2016 6-cylinder 6-speed automatic erratic shifting and drivability problems?

I Do Not believe low fluid will make a trans shift funny! Low trans fluid will make a trans slip only!! A transmission shifts where the computer tell it to period! If the trans is to low on fluid it won't go anywhere. It's a truck so it is geared like one!

 

Rabble rabble rabble turd gen rabble rabble rabble

 

Drive it like you stole it.

 

I've made my appointment with the dealer in Columbus next Tuesday to have the transmission fluid level checked.
Need that peace of mind.

 

have the transmission fluid checked, if tow hitch was installed could be low on fluid

 

So bummed to read about all these issues the 2016 is having! I was just about ready to trade in my 2015 OF Tacoma for the 2016 just because I made the mistake of not getting a 4x4 and am seriously regretting it. I know Toyota will eventually sort out the issues but I absolutely love my '15 and have zero complaints about it other than its not a 4x4....This makes my decision soooo much harder

Maybe I should just get a manual then if they're not experiencing the same issues as the automatic

 

Just got a call back from the dealer... The Automatic Transmission Fluid was 1 Quart low.... The dealer filled it up to the recommended level under warranty.

 

You guys convinced me that my impression about the transmission shifting "funny" is more than my imagination !

I'm not a "mechanical" guy, so I wasn't too sure. My 2016 has over 13,000 KMs (which is a bit more than 8000 miles) and I don't know what the transmission has been learning so far, but it did fail at learning !

Sent an E-mail to Toyota, and will definitely have the transmission oil level checked next week !

And for those who asked why we bought the auto transmission, I don't know was is available in the State, but in Canada, auto had the 6' box, and the manual was available only with the 5' box ! And YES, I tried it before I bought it, and I did not notice the funny shifting !

Don't get my wrong: I traded my '13 for this '16. I just LOVE everything about it, except the transmission ...

 

I just purchased the 2016 Tacoma TRD Off Road less than a week ago. I am new to Toyota and was attracted to the Tacoma for its history of reliability. I did not notice the busy shifting on the test drive however, it has become increasingly annoying every time I drive it. I have read quite a few posts about the transmission learning my driving style. How long will it take for it to stop shifting up and down constantly. I am beginning to regret my purchase.

 

I've read every one of the 249 posts in this thread today. Wish I'd read it before I bought my 16 TRD OR 4x4. I did test drive it a couple of times, but didn't recognize the behavior until a couple days after driving it home.

The truck had 400 miles on it when accepted (the dealer had to get this from another state for me). I've got about 2800 miles on it at this time. Driving mostly highway miles (very little stop & go in rural West TN). Mileage is abysmal. If I take it on the interstate vs. state highways (80 mph vs 60), the MPG drops. This past Thursday, I did about 300 miles of all interstate driving...my 18.4 average of 2 weeks dropped to 17.0 by the time I got home). Since getting back on the local highways again, its coming back up, but never seen it over 18.4

The interstate trip referenced above was to go back for a detailing on the truck at the selling dealer and when checked they found the trans fluid about 1 quart low and topped it off. I've seen no performance change as a result other than some slipping on inclines to go away.

Very lethargic, constantly shifting as everyone else before this post has said. I'll start using S4 and S5 to see if it makes the truck feel more like the workhorse I expected it to be. I really like everything about the truck except this 'feeling' like it struggles to do its job. Expected to keep this truck for a decade (I don't trade often and "never" buy new...except this time!). The transmission issue, hopefully, can be solved with software updates soon.

 

I have a TRD OR Double Cab. I haven't taken the time to read every post but I agree that the auto transmission has some issues. With normal driving the truck felt sluggish and unresponsive and I was getting about 15 city and 17 hwy. However, when I push the ECT button the truck feels more like a truck and I actually get better gas mileage 17 city and 20 hwy. Although with ECT button on it still has some erratic shift patterns in certain situations. It doesn't make much sense, but that's how it works with mine. I love my truck, but this transmission has given me some buyer's remorse.

 

Over time the AT learns and dives better...... as long as you don't use cruise control!!! Cruise is the shift happy dance cluster f!@#%^ Also 6th gear is the second overdrive and completly unnecessary in this truck. The 15's and prior didn't have it. 6th gear was developed for the dyno for the highway EPA numbers and pretty much that is it.


But driving in S5 mode with CC off, the trucks drive fairly well. But they need to get the ECU programming fixed for the cruise.

