3rd gen torque converter shudder

What i can't understand why there are hundreds of these newer gen3 tacoma's around here. Yet every driver i meet whether at a grocery parking lot, big box store, or getting just fuel hasn't a bad thing to say how they perform. I'm getting the idea its mostly on this forum your hearing the ones experiencing buyers remorse, or should of got a truck with a v8.

 

Dont you think that if someone starts to feel issues with their truck they’re going to start researching their concerns and eventually end up on a tacoma forum ???

 

That's exactly what happens.

I have no doubt you are experiencing issues and I hope you are able to get them resolved.

 

Buyers remorse far from it BUT whether a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, or Jeep they all have issues, checkout their forums. If someone asks me at the gas pump what I think of my truck I'll be HONEST and tell them I love the truck BUT the transmission shift issues sucks! I know Ford guys who won't buy anything other then Fords NO MATTER their known issues, they just hope the newer models are issue free and Toyota folks are the same. I came here to the forum to find a fix for the constant transmission shifting, and ovtune was the help I needed. Hell my truck is a 2016 so that should tell you how much I love my truck.

 

Update : LOL seriously...... Got a wireless obII scanner to use with OBD fusion today and I just decided to take a walk around my truck before I plugged it in and look around under for whatever reason..... I look at one of my wheels and one of the fucking wheel locks is missing from when the dealership rotated my tires a couple of days ago.... LOL wow this fucking dealership is shit... not only is every single vibration in these trucks “normal” but they’ll give you your vehicle back fucked up lol Fuck Crystal Toyota in Greenbrook NJ! Steer far away from them.

 

I can understand every vehicle has its quirks, yet are considered normal. I never owned a tacoma till this one so i can't say how bad the older ones were. Only real info, i've got some experience with is a buddies 2019 which i thought wasn't bad until he added the lift and big tires, imo it screwed a nice truck up, but to each their own. While i've haven't any grips with my trucks performance, toyota could of made all this electronic bs a lot simpler like my 2001 tundra. These tacoma's have way too many systems that need not be there.

 

I agree if you leave everything stock you'll probably will be fine, Toyota has been working on their tunes through TSB's making the newer trucks shift better. As far as the electronics, these are times we live in with the nanny state and I'm afraid what we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg...HA!

 

Update: torque converter shudder confirmed with obdfusion app and veapeak odd connector

Shudder starts at lock up and stops when Unlocks

 

Frankly i can't see how toyota can make these transmission's any smoother, unless replacing it with something totally else.

 

i get the "shuddering" too when i run 87 octane. it's almost like toyota's tune is designed for 91-93 octane, yet they say you can run 87.

 

Weird ... in this case why would I develop a shudder after 4000 miles though and used 87 since day 1. Did you notice the change when switching to 93?

 

your transmission adapted to your driving style. it likes to keep the RPMs (too low) low in my opinion if you normally accelerate slowly. so you'll find yourself cruising at 45 mph at 1000 rpm.

ECT mode helps a lot with this as it holds the lower gears longer. You can also throw it in S mode to limit the use of the overdrive gearing. Although I found these issues disappearing with higher octane gas. People kept saying it's all in my head but I disagree.

 

It's all in your head...

 

I think that means it’s an engine misfire. Locked is locked. Unless it’s slipping when locked which is extremely unlikely.

 

lol. well you know my stance...

 

yea, on ect it’s not as bad but i can feel this as clear as night and day when im monitoring tc lock up.. transmission did adapt to my driving but learning values in ecm have been reset twice now. Im still getting shuddering on higher RPMs now though.

 

I get the shudder when running between 45-50 using 87 octane. If I switch to 89, the shudder is not there. Someone on here stated that the manual states that these trucks are to use 87 only. I could not find that and would like to know why 89 or higher is bad for the engine. I ran 89 for about 4 tanks. shudder went away. went back to 87 and BOOM shudder re- appears. My truck is a 2020 TRD Offroad DBL Cab.

 

interesting ..

 

the manual states use 87 or better. so 91 or 93 octane is perfectly fine.

 

You can run any octane you want 87 and up, for the most part if the engine is designed for 87 running anything above that is a waste of money.

However, if going up to 89 fixes the “shudder” it’s an engine misfire not a tranny issue. In that case I would run 89.