New cars have a lot of problems. According to New Atlas, newer models have “twice as many problems as in 2010,” with some brands “averaging more than five issues per car.” Unfortunately, this includes reliable brands like Toyota.
A lot of these problems stem from new technology, body designs, and the desire to keep pace with the competition. But what if the problem isn’t a glitch but a design flaw? Well, luckily, mechanics on TikTok have provided tons of videos showing people some of the design choices made by renowned automakers and how they actually affect the day-to-day lives of their owners.
Recently, mechanic Yotaverse (@yotaverse) garnered over 861,000 views when he showed viewers what you need to do to change the oil on a fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma.
What did he have to do?
In a short 13-second clip, Yotaverse revealed a real issue in the design of the new Tacoma by removing the grille/front bumper piece so he could change the oil.
Some viewers commented that the design choice is a way to keep regular people from working on their own cars.
“They make them so you can’t work on them,” a viewer said.
“If this is true, car manufacturers have lost it for sure,” a second added.
“I will never own a Toyota anything again just because serviceability,” a viewer shared
“This is just to check the oil changing it is way harder,” another said.
“I work at toyota and this is 100% true. Infact rear bumper would have to come off as well,” a viewer added.
Others claimed that Yotaverse’s video was misleading and that people could remove a skid plate instead of an entire portion of the fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma.
“That’s false. You don’t have to take the front off for an oil change,” a viewer said.
“Not true but they really failed with this truck this time around. Sad cause I love the Tacoma. Will never get rid of mine,” a viewer said.
“I’m a technician at Toyota, no need to do all that,” another added.
“Just changed mine, took off plate,” a viewer remarked.
Other issues with the fourth-gen Toyota Tacoma
The fourth-generation Toyota Tacomas have come under some heat for their transmissions. In fact, Toyota issued an unofficial recall for Tacomas that displayed any of the six error codes associated with a faulty transmission. According to Motor 1, any automatic Tacomas displaying these codes can get their transmission replaced at no cost to the owner.
Car Buzz explains that the transmission issues stem from the fully redesigned options like the 2.4-liter gas engine with 278 horsepower and the hybrid engine with 326 horsepower. Both of these new engines have had transmission failure, with some failing before the car reaches 1,000 miles.
Unfortunately, the manual transmissions have also received a poor review. Slash Gear, a car review site, lists issues with the manual transmission, such as grinding metal sounds when shifting.
The Daily Dot reached out to Toyota via email and Yotaverse via TikTok Comments.
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