I have bought a used 2006 Toyota Corolla A/T with 42,000kms. I have noticed 2 problems with the car.
1. Vibration felt on steering & seats when car is idle in 'Drive'. This is also felt by the passengers. As soon as I put the gear in 'Park' or 'Neutral' the vibration is no longer noticeable. The vibration presists regardless the A/C is on or off.
2. When the car is in motion and my foot is off the accelerator for sometime and suddenly if the accelerator is pressed slightly (not hard) the car gives a slight but noticeable jitter while going ahead.
Took the car for 40,000 sevice. Got 4 new brake discs & pads as recommended, new fuel pump and assembly, got 4 new sparks plugs, coolant change, engine oil top up (no engine oil flush), steering lubricated, steering oil, throttle body clean, changed air filter, new tires, tire balancing & rotation done.
After doing it all still the above mentioned issues remain. None of the toyota techs could help and said it was normal. The vibration is very annoying for the driver & passanger/s when stopping at red lights every now and then.
Please help
Do you get the vibration in park or neutral if you slightly open the throttle (raise the RPMs slightly)? There is a recalibration routine for the DBW (TSB on it for engine throttle hesitation, but many reported that it helped with off-idle or engine loaded conditions). Your description of off-throttle or part throttle hesitation is a "feature" of the DBW system. An ECM updated program "may" help - this would be covered under the warranty, check with the dealership to see if your car meets the requirements for the TSB (can't remember the number off hand, just search for DBW throttle hesitation online).
The services done on such are short mileage is pretty extreme - this a Corolla CE/LE/S or Corolla XRS? As the former has disc/drum setup, the XRS had 4-disc setup. New fuel pump?? New spark plugs?? Very possible that excessive service done could have compounded the situation. Fuel pump should not need replacing unless there was a problem with fuel delivery pressure. Spark plugs on the car are designed to last as long as 193,000kms - even under severs condtions, be hard pressed to wear them out even half that distance. Should not need to be replaced unless it shows signs of heavy fouling/damage - which would indicate a much more serious issue with the engine.
54 posts
4-cylinder engines are inherently not all that smooth.
