I bought a 2000 Tacoma TRD from a dealer last year. They forgot to put a sticker on it, fortunately. When I took it to my local shop my guys refused to sticker it, said it needed a new power steering rack. There was too much play.

The dealer told me that extra play in the rack is normal for Tacomas, and gave me a new sticker. This year when I needed a new sticker I went through the exact same process, my shop said no, the dealer said the extra play in the rack was normal.

I contacted the state police officer who oversees inspections. He looked at the rack at my local shop, and agreed with them. He went to the dealer (I had all the documents in which they'd described the extra play as normal).

Now the dealer is claiming that this is how the truck was designed and that Toyota went through this in another state. My truck is still at the shop while the state police officer waits for some kind of documentation from Toyoat HQ in California.

I haven't found anything about this online. Has anyone out there heard of it?

Please explain "forgot to put a sticker on it"?

Please explain "forgot to put a sticker on it"?

When I got the truck home my wife pointed out that I needed a sticker in a month.

David: How much freeplay do you have? I don't have a shop manual for a 2000 Tacoma but my 2004 shop manual reads as follows:
(Maximum freeplay: 30mm (1.18 in.)
I assume your truck has a rack and pinion steering with power assist and would be about the same as the 2004. Notice it reads Maximum freeplay, so a normal system should have less. Your dealer should have a shop manual reference stating what is acceptable maximum freeplay. I don't believe that Toyota designed them to have extra freeplay. I realize that I haven't answered your question. There seems to be a lot of, "Oh, they all do that" remarks coming from Toyota dealers based on the inputs on this forum. Hope you get it resolved soon.

Clifton

David: How much freeplay do you have? I don't have a shop manual for a 2000 Tacoma but my 2004 shop manual reads as follows:
(Maximum freeplay: 30mm (1.18 in.)
I assume your truck has a rack and pinion steering with power assist and would be about the same as the 2004. Notice it reads Maximum freeplay, so a normal system should have less. Your dealer should have a shop manual reference stating what is acceptable maximum freeplay. I don't believe that Toyota designed them to have extra freeplay. I realize that I haven't answered your question. There seems to be a lot of, "Oh, they all do that" remarks coming from Toyota dealers based on the inputs on this forum. Hope you get it resolved soon.

Clifton

According to my shop it's got over an inch on the left side.

David: I don't know how your shop is measuring when they say it is over an inch on the left side.
Are they measuring freeplay at the steering wheel or some other location? The Toyota shop manual shows measurement of freeplay at the steering wheel. The wheel is rocked up and down lightly and the freeplay is measured at the rim of the steering wheel. That is the method I have always seen used to check steering freeplay, but that test only gives overall freeplay. If it's excessive all the components of the steering system should be checked to determine the cause of the problem. I It sounds like your shop is checking on the steering rack or some other place under the truck. In that case the problem could be tie rod ends, ball joints, steering shaft universal joints or the rack. This is just a thought, there may be a communication problem between the two shops.

Clifton

David: I don't know how your shop is measuring when they say it is over an inch on the left side.
Are they measuring freeplay at the steering wheel or some other location? The Toyota shop manual shows measurement of freeplay at the steering wheel. The wheel is rocked up and down lightly and the freeplay is measured at the rim of the steering wheel. That is the method I have always seen used to check steering freeplay, but that test only gives overall freeplay. If it's excessive all the components of the steering system should be checked to determine the cause of the problem. I It sounds like your shop is checking on the steering rack or some other place under the truck. In that case the problem could be tie rod ends, ball joints, steering shaft universal joints or the rack. This is just a thought, there may be a communication problem between the two shops.

Clifton

They're looking under the truck, by the ball joints. And the dealer agrees that there is extra play in the rack there. The problem is that the state police, and my shop are saying that the truck can't pass inspection. The dealer is working with Toyota to create some kind of service notice that will make the police happy.

David, I didn't see it in your post, but what state are you having the vehicle inspected?

I'm in Va, and I don't think they went to that extreme when they inspected my truck.

David, I didn't see it in your post, but what state are you having the vehicle inspected?

I'm in Va, and I don't think they went to that extreme when they inspected my truck.

In Maine. According to the dealership the exact same thing happenned in New Hampshire, and Toyota provided documentation that solved everything.

To recap: I failed inspection at my local shop because of "excessive play" in the rack, the dealer told me it was normal and gave me a new sticker. This repeated itself again a year later, and I called the state police to get a third opinion. The state officer agreed with my local shop, and told the dealer to replace the rack.

The dealer is now trying to get Toyota to provide documentation to the state police that will not only make my sticker valid, but will go out to every inspection station in the state.

I searched every combination of Tacoma and steering rack I could think of on the internet- nothing. So I'm a little dubious about the whole thing. Oh yeah, and I've been stuck with a Camry loaner on the snow covered back roads of Maine for a week.

David; I hope I never have the same experience. Please let us know how Toyota resolves the problem. I do wish you luck, I'm sure the problem is very frustratng..

Clifton