I recently purchased a '21 Toyota 4Runner. After the first 50 miles, it developed a louder idle noise, quite a bit noisier than I’d heard in the vehicles that I test drove, and louder than the '20 that I took out for a full day. That was kind of disappointing but it didn’t bother me too much until I drove another hundred miles or so. By that point the noise had increased once again, to the point where I can now hear it while I drive down the highway (40+ mph). It doesn’t seem to vary with road speed or engine speed, except I don’t usually hear it between, say, 10 mph and 35 mph. Any idea what this is? Does it sound normal?
OK , I will ask , have you contacted the dealer because you do have a warranty . If I make a guess as to the problem and you do it and things get worse then you might not get a warrantied repair .
I did bring it in to the dealer. They said it’s normal. I’m not sure if I’d try anything on my own but I’d appreciate any ideas for things I could ask Toyota to look into.
Actually, this vehicle will be covered by multiple warranties, for several years.
That being said, I don’t hear anything unusual.
If you attempt any repairs on your own, you run the risk of voiding the vehicle’s multiple warranties.
If you still think that the noise is abnormal, you could visit another Toyota dealer’s service department–or even two or three of them. Any Toyota dealership can diagnose and repair your new vehicle.
The service writer told me it was normal, and that it’s still in the break-in period. The paperwork says “tech test drove vehicle - no abnormal issues found, vehicle good to manufacturer specs”
My old ears may not be capable of hearing what you claim to be hearing.
I think that you best bet is to make an appointment at the service department of a different Toyota dealership, and get their “take” on the situation.
I have heard this advice given as well when a dealer claims something like “they all do that” or “that sound is normal” The advice was to reply, “OK, then let us take another vehicle like mine out for a ride and verify that it does the same thing”.
What does the owner’s manual and documentation say about a break-in period?
When the service writer says the noise is part of the break-in period, I think what he is really saying is that you will get broken into the noise. Even at my age (almost 80), I have sensitive ears and can hear a noise in a vehicle that shouldn’t be there.
We bought a new Toyota 4Runner back in 2003. It developed a terrible chirping noise. The dealer replaced the serpentine belt three times and installed the belt wrong the second time and the belt pulled out the crankshaft oil seal. I finally went back to the dealer, gave him a copy of the state lemon law, and gave him the option of either buying it back or properly repairing the 4Runner and giving me a loaner to drive while the vehicle was being repaired. The problem turned out to be the belt tensioner which the service department should have figured out in the first place.
We still have that 2003 4Runner and have only had routine maintenance since that time.