2004 Toyota Tacoma

I HAVE READ MANY, MANY OTHER PEOPLE ONLINE ARE HAVING THIS IDENTICAL ISSUE AND IS CAUSING CARS TO STALL OUT AND HAVE TO NEARLY REBUILD THE ENGINE. CYLINDER NUMBER 6 IS MISFIRING CONSISTENTLY AFTER 175,000 MILES AND TO FIX IT, THE HEADS HAVE TO BE SHAVED AND IS COSTING THE CONSUMER AROUND $4500 MINIMUM TO FIX THE ISSUE. THE STALLING OF THE ENGINE PUT MYSELF IN DANGER ON A PUBLIC ROAD WHEN IT HAPPENED.

PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL ON ACCELERATION, THE THROTTLE DROPS OFF LIKE I LET MY FOOT OFF THE PEDAL, THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY PER CUSTOMER REQUEST (ME) AND IT FIXED THE PROBLEM, ONLY TO HAPPEN AGAIN SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THIS HAPPENED ONE TIME AGAIN, A TOTAL OF 2 NEW THROTTLE BODYS WERE REPLACED, NOW A FEW YEARS LATER IT FAILED AGAIN TRYING TO PASS A CAR AND I ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE THROTTLE FAILED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA. WHILE PARKED, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED A HOLE ON THE REAR DRIVER SIDE LEAF SPRING AND IT WAS NOT CONNECTED TO THE FRAME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME HAD RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,000.

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOSES PEDAL RESPONSE DUE TO THE THROTTLE CONTROL MOTOR SHUTTING DOWN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. THE ENGINE EITHER SHUTS DOWN COMPLETELY OR THE BECOMES VERY JERKY AND CANNOT SUSTAIN AN IDLE. INCIDENTS BEGAN TO OCCUR AROUND 95,000 MILES ODO BUT STOPPED FOR SEVERAL YEARS AFTER A MECHANIC WORKED ON THE VEHICLE AND SAID THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. MORE RECENTLY THE TRUCK HAS AGAIN BEEN EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE: LOSS OF PEDAL RESPONSE, AND IN ADDITION IT NOW SHUTS THE ENGINE DOWN AND THE GAUGES SHOOT UP TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS AND TICK UNRESPONSIVELY UNTIL THE KEY IS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES NOW IN TRAFFIC AND ALONG THE ROADWAY WHERE THE TRUCK BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE AND IS DIFFICULT TO DRIVE SAFELY OFF OF THE ROADWAY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT A NORMAL SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE GAS PEDAL BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. I HAD TO PUSH THE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR IN ORDER TO GET UP TO SPEED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD TROUBLE SWITCHING BETWEEN GEARS. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. THE CODE THAT HAS COME UP IS TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY, WHICH I HAVE TWO SEPARATE TIMES, BUT AGAIN THE NEW REPLACEMENT PART IS QUOTED AT $1000. *TR

2004 TOYOTA TACOMA V6 3.4L 5VZ-FE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. TOYOTA ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED THIS VEHICLE WITH A THROTTLE BY WIRE SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY DOES NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION. TOYOTA ON BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM DOES NOT DETECT FAULT THUS DOES NOT LOG ANY ERROR CODES OR ILLUMINATE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. OCCURRENCE RATE AND DURATION OF EVENTS IS INTERMITTENT AND INCONSISTENT. VELOCITY OF THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY DECREASES UNEXPECTEDLY AND MOMENTARILY AS IF FOOT WAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. VEHICLE ALSO UNEXPECTEDLY AND MOMENTARILY DOES NOT RESPOND WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED TO BEGIN MOVING OR SUDDENLY DECREASES SPEED WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS IS A POTENTIAL HAZARD IN SITUATIONS SUCH AS CRUISING IN TRAFFIC, CLEARING AN INTERSECTION, CROSSING RAILROAD TRACKS, ETC... OCCURRENCE RATE AND DURATION OF PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE WORSENING OVER TIME OR WITH INCREASED AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. *TR

LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE (V6 3.4) LEFT BANK HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING AND REQUIRES A REPLACEMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET, WITH A VALVE RECONFIGURATION, AT THE ESTIMATED COST OF $2,762.00. SINCE TOYOTA HAS HAD PREVIOUS VEHICLE RECALLS FOR V6 SERIES ENGINE/GASKET RELIABILITY ISSUES AND THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION ONLY HAS 51,559 MILES, WITH EXCELLENT MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE, THAT THE CYLINDER GASKET HEAD LEAK MAY BE A PRODUCTION DEFECT AND OTHER OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR