Strange starting/idle problem

New 2022 Tacoma OR, maybe about 500 miles.

when I use the auto start and try to start it with the button after I open the door, the truck is very hard to start. It cranks for about 5-10 seconds before it finally turns over.

Yesterday when this happened, I let it run for about a minute, put it in reverse and the idle started surging rapidly, up and down by about 500 rpms, and I couldn’t back up. Put it back in park, reved the gas pedal thinking maybe something was partially stuck open or closed, put it in reverse and everything was fine from there. When i got home and shut the truck off, my mileage was terrible, 12.4 mpg opposed to the normal 17ish

I’ve also noticed erratic rpms when I come to a stop in gear, it drops down almost to the point of stalling then bounces back up.

obviously the truck is under warranty so a trip to the dealer is in my future, but has anybody experiences something similar?

 

Sounds like a cold weather/battery issue. But he’ll if it’s under warranty go to the dealer and let them diagnose. They might keep it overnight to attempt the same scenario.

 

don't touch anything... make the dealer fix it

 

Could be bad gas/water in the gas. But as others have said, let the dealer take a look.

 

I plan on making an appt with them today. I should also add it’s been in the -30s the last couple mornings with highs around -20 so it’s not easy weather for a vehicle. Still though, my last truck didn’t do this and neither does a coworkers Tacoma.

Hopefully it’s something easy and they actually have the parts in stock

 

Yeah this EXACT thing happened to me last week in my '22. It has actually happened a couple times over the past couple months, I got this one on video, so was able to show them exactly what it was doing when I had my truck in for an unrelated issue and got them to investigate. They came back with nothing other than "history code of startability malfunction". But no fix or solution. Let me know if your dealer has any luck diagnosing it!

 

I had the same issue recently.

Started the truck with the app and after about 9 min opened the driver door witch turned the engine off, truck hesitated a bit on a normal start.

Since then any time I start the truck remotely I’ll use the fob to unlock, stops the truck running and gives me 10-15 seconds to get to the truck and upon doing a normal start everything seems fine.

like there’s have said it could be worth a trip to the dealer, I plan to do the same.

 

interesting. Glad to see I’m not the only one. So far the best solution I’ve found is to just wait a little longer before I push the button to start it. I only use the remote start in the winter, so at least it won’t be a year round problem for me.

I have an appointment for an aftermarket remote start to be installed next week, but I might push it back to give the dealer a chance to look at it before they blame my aftermarket unit.

 

I've had this happen a couple of times too after remote starting the car but not that bad. The idle will fluctuate for a few seconds and then be good. I have 0 evidence to back this up but my theory is that most cars use the door opening to prime the fuel system. Since our is shutting down with the door opening it may not be able to do it. After a slightly longer start time and it runs for a few seconds RPMs go back to normal since the fuel pressure built up.

It acts very much like cars that have the fuel check valve fail. So they lose pressure as the car sits and may take longer to start or stumble for a bit until the pressure is back up. Like I said no evidence and just what I tell myself to make me feel better.

 

That’s actually a really good theory. I was thinking something along the same lines this morning. I also have 0 evidence to support it, but it made sense in my head. I have noticed that waiting after the door has been opened always does the trick, so i feel it’s just something needing time to finish doing what it’s doing.

 

I think your right, it seems to like it best when I give it a moment to sort it self out!

 

Just dropped the truck off at the dealer. The problem has persisted, and now does it on every cold start, regardless if it’s been parked inside or outside.

it will just turn over and over until I push the button and try again. Then it will start and produce a giant fuel vapor cloud.

will post an update from the dealer when I hear back. Probably be a couple of days.

 

went in this morning to get looked at. Problem has persisted so they’re going to keep it overnight for observation. Seems to happen consistently in the morning after the truck has sat overnight. It’s been producing a strong fuel smell now after it finally starts.

 

it seems to be occurring now with regular cold start startups, not just after remote start. I’m thinking the fuel pump is losing pressure as it sits. Upon cranking a second time it starts, but it’s not happy about it. I wouldn’t want to be smoking a cigarette anywhere near the back of my truck when it finally starts.

my dealer is looking at it now. I’ll let you know what they find.

 

Fingers crossed.

My neighbour has a 2017 Escape that was acting up on startup, I gave her a bottle of gas line antifreeze/stabilizer type deal and she hasn't had an issue since.

Good call on the dealer, hopefully all will be resolved.

 

Their earliest opening for appointments was sometime in March but they got me in same day because I just bought the truck 2 weeks ago. I’ll be surprised if I get it back by the end of the week.

I’m already expecting the “cannot duplicate the issue” call telling me to come back if it does it again. Who knows though, maybe they’ll be better than the Ram dealer was.

on a side note that nobody probably cares about, i saw the truck I traded in up on a lift being reconditioned while I was there.

 

Well the dealer called and couldn’t replicate the problem, just like I expected. They’re going to let it sit until I get off work and the service manager will see if it will do it with me present.

I was hoping to have an answer for those of you who chimed in with the same problem.

 

Went to the dealer after work to get my truck. They couldn’t get the problem to replicate, but the service manager said he is aware of it and described my symptoms to me as something they’re seeing with a few of their new Tacomas on the lot. He said he heard there is a software update coming that may have something to do with either the cam or crank position sensor, but doesn’t know when it’s going to be pushed out.

 

So the issue has returned. The only thing I did differently was I didn’t drive the truck at all on Saturday. My thoughts are that it is somehow losing fuel pressure when it sits, which is why I’m getting all of the cranking but no turnover, and also why I’m getting the giant cloud of fuel vapor when it goes finally start.

I have an appointment with the dealer next week, and it’s under warranty since the truck is only 2 months old, but can anybody think of anything to suggest they check? All the dealer seems to do is give it the old college try and if it starts they don’t do any more investigation.

 

If it's just turning over and over but won't run, it sounds like either a fuel issue or an ignition issue? If it were me I'd ask them to test everything and provide you a report in writing of results. I know I've read on here of people having issues with cold starts if you do a search, not sure what the solution was though.

Just noticed you're in Alaska, do you have a block heater installed?