2023 Tacoma transmission hesitation/stuttering

@cryptolime
I reread your post. Definitely get that fluid out. You don't want to mix those fluids like that. Always use OEM for coolant and trans fluid.

 

yea, if the dealership doesn't change it i'm going to do another drain and fill and see if there's any improvement.

 

Nope. No code on the trans and the positioning sensor happened a couple weeks after I drove it off the lot so I left that to the dealer. (bought 2yrs old. Certified Used)
Had my 2016 for 7 yrs and just starting to modify. Drove my 2001 from 03 to 2018. No mods. The only trouble I experienced with either was a rear axle seal on the 01 and the positioning sensor on the 16.
Rarely changed anti-freeze. Never never never ever flushed or changed tranny fluid. Was lucky if I changed oil on time.
Very few issues. The old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"
I see many issues on these forums arise from drivers who can't keep their hands off stuff. Lol
Hope you resolve your issue.

 

I do agree with your old saying, but I like "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" also

 

No, I get it and I keep up with preventative.
Vehicle engines are much more resilient than many give them credit for.
I was serious about the tranny flush. Heard bad things about stirring up settled contaminants and/or adding more during a flush. Actually causing more harm than good. Never had one done.
Never had a manual. Maybe it's different?

 

It's optimal to do a drain and fill on your transmission every 30,000 miles. I myself don't believe in doing full transmission flushes because the clutch packs wear out and that material ends up in the fluid. It provides extra friction for your gears to engage. If you don't ever change your atf, once you reach high mileage, your clutch packs are going to be worn out, and if you do a full transmission flush and remove all this material, your gears can start slipping. Also, heavily contaminated fluid will cause varnish to build up on the internals of the automatic transmission. New fluid will remove this varnish. Sometimes in chunks depending on how bad it is. This can cause small passage ways in the automatic transmission to get clogged, eventually leading to accelerated wear which can cause catastrophic failure.

 

if it's making a difference for you and you don't mind spending more money, then who cares, at least you have a drivable truck then - but if it's a MFG issue that needs addressing, I know that'll be like pulling teeth.

 

Thanks for the info. I should clarify when I mentioned I never had any problems I meant problems that weren't a result of age. i.e. ball joints, shocks and front axles.
I'm no auto tech. just been driving Tacoma's a long time.

 

IF it is a lemon - for some reason - make sure you get your 3 repair orders without it being fixed. I believe that's how many you have to have in order to file a lemon law case.

 

I learned my lesson on Toyota auto's when I had a tundra. They don't like other trans fluids mixed with the toyota atf. You'll end with a transmission that begins to shift at weird points.

 

YES! All of that. Exactly that.
I'm sitting right at 711 miles this morning. Had all of those issues this weekend on a road trip.

 

I have 1,200 miles on my '23 Sport. I not only have the hesitation on the 3->2 downshift, but if I really give it gas and it's a quick 3->2->1, the hesitation is HORRIFIC. Like, the thing is choking. I brought it to the tech's attention and he said, quote, "because of the variable valve timing, it kind of acts like a Honda V-Tec engine, so when you give it that much gas the valves have to open up and that's when it smooths out." I almost drove into a tree when he dropped that one on me.

I was also having a studdering on deceleration that I thought was the transmission. It was the rear drums 3mm out of round. I LIT the service dept up when I asked what kind of garbage quality are they making these drums out of that they would be warped 3mm since less than 1,000?? They had no answers.

In the event anyone is searching these in the future and are looking for a shudder / low rumble / weird behavior when just driving/cruising at around 1,100 RPM's, mine does it too. The tech on the test drive stated he felt it, then after when it was "all fixed" stated that "this is normal operation of the vehicle."

