First Time Tacoma Owner! My thoughts so far.

Good Morning All. I am a first time Tacoma owner, I just picked up my 2017 Tacoma SR5 a few weeks ago. Overall I love the truck, but there are a couple things I have noticed. The 5ft bed is just too short so I will be purchasing a bed extender in the next week or so. The transmission problems that plagued the 2016 models have not been resolved. I now have just broken 2000 miles on the truck and the transmission issues are very noticeable. I live just outside of Pittsburgh so there are tons of hills around but the Truck does not handle this well. Even driving on the turnpike I notice that the transmission will constantly downshift from 6th to 5th to 4th pretty rapidly to even maintain speed on minimal inclines. Once the incline is over it does not upshift back into 6th nearly fast enough for my liking. I personally think downshifting all the way to 4th is a bit overkill to maintain speed on a highway. When I go to get the bed extender I will be having them check my transmission fluid just in case that is low but I do feel a software/firmware update will be needed for the 2017 models as well. Has anyone else experienced this with their 2017 models as well? Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions on this.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/t-sb-0077-16-rev-1.457782/

 

Your trans symptoms are identical to mine on my '16 and the TSB did FUCKO to fix them. I've become an ETC whore to help mediate the frustration they cause. You should try it.

 

Run in the sport mode...works for me....

 

I just called my dealership to schedule a time for the latest TSB to be installed. Hoping that fixes the issue. It is killing my gas mileage as it is right not. I have used ETC and it seems just a little bit better but certainly not great. My last tank avg mpg was 15.4 and I travel about 70% on the highway leaving it in cruise control. Does anyone have the factory bed extender for the 16/17 Tacoma? Do you recommend it or is there another one that would be better. After renovating my entire house using my SUV to transport material I knew I needed a truck next. I am currently putting on an addition and will be installing the drywall in the next couple of weeks so I would like to avoid paying a delivery fee or renting the Home Depot Truck to transport it. Lowes is 5 minutes from my house so even if I have to make 2 or 3 trips that's not a big deal.

 

I haven't installed yet, but I got the AMP Research 74802-01A bed extender on Amazon. Its only $210, and there i a $50 mail in rebate on top of that.

$330 AMP Research BedXTender HD Sport | 74802-01A | Fits 2016 - 2022 Toyota Tacoma; 2004 - 2012 Chevrolet Colorad & GMC Canyon; 2011 RAM Dakota; & Other Various 1981 - 2022 Vehicles (See Description)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072U6Q7W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Lots of folks on here claiming MPG's in the high teens to low twentys... are you 2WD or 4WD? I am 4WD and have a camper shell (200 lbs i think) and BFG KO2's and can't seem to average better than 16.5 MPG mixed hwy/city (goes up to 17ish when the fuel mix changes to summer). 32K on truck and i always calculate my mileage manually (miles driven / actual gallons used).

 

I am 4wd but very rarely put it in 4h normally just keep it in 2. I did a couple of times this past tank due to slick/untreated roads from some snow we had. Most of the time I get 17-19mpg which I still find a bit low considering most of my driving is done on the highway. I would expect that if I was driving like a maniac and gunning it everywhere but the fact that I use cruise control more often than not I would expect better mileage. I did look at the AMP research one. Looks very similar to the factory. My Dealership wants $270 for the factory one.

 

Welcome. The 2016 and 2017 are essentially the same truck as you're finding out. Also as you'll find out there is a TSB for the transmission and a revision 1 to that TSB, neither of which have improved the driving experience enough to be called a complete resolution (for many of us) if you don't believe me, read through the TSB thread. Most folks notice an immediate improvement (even if partial) and then over time it often reverts back to the same performance. After over a year and 20k miles on my truck I've come to accept that this Motor and Tranny combo is just not quite right and probably never will be. Perhaps an afterthought by Toyota. The other common complaint you'll find is that Fuel economy is less than impressive for the performance of the vehicle. Sure it's slightly better than the 2nd gen but given the quirks in the powertrain I don't think many find it worth it. Most of us would gladly trade 1 or 2 MPG for a more responsive powertrain with increased low end torque...which would put you back about where the 2nd GEN was on fuel economy.

p.s. I bought the bed extender because I have a short bed and thought I would need it. Don't think I've used it more than once in a year of driving; and probably didn't absolutely need it, even when I did use it. YMMV.

