All Entries in the "Tundra News" Category

Possible Bed Bounce CURE

Great news! One of our readers, Matthew Davis, has come up with a way to dampen and CURE the Tundra’s bed bounce cheaply and simply — check out his full explanation and PICTURES below:

Hello everyone. I am the owner of a 2007 Tundra double cab 4X4 with the 5.7 engine. I have noticed the bed vibration since shortly after purchasing the truck in July. I had some time on my hands the other day, so I got up under the truck to see if I could identify the source of the vibration. Those of you who own this truck can go and grab the rear bumper and shake it up and down vigorously and you will observe independent motions of the bed and the cab. I began to realize that the frame of this truck has a harmonic frequency with a pivot point between the engine/transmission area and the rear axle area of the frame. (Visualize a guitar string.) You can get into the bed of the truck and stand directly over the rear axle and jump up and down, and you will find that it is almost impossible to make the same vibration that you can easily achieve by applying pulsating pressure to the bumper or open tailgate.

I thought about the idea of attaching some sort of weight to the rear bumper area, but as I considered the idea, I realized that this would only change the frequency of the vibration, but would not necessarily dampen it. It might even make the vibration more intense in the cab. So I thought about the idea of somehow canceling out the harmonics of the frame by creating a dampening device with a slightly different harmonic frequency attached to the area of the frame behind the rear axle as close to the bumper as possible. The logic here is that if you could CAUSE the frame to vibrate from this point, then it should be possible to DAMPEN the vibration from the same point.

I decided to use the spare tire for this purpose so as not to increase the weight of the vehicle. I lowered the spare tire a few inches from the frame, and I cut out two pieces of high density rubber foam and placed them in between the tire and the part of the frame that the tire is pressed against. (I used one of those kneeling pads that you use for working on hard surfaces on your knees.)

The pad:

(Click for larger view)

(Click for larger view)

There are four points at which the tire contacts the frame. I placed the foam on the rear points and let the front portion of the tire remain in its original position against the brackets that prevent the tire from moving forward. I then re-tightened the tire to where the foam was snug between the tire and the frame. (The tire should be tight enough that it does not rattle.) The tire holder at the end of the cable is spring loaded so it will accommodate some slight movement. This setup allowed the tire to

Latest BorgWarner Tech in the Tundra

From a BorgWarner.com press release, I found this interesting:

BorgWarner Morse TEC’s latest HY-VO(R) four-wheel drive chain technology debuts on the 2007 Toyota Tundra and a new luxury SUV scheduled for release in early 2008. Developed to provide best-in-class sound quality and strength, the technology allows car makers to quietly transfer more power without expanding the size of the transfer case.

‘Four-wheel drive applications increasingly demand greater durability while drivers expect quiet comfort in the cab,’ said Alfred Weber, President and General Manager, BorgWarner Morse TEC. ‘Morse TEC’s technology delivers both, without increasing weight. This contributes to better fuel economy, reduced emissions and improved performance.’

The Morse TEC HY-VO(R) chain product line has been powering automotive products for over 40 years. Customers have shown their confidence in the continuous innovation of the HY-VO(R) product line by employing hundreds of millions of HY-VO(R) chains in transmissions and transfer cases around the world.

The New 2008 Sequoia Is A Tundra In SUV’s Clothing

Today, Toyota unveiled the new 2008 Sequoia. As expected, this new SUV is based on the Toyota Tundra. It bears a similar front end, the same powertrains, and a very similar option list. However, there are some key differences:

The Sequoia will ride nicer: Unlike the Tundra, the Sequoia boasts a fully independent suspension both front and rear. Also, unlike the Tundra, the Sequoia has an “Active Variable Suspension System” option that allows for electronic tuning of the ride using an air suspension system. Additionally, the new Sequoia is supposed to have a slightly different frame. Most likely, it’s a minor difference but we won’t know for sure until we can look underneath one.

The new Sequoia will be quieter: From additional sound dampening materials to a special emphasis on reducing intake and exhaust sounds, the new Sequoia will make less operating noise than the Tundra…as if we care. First thing we’d do is add a dual exhaust.

The new Sequoia has a few more interior niceties: Second row heated seats, air conditioned front seats (warm or cool air is blown thru perforated holes in the seat surface), and a new “Red Rock” interior color scheme that’s similar to Ford’s “King Ranch” package are all available on the new Sequoia. Like most SUV’s, the new Sequoia also offers rear zone climate controls and a rear seat roof-mounted DVD player. The instrument panel and dash layout in the new Sequoia seems to be pretty similar to the Tundra, but we’ll have to sit in one to know for sure.

As far as features they have in common, the new Sequoia has the same engine and transmission, brake system, integrated tow hitch, and the interior dimensions in the first two rows seem remarkably similar. Additionally, the new 2008 Sequoia is rated to pull 10,000lbs. That’s quite a bit for a full-size SUV – about 1,000 lbs more than the nearest competitor.

We’ll keep you updated on this new sibling of the Toyota Tundra, but you can expect to see them in stores as early as one month from now.

Tundra Tailgate Problems: Toyota Internal Memo

We’re not sure if this is will be old news to some of you, but Toyota released a memo to their dealers regarding problems with Toyota Tundra tailgates in the last week or so. We finally got our hands on it, and you can read the memo for yourself by clicking on the image below.

Click image to see full-size memo. Make sure to hover over full-size image when it opens – your browser may shrink it.

The memo speaks for itself, but we thought the phrase “there is no industry standard or consensus regarding tailgate load capacity” was especially interesting. The way we read that sentence, it sounds like Toyota is saying “we can make this truck any way we want to.” Hardly seems like an appropriate response, especially considering the truck is advertised as being the toughest thing on the road.

Here’s an idea: Make the tailgate strong enough so that the welds don’t split when someone loads an atv in the back.

As for the Tundra’s tailgate popping off it’s hinge if you drive with it “down” position, Toyota’s official response is that the manual states you shouldn’t drive with the tailgate down unless it’s secured in that position by the load or a bed extender. Too bad that Toyota’s stance ignores the fact they’ve advertised using the truck with the tailgate down:

Click on the picture to see the full-size image. Look at the sentence towards the bottom to see where Toyota advocates driving with the tailgate down. Thanks again to Glenn for bringing this issue to light.

As far as recalling or replacing tailgates, Toyota says they’ll investigate. Translation — if you make a big enough stink about it, you might get some consideration. If you want to know the best way to create a stink, checkout our Toyota Customer Service Tips post.

Consumer Reports Says New Tundra Is Below Average

Toyota quality is slipping, and Consumer Reports says it’s due in large part to the new Tundra. Evidently, Consumer Reports has found that the new Tundra, specifically the V8 4×4 model, has “below average” reliability. Even more astounding, the new Camry V6 model was also found to have “below average” reliability. Because of the poor showing of these two new models, Consumer Reports has decided that they will no longer automatically recommend new Toyota models as they have in the past. Instead, Consumer Reports says that they will now wait for a full year of survey data before making a recommendation.

Before anyone decides to return their new Tundras, we’d like to clear the air.

1. Consumer Reports shouldn’t automatically recommend any model. Ever.

While it’s great that Consumer Reports had enough confidence in the Toyota design team to automatically recommend everything Toyota made, isn’t the idea of an “automatic recommendation” a little ridiculous? After all, an independent authority should at least test a vehicle before they recommend it. Consumer Reports saying that they’re no longer going to automatically recommend Toyota is a lot like saying “as of right now, we’ve decided to do our job”. That’s hardly news.

2. The survey data is extremely tainted.

According to the press release, the data that Consumer Reports used to conclude that the Tundra is “below average” was collected in the spring of this year. Amazingly, Toyota released the Tundra in the spring of this year. The question that we have for Consumer Reports – if anyone is listening – How exactly can you determine the reliability of a vehicle that’s only been out a couple of months? How many surveys could they possibly have collected – a few dozen? Whatever the number is, it’s certainly not enough to form an opinion. After all, didn’t they say in this same press release they’re going to wait for a full year of data before making a recommendation? At best, CR‘s declaration that the Tundra is “below average” is irresponsible.

3. Toyota is still a top rated brand.

Despite the headlines, Toyota still remains one of Consumer Reports top-rated brands. According to their latest Buyer’s Guide, Toyota is still one of the best brands overall coming in behind Honda/Acura and Subaru (Scion also placed higher than Toyota, but as we all know Scion is a Toyota product). Considering that Honda/Acura and Subaru have yet to make a real truck (anyone that thinks the “Ridgeline” is a real truck needs their head examined), Toyota is still the top ranked brand that offers a real truck.

4. Toyota is a victim of it’s own success.

As we’ve said, time and again, the bar is raised much higher for Toyota than just about any other vehicle manufacturer. The recent declaration that “Toyota quality is slipping” is a great example – two models indicate “below average” and the sky officially begins to fall. Compare Toyota’s situation to GM — according to Consumer Reports, the new Pontiac Solstice and Cadillac Escalade EXT were both 220% LESS RELIABLE than an average vehicle. Of course, recent headlines about the new CR Buyer’s Guide didn’t read “Two Popular GM Models Twice As Likely To Break As Anything Else.” Maybe that’s because, unlike GM, people expect Toyota will make a good vehicle…