 

Alright friends, I have some news to report. I have gotten my truck to drive exponentially better than when I first drove it off the lot. I have done 3 things that I think have all played a part in increasing the driveability of my truck:

1. I did an ATF check and found myself to be 6-8 oz short. I did not measure precisely afterwards and did more of an eye-ball guess based on how much fluid was missing from my quart bottle at the end. I can tell a difference when putting the truck in drive or reverse. It doesn't lurch at all anymore when being put in drive. Reverse is a lot smoother too. I wasn't missing enough fluid to cause any overheating issues, but enough to potentially throw off the fluid pressure when shifting and selecting a gear.

2. I only use top tier 87 gas now. I was filling up at Harris Teeter's and found their gas to be subpar quality. I filled up a full tank there and then a full tank at a top tier gas station, and I could 100% tell a difference.

3. I got the ott. This one is pretty much self explanatory, but my throttle response and low end torque is way better now.

I just drove 1000 miles through the Great Smokey Mountains this past week and did not have any hesitation/stuttering issues while going up some pretty steep grades. The torque converter shudder was completely gone. My truck truly drives how I want it to now. It could still shift gears a little smoother at times, but 99% of the time, its what I would consider acceptable.

A side note: I was unloaded and not towing through the mountains and my transmission hit temps reaching 215 F on several occasions. I use Torque Pro on my phone to monitor the vitals. I will definitely be installing an aftermarket transmission cooler soon because I would like to tow a small camper in the future. I will do a write up since no one has done one on 2020+ that does not have the factory cooler included, at least I don't think so.

 

A lot of trans complaints on this generation. Common theory from my friends in the Biz is that Toyota (and everyone else) is under pressure to meet increased MPG/EPA guidelines. So they are trying to make adjustments through the transmission and shift patterns etc. Lack of power, lagging etc. are all symptoms of this new world order.

 

They tune the transmission to shift to a higher gear way earlier than it needs to, in order to lower engine rpms and increase fuel economy.

 

Interesting observation. My parents have a 2018 4 cylinder Camry and a 2019 4 cylinder Rav 4. Both shift smoother, have better acceleration and more power than my 2018 4-cylinder Tacoma. How does Toyota build a truck with less power than the passenger car equivalent.

 

I don't remember when, but my 18 TRD AT / AC/OR drives "normal" for me with respect to gear hunting. But again, I don't remember at what point maybe 20K, I don't friggin remember, but I now have 90K on it. Sometimes when I'm coasting downhill now taking a turn, it will seem to go into Neutral for a second, then goes away on throttle, but that's my only beef. Early on, when mine was new, I was hitting the ECT button and it drove better.. I know this doesn't help easy the mind of a new 23 Taco owner, but you will have to put some serious miles on it before you see a change.

Thx to this forum when I got mine, I had the TSB updates 0058 and 0062 done free of charge. And that was the only ding Consumer Reports had on the 18's is "Transmission / minor" Thank you TW.

Sorry to see this as I've wrestled with getting the last 3rd gen model year in the same config I have now, but man, sorry to see this still happening. I figured this would be the last of the "good ones" in the config I desire as they cancelled out the Access Cab for 24 in my current set up.

But my truck looks and runs great, I had the front end Xpel'd (film protection ) and have the undercarriage sprayed each year since I got it with the NH Oil treatments. My truck is just the way I like it. But I'm no longer working at present, so no more commuting daily and figured if I got a 23, this thing would last me till , well............

I'll be 70 in November. I've only put a couch or two and some wood in mine now and then, so it's been babied...........I'm pretty happy with my truck and been driving Toyota's since 1983............

I put 279K on my previous 2003 Tacoma before trading. My first side of the road fail on that was at 259K (fuel pump) and then while I was in the actual process of getting my truck traded in, the rear wheel bearing went.......All cus I waited a week too long! So I had to pay to fix that. UGH. And I had also recently put on new tires. YES, I wasn't thinkin clearly there.

 

So I wonder what the new Gen will drive like if they had to deal with the 3rd trans shift points. Will it be worse??

 

I could be wrong, but I don't see how it can get better with all the EPA pressures.

 

it's a crumby biproduct of EPA pressure and market pressure to offer larger and larger trucks