HELP? Transmission Issues?

So my '14 Tacoma TRD Automatic with 8800mi on it keeps refusing to shift gears when accelerating onto the highway. Best description is imagine its stick/manual, you drop to 3rd rpms go up and when you've reached your desired speed you let off and shift 4th or 5th depending on speed. WELL, my automatic does this except once I let off the accelerator or completely let off it refuses to shift the next gear. If I'm aggressively accelerating as in passing it will hang the rpms as high as 4500. It usually takes about 15 seconds before it will finally make the gear change or if I depress the pedal again then it will shift and you can see the rpms drop to where they should be for the next gear. I've driven CDL trucks and heavy equipment as well as worked on Jeeps most of my adult life and I've only experienced this on broken transmissions or ones with low fluid.
My truck is now at the second dealership, which happens to be one of the top 20 in the country and they can't seem to find anything wrong or duplicate. I just sent them videos of the issue and am awaiting a response.

AM I loosing my mind? Is this how Tacoma Transmission are new? Like I said it only has 8800mi, I'm second owner and it's still under warranty.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Luke

 

Just bought an '09 tacoma with 100K on it only to discover slipping transmission issues. Any luck in resolving your issue?

 

I just want to get the stupid question out of the way just to be safe. You do have the shifter in D not 4 correct?

Past that I'd ask if you can take a tech for a ride being that you may be able to duplicate the problem better than they can.

 

First thing I would do is check the transmission fluid level. The 2nd and 3rd gens use a sealed transmission, and it is a well documented issue of them coming with low trans fluid from the factory. Since you can't check a dipstick, you'll have to either have the dealer do it, or research the procedure on here and do it yourself.

 

As for the "they can't duplicate," comment.. I'll tell you this that I had an issue with on my truck and dealer troubleshooting. I had an issue where the truck at 70 MPH and over 2K RPM would go into limp mode, lose power, and would leave me in a shitty situation on the freeway with a truck that can't get out of it's own way and is shaking itself to death. The dealer couldn't duplicate this.

Turns out, they're not able to go faster than the posted speed limit on my freeways which is 65 MPH - which was too slow to trigger this issue. I had to take one of the techs out for a ride, with me driving, to duplicate the problem.

So, if this type of thing might be preventing them from getting a diagnosis on your truck, you should look into this option. Take them for a ride.

 

Not all of them are sealed.

Mine has a dipstick. 2013.

 

Shouldn't have one from the factory. 2nd gens are sealed

 

If this question is directed to my slipping issues, I have it in D not 4.

 

I went out in the rain and took a pic for you. Pointed at it, even.






Careful on the blanket statements.

 

2nd gen 4cylinder auto with a dipstick in mine

 

6 cylinder are sealed, 4 banger has dipstick

I've asked my dealer to check my fluids as this forum makes you find problems with your truck. They always tell me it has to be stone cold and left overnight for proper procedure. My truck shifts fine though. 13 auto with 28k

 

So far as I've heard it takes less than an hour of cooling and it can't be checked cold.

But if yours shifts fine, it shifts fine.

 

It was. Mostly because if you're on the freeway in the "manual gear selection" it will hold the gear longer which sounded similar to your issue with holding the gear before shifting up. My buddy drove my truck and put it right into 4 rather than D. Just asking to be safe.

I'll go back to my 2nd statement. Being that you're under warranty I'd ask to take a tech for a test drive and drive around with him until you can replicate the problem. Then turn the keys over and let them try to diagnose it and fix it.

 

Better still, when you take the tech out for a drive, he should have his laptop and TechStream connected and doing real time sensor viewing.

They can save the data during the issue, and can save it before the issue and see what the problem might be. My tech had a 30 second, real time recording of the sensors in normal operation, then in limp mode. That's how they figured out what my problem was.

 

I'm sure my dealership is giving me the run around. I don't make it a habit of using them.

 

No worries. It's kind of a specific (temp range) and not quick check, so from that standpoint it's easier to say something else than it is to keep a customer car for an hour of unpaid labor.

No issues with my truck either.

 

You have a 4cyl. Therefore your truck does not qualify for my statement.

 

Which statement would that be?

That second gens are sealed, or that second gens are sealed?

It's one thing to be mistaken, it's another to be mistaken and then try and argue you're somehow not and then look foolish.

People are wrong every day, including me. No harm in it. It's okay.

Making generalized blanket statements and being wrong is OK. Don't make an ass out of yourself by arguing it after the fact.

 

Is this well documented for 2nd Gens? I had only heard about it with 3rd Gens.

 

Yes.. heavily. It's what suggested that the third gens might have the same issues (and they did)..

Second gen thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...be-low-on-fluid-directly-from-factory.312718/

Third gen thread
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...be-low-on-fluid-directly-from-factory.405642/