2022 needle bearing issues

Mine is more of a feeling. The steering wheel has a vibration to it. Not to be confused with shaking with a bad tire balance. The steering wheel doesnt shake. You feel a vibration at a certain speed. i know this sounds funny but kinda like dual shock playstation controller but more mild. Also it sounds like i have mud terrains on it at a certain speed. Maybe mine is still in the beginning stage but the feel def. came first. I also saw in another post that it feels a bit like its slowing down a lot faster when coasting.

 

We could also feel it in our feet on the driver side, wouldn't feel it on the pass. side just the driver side, then when switching it to 4 hi, it went away. The amount of 'play' at the diff. on the driver side was un-accepable, after the bushing install, the excessive 'play' went away, and so did the vibe.

 

Exactly. More important to the Stealership to get the snow of the vehicles as fast as possible than worry about destroying the paint jobs them.

 

So...Are you saving them to return to the Supplier for them to inspect them or what ?

Is Toyota holding the Supplier responsible for the costs of the axle replacement ?

Is there a TSB yet ? If not, why not ?

At what point would a Recall be in order ?

 

Toyota tends to ignore these things.

Look at the 6MT throwout bearing or Taco engines sludging.

 

I save them as trophies. A collector of sorts.

Toyota has had a tsb for this issue since the 2nd gen Tacoma. They haven't changed the design. It happens to some completely stock trucks as well. Tsb is for Tacoma, FJ Cruiser and 4runner.

 

The latest, T-SB-0012-19
(Rev 1 Feb 8, 2019) covers 2016 – 2019 model year 4Runners.
Instead of just the needle bearing now they replace the whole front differential.
It’s interesting that it lists a previous and a new part number for the diff.

 

Just got the ECGS bushing installed today. Worked like a charm. Im lifted 2.5 in the front and would suggest anyone that is lifting to just do it. At some point you will have to deal with it anyway

 

I have the same issue I have 2022 SR5 model and there’s vibration when it is 35 mph and when I’m pressing break… soo I took it to the dealer and they replaced bearing (for side gear shaft) it’s frustrating because it’s brand new vehicle and I waited almost 2 months to get it..

Also.. I am looking at Lemon law… from my understanding if they keep fixing it 4 time or more then I can complain and I can get money back or new vehicle

 

I believe that is true not sure if it Varys state by state, surprised they didn’t do the whole differential. Did it fix the issue?

 

This exactly. This is the best way to put pressure on Toyota about this issue. If you have been lucky enough to get the dealer to “replicate” the issue, then do not let up. If it happens again take it back and let them know you are keeping count and they have X number of attempts to take care of the issue (varies by state) before you pursue your state’s lemon law.

This only works if you are not smitten with the 4runner, and you have the willingness to get comfortable in the dealer lounge area though. You folks are the only hope for current and future owners that will love their 4runner, no matter what lol.

 

Do you think it’s a good idea to just do the ECGS switch out when doing a lift and diff drop?

 

Yes, I think it's a good idea to do the bushing at the time of lift/diff. drop, that is if you don't want to take the chance of the service dept. you deal with giving you the "run around". We chose the bushing install, even with lots of warranty left due to the fact that when I questioned 2 different service depts. about the issue, brought up the TSB #, and different forum members' problems, I got a kind of "blank look" from the dept. heads, and when that happens you're fighting an uphill battle. Instead of frustration and having to "jump through hoops" the bushing came into play. You may be lucky and find your service dept. to be more than willing to work with you through the bearing issue....... maybe not. The bushing and seal and the installers/pullers are reasonable when you compare the cost to other mods, plus, you have it torn down to do the lift anyway.

 

I have a 2022 and have the needle bearing issue I think. Only have about 1500km but felt it a few days after getting it.

Notice it mostly when decelerating on a smooth road… coasting with my foot on the pedal I feel a “whirr whirr whirr” vibrate through the pedal, and can hear it a bit with the radio off. It’s not loud at all but definitely notice it. And goes away as soon as you do the same in 4x4.

On a side note I also have the other 2 exact problems as OP: mild vibration in steering at around 105-107kph (probably balance), and swirls in my brand new paint thanks to the incompetent 16 year old the dealer hired to “wash” new cars.

