2016 6-cylinder 6-speed automatic erratic shifting and drivability problems?

I took mine to the dealer. Got the Software Upgrade. Soooo much better.

 

I am interested in hearing what they say, but I am confident that there isn't a repair for this. I believe that it is a design flaw inherent to this truck due to the low torque in low rpms and the truck's programming to get to high gears asap. Im also aware that this isnt the first engine like this, and the same exact 2GR-FKS Atkinson engine is in some of the Lexus's while the D4S (port and direct injection) exists in the Scion FRS/Subaru BRZ and I bet none of these have these problems. Most likely the problem exists with the Atkinson engine being put into a heavier application than the Lexus and a transmission programmed to reach high gears fast.

I did do the TSB flash update about 4 weeks ago and while it helped the R-D and P-D delay and altered the shift feel a tad, it definitely did not address the stuttering/bucking issue. (i know it wasnt supposed to, just hoped it would)

I can offer advice that will mitigate about 95% of the issue though. I have 25000 miles on my truck in 11 months so I am very aware of it's characteristics. I can guarantee that if you run most of your fuel out, and start running nothing but Chevron Supreme, it'll alleviate most all of the stuttering effect. I tried one tank of generic gas because i was being cheap a few months ago and the stuttering was WAY worse again through the whole tank. Its a small price to pay, and you will get slightly better mileage that almost pays for the difference. I also almost always drive in ECT/PWR or S mode while in the city which allows you to maintain lower gears longer. Doing these 2 things makes it so that the truck almost never has the problem.

Even with the stuttering issue that I think will never go away, it's still the most bad ass truck made and I still dont think there's anything cooler than the Tacoma, Gen 3 is no exception. The Atkinson cycle and the programming allows for greater mileage, which is a nice plus. I've had this truck on a 12hr trip, fully loaded with crap, 4 passengers while averaging 80mph and still got 21 to 22 on that whole trip. Pretty good.

If you find out something different and there is a fix, then my 25000 miles of experience, hours of research, 3452.00 of chevron gas, and these 4 paragraphs are all crap and a waste of time. Let me know.... By the way, has anyone else noticed that the 2017 has Direct Injection only and has done away with the D4S port/DI? I wonder how that makes the truck drive differently??

 

What would lead you to believe the port injection was omitted in 2017s?

 

Stuff like this...

 

Try popping the hood...three orange port injectors and fuel rail easily visible on the passenger side.

 

Not to focus on the wrong part of the story, but here is specs from 2016 and 2017. No mention of anything other than DI for the 2017, no more mention of D4S port/DI anywhere. I do not have a 2017 engine to look at, just trusting the specs written by Toyota.

 

i drive my truck like a ferrari so if im lucky i will end up driving this thing hard enough that whatever the issue is actually does itself in and then i can go to the dealerships and be like "hey jackoffs this broke wtf, call corporate"

 

Update, they did the latest update yesterday and I really did not notice any change. It still hesitates and (stutters) after speed levels off and then try to keep speed limit pace. The manager did tell me he test drove it himself and admitted he noticed the hesitation (stutters) even after the update. He also told me that Toyota is very much aware of the problem and are working on a fix, but obviously they had not found a fix for my truck yet.

 

Do You Not Trust Your Eyes?

That's my picture of a 2017 with port injectors. end of discussion.

 

Nice of you to end the discussion, but no I can't see that very well but yes it looks like it. Im curious though does the writing on the plastic cover say D4S or D4D?

 

Thanks for the picture. Hmmm, that explains my confusion. There is pictures on Toyota's site of their '17 engine and the picture of this shows "D4D". This totally explains why yours is port/di, but I wonder if there's a mid model year change on the '17 that they are doing or maybe already did. Check this out.

 

That is very....very clearly a picture of a transverse engine. Its also very clearly not a v6. This is how bullshit Internet rumors get started...by people with zero common sense.

You may be confused...no one else is.

 

I have a 2017 Tacoma SR5 3.5L V6 4x4 and I have the shifting issue as well. It seems like it doesn't want to come out of 4th. At 70mph I will slide the shifter over to the S-manual shift mode thingy and its in 4th gear...strange. I wonder if there will be any fixes on my first service in 5k miles?

 

I recently bought a 2017 TRD Off Road (first Tacoma). There's about 2300 miles on it now and I have the issues listed in this thread. It's been the most frustrating vehicle I've driven.

Using the "sport" mode is an improvement, but its still bad. At this point I feel like I made a huge mistake buying the truck. There's literally no driving situation where I feel like the engine/trans combo is doing what it should.

I'm getting the update from the dealer in a couple days and will report back, but I'm assuming this problem is more than a software issue.

Does anyone know some of the basic concepts from the "learning" algorithm on the transmission? It seems like it'd save everyone time and frustration if I could pick what I want.

 

Hit the ect button. done.

 

Please have patience with the Armchair Mechs. I know it's frustrating. But the Internet first gave us the opportunity to exchange the good info. Unfortunately the Armchair cut and piasters usually drive away the knowledgeable people. But lets face it, the internet is 90% corporate marketing BS now. So I guess we have to become more tolerant. I don't mind a Smackdown. Just don't leave !

 

I bought my 2017 a month ago and the hesitation or shudder sensation on it is real annoying. I have 1k miles on it now and I finally decided to bring it in to the dealer. I thought it might just go away after learning the shift pattern but it hasn't
One thing I did notice and I've never seen anybody else comment on, is that this problem does not appear for me until after the engine has warmed up. Never when its still cold.
It's almost as though its due to when the engine leans out the fuel after warming up. I hope they come up with a fix.

 

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FWIW ... My truck does much better in S mode with manual shifting between 2,3 & 4 in heavy city driving.

 

To follow up on my previous post, there was an improvement with the flash, but the engine/trans combo is still the worst I've driven.

The highway driving (maintaining a constant speed) has been improved, but the gear hunting issue did not go away. Given the right hill, it'll upshift and downshift every 3-5 seconds the whole time.

Driving around town is still really bad. I did not notice an improvement at all. ECT mode on or off it still carries too high of a gear through turns and has no power at ~1100 rpm to drive out.

I've moved on to only using sport mode with ECT mode on, but this still has the problem of downshifting unnecessarily. The biggest advantage from ECT mode on I've noticed is that there is some actual engine braking. With it off the engine just "floats" through turns and when letting off the gas.

I'm going to bring it to another local dealer and see if they can do anything about it.