Can anyone offer some insight? I got the dreaded "they all do that" from my dealer service dept for what feels like a clunking in the rear end. I know the differential and drive shafts sometimes need to take up slack, and beleive I know what that feels like. But over the last couple months maybe 1 out of 4 times the clunk almost feels like someone is bumping me in the rear end. Even the passengers notice it as abnormal. But that's not all...it also happens on acceleration too...where it'll have just shifted from 1st to 2nd and I can feel the clunk again. It seems to me that normal slack would be taken up just after the moment power is applied when the load is being transferred, and/or when the car is just about stopped, which is sometimes, but not always the case with this. Anyone else have this? The dealer mechanic told me that all Toyota trucks do this, nothing can fix it. any thoughts? Erick?

While it is mostly true that "they all do that", what concerns me is your shifting from 1st to 2nd gears and still getting the clunking. I would take it in and have the rear differential fluid changed. Your 4Runner has limited slip differential (LSD) and might have the wrong fluid in it, preventing the clutch pack from disengaging as it should. Ask your dealer to change out the rear differential fluid, as it has a proprietary fluid designed for that differential. My beloved '01 'Runner always clunked, as does my '05 Tundra. I've driven countless part time Toyota 4WD's and experienced the clunk in all of them. If the clunking feels like it's more in the transmission, have your dealer check it out and search for any technical service bulletins that might pertain to hard shifting. I've seen that happen before, and a reprogramming of the computer usually fixes everything. Good luck and keep the shiny side up. e. atobolewski

Erick, would you mind if I printed and shower your comments to my dealer?

I wouldn't mind at all. I searched the Toyota database for your particular problem and found nothing. Another thing that you might look into is your Torsen center differential. As your 4Runner is a V8, you have all wheel drive that utilizes the Torsen system. Although I've never seen one go bad, that area might warrant investigation. Good luck, e. Andy Tobolewski