Toyota Tacoma 2005+

hammaa · February 2005

volley - Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to find a tonneau cover right now. I wanted the sectional kind or a slider that can easily be removed if necessary. Any leads on where to track something like that down, anyone?

volley · February 2005

Sonicflux - Yes the leak is a common problem (from what I hear not just on this model). Anyway, I had the problem too. Just had it fixed this week. The leak appears to be coming from the windshield cowl area near the fender. My dealership found it with no problem and sealed the seem. So far no problems. Have your dealership check that area.

walters · February 2005

Coldfoot -- I would demand a new truck. There is no reason you should have to accept what has happened to you, and now settle for a car that has been torn apart like that after 3 hours of use. When I looked at tacos the salesman showed me one that had a problem and they had to give the customer a different new car and were selling the 'old' one as a used car with 400 miles on it.

volley · February 2005

Hammaa - I don't know if they are out yet or not but for a folding or sliding tonneau you can try Fold-A-Cover, Retrax, Pace Edwards Jack Rabbit. Again I am not sure if they have the covers for the 05 Taco out yet, but you could always email/call them and ask.

walters · February 2005

Does anyone have any hard numbers on how much fuel savings you might expect from installing a tonneau?

Edit -- I googled it and found the answer seems to be about 5% savings.

http://truck-bed-covers.com/Tonneau_covers_save_fuel.htm

leob1 · February 2005

Was your truck from California? I wonder if it was a sporadic group of trucks or if a specific range of these trucks were affected. I just had mine in service the other day and should have had them check that cowl area.

jdvailco · February 2005

SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Independent, quantitative studies have been done and show that tonneau covers do not improve gas mileage. Search for the article on tundrasolutions.com.

The studies you saw are probably sponsored by the manufacturers of tonneau covers...

jdvailco · February 2005

I am interested...

jdvailco@hotmail.com

evs · February 2005

Volly, The only Tonneau covers available right now are the A.R.E. & the Snug Top. The Snug Top is around $1100 very nice with a push down locking system but expensive and not folding and weight is around 110lbs.(heavy) Check out undercover.com, they are not folding but they are light weight around 60lbs. and can be removed by one person.Also very strong. The company told me they should have one available by this summer. My friend has one on his 04 Taco and I really like it. There around $600. Evsdog

larry10 · February 2005

Just open or remove tail gate.(i know it looks bad)

nedkelly · February 2005

Trying to find any information on the super charger mentioned for the x-runner. Looking to buy a trd sport. Only would like to have the hood scoop actually be useful.

So anyone know if there is a super charger to make the hood scoop serve a purpose?

gearhead1 · February 2005

They have done wind tunnel test at honda on all these trucks. The wind does not hit the tail gate according to their engineers. Leaving the tail gate down will not help. You could do your own test: Throw your wife in the back of the bed by the tail gate. Go 70 mph and ask her if she feels any wind buffeting.

bjw1 · February 2005

Its been raining alot where i am at six days out of 10 that i have had my 05 taco(made 01/05, fremont ca) and no water damage in the carpet, so i think they dont have this problem in my truck, i hope they fix it for you all that have this problem

chris007 · February 2005

I tried to install the tube steps on my Tacoma double cab / short bed. The passenger side fit with no problems, but the driver side center-mounting bracket was not butting up with the two boltholes on the frame. There was about a one-inch space between the bracket and the frame of the truck. When I tried to insert the two bolts into the mounting bracket the bolt threads would not make contact with the frame.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

leob1 · February 2005

My Tacoma got a good bath yesterday. Keeping that in mind, I just checked out my truck for those leak symptoms. It was damp underneath the driver side floormats, especially along the edges!...but no mildew smell.

This must mean it has the same leak at the windshield cowl seam. I will call service.

I feel sorry for the rest of the folks who are ignorant of this problem and who will receive some major water damage! Someone has got to get the word out on this, this a definite recall issue.

