Transmission 2016-2023- 6 SPEED AUTOMATICS COULD BE LOW ON FLUID DIRECTLY FROM FACTORY

I wanted to make sure they actually checked it physically and not just with the scan tool so I flipped a $20 to the technician. That seems to have done the job.

 

You should be fine, depending upon how low it was. Mine was about a quart low from the factory and setting to the right level improved shifting. Considering that the fluid level raises/falls with temperature changes, there is some room for varied levels.

 

Just wanted to mention that after reading these forums I was a little concerned about my atf from factory. The first dealer refused to check it under warranty so I contacted another. They told me it has been a known issue and they said they would check it no questions asked. Well the verdict was that I was like the rest of you guys. It was 1 quart low. I have noticed a changed for the better. Less clunking and smoother shifts. I also wanted to mention my u joints on leaf springs were not that tight. I tightened them to 52 feet per pounds. If you are reading this and have not had your atf checked I would say don’t ignore it. Happy driving

 

Mine was determined to be 1 quart low. I will be calling Toyota tomorrow to see what they’ll do for me, no reason a brand new truck should leave the factory with low fluids! You’d think they would at least get something so trivial correct.

 

What's the TSB for low tranny fluid, if any?

 

There is no TSB for low transmission fluid , however , we are trying to force Toyota to start a TSB .
If the dealerships checked your fluid levels when you purchased your truck , this post wouldnt exist

 

The dealer where I bought mine straight up told me that they don’t check the fluid on any of them. They said it’s too long of a process to check the fluid on every one... at least they’re being honest lol!

 

Has anyone had a problem with low trans fluid on the 2019 Tacomas? My 2019 OR has 280 miles on it, and want to nip the problem in the bud if indeed a problem exists.

 

I dont think anything has changed ....... Members here are still finding their transmissions low .
. Best to get it checked " manually " while you are still at low mileage . Using the Techstream scanner is not the proper way to check the fluid . It must be performed by removing the plug on the transmission .
Read the first post in detail for helpfull hints

 

Congrats on the purchase of your new truck, you’ll love it! I don’t think anything has changed for 2019, I’m sure they’re still having low fluid problem, ask them to physically check it and not to use the scan tool method.

 

Hey guys I need some help. My 2018 TRD sport AT has been having 4 of the symptoms of low transmission fluid listed in post #1 especially the loud audible clunk/vehicle buckling when down shifting from 2>1 so I asked dealer for the full transmission fluid check and not the scan method via TS. They said a few things which have me suspicious. First they said because I'm running 265 tires, that may be causing the "clunk" to which I replied no the tires are new and the truck has been doing this way before the new tires.

They want to charge a $130 "diagnostic fee" to have my fluid level checked as well as have their technician take it for a drive and attempt to replicate the symptoms. So I've rescheduled the appointment pending to see if I should just check it myself or not because I'd rather not pay the fee if it wasn't my fault that it was delivered to me with low transmission fluid. 2nd closest dealer is 2 hours away so should I go back and fight this dealer somehow or just do it myself? I've never done it before but have someone who may be able to help me. At this point I'm not 100% certain if the clunk is caused by low ATF. Thanks in advance!

 

Truck is under warranty. Tell them there's something wrong with it and make them diagnose it.

 

I agree .

Read the first post . There are a lot of tips to get the dealership to check the fluid under warranty ..... NO CHARGE to the owner

 

Has anybody brought their 2019 in to get the transmission fluid checked?

I recently traded my '16 for a '19 and I had them check the transmission fluid before I took the truck home. Traded on a Saturday and they kept the truck to check the trans fluid that Monday. Truck wasn't done 'till almost the end of the day and they said it checked good.

On the service ticket, it said "Inspected transmission fluid level, okay at this time." I still don't got the warm and fuzzy about it though. I feel like they just kept the truck, said they checked it and drove it around the block. Okay at this time sounds like something to say to cover your arse. I haven't looked underneath the truck yet to see if the torque marks have changed on the plugs.

 

Check and see if there are torque marks. If still uneasy check it yourself.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-automatic-transmission-fluid-level-check-diy.547455/

 

So I read the post about Tacomas coming from the factory with low ATF. As well as how to fill the fluid yourself here. Most posts indicate that the transmission is anywhere from 0.5-1 qt low on ATF. Thus, most people are adding roughly 1 qt to "top off" their fluids.

What is confusing me is the temperature window requirement; if the truck is isn't moving, there is not going to be any heat being generated in the transmission. If this is the case, then isn't the truck is simply reading the engine thermostat? Fluids also do not expand significantly with changes in temperature, so it really shouldn't have any bearing on the reading.

So I guess what I'm getting at is, does adding this fluid actually do anything or is this fluid you're adding simply draining back out of the overflow valve? This entire process doesn't seem convincing unless somebody measures the amount put in and the amount that drains out.

 

Unfortunately there weren't any torque marks on either plug. The overflow plug did have some trans fluid around it that didn't get wiped off though.

I'd rather have the dealership do it and find out whether it's low or not. Toyota Corp gave me a Gold level 7 yr /100,000 mile warranty for my '16 once I finally got a dealership to check the trans fluid and it was about a quart low.

So far I haven't experienced any of the symptoms that I did with my '16, but I only had the 1st transmission TSB done, so I don't know if the 2nd TSB made that much of a difference.

 

Ya mine was about a quart low from factory and I have the paperwork showing it. What number would I call or who would I email to pursue getting a warranty like that? I ended up checking mine later just to be sure. My front driveshaft u joints were dry also. Once I greased them I haven’t had any clunking when braking. Also have them check the differentials if you don’t want to yourself. A lot of people complaining about that. I changed the differentials and transfer case but didn’t check if they were low.

 

I did the same with my '16, but haven't got around to doing on my '19 yet. The diffs and transfer case were a little low on my '16, but I just changed the fluid anyway.

As for the warranty, it's been awhile so I don't remember if somebody posted the number on here or if I just Google'd it. I think it's the latter. Either way, my situation was probably different from yours and long story short, Toyota Corp offered me the extended warranty.

 

Phone number for Toyota corporate is on the very first post gents
I wish you luck . A lot of members that did call and tried to get extended warranty were turned down .
When this mess started back in 2015/2016 , some members were getting lucky with Toyota corporate managing to get extended warranty .
You may have a fight on your hands these days