 

I contacted Dealer and they didn't seemed enthused about getting me in. I have owned the truck less than a week,... Really.
I have contacted Toyota and have asked that they take their truck back. If I am going to have lousy reliability and poor customer service I don't want it.

 

Here are the gear ratio charts for the Gen 2 and Gen 3 Tacomas. 5th gear results in about the same final drive ratio on both trucks: 2.683 vs 2.697 which means that the cruise rpm at a given speed is about the same. The 3.5 liter engine has slightly less torque than the previous 4 liter so it would generally tend to shift sooner back from 6th into 5th where it cruises about the same rpm. I find that in my configuration of stock size tires and a bed canopy, that overall it does drop to 5th easily on an upgrade or head wind and then back to 6th on the down slope. Cruising at 65-70 results in less shifting then at 75 mph probably because of the increase in aerodynamic drag which is a square of the velocity. Lifts and bigger tires will make it more "shifty" because of the increased energy requirements. Just my opinion.

 

Took mine in today. The dealer has at least heard of the issue but said all the ones they've seen with low fluid have had a light come on. I went through all of it with him and he's going to report everything back to Toyota and I'll go back in next week for them to address all the issues I've had (erratic and inconsistent shifting, hood vibration, trip reset)

 

I've been lurking here for a while but wanted to extend an update for anyone else that is doing the same regarding this issue.

I have a 2016 TRD OR w/ tow package and had similar issues to what has been described before about our AT on this thread. I had a 2012 tacoma sr5 before purchasing this 2016 and my wife drives a 2014 4runner sr5 - so I had something to base my experience on with this weird shifting issues. I noticed the issues driving the truck home (150 mile drive).

I noticed:
- Slight delay when moving from P to R or P to D from a cold start.
- Sluggish "jittery" acceleration from a stop to highway speeds.
- Erratic shift patterns as if shifting to a higher gear on acceleration too soon and then downshifting to make up for the loss in acceleration.

So I took it in. The truck has 800 miles on it at this point. They opened a TAS case and setup the truck so that tas agent could take a look. Theyou performed a inspection of the AC60E and checked fluid levels. They performed a ect reset memory. They then drove it 50 miles (seems like a lot) and determined everything to be normal. Return to customer.

While they had my truck - I drove a 2016 TRD OR they had on the lot and didn't notice the same issues I had with mine (drive it to work and back ~60 miles).

I drove my truck home and found the truck to be responsive, and a lot less sluggish with improved shifting. I could actually drive up hill without the annoying downshift to 4th, quickly up shift back to 5th, up shift to 6th, back to 5th to regain acceleration.

4-26-16: I've only driven it 20 miles or so - I'll keep this post updated.

 

2016 TRD Off Road 4x4. Country roads and city stoplight

 

Ive been hoping that this is an inherent problem and not something just wrong with mine. Ive also been dealing with hesitation or stutter that i get while in a high gear and around 1200rpm and either slightly accelerating or under a slight increased load. It can be corrected with driving style, but id like to think that a new vehicle would never stumble, no matter how low the rpms are. Feels like an older vehicle with low fuel pressure or other fuel related problems. Hoping for a software fix, but i am assuming that the engine is staying in Atkinson cycle too long before switching to Otto, causing the hesitation or stumble. Im totally fine with gear hunting and would GLADLY accept quicker downshifts if i could just get away from the "stutter/hesitation/lug...." I do notice that an aggressive driving style does seam to temporarily fix the problem, but id sure like to not have to consciously training my truck to not stutter.

 

Just had my 5k mile servicing done. I asked the dealer if they would just check out the trans fluid level and they asked if I've had any issues. I let them know that when I shift from reverse to drive and drive to reverse, it seems like it is taking longer than it should for the trans to shift, causing a jerking feeling once I give it gas. They said they would take a look at it and sure enough it was short a quart of trans fluid. I'll post back again after I've driven it some more and see how it does.

 

I have also changed the way I drive around town. I use the Sport mode with the limit set to 5. This eliminates well over 50% of the "erratic" shifting that everyone complains about. Not only is it more fun to drive this way, I believe I will eventually see an increase in fuel mileage due to eliminating the constant shifting to lower gears. I can always shift into 6th mode if I need to on a long downhill or a flat run. I really like the Sport mode feature and glad I discovered how to use it.

So, if your Taco is shifting more that you think is necessary, give the S5 mode a try... you may like it.