2021 Tacoma probelm?

I have a 2021 Tacoma with AT that has just developed a problem. It has about 12,500 miles.
Recently my gas mileage went from 24-26+ MPG freeway down to 20-24. This change happened very quickly.
The truck also seems to have just a less power, especially on the freeway. It seems to be staying in 5th gear more even cruising on level ground. Even when getting to the top of a incline it does want to shift into 6th gear.
I took it to a Toyota dealer and they said the usual, "no error codes" and "unable to recreate problem".
Any ideas?
Truck is a basic SR, 4 cylinder, auto, 2 WD. This occoured while driving in Utah and Idaho, problem started in Idaho. I know about winter and mountain driving, have lived in the area since 1978.

 

Could be winter gas,try a higher octane,see if that helps.

 

I'm skeptical of the benchmark,,, those are unusually high MPGs, even your problem MPGs are on the high side.

 

bad gas. every now and then the same thing happens to me. get some star tron or stabil and put it in the tank. might take a tank or two to get all the moisture out.

 

For starters, you might consider offering a bit more info about your Taco, geographic location, weather conditions, etc. It often helps to gain insight.
Are you watching instantaneous MPG or Tank Average MPG? Both can be misleading at times. IMHO overall tank MPG, calculated per fill-up, is the only meaningful measure - that's really what you're paying for.

 

Check your air filter. Dirty filter makes the engine work harder

 

12,500 miles in a 2wd … doubt it needs a new one.

 

Well...I put bigger tires on mine and the mileage went way down suddenly and, unexpectedly.

However, I went from about 17-19 mpg (as delivered) to about 15-16mpg. I doubt the 4wd and V6 made any difference. Mostly likely the long bed variable. Is OP's short or long?

 

I have the 2.7L and my mileage is usually 26 to 29 overall trip...depending on the trip distance, traffic lights, etc. I did one time get a reading of over 31mpg, but that was unusual with a trip over 40 miles with almost no stopping. And in Florida I'm not climbing any hills.
If my mileage was to change I think the first thing I would look at are the tires. Did you change them? Do you keep them maintained at around 35psi? Also, how are you measuring mileage...I'm using the dash display data. What are you getting at say 45 mph in either 5th or 6th gear, driving on a flat well surfaced road? Your display should be topped out at 30 mpg in that situation unless there is a strong headwind.

 

Be happy with what your getting I average around 16 mpg I have a short drive to work so my mpg is always screwed.

 

If you walk into a Toyota dealer and complain about 24mpg’s in a Tacoma, you will get laughed at.

Your complaint boils down to “feels like less power.” We need more data to assess. This is very subjective and might just be your mind playing tricks on you. Try a different fuel brand for a few tanks.

 

Same lol..4x4 2TR-FE as well

 

winter fuel, higher ethanol blend, elevation, and temps. ethanol will drop efficiency drastically some blended pumps are 10 or more percent eth now. buyer beware. Ski

 

Rule of thumb used to be about 15k for an air filter if I'm not mistaken. Given that OP lives in the Utah area, I'd venture to guess dust can be a problem.

 

Toyota says 40k miles I believe but it doesn’t hurt to check. It takes 30 seconds, or less time than to post here

 

Toyota says, I'm sure. What I'm referring to is days of old, back when an oil change was also every 3k. But, again, I could be mistaken. My point was simply that it can need to be replaced much sooner given the right conditions.

My dealership never replaced mine until 85k. When I called them out on it, suddenly it needed replacing and is now marked "yellow" on every multi point inspection I have gotten since then.

 

Why didn’t you check it? 85k is nuts

 

I completely agree. But it was because I had (wrongly) assumed up until that point that they were doing what was required when I would make appointments for "factory service." Once I realized they hadn't, I called them out on it.