New 2018 Tundra TRD off-road with DSI suspension issues

Hi Folks - just looking for a little advice.

Just bought a 2018 Tundra 4x2 TRD off-road with aftermarket DSI lift kit and custom wheels. Truck looks awesome.

After about 100 miles started hearing a popping noise at slow speeds on uneven surfaces from driver’s side suspension area. Took it over to the local Toyota service center (separate from local dealer) and they found missing clips, bolts, tires rubbing fender liner, etc. Would not touch it and recommended dealer take it back to DSI for review and fix.

Needless to say, this is incredibly disappointing. Dealer acknowledges issue and agreed to sort it out, but I am thinking of demanding that they install genuine Toyota parts at their service center since I’ve lost faith in the DSI stuff and install.

Anyone use DSI and happy with their work? I don’t want to be dealing with issues 2-3 years down the road with no one willing to warranty the work.

 

Reminder that it never hurts to identify where in the world you're located.

 

Yup. Just joined this forum after being a long-time T100 and Tacoma owner. I am in San Diego area.

 

If they installed Toyota parts then you’d loose the lift. How big are your tires? If they sold it that way, with dealer installed stuff, they should have to warranty it all.

 

Welcome from NY .

 

Hi All. Attached are a couple of photos of my set-up. All dealer installed.

After taking it to the dealer, they could find nothing wrong or loose. Made sure everything was tight. I can still hear the popping noise, slow speeds when I hit slight bumps. Worse going up hill for some reason.

The mods I have (dealer installed after market by 4wheelparts) include procomp wheels, tires and spacers. See photos.

Truck drives like a dream, otherwise. In love with this thing, just want to be sure nothing is seriously wrong. It did sit on the lot for 8 months. Also wondering if it could be brakes or skid plate.

Any advice appreciated.

 

One more thing....the dealer noticed that the inner fender liners were missing some bolts and clips. Looks like the installer did this intentionally to avoid tire rubbing. Can’t tell from looking unless you get underneath the truck. Is this typical? I called 4wheelparts and will take it back to them for a look but want to be armed with ammo so any thoughts appreciated.

 

I also get that popping noise you are describing. On yours does it do it just once right after you get moving like your first turn off your road and then stop or become less noticeable?

Been trying to pinpoint it for a while on my truck, have had Toyota check it twice and tell me everything’s tight.

 

I hear a thunk when I just get rolling but that’s the ABS check I’m pretty sure. My Tacoma predecessor did the same thing.

This is a light, erratic pop/thunk that happens at slow speeds when I’m on an uneven surface. I am going to remove the skid plate today and see what that does.

 

Seems like I read on here somewhere that the skid plate can cause a popping noise when not installed correctly or something like that

 

Here you go, sounds just like your problem.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/popping-noise-in-front-end.21679/#post-919626

 

Well, I wish. Thanks for sharing. I took the skid plate off and still hear the popping sound. Took it back to the lift installer and they checked all the bolts, etc. Said it looks good and couldn’t find the issue in the suspension.

Now, what I’ve noticed is that when you open the hood and rock the front tires back and forth with the car parked, the engine is sliding back and forth and making the noise! You can actually feel it with your hand on the engine. Can’t locate it just yet precisely. Any ideas? Looks like a lot of movement but it’s a big engine. So not sure what’s normal.

Any additional thoughts?

 

Engine mounts loose?

 

So mystery solved. I took it back to the dealer yesterday and took the shop foreman for a ride. He clearly heard the issue. He called me today, and after his tech used microphones all over the engine compartment and suspension, they isolated it to a loose harness in the engine compartment that was rattling against the interior firewall. Put some padding and isolation around it, tightened it down good, and NO MORE POPPING!

Interesting, while I was there, he basically warned me that the PCS safety feature is going to flake out since my truck was lifted. They are waiting for a calibration method from Toyota and have no idea when it will come. I have already experienced the BRAKES warning coming on at random times so heads up to all.