Toyota Tacoma 2005+

jackhammer

I purchased a 2005 Double Cab V6 SR5 in November in Hamilton, Ontario. I live in North Bay but shopped around and got the best price from the Hamilton dealer. I just thought I would write and let everyone know about a little problem I had with my new truck. Us folks in Northern Ontario love to snowmobile, myself included. With my old truck, 95 T-100 my sled fit perfectly in the back of the truck between the wheel wells. But the new 05 Tacoma is 6" narrower between the wells so one ski has to ride up on one of the wheels. I found out the hard way that the Tacoma tail gates are made cheaply. After having the sled in the back of the truck twice the tailgate was starting to bend. I had to get it repaired. I have since bought a tailer and hitch. Extra expenses I never thought I would have to worry about when buying a brand new truck. I am going after Toyota Canada now to have the tailgate replaced. Hope no one else goes through what I did. Robert

jackhammer

For my fellow Canadians well mostly those in Ontario looking to buy a new 2005 Tacoma Double Cab, drop me a line and I'll fill you in on the sweet price I got on my new truck and where. jessupr@yahoo.com

dreasdad

Are you in Hawaii or Alaska? all Tacoma's are made in Freemont , CA so why would your truck be

on a ship?

xwesx

Ouch. Bending tailgate is not a good deal at all. My opinion is that the gate should be able to support 50% of the rating of the bed, but again, that's just my opinion. Have you considered loading the sled in backwards so the skis are @ the back? That may help spread the load out over the gate and also would alleviate the problem with the wheel wells.

jackhammer

The only real method I thought of to get around the bendable tailgate is to build a platform so that the sled sits on top of the wheel wheels but I have a trailer now so I am all set. I received a call from Toyota Canada today and they aren't willing to replace my tailgate. BOOOOOOOO ! Ever since this has happened to me I have been going out of my way to tell others so it doesn't happen to them too. I am kinda like a guiney pig but Toyota would bend like my tailgate !

volley

Does anyone have the factory hood protector? If so do you have any pics? Also, where does it mount? How does it mount? I was looking at my closed hood and there doesn't seem to be much room to mount it.

centralcal

Will the trucks specs specify how much weight you can put on the tailgate? How would you find this out without doing what jackhammer did? What is a reasonable assumption?

cooch

Stephen1...............Tell me about the cost of the foglights you refer to..............Does the Tacoma have a wiring harness that will allow added fog lights to be plugged in? Any help appreciated.................Cooch

tarboroheel1

I've heard the complaints about the ticking on accelleration and mine has this, but what about at idle. Mine ticks like crazy even while idling. Dealer says this is normal, but it sounds to me like the valves need adjusting. Does anybody have a take on this. Never heard an engine make noise like this and be considered normal.

chilehead

Good tip geogecko: I'm even more anal than that. I've been known to wax the inside of the rims! It helps to keep stuff from accumulating in there and throwing off the balance.

 

The rims look nice but I wish Toyota would have used tape weights on them instead of that big honkin' piece of lead stuck to the outside.

juliagoolia

I am interested in purchasing a tacoma and I was hoping that I would be able to fit my snomobile on the back, but with this new information it doesn't sound to good. I also live in Ontario. Do you have any other problems? Because I would really like to pruchase this truck. I was also talking to someone at the NorthBay Dealership. How much did you get off the MFSV price?

jackhammer

Hi Juliagolia

E-mail me at jessupr@yahoo.com or you can try me at work 7058407030 and I can give you the details about the pricing I got for my new truck and where I bought it. Thanks

seminole_kev

Anybody now if, and how, the new Tacoma can be programmed to automatically lock the doors when you drive off? I had this feature on my previous vehicle and really liked it. In case in matters, I have the 5-speed manual.

geogecko

LOL. Yeah, the first time I saw the tape weights, was on my wifes '04 Acura TSX. I was like, that is so much nicer looking than the lead weights. I wonder if you can request them at places like Discount Tire, and the like. I'd rather have the tape ones. (The adhesive doesn't even have to be that strong, because normal rotation pushes them against the wheel!)

 

Tailgate Bending!

