2023 Limited AVS Suspension Issues

Hey all, longtime lurker who just took order of a 2023. I made a few changes including a westcott lift, and bigger tires. I have had the lift on for about 500 miles (truck only has 1,000 miles in total) and everything has been great up until tonight. Driving home the truck got noticeably bumpier to the point where it almost felt unsafe to drive. When I got home, out of curiosity I tried to cycle the air ride height to the high setting and back to see if that fixed anything. The truck displayed that it was being taken to the high level and I could hear the pump working but it never finished and is now stuck at the normal height. I can’t adjust any setting in the AVS heights through the switches. I have seen some posts that describe the TSB-0070-22 as a potential fix but I have checked that and it doesn’t seem to be the issue, also my bump stops are WAY higher (5 inches) than the service bulletin requests so I don’t know if something is different for ‘23s or if that is part of the problem. Can the air ride suspension get stuck? Any help here is appreciated.

 

Sorry that I can't answer your question but just to clarify, I don't think you have AVS which is the electronic adjustable shocks. Being a limited trim, I think you may just have the auto leveling rear air suspension.

Not trying to be critical, just want to ensure you and others aren't confused regarding your issue.

MC!

 

No worries, thanks for the reply. I think I’m getting the terms mixed up, I understood AVS and air ride to be the same. My truck has the air ride suspension. I just checked it this morning to get a few pics and see if it’s still broken. I jumped on the bumper to see how much give there is in the suspension and it is rock hard. The only way I can describe it as if the airbags are at 100% capacity and filled with concrete. Also the air ride height adjustment still doesn’t work. Is there a way to maybe bleed the system?

 

Could it be the colder temps having an impact as well? I see snow, so definitely cold wherever you are (just like up North in Canada!). Maybe try and park the truck in a heated garage and see if you can adjust it again?

 

Same suspension setup here. Have you tried adjusting the rear suspension levers for the rear ride height?

 

Pull out your manual and go to Page 370-371. See if any of that helps.

Randy B

 

I wondered the same and parked it in the garage overnight but that didn’t fix anything.

 

I’m going under the truck right now to wrench on it (merry Christmas to me I guess). I’ll let you know if adjusting the levers does anything.

 

I’ve read that section a lot in the last day trying to find a fix but the big problem is that the system won’t cycle when you toggle the switch. But it’s also not throwing the error warning light shown in page 517. I’m going to check the levers and if that doesn’t work I’m calling the dealership first thing tomorrow.

 

Check the air pressure in your tires?
Will the air suspension go to lowest setting?

 

You are correct. I didn’t realize the difference between the two when I started this thread.

 

Ok so I just got done wrenching and moved the height control sensor link plate up and down like it says in TSB-0070-22 and it worked. I’m not sure what that exactly reset in the system but it allowed me to use the air ride height toggle switch and cycle through low/normal/high and this wasn’t possible before. The only way I can explain the issue is it seems like the airbags filled up to max capacity and then some and we’re stuck there not allowing for any dampening. See these attached pics for difference in gap between the axle and bump stop. Before the fix the gap was about 5.5 inches and after the fix it was at 3.5 and that was at the highest air ride setting so the suspension had filled up 2 inches past the high mark. While I’m relieved the truck is drivable now I have zero confidence the issue won’t happen again and I have no idea what caused it to happen in the first place. My last truck was a 99 Tacoma that I put 265,000 miles and never had ANY issues with and I barely hit 1,000 miles on the new truck and already ran into what seemed like a major issue.

 

Keep in mind, you modified the suspension with the Westcot kit. And your Tacoma didn't have this auto system. Others have added that system and have not had the problem you experienced. Perhaps its with the install?

Randy B

 

Glad it worked! I’ll make a mental note of this just in case I need this fix in the future.

Keep in mind that we’re literally exceeding the engineered tolerance of the rear suspension with this lift. I wouldn’t be too worried about it though.

 

Yeah, I agree. You might want to check Westcotts YouTube channel… they warn about adjusting the control arms and if it’s not done right, the whole air ride can lock up. I’m not sure, but it sounds a lot like what you are describing… it’s worth a look.

 

update: it just happened again today. Not sure why it’s happening now since I’ve had the lift for 500+ miles. I just called the dealership that installed it and I’m going in on Thursday to have them look at it. At this point I’m pretty sure they installed the lever arms incorrectly and let the adjusters get out of sync when they installed it. I’ve been aware of that westcott video showing how to properly install it before the list went on and I told the techs that there are videos for them to watch to insure this didn’t happen but it looks like they wasn’t the case.

 

Very interested in this thread. Also installed Westcott front/rear lift for 1794ed with Advanced Package that includes AVS and load-leveler to fit 18’s wrapped in Nitto 35’s. Immediately after third party installation I noticed the load-leveler could raise and lower rear across a broader range than before. BUT…it would not return to normal or neutral position after driving. Installer couldn’t explain why and Westcott wasn’t returning email. Agree ride qualities are very different at those extremes of height. Now however the loads-leveler doesn’t work at all…no change in the dashboard and no movement in height. Unfortunately it’s locked into the lowest slammed position with the same concrete ride described above. Have asked the installer to review their work but hope it hasn’t messed up the leveling system.

