2009 TOYOTA TACOMA Complaints

THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE MELTED AND CRACKED THE LENS/PLASTIC. THESE ARE ALSO USED AS FRONT END TURN SIGNALS. IF THESE FAIL, IT COULD BE A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. WHILE THERE IS A TSB, THE DEALERSHIP DENIED TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENTS SINCE MY 36K WARRANTY HAS NOW EXPIRED. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST STARTED TO HAPPEN AND TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

AFTER COMPLETING AN OIL CHANGE ON MY 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA IN OCTOBER OF 2011 I NOTICED THAT THE AMBER LENS IN THE HEADLIGHT WAS DISCOLORED AND SEEMED TO BE MELTING DUE TO OVERHEATING. OVER THE PAST YEAR I HAVE BEEN MONITORING THE SITUATION AND NOTICED THAT THE MELTING AND CRACKING OF THE AMBER LENS INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT IS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. IT SEEMS THAT THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS WERE NOT PROPERLY ENGINEERED IN THIS MODEL. BECAUSE OF THE DEFECT THERE IS A CLEAR CONCERN FOR DRIVER SAFETY. THE MELTING LENSES CREATE AN OBVIOUS FIRE HAZARD. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED MY TACOMA IN THE METRO ATLANTA AREA ADVISED ME THAT TOYOTA HAS NO RECALL OF EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS "KNOWN" PROBLEM. I WAS VERY DISMAYED TO HEAR THIS BECAUSE THE ISSUE IS CLEARLY PRESENTS A THREAT TO THE DRIVER. BECAUSE OF THIS SITUATION I HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO ME. EITHER I REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WITH THE TOYOTA FACTORY ASSEMBLY WHICH IS ALREADY KNOWN TO HAVE A DEFECT OR PURCHASE AND AFTERMARKET HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND HOPE THE IT IS ENGINEERED BETTER THAN THE TOYOTA ONE, OR I FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DISABLE THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS TO CUT BACK ON THE HEAD THAT BUILDS UP WITH THEM CONSTANTLY BEING ON. I WOULD RATHER NOT DISABLE THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THEY DO PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT SAFETY VALUE. I AM NOT SURE WHAT I AM GOING TO DO AT THIS POINT BUT CLEARLY ACTION IS NEEDED. I WOULD LIKE TOYOTA TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE POTENTIALLY HARMFUL HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. *TR

WE HAVE NOTICED THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS LENS ARE MELTING AND CRACKING ON BOTH SIDES. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE,POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. *TR

THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL'S) ON MY 2009 TACOMA HAVE BUBBLED UP AND CRACKED THE LENS/PLASTIC. I AM NOT SURE IF THIS IS BECAUSE THE BULB IS TOO CLOSE TO THE PLASTIC OR THE WATTAGE IS TOO HIGH FOR THE PLASTIC. THE DRL'S ARE ALSO USED AS FRONT END TURN SIGNALS. IF THESE FAIL, IT COULD BE A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. DEALERSHIP DENIED TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT FOR IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE AGREEMENTS OF MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. *TR

THE RUNNING / PARKING LIGHTS ARE BURNING THROUGH AND MELTING THE LENS COVERS ON BOTH SIDES OF HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. THERE ARE VISIBLE BURN MARKS AND CRACKS ON THE LENS FOR BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE PLASTIC LENS COVERING THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS/BLINKERS ARE MELTING AND CRACKED. THE CAUSE APPEARS TO BE FROM THE LIGHTS WHICH ARE ON WHEN THE ENGINE IS ON. LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE LENS ARE MELTED. *TR

