2020 guys how you liking your transmission?

Have a 20 as well and mine does the same thing. Have 1,500 miles currently and drove 200 miles of highway last night for the first time and was surprised at how much downshifting to 5th and 4th gear it did. After getting over a slight incline it would stay in 4th for far too long and often I would have to manually shift it to get it into 5th and finally 6th. Tried varying speeds to see if it was any better at 65, 70, or 75 and found no change. Wondering if an OVTune would solve this? The downshifting killed my mpg also, I had been getting right around 20 with mixed driving and on this tank of straight highway I am only getting 17.1.

 

5K miles and still having the same issue. Toyota dealer won’t acknowledge the issue and says there aren’t enough complaints for a TSB. I have found when the gears won’t shift, that if I tap the gas pedal, it will go back into 5th, then 6th like it should. Fuel economy hasn’t really improved either.

 

My brand new DCLB OR is having exactly the same problem. I drive almost 100 miles per day, mostly highway at 60-75 mph, and my transmission constantly downshifts to 5th and even 4th, totally unnecessarily on the slightest incline, wasting gas. I actually had several issues with my truck when I took delivery, in addition to the busy shifting, so I had to take it back in for service 10 days after I got it. The dealership has it now and they claim they checked the transmission software and verified that it's the correct version, so they seem to be done with it. Adding insult to injury, the loaner Tacoma they gave me is shifting perfectly fine on the exact same roads, not a single issue.

I did my research, so I knew all about the hatred for this transmission going in, but I read that Toyota reprogrammed it for 2020 and I figured all was good. My test drive went fine, but I didn't do any sustained highway driving at the time. I haven't owned an automatic in 20 years and I didn't want this one, but I sacrificed the manual for the 6ft bed (you can't get both) and I definitely regret that decision now.

In any case, I will be taking it up with Toyota directly because it's definitely not something I can live with. I suggest to everyone who is experiencing this downshifting issue to contact Toyota directly and demand a resolution.

 

hmmmph. . 2020 owner here checking in. Drove a 2nd gen (09) for 11 years. I do miss the low-down grunt of the 4.0, but have found more than anything that I think it's me that needs re-programming. The 3.5 has a lot more to give in the upper 1/3rd of the rev range and it's not missing THAT much down low. The issue for me has just been re-learning how hard I need to push depending on the revs/gear to get what I want from the AT. 11 yrs of habit is tough to break overnight. @ ~700 miles now, and the more miles I put on, the more I like it.

MT the answer? Nah. . . not for me, not in a truck. I prefer the AT for towing and off-roading, and just general gotta-get-there slab. I have a 6MT in my BRZ. Love rowing the gears in that little toy, but not in my truck.

 

Went from a 2016 that was all over the place when commuting to 2020 that drives like a charm. Way happier, but just my opinion.

 

Seems to be a lot more threads lately with MT issues than Auto issues from what I have noticed

No issues with my auto here, decent mileage and then there’s the ECT button for everything else.

 

Sig material right here

 

The automatic has to downshift in the truck. Look at your RPMs next time when you’re going 65 in 6th gear. Probably 1600rpms, it’s barely making enough power to keep you moving on flat ground.

 

Understand that every truck is not cursed with auto transmission issues. I know this first hand because my brand new OR has this downshifting issue, but the loaner SR5 that I have right now shifts perfectly with exactly the same powertrain as mine and in the exact same conditions. Both are brand new 2020 trucks with under 1000 miles on them. This is why those of us who are experiencing these issues MUST open a complaint directly with Toyota. Obviously, there's a QC problem when all trucks don't drive similarly and Toyota will not address it unless enough people complain to them. My dealership verified the software version and that was the extent of what they're willing to do.

 

Congradulations on never experiencing how a good auto trans should operate? Ignorance is bliss i guess.

Theres plenty of evidence that exposure to cold temperature suppresses the immune system. Yes a virus is a virus, but ultimately its your immune system is what stops/fights infection.

Every point youve tried to make in this post leads me to believe its you who hasnt got a clue what theyre talking about.