 

My dad's '98 gate is bent, but then again, he hauls 20 foot 2x8's in there!

jackhammer

I have the Double Cab Auto SR5 package and my manual says that the gas tank is 80 litres. When testing out my truck for gas mileage I ran the tank low and when I filled it up I was able to put 85 litres in it. Maybe they are rating just the tank for 80 litres and the extra 5 Litres I put in was in the neck of the tank. For those Americans out there 1 Canadian gallon = 4.545 Litres and 1 US gallon = 3.79 Litres.

xwesx

I look at it this way: Unless the gate easily folds out of the way (like my '69 Chevy, I can drop it 180 degrees so it is entirely out of the way when loading/unloading), it needs to be able to support the weight of driving a vehicle like an ATV, snow machine, etc., up a ramp and into the bed - hence, crossing and perhaps even resting on the gate. If the bed can hold it, the gate should be able to support at least 50% of the weight of it too.

 

I drove a Polaris 6x6 into the bed of my truck (backed it in)many times without harming the gate; and that rig has some weight to it!

 

I am not sure how badly the Toyota's gate was bent, but I'm thinking of an actual buckling or failure of the structural intregrity more than just bending the sheet metal on the inside of it; that's cosmetic and you have to expect that if you work a truck it will get scars!

moparbad

The inner metal panel of the tailgate bent on my 03 Tacoma from the weight of a 170 lb person. Common, common problem.

Earlier Toyota trucks (pre Tacoma) did not have a weak tailgate, how is the tailgate on the 05's?

jackhammer

Just heard back from Toyota Canada, they aren't willing to help me out. They told me that the max amount for a tail gate to hold is 200pds. This figure is shown no where. She had to call a consumer source to get the 200pd figure. No dealer I don't believe will ever tell you when buying a truck that your tailgate can only hold a certain amount. I was told that I should be taking the gate off, loading the sled then putting the gate back on. This won't make a difference as the bending occured when the sled was in the truck resting on the gate. Hopefully my posts will save someone else going through what I did. Too bad Toyota won't back up their cheaply made tailgates on the Tacoma !

xwesx

I'm wondering if the problem isn't so much about how much weight the gate can hold, but how well that weight is distributed. For example, did the bending occur because one or two flanges on the snow machine's belt were resting on the gate? An easy way to solve that (without the use of a trailer!) is to simply place a sheet of plywood or some other durable load distributor under the snow machine. Another step, yes, but an easy solution if you want a pretty bed. At least it sounds like the problem is not with the functionality or integrity of the gate itself; just the inner sheet metal.

 

It is irresponsible of a manufacturer to expect the users of its' pickups to remove the tailgate each time the bed is loaded unless that manufacturer makes a quick-release mechanism for it. The gate should be just as durable as the bed, so that doesn't bode well for the rest of it! And, like you said, the damage was not from loading it - it was from hauling it. Of course, leaving the gate off while hauling is not a bad option either, but I think the beds on these rigs are probably too short to haul a snow machine without the added length the gate provides.

 

Anyhow, maybe it is for the best that you went with the trailer option! It could come in handy for hauling summer projects as well. *shrugs*

chilehead

Discount Tire uses tape weights on my Maxima, but you have to specifically ask for them.

buffalonickel

nickt1,

 

I had the same condition on my '03 Tacoma. It looked like someone took a spin in a gravel lot and threw small rocks up to bust up the paint job. Some stated that was the rough primer beneath that protects truck from damage, but it wasn't that at all. I know what that is and it didn't include what we both had: paint chips that left the truck exposed to primer and metal. I drove it up to the salesman and complained. He looked at it and asked what I wanted to do? I said I want what I paid for. If I wanted it to look like this, I would buy a used S-10. So I took it to a body shop and had both sides re-painted. They had to redo the whole bedside on both sides. It looked good and I never had another problem. I couldn't believe what you said. I would have figured they would have corrected that as I wasn't the only one who had that problem. There were others in this discussion thread who had the same problem and that occurred two years ago.

 

Take it back and make them paint it. If the dealer gives you any lip, tell them to bill Toyota. That is what my dealer did.

