4th Apr 2003, 15:16

I have a 2002 Tacoma. It has a huge drive line clunk. I last had a '86 Toyota Pick up and there was no clunk in it at all. The drive line 'bang' or clunk is really bad on the freeway when I gently add power or reduce power. I took it in for service twice and both times they said it was normal. I took the Toyota mechanic for a test drive to show him the problem and he thought is was something serious and after a day working on it, and talking to the Toyota engineers, he said that he couldn't do anything about it. The CLUNK is making me nuts and I'd like to go after Toyota to get them to fix it! Has any one had any luck with Toyota about this? (I did notice the the drive line spline was ungreased, so I greased it. made little difference.)

BTW, The truck also has a bad rattle in the dash when it is cold.

18th Apr 2003, 07:29

I was having the same driveline clunk that started at 4500 miles. I have a 2002 Tacoma X-cab. I took the truck to the dealer and the mechanic said it was normal. They said it was just the flex of the transmission. As the weather got warmer the clunk got much worse, especially in stop and go traffic. I also said this can't be normal. I found the comment dated October 27th 2002 to be right on. I found the slip joint had not been greased at all by the factory. It actually took ½ a tube of grease. I have not had a clunk since.

21st Mar 2004, 00:13

I recently bought a 2000 Toyota Pre-runner extra-cab and it also has a serious clunk noise when I stop and start. I also have questions about the gear shifter moving back and forth when I speed up and slow down, and it also does it when I go over bumps. Any advise would be helpful.

14th Jun 2004, 22:56

I have a 2003 Tacoma xtra cab with a manual transmission built in Fremont, CA. I have a small clunk when stopping and starting, due to what seems like excessive play in the drive line. My '87 Toyota does not have this and is solid as a rock. I will take the new truck to the dealer, and, of course, they will say it's normal. I know it's not a sports car, but somehow the quality of the '87 seems much better than today's Tacoma. Talk to me after 200,000 miles of harsh neglect in addition to hauling and towing tons too much. As for the dash rattle, it happens all the time, hot or cold.

4th Sep 2004, 13:53

My 2001 Tacoma double cab was having the same "clunk" issue. Just last week, after my 3rd complaint, the dealer installed an "updated dive shaft prope" (this is what appeared on the work order, they didn't explain it any further) and I've had no problems since. They had also tried the "grease it up" approach about 5 months ago, which helped, but didn't solve the problem. I'd recommend going into the dealer and demanding the "updated" part - good luck!

16th Sep 2004, 06:50

I had the same clunking noise appear at about 20K miles on my 2000 Tacoma 4cyl 4WD. I noticed the drive shaft joints and slip joint needed grease. My slip joint also needed half tube of grease and the problem went away. Made the truck feel like a million bucks... much better in city traffic.

27th Apr 2008, 23:28

My 2004 Tacoma Prerunner crew cab is making a clicking noise when slowing and accelerating up to 30mph. Notice it louder when going up hill. I greased all the zerk fittings on the drive shaft, but it's still there. I put new rotor and pads so I know it's not the brakes. Any sugestions?

12th Nov 2008, 05:49

I have a '99 Toyota Tacoma, 2.7 L, 4 cyl. engine, 4wd. The only problem I have is when I take my foot off the gas and let it coast, mostly noticeable in town at 25 to 40 mph, it vibrates seemingly from the front end.

When I'm coming to a stop light and I let it coast, it happens almost every time. Apply a little gas and it immediately disappears. I took it to several mechanics, one said it was the tires and another said it was leaky struts, which he replaced for $500. The problem's still there. Anybody have a clue what it is?

4th Jun 2010, 08:37

This is a very old post, but people like me are still buying used Tacomas and finding they "clunk" when starting after a stop. I noticed the auto transmission shifter moved a lot when this happens. I read the "axle wrap" info found on the web and greased the slip joint in front of my diff. I even disassembled, inspected, and greased the thing. Nothing wrong there... clunk!

I noticed the transmission mount at the output of the trans is made to move up and down along a bolt shoulder. Upon further inspection, the entire rear trans mount is a rubber mount, and this thing binds when you stop. I cut 3 pieces of rubber in a 3" diameter "donut" shape, slit the sides of the donut and placed them around the shoulder bolt to reduce the travel space of the mount. No more clunk! Free fix. No mechanics telling me its "normal" either!

I love my 2002 Prerunner XCab. Good luck with your clunk.

Steve.

26th Oct 2011, 16:27

Do you think that is what's causing the clunk noise or bump feeling when stopping and starting to go again? Could it be the cheap rubber mounts under the trans? What's the fix?

6th Jun 2012, 00:05

Also had this problem on a 2000 Tacoma Pre Runner TRD. Dealer said it was the rear locker, and was normal, but I also found that my drive shaft spline was not properly lubed, or low grade grease was used. Refilled with Lucas Red n Tacky #2 (high temp/high shear) and the problem was fixed.

Also replaced drive shaft center carrier bearing/support ($90.00 Timken delivered from Rockauto.com).

My truck just turned 140K, and sees off road use regularly. As it has a 2 piece drive shaft, the worn/broken carrier was probably contributing to the clunking as well, as the shaft joint would move upward when stopping, and dropping when brakes released (my bearing had broken loose from the rubber donut, and had about a 1/4" play when you lay under the truck and pushed upward on the shaft joint). All is solid and smooth now for the last 1K without any trans/diff work.

I know how annoying this problem is, and can't believe the dealers and tranny shops couldn't figure this out. Try the grease first as it's cheap, but don't forget the CVs and center carrier.

Good luck!

8th Oct 2016, 05:10

I have solved that with my 2003 Tacoma double cab Prerunner. AND 8 OTHER TACOMAS.

The clunk you here is the carrier bearing, and why is the rear axle wrap!! Look on YouTube. Put in tacoma axle wrap. It causes the carrier bearing to become sloppy and loose very quickly. My truck was so bad it broke the transmission mount. You may have to change yours if it's broken.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/goodbye-axle-wrap-mod.108316/