Are the 2018s still having Engine and Transmission Issues?

Is 16 mpg highway an issue or whining? My only complaint with my truck is I don’t like how it drives and performs.

 

I switched from a 17 to 18 and just made a post about this last night. The transmissions shifts are much more subtle, and much smoother. In my 17 I could feel every single gear as it shifted and was not smooth.

 

It's rated at 18 city and 22 highway so without you detailing your driving habits it could be the norm if all you do is stop and go.

As for choosing to buy a truck that you don't like how it drives or performs, who else can you blame?

Reliability, popularity and maintaining resale value do not also automatically mean "fun to drive" or "gobs of power".

 

Everything you listed above is the exact reason I chose the Tacoma TRD Sport over any other make or model. The only offroading this thing will ever see is my back yard to drop off mulch. I chose this truck for it's reliability history and I'm going to give it to my 5yr old son when he is old enough to drive. If he wants to sell it I'm sure he will get more for it than any other car will get because of its resale value history. I get more compliments on this truck than I have ever heard anyone give compliments to a Ridgline, Sienna, or Odyssey. Oh, and my sons friends think my truck is cool. You can't go wrong with a Toyota imho.

 

I have 36k miles now, had it two years, love the crap out of it. Mine is a 6spd manual though, no transmission problems. The automatic feels like a slug, couldn’t live with that. Real men drive sticks anyways

I saw you looking at a Ridgeline too. Honestly, if you do 99% or your time on road and rarely if ever take it off road, I would recommend the Ridgeline. They drive like cars and still have a bed for moving stuff if needed. Can load them up and go camping, maybe you won’t be doing crazy rock crawl, but you’ll get plenty of places that are just fire road/washed out creek bed type stuff.

If you want something a little more durable to beat on off road and modify then the Tacoma is probably a better choice.

Just pick which one makes the sense for what you need. Don’t pick what makes sense for other people. If you pick for you then you are happy.

 

My 18’ off-road has 1700 miles and no complaints with the tranny so far! I just wish the throttle was more responsive but nothing a tune from OVT won’t fix.

 

I hear ya. It’s totally my mistake for buying it. My complaint is with Toyota for using 20 years of Tacoma reliability and resale value to sell the gen 3 which I think is not up to its reputation after driving it a while. I thought I made a good choice but was wrong. As for the gen 3 reliability and resale value, that is still left to be determined. Check kbb resale values on Tacoma from 2014 to 2018. The percent after 3 years is considerably down due to thousands of complaints, recalls, mechanical issues, slow sales, and excess inventory. Again my bad for not knowing all of this until after I bought and started to wonder if something was wrong with my truck. It didn’t need to be a sports car, but mine couldn’t get out of its own way until the trans fluid was “topped off”. Even after the service, the gear hunting and lack of power is still there. I traded in a 1989 Land cruiser diesel so fun to drive and power comparisons should have been very easy to win me over. My 2017 has yet to impress me and no test drive could replicate real daily driving.

My driving style would be considered Grandpa style and I’m rural so it’s wide open highways. I’ve never averaged less than the highest mpg rating in any of my pickups based on my route to work and speed that I drive. My 2009 2wd V8 F150 averaged 20-21 and that is pre eco boost. I’ve also owned 6 Toyota 4x4s so I’m not a hater. I’m just angry with this last purchase.

I didnt realize how sensitive Tacoma owners could be when someone doesn’t worship their truck, when I signed on to TW.

 

Fair assessment.

Is it true that you joined TW after you bought your 3rd gen because

"until after I bought and started to wonder if something was wrong with my truck. " ?

I think your situation is not totally uncommon, probably resulting in more problems reported here than in a general cross section of 3rd gen owners.

Never belonged to any social media/ forum before TW, and always wondered how a mass produced vehicle could be perceived so differently by different people.

Happy with my truck, so that is where I am coming from.