Ahh the joys of car ownership/dealers.

 

Sorry to hear that, seems like it’s a pretty wide spread issue. If you don’t do it your self I would find a competent detailer who can do a compound buff and wax, took 95% of the swirls / scratches out of my paint. I would rather live with that vs trusting paint work on a new vehicle probably done by a incompetent painter. Dealer wanted to send mine to paint I told them I have a detailer I trust that can probably fix the issues...they cut me a check for the $435 bill.

 

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

i have been driving with the bearing issue for over 30k miles and finally had it fixed over the weekend. Installed the ECGS bushing and that grinding noise is gone. Surprisingly enough the needle bearing itself did not look bad but it was the seal that was absolutely trashed.

 

So damage is actually being done. Good to know.

 

Did you purchase the seal from East coast when you bought the kit? Wondering if they give OEM seals or not.

 

Yeah i purchasced form east coast. They give out the OEM Seals.

 

Good to know thanks. Any damage to the housing or anything or just the seal?

 

no issues. Diff oil looked good, cv axle good, housing good, and the bearing seemed good. Sounded a bit grindy when spinning it but i couldn’t see any broken or worn needles.

Seal on the other hand was trashed. Looked like it was mauled and was a pain to get out compared to the bearing.

 

I know there were a lot of questions about whether it was really a problem that damaged the vehicle or if it was just a nuisance. Your experience has now told the other part of the story.

 

Can’t wait to fight the dealer on the 23rd, after that I’m going this route probably. Never thought I would be at 4 visits to the dealer before 500 miles on a new Toyota. Fucking 01 tahoes been loyal, it probably laughs at me when it sees me get in the Toyota hah

 

Were all four visits for the same issue? If so, it sounds more like an issue with the dealership than the overall quality of the vehicle. Sure, the needle bearing is a known defect... but it has a relatively easy and cheap long-term fix with the ECGS part. I'd go that route all day long to avoid another interaction with a dealer playing games over it. The principal of having the work done under warranty goes out the window if the dealership is making me do work to convince them the issue is real when I could just fix the damn thing myself in a couple of hours.

Just an opinion from somebody who hasn't had to deal with this yet, so take it for what it's worth.

 

Thanks for the info. Based on what you saw, do you have any ideas as to hiw the seal becomes damaged? Is it because of the slop in the CV/diff interface? Any signs of leakage?

Also, pics of that seal and
bearing would be nice if you still have them.

 

First-massive shaking in wheel 50 mph & above
-balanced all 4 wheels, all 4 wheels out of balance. Seemed fine and then came back at random times above 55 mph.
Second-scratches all over the vehicle while looking at the right angle and light looked like it got beat the hell up the worlds worst car wash and wiped with a shit towel
-have detailer buff and wax vehicle, upon pick up not a scratch removed and buff and wax looked like shit, they suggested to send to body shop for paint-I didn’t want a new vehicle painted so said I had a guy who did details for 44 years and I trust him to fix issues. He got 95% of the marks out & dealer cut the check for $435 to pay for it.
Third-to have real lugs put on because it came with wheel locks that I didn’t order & got charged $80 for & initial needle bearing talk. Took 2 hours for them to put on 4 lug nuts & a test drive
-told me They test drive another 2022 & it’s a characteristic of the vehicle & to dig deeper I need to drop & leave until farther notice

next will be for the shaking again & the needle bearing diagnosis

the next trip will be #4 since December 23rd & 5XX miles. Waste of gas each way since they are almost 20 miles away.

 

No signs of leakage or anything. I doubt that slop would cause any issues. Housing was fine, probably while driving or something the needle bearing moves around. i don’t have a comparison photo but the needle bearing seems a bit thinner than the ecgs bushing. The needles in the bearing isn’t the most sturdy so the bearing probably wiggles around in the housing causing the vibrations/grinding noise.

Also when moving around the inner bearing, you can feel some grinding.

 

Amazing a company came up with a simple fix that a whole company couldn’t figure out.

 

it blows my mind because the passenger side has a ball bearing, but they decided to use two types of bushings. Wouldn't it be cheaper to use the same bearings on both sides instead of two completely different types.