You might recall, I posted a few weeks ago that my Dad's 2001 Tacoma 2.7 4x4 had been making ticking or piston slapping noises almost since new. They got worse over time and were especially prevelent when the weather was cold. A few weeks ago, he took it into the dealer and they said they would replace the short block under warrenty. The truck has bout 30,000 miles and they were very well cared for miles.

A few days ago, my Dad said that it was discovered that the two middle rod bearings were destroyed. They're are still replacing the motor.

I just think this is kind of important, because it appears this "noise" is pretty common on Tacoma 2.7 engines, especially later model ones so I have a feeling there might be a bad batch of engines out there. If you have any noises in your Tacoma, make sure you don't ignore it and take it to the dealer. Complain repeatedly if you have too. At least get it recorded so if they do finally acknowledge the problem after the warrenty expires, you have it documented.