 

I’ll have an update soon. I had to reschedule the dealership visit to Tuesday next week. In the mean time mine decided to go the opposite route and lost all the air in the suspension and I was basically doing a wheelie down the freeway. I pulled over and was able to manually raise the suspension back.

 

Same. How does one raise the suspension manually? The load leveler toggle isn’t working manual or automatic.

 

Ok…update. Out of frustration I tried the load leveler again and it worked this time. Both manual and auto. I wonder if it’s a temperature thing. Just warmed up over last few days after last week’s negative temperatures from the snowmaggedon. Would still want it assessed…might happen again.

 

You guys probably don't have the arms in the right position relative to the pivot point. The arms have a hole with three flat sides and a curved side. The sensor has to be lined up correctly to it.

 

Yeah my shop acknowledged the instructions on the bracket installation weren’t that clear…thus a redo is pending

 

Hi all- yep, seeing this issue (air ride/load leveling control arms issue) a lot and all over this forum. The westcott install video is the most comprehensive one I’ve seen on how to properly install new or adjust stock arms. The other thing to take note of is the air ride reset he does after the install…. Taking it up to ‘H’ then back to ‘N’ to recalibrate. This should probably be done whether its adjusting the stock, westcott version or AFE arms. I’m planning on a simple RC 1.75 lift and then an AFE arms install and adjustment for a small rake. That said I’m taking my time talking and working with the installer to let him see the videos and talk through all the issues that we AVS/air ride/leveling tundra owners are dealing with. Video from Westcott below:

I’ll keep you guys updated - in the mean time: can all of you guys that have done the simple 1.75 or 2 inch front level/ lift with only a rear control arm adjust shoot us some pics with tire size, any rub issues and any overall ride quality changes you have seen. Thanks everyone!

 

I put 35 inch tires on mine and everything clears except for the front fender liner when I’m in full lock on either direction. The rubbing isn’t bad and I bought some fender liner push pins that moved the excess material closer to the truck and that solved the issue. The westcott kit came with some pins but the dealership missed that part of the install as well.

As far as the ride quality, I would say it’s ok, not terrible but also not nearly as good as stock. I understood what I was getting into with a lift like this that isn’t a full suspension lift. It’s a little bumpy but I can live with the trade off for the extra height and look.

I would be curious what everyone has been charged by the installers to install this kit. My truck was at the dealership all day and I got charged around $1,700 for the install (which included wheel/tire mount, and alignment) but I felt that was pretty steep but I didn’t have any reference point for how long an install like this should take. Maybe this is covered in other threads, if so let me know.

 

Update: I took the truck to the dealer yesterday and was there for 8 hours while they tried to fix the issue. They kept getting mixed errors from their measurement equipment and in the end sent me home in a loaner car because they needed to contact the Toyota engineers and they were gone for the day. They called me this morning with an update. They confirmed that the lift is not the issue but rather I have a faulty ECU which runs the suspension. They said the lift did not cause the issue but highlighted it. They have to order a new part in which wont be here for a week. Pretty frustrating that I have the truck for less than a month and it already has to spend a week in the shop. I love Toyotas and my years of worry free ownership of my Tacoma was one of the main reasons I bought a Tundra. I hope this is just an isolated incident with this truck. I'll give an update once the new ECU is installed.

 

Here is the truck looking pretty sad and saggy in the shop. They couldn’t get the system to reset and cycle back to normal height.

 

Update: I finally got the truck back from the shop this weekend after being at the dealership for two weeks. Short version is the ECU was faulty and had to be replaced so nothing connected to the lift itself. I’ve only driven the truck a bit over the last few days but I’ve cycled it through the manual suspension levels and the system is working properly. Fingers crossed the issue is in the past and things will be smooth sailing going forward.

 

Ok so I had original lift shop adjust the Westcott load leveler control arms but no fix. Still locked in low (bump stops). Dealer looked at system. No ECU issue but the rear ride height sensor was reading asymmetrical levels between left and right. Reset the system and was able to correctly level (L/R and F/R). Also able to adjust level again but only time will tell. To be honest, I would have skipped the AVS/load leveling system on this truck if I knew it would be this much trouble. If it continues to be an issue then I’m replacing the entire rear AVS suspension with a spring system (maybe 3 “ TRD or Fox?). Thoughts? Has anyone done this?

 

I have not heard of an air to spring conversion on the 3rd gens yet? If you know of one please let us know.

 

Is the Advanced Package worth the $1645 they are charging? I don’t tow or haul much if any. Mostly a pavement guy. Family trips, bikes, skiing, weekend chores, etc…
I’m think of trading in my 23 Limited Hybrid CM 5.5 for a 23 platinum Hybrid CM 6.5.
Extra space in the bed would be nice, but not sure I want that long.. of a truck. Platinum upgrades are nice but my Limited is well equipped.