ON THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY OF MY VEHICLE BOTH OF THE RUNNING LIGHT LENSES ARE MELTING. THEY FIRST STARTED TO BUBBLE AND I NOTICED IT AT APPROXIMATELY 40,000 MILES. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT AND THEY SAID THAT THE WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER IT AND OFFERED NO FIX. RECENTLY, I LOOKED AT THE LENSES AGAIN AND THEY ARE NOW CRACKED AND BURNT. THE PLUGS THAT THE BULBS ARE IN ARE BURNT AS WELL. TOYOTA TOLD ME THEY WOULD PAY HALF OF THE DAMAGES, BUT NOT THE WHOLE THING. IN TOYOTA'S SERVICE BULLETIN THAT THEY PUBLISHED IN 2011, IT STATES THAT THE 2005-2011 VEHICLES HAVE DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHTS AND CAME OUT WITH A NEW DESIGNED HEADLIGHT FOR THEM. WITH THAT SAID, MY TACOMA IS A 2009 MODEL. ONE OF MY BIGGEST WORRIES REGARDING THIS DEFECT IS THE FACT THAT I LIKE TO GO ON ROAD-TRIPS IN MY VEHICLE WHICH SOMETIMES REQUIRES ME TO DRIVE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. I AM CONCERNED THAT OVER TIME THE LENSES WILL MELT COMPLETELY AND CAUSE A FIRE OR SHORT IN THE WIRES. I HAVE THREE SMALL CHILDREN AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT DEFECTED HEADLIGHTS CATCHING FIRE AND ENDANGERING THEM. THE LAST TIME I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, I WALKED AROUND AND LOOKED AT THE USED TACOMA'S AND FOUND THE SAME ISSUES ON ALMOST ALL OF VEHICLES. LIKE I SAID MY BIGGEST THING IS MY SAFETY AND TOYOTA KNOWS THAT THEY MANUFACTURED A DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT AND REFUSE COMPLETE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. *TR

BOTH FRONT AMBER DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT LENSES MELTING, BUBBLING AND CRACKING FROM BULB HEAT. ACTIVE TSB BUT NOT VALID AFTER 36,000. *TR

THE DRLS/TURN SIGNALS OF THE 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA HAVE A FAULTY DESIGN RESULTING WITH THE LENS MELTING (TOYOTA CALLS IT BUBBLING) AND CRACKING. TOYOTA DID ISSUE A RECENT TSB (T-SB-0129-11) TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ON IMPACTED TRUCKS. SEVERAL MODEL YEARS WERE INCLUDED. THE TSB IS WORDED THAT ONLY TRUCKS WITH LESS THAN 36K MILES AND LESS THAN 36 MONTHS OLD WILL BE REPAIRED. MY TRUCK HAD ABOUT 40K MILES AND WAS ABOUT 34 MONTHS OLD WHEN I FINALLY TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DEALER. I DIDN'T BRING IT IN WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE DEFECT BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK TOYOTA WOULD EVEN CONSIDER NOT REPLACING THE LIGHTS BECAUSE IT'S AN OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT. SOME OF THE OLDER MODELS MENTIONED IN THE TSB WOULD HAVE BEEN OLDER THAN 36 MONTHS WHEN THE TSB WAS RELEASED. DRLS WERE DEVELOPED SO OTHER DRIVERS CAN BETTER SEE YOU. A MELTED DRL LENS WILL DIM THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LIGHT TO OTHER DRIVERS. TOYOTA SHOULD BE REPAIRING ALL THE DAMAGED HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES. *TR

AT FREEWAY SPEEDS GRINDING NOISE FROM DRIVELINE UPON DECELERATION. IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING IS GOING TO BREAK/LOCKUP. DEALERSHIP HAD THE TRUCK FOR 2 WEEKS TRYING TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THEY OPENED A SERVICE TICKET WITH TOYOTA AND EVENTUALLY A FIELD SERVICE TECH CAME TO DIAGNOSE THE TRUCK. HE DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE IT STATING "NO ABNORMAL NOISE HEARD DURING OPERATION AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NO FURTHER REPAIRS AUTHORIZED". I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE AND THEY TOLD ME "WE STAND BEHIND OUR TECHS". TCC WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO SPEAK WITH THE FIELD SERVICE TECH?!? I EXPRESSED MY FEAR OF AN ACCIDENT TO TCC TO NO AVAIL. WHY WOULD THE DEALER BE SO CONCERNED ABOUT MY TRUCK BUT TOYOTA BLEW IT OFF? I AM VERY DISPLEASED WITH TOYOTA. *TR