Transmission Issue

To start, this is NOT about erratic shifting, weak power, cruise control issues, etc.

I was driving to a party on Christmas Eve. Just got off the highway about 5 miles back. Started going up a hilly country road and started to lose power. Then I felt a slight funny vibration through the pedals. Then a couple decent thunks. Engine shut off. Warning lights came on, first A/T Fluid Temp, Check Oil, Charging System. I know the charging system was because the engine was off while key was still in the on position. I get out of the truck and check all over, but see no leaks, no broken belts or hoses, and no excessive heat. After about a half an hour of sitting there, I get the truck running again and decide to head home to be safe. Same thing happens about 10 minutes down the road. I was able to get the truck to my girlfriend's parents' house that night so it was in a safe place to wait for the dealership to open for service.

Any ideas what it could be? I did have the transmission fluid checked and topped off at about 5,000 miles. Truck is at 14,500 miles now.

 

This sounds exactly like what I experienced in my 2007 Lexus IS 350.. which has basically the same 3.5 and 6 speed as your Tacoma. My turned out to be a failed fuel pump. I was in shock when the dealer told me. I also felt the vibrations and heard the clunks that you're talking about.. so a fuel pump hadn't even crossed my mind. As for the alerts on your dash, again mine did basically the same thing where it is listing every system under the sun. I paid 600 dollars to have the pump replaced (it's inside the tank) and was back on the road.

 

Search threads for the crankshaft position sensor. They are know to be faulty and i believe if i remember correctly, your symptoms are similar. Hope that helps.

 

Definitley the CPS like said above, search it on here and you'll see several threads from others with the same symptoms.

 

CPS failure the likely culprit based on symptoms reported. The unfortunate theme is that after these fail and the sensor is replaced, folks report the truck's power seems "off" afterwards. Unsure if that resolves itself or something else is going on.

 

Thanks guys. Been at the dealership for a little over a day now and no word. Hopefully there are no long term issues.

 

What a joke. Are they paying for your PTO days you're gonna use to deal with this? Do they have any 2015s on the lot?