[gindie]

I have a 2012 LE, 4-cyl.

Frequently, when slowing down at a stop sign/light the transmission kind of "bucks" or shifts harshly when going into the lowest gear. It seems more noticeable if I am coming to a gradual stop as opposed to a hard braking.

Is this normal?

 

[JohnGD]

Shift problems seem to be more common on the U-series transmissions. I'm sure Toyota will come up with a programming update later.

It's not normal for a good transmission to shift hard, flare, hunt for gears. But yeah, it's kinda normal on these U-series. So check with the dealer to have it documented. They'll probably say it's normal. And then revisit them maybe a year later in case a technical service bulletin shows up for a free software update.

 

[TOYOFORMAN]

I have a 2012 LE, 4-cyl.

Frequently, when slowing down at a stop sign/light the transmission kind of "bucks" or shifts harshly when going into the lowest gear. It seems more noticeable if I am coming to a gradual stop as opposed to a hard braking.

Is this normal?

you feel the surge into 1st, if so then yes. almost a feeling of needing to apply more brake pressure.

 

[northkindo]

I experience this too.

 

[workerant]

I thought they fixed this problem in Gen 6.5.

 

[dcm0123]

you feel the surge into 1st, if so then yes. almost a feeling of needing to apply more brake pressure.

When this happens on my car I can feel the engine acceleration (surge) working against the brakes. Typically there is no issue but if close to another car additional force would have to be applied to the brake.

 

[TOYOFORMAN]

Ok that's what I figured. If the car didn't do this I would be suprised because I havent felt one not do it.


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[TOYOFORMAN]

I thought they fixed this problem in Gen 6.5.

What actual problem? A car downshifting to first causing rpms to rise and slight increase of load. Sounds realistic


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

 

[tpi]

I've noticed less than perfect shifting behavior, especially downshifts, a tad clunky, especially when drivetrain is cold. On mine it isn't bad, just "not perfect." To me it feels like something which could be cured in a program update. 4 cyl LE. If I could guess, I suspect the shift deficiencies are present on a cold transmission prior to the startup of the feedback "timed" clutch applications. It doesn't seem to be dancing quite right with the warming up engine, possibly still on a little fast idle. Even my '04 exhibited harder shifting if the drivetrain was very cold, although it had to be colder than on my '12. At the degree its present in my car, it isn't concerning to me.

 

[dcm0123]

What actual problem? A car downshifting to first causing rpms to rise and slight increase of load. Sounds realistic

It will be very unpleasant if you are close to someone else when it happens and you do not have enough time to apply the extra brake pressure.

 

[Hogan773]

It will be very unpleasant if you are close to someone else when it happens and you do not have enough time to apply the extra brake pressure.

If you're driving on such a thin margin that a slight oddity in the downshift means you are going to rear-end them, then my friend, you are a bad driver. :facepalm:

 

[workerant]

What actual problem? A car downshifting to first causing rpms to rise and slight increase of load. Sounds realistic

would be fine if it stays at that gear till the car come to a complete stop. What's odd is that load release in the middle of slowing down. It seem the gear goes from 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 1 > 2 > stop. The drag certainly increases and seem to shift back to 2 when the car is around 15mph before coming to a complete stop.

If you're driving on such a thin margin that a slight oddity in the downshift means you are going to rear-end them, then my friend, you are a bad driver. :facepalm:

My concern is the guy behind me, it's an uneven slow down... like a hard brake.

Anyway, Gen 6.5 came out and I didn't see anyone talked about this so I thought they fixed it.

 

[SilverBullet]

My grandma's SE only does this when in sport mode when I downshift from 2nd to 1st. Hasn't happened when it's in drive. Car was built Dec. 2011 if that might help out at all.

 

[jguid54]

My 2012 Camry SE V6, also, down shifts very harsly when coasting from 40-30. Kinda sucks when I'd like to coast as far as possible to be more fuel efficient. If I throw it in N I notice I can coast up to twice as far.

 

[tpi]

Remember too they have some kind of grade (hill) logic thats tossed into this stew. The transmission upshift or downshift characteristics are changed by the gradient the car is on. I've also felt downshifts initiated by brake applications. This is very common across all mfg. these days.

Personally this isn't my favorite, although no big deal. I'd prefer consistency across all gradients. I wish this behavior was user selectable. The coordination of all these features may be lacking at times. A bit like a computer program with too many "features" some of which are half baked.

 

[nomorhondas]

"IT" happens in an XLE V6 also

My '12 XLE V6 also does some strange shits on slight downward grades but only when I let up slightly on the gas. On mine it feels like it cannot decide what gear to be in. Happens cold & warmed up both. Has not been annoying enough to complain to the dealer about and I've only been there once for the 5K tire rotation & overall inspection. It's really the ONLY negative thing that I have noticed in all the time I've had my car.

 

[whitericexrs]

you feel the surge into 1st, if so then yes. almost a feeling of needing to apply more brake pressure.

I also experience this in my '12 SE I4. It will downshift as I slow down to a stop. It feels as if the transmission's torque converter is disengaging lock-up right before I come to a complete stop. I notice it's accompanied by an audible "clunk" sound sometimes. :facepalm:

 

[TOYOFORMAN]

My '12 XLE V6 also does some strange shits on slight downward grades but only when I let up slightly on the gas. On mine it feels like it cannot decide what gear to be in. Happens cold & warmed up both. Has not been annoying enough to complain to the dealer about and I've only been there once for the 5K tire rotation & overall inspection. It's really the ONLY negative thing that I have noticed in all the time I've had my car.

It will downshift then hold the gear until on level ground for a few moments... same goes for upshifting over a hill you will have it hold the gear until your good for it seems about 3-4 seconds. i don't agree with the design but its a characteristic of most the toyota's i drive.

 

[matthewfiveeight]

Traded my 2007 Tundra over a week ago and it had the 6 speed trans. It was a smart learning trans so when it started to hunt for a gear I knew it was time to relearn. To do this you had to disconnect the battery for 10 minutes and drive very slow to relearn the new shift patterns. Called Sunday driver mode. lol! Hope I don't have to relearn my 12 Camry SE. If so I wiil do as above.

 

[yev365]

I have same problem. Sometimes it would do harsh shifting when slowing down. Typically it happens around 20 mph. The feeling is that it shifts a gear and tries to accelerate. It got me kind of scared first few times when it happened. The car responds to brakes just fine so pressing slightly on brakes keeps it under control. I've asked a dealer to check this out during 5k service. They didn't find anything wrong and said that the vehicle behaves according to it's characteristics. I've got used to it at this point, so it doesn't bother me much. I'm just wondering if this can get worse over time.