2020 randomly difficult to start?

Set car to the "Ignition On" state for a few seconds and then try starting. If the car has sat for a while, this would give the fuel pump some time to prime.

Could also be the battery, or perhaps the fuel if you fill up at the same place everytime.

 

Can you describe the behavior with more detail? Is the starter turning the engine normally but it’s not firing? If so, how long did you hold the key in the start position? When it finally started, did start and run normally it did sputter or act abnormally?

 

Thanks

 

Yes, seems to turn engine normally but will not fire. Did that two or three times and then held the key on and it started and ran fine. Then a couple of hours later it started fine and has done so fine for the last two days. And the truck has run perfectly normal as well. Just afraid it’s not going to start one time when we are six miles back from the road.

 

Maybe run the gas low, and refill? Bad gas doesn't sound too common, but does still happen.

 

Get a bottle of isoheat (little red bottle) and put in in your tank, sounds like you have a moisture in the fuel issue. Rather common this time of year. I'm picky where I get Gas because of this and keep a bottle in each of our vehicles just in case.

 

Dealership said it threw no code, battery is fine and offered no other help. That was when it had just done this one time. It just did it again this last Saturday.

 

Not sure how the keyed ignition works on the auto, but on the manual version the key has to remain all the way forward in order to continue cranking. The second you back off the starter cuts out. Some vehicles you just bump the key forward once and it will handle the rest.

It kind of sounds like you're just not letting it turn over long enough. Perfectly normal, especially in the cold for an engine to take a bit longer to fire up.

 

Is this in cold weather? Batteries are less efficient in extreme cold and it's normal for cars to crank slowly in the cold... Like 20 degrees and under in my experience.

 

I have had it be sluggish on mornings in the single digits before but this is different. Hoping turning the key for a bit before trying to start will be the answer.

 

If that does eliminate the symptom, than 99.9932443% chance it's a fuel system issue and your system is simply leaking down when it sits.

 

Go get your battery tested. I'm telling you man, this is normal in cold temperatures and has nothing to do with toyota/Tacoma's/your truck. Are you new to that climate? Have you had other cars in that climate?

 

does it sound like this? https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rough-start-up-engine-sputtering-video.503441/

I've seen this issue 4 times within the span of 2 days like 2 weeks ago. Hasn't done it since. I suspect a fuel ppump issue or a fuel pressure issue.

 

My 2018 does this every now and then - both before and after I had the fuel ump recall done. I think it is just another quirk of the funky tune these things come with, like when it stutters when the engine is cold or feels like it is not responding to the accelerator pedal after shifting and getting back into the throttle.

 

Like a few have mentioned, I recommend testing the voltage of the battery with a volt meter first thing in the morning before cranking the engine. It is possible that you just have a faulty battery and it slowly drains over night. Obviously by the time you get to the dealership, the battery will have been fully charged by then and will show no issues.

In my honest opinion, I think spending $200 dollars or so on a new battery is wiser than losing thousands on trading the tacoma in. Just my 2 cents.

 

Or a cheap multimeter. If the battery is not the issue, he would still have a useful tool.

 

Any auto parts store will test your battery for free. Takes 5 mins. If an auto parts store isn't nearby, go to a repair shop and they will have a battery tester.

That being said, even a brand new battery is going to perform differently in extreme cold. It's just physics and chemistry.

 

Checking battery voltage with a DVOM isn't really an accurate test of a battery's health. A battery can show 12.5 volts, but not have enough power to light the dome light. Your best bet is a load-bank style battery tester (<$100) which will give you a much more accurate indication. Best of all, take it to a professional with a top-end battery analyzer. That said, if the cranking speed is normal but the engine is slow to actually start, then that really sounds fuel related to me.

 

I know mine is a 2nd gen with a different motor but I had the same random long cranks once in a while early in my ownership of the vehicle. It was honestly embarrassing because others with me would be like Woah what's going on with the Toyota? I thought they didn't have issues?

I do know that the factory battery crapped out at 30k and I got a new one under warranty. A few years later, I got an aftermarke battery with more cold cranking amps and never had an issue since.

I chalk it up to weak OEM batteries. I know the 3rd, non-Toyota, battery spins it so much faster.

I never had an issue since.

 

Assuming it's under warranty because it's a 2020, I would not be dorking with the fuel system or buying a new battery.

Get the battery load tested as mentioned at a local auto parts store and go from there. They usually have a quick tester they can wheel out on a cart to the parking lot. Then they also have a tester behind the counter to run more advanced load testing, or if the battery needs to be charged before the test can occur.

Once you get that answer go from there, you might be able to get the dealer to replace your battery under warranty if it is bad.