Anyone’s transmission still wonky? 20k miles in

I have a 2024 OR and from day one the transmission has hard shifted from starting up after being cold, slips or feels like it struggles to shift smoothly for the first 20 minutes of driving, and just overall doesn’t feel refined at all when it comes to short distance driving and city driving. Once it’s warm, it’s pretty dang smooth but city driving never feels great, only the interstate/hwy. I’m 20k miles in and seems like this is setting the tone for the rest of its driving life as far as it’s transmission mannerisms.

I’m a little bummed because aside from that I’m obsessed with this truck. My 2011 4Runner and 2021 Tundra never acted this way besides the cold start shifting which I’m okay with and expected. It feels like I have 95% of the truck I want and the transmission is shorting that 5% of driving experience for me. The longevity has me worried a bit as well but that’s a warranty is for.

 

Did you take it to the dealer & have them check it out?????
I would have done that long time ago...
Yes, actually leave it overnight for a proper cold start, may take a few days of leaving it....

 

not gonna find a smoother transmission than on the 5th gen 4runner. I'd take it to dealer, or trade for a 6MT

 

I have not. I should have after my first bucking experience 5k miles in, but I thought it needed some miles to break in. I think that’s a good idea because once it’s warm it’s hard to notice and I’m sure they’d say they can’t replicate it. They will absolutely notice in the morning from an overnight stay. Might be my course of action now

 

I feel like I'm experiencing the same thing with 15K miles. It's hard to reproduce, but most noticeable when cold or shifting around 18-22 mph in stop and go freeway traffic.

Also fear taking it to the dealership because I don't think they'll care enough or actually get it to behave abnormally. I'll mention it at my next service appt and see what happens.

 

My previous Tacoma’s and Gen5 4R gave me exactly one cold-shift clunk, then smooth sailing. I could set my watch by it, and this one seems about the same, although often there’s no morning clunk at all (4000mi).

I’d guess that if there’s additional hard shifts after warmup or slipping, what you’re experiencing is probably not normal. Doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll need to drop your tranny, might just be a simple software issue. Either way, a trip to the dealer should solve it.

 

yup the transmission on my 24 just feels clunky. Gears 5-8 are great but stop and go and city driving just sucks. No matter how hard I try I'm constantly tripping up the transmission at speeds under 30 miles per hour. It's the only automatic vehicle I've owned where I really have to pay attention to the transmission before stepping on the gas or I'll get some weird jolt or jerking. It's like the Tourque Converter immediately locks up but then will not unlock until you're stopped again which just makes the transmission feel jerky anytime you increase or decrease throttle. Downshifts when pulling up to a stop are also strange, it holds the gear until like 800 rpm before finally doing a clunky downshift into first gear. Kind of feels like you're downshifting in a manual and letting the clutch out too fast.

I've driven multiple 4th gen tacomas and 2025 4runners and they all feel basically the same.

 

Possibly check your fluid level? Toyota’s, all of them, have a history of low fluid from the factory, it was almost expected for a while on the 3rd gen.

Both my 3rd gens had low original fluid from the factory. After I topped them off, both smoothed out nicely.

Don’t bother with the dealer, they’re going to tell you to buzz off because, their favorite slogan, “it’s normal”, and to do it right it has to cool down, be filled, then warmed up to its check range. They can’t be bothered with that.

 

My OR has 19k miles and is smooth once warmed up. In the morning its not clunky just slow to shift. I have experienced a pronounced clunk on occassion when rapidly slowing down. It feels like a hard slam of the gears and can be felt throuout the vehicle when it happens.

 

It's a sealed trans, just like the 3g. Crawling underneath to check the level can be messy. I'd take my new truck with a warranty to the dealer. If the service invoice comes back with "topped off with fluid" you now have evidence that Toyota screwed it up from the beginning and compromised your transmission (if it fails after warranty).

 

Are any of you reporting issues or dissatisfaction inside the ranges of the tranny TSB???

For reference… https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ans-failure-from-toyota.842050/#post-30129549

 

it’s no worse than an oil change. Get it in temp check mode, and pull the stand pipe drain. If it’s completely dry, you’re underfilled, both mine were. I added almost 1/2 qt to both of them.

I ran out of dealers in the area willing to do this simple check on both my 3gs. “It’s normal for these trucks”…”it’s what they do”. Everyone wonders why dealers get the reviews they do.

 

yup its even easier on the 4th gen because you don't need any jumpers to get into AT temp mode. For anyone curious, to get into AT temp check mode on the 4th gens, you move the shift lever between Neutral and Drive within 1.5 seconds for 12 seconds. Wait until the D illuminates for 2 seconds and then turns off. Put the transmission in Park and wait until D illuminates on the dash. Then you're in the specified window and can check the level using the overflow plug.

 

Mine is slow shifting and holds gears too long on decel . 3300 miles 1k freeway 2500 miles of city stop and go.

 

I would try all the modes such as ECO, Normal, and Sport and see if you experience the same with your transmission. I might suspect that the issue may be more related to the ECO mode and less noticable with the Normal, and even less with the Sport mode.

 

how many 3rd gen transmission blew up from being 1/2qt low? my early 16 is still on the road with 120k on it original transmission wonky shifting and all..
just because you do not like the way it shifts doesnt mean its broke.. also when was the last time we heard of anyone with proof that they're 4th gens transmission broke?

 

He didn’t say it was necessarily broke. And not saying the tranny won’t survive being 1/2 qt low, just that it does a lot better when it’s at it the level it’s supposed to be. The 3rd gen is well known to be particular about the fluid level and after 2 3rd gens I’ve owned, both being low, I fully agree with that fact. It behaved a lot better full than with only 1/2 qt low. It still did its usual 3rd gen thing, but a number of the odd behaviors went away, instantly, with the top off.

Who’s to say the 4th gen isn’t in the same boat? They come out of the same plant as the 3rd gen did.

 

if your engine is 1/2qt low does it run differently? i just find it hard to believe that someone would design a transmission that was so finicky that being 1/2qt low on fluid would make it shift wrong?
think of how it works. fluid goes from pan to filter to pump or torque converter and to hold clutches on then back to the pan. if being half qt low would cause loss of pressure then with that 1/2qt in there theres only 1qt ish in the pan at any given time? no the stand pipe in the pan proves that there is more than 1 qt in the pan at all times and the filter pickup is always submerged in fluid .

 

21K miles, a little firm shifting when it’s cold but after a few minutes it’s smooth through all gears. Similar to my 2013 Tundra when it’s trans was cold.

 

Bring it to the dealer and let them experience the cold symptoms. Do not let them off the hook period . It’s a 40 to 50 k truck screw that .At least then if something went sideways you have back up.