New Tundra Owner Having Buyers Remorse

Hello Everyone! I just bought my first Tundra yesterday (used 2016), and either something is wrong with it or something is wrong with me. Here’s the deal...this thing rides like a pogo stick. Bear with me...it’s a long story. But I need some feedback from fellow Tundra owners.

So I decided I needed a pickup and always liked the look of the Tundra. Also, I’ve been buying Japanese all my life and just don’t trust Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. So the Tundra was my number one pick. I’ve read plenty of great reviews about them so I figure it was a safe choice. I was buying used so I knew I had to choose carefully. But price was important too. I mean who doesn’t like a good deal.

Anyway, I test drove a 2008 Crewmax with 20” street tires and a 5.7. It was nice, had a nice ride, but had too many miles for me. I also later determined that I preferred a double cab to a Crewmax because I wanted a longer bed. So I continued looking.

Then I found a 2012 SR5 Off Road but it still had street tires. 4.6L was strong, and it had a nice aftermarket dual exhaust system. I came close to buying this one but a pre-purchase inspection revealed cam tower leaks with the driver side being the heaviest.

Next I run across the 2016 I purchased. This one is in better shape than all the others and I felt I was getting a good deal after I talked them down from 22k to 18k. So I looked for the cam tower leak (none), took it for a short test drive on neighborhood roads under 50 mph, and signed the contract.

I was comfortable because I was purchasing from a major reputable Toyota dealership that had sold this truck to a one owner who had it serviced there religiously. All service records were in tact. So I assume the truck was in great shape, and it probably is. But it feels like the suspension is loose. When driving down the highway, it bounces and vibrates and shimmies but will smooth out if there is smooth surface. But one bump and we are on a roller coaster again.

My guess is this is not normal but I’m probably wrong. It probably has to do with these big heavy off-road tires. But it’s very uncomfortable to me and I really don’t want to deal with this. None of the other Tundras I drove exhibited this type of ride. But again, they all had street tires.

So is this normal for the Bridgestone K02’s? If I replace the tires and wheels with street versions, will my problem be solved? I have no need for all terrain tires. I literally thought something was wrong with this truck but after talking to a couple of other owners of trucks with off-road tires, they confirmed that it was normal. But I am close to exercising my satisfaction guarantee… If I have one.

So, is this rough ride and vibration normal? Will I get used to it? I’m also not thrilled with the gas mileage but I knew it would be bad.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. Please don’t be too hard on me because like I said, I am new to Tundras and new to off-road tires. But I never expected a ride like this. Just think, one test drive on the highway and I would have made a different choice.

Thanks! Ralo

 

Bridgestone doesn’t make the KO2 I would replace them with a good tire not chopped up(that’s what KO 2 do).
1-probably 10 ply tire what’s tire pressure set at?
2- lifted with spacers in front ? They cause rough ride
3-are shocks worn out ?
No a typical tundra rides pretty good as far as trucks go.

 

This^^

BFG KO's are notorious for being a bit hard to balance...thus causing vibration issues. A good shop can get them balanced foryou.

Welcome from NY.

Can you post some pictures?

 

Welcome from Ohio. I would Guess that your rough ride is coming from your tires that said I have mud tires and mine rides very smooth.

 

Picture is worth a 1000 words....my 2016 rides great on Michelin Defenders

 

Love my Coopers. Kinda crappy to have to replace tires right after purchase. I’d take it to a reputable tire shop and see what they think, either balancing issue, tread issue etc. and take it from there. The Tundras are pretty darn amazing trucks. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Also Welcome from Ohio.

This sounds like a tire issue, I agree with the rest but I would take your truck in to a tire only dealer and do a test ride with them.

Here in Ohio we have Discount Tire dealers who only sell tires and are experts.

 

My mistake...I meant BFG.

1. My cheap tire gauge shows 53. Sticker on door seal says 49. Dealer put on 2 new tires but the other 2 need replacing as well.
2. Not lifted. All stock.
3. Carfax shows rear shocks replaced between 70-75k miles. Has 84k now.

I’d like to add that even at 5 miles per hour, it feels like I’m driving on a rumble strip (slight exaggeration). So that’s got to be the tires, right?

Also, steering wheel shakes during hard braking. Carfax shows front pads replaced and rotors resurfaced at the same time the rear shock were replaced, but again at 75k miles. Then a front end collision 200 miles later which was professionally repaired as you can’t tell it was ever in an accident. And I know what to look for. But I guess the accident could also be a source of the vibration in the steering wheel under heavy braking.

Here are some pictures:


Scheduled for PDR tomorrow morning for the dent in the bed.

 

Welcome from Colorado

A 2016 for $18K??? That is pretty damn low. How many miles where on that truck?

 

Sounds like tires. A bent wheel or poor balancing will also cause vibrations. But if ur feeling it at low speeds, it’s probably your tires

 

Could be a lot of things. If you don’t care about the looks of rims or tires on there now, find a set of take off OEM rims with the stock tires and sell the aftermarket ones off. How bad was the front end wreck?

 

Heavy braking vibration is due to hot spots in rotors. Replace with new to fix that issue. I would say your tires are your issues I would put 4 new tires on and have it alignment done with a trained tech. That will tell you if the wreck has anything to go with your issues. Hope it does not .

