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

You definitely have low transmission fluid. I can tell by looking at it.

 

same problem. had a 2014 5 spd should have got 6 spd. its some junk

 

I never use CC...

Try it and let us know.

 

Doesnt matter if I do or not. The trucks software learns your driving habits. It should fix the sluggish shifting people complain about. As for the mechanical woes, that's something else entirely.

 

Finally some tru knowledge.

Also when mpg is up in the 19.2 - 21.5'ish mpg range the truck performs stout.....like i can actully feel the tourqe converter "sqeez" and almost " lock " in 5th and 6th this causes the mystery hum buzz slightly to occur; but truck has nice low grunt.

BUT THEN.......

Sometimes when i fill up from E to F it will not get better then 15.5 -17.2 no matter what. Its at this time i can feel the slipping and hunting between gears and sluggish performance.

The truck has two personalities. This leads me to believe its software issues most of us are dealing with.

Crazy but i notice if i fill up berfore 1/4 tank and do not "top" it off, it tends to stay in the first scenario alot longer.

But overall i love this truck. It was hard giving up my baddass 1st gen with manual locking hubs and crazy flex....but the new one has really grown on me and the small bs i once complained of dont even seem to be and issue anymore.

 

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Picked up my 2016 Tacoma Limited Dual Cab last October and really didn't push it much over the winter. Now that camping season is underway I have started towing my small (<3,000lb) RV around. Immediately noticed the rapid/intermittent up and down shifting without any apparent change in performance ...only in the tachometer reading. Yes, I can tromp it to climb a hill but as soon as I back/let off the gas the tranmission upshifts and I am crawling again.
What ever happened to the transmission that would sense the load and downshift (and stay there) until you leveled off somewhat. This up and down stuff's gonna drive me crazy.
Are we talking "programming" here or is this just the way things are. Just about to take my Tacoma into the dealer and have them check things out. Only 3000 miles on it so far ...so they hopefully will have an explanation/solution for me.

 

I spoke with a SA yesterday at Durant Toyota. Real stand up guy. He said that Toyota knows about the issue and believes s/w is the issue.

He also said that early in the year he was fielding many complaints about the trans. Recently it has calmed down.

He said the R to D is still present in the Tacomas being delivered, but the shifting nonsense is gone.

So that would lead me to believe that it may be fluid level related, but may be s/w as well.

I think they both contribute to the issue. Here's a recent post from a Toyota tech.

https://readditing.com/r/ToyotaTacoma/comments/4n6b0b

This is just so poorly handled. It really makes me question the competency of the Toyota leadership.

Losing confidence in a single product is bad, but losing confidence in the company puts all its product in question.

 

Okay, I know I'm not a 3rd gen owner, but my son is, so I've been following this thread. I have to say when a thread title ends with "erratic shifting and drivability problems?" the question mark in the title would indicate an interest in those that didn't have those issues, as well as those that did.

 

Could be but he never said that Toyota would release a fix. He just said they are aware and have ID'd the s/w as the issue. Its likely both h/w and s/w, but many times it can be corrected with a new s/w release. I doubt Toyota will do anything though.

There's no evidence that the issue is safety related, is impacting sales or is a long term liability so there is little to no motivation for them to work it.

 

This is normal for the gen 3. Remember, you have a weaker engine (torque is king here not, HP) than the 4.0 and one extra gear. Naturally you're going to be shifting more. That being said, it isn't exclusive to Tacoma. I tested a new Silverado and even with the bigger V8, it would hunt gears. This is done for MPG.

 

After getting the run around from the dealership I called Toyota customer service. I was told that the transmission is operating exactly the way it is designed to operate. I now drive a F150. I cant believe the piece of crap Toyota rolled out. I have been leasing Tacoma's for 12 years and the 2016 is the worst vehicle I have ever driven. Engine sucks, transmission sucks, seating sucks, paint sucks, entune sucks, sunroof sucks (rattled and leaked), hard bed cover sucks (didn't seal and leaked). Nothing good to say about the 2016 hunk of junk Tacoma.

 

Toyota announced T-SB-0077-16 on July 14th 2016. Check it out, Tacoma World listed under same name. Perhaps some improvement might be experienced. I contacted Toyota , the TSB 0077-16

 

So I have about 14.5 k on mine and I heard there is a update on the problem?? Any one get it fixed yet????

 

Update performed 7/18/16, TSB- 0077-16. Issues seem improved, however last time Tacoma was re flashed it performed as expected. Toyota is finally making efforts to bring 2016 to the level of expectation of the loyal Tacoma owner base. Thanks Toyota and All the Tacoma World members, perhaps big brother has been listening to the Tacoma faithful . Let's hope this TSB solves some of the issues and owner concerns. Third time for re flash and etc. , as if noted , third time is the charm.

 

Resetting ECU has helped my truck perform better but it always reverts about a month later. Hard to tell if TSB actually will make permanent change to shifting pattern and performance behaviors or is it just an effect of the inherent ECU reset that happens when they flash it (update or not)

 

Same here....

 

It is the dumbest transmission on the planet. It makes me want to sell the truck. Like going downhill at 85 and running 5500 rpms w cruise control. Also the gear hunting unloaded.... at highway speeds sucks. Pos. I am so disappointed in this not ready for primetime drivetrain.

 

the ECU only "averages" your short and long term fuel trims. I dont think it changes your transmission ECU at all which takes in several variables when it operates. I.e. pedal position, TPS, MAF inputs, AIT, load, etc etc. Im under the impression its predefined by variables.

 

I have another auto question
Do you guys have complaints of going into drive when it's cold in the morning as you slide it into gear a push throttle it kind of has a feeling of it popping into gear and then go down the road and from 2nd to 3rd it almost revs up in between gears real quick?
Just curious if it's common and sometimes I wonder if my rear diff howls this thing has 2200 miles but has done all of this from th3 beginning

 

I took my 2016 Limited in to have the AT fluid level checked a few weeks ago because I noticed an occasional delay when shifting from R to D and I find that it is downshifting a bit too slow as mentinned by others on this forum. No charge for checking and they said it was almost 1 L low. That seemsto have helped. Today I got a call from the dealer. Toyota just issued a service bulletin a few days ago for a new programming of the transmission ECM so I will be getting that done tomorrow. Looking forward to see if this improves things...