Question at hand:
Why do some Tacos have a 4x4 emblem and others don't?
After doing some research on Toyota's website, this is what I have found.
Answer:
The SR and SR5 Tacoma's are the ones you will see with the 4x4 emblem, as long as the truck is equipped with it. For the most part, all TRD Tacos, TRD Off Road, TRD Sport, and TRD Pro, come with 4 wheel drive. However, it is not a standard feature in the TRD series, but it's more common to see a TRD with 4 wheel drive. The TRD Sport and TRD Off Road do
NOT have the 4x4 emblem. The TRD Pro is the only TRD with a 4x4 emblem. The TRD Pro only comes with a 3.5L V6 4WD in an automatic, or manual transmission. However, the TRD Sport and TRD Off Road come with slightly different powertrain options. 3.5L V6 2WD, or a 3.5L V6 4WD in an automatic or manual transmission.
Now, for the Limited Tacoma. The Limited Taco is like the SR5, and TRD in a way. If the Limited has 4 wheel drive, then it will indeed have the 4x4 emblem. The Limited only comes with 2 options. 3.5L V6 2WD or 3.5L V6 4WD. Both with automatic transmissions.
For the SR and SR5, 4 wheel drive is an optional feature you can have with the truck. If you go on Toyota's website and go to build a Tacoma SR or SR5, when you get to
Powertrain option, you have 4 options, all in automatic transmissions. 2.7L 4 banger engine 2WD, 2.7L 4 banger engine 4WD, 3.5L V6 2WD, and 3.5L V6 4WD. The V6 badge is on every Tacoma that has a V6 engine in it. If you see no badge on the tailgate, it means 1 of 2 things. 1, the truck is a 2.7L 4 banger. 2, the owner de-badged the truck, or just took off the V6 badge. I hope this is helpful!
I'll just burst your bubble here as this won't always be true. You list it as some type of end all informative answer.
You say there's a first and second answer. There's only one answer.
You have to start with facts and present it in an organized format. Your data is all over the place. You say one thing and then contradict it the next sentence. Then circle back around to it. So based off of the Toyota website's stock images which are renders and are subject to slight modifications/updates/changes this is what should be believed true from factory.
You'd also have to clarify that this is only true under certain conditions. If certain conditions are not met, then there are other possibilities. But not actual answers.
1. You are the first owner of the truck.
2. The truck is purchased new.
3. Supply chain? Maybe with the shortage of things, they focused more on producing the actual vehicles and not the emblems. People aren't going to base their purchase decision of a "4x4" emblem. Maybe they got the emblems and they were misplaced while waiting for the major parts, so when they caught back up they couldn't find the emblems and would take too long to reproduce them. They're not gonna hold up backordered vehicles over some emblems. Just like the keys. They sold Tacomas with one key and had the buyers come back at a later date when they got more.
4. Options. Dealers could debadge the vehicles and have a shop add some modifications. Then sell a new vehicle with a package. The port and/or dealer could add or remove them with how they are configured. Let's say they are built with a 4x4 badge. Then configuration is changed at port which removes that badge to be replaced with a "blacked" out one. Then the dealer does a "SUPER OFFROAD PACKAGE" with 6" spacer lift + wheels/tires and debadged the entire vehicle because they couldn't find a Base SR5 to begin with to maximize profit due to the shortage?
Let's say a 4WD Tacoma does not have a 4x4 emblem. But then the dealership decides to add the blacked out emblem set and there's a black 4x4 emblem. What now? Does the dealer just slap it on or do they leave it off for attention accuracy? Maybe there is a blacked out emblem set that's trim specific, but the parts guy isn't that familiar. They have 2 separate part numbers and cost difference is next to nothing. He might just always order the with the 4x4 one just because.
5. The truck build checklist is 100% perfect. All the time, every time. What or who places the emblem on the tailgate? Is it done with on or off the vehicle? Could they have paused production and switch trim levels? Some guy was like damn I placed an emblem on a tailgate. Don't know what the next one might be. Instead of removing it, cleaning it up, seeing the next vehicle is 4WD, he just says, "F IT!". Maybe he missed one. If you have a simple repetitive task job and you have quotas measured by metrics, the margin of error increases based off mass production. We don't know for sure. Could have been hungover that day, boss isn't in and he missed a bunch. How strict is Toyota's QC? We all know if it was missed or on there, not every inspector will catch a badge. Oh, so you're a QC inspector for Toyota, you must take so much pride in your job you walk around the vehicles and inspect it. Are they all checked? Are they spot checked?
The answer that we know should be true based off information present.
All trim levels are available in 4WD.
SR/SR5/Limited can be configured as 4WD or RWD. If 4WD, then it "should" have a 4x4 emblem.
TRD Sport/TRD Off-Road are available to be built 4WD or RWD and never have a 4x4 emblem, even if they are 4WD.
TRD PRO is only availabe in 4WD and will always have a 4x4 emblem. They will just always have a 4x4 emblem.
You can say you verify/confirm things with your "buddy" who's a Toyota Technician. That doesn't mean anything. I used to sell Toyotas. So many people just run with their opinions or what they heard. Sure, some techs know stuff, but there's a higher % of them that don't actual know shit. They just go by what they think, what they may have heard or what they were told. Same goes all the way to the service and parts department. All the way to their Toyota employed "expert" brand rep. That rep could just interview well, have no interest in Toyotas and just interviews well. Didn't know shit. Didn't know diesel Toyota's were a thing. Never heard of a Hilux. EVERYTHING VOIDS WARRANTY.
I'm not wrong...