2nd GEN Tacoma 2wd Harsh Shifting

Hey Guys,

New to the forum and looking for a little help with my truck. I bought my 2012 prerunner from a friend of mine with 40K miles about 6 months ago. It now has 52K and I have been struggling with the way it shifts ever since.

It lunges from 1-2 in stop and go. And a hard thud into 5th gear just about every time. Not to mention it hunts for gears bad when going from gas-brake-gas around 35mph. Also when slowing down rpms will go down them pop back up from the down shift and it feels like someone pushing you from the back bumper.

Shifts perfect through the first run through the gears in the morning. Seems to be worse on the drive home from work when it is hot. I took it to Toyota twice and they say it drove fine and acted "normal".

It is like a tow/haul mode 24/7 when I don't even have that option. Shifts much better with a load. Had a bunch of logs in the bed and it shifted smoother. I checked the fluid yesterday and it was a tad overfilled so I corrected the level, and no improvement.

This is the newest vehicle I have ever owned and this can't be normal. Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks