09 Tacoma bizarre problem: rear wheel locked (1 Viewer)

[gbcruiser]

Updated: Bye bye Taco (09 Tacoma bizarre problem: rear wheel locked)

I have an 09 Tacoma TRD Off Road edition with the factory rear locker, V6, and 6 speed manual. A very strange thing happened the other day...

After parking briefly at the bottom of a hard packed gravel driveway, I went to drive up but the truck didn't move. It was like the e brake was on, only an ebrake that completely stopped only one rear wheel from turning.

Truck wouldn't move an inch forward or back.

I put it in 4H, but only the passenger side front and rear wheels spun and dug into the gravel intermittently and then stopped. 4L was the same: partial spins from the front and rear passenger side wheels, but the drivers side rear was basically seized.

This wasn't off roading or anything, just parked on a driveway. Nothing under the truck, no rocks or stumps, just a hard packed gravel driveway that any '81 Tercel could drive up effortlessly.

I turned the truck off, started it back up, there were no warning lights or chimes or anything. I tried the Diff Lock, but nothing. Switched back to 2WD, nothing. Back to 4H and 4L, still nothing. No clunks, no gears grinding, everything seemingly normal.

At the urging of a "friend" I gave it one last try, revving that brute of a V6 to about 4500rpm and dropping the clutch in 4L, 1st gear. Nothing but a massive cloud of clutch smoke welling up from under the truck. Painful. Took 5 days to get rid of the smell...

After about 15 mins of this, I tried one last time and the wheel was suddenly completely free. Not a sound, didn't push anything, it just came free and has been driving fine since...

Anyone ever experienced anything like this, or have idea idea of the cause?

Truck still has full warranty, but before I go begging I'd like to know if I have anything to stand on: I'd like this fixed and would like Toyota to install a replacement clutch. This incident probably took about 7 years off the life of the one that's in there now...

Any thoughts/comments appreciated.

 

[Duane]

Well if 2 drivers side wheels won't turn..yes first thought e brake.... next thought..well these newer trucks have traction control... not sure if they have hill start assist like a 4runner.. at any rate I'm thinking the computer had the brakes on those 2 wheels..
I doubt a dealer is going to have a service bulletin on such a problem but you can ask...
I would think did you try backing up at any time?
I had a rear drum brake lock up once on an older chevy against a curb but that was from rusted drum brake parts where the shoes wouldn't retract.
I would try next time disabling traction control or any other computer assisted brake control..see if that would get you going.

 

[gbcruiser]

Thanks, yeah I tried reverse, but nothing that way either. I'm guessing traction control or the computer or something, but no error codes or check engine light...

 

[gr8wrk]

Just curious about VSC. It's always on unless you switch it off and comes back on each time you start the truck. Did you happen to think to try turning it off? Our trucks have gotten so electronically complicated, something's bound to bite us once in a while.

 

[gbcruiser]

Well, I pushed pretty much every button on my dash and there are a lot. Turned truck off and on, in and out of 4L. I think going into 4L automatically turns it off?

Still...should that be able to cause the clutch to smoke, or would that be a malfunction of the system?

I have yet to take it to Toyota...trying to save up enough energy for the "battle" that may ensue.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I would be very cautious as to how you present this to Toyota. Back in 98 I had a brand new tacoma V6 and I went to pull someone out of a snowbank when it was about 20 below outside. I was on dry pavement, and I had the truck in low range. I started pulling and when they didn't pop right out of the snowbank I gave it some gas. I had my foot completely off the clutch and thought the tires were spinning. They weren't it was the clutch... Toyota wanted to take it apart to determine if it was abuse or a defective clutch. Defective clutch it would be their dime, abuse it would be mine. It drove fine so I never went any further with it, and never had an issue with it again. My father now has that same truck and it's got 185k on that same clutch. Still doesn't slip. As to why the wheel locked I would suspect something in the emergency brake myself. But you should have been easily able to power through that. But then again it's all the electronic nannies that these now have that made me specifically look for another 05 when I was second generation tacoma shopping again in December.

 

[gbcruiser]

Well, I booked it in for Toyota to have a look next week. We'll see how it goes...

Told them everything, so hopefully they'll find something. Yeah, I'm not going to worry much about the clutch--you gotta slip and burn 'em for years and years. This probably just made it a little smoother...

