Tranny hunting for gears? Try this.

that's not the way it works

 

The truck is designed to pull minimum rpms at 70mph.... to do that it has to be at basically a low power spot in the engine/transmission combo. It'll need to downshift to get back in the power band.

It's just the way the whole combo works. The truck just shifts to get the rpms down and downshifts for power. It's a little quirky, but I'm fine with it.

I had a 02 Z28 with the M6 and that gate block which made you skip a bunch of gears unless you were really getting into it. It feels just like the taco in that it goes to a gear that lugs the engine down in rpms.... it helps mpg at the sacrifice of driving experience.

Someone will come up with a transmission tune that will give a better driving experience.... or just gear down in the rear end.

 

Yeah many people have said this but during my trip to Las vegas last week for B2V I kept the cruise on at 75mph and had absolutely no issues with the transmission jumping around or revving higher than normal. There were plenty of inclines too. I guess I'm a lucky one I don't know.

 

No, I didn't sell my Taco for an F150. I may trade it in though and go back to Subaru. Interesting note though. I called an independent shop yesterday explaining my woes and frustration about dealerships not checking the transmission fluid and told them I'd pay them to check it. They said that was insane and that they would feel bad doing that taking my money since the truck is so new. He told me to call a particular dealership and ask for a friend of his, so I did. He ended up being a service manager at the dealership. Told him the whole story and he said to me, "This is crazy...one of my guys here just bought a 16 Tacoma, and just earlier today he was telling me the transmission just didn't feel "right" and basically explained it the same way you are. Bring your truck in first thing Tuesday morning and we'll figure this out for you." He said obviously the employee knows automobiles and given I described the issues exactly the way his employee did, and was referred by his friend at the independent shop, he apologized about being jerked around so much by other dealerships. So hopefully I'll get this sorted out next week.

 

That's funny!

 

I hope they take care of you man.

 

Same here. Never used cruise control

 

No denial for me. 5500 miles and tranny still hunts for gears. This is getting old! Should not be happening!!!!!!

 

Not sure why so many third gen owners are all bent about your automatic transmissions shifting. Part of the way that automakers are achieving higher MPG's is by having the transmissions shift more frequently to always be in the gear that offers the best combination of mpg's and power. You think the new Tacoma's shift a lot? Take a ride in a new car with an 8 speed unit.

 

IIRC, when the 2nd gen was new people complained about the shift points of the automatic transmission and eventually Toyota released a software update for the ECU. They may do the same thing with the 3rd gen, so those of you who are unhappy with your automatic transmission may want to sit tight.

Things like that are just part of having a 1st year vehicle.