 

Don't be ridiculous. I know how a transmission works. See my previous comment. There are definitely problems with SOME of our transmissions, that's not up for debate. If you're not experiencing any issues, consider yourself fortunate that you got a good one.

 

MT guys wouldnt feel so compelled to troll you with their superior transmission if you AT guys didnt spend SO much time bitching inceasantly about it. You think youre sick of hearing us tell you about our MT, we're even more sick of listening to you bitch about how crappy your transmission is. When you stop, we probably will too.

Lmfao says the guy attacking MT owners.

Feeling a bit inadequate are we?

 

I am coming from V8 full size trucks for nearly 20 years so my 20 Limited I find hunts to the top gear quickly as I’m use to low end torque and being light on the pedal. When driving locally (most of my miles) I just tap the shifter to the left to lockout 5 and 6 and then it feels normal to me. I’ve also found that using ETC is nice when in traffic as you don’t need to be as aggressive on the pedal, a little more finesse if you will.

While I would not label the V6 as underpowered, it’s RPM range where it delivers power is definitely unique. We all know this is because auto makers want us to drive like wusses and save the earth, man.

 

Cant believe there are 2020’s with these problems. You’d think toyota would have it all straightened out by now. My cruise was doing the same thing, it was extremely bad. Took it in to get a reflash and it was better but still hunts around a bit. Mine would bounce around constantly on flat road set around 70 between 4th and 5th gear. Now it hold a higher gear but still jumps around a little. Not nearly as bad. Far from perfect and every once in a while it will jump back into 4th on a very slight incline if it’s losing speed. This makes me hate this truck.

 

I haven’t driven any previous years so I can’t compare to another Tacoma but my 2020 trd OR with 1,400 miles seems to shift good. I only have 2 things I’ve noticed about this transmission is that if your light on the pedal it seems to shift to the higher gears pretty fast. And up in the 75mph range when cruise is on it seems to downshift when any acceleration is needed at all. Neither of those are a huge deal to me because I’ve always felt like an automatic with cruise on never finds the right gear or sweet spot when you hit a small incline. And if I drive it a little harder than I usually would it seems the shifting is fine. Maybe I’ve learned how to drive the truck or the truck is learning how I drive or both.

 

IMO it drives fine, I have not had any "gear searching" issues. Then again, coming from a 2006 GEN2, I do miss having better/faster response. I would be fine with it if I had better gas mileage, but so far there has not been a noticeable gain in MPG when comparing with GEN2. So... while I don't mind how my 2020 drives, I just can't justify the changes in powertrain coming from previous GEN. It feels like a failed attempt at better MPG.

 

2020 TRD-OR. around town it's fine . At highway speed, On extreme flat surface the trans is also fine. But if I hit a slight incline on the highway, it downshifts and upshifts constantly. I would think I was pulling a moderate sized trailer when going slightly uphill. It becomes annoying.
I've come to the conclusion that the engine (V6) just doesn't have enough HP to handle this truck and therefore the trans has to compensate. As you know, Toyota down sized to Help with emission standards. And shot themselves in the foot. The truck needs the 4.0 again.
Using the cruise control (highway speeds) on this truck is crazy. The cruise control downshifts multiple gears just to recover a few mph drop lost while going up a slight highway incline ( as though I was pulling a loaded, large, heavy, 5K lb. trailer ). I cannot use it on highways. It's nuts.

 

You do realize it is a documented problem known to Toyota. I actually have it written on my last in service record that the Tacoma transmissions can search/slip when going up or down a hill when the correct level transmission fluid level shifts. I was also told by the service manager that the transmission is constantly learning or searching for shift points to match the engine RPM's to improve gas mileage which is not working as intended. So much for a myth!

 

I have an auto, but if I have an MT, I'd probably downshift on the highway at times, too. Maybe a 4 speed auto or a three on the tree would be less busy, but there would be a whole lot of sacrifice. That's how we got to 2020 and pickups that get an honest 15mpg+ which is a far cry from not too long ago.

 

My 2020 A/T stopped hunting after about 800 miles around town. On hills it still seems to shift when i dont want it to causing me to push the ect.