2017 Tacoma transmission issues

I have read several of the posts and it looks as though I’m in the right place to ask this question. Does anyone with a 2017 have their Tacoma shift gears properly one day but the next day, it just can’t seem to figure out which gear it wants to be in?

I’ve been told to use the ECT or downshift manually. I’m exhausted after driving this truck all day.

 

There are some really cool tunes you can get that will help you with this problem, it's a pretty common complaint.

OV Tune is one.

 

Where do you live? Like what state? Driving conditions?

 

I just got mine back from service yesterday for same thing. Truck only has 1100 miles on it and they cant find nothing wrong. I feel like putting it in the river. Somthings wrong and I cant take anymore. When I slow down but dont come to a complete stop and half throttle to take back off its like its not dure what to do for a good 3-4 seconds. Feels like the tranny just shutters. When it does find a gear it launches like I floored it. They keep telling me this is normal.

 

Get your transmission fluid level checked. Might be low. This is notorious for 3rd gens. Mine is a newer built 2017 and was still low tranny fluid.

 

Yea the 3rd gen tacomas drive weird and feel underpowered in general. Here is the route you should go.
Other users: feel free to quote this and tell me theres nothing wrong with your truck

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-toyota-tacoma-v6-ecu-tuning-alpha-release.495735/

 

Mine did the surging two times. Once at around 200 miles when I was pulling into the garage at home, and then one other time at over 1,000 miles when I was exiting a parking lot while approaching the sidewalk. Another vehicle entered the parking lot so I steered to the right to make room for them while also applying throttle and it surged. That one caught me by surprise, and it’s good that there was no car right in front of me.

It hasn’t done it again since then and I’m at 2,000 miles.

 

Low transmission fluid from the factory. I asked my service manager at the Toyota dealership where I take my Tacoma and he said during the predelivery inspection of new cars all fluids are checked by the dealership upon arrival. Low factory fluid levels would be corrected at that time. He said he had his doubts that Tacomas were making it to the street with low fluid levels. Are all dealerships doing this? There could also be a goofball not doing the checks and saying they did as well.

 

My transmission was clunking in gear from Park into Reverse and from Reverse to Drive after a couple of weeks of ownership. I decided to just put 1 quart into the transmission as I had read on Tacoma World that transmissions were 1 to 2 quarts low from the factory. This solved the clunking problem, and it has shifted smoothly into gear from Park and Reverse ever since adding the fluid.

Later, on another day, I did the transmission fluid check at the proper temperature and only 4 ounces of transmission fluid came out, so it was almost 1 quart low from the factory.

My rear differential was 1 quart, 8 ounces low. Yes 1 quart, 8 ounces low out of just over a 4 quart capacity. There are no leaks on it either.
My front differential was 7 ounces low.

I filled them up myself.

My transfer case was full from the factory. That was a surprise!

As I’ve said before, large Toyota Dealerships sometimes sell dozens of vehicles in a day.
There is no way that they are able to do the time consuming transmission fluid check on all vehicles.
It would take 2 full time employees or more just to do the procedures on all vehicles.

They might be doing a predelivery check of the engine oil level which takes a few seconds, and they might do a visual check on the rest of the engine bay fluids, but there is no way they are checking both the front and rear differentials, the transfer case and transmission fluid.

They are waxing, washing, cleaning tires and maybe checking lights and wipers and installing floor mats and vacuuming after previous test drives of your vehicle.

It’s obvious that they don’t do the big checks, because there sure are a lot of Tacomas with low fluids from the factory.

It would cost them a lot of time and money. Money that I’m sure they like to save.

With a little time and some fluids, you can do it yourself, and then know that it’s done right.

Yes, it would be great if the dealerships did the work so that the owner doesn’t have to, but they are relying on the factory to get it done right, and it’s obvious that it’s not always happening.

I joke about it, but with several different fill levels for our rear differentials and also for the transmissions on V6 vs 4 bangers, it’s no wonder that something isn’t right at the factories.

It’s just entertaining, and frustrating for some that it’s still happening after 2 1/2 years or more of Toyota building the 3rd gen.

 

I live in Georgia. Just slow rolling hills, no mountains. My daughter has a 2016 in Colorado with the same problems!

 

I’ve had them check for new computer updates. Spent three hours in the dealership while they checked all of the fluids. Said it was a quart low on transmission fluid. Filled it and sent me on my way. Same problems. They now have it in again. A tech has driven it and even took it home to drive but says he isn’t having any problems.

 

Too bad you can’t check your own transmission fluid, anymore!

 

I can’t get over how underpowered my truck feels. I had a 2013 SR 4cyl and it felt more powerful then my current truck.

 

I mentioned the surging to the service manager and he said that was normal when the engine is cold. It catches you off guard. I’ve been very disappointed.

 

I am having this issue too. Rolling slowly like 5-10 mph, taking my foot off the throttle and when I press the gas again there is like a 2 second delay and it goes full power. I have a 2017 too, would low trans fluid cause this to happen you think? Proper fluid level correct this issue?

 

Actually you can, many of us have done. There's a thread on here from Gearcrusher on what the procedure is!

 

When it happened in my driveway it was cold. When it happened in the parking lot the vehicle was hot and it was a warm day.

I read a post on TW a while back and someone was discussing the surging, and it seemed that the theory divised by he and his servicing mechanic was that it was occurring when you were steering the vehicle while at the same time applying throttle. That’s just what happened on mine both times. I don’t remember the specifics, but it seemed like a logical explanation of why it was possibly happening under those parameters.

It would be lucky to find the discussion, if only by using the search function!

My driveway slopes up into the garage and I was steering from the left side of the driveway into the right side of the garage while applying throttle the first time it happened.

And again, the second time it occurred while steering right and applying throttle on flat pavement.

But, I’ve also felt that very minor surge with the slight clunking while slowing down for a stop recently.

Mine seems to be improving though.

Your situation is of course a bit different in that it is happening at a higher frequency.

If my vehicle was still doing it after a year or so, and on a regular basis, it would be an easy decision for me to just trade it in on another Tacoma.

I know everyone’s situation is different regarding the desire and ability to trade in a vehicle, but at least with the Tacoma, the highest resale value in the segment helps to make it a lot easier.

And, maybe for some, wait just a few more months before putting it in the river!

The transmission behavior seems to improve over time for many owners.

 

I’ve had the truck for a year. It has almost 11,000 miles on it and I’ve had it in for service 4 times for the same issue. If I’m not satisfied when I get it back tomorrow, it will be traded.

 

My friend is a Tundra owner, I let him drive my Tacoma, and the look on his face was hysterical when the truck ran through the gears into 6th as fast as possible to save gas. He understood why I've grumbled about the transmission and also had similar sentiment that it felt like a 4 cylinder truck.

 

Use the great resale. Buy something that makes you happy. Cr recommends the ridgeline.