A/C clutch failure; will now be the 3rd fix attempt in 2,500 miles. At a loss for words.

[BOLDTACO]

I have a 2024 SR5 and soon after buying it I noticed a chirping sound when starting it; fast forward a few weeks it started to do it when I drove it so I brought it in. I was told it was the alternator and waited 3 1/2 weeks to get it fixed ( truck was left at the dealer at this time). I brought it home and it began the chirp again the next day, so that day I brought it back once again and they determined it was the A/C clutch and we waited another couple of weeks to get the part and once it was back you could hear a screeching noise on the inside of the truck as the A/C cycles. It's now going back to Toyota. Im at a loss of words as I bought this truck in January and its pretty much either lived at Toyota or has been back and forth between the dealer and my home.

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[maxx075]

I have the chirping (since day one - now at 16k), as do a lot of us. Haven't noticed any negative effects from it and will leave it be until something happens or someone like you figures out what the true fix is.

Good luck with getting a fix!

 

[BOLDTACO]

good to know you haven't had any Ill effects from it in 16k miles. just baffles me how a new truck like this, especially for what they cost, makes noises that don't correlate with a brand new truck.

 

[SilverSurfer]

In fairness, my taco doesn’t chirp and I haven’t heard Of this complaint before.

 

[BOLDTACO]

search up 2024 tacoma chirp and you will see its a pretty common issue with these, especially earlier models.

 

[Mini2nut]

Lemon law that sucka.

 

[TacoFreak]

Yeah there are lots of reports about this since the 4th gens came out. Mine doesn't do it, probably because the A/C compressor is not belt driven in a hybrid.

Good luck - that is way too many problems in a new truck IMO.

 

[BAQ717]

I have a non-hybrid and haven’t experienced this issue. Stay on the dealer. Possibly a recall to come and/or at the very least a TSB once they determine the cause.

 

[jbaiv1999]

My non-hybrid 24 trd off-road has the same problem. It has 2 chirps every time I start it up and it happens while driving as well. It gets better as the truck warms up but it still happens.

 

[Kjc]

Mine chirps at startup also... I do think it's pretty common... I heard it also while driving but had to have the window down... It happens with AC on or off always has since last April... Let is know if they come up with an actual fix... Cause it is annoying on an expensive truck..

 

[fightforfood247]

I have a 2024 SR5 and soon after buying it I noticed a chirping sound when starting it; fast forward a few weeks it started to do it when I drove it so I brought it in. I was told it was the alternator and waited 3 1/2 weeks to get it fixed ( truck was left at the dealer at this time). I brought it home and it began the chirp again the next day, so that day I brought it back once again and they determined it was the A/C clutch and we waited another couple of weeks to get the part and once it was back you could hear a screeching noise on the inside of the truck as the A/C cycles. It's now going back to Toyota. Im at a loss of words as I bought this truck in January and its pretty much either lived at Toyota or has been back and forth between the dealer and my home.

Living at Toyota has been my experience as well. Sorry brotha. Hope it gets better

 

[32spoke]

This isn’t the only vehicle to have this problem- GM 5.3 engines did this for quite some time, the fix was to flash the ecu to pulse the electrical current to the compressor clutch, and to install a stronger belt, manufactured by gates rubber co. They may have also added a tensioner that was stronger.
as to your issue, the alternator has a sprag clutch type/overrun pulley. The technician could have misdiagnosed the problem assuming the sprag wasn’t doing it’s job/ accommodating aggressive drag that occurs in a sharp period, like when an ac clutch is activated, or when an engine is shut off. The technician could have removed the belt and spun the pulley by hand to diagnose the sprag pulley….. if the compressor clutch is definitely causing the chirp, spray the serp belt with a spray bottle of water on the ribbed side of the belt-when the engine is not running. Then, start the engine and get the ac compressor to engage… use a piece of heater hose like a stethoscope to verify chirp location. If the belt is louder after being wet and running the ac compressor, it is almost always a belt tension issue. By disconnecting the harness connector to the ac compressor, you can eliminate the resistance from the clutch being engaged by denying the clutch electrical current. If the noise goes away, then the belt is slipping in the compressor clutch pulley. Some never vehicles do not have mechanical tensioners but rather, use a belt that tensions itself. If this is the case, the quickest fix would be to throw a new belt at the engine, or if the Engine has a mechanical tensioners, have a new tensioner installed- then verify repair… if it still makes noise, applying Coca Cola to the belt helps, but risks being rinsed away in time. When the coke dries, it is tacky.. I have seen belt “glue” dressing cause aero belts to melt into the pulleys, so I don’t advise it. I deal with belt noise issues all the time at my work- seldom it is the belt unless it is worn out usually the mechanical tensioners is worn out and not applying as much tension/force, onto the belt circuit- sometimes their is an alignment problem… when apply water to the belt, if the noise get quieter- it is an alignment issue… except these darn new fangled self tensioning belts are different. If you have any more questions, do not hesitate to ask me… again, I deal with this stuff all the time. Good luck!

 

[Jcisco951]

Have the same issues with my trd off road. I can hear chirp sound about every 30 seconds or so. No chirping when a/c is off. Hope a real fix comes. Because it’s so annoying. Sometimes I hear it and I’m not even around the truck. The sound is stuck in my head.

 

[32spoke]

Have the same issues with my trd off road. I can hear chirp sound about every 30 seconds or so. No chirping when a/c is off. Hope a real fix comes. Because it’s so annoying. Sometimes I hear it and I’m not even around the truck. The sound is stuck in my head.

This really seems like a tension issue. Looks like the Tacoma “non trd off road, uses a tensioner part number 16620-F0070…. Dunno the trd off road part number for the tensioner… but asking the service dept if any of their “certified” techs have a serpentine belt tensioner gauge…. Also, you can spray water on the ribbed side of the serpentine belt when the engine is off, with a fine mist spray bottle.. then start the engine and set the hvac to defrost… if the noise is worse, you just did the technicians job= tension related problem!

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