Transmission slipping when cold and after reverse

Had mine in today for the 4th gear shifting phenomena that people are talking about. Mine has been doing it since I bought it and has been magnified slightly since the addition of larger tires and new wheels (which was expected). I have just over 1k miles on the truck and it seems to be getting slightly better but is still prominent and won't shift out of 4th sometimes. Dealership said its a known complaint and that there is currently no fix but that in my case it wasn't a mechanical problem. It was mentioned that it has to do with the programming and when I asked about if/when a flash would come and they said currently there isn't one and no date for one. The addition of fluid has fixed my hesitation from R to D when cold so far. They added about 3/4 quart to mine the first time it was in. I'll ask again when I go in for my 5k service if there is something out at that time for the 4th gear shift but for now my questions have been answered.

 

VERY TRUE!

 

There is a plunger to pin just like the tundra, however the 2016 factory repair manual does not mention this step at all. That's all I can go by.

My truck has been shifting flawlessly lately. I did service it and I've been coming to a complete stop before going into D from R. Has cleared my issues.

 

The truck should say "Good Morning Bullshitter Dave".... "What kind of problem do you want today... Say Engine/Transmission/Head Unit/ or Other....""

 

We both bit the bait my friend

 

Sure did!

 

I have a new one. I live on a hill and when I take off soon after starting it, trying to go down the hill, I shift into S1 and it just rolls until it engages first gear several seconds later.

 

Well it looks like we may have the answer to the low fluid issues .
If the 2016 factory manual was incorrect , how many trucks are low on fluid for skipping the pinning procedure ?
My guess is a lot of Tacoma owners are going to find their transmissions low because of the addition of the external thermostat .

 

Another interesting tidbit, for trucks with towing package the ATF routing does not change. Meaning, it flows from the trans, to the warmer, to the radiator cooler, to the air cooler, through the thermostat, and back to the trans at all times. I don't believe the manual is incorrect but who knows?

 

Repair manual may or may not be wrong, just something I noticed when checking the procedure, but it wouldnt be the first time Ive found an error.

 

Agree with you Cruncher, I think that's why we are finding some fixed after fluid add and others still having same issue. It's the tranny cooler fluid difference in level. At least I think so, not taking away from your expertise in this field. Just my experience after having it checked and corrected.

 

I just heard back from the dealer, I showed them the video of the truck getting stuck in 4th and they could not get it to get stuck. They did however open a case with Toyota and reached out and spoke to Toyota tech support for advice, Toyota instructed them to do a hard reset (apparently re-flash the ECU and unplug the battery) Then test drive. Tech found no trouble. The service writer agreed the truck should not get stuck like it is however Toyota is not authorizing any further action. So he instructed me to drive the truck and if it continues to happen then bring it back. I also had them look at the hood (The adhesive is coming undone) they are going to have a Toyota engineer come out to look at the hood and have me bring the truck back in.... I am extremely happy with how the way the Dealer (Bill Kidds Toyota Cockeysville MD) is dealing with this and I didn't even buy the truck from them! However I'm disappointed in Toyota overall....

 

Checked mine today. Was around 1/2 qt or so low. Didnt make a difference weather the t-stat was pinned back or not. Then I got to thinking it shouldnt make a difference on a truck that already had fluid running threw it. Even if the t-stat is closed the cooler and lines already have fluid in them from being run. I could see doing that when the cooler is drained so you bleed that out as well.

 

This is true and is why I believe the thermostats were not pinned at the factory . I doubt toyota will ever tell us .
To add , if the transmission left the factory full but with an empty transmission cooler , it may explain why some members are not having problems and others are . Some members thermostats have opened and other members thermostats are still closed and haven't opened yet . Anyone know for sure what temp that thermostat opens ?
It may also explain why some members dont have the problem until 3 weeks after they drive the truck . First time they get the transmission warm enough to open the thermostat " BANG " the trans is now low on fluid
This is an assumption of course . if fluid runs through the complete cooling circuit all the time ,then this is irrelevant

 

HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPAIR MANUAL FOR YOUR TRUCK DIRECTLY FROM TOYOTA .
I am posting this to avoid misinformation

How to download repair manual from TIS
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInf...urce_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftechinfo.toyota.com%2F

The toyota information system contents toyota vehicle repair manual which used to be PDF links, it's now chm mode which is only webpages. I am trying to download the manual for my vehicle in two days and here is the fastest way I figured out.

Please share if you have better idea. I can't make those hyper-link work since they all became image in the pdf files.



Tools you will need


Firefox

PDFCreator

TIS login account ($15/2 days)


Install PDFCreator, create a new profile, change the Auto-save option; Change the filename to <Title>, update the directory for auto-save. You need create a new printer to use this new profile, which can auto save your pdf to particular folder.



Login TIS and open the repair manual, for the first page, make sure you selected the new PDFCreator printer as your current printer and print your first page, double check the pdf file at the auto-save folder and make sure that fits you want. I took the footer and header off so it looks much nicer.


For firefox, type “about:config” in the address bar and add print.always_print_silent as Boolean and set it to true.


Now, for each page you click on the left, there is a print icon on the top right corner, click that will print a new pdf file to the auto-save folder. For each page, you will need two clicks to save to pdf format.


Go through all your pages and hit the printer icon. You should be able to download the repair manual in couple hours. The PDF files will have the full text title in the pdf file name, which you can easily search.


I got my two vehicles' repair manual done in 7 hours.

 

update on "stuck in 4th gear", Today the high is 26 degrees and since the dealer re-flashed the ECU it seems like the truck is "relearning" However it is continuing to get stuck in 4th on an incline... This is so frustrating. I wish Toyota would get their $h*t together.... No other issues with the transmission no hesitation and I never had the R to D issue.

 

My suggestion is to start a new thread with the problem in the topic .
There are a few of you having this issue .
If you start a new thread , we can stay on topic and try to hack the problem out .
You are in a low fluid thread
Anyone that has a transmission sticking in 4th gear isnt going to look here .
Once you start the new thread , we can begin the diagnostics
Once a new thread is created , I will add the link to the write up
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-in-the-2016-write-up-with-pics.361114/page-2
I am very surprised they didn't check your fluid level . Its one of the first things you do in any diagnostic

 

Got word from the dealer.

My truck was 1.5 Qts low, they topped it off and i'll go pick it up this evening. I plan to recheck it after I get it back as well.

 

You should not have to check it now... It will drive like a NEW truck now...."IF" they actually put in 1 1/2 qts.

Good luck ... drive it like you stole it man...!

 

Thats an incredible amount of fluid to be missing from the factory . Call Toyota corporate and try to get extended warranty on your transmission
EDIT all you guys that had or are experiencing a low fluid problem need to call corporate and get extra warranty on your transmission .
Its not your fault the fluid is low . Why should you have to pay for damages you didnt cause . Keep your paper work and document everything