2017 3.5L Surging Under Acceleration

I bet there are no average folks who have bought even one dozen.

 

So a 100g fuel tank would suit you???

 

I would like a larger tank, but my range is acceptable for the travel I do. With minor mods, and keeping the tire size and lift conservative, I’ve never had to dip into my reserve Jerry can, so far.

 

Heh, heh, heh...... New Recruits.

Welcome !

 

This Tacoma is unfortunately.... Varied. Every truck should be the same, in terms of performance drivability. There appears to be a wider range of "good enough" during the build of these trucks than previous ones. Whether that's in the transmission, or the engine, it's different for everyone who has an issue.

What I mean is, not everyone who has a shudder can say with confidence, "TSB XXX fixes the shudder!" Because what causes the shudder or surge in some trucks is different in others. Someone who lives at altitude may never experience shudder and have a great driving experience until they road trip down to sea level. (Because the engine has no map sensor to compensate for air pressure).

And this variability in driving complaints never happened on the 2nd gens. I've done a fair share of asking random 3rd gen Tacoma drivers they're driving experience, and many of them had the same complaints, the dealership just told them it was normal and to deal with it.

Even with the Tune there are some vehicles that behave dramatically differently even though every truck should behave the same.

I understand what you perceive to be the "benefits of the stock tune" in terms of fuels economy. But in a stock OR I never saw better economy than when I was Tuned. Yes there is a "performance Tune" available, but theres also an 87 Tune that made the truck much more highway capable, with far less of the bad behaviour that frustrated me on a daily basis.

BTW please explain your perception of Toyota's "design philosophy" to me. As it was never brought up at purchase time.

 

I am getting 23-24mpg regularly. I like that. but I'd prefer 20 and something that didn't feel like it was about to break.

 

No need to be snarky. Every item you purchase has a “design philosophy”, which seeks the balance between factors such performance, affordability, style, cost of manufacture, and profitability . Same thing applies to a toaster.

No auto maker, nor manufacturer of microwave ovens, spells out the design philosophy, as some of the considerations are not typically public knowledge, such as profits. It’s a peek behind the curtain.

If you expect this from Toyota prior to purchase, you are asking too much.

I can guess at the official Tacoma philosophy:

“Good looking mini truck with an adequate balance between on and off road performance, and a price point and fuel efficiency numbers that will attract former car owners and 1st time truck buyers”

I can also guess at the Toyota Corporate back room chat:

“A select few will be bothered by this truck, with its non ajustable seats and languid economy tune, but the additional sales to new buyers will make their voice irrelevant, so fuck ‘em”

Can’t say I disagree.

 

That 20 MPG “about to break” feeling is exclusive to the 2nd gens with the rusty frame recall.

 

My rumble decelerating and 40-50mph shudders feel like my truck is about to break. It makes me feel about like my wife's old 2009 Enclave did. I had an ESP on it that paid out $12,5000 from 80-110k miles. I drove it for a portion of that because it was so unreliable. I traded it for this truck, a brand one TOYOTA, so I wouldn't feel that any more.....

 

Mine does all that has been described here and it only has 350 miles on it. It is scheduled to have a re-flash tomorrow morning at my dealer.

I have read everyone's comments and I agree with some and others I simply do not. NO ONE should have to be subjected to these issues on a new or used Toyota product that shudders/jerks/stumbles/hesitates/misses or whatever after paying $30-40K for it. I get the fact that some people may be oblivious to it or simply just don't let it bother them. However, ALL vehicles are presumed to be free of defects when purchased as in new condition. Me, the consumer has a very high expectation of the manufacturer of this $30K vehicle I am buying. I expect a solid base performance and operation as any new vehicle would from years past. Shuddering/jerking/hesitations, etc. are NOT normal under any conditions. I have been an auto mechanic for over 30 years. When a vehicle does what is has been described in this thread in the past, something was defective or not operating properly. Toyota can say it is normal all they want, that is BS! Now, them not wanting to accept responsibility for a product that they apparently did not engineer correctly is another story. in light of that now we are talking about a significant amount of money loss to Toyota to recall these vehicles for a fix. In addition to that, the costs for them to re-engineer the fix could be quite a substantial depending on them finding a true cure for this. Just my 2 cents

 

This appears to sum it up regarding the wide range of behaviors of our trucks - so much variability. It's hard to believe that a modern engine with closed loop control has this much variability. OVTune must be pulling his hair out with trying to come up with a tune that works for everyone - though he is doing a great job.

 

Yeah I can agree on that backroom chat lol.

But even if that was the philosophy, I could not get near the claimed fuel economy. Didn't matter if I drove it hard, or like a grandpa. It just did whatever it wanted.

I own 3 Toyota's currently,

I've owned 9 toyotas total. 8 were 4x4s, two were Tacomas. None of them were as unpredictable, to drive as the 2017 Tacoma was.

If you follow Toyota's truck development it has always been about predictability, performance, and longevity. Why else would they keep the 4.0L for ten years? To jump from 7 other Toyota's which were predictable and easy to drive into that abomination of a stock tune was just... Unacceptable in my opinion. To have a truck that was faster, but felt slower to drive than my 2001 Tacoma, was paradoxical and disappointing. Not to mention for all the bells and whistles the engine supposedly had I only averaged 3mpg better economy. (15.6 vs 18.5)

But, if I had the funds, would I buy it again? Fuck yeah. I love everything else about these trucks.