2010 Tacoma Shudder (1 year update)

I have a 2010 Tacoma 4.0 V6 with 87000 miles on it. I have the dreaded shudder anywhere from 25 to 45 MPH when lightly accelerating. It first appeared at 80,000 miles (5K out of my extended warranty) and took it to the dealership to get them to check it out. They stated it "may" be the transmission and to continue to drive it to see if it gets worse and offered to replace the trans for $4,000. They were only able to replicate the shudder once at that point.

I just took it back today and drove it with the service guy and was able to get it to shudder multiple times (worse on inclines and low acceleration RPM's). They stated they believed it was the torque converter and they recommended to replace the whole transmission (trans + torque). They said they don't recommend to replace just the torque converter b/c there could be metal in the transmission and it would ultimately get bad again. They did not drop the pan or check for metal so that sounds a little fishy to me.

I asked if they would flush or replace the transmission fluid and they stated they did not as it used the WS transmission fluid and shouldn't be changed. Said it would outlast the life of the vehicle and they just didn't do that. I read on this forum many users who had the shudder resolve it from simply doing a flush or multiple drain/fills (flush still scares me and wasn't sure if that is advisable).

I don't know what to do. Don't want to spend 4K on a new trans if it truly isn't needed.
Does this whole thing sound like BS?
Would replacing just the torque converter resolve the shudder and is that a bad idea? Is the entire trans replacement really needed?
Should I go elsewhere and try the drain and fill first?
The biggest question...is driving the vehicle causing damage from the shudder or is it just a nuisance? I have a trip in a few days and wondering if it is ok to just "deal" with it. I've been driving it since November since it started shuddering.

Thanks for the help in advance!

 

Update: Just in case, the vehicle is a 4x2. Not sure if that is relevant in this case. It is also an automatic.

 

get some mineral spirits and drop the pan and clean the filter and pan, look for yourself to see if there is and trash/metal (other than what will be on the magnets at the bottom in minute amounts of shavings) you'll will need to get some way to measure ur trans temp when u refill (i use the torqe ap and obd2 bluetooth adaptor but i think scangauge will too) and fill the pan back up. should be about 3.2 qt and the temp is supposed to be around 120* best i remember. the first time i did it i didnt have a temp and wound up over filling a bit, and it doesnt take much to over fill and make it shift weird. i thought my tranny was shot to but i did another 3 qt flush and measured the temp and after 50 miles or so it was shifting like new. fixing to roll over 190,000 miles btw

 

Thanks for the info. That may be biting off more than I can chew on my own.

Would driving the vehicle cause damage from the shudder or is it just a nuisance? I have a trip in a few days and wondering if it is ok to just "deal" with it. I've been driving it since November since it started shuddering.

 

I have had the "tacoma shudder" on both tacomas I have owned (2011 double cab and my current 2012 double cab) both had/have low miles, under 25K. I just got used to it and figured since I read so much about it and so many had the same thing I wouldn't worry about it. Not telling you to take my advice and brush it off but that is what I ended up doing. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

(there are tons of threads about this same topic all over TW)

 

Find another dealer and get another opinion. You don't want one that jumps right to a $4000 transmission replacement working on your truck anyway.

 

i drove mine for months with the shudder and it was mostly going from 4-5 and if i manually selected tthose last two gears it wouldnt do it. so u could try driving in 4 untill u are ready for OD then slap it over into 5th, if this eleviates the problem i would guess you issue is the same as mine.

 

In having the same exact issue with my 2009 Tacoma TRD sport double cab. I had my u-joints replaced and my driveshaft rebalanced and it didn't fix the issue so here I am. My mechanic who I trust said the ECM may need a reboot.

 

So it's been over a year since my original post and wanted to give an update (and a plea for help). I've been just "dealing" with the shudder and have went to 2 different places to get their opinions. A reputable transmission place was adamant that the shudder was not related to the transmission. I went back to the Toyota dealership again who was adamant it was the transmission and still would only replace the whole trans ($4k) and would not check the level of the trans fluid. I called another place and provided the symptoms and they were at a loss as well.

The shudder is still significant at gear changes from 25 to 45 while accelerating normally. If you gun it or just use 4th gear until 45 MPH and then switch to D, no shudder. I've been pouring over the forums and have seen so many different things I'm just at a loss at what to do.

I've seen the post about how to drain/fill the closed system trans fluid, but just think that may be a little much for what I am comfortable with. I also haven't seen if that eliminated the issue for others. I've also read about u-joints, but seems like this didn't help many people either.

Can someone help with some advice? I'm to the point of wanting to get rid of the truck b/c of it. It shakes/shudders so hard through 3 gears under normal driving (when not in 4th) its pretty embarrassing. At the same time, I doubt I'll be able to sell the thing because anyone who test drives is not going to accept to "just drive it in 4th gear until 45 MPH". I know it seems petty but after a year of being shook like crazy I want to fix it (or get rid of it). I'd like to keep the truck but I don't know what to do and can't find anyone locally who has a clue on how to resolve. Any advice???

Thanks,

Jason

 

the drain and fill is super simple, its only a drain bolt, a check bolt and a fill bolt. filling is a little bit of a pain, but u can go and get a pump at any auto parts store that screws down on quart bottles and u just put the hose in the fill whole and start pumpin it in. if you don't feel comfortable doing it, I would start asking some relatives or friends that are a little bit mechanical to see if they can help. it's gonna cost like $30 for everything to do it and if you have to sell it or trade it in with a problem you're gonna lose a lot more than that because of a problem that may be a easy fix. If you were willing to drive to north Alabama I would do it for you haha

 

The only thing that is concerning is knowing how much fluid to put in it. If it was, empty, fill with X quarts, etc, I'd feel more comfortable doing it. Just worried I'd overfill. How much Toyota WS fluid does it need?

Once filled do you check the level as outlined here? The "at temp" process seems a little overwhelming and the whole "it's full when only a trickle comes out" seems so subjective to me.

So do you think the shudder is for sure due to low trans fluid level, more than likely?

 

If you follow the steps on how to check the fluid level, it is pretty simple. Two extra things I do is, however much fluid came out of the trans I add one extra quart so that Im not running to fill ot more when I find out that there is not enough. And the other is when the trans gets to temp, I turn the heater on high so that the fluid stays within range longer to give me more time to drain the excess. In your case, I would drain the fluid, drop the pan to clean it, pull the filter to clean it, and replace the pan gasket. You must be prepared to torque everything back to spec when finished. Pan bolts are a low torque, something like 25 inch pounds, and so are the filter bolts. I would use Valvoline Max Life ATF Dex/Merc as a replacement fluid instead of Toyotas WS(Wussie Shit). Get you two gallon jugs and a pumper, and you shouldn't have too difficult of a time