88toylc · February 2005

chris007,

I don't like to hear there was a problem with the installation of your tube steps. I just ordered a set myself after reading several messages saying the installation was a snap. I'm assuming you are talking about the DeeZee tube steps that are shown on the Toyota website as an accessary (I believe the model is PTS09-35053 for the double cab short bed, which is what I have). Hope we hear from others who have installed these babies, perhaps with some helpful hints.

hobo · February 2005

Chris,

I installed my tube steps on my dbl cab long bed a few weeks ago -- I had the EXACT same problem -- the middle bracket was about an inch away. The passenger side lined up perfectly. Basically, I just had my friend pull on the step as I pushed on it from below and got the bolts in. I figured the step was just bent during shipping. I got the bolts in, but it required a fair amount of force -- would not have been able to do it alone. Because of this, I probably also over-tightened the bolts (to make sure it would not come out) beyond the 14 N-M it specifies in the installation manual. They have not fallen off yet...

leob1 · February 2005

Does have any experience dealing with a dealer's public relation's representative? Any positive results?

sonicflux · February 2005

Update on my water damage:

leob1, my truck was purchased from a Houston dealer, and it came from Gulf States Toyota distributor.

I just called the dealer service manager, and he said they will have to take the front fender off in order to continue investigating the leak source which means sending it to the body shop. But the body shop won't be open until Monday. So they are giving me the truck back for the weekend, wet carpet and all.

I mentioned that various online Tacoma forums indicate that the leaky windshield seal is a known issue and seems to be affecting many new tacomas. The service guy admitted that older tacomas had a known issue, but he did not know if this issue continued with the 2005 (I think we know the answer to that). He then told me I was the second new tacoma owner with a leak problem that he was aware of.

So I'll take the truck back to dealer next Monday and let you guys know how it goes.

Btw, my wife called the Toyota Customer Experience center and reported the leak problem. We received a case number, and they told us to have anyone else with a potential known issue to call their number. That way Toyota can do a better job tracking and taking care of these issues.

Customer Experience Center:
1-800-331-4331 ext.3

other numbers:
1-800-GO TOYOTA
1-800- 468-6965

chris007 · February 2005

Hobo and 88toylc, Yes they are the PTS09-35053 DeeZee tube steps. I took the first set back to the dealer and told them the jig must have been out of calibration, and had them order me a new set. While at the dealer the parts guy examined the pair I returned and the new pair, and there didnt seem to be any difference. I have not had a chance to install the new ones, but I do anticipate having someone help with the installation Hobo. It kind of bums me out that Toyotas quality control seems to be slipping.

I also have a 2004 Sienna, and I have to say whoever designed it did one hell of a job. I wish the designers of the Tacoma had integrated some of the convinces such as; eliminated ring around the ignition, locking the doors when shifting out of park, and auto up and down on the driver side window.

hobo · February 2005

Chris,
Maybe the steps are ALL like that. Also, the Toyota parts guy said that the steps are actually made by Steelhorse, not Dee Zee. They also told me initially that the steps would not be available for 3-4 weeks, but then within a few days they had them. I also called Dee Zee (thinking they were the ones who made the steps) and they also said they were way behind in production. Maybe Steelhorse is another manufacturer that they use as well? You should be able to tell immediately just by holding the tube step up to the truck if there's going to be that gap. In any case, hope you get your steps installed.

lostwrench · February 2005

Better gas mileage will be achieved by keeping the tail gate up. The wind flow at the tail gate location of a moving pick-up truck is from the back to the front, thus there is a push on the back of an upright tail gate and lower air pressure on the inside of that tailgate. Lowering or removing the tailgate eliminates this advantageous air flow. Try this: Lower or take off your tailgate. Tie a rope across the back of the box where the tailgate was. Tie ribbons or short pieces of rope on that rope going across, and let them hang down. Drive the truck. You will see the ribbons going from back to front. The culprit in lower gas mileage is the vertical back wall of the cab. If this wall was rounded or came down diagonally into the box, gas mileage would improve. The upright tailgate is beneficial not detrimental.

griffith_d · February 2005

I was looking for Bilsteins for my PreRunner and they do not seem to make them yet. I would really like to get some. I had some on my 1998 T100 and loved them. Anyone know anything about them?

