Hey Everyone,

Sorry for the long post in advance, but I'm stumped.

Recently it has become pretty cold in the Northeast and I have noticed a sort of subtle grinding noise when going below 40 mph. The noise is subtle but I can also almost feel it through the pedal as well, but when I go above around 40 mph or it's warm, it seems to go away.

My buddy told me to try and put it in 4wd and see if it still makes it, so I did last night and it went away, then when I put it back into 2wd the noise immediately came back.

Any ideas? My initial thought was my brakes were rubbing because they were pretty destroyed, but when I replaced them the noise didn't go away. Also, the only other thing I've done to my truck lately was the FJ TT suspension, but that was done in Sept. so I don't think it would have anything to do with that.

Just an update on the cyclical droan noise while in 2wd:

So I brought it to the dealer (twice). The first time it was 50 degrees and obviously didn't make the noise. The second time was on Friday and here is what they found out: Only makes the noise when the drivetrain is under load (ie. not on the lift only on the road), makes the noise with the engine off and still driving and both the front and rear driveshaft u-joints and slip yokes were dry. They lubed them up and took it on the road again and the noise was gone.

They called me saying they wanted to make sure the noise was still gone tomorrow so they kept it overnight on Saturday. Today I call at 2pm, sounds like they didn't even look at the truck so I forget it I am picking up the truck. They scramble and say oh we found out that a technician did take it out and the noise was no longer present and they didn't even charge me for it.

Sounds good, right? Well I get in and drive down the road and immediately notice it, wtf?

Anyone have this problem or does anyone think it is something else now that there is new information? I'm stumped and want to bring it elsewhere. Anything would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sounds like a front differential problem. The 07-08 tundra had an issue with the front diff howling in 2wd only.

Any updates on this? Ive had the exact same issue for a while now. All differential fluids have been changed and triple checked. It happened a few days after I changed the fluids, but has to be coincidental.

mosha,

I'm having a similar problem as well. However, regardless of weather (weather in LA is around 50-80 degrees during the winter/spring), I seem to have a grinding/popping issue as well. The grinding/popping is noticeable only if I'm not pressing on the gas. If I'm pressing on the brakes at less than 40mph, the sound is sometimes noticeable. I posted my own topic, but no one has replied yet.

Any updates on your situation? It's been a month since you started this topic.

Just a random thought, but maybe its the front wheel bearings? If theyre loose, or worn, maybe the load in 4WD keeps it pretty centered, but could bounce around in 2WD. We had a 4Runner in our shop recently that had a noise similar to that, only in the rear. It was the rear bearings, and was a 4WD. If theyre old, or you do alot of heavy/hard driving, it may be something to look into. PM if you want to know how to check bearings with 4WD. Its relatively easy

Sorry for the late response, just got engaged so I've been busy doing some wedding planning.

I took it to the dealership 3 times, and the last time they told me they couldn't figure it out and wanted to have some technician look at it, not sure what they called him but it was someone who traveled from dealership to dealership (more experienced). Anyway, it has been about 3 weeks now and I've still heard nothing back from them (typical customer service from this particular dealership).


Also, it was about 45 today and it was still making the noise pretty noticeably, it used to not make it at that temp.

Jeff4runner, I will shoot you a PM....I just hope this problem isn't getting worse and turning into something really serious.

I'll keep you all posted if I end up figuring it out.

I think I have the same thing going on with my 1991 4R, the noise is coming from the front passenger side and you can physically feel it through the floor board. Here is my attempt at the sound it makes "Erererrrrrerrreerrrrrrr" It seems to be a deep metallic grind or rub and it fairly consistent with brief pauses sometimes. At speeds over 55MPH its the opposite it seems to go away "or maybe just blends with road noise" with brief grinding. It also stops when I make sharp left turns. To no avail I replaced the Wheel bearing even though the old one had no obvious damage and the grease level was fine. I'm stumped. Could it possibly be the CV, or Axel teeth slipping, or steering stop?

I have a 2022 4Runner. Deal replaced the front diff at 700 miles . Said it was defective from the factory. I now have 5000 miles on it and the moaning is back and getting worse. Mainly as I decelerate below 40 mph to 20 mph. I can feel it in the floor too. Any ideas? Dealer is looking at it today. I'm just shocked at the quality issues this vehicle is having. 4Runners are usually bullet proof and well known for durability.

I have a 2022 SR5 that is making the same noise. It’s the needle bearing in the front differential. Dealer claims they can’t hear it and blame my windshield being loose.

Have you guys found a solution to this problem? My 2019 makes the same exact noice It almost feels like there is
engine breaking or a little
resistance/vibration as I'm deceleration
say off of an on ramp. Doesn't happen all
the time but its almost like its not
coasting smoothly. I get a feeling almost
like drag. and so far I haven’t been able to solve the issue, I will really appreciate if any of you can share a solution if you guys found one, it is very annoying to pay for a vehicle that makes you feel unsafe

I had exactly the same problem - 2021 4Runner with 7K. Started this past fall and got worse. You could really hear it when de-accelerating, worse when turning right. Many people chock it up the the needle bearing BUT I brought it to my really good dealer, the service manager took it for a test drive without me (I could get it to make the noise 100% of the time and was ready to prove it). He came back, said he heard the noise, had heard worse, said it was mismatched gears in the front diff. They ordered one and it came in in less than a week, took em 5 hours to change it. The service manager said there was a service bulletin - I've seen one for 2017-2019 but I've heard of more than a few of these with 2021s. Your symptoms match mine exactly and the fact that it stops in 4WD is THE way they know. Back to the dealer and don't take no for an answer!

Update. The noise was still there just quieter and different but still there and still with the vibration. Brought it back - service manager said they all seem to do it (drove a 22 that did it with 15 miles on the odo). He put in a TAS, I called customer care twice and said this was unacceptable. They sent a regional tech in - he ordered another new diff AND a front left axle. Still waiting on parts - fingers crossed.

They replaced the front diff and the driver's side axle. The "correction" on the work order reads, "Replace SOP front differential (post countermeasure date of 4.12.22 or newer per FTS") I don't know what SOP is!
The new part number of the replacement is 4111035A92. "Cause" on the work order is "mismatched front diff and LF CV axle per FTS." The axle part number is 434306008284. It's a re-manufactured shaft and "clean" core. They drove it 15 miles during the service (not sure if before or after or both). It's warm now here in VT so the noise was less in the last month - but definitely still noticeable and "feelable." Driving home from the dealership the steering felt much tighter and no noise, no vibration - the truck felt new. I assume the first replacement diff was just a swap with another "bad" one and either they mucked up the CV axle or it was, as they say, a mismatch. I will be keeping track and updating as time goes on but the real test, I assume, will be when the fall and winter temps arrive. For now, I've driven it about 500 miles and it seems to have resolved this really hard to fix problem.

Front diff needle bearing did mine 3000 miles on a 21 TRD Off Road

No more noise between 30 & 40 mph in 2wd, toyota won’t change just the bearing so i did it my self.

I used the ECGS TOYOTA 8" CLAMSHELL BUSHING (ELIMINATES NEEDLE BEARING)