Brand New 4 Runner Needs Front Differential

Mine had miles on it too. The corporate rep wanted to drive it before and after so he "could experience the problem for himself." It took about 8 weeks for mine in 2017 so I guess progress is being made. P.s, have the dealer check the needle bearing every oil change for tightness.

 

My luck this will happen to my wife’s the day after I install the lift and then they’ll blame the lift and void the warranty.

 

Just a reminder it's best to adhere to to the manual and drive in 4x4 10 miles a month to keep everything lubed up there and in working order.

 

So what other stuff is in the manual I haven't bothered to read?

 

so the casting of the front diff caused this problem... needle bearing is also a issue with this type failure but the needle bearing usually takes more miles to act up .. some reported 20K range then needle bearing ..

if the dealership was gonna keep it for over a day to do the repair I would take the plates off runner ..

 

Except dealers have magnetic mount plates which may or may not scratch the paint when they slap them on to test drive the vehicle. Forty miles does sound excessive but that amount may be necessary to thoroughly check that everything is ok. I'm sure they have to also put it in and out of 4x4 a few times and may have searched out some dirt roads to do so. Dirt roads are sometimes far from dealerships.

 

damn you got unlucky with that one man. I had a 2019 trd offroad taco for right under 3 months with 2400miles and got rear ended by a ford edge. my insurance totaled it out had about 18k worth of damage but totaled it for structural damage. ended up getting my 5th gen 4runner.

 

I just picked up at 2022 from dealer Saturday evening. I noticed an odd noise on the way home. I took it to the dealer today to find out they say it needs front differential replaced. Can’t believe this is still an issue.

 

just had front differential replaced in my 2022 today for noise.

 

did the new front diff creates noise ?

 

yes. They screwed up my tie rod ends and smashed up my steer knuckle fixing it but differential is now silent.

 

change the parts ... fix the rubber grease knuckle ... the idiot did not use a tool to remove the steering rods he used uses a hammer to smash up the knuckle ...
did the china transfercase manufacture it ? lot of new toyotas have issues ...

 

I am suspecting that my new 22 SR5 Premium is having the same issue. I first thought it was the tires but it didn't go away when I put the summers on. It does go away when I put it into 4wd though. Truck only has 700 miles on it now. Any tips for explaining this all to the dealer service? I am reading that some people have had trouble getting this all addressed as it looks like the last TSB is still for 2019

 

go to the toyota dealership to inspect it , then post what your issue is ...

 

So glad I found this forum. My brand new 2022 s5r premium is having this exact issue. I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to figure it out, my best guess was something with the winter tires put on it. Same exact symptoms though, cyclic/rhythmic humming and slight vibration in the 40-50mph range, this morning I finally confirmed thanks to y’all that it goes away in 4hi. I’ll be taking it to the dealer with TSB in hand for a new diff at 2200 miles. I’ll try to remember to post an update.

 

Good luck! Mine is intermittent. Dealer told me they couldnt replicate, said I had loud “off-road tires” (which was probably the bearing, in reality), charged me 150 bucks for the trouble, and sent me on my way.

Various circumstances conspired to drop the vehicle off without me being along for the test drive so I could point out the noise. I would recommend going along with the tech or writer for the test drive.

 

"Couldn't replicate the noise". This is an all too familiar response with some. The $150.00 diagnostic fee is just short of the cost of the ECGS bushing and puller/install tools, plus the aggravation of trying to "prove" there is a problem. Did anyone ever go under the vehicle and test the amount of 'slop' where the axle comes out of the diff.? Compare the pass. side with the driver side... my friend and I did, night and day difference. Good luck with this.

 

This crap needs to be taken to a class action suit. Been going on way too long. Why replace a whole differential with the same needle bearing and the problem potentially returning. Makes no sense. This has been a problem across several models and differentials for years now.
Enough for an aftermarket team to design a bushing replacement, an SST, and produce an instructional video SMDH.

https://youtu.be/WnA_R3gFf2s

 

The $150 is flat out robbery. Keep that receipt. If they ever fix it under warranty you probably get a refund. I can’t believe a dealership would charge a diagnostic on a warranty claim. I’m just about done with Toyota and their practices lately.

 

precisely what im planning to do. I’ve some time off coming up, and Im going to be stopping by more frequently and asking if they have anyone to come with me for a ride. Again, if the thing is noisy on the day Im off lol.

 

Lots of different posts on this

They are replacing my whole front differential on my 2022. I am just waiting for the parts to come in. Probably have the same issue but they should be held responsible. Maybe at some point they will get it really fixed with enough pressure from everyone

 

There are now a few threads on this topic, and I think I've posted on all of them. Figured I'd provide an update here since this one has been popping up. This past Saturday the noise was very noticeable and constant, so my wife and I decided to stop by the dealership to have someone relisten to it. The assistant service manager rode along and informed me the service manager (guy who claimed he couldn't "locate" the noise) no longer works there. We barely made it out of the parking lot, and he could hear the noise. We took a short drive, and the noise could be heard plain as day. He arranged for a loaner and said they would get to the bottom of the issue. He contacted me today and said they verified it was the front diff and contacted Toyota who recommended the front diff be replaced along with the driver's side axle if it shows any wear/damage from the needle bearing. The parts are on back order, and we have the 4Runner back until they come in. Overall, we're relieved and feel much better that something is being done!

Thanks again to the many folks on this forum for your contributions. I went in there on day one with a solid idea of the problem because of this forum. I'll be sure to update once the diff is replaced.

 

“parts on backorder” should tell you something is going on at a higher rate than usual right now.

 

Good point!

 

I was supposed to get a call this week to see when my parts might be in so I could schedule. Thanks for the heads-up ... I can probably expect to hear they were backorder as well.

Glad to hear that they heard the problem. I think they need the pressure on them to address the issue. Maybe they will figure it out

 

Damn! What dealer??

Wilde gave me no trouble. In case you're thinking of trying another.

What's weird is how different it seems to be from one to the next. Some have no problem, some have the diff replaced and then no problem, some have had multiple replacements.

I'm on my 2nd diff. Original was bad right away, but I ignored it for awhile. Had it replaced at 29K miles, then lifted. Now, I'm at 71K and no problem.

Hopefully the 6th gen gets a new front differential!

 

4 motors- one each corner w portals- eliminate the need for a differential.....

 

Had the differential replaced at about 100 miles, now at 4,000 miles I’m having the same issue again.

 

Yeah .. I just called the dealer parts department to find out the status of my front differential. They said it was backordered until April 25th. Guy said that as far as his computer says, there is not a single one in the country