2013 Tacoma Automatic Trans Rough shift into 5th gear.

Don't think your the lone stranger,mine does the exact same thing.Took mine in Tuesday,to dlr;should let you know,also, I work for the co.that owns the Toyota dlr,and 11 other car lines here in town.Anyway,told them almost the exact same thing;was told almost the same as your dlr.told you."The truck learns how you drive,and sets it's self to that".I can be driving 35 mph down our main bus.loop,and I'm turning1,000 rpm,in 5th gear,and lockup conv.Have just came to the fact that I'm going have to drive in 4th,to be able to get out of anybody's way.Just hate to only get 13.5 mpg.,while driving 4th.Oh well,the next time,i'll get a 6 speed manual.

 

Surely the mileage isn't that bad in fourth going 35 mph. If it's "learning" how to drive it isn't doing a very good job. It shouldn't be in fifth gear till i'm going 45-50 at least in my opinion. Had I known it would be like that I might would of considered the manual but my wife doesn't know how to drive a manual and refuses to learn so that was somewhat out of the question since she has to drive my truck every now and then.

 

My 2011 likes to upshift too soon, then imediately downshifts dealer told me yota is trying to keep mpg up by keeping rpms down. Its all in the computer, not the tranny. You can disconnect battery for 10 mins or so and re-connect. The computer will re-learn your driving habits.

 

Sorry for warming this up.

My 2014 does the same, I'm really easy on it most of the time and thats when you "feel" it shifting into 5th. My Jeep did exactly the same so it's my driving style I guess (i started to get 18mpg in below zero temps in the taco lol). It upshifts at 35mph because it wants to save gas since my RPMs are not climping fast enough it assumes that I will stay at 35ish (speed limit 40mph so I ease of the closer I get to it e.g.), If I push it it won't "fall" into 5th when it shifts at 40-45 because and stays in the power band.

Don't think it does any damage, I just has no power in that RPM range at all, which is fine if there's no power needed.

 

Mine does it as well on the intital first shift into 5th gear first thing in the morning .
Now if I picture whats happening in the valve body , I am assuming warm oil is coming into contact with cold accumulator seals . The seals for the accumulator ( cushion) are very cold therefore some of the oil bypasses the cushion and goes directly to the clutch and may explain the aggressive upshift . After the transmission shifts into 5th for the first time , the warm oil expands the seals on the cushion and all upshifts into 5th after this are smooth and normal . I wouldnt worry about this too much .
Edit : if you have a lift and larger tires , the upshift into 5th will be more aggressive and the shift will take place a little later than with the stock tires. If you think about it , the larger tires are turning slower and you have your foot into the gas a little more to get the truck up to speed .
I personaly beleive Toyota commands overdrive far too soon when cold thus all the lugging and clunkyness . Its all got to do with fuel savings

 

Dealer told me a year ago it is a known issue with no fix.
I followed the advice on here and just drive quickly through 40mph or shift into 4th. It is really noticeable with passengers and on slight incline combined with gentle driving style.

Annoyed the heck out of me for a good while now I just drive it and hope the tranny does not grenade after the warranty is out.

 

Mine seems to shift hard in most of the gears. Especially when it's cold out, an it's been a cold winter this year. It didn't do this brand new, but eased into doing it. It has about 8k miles currently. I've been meaning to disconnect the battery and see if that resets what it has 'learned' and see if that changes anything.

 

I could understand hearing this coming from dealerships who no longer repair transmissions and simply replace transmissions usually at owners expense when issues are brought up or a problem developes . I beleive their hands are tied to fluid changes ,replacement transmissions and replacing the odd solenoid .
There is a definite fix for these issues through the aftermarket .... see below
This fix will tighten up those cold and clunky upshifts . The trick is to catch these issues before they do damage and " yes" , if you continue driving it this way it is going to cause wear within the trans. The fixes below will not fix early upshifts into 5th or correct the converter application . There are other fixes for that .

http://www.sonnax.com/parts/2268


http://www.sonnax.com/parts/1782

 

"The fixes below will not fix early upshifts into 5th or correct the converter application . There are other fixes for that ."

Care to elaborate ????

 

My 2012 does the same exact thing. I took it to the dealer last week and they gave me some BS about having weight in the bed for snow traction. They said they had to reset my ECU so the truck can learn my driving style while the weight was in the bed.... My question to the service tech was, "What happens when I take the weight out of the bed? You going to make me bring it in to reset my ecu again?" lol. Can't believe people fall for that nonsense. I know the truck learns your driving habits but I also know adding 200lbs of sand in the bed should not make my truck kick me in the pants every time it shifts into 5th gear.

I too just started driving around in 4th gear unless I am on the highway. It definitely helps. It's unfortunate that a brand new truck clunks around when shifting into 5th gear/OD.

Quick question: I know a lot of people had experience with their trucks being low on trans fluid from the dealer.... Is it possible that those of us with this "clunky shift into 5th issue" is caused by being low on trans fluid? Just a thought....

 

What I mean with noticeable is that I notice it shifting, every "normal" person would not even notice you really have to focus on. I had manuals all my life and you can compare/ replicate it as well by letting the clutch out to fast after a shift and not ease in while accelerating. You would "feel" it going from neutral to being under power again on a manual when you shift, doesn't do any damage to the trans or clutch but it just feels like you can't drive a stick lol. That's what it feels in the taco, feels like it releases the clutch faster in 5th and once it catches you can feel it a little. I don't think it does any damage, and it only happens at low low RPMs with very little acceleration at 35mph, everything over that shifts like butter. Almost feels like it has too little power when it shifts so early to rotate 5th gear...

 

Mine does the same thing when it's cold.. Then again my trucks ECU has tried to kill me on random occasions

 

Let us know how it turns out, again for me it's almost not noticable so therefore I begin to think it's just the way it shifts and I'm just being super sensitive. My wife doesn't notice anything

 

Maybe it's something different then, mine has 3200mls on it but I don't have clunks or any other issue, just a "noticable shift" to 5th gear

Found this: (sounds somehow logical to me )

To shift into OD, the OD band applies and at the same time the forward clutch
releases. If the clutch releases before the band applies, the trans is in neutral
a short time. Under lower throttle, it might be lagging enough so when it "catches" it clunks or bangs.

 

Was this tongue in cheek or you actually drive your truck in "4" ?

 

My owners manual doesn't say to use only D for highway use. It says "To improve fuel consumption and reduce noises, set shift lever to D for normal driving" and that gears L-4 are for engine braking.

 

I drive in 4 a lot in my area

 

I am interested in hearing about the new service bulletin for the Fj,s that is being released for the identical transmission , however , using the Sonnax zip kit and and Gill Younger kit in the aftermarket fixes up the converter application . The early shift into 5th and the converter lock up timing are both controlled by the ecm , so a flash is required to change the shift timing or partial apply of the torque converter .As mentioned above , Toyota selects 5th gear ( overdrive ) and converter lock up far too early when cold
The Stealership will not work on your valve body other than changing solenoids . Using the kits shown below correct design flaws and will seal the hydraulic integrity of the circuits within the valve body that are very well known to leak even on a brand new truck . With the aftermarket kits installed ,the hydraulics within the valve body are fixed but we still have to rely on Toyota to release a cold weather flash or shift strategy flash so the 5th gear application as well as the converter lock up are changed for the better .This is where things become tricky because of fuel economy .

 

Is it any better now?

 

Same problem with my 2006. Maybe I should get the gas pedal recall done so they will flash the ECU to see if it helps.