When did transmission problems start with the 3rd gen?

I took the flux capacitor out of the Tacoma and put it in the Delorean.

 

You sure it wasnt the cybertruck?

 

Same.
If you have issues, find a dealership that will perform the tsb. Truck drives great now.

 

The 2019 that I drove was a certified Toyota used car. I wonder if they applied the TSB as part of the certification process.

 

My 2019 drives beautifully, I love it. I’ve had it on numerous long road trips and it’s been great every time, it truly is a likable, solid vehicle. You should go for it!

 

When did it start ? When the Toyota Engineers picked up the pen and started the design .

 

Transmission was never a problem other then a little low on fluid. Problem is it's geared to high so it meets the mpg.

 

I have a 2016 TRD Off Road, automatic 6 cylinder. Bought it when it was 2 years old. First drives, the shifting was very terrible. Just hunting for gears like crazy, worse auto transmission I had driven in 30 years of them. My other 3 trucks were all manual, and 4 past cars were automatic. The new Mazda 3's (mine was GT) from 2014 up have a fantastic 6 speed shifter, you never notice it change gears.

I have had about 4 software updates on the Taco now. Currently, it is much better. Power not an issue, very responsive from a full stop, same if you need to get moving or pass.

However, and this is a BIG however, whoever thought to use software for transmission changes? Totally useless. Is that not what RPM is for, and how auto trannies worked for decades? Problem is, the real world testing can never take into account every scenario (especially very steep long hills), and computer simulations are not the real thing.

Here in Kelowna where I live, we have the Pennask summit. To get there, you drive the Coquihalla highway which is a 70mph limit.

The highway to the summit is 30 miles long. In that 30 miles, you climb 5,000 feet of elevation.

You absolutely cannot use cruise control on this, even on the stretches where there is very little incline. You will be doing 70mph, at about 2,200 RPM, and then the tranny suicide downshifts to 3rd or 4th and jolts up to 5,500 RPM and stays there, even when you have levelled out for a 1/4 mile.

If you take it out of cruise (but in auto, not manual mode), you can drive the same stretch at 70mph without ever going over 3,000 RPM.

If the auto mode decides to downshift and hit 5,000rpm, you can put it in manual and drive the same stretch at 70mph at 3,000 RPM.

So if the truck can manage the hill at 70mph at 3,000 RPM, why does the trannie need to shift to 3rd or 4th and stay at 5,000rpm? The software does not recognize that the truck is doing fine up the hill at 3,000 RPM, and that it is not lugging.

I drove this hill 30 times this past per year, and I experimented and tested it repeatedly. The software designers need to do a much better job.

My 2014 Mazda 3, 6 spd auto at 174hp, will cruise from bottom to top of hill at 80mph and never go over 3,000 rpm once.

Lastly, the truck even with 6 cyl and 276hp, is underpowered for these types of hills. Even with an empty load, you cannot go over 70mph on this type of hill. If you do, no matter manual, auto, or ECT, you will be pushing at least 4,500rpm and higher and staying there to get up this type of hill at over 70mph.

I have American trucks, F150's, RAM etc flying past me up these hills doing 85mph and you can hear as they go by they are at 3,000rpm or less. Not even breaking a sweat.

If you drive mostly flat, or minor hills once in a while, no big deal. However, this type of hill (BC is full of them, even steeper than this one), it is common if you want to get out and fish the province.

By the way, this hill and others like it in BC, are littered with multiple burned out spots on the roadside. At least 20 - 30 cars, trucks, big rigs, burn to the ground every summer going up to the Pennask summit.

I wish I could bring one of the software designers with me on these hills...

 

Transmission has never been a problem. Peoples expectations of a Toyota pickup are the problem, which is why these “problems”, for those affected, are not fixed by software updates, or OV Tune, or TSB, or new model years, or anything, and also why those who understand what to expect from a Tacoma are fine with it from the start.

It’s not a Mazda M6, and it’s not the BMW you traded in on the Taco. It’s a somewhat gutless mini-truck, that has a high degree of capability and reliability, which has been Toyota’s speciality for decades. Even the gas-guzzling 4.slow 2Gs were dogs in the mountains compared to a F150 or any sedan or compact.

 

4.0 2nd gens shifted much, much better. The shifting and throttle was a 1000x more predictable. One felt confident knowing exactly how the truck would react when the user gave a desired input. My 2018 does what it wants, when it wants. I'm just along for the ride. Speaking for my truck and my experience.

Edit: I love my Taco and the funky tranny wouldn't stop me from buying another one.

 

I dunno. I drive a 2G quite often at work, and it’s no show stopper. The 5 speed is lame on the highway, and it bogs down on the hills. I think the 2G is remembered by many as amazing, but in reality is ho-hum. I would not trade back for one, even a zero-mile cream puff.

 

First, the truck has plenty of power but the transmission is geared for fuel economy. It’s not the motor.

Second, you have a Tacoma and are comparing it to a full size truck(s) made for heavier loads, not all around economy. I suggest maybe you compare a Tundra and fly past the Fords & Rams while they burn on the side of the road?

And third, there’s not much the software can do to change the hardware (transmission gears) without screwing it up for the vast majority or normal driving (that would be us), so there’s that.

My suggestion, trade in for the Tundra and make your world a much happier one.

Moral of the story, you bought the wrong vehicle for your operating conditions.

Finally, thank you for your detail analysis, if those were to be my operating requirements I’d owe you at six pack on my way to pick up a Tundra.


Cheers

 

It seems like Toyota only sold these goofy trannies to whiners. Maybe they see them coming. Non whiners don’t have these problems. Moral of the story? Don’t be a whiner.

 

March '18 Texas build.
My daily commute is highway and mountains, and I've towed on both.
No TSB, no problems.

 

Having just gotten my first 3rd gen and coming right off a 2nd gen, I have zero issues with mine. I can tell it's *slightly* slower on acceleration when mashed down and without activating ECT or S-mode, in comparison to the 2G, but honestly it's basically negligible to me. I will say that it has held its speed while going up incline FAR better than my 2G, which often required dropping a gear even just going up large highway overpasses.

I am pleased that my truck seems to have won the transmission lottery and isn't literally going to murder me for my bad driving a problem for me.

 

I can only share my personal experience, but I bought my 2017 Off Road with 6 speed manual transmission in April 2017, brand new. As of today, 46K miles, absolutely zero issues with any part of the truck.

 

When congress made laws to curb the creative control of the market.