Problems with 2002 Toyota Tacoma POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tacoma. while driving approximately 10 mph, the ball joint fractured and came apart. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was later towed to mike erdman toyota (1545 e merritt island causeway, merritt island, fl 32952) where it was diagnosed that the ball joint separated and damaged the axle. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. additionally, the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 05v225000 (suspension). the failure mileage was approximately 334,000. parts distribution disconnect.

The rust on the rear end assembly is so severe that the brakes are compromised, and the back up emergency brake system has failed. the rust on the differential housing is so severe that the fluid has leaked out and the gears are at risk for catastrophic failure. the spring mounts to the axles are also rusting severely, creating a risk of lost control should either side break away. it takes great effort when braking, and the vehicle pulls severely due to rust causing the loss of integrity of the braking system. the brakes, once applied, do not release evenly, creating uneven brake wear, shuddering and shaking, resulting in poor control, excessive and uneven tire wear, i.e., tires locked and dragging, scalloping. on wet, and i fear, icey, surfaces, the truck has slid sideways due to one or more wheels not releasing.

I took in my 2002 tacoma for an oil change and was told that they could not put it up on the lift due to excessive corrosion on the frame. i only recently bought the truck in oct. 2013 with 65k miles on it. all else works fine. after explaining the issue to toyota they advised me to take it to the dealership for inspection. the dealership then told me that they were only covering the rusted spare wheel casing in the recall, not the entire frame, and advised me to take it up with toyota corporate. the model before the '02 was recalled due to excessive corrosion on the frame (in cold weather states) however the problem seems to persist in later models. has anyone had luck calling toyota about this? i'm in a tough spot as i purchased the truck recently (although the rust damage did not appear as bad then and i'm wondering if some coating was applied at the dealer) and would have missed any recall on the frame if there had been one. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota tacoma. the contact stated that the frame started to deteriorate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician applied an under coating to the frame. the contact stated that the coating eventually wore off. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. updated 04/21/14*lj the consumer stated he made an appointment for the corrosion frame recall. before the appointment, he noticed a lot of oil droplets on the tail gate of the truck, as he drove off, he noticed a puddle of oil. an inspection revealed, the differential case was leaking and it needed to be replaced because it was extremely rusty. also, the frame was rusted, and it needed to be replaced. updated 04/24/14

2002 toyota tacoma. consumer states in 2010 while backing out of the backyard, the left wheel axle broke *tgw the consumer stated the exact same thing happened on july 1, 2011, only it happened on the opposite side. the consumer stated the tire twisted and the truck skidded into oncoming traffic. *jb

Rusted out rear differential - 2002 toyota tacoma. *tr

Gas tank shield severely rusted. under side of gastank is protected by a shield/skid plate. it is rusted so badly that when hit with a hammer the hammer goes right through. presumably this shield is to protect the gas tank from debris and stones especially if the truck is used off road. i discovered this as i was inspecting the underside of the truck before dropping the truck off at the dealer to have the frame replaced. in addition to this, it is apparent that the drive axle and differential housing also have severe rust. if tapped with a hammer the rust comes of in sheets. the parking brakes actuating levers have rusted in place and can no longer be used. there appears to be more to this rust than simple frame rust. the rust is pervasive through out the underside of the truck. *tr

The toyota tacoma had a rear axle wrap up, this was where the two piece driveshaft becomes loose at the spleen and caused a clung or looseness in the drive line, which caused undue stress on the engine and the transmission, which could cause the driveshaft to break at the yoke and fall to ground, causing an accident. this was getting progressively worse on the truck. i have taken the car under warranty to the dealer. they dismissed it as normal. this was not normal. it was a flaw in the springs they used on the truck.*ak

My experience with manual transmission on my current and previous toyota pick-up trucks was not very good. first my previous, earlier model 98 toyota tacoma 2wd manual transmission had failed at about 55,000 miles just prior to the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty limit. the failure happened at the synchronizer from 4th to 5th gear when shifting from neutral according to toyota technician at the time. the safety issue on this is that while driving and one needs to shift to 5th gear from neutral, one may have difficulty shifting and the transmission could have a catastrophic failure and at such freeway speed the vehicle could suddenly stall, stop and may go in a tailspin. previous dealer where i bought the vehicle from repaired the transmission per the warranty. now i have another toyota tacoma pick-up 4x4 having the same problem. i took it to the a toyota dealer previously since it was still under warranty for powertrain and around 55,000 miles but dealer refused to take a look at the problem even after repeated attempts to get the problem corrected. i informed them that i have a similar problem before and they have fixed it. but this time around they ...

My toyota tacoma has what toyota refers to as rear axle wrap up, where the two piece drive shaft becomes loose at the spline and causes a clunk or looseness in the driveline which cause undue stress on the engine and the transmission, which could cause the drive shaft to break at the yoke and fall to ground causing accident.*jb

Transmission-power train.while driving in low speed situations the vehicle's transmission shifts from 1st to 2nd.....back and forth from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st. i took the vehicle to the dealer and they advised that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. it has 76k miles on it. i was just wondering if anyone else was having this problem.*akl

Power train - just bought my truck about 3 months ago. during the test drive, i was extremely impressed by the ride of my tacoma. a few weeks after i had it, i started to experience the clunking sound coming from underneath. i have to the dealership 3 times now, and everytime i have been told was normal. i was told all automatic transmissions do this. this is the second toyota truck i have owned, and i could tell you this, they don't come up with a resolution, it will be my last. i also drive a celica (great car), but if i lose the truck, then i losing the celica, and will want nothing to do with toyota's again!!! *ak

Transmission/driveshaft experiences loud clunk noise when brakes are applied then released. this is a known problem to toyota however they offer no resolution. research has indicated adding leaf springs to stiffen rear suspension resloves this issue toyota will not do this modification. *jb

My 2002 tacoma vibrates at high speeds and when stopping. i've had the brakes fixed 5 times now and it's still not right. my transmission clunks when i stop and start, shutters when coming to a stop, and shifts hard. sometimes the transmission clunks after i've already started moving. the problems started about a year ago. i've recently been to two dealerships before the warranty expired and nothing was done. one toyota technician said it was my brakes, yeah right, the other wouldn't even take it for a test drive. i think the problem is caused by my transmission sliding back and forth, which i don't think it's supposed to do. whenever i stomp on the gas to pass someone it shifts into the wrong gear and the engine red lines. my dash squeaks, so i have to wedge my wallet in between the windshield and dash to stop it. my driver's side door doesn't shut flush with the body. last but not least, i had to replace my oxygen sensor. i would like to sell my truck, but can't with all the problems. this was my first toyota and will probably be my last.

Transmission "clunks" on stops and surges after brake is released from stop. feels like you've been rear ended. dealer said this is normal, "they all do it". i contacted toyota hq and they refused to comment on problem. vehicle value is greatly diminished. *jb