 

I don't worship my truck but I do enjoy how it drives. I also spent 3 months test driving 2nd and 3rd gens, sometimes back to back to make sure the model truck I was buying was the one I wanted. I also drove the GM twins and a Nissan during that time but just couldn't find a comfortable position in the seats so it was back to Toyota.

Like you I've had 4 other Toyota trucks, none were perfect and they've never lit my hair on fire in terms of performance, capabilities or fuel economy, they just seemed to fit my needs, last a long time with regular maintenance and suited me better than the others on the market. We are talking the trucks back to 1986.

If you really don't like it, sell it and move on to something else. You might lose a little money in the deal but at least now you can make yourself happy with a new purchase.

 

It’s definitely for sale. Washed and waxed sitting in my garage waiting for someone to buy it. I’m not going to trade in.

 

Less than 2k miles and got 14mpg on a 150 mile road trip averaging 75ish mph...

 

My 18 trd offroad DCSB has 4000 miles on it.... Zero issues... Love it

 

I have had my 17 for 1.5 years and 35k miles. 0 issues with it so far but I did opt for the manual transmission. I'd like better than 20mpg average but that's my only real complaint

 

It drives better because the transmission hasn’t learned yet

 

Hello forum,
I have an '08 Prerunner 4.0 (I am the 2nd owner. Owned her for 6 1/2 years so far) and it has been wonderful. I've had a lot of fun with it & it has performed impressively for being 2WD with limited slip diff. BTW, Last year of the mechanical diff. My wife bought a '16 4Runner Trail & that has been awesome as well. I like the 4.0 V6. It has an "old school" feel & is a relatively simple engine by todays standards. Gas mileage has never been an issue for me so I don't even question the MPG's.

I've been reading 3rd gen posts for a while & as someone here previously stated, most people post issues on Forums. I haven't driven one yet so I can't comment on driveability.
I agree with that. It's pretty rare to have some one post "Hi, everything is working as it should, Good Bye!". I deal with customers daily & I can tell you that compliments are not as common as complaints no matter how good you do your job.

I am considering selling my truck by the end of this year or early next year & purchasing a low mileage 2015 Tacoma 4.0 4x4 or a new 2018/19 Tacoma 3.5 4x4. I will have to test drive a 3rd Gen and see.

What is CPS?

My manager bought a new 2018 about 2 months ago. He said that the more he drives it the better it feels. He put 265/75r16 GY Duratracs on it the day after he bought it. He said that he noticed the power is made at higher RPM's but no issues so far. I may ask him to let me drive it & see how it feels compared to my '08.

 

Child Protective Services or Crank Position Sensor, depending on the conversation.

Test drive test.drive test drive. 90% of the problems would not be a problem if people properly did the test drive process and had any willpower whatsoever.

 

Crankshaft Position Sensor CPS
I’ve had two other makes of cars whose cps failed. Not uncommon at all.
IMO they should design these cars with two, one as a backup and alert when one goes out so you are not stranded.

 

I completely agree which is why it would not be fair for me to judge anything on the 3rd Gen.
Child Protective Services. HAHAHAHA

OK. And yes, there should be a back up.

 

I just bought a 2015 double cab off road automatic with < 25k. When I was searching for a truck I drove three 2018 automatics from three different dealers. All of them had the same shifting issues as mentioned in previous posts. I use cruise control a lot and the constant downshifting when going against head winds or just over a highway overpass was a deal breaker for me. The 2015 does not have any of these issues. The only time it downshifts is when I stomp on the gas to pass or when I come to a substantial hill with the cruise control on. I also drove a 2018 manual and it was a lot better but I noticed that you really had to keep the RPMs up between shifts to make for smooth acceleration. From what I’ve been reading I guess that’s a function of the new motor. Anyway, I’m really happy the 2015 and didn’t care much for all the 3rd generation electronic bling either. But having said that, I’ll be keeping an eye on all the after market solutions and updates and have not totally ruled one out for the future.

 

Which dealer in long island allowed you to keep the truck that long? Just asking for future references!! What did u end up getting? A sport, OF or PRO?