[kgeorge3]

Dad called and he purchased his first Toyota, a 2017 Tacoma. He said going down the highway, the truck goes in and out of overdrive on the slightest load like a gentle incline and the constant shifting is very irritating.

Has anyone heard of this?

My experience is limited to my 2000 Tundra I have owned 17 years now and this sounds like a low fluid situation or the ECU.

Open to thoughts and thanks for looking.

 

[Splicer]

Without personally driving the truck, my guess is it's probably normal. Tall gearing mixed with relatively low torque can be contributing factors. If it concerns him, he should ask his dealership for their thoughts. It's possible there may be a TSB available to address the issue. As a last resort, he could take it out of overdrive when conditions are causing it to constantly hunt between gears.

 

[Taco'09]

OP, welcome to TN!

What you are describing is a very common complaint as well as instability of the cruise control function and the constant shifting may be also responsible for the CC performance. The '17 model is part of what is considered the 2016+ revamp of the Taco and will share many, if not all the same characteristics.

There is another forum that is loaded with discussion of this and other issues. Moreover, one of our moderators, Doobiwah, has a great deal of information on this as well as some of the other matters. Perhaps he will chime in. If you desire some links about the transmission complaints post back and I will post some for you.

 

[Construct]

If you're accustomed to older trucks with bigger engines, fewer gears, and lower fuel economy then the 3rd generation Tacoma's shift patterns can feel confusing at first. A few things to keep in mind:

The truck has two overdrive gears. 5th gear and 6th gear are both technically overdrive gears. The concept of an "overdrive gear" is outdated anyway, but if it's any comfort know that 5th gear is still overdrive. If it helps, think of 6th as a "bonus" gear that gets used where possible to maximize fuel economy. If Toyota had just omitted the 6th gear and kept it as a 5-speed transmission then the vehicle wouldn't shift as much, but you'd also get worse gas mileage.

Old transmissions only upshifted when the driver requested more power. Newer transmissions, including the Tacoma's, will also shift to optimize fuel economy. Even if the engine could lug the truck up a hill in 6th gear, it may be more efficient to shift to 5th instead. A lot of people misinterpret the shifting as an indication that the engine doesn't have enough power, but really it's also trying to optimize fuel efficiency. Forcing it to hang on to 6th may not be an optimal strategy.

Unless the truck is really struggling or shifting erratically with smooth throttle inputs, it's almost certainly normal. Just let the transmission do its job, and enjoy the fuel economy benefits.

 

[z27ls3]

I would have the dealer check it, check for software updates or anything to improve the condition. I drove the new model tacoma last year for a business trip. On interstate driving at legal Wy. 80 mpg speed limits the truck would downshift 2 or 3 times with the cruise control on to "make it up the hills" on the interstate. Not Colorado type hills, just rolling typical hills one would expect in any state on a interstate. after a while I got used to it. truck showed mid-low 20s MPG. I also had a 2015 4runner for over a year, that 4.0 engine and less complex transmission seemed much smoother capable and powerful, the downside was about 5MPG less give or take a MPG.

 

[bobad1]

Dad called and he purchased his first Toyota, a 2017 Tacoma. He said going down the highway, the truck goes in and out of overdrive on the slightest load like a gentle incline and the constant shifting is very irritating.

2017 V6 here, noticed the same thing. We have no hills here, but the occasional gentle rise in the road will trigger a downshift. I assume the computer does that for mileage, so I don't worry about it. If I had lots of gentle hills, it could be irritating.

 

[bsm428]

Jut picked up a 2017 Tacoma off road, automatic. Took it on my first trip through the Colorado mountains this weekend and really noticed this as well. The truck has plenty of power to accelerate up the mountain, but would not hold a constant speed. It was either accelerating or decelerating. It became pretty annoying after a while. I noticed using the ECT power butten and/or using the "S" for manual shifting seemed to help, but even that only did so much.

 

[mmatheny]

Turn off the ECT PWR switch. That makes it do that! Found out the hard way.

 

[mmatheny]

Want to hear something crazy? My wife's 2002 Lexus ES300 does this at exactly 45 MPH - I initial thought was that the engine was misfiring! Drives me NUTS. So here we are 15 years later and they STILL can't get the transmission programming correct? What the hell Toyota??

 

[Mike M]

How many miles do you(he) have on the truck ? I'm at end of first month and 2000 miles of ownership Mine did what you said when I got it but now that it has learned my driving patterns, it works as expected. Using the S mode and ECT switch does make a difference during this time, Though if I get in hilly areas, I do hit the ECT button and it holds out shifting at lower RPM when not wanted.