What's with this transmission.....

I bought a new 2016 Tacoma 4X4 Limited and after taking on a trip with some hill climbs, the transmission can't figure out what gear it wants to be in. My fix is to place in manual mode, but can't figure out how this flaw made it past the engineering sign of gates. Did the test engineers fail to drive the truck up a mountain road? How could this happen? Is is just me, or are there others who also suffer from this design flaw?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-0077-16-shift-feeling-enhancments-pdf.441262

Thank the EPA and their MPG requirements.

 

There is a TSB on the tranny, it wii help a lot,or so I'm told.I have a manual, but a lot of people on TW say it is a big difference, they reprogram the shift points, good luck hope this helps.

 

Thank you. I'll contact Toyota service.

 

Does your truck have a transmission 'mode' button (Normal/eco/performance) ? If so, each mode affects the shift points. Try different modes next time, especially the performance mode.

 

Rick,
Yes, my Tacoma has the performance mode option and is a workaround. Sixth gear is worthless unless going eighty plus, so I use the manual sport mode and just leave it in 5th gear on the highway. At seventy the tach is at 2,000
I scheduled an appointment with the dealer and there is a software upgrade to supposedly fix the shift "hunting" problem.

 

Wow, 2000 rpm in 5th gear at 70? Thats low.
Of course, my truck is totally different than yours, so its not a real comparison, but mine runs at 2400 rpm in top gear (4th) at 70mph. The 4th-gear ratio of my truck's 4-speed auto tranny is .705 to one . Any idea what yours is?