Griff

walters · February 2005

griffith -- which prerunner do you have? I thought the off-road came with Bilsteins.

tacoma05 · February 2005

just for anyone that is interested, I emailed that dash kit place and they said one is in the works and will be released in a couple of months... I wish they could get one out quicker, if anyone has heard any different please let me know. Jon

hammaa · February 2005

Hey - I believe that both the TRD Sport and Offroad packages come with the bilstein shocks. I've got the Sport dbl cab long bed, and it's definately a sweet ride.

hammaa · February 2005

So, then better gas mileage ever be gained? Because all good things must come to an end, and the truck is always going a vertical back wall, even with a shell... Is everyone lying to me? Who can I believe?

nickt1 · February 2005

Owners should be aware that a dry carpet doesn't necessarily mean they don't have the water leak problem. My carpet is dry, but it smells like mildew--and you have to get very close to it to smell it. The best way to check is to slide your hand under the carpet to see if the padding is wet. You can do this by lifting off the plastic sill, or sliding your hand under the carpet on the back of the firewall.

walters · February 2005

After looking at several sources of information on tonneaus and how they effect mileage, it seems that "not much" is the best answer I can come up with. It wouldn't seem worth it to get a tonneau for this reason.

I checked my mileage after my second tank and got 21.3 MPG in mixed driving with my Prerunner V6 Access Cab (auto trans). That did include some highway driving, maybe 60%. I'm happy with that and hope it continues to go up. I only got 18.1 on the first tank, but the dealer filled it up, so I'm not sure how full it was. I was worried after some people posted only getting 14-15 and so forth, but it's looking like I'll be getting decent numbers.

gearhead1 · February 2005

This is not what honda engineers observed in their wind tunnel test. Only 1 truck had the wind hit the inside of the tail gate.

leob1 · February 2005

I haven't driven in any rain, so I assume it is a leak at the windshield. I will feel under the carpet and if there is a mildew smell then that means new carpet...there is no other route I will accept.

gearhead1 · February 2005

This water problem gets me more upset everytime I hear about it, and I don't even own this truck yet. I think I'm to the point that if the Ridge line doesn't leak, I'll buy it.

This just seems inexcusable.

pryme21 · February 2005

It says in 41.5 on the web site. But it looks bigger. A sales man told me it was 48" is this true( I had no tape at the time).
Thanks

ecotrklvr · February 2005

lostwrench - you seem to have checked into this a lot more than I have. Do you have any info about the effect that a camper shell has on highway mileage?

chris007 · February 2005

I installed the tube steps tonight without a hitch. I had them both on within 20 minutes. There was something definitely wrong with the last pair, so if any of you run into this problem take them back.

leob1 · February 2005

We will have to see what all goes wrong with the Ridgeline when it comes out. Last year, the Titan had many issues as well. Everyone I know who buys new has had some issue sometime. If the dealer quickly fixes it then it's not a big deal...at least they provide a free loaner so it saves me some miles on the truck.

chris007 · February 2005

Is the dash kit from Scosche Industries?
www.scosche.com
I agree the Toyota sound systems do sound rather crappy. I have the JBL system in my Sienna, but I feel its underpowered. I plan on installing either Infinity or Polk speakers with an amp before I decide to replace the head unit.

leob1 · February 2005

sonicflux,

I called the number as you did and reported the problem to Toyota. As anal as Toyota is about building the best vehicles they should be all over it, unlike some other auto makers.

I am dropping my truck off Monday as you are. We can post the results to the forum and it may be beneficial to others.

By the way, my truck is from a Seattle dealer.

gearhead1 · February 2005

"Better gas mileage will be achieved by keeping the tail gate up. The wind flow at the tail gate location of a moving pick-up truck is from the back to the front, thus there is a push on the back of an upright tail gate and lower air pressure on the inside of that tailgate. Lowering or removing the tailgate eliminates this advantageous air flow. Try this: Lower or take off your tailgate. Tie a rope across the back of the box where the tailgate was. Tie ribbons or short pieces of rope on that rope going across, and let them hang down. Drive the truck. You will see the ribbons going from back to front. The culprit in lower gas mileage is the vertical back wall of the cab. If this wall was rounded or came down diagonally into the box, gas mileage would improve. The upright tailgate is beneficial not detrimental."

