Questions about "possible" issues with my 2011

So I have had my 2011 Tacoma for about 3 months now and am very happy with it. I am coming up on my first oil change and have a few issues I think need addressing when I take it in. But want to see if any of you have similar issues.

1) Transmission - I have the 5 speed automatic. It seems if I am accelerating at a nice slow pace, when reaching the higher gears the engine increases RPM by itself slightly and surges a little to get into 5th gear. Im thinking this is normal since if I am accelerating at a faster pace the gear changes are much smoother. Anyone have any observations on this?

2) Starting - The past two starts (first of the day for the past two days) seem to take too long. I have to hold the key in start for a good 3 to 4 seconds for it to turn over. I have never had a new car or even old new model car take this long to crank. It is cold weather. Upper 20's but still. Each subsequent start after the initial star is as normal. Just a quick turn of the key and within a second its started. Im thinking there is something wrong here.

Otherwise I am VERY happy with my truck.

What say you taco forum?

Thanks,
Darrell

 

Hey Darrell.....I have a 2011 (since August) also & completely understand your concern with the transmission. Mine will do the same sometimes & as you said, just when you are slowly accelerating. I've read on here before that the trannys can be quirky like this.

As for the starts, I have not seen this yet.

 

Confused by your description of the starting problem:

Does the truck crank (engine turn over) for 3-4 seconds before it fires up?

OR

You turn the key, there is a 3-4 second pause of nothing happening, then the engine begins to turn over and then start?

I assume the first. If it's cold in your area, without seeing/hearing the problem first hand I would assume its normal. When the temps go below freezing I notice my truck cranks a little longer before starting.

 

The engine turns over for 3-4 seconds before it fires.

 

I have had the same issue with my '10. I have started to turn the key to "ON" for about 5 seconds or so before cranking, especially in cold weather. This primes the fuel line before your crank.

 

^ This. Let your fuel system prime for a few seconds before turning it over.

 

I recently replaced the transmission fluid in my 05 and before as well as after doing it the transmission seemed to do the same things as yours. I don't think it is a problem in that a lot of people experience this and it does the same thing even after a full fluid flush.

 

my trucks does the exact same thing for starting...i absolutly hate it! i notice is mostly in colder/wet conditions..i havnt tried priming the engine yet tho. the worst is when it decides to do it around toyota/GM enthusiasts cant get any worse than that took it to my dealer but they couldnt duplicate the problem..

 

My remote start doesn't work when it is below 20 degrees. It takes longer to crank and it times out. Going to have to take it back to have the crank time increased. Only happens when it is below about 20 degrees, unfortunately this is when it is really needed.

 

I've had the same starting issue twice now. I park overnight in a heated garage, and the first crank of the day is when it happened. It takes two attempts to start it, since I usually have let go of the key for a "normal" start. I'm going to put a bottle of Heat in the gas...wondering if it may be a condensation issue?

 

There is a TSB fix with Auto tranny issues on previous models, not sure if it applys to the 2011 models.
And, the start up concern seems normal. My truck has done this since day one, and many experience the same thing. I am in a warm weather environment and it happens here too.

 

My transmission does the same thing...sounds like the torque converter is not locking up all the way until it gets more rpms.

 

Well, I just turned the ignition on for a few seconds before cranking and it started right up. 18 degrees outside. Im videoing it with my phone each time just to make sure in the even that does not work ill have some ammo to take to the dealership.

Im a pilot and have learned to always document anomalies with a camera or video. Mechanics never believe us. haha.

As for the transmission, It seems to do much better when the car is warm. Ill keep paying attention to it.

Thanks guys/gals!