Will post again when I get the verdict.

 

[Duane]

If it does it again getting rammy with it is not likely the best idea

 

[gbcruiser]

Agreed! But...heat of the moment, a line up of guys in F250's, Rams, etc, and me in the only Toyota in sight...I had to try some throttle.

Buddy told me that actually, the drums have more stopping power than disks, and the rear drums are huge enough that if one locked, it could hold back wheel spin quite easily.

 

[Duane]

as you mentioned a rear drum being locked... if you don't have the rear diff lock on then one rear wheel still ought to spin and the other wheel drag if just a e brake was locked on or frozen for instance.
hope you can resolve this

 

[gbcruiser]

Well the trucks at Toyota overnight. They're waiting for parts.

Apparently...rear brake 'assembly' was 'jammed', something about new seals...all under warranty...

Who knows what that means. I'll find out for sure when I pick it up. My money is on axle seals leaking into the drums.

Will post when I know.

 

[gbcruiser]

So if anyone's interested, the dealer apparently fixed this problem: said the rear brake mount/backing had come loose from the axle, caused brakes to jam, plus oil seals were fried. All fixed under warranty but I decided to unload.

After about 9 months of ownership, and 7 or 8 trips to the dealer, one frustrating time stuck on a boat ramp, and too many idiosyncrasies for such a new vehicle I dumped it.

We're talking about a mint 09 with under 20k miles and zero off road abuse. And it suffered the gauntlet of "known issues" like:

- radio on/off
- driveline vibration at about 55mph
- 5-10 mins to disengage 4L (good times)
- leak prone rear axle seals
- drivers side defrost failure
- frequently out-of-adjustment rear brakes
- exceedingly loud engine 'tick'
- brake pedal bizzaro vibration
(dealer: that's what its supposed to do...abs actuator.)
- locked rear wheel
- aggressive abs/traction control
- gas pedal/floor mat recall

All this, combined with having to deal with the $tealer, plus all the damn beeping (in reverse, seatbelt off, stuck in 4L, sliding) and modern electro gizmatry (RSVC off when...at an angle...what??) and the legends of the so-called Off Road model's fragile rear diff, plus the hefty price tag, and it just wasn't a vehicle I wanted to keep.

I probably had a lemon, I know. But...I've long been a Toyota fan and owner, but...won't buy another one in the foreseeable future. The whole experience put me off.

So...I've gone from a luxurious 09 Taco...to a 'classic' Chevy S-10 2wd. And I gotta say...it's like being on vacation.Nothing to worry about, just drive it, fuel it, use it, and abuse it...

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I'm on my second 05 tacoma now. The first one was by far the least reliable Toyota I had ever owned in 20 years and about a dozen or so of them. I didn't have a single issue with it until it was out of warranty though. When I bought my current double cab 6 months ago I knew what to expect and I've been much happier with it. I haven't heard a V6 that didn't tick. All automatics I've driven have a vibration around 55-60. And Toyota's ABS system blows. I put mine on a switch and I shut it off whenever it snows so I can stop the damn truck. But out of the new midsize trucks on the market I still wouldn't want anything else. Of course if I didn't have a kid I would have sold my last 05 and found myself a mint 89-95 22re 4x4 extended cab somewhere in the southwest.

 

[Duane]

Well I'm not in a hurry to get a newer Toyota truck. I sold my 05 Tundra dbl cab cause it was a pig on gas. So now I run just 3rd gen 4Runners and knock on wood they have been the lowest maintenace vehicle I have owned.
I have had more problems with my Honda civics even.
I used to drive chevy trucks..early 90's my favorite but still I replaced intake gaskets, exhaust manifolds, oil cooler lines, idler and pitman arms, headlight switch, power window motor, heater blower motor, u-joints, a radiator and so on...
I am leaning to thinking that my 96 4runner is a lower maintenace vehilce than the V6 3.4's as well. That old inline 2.7 just runs.. no timing belt, the water pump doesn't leak..it just runs..at 200,000 miles i would head across the country tomorrow with it no worries.

 

[RobMikulskis]

Thats crazy, I bet you were going crazy seeing how its a new truck, im sure if you wouldnt have taken it in it would have happened again eventually,