 

Bummer, I drive through PA all the time and no issues with the transmission. Averaged 19.9 mpgs on the way to work today and overall usually around 19.5 and I'm in the least fuel efficient model.

I'm curious to what speed people drive because there will be significant power issues and mpg drop when traveling around 80mph+

 

I have a bed extender in my longbox. I have used it a few times but mostly use it in the box with the tonneau cover closed. It can be used as a bed divider. Useful for keeping stuff from rolling around.

 

Is the bed extenders the same for 2nd and 3rd gen? I know the bed mats are but Amazon is saying the one I like wont fit 3rd gen. I use the AMP Moto ones.

 

To give some perspective, the PA Turnpike grades are 3% or less. I've driven the entire length of it with my 4 cylinder 5MT in 5th gear (recently) without lugging it. Having shift issues with an AT in this context seems pretty abnormal to me.

I took route 80 the first time I made the trip across state, completely different story as it goes through more elevated mountains up north in the central and eastern part of the state.

 

I take 30 and 99, occasionaly 522. I travel from DC to Northwestern PA and have no issues on any of the roads, even when all the semis are traveling at 20mph to get up hills

 

I have a 2016 TRD Sport 4 x 4. We had snow in Va Beach also, so I used the 4 wheel drive on
the icy compacted road. It was fine ,but about 3 times when moving slowly it seemed like the brakes
didn't want to stop the truck, and the truck slips. It also sounded like some of the ice was scrapping the under side of the truck when this was happening. Now, the ice is not that high, and regular cars
are driving on it also. I'm not very good at describing things.
I was not turning in these situations. Any ideas why it does this. Maybe ice on the brakes?

 

4WD doesn't help you stop. That sound you are hearing is the ABS system.

 

Yeah, I travel on the turnpike which is 70mph, normally set cruise control for 75-77. I still find that the transmission downshifting into 4th to maintain speeds on the turnpike to be unnecessary. If it would just downshift into 5th that would be acceptable but going into 4th and running at 3500 rpms to climb a minor grade slope seems excessive.

 

I have the amp extender as well. I like it thus far.

 

1. The engine/transmission combo just doesn't make power at low rpms. It's going to shift a bit. I knew that before I bought and accepted that. My previous truck was a 2002 S10 with the 4.3L and it had gobs more low end torque and didn't need to shift as much. That's just how this truck is designed. On the plus side, this engine runs like a sewing machine at high rpms, the Chevy 4.3 and Toyota 4.0 I've driven, don't like high rpms.

2. The TSP may or may not help you. You may very well be disappointed in the end. I'm not telling you to not try it. I just don't think it will solve your problems. This truck is a little different than what you were expecting.

3. If transmission fluid level was the culprit, it would need to be several quarts low.

4. Your mileage issues are more likely to be from your driving habits. You have to paw paw the truck to get decent mileage. Also, driving 70mph or more can really kill the mileage. The truck likes 65 and less. I do get about 19-20 mpgs driving 70, but you will find that hard acceleration kills it easy..... also, if you happen to drive up grade, that can kill mileage.

5. I don't think the bed extender is really all that handy. Buy a cheap trailer if you need to haul lots of stuff. otherwise, the truck will carry 8ft sheets of ply in the bed with the gate up just fine. Ensure the load is secured though. I had a trailer for hauling my ATV, it's quite handy. Cheapie from Lowes.

Hope that helps.

 

The hills around Pittsburgh are many, the 2017 I had for several days for extended test drive was awful on hills. There is a gradual hill I went up that was about 2 miles long and it probably up and down shifted at least 20 times while I tried to maintain a constant speed, there is no way I could handle that on a daily basis, good luck with your truck.