2022 TRD Off Road Premium noises

When we picked up our new 4runner a few weeks ago I noticed two noises that the dealer thought were normal. With the engine running in Park (or Drive but not moving) I hear a noise that I can best describe as water running through the pipes in your house. Using my automotive stethoscope, I finally traced it to the catalytic converter. It must not bother most people but I don't like noises that I don't think should be there. Thinking about putting some heat resistant sound deadening material between the heat shield above the converter and the body.

More concerning is when I let off the gas there is a slight but noticeable drag or slowing of the vehicle which my 2012 FJ Cruiser didn't have. You can barely hear and feel it as if the gearing is slowing the vehicle down. At around 30mph, I shifted into 4H and the drag stopped. The dealer went for a test ride with me and thought it was probably ok but said they would inspect everything at the first scheduled service in a couple of months.

Has anyone else experienced these? It would be somewhat comforting to know this is normal for these new 4runners. Thanks

 

I’ve never had a needle bearing issue, but I wonder if this is one of its manifestations. The switch to 4H has me wondering.

 

now I've seen all the other posts about the needle bearings so I'm not alone- still wondering about the noisy catalytic converter?

 

Welcome from Wisconsin! I have not heard about the catalytic converter noise, we recently replaced the needle bearing via the bushing from ECGS, that stopped the noise/vibration coming from our 4Runner. Have read about the bearing acting up with anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand miles. I literally went underneath the vehicle to check for excessive movement by front diff. where the axle shaft/CV joint comes out of the diff., seemed excessive, so we went with the bushing install.

 

Noise freak here
They drive me ape shit. Which is a short trip lol..
Anyway im sensitive to it and many, heck most, are not at all bothered by nor hear things like this is what ive found and some just twist the audio dial a touch more and go on.
Point is, sensitive here and have no sound like this on my ‘21. Have you inspected it closely for any signs of it being dropped/dented? Could have somehow led to a change in flow characteristics internally and hence the noise.

As for the drag ive not noticed anything peculiar

 

Replacing the needle bearing with a ECGS bushing might not be a DIY big deal if you had already done one before but I've had too many "easy" projects become a pain in the a** the first time you do one when something didn't go the way it supposedly should....
Can damage be done if the needle bearing is not fixed asap? Sounds like some owners have ignored it for many miles???
Also wondered if this wouldn't void the warranty if something went bad in the future. I'll probably wait for my first scheduled service in March and hound the dealership until it is resolved.

 

That’s the best approach IMO. It’s under warranty, so it’s not your problem to fix. Have it checked at every service visit. Have them document those inspections each time. Meanwhile, you’ll be driving it more and maybe gathering more ‘data’ as you drive, helping you to narrow down the circumstances surrounding the symptoms that you’re trying to explain to them.

 

I could swear, when my needle bearing is being noisy (it’s fairly intermittent), sometimes, not always, I feel a bit of extra drag. But I would think if it that was the cause of your problem, you’d be able to hear it too.

I have around 23k miles on mine, and the needle bearing has been intermittent noisy since day one. Nothing has blown up yet, but I’ll probably end up doing the ecgs bearing when it warms up.

If it was constant and louder, I probably would have done it by now.

 

There are a few other considerations if this is indeed the infamous needle bearing issue. One - will the dealer be willing to diagnose it as such? Two - if they will and can, will they acknowledge it as a TSB warranty issue? Some dealership service departments tell owners that the TSB is only for vehicles up 'til 2020, and won't apply it to a 2022 model, even though the symptoms are exactly as described in the TSB. Three - say they diagnose the issue, and are willing to fix it under warranty...what do they replace? The needle bearing, or the entire differential besides? I personally wouldn't want them disassembling a brand new diff and putting in a new one just to replace a bearing, but that's just me.

Food for thought...

 

Guess I'll wait to see what they- I don't give up easy.....

 

Been there, done that... Projects that turn into nightmares. The ECGS bushing took about 1 3/4 hrs, I'm sure it's because we never did one before. Someone with a couple of bushing changes, I'm thinking they probably do one in a hour and a few minutes. Our needle bearing was giving us the 'signs' of being bad for almost 3500 miles, upon removal of said bearing it looked almost new. The indicator something is not right is the excessive amount of play between the bearing and the axle where it is supposed to ride in the bearing, noise and vibration being the by-product. So as it may not look bad, the amount of play is un-acceptable, forcing it to make sounds as it tries to find a resting place.