Good news for the tranny lag..new tsb fixes!

[SeattleMike]

Now I'd like to talk about the three-hour wait. Anytime I've ever gone for an oil change at a dealer, the longest I waited was under an hour. I understand it was a Friday, however if you have a 1:30 pm appointment, and they call the day before the appointment to confirm, I cannot understand why they needed over three hours! Wasted my entire afternoon. Also, after the two hour mark, I asked the service person when they thought it would be done. He looked up my name, walked to the service area, came back and said "he's just finishing up." Still had to wait over an hour after he said this.

Here's the reality of working in a service shop: it's staffed entirely by humans. The guy who changed your oil and rotated your tires and did your 29 point inspection probably is NOT the guy who flashed your ECM with the Techstream, nor is he the guy that washed it before the brought it back around for you. In a shop they generally have people at several levels of experience who are tasked with things like new car prep, an oil change guy, a tire guy, an ECM guy, etc. They do it because repetition makes them faster and leaves the more experienced mechanics available to do the more complicated repairs and troubleshooting. If one or two guys calls in sick or go on vacation, it slows down the whole operation and that turns a 90 minute wait into a 3 hour wait. If your dealership has had to cut staff in order to get through the Great Recession, then it's even more likely that wait times get longer.

I've never reflashed an ECM, so I have no idea how long the process is or how many people work at that particular dealership, but I wouldn't have gone in with an expectation of an hour wait, either.

 

[4Funnr]

Are some people confusing the "tranny lag" with the fact that you have to stomp hard on the gas to go fast?

I believe that is designed to encourage fuel economy and is unlikely to be changed for such a reason. In other words, the throttle response is intentionally slow to minimize fuel consumption.

I am describing "tranny lag" as the goofy shifting at low speeds where it seems the tranny can't make up its mind. If that is what is fixed by the TSB, then it sounds like my complaint will be rectified.

 

[snow&surf]

I am describing "tranny lag" as the goofy shifting at low speeds where it seems the tranny can't make up its mind. If that is what is fixed by the TSB, then it sounds like my complaint will be rectified.

I can see why you answered my question with a sarcastic "yes". You've clumped the hard shift/tranny lag some of us are experiencing into one problem. While some of us may experience both, I only have the lag (last four of my VIN are in the 3000s) that many others only have too.

I believe these are two separate issues with only the hard shift being rectified with the TSB#.

All this being said, I have 17k miles on my truck and it sure has learned my driving style to the point where I can barely feel the lag. However, it exists and needs to be fixed.

 

[adoihcj]

I still think the lag issue needs to addressed, in spite of what anyone says, it's not "normal".

I agree with you. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I rented a Camry and two Corolla's over the last few months. Those transmissions had absolutely no lag at all. While the TSB seemed to put my 4R in line with those vehicles as far as smooth shifts go, the lag should be fixed. I will give Toyo a call in the next day or two.

 

[adoihcj]

Here's the reality of working in a service shop: it's staffed entirely by humans. The guy who changed your oil and rotated your tires and did your 29 point inspection probably is NOT the guy who flashed your ECM with the Techstream, nor is he the guy that washed it before the brought it back around for you. In a shop they generally have people at several levels of experience who are tasked with things like new car prep, an oil change guy, a tire guy, an ECM guy, etc. They do it because repetition makes them faster and leaves the more experienced mechanics available to do the more complicated repairs and troubleshooting. If one or two guys calls in sick or go on vacation, it slows down the whole operation and that turns a 90 minute wait into a 3 hour wait. If your dealership has had to cut staff in order to get through the Great Recession, then it's even more likely that wait times get longer.

I've never reflashed an ECM, so I have no idea how long the process is or how many people work at that particular dealership, but I wouldn't have gone in with an expectation of an hour wait, either.

Good points, and all things I didn't consider. I just wish they would have given me an idea of wait time so I could have had my wife pick me up instead of wasting the day away.

By the way, they didn't wash my 4R - thought they would since I brought it to the dealer where I purchased it ...

 

[SeattleMike]

Good points, and all things I didn't consider. I just wish they would have given me an idea of wait time so I could have had my wife pick me up instead of wasting the day away.

I agree they should have given you a time frame, since you were waiting. I've never NOT had a service writer tell me the expected wait time.

By the way, they didn't wash my 4R - thought they would since I brought it to the dealer where I purchased it ...

Really? I'd look for a new dealer to do your service. If they fired the car washers, they are on the bleeding edge of solvency.

 

[4RBob]

:hatsoff: to original poster and also to the person that posted the detailed TSB information

:driving: much better now

i was in and out in less than a 1/2 hour :boink:

 

[Tgrds]

My VIN is in the 5-thousands, but I still notice strange things with the tranny too. Does anyone feel any kind of shudder/weak vibration when it shifts from first to second? It's most noticeable when not giving it too much gas.