 

84k miles. I figured they let it go so cheap (is $18k cheap for 84k miles) because of the dents in the bed that they refused to fix for that price. And the fact that it still needed 2 new tires. And the fact that they hadn't even detailed it yet so had just got it. But they had done the preventive maintenance. I confirmed it has a fresh oil change, new wipers, new air filter, and new cabin air filter. And of course the 2 new tires.

I thought is was a trade-in but later found out that the owner just sold it back to the dealership saying he just didn't drive it much anymore. Funny because he put 84k miles on it in 3.5 years. That's nearly 22k per year according to Carfax. But I did find a small dirt dobber nest under the hood so it did sit long enough for that to happen. He stopped driving it within 10k miles of the accident. Maybe he was up in age.

Ralo

 

That's my plan actually. I've already been looking at replacements on eBay. I hope I can recoup a descent amount by selling the ones I have. And I do hope it solves the problem. But I'm still going to try and get them to replace the two old tires which are nearly down to the wear bars and showing signs of dry rot. I wish I had looked at them closer before signing on the dotted line. Isn't against the law for licensed dealers to sell a car with bad tires?

 

The Carfax doesn't say "minor" but when I looked to signs of repair, the only thing that clearly looks new is the headlights (aren't those from a 2017 or later?) and the grill (lack of blemishes). But the bolts on the radiator mount doesn't appear to have ever been broken, nor does the bumper bolts. Old paint there too. So I'm thinking it wasn't too bad.

 

My 2016 was valued at $32 when I bought it out of the lease.

 

Welcome! Thanks for letting us know how we can help you!

We’re glad to have you!

You’re off to a good start,only a few minor issues to work out

Don’t be so hard on yourself,you’ve made a good decision and just have to get a few things settled. Don’t let it get to your head.

After that you’ll be extremely pleased!

 

When I bought mine in 2016, I traded in a 2007 and they gave me 18 for it and had it listed for 23 on the lot.....now the 2007 was a top of the line in its day Limited, CM, JBL, 4X4, etc.

 

lower tire pressure to 45 to see if it helps. I run my fj with ko at 40. 53 is really high.

 

53 psi is crazy high. Like 8Mint said, lower that psi significantly. I run 35 on my Toyos and would suggest starting there

 

Any of these ideas might work. But once you’re past 3 days from purchase, your rights to redress, if any, may expire. If you just bought this truck, take it back and let this ‘reputable dealership’ figure it out. I can’t imagine paying 18k and taxes and fees for a truck then trouble-shooting and buying expensive rule-out mods like tires, at my own expense. No way.

 

It’s a nice looking truck. Seems like $18K is a good deal even with an accident on the car fax. The rims look good too. I’m sure you’ll get some cash for those. As for the tires, in NYS, a dealer has to inspect the vehicle when it’s sold retail and give a basic warranty. Tread depth is one of the parts of safety inspections here.

 

I run 34 psi front and 32 psi rear on my 34” Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Yours seems much too high and would certainly cause rancid ride quality.

 

Do I really have 3 days. I’ve tried to confirm that via internet searches, but I can not. If anything, I clearly don’t have 3 days. In other words, the dealer doesn’t have to do anything for me.

However, they did give me a six-month drivetrain warranty that I wasn’t expecting after I turn down the $2500 extended warranty they try to sell me. Seems like that was legally required because I can’t imagine them doing it on their own. They even had to reduce the price of the truck so they could “charge me” for that six month warranty. It was $599.

But I hope I do have the law on my side or that they actually care about customer satisfaction, because I’d really like to get two more new tires and rotors...whatever it takes to make it right. I already asked for a different set of wheels and tires before buying the truck but they refused that out right.

So I think the best I could hope for is two more new tires and maybe some new rotors. But for the price I paid, they are probably going to turn me down and tell me it’s my problem now.

If I had the law my side I’d have some leverage but I’m not sure I do. We will see in the morning.

Thanks guys!

 

What state are you in?

 

I bought it in Texas.

 

Like the next post asked, your “rights” vary state by state. Several states allow you to give the truck back and kill the deal within the first 3 days. If you want to try this option, run internet checks for your state. But you can’t bluff or negotiate. Gotta be willing to turn it back in.

If I were in your place, I’d lower the tire pressure to 38 or 40 then drive it back to the dealer. Unless the reduced pressure fixes the problem, I’d do all I could to undo the deal. No negotiating. Because the dealer could offer this, just to run out the clock on your return timeframe. If the dealer promises to fix it (if you’re in a state that allows you to kill the deal), I’d say, ‘go ahead, fix it’; turn it in, kill the deal, and tell ‘em, if they fix it, you’ll buy it when they do, for the same terms.

Too much air pressure, flat spots on the tires, a bad alignment— lots of things could cause what you’re describing. If it were me, I’d be unwilling to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars and time working through troubleshooting, while paying financing for a truck that isn’t awesome.

 

I did search by state, in Texas does not appear to be a state that allows you to return a car after purchase. In fact, I could not confirm that any state allowed it. The link below is what I found different versions of.

https://consumer.findlaw.com/lemon-law/how-to-get-out-of-a-car-purchase.html

Although that link appears to apply to new car sales, I couldn’t find anything promising when it came to use cars either. I may be out of luck unless they just exercise Goodwill.

 

I will definitely try reducing the tire pressure.

 

Looks like I’m out of luck on un-doing the deal.