Sorry I misread this post before and disagreed with it. You are correct sir. Wish I could go back and change my post, but can't. Carry on.

gnits · February 2005

My friend who works for a toyota distributor said the early 2005 Tacomas had the leaking front window cowl issue. It was in an earlier TSB from what I'm told. He said he was told the problem was addressed and newer models should not have this problem. My build date is early Dec. So far, haven't noticed any moisture.

pendrak · February 2005

Hi Guys-
My new Tacoma is officially in production. I gave up my $500 the first week in January- why is it taking so long? They say I should have it by April. I have ordered a standard cab 4x4, Black, SR5 offroad. I do not care if I get a Taco or a Tacoma. Aries has grill and tail light guards- and I have found running boards for the standard cab. I need some direction on finding the best door post mounted Spot Light. My 300K mile Nissan will be taking the long drive to Mexico when my new truck shows up. I hope that this new Toyota is as good as the reviews! Please advise if you have a link to a site where I can obtain a good Spot Light- Thanks-

larry10 · February 2005

You've sold me, I will leave tail gate up and stop worrying about it. TY

larry10 · February 2005

I had a 97 T100 I LOVED that truck! It was perfect!

captmike · February 2005

which brand did you buy?

captmike · February 2005

which steps are you having a problem with?

jackhammer · February 2005

Bed width is 42" between the wheel wells, my 95 T-100 was 48" so I measured the Double Cab for fun before I bought it.

jackhammer · February 2005

Someone earlier mentioned about when the tailgate is up, the wind is pushed back towards the cab of the truck from the tailgate. This is very true, us folk here in the great white north get a fair bit of snow and no matter if the tailgate is up or down when there is snow in the box of the truck, the wind movement pushes most of the snow towards the front of the truck creating a little mountain of snow right against the cab. Obviously when the gate is open quite a bit flys out but alot get pushed towards the cab.

stevepod · February 2005

I love my new doublecab 4wd TRD but I am experiencing problems with the 6-speed trans. Sometimes you will try to put the truck in first gear and the shifter will pop out of gear violently as soon as you let go of the clutch. After this happens you can not get the transmission to go into any of the forward gears in the shift pattern, (1,3,5, and Reverse). I will have to put the truck in 2,4,or 6th and let the clutch out a little before I am able to put the truck back in 1st, Rev, 3, or 5th. This happened to a total of 5 times and it is impossible to make it do it on purpose. My dealer has not been able to make the truck do it.
The engine also races as you push the clutch in while shifting. The tach races at about 1500 rpms when you shift. I have to hold the clutch in for longer periods of time while shifting to shift smoothly. If anybody is experiencing the same problems with their trucks, please contact me at stevepod@nycap.rr.com or at 518-798-5403.
Thanks,
Stevepod

nickt1 · February 2005

There has been no TSB for the water leak on the 2005 Tacoma. I think the TSB you're referring to was for previous years, because they've all had the TSB, which means that if Toyota was never able to correct the water leak problem on the assembly line for the previous generation of Tacomas, it's unlikely it'll be fixed on this generation. Instead, it looks like Toyota is dealing with it on a case by case basis. You would think that building a water-tight cabin is pretty basic, but apparently not for Toyota.

tacomadave · February 2005

Well, i just took delivery of my dcab 4x4 trd yesterday, and i thought i sould throw my input into the mix and see if it helps anyone. The truck was made in the freemont ca plant but i can't find when it was made, it came into port on 2-19-05. It does have the famous glove box Swirl, but i have not noticed any damp carpet and we have had rain in the area the last week. I have not noticed any suspension lunk on speed bumps or pot holes. The engine does seem to idle rough, but it has less than 200 miles on it. The dealership offered me a 7 year 100,000 mile warranty for $980 this was the platinum 0 deductible. He also stated this was $100 over cost. Hope this helps, i will keep my eye out for any problems and keep you posted. Thanks to all of you for making this a very informative and helpful site.

Toyota Tacoma 2005+

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