snorkel of course, but that won't fix issue #1.

Couldn’t find anything in Tacoma forums. Maybe you’re is an isolated event.

 

[Sam Odio]

Couldn’t find anything in Tacoma forums. Maybe you’re is an isolated event.

I'm not sure that it is isolated. I wish it was.

Others are talking about this - check the website I created (in my signature). I link to other forum posts, photos & videos with these same issues.

 

[toylandcruiser]

I'm not sure that it is isolated. I wish it was.

Others are talking about this - check the website I created (in my signature). I link to other forum posts, photos & videos with these same issues.

Can’t see it on Tapatalk

 

[Sam Odio]

Can’t see it on Tapatalk

http://neverbuyatacomaoffroad.com (scroll down to the image of the Taco smoking - there are links beneath it).

 

[toylandcruiser]

http://neverbuyatacomaoffroad.com (scroll down to the image of the Taco smoking - there are links beneath it).

So zero comments is a lot of interest?

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I agree to your point, it is valid. But can we also agree that Toyota, and all companies in the U.S., are not selling us Unimogs or tractors. [Cont...].

100% agree. The off road/overlanding market is very small as compared to the overall market and they don’t build rigs for us. Most manufacturers build rigs that can be adapted into around-the-world rigs, but some take more adaptation than others. I’d say the Toyota platforms (Taco and 4Runner) in general take less adaptation than some other platforms, made easier by the massive aftermarket following, but they still are a compromise.

ChasingOurTrunks - Man, I keep coming back to that. So right.

It grinds my gears that Tacoma knows its drivers won't off-road its trucks so it can get away with this stuff. The company seems to just care about how the truck looks. They put a "TRD Off-Road" sticker on the side of a truck, beefy tires on it, and called it a day. Someone needs to call BS on that marketing strategy.

I spent $40k and I bought an off-road package. Sure, I could invest in after-market parts (though none exist for the oil lubrication issue on hill climbs). But should I have to? There are other options and other brands where, when I buy an off-road truck, I'd get an off-road truck.

I would be very frustrated if I were in your shoes my friend. I’m no stranger to the palpable disappointment of a rig that doesn’t do what you expect. But, I don’t think this is exclusive to Toyota. I think it is the same with every marque, just in different ones the problems change colours.

For example (and I’ve posted at length about this before; I’m going to start getting a reputation!) the Jeep platform is as off road capable as it gets, and if you read stories in expo and beyond the rubicon unlimited is the greatest thing to happen to overlanding since the roof top tent. However, payload on the new JLs is only 700 lbs. That rules it out for many people as a multi-week expo rig for 4x4 touring where more than one adult is on the trip. Two adults and basic kit eats up a lot of that 700 lbs — spare parts, recovery gear, etc. Mean it is nearly impossible not to go over that payload. That’s not focused on much in the magazines though, and don’t get me started on the gap between Jeeps marketing and their warranty service.

Another brand example is the latest rig we just bought — it’s a Canyon. It’s functionally the same as the Colorado, but a fair bit of aftermarket will not transfer over. There are no makers of lightweight winch bumpers or snorkels for the Canyon for instance, which is a significant disadvantage. The 4WD “auto” mode is also all about the city drivers — long term use of “auto” in an off road situation will wear it out prematurely, even though it’s ostensibly an off road machine.

The point is every platform has significant downsides that rarely make it to the adverts and magazines, leaving us as consumers in the lurch. I have no answers, just empathy.

I do know a lot of folks run Tacos as overlanding rigs. How many of them are Instagram rigs versus real world use I’m not sure, though, so I don’t personally know if the aftermarket has solved the shortcomings you have identified.

 

[DaveInDenver]

It's clear high angle is a problem.

 

[Sam Odio]

So zero comments is a lot of interest?

toylandcruiser Hey man, that's not what I said. Read my post again - when I said "Others are talking about this" I was referring to the several forum articles, photos, and videos I link to from that page where others describe the same issues.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Also, Yikes. I just read the full essay you posted and I partially recant my last post.

I still believe ever manufacturer has its foibles and no rig is perfect, but based on the videos you linked, those aren’t “oil lubrication on hill climbs” issues — that’s a faulty truck design and a significant negative mark to consider for a 4x4 tourer, in my opinion. Those are not steep hills in those videos.

I really do hope Toyota come up with a fix for this as that is pretty poor performance for a vehicle, off road or otherwise. There are hills steeper than that in Eastern Alberta and that’s saying something!

 

[Sam Odio]

It's clear high angle is a problem.

DaveInDenver - you're being sarcastic, but yah man, it is a problem. Too bad I didn't get a video when it happened to me...

 

[Sam Odio]

Also, Yikes. I just read the full essay you posted and I partially recant my last post.

ChasingOurTrunks - thanks man, honestly it means a lot to hear that. There are times when I think I'm going crazy or something - to feel this way about a truck so many people unquestionably love.

 

[perterra]

perterra - Land Rovers have a reputation for not being reliable, which is why I bought a Tacoma. I get that. I don't question that a Tacoma is more reliable on-road...I'm wondering - is it reliable in the dirt. Do 3rd gen Tacoma owners off-road their trucks? Why are they letting Toyota get away without a spec hill climb ascent angle or fording depth?


Land Rover publishes them, and I suspect others do to. For example: LR3 spec from Land Rover website. < If you drive a Tacoma at those angles (as I did) you'll blow the engine.

Also, you're forgetting wading depth, which Toyota also doesn't publish.

So does Dodge, Chevy, Ford and Nissan post what you are looking for?

 

[OverlandNA]

So a handful of Tacomas are having this problem out of 255000 sold in the USA & Canadia (2018). 2019s look to be using the same engines.
There are bound to be some failures in any run of engines/transmissions/etc.

 

[Sam Odio]

So does Dodge, Chevy, Ford and Nissan post what you are looking for?

I don't know, do I need to research every truck on the internet? Is it okay for a company to market a truck in a misleading way if others are doing it? I'm not sure I understand your point.

So a handful of Tacomas are having this problem out of 255000 sold in the USA & Canadia (2018). 2019s look to be using the same engines. There are bound to be some failures in any run of engines/transmissions/etc.

@OverlandNA -That's true, but Toyota sold 427,168 RAV4s in 2018. Does that mean the RAV4 is an even better choice when it comes to climbing hills/fording water? My point is that we don't know what those owners are doing and Toyota isn't willing to commit to performance numbers. In the absence of that data I wish there was some sense of accountability by the off-road press:

• At what angle does a spec Tacoma (with no 'engine issue') have oil lubrication issues that could result in a blown engine?
• At what water depth does a Tacoma risk hydrolocking?
• How do those compare with other options on the market?

It seems like the Tacoma (based on my experience and evidence like the videos I've shared) performs pretty poorly on aspect 1 & 2...I'm just surprised more people are talking about it / testing it / etc.

If you want to prove me wrong - don't cite 255k trucks sold. Go out and leave your Taco on a 35 deg incline for 5 mins. Start the truck, rev the RPM, and tell me it's not smoking horrendously after. That would be a constructive debate. I'd love to actually run tests like that with another Taco owner to prove that my truck is an anomaly.

 

[toylandcruiser]

So a handful of Tacomas are having this problem out of 255000 sold in the USA & Canadia (2018). 2019s look to be using the same engines.
There are bound to be some failures in any run of engines/transmissions/etc.

Yep been off road with a bunch of Tacoma’s and non of them had any issue.