Yes....!

1) I also noticed this slight shudder/weak vibration/ripple (happens every so often). Almost like it is stuttering from a lack of gas or something.

2) Also have the damn 1st to 2nd gear tranny lag craap (happens everyday). I have filled out my on-line survey and called the Toyota dealer about this to log my complaint.

VIN is in the 13-thousands

 

[jayhat]

So happy to read this! I was wondering about the hard shifting.


Called the dealer and setup an appointment for Friday. I offered the TSB number but, he acted like he already knew about it.

 

[Tedward]

I brought mine into the dealer today and had my tranny re-flashed because of the noted TSB...............much better now!! I was in and out in a half hour, the Service Manager told me they were advised of this TSB on 6/29, he also said it would now take about 1000K for the tranny to re-train to our driving habits. Many thanks to the original poster of this matter.

 

[Saberman]

Got the TSB done on my TE , what a difference. Much, much better........

 

[dburke2001]

Got the TSB done on my TE , what a difference. Much, much better........

When did you purchase your TE? My VIN isn't in the range and have a feeling they will tell me there is nothing they can do. I'm taking my TE into the dealer tomorrow and have them take a look. They are telling me they will need to test the shifting with a computer etc. I hope I can get this resolved because it is really making me dislike driving the TE in slow traffic LOL.

 

[jayhat]

Just to update. Took mine in on Friday. Much better now, don't notice the hard shifting at low speeds at all. They even washed, vacuumed, and rotated my tires for free! :thumb3:

The service manager was very adamant that to some extent shifting like this was normal but, would run the fix because it "can help". They said this is normal with the drive by wire technology the 4runner uses. Obviously I would not consider this "normal". I just agreed and asked if they could go ahead and run the fix anyway. I am sure its just something they were told to say to downplay that there was anything wrong at to begin with. Anyway they did a good job, shifts great now.

 

[westwind77]

Took mine for the 1st oil change (5k @ 8months), also had them do the fix. There is/was a difference, smoother shifts and it no longer hangs in 4th:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/69024-hanging-4th.html

Only bad part is that it took them 2 hours to change the oil and do the update, and I even had a scheduled apt. :rockthrow::ybrick:

 

[4Funnr]

Finally took mine in. I knew that my VIN was affected. I told them about the problem and the TSB. They fixed it. It worked.

It doesn't lag, rev, search, act re****ed, lurch when accelerating from curves or driving at low speeds now.

It will take some time to get used to the lack of lag though because I had become so used to how it was before.

 

[jca21]

any canucks get the tsb done yet?

 

[puk]

I had my 4Runner at the dealer service dept. yesterday to have the 0166-10 SB flashed and to finally have my remote start installed that they owed me since new.

The tech told me the SB flash was the same as what I had and that no DTC's existed in the ECU when the OBD-II was hooked up so everything was normal.My last 5 digits of my VIN are 03094.

The only time I ever noticed mine is when I was backing out of a parking space and then shifted to drive. Feels like it can't decide between 1st and 2nd gear and paused for a second. It has gotten better and I barely notice it now.He said these trannies learn our driving habits and adapt over time.He wrote up a report on the hesitation complaint and I questioned if the SB causes it.He didn't know and I was the first he heard of and didn't have access to the original flash.

Do people that have early 4runners built before the 02648 VIN have this hesitation?

VIN 00695 Yes on the hesitation.

 

[westwind77]

any canucks get the tsb done yet?

From my service record....

"~|~CUSTOMER STATES WHEN MAKING TURNS AT 15MPH STEP ON GAS RPM REVES FEELS LIKE VEH IN NEUTRAL SEARCHING FOR A GEAR TO GO INTO THEN HARSCH SHIFT NOTED ~|~TSB ~|~ROAD TEST VEHICLE VERIFIED OWNERS CONCERN DELAYED ENGAGEMENT NOTED PER TSB-0166-10 PERFORMED CALIBRATION OF ECM SOFTWARE. ROAD TEST AFTER REPAIR TO VERIFY PROPER OPERATION NOTE: TRANSMISSION WILL NEED TO ADJUST TO DRIVERS DRIVING HABBITS T1=04 T2=99 "

 

[gamer]

any canucks get the tsb done yet?

I'm here in Peterborough Ontario on vacation. I went into Russell Toyota and they haven't heard a thing about any TSB. They did notice I had a US version and said that here in Canada the TSB's do arrive later if at all. Depends on the number of people complaining I guess.

 

[westwind77]

Is there a scientific way to pinpoint if your vehicle was affected? A lot of talk is going around about VINs. Is there a specific range everyone is falling in?

Yes.....read the 7 previous pages of this thread to answer all of your questions, including the VIN range that this applies to.

We have a RTFM icon, how do we go about getting a RTFT icon????