Auto Transmission

Other than shifting are there really any problems with the auto transmission in the 3rd gen?
Do they brake down?

 

Your question is "Do they brake down?" Yes, for some reason, the transmission does cause engine braking by downshifting. Do they break down? Not so much, just the gear hunting that people bring up.

 

They are reliable, just tuned poorly from the factory so they drive like garbage. Got my truck tuned and haven’t looked back since.

Theres nothing “wrong” with them, people just dislike the way the shift points are set. Myself included.

 

so the way these transmissions are tuned from the factory is what creates this gear hunting phenomenon. Toyota has gear the truck and programmed the transmission to keep the RPMs as slow as possible, saving as much fuel as possible, helping Toyota raise their café standards it’s all EPA BS.

 

So do people that tune their trucks get worse MPG?

 

Modern gear boxes are a pretty amazing feat of engineering. They work great and last a long time, except when they don't.

PS: welcome to TW.

 

spot on!
also, it sounds like overall reliability is high.

 

i can help, tunes are not meant to improve mpgs in the tacoma. Just to help with power gains or gear hunting

 

Mine is a 2020, must of gotten the tsb update. Just smooth sailing from home to work

 

No problems. Mine does not BREAK down. It's a Toyota.
If you mean down shift yes you can in "S" mode.

 

My 2020 shifts fine. I’ve never felt what everyone talks about.

 

same its older models , and some of it is paranoia

 

3rd gen transmissions are no less reliable than any other generation. The 3rd gen gets a bad rep because like @faawrenchbndr said, Toyota programs the ECU (Engine Control Unit) to be as conservative as possible, to maximize fuel economy. So the engine tries to remain at the lowest RPM possible. Which is great for fuel efficiency but terrible for passing traffic, towing, and generally anything else that you expect a truck to do. An ECU “tune” largely mitigates that, which is why so many TW members get “tuned”.

Now you may ask “Why doesn’t Toyota just program the ECU the same way the aftermarket tuners do?”

And that is a valid question. Remember, the V6 in the 3rd gen Tacoma has been around for a very long time, which is why it is so reliable. But that also means it’s not the most fuel efficient V6 engine in existence. So Toyota must do other tricks/workarounds to improve fuel economy. However, unlike aftermarket tuners, Toyota must follow CAFE requirements.

Now you understand why the V6 and automatic slushbox in the 3rd gen Tacoma gets so much hate

 

I have a 2021 and have no issues with the transmission shifting in fact I like it better than my previous 2nd Gen. just saying

 

out of the 2 Tacomas i’ve owned i have not had any unpleasant experience with the transmission. i hit the ECT button if i do want slightly extra juice out of the truck though lol.