 

B

tacofan4life

Dreadsdad,

 

The Toyota dealers still call the stock that hasn't been delivered to the dealer or the distribution center Sea Stock since they used to be delivered from Japan. I know it is coming from Fremont, CA. I am in North Carolina so it is probably coming on a train but they still call it Sea Stock. The internet salesman showed me the program they use to pull up all the stock that is at "sea" at port(the distribution center) and on the ground(the dealer) so I guess I picked up the term "at Sea"

dust90

To further address the frozen fuel line problem:

 Water does NOT mix with gasoline. Doubt it? Just pour gas and water in a clear container. The water will collect at the bottom(it is heavier). Water can arrive in your gas tank from any service station, but most of the big name brands contain an anti-icing additive in the winter. The most common way of water getting in your gas tank is condensation. The same way that moisture(frozen or not) is on your car in the morning, moisture(water) also condenses INSIDE your gas tank. All air contains water vapor, depending on temp and humidity, as to how much. The more air in your gas tank, the more water vapor, which condenses with temperature changes and collects in the bottom of your gas tank. It causes no problems until you get enough to be picked up by the fuel pump. Then the water can cause performance problems and if it is cold enough, the fuel line can be blocked by ice.

 Prevention: Try to never let your gas tank fall below half full. This drasticly reduces the condensation because of less air volume in the tank. Use gasoline that has an anti-icing additive or add your own anti-icing additive(isopropyl alcohol works well).

 

The other type of icing that affects car engines is induction icing. Much more common in carburated engines, but still possible in fuel injected engines. Occurs most frequently in visible moisture(snow, rain, sleet, and FOG), is caused by a reduction of temperature in the air duct/ air filter by a venturi effect. Ice can form on throttle plates and air cleaners, blocking air flow. Induction icing usually causes a gradual loss of power and by stopping the engine(preferably out of strong winds), the engine heat rising in the engine compartment will melt the ice in a few minutes, allowing you to resart and continue.

chilehead

It seems like some car manufacturers just can't produce a decent paint job. A good body shop can often produce a finish that looks better than the factory "robots." Our new Tacoma has a decent finish on one side, but the other side looks like an orange. I noticed this on the Chevy Colorado we looked at, but expected better from Toyota.

 

As far as minor (not that nickt1's is minor) chipping goes, I always keep a bottle of touch up paint in the glove box, then touch up chips as soon as I see them. You can order bottles from a Toyota dealer for around 10 bucks. Good local body shops have computers that help them do a great job of matching paint nowadays, so you could ask them to mix a bottle for you too.

nickt1

This isn't an isolated incident. As more people buy the Tacoma and start driving around in winter weather, more reports of bad paint and chipping are coming in some of the other websites. The problem affects the rocker panels and the rear fender. On my truck, there are chips, but there are also alot of specks where the paint is peeling up and flaking off. At this point the truck is six weeks old with about 1800 miles. The lower front edge of the rear passenger side doors seems to be the most vulnerable spot for chips. The lower front of the rear fender, where it flares out, is also a very vulnerable spot.

jdoe

I have a double cab in automatic and have the same problem with the ticking upon acceleration which is especially noticeable when the engine is cold. I do not hear it when I am idle. I will contact the dealer here and update.

chris007

I think the problem with the paint chipping and peeling lay with the stringent paint emission standards, especially in California. It seems that paint has never been the same since the 1970’s. I bet the new vehicles from China will have one hell of a paint job.

chilehead

Our Tacoma has a clear plastic guard on the (front of) the rear passenger side fender. There is none on the driver's side, though.

 

Just wondering if everyone's has this, or if it is something they recently added to prevent chipping.

taco kid

Yes, it ticks a lot when it is cold and does it a lot less noticably when warm/hot. it also idles perfectly with no observed loss of power

arcpass

Does anyone who owns a 2005 Tacoma know if CD-R's or homemade CD's off your computer will play in the standard CD player in the Tacoma? On Toyota's website, there is a message that CD-R's may not be able to be played on their systems.

arcpass

Very interesting front page article in Sunday's Los Angeles Times Businesss section. It was about the Tacoma assembly plant in Tijuana, Mexico. Some points: Plant has been open for 5 months and will ramp up to full production this month of 30,000 Tacomas annually. There were 7000 applicants for 700 jobs, and 90% were rejected because they coudn't read or write. Relative lack of automation because of low production volumes, so a lot of manual labor involved. The majority of workers have no manufacturing experience and used to work at border electronics assembly plants. Starting wage is $3.20 per hour with free uniform and free hot lunch. Standard 48 hour work week. There was a clear photo of several 2005 4x4 Access Cabs going down the production line, so a previous post that these would only be made in Fremont is incorrect. So basically, your new Tacoma is being made by inexperienced workers making $3.20 per hour. Maybe that's why there have been so many Tacoma problems so far.

maxpowers413

Thanks volley for the info on accessories.

