NHTSA Complaint #11233936 — 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA

SQUIRK-LIKE SOUND AT THE BEGINNING OF A TRIP, SPECIFICALLY WHEN THE VEHICLE REACHES 5 MPH. THIS NOISE PREVAILS AS LONG AS THE SPEED IS INCREASED, SPECIFICALLY ALONG THE RANGE OF 5 TO 15 MPH. FROM 16 MPH IT STARTS A VIBRATION ALONG THE ENTIRE VEHICLE BODY, WHICH AUGMENTS AS LONG AS THE SPEED IS INCREASED. THESE SYMPTOMS APPEARED FOR FIRST TIME 5 YEARS AGO, APPROXIMATELY. ON THAT FIRST EVENT THE PROPELLER SHAFT SPIDER ANT THEIR BEARINGS WERE REPLACED BY THE TECHNICIAN WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT. NOWADAYS I JUST SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER TOYOTA AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER FOR PROPER DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR. IT IS NECESSARY TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS AUTOMOTIVE UNIT PRESENTED SYMPTOMS OF VIBRATION AT CRUISE SPEED (55 MPH), SINCE THE VERY FIRST TIME IT WAS DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY, FOR THE YEAR OF 2005. WHEN THAT OCCURRED, THIS DRIVER BROUGHT THE UNIT TO THE DEALER. THE RESPONSE WAS THAT THE VIBRATION DESCRIBED IS "NORMAL". THIS STRANGE "SHAKING" AT CRUISE SPEED HAS NOT DISAPPEARED. IT THINK IT IS A DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING DEFECT OF THE PROPELLER SHAFTS AND THEIR JOINTS, WHICH CAUSE A DYSFUNCTIONAL PROPELLER SHAFT RUNOUT (GREATER THAN 0.6MM [0.024 IN.]). OTHER TACOMA 2005 OWNERS HAVE LET ME KNOW THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME SITUATION IN THEIR VEHICLES. THIS COULD REPRESENT A POTENTIAL SAFETY RISK FOR ALL VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.