 

Has been 1 week and Toyota dealership still cannot fix front leak on driverside. Claim they don't have the chemicals or parts and will order em. So my carpets are still damp and i'm just spraying Febreze on them to help with the odor. Another problem i noticed is that the bed liner isn't as durable as they claim in commercials. I've already scrathed it up pretty bad just by loading luggages to and from the airport. pretty disappointing. and i don't have the "ticking" engine noise problem but i read in the manual that it is a problem that needs dealership intervention.

wes240

I've played three different CD-R's in my Tacoma and they work fine. I have the 6 CD changer

volley

Will a set of nerf bars (tube steps) help decrease this problem? I was going to get a set but it wasn't going to be my first accessory. If it will help though I can re-evaluate my mod schedule! :-)

nickt1

Those clear plastic pieces are supposed to be on both fenders. But even so, they don't help much. The flared out rear fender is very vulnerable to debris being kicked up from the front tires. The plastic pieces on my truck are already all chewed up from rocks hitting them. As for nerf bars, they're too narrow and won't stop all the rocks. Running boards would, but then again, a truck's rocker panel paint is supposed to be strong enough so that you shouldn't need running boards to protect it. How many trucks do you see everyday without running boards and their paint is fine?

mrjjgittes

New name for Tacoma?: "Toyota Tijuana" , hmmm.

seminole_kev

So is all Tacoma production shifting to Mexico, or is it just in addition to the California plant? Out of curiousity, what is the planned annual production numbers for the Tacoma? Also, as the Tacoma has grown in size over the years by quite a bit, is the Tacoma we get here still the same one that the rest of the world gets? Or is there a different, smaller truck made for other markets?

seminole_kev

Also, being new to the Tacoma fold, are there any good Tacoma websites out there? I've hunted around a little, but none of them seem too busy (at least the ones I found). Seems like there would be a decent following? Would some of the sites piggy back off of the FourRunner or just "Toyota trucks" in general?

ltmar

There is some truth to the rough primer comment. I have a '92 Toyota P/U (195K miles). One of the features mentioned in the brochure when I bought it was a special thick paint on the lower body that would protect from rocks. I can tell it is there as the lower body paint on my truck looks slightly orange-peeled. That is OK though because on the '92 models it actually worked. The special paint and hard black plastic protector on the rear fender flare seemed to protect my truck well. My hood and roof have been much more vulnerable to nicks. I hope Toyota will hurry up and get it right as I am planning on buying an '05 model in a few months.

astock

Are the beeping door locks only included with an alarm system? I have the keyless entry but didn't notice the beeping noises I've heard on 05 4Runners for example.

volley

The door locks do not beep. I hear that they beep with the VIP system but I am not sure on that.

volley

I have played CD-Rs in my 05 Tacoma also. I too have the 6-disc changer.

arcpass

Tacomas will continue to also be built in Fremont, Cal. The article said that Toyota only has a 2% share of the Mexican market because Mexico restricts auto sales to those vehicles partially or wholly made in Mexico. Toyota plans on selling the new Tacoma in Mexico starting in the fall, so having some of them made in Tijuana qualifies it as being made in Mexico. For the time being, all Tacomas made in Tijuana will go to the United States.

seminole_kev

Looks like you have to pay to even register....and you can't poke around without registering. No thanks. Only car site I've seen where you have to pay to even read it.

bosox3

www.tacomaterritory.com

 

Best Tacoma site handsdown.

webber9966

I have registered with tundrasolutions and didn't have to pay anything. It's a good site. Enter your e-mail and a password and thats all it takes. Go try it again.

webber9966

I have the standard cd player and home made cd's play fine in it.

jfigueroa1

Evening.

My experience with the Hondas I owne in vin number the first letter show the place where the car was put together. Is this the same with the toyota?

looking at getting a 05 taco rwd 4d trd sport,6cd maybe this week any input will be appreciate. price to pay, please input.

seminole_kev

all cars are like that.

drbill1

I took a CD-R on a test drive in the 05 Taco and it played well. The songs were not MP3s, they had been ripped to WAV files.