Slipping from 4th to 5th gear

I just hit 65k miles and now I notice the transmission slipping when going into 5th gear. (Meaning it revs up then shifts). It happens pretty consistently when going from 4th to 5th if pushing on the gas pedal a little harder (getting up to speed). Its only from 4th to 5th.

I get around it by putting it into s4 then after I get up to speed I let off the gas and shift into s5.

Could it just need a trans fluid flush/changed? I really hate going to the dealer. So any input is appreciated.

 

The fluid level may be low.

 

Time for a fluid change.

 

Should not be slipping. First I would verify you have the correct amount of fluid and no leaks. What year?

 

2020. I thought the slipping was odd. Since its only from 4th to 5th.

I guess I'll do a flush and refill this weekend and see if it fixes the issue.

 

You tow or do any hardcore off roading?

 

I myself would take it to the dealership as it is just out of warranty. Perhaps you'll get lucky and they will cover it under their goodwill assistance program.

 

Its still under warranty. I bought it as a certified pre-owned so the powertrain warranty last until 2028 or 100k miles.

 

Never towed or any crazy offroading.

 

So leave it up to the dealership instead of changing fluid yourself. That is a good way for a crappy dealership to blame you.

 

I'm more worried the dealership will blame it on oversized tires.

 

Ha. I typed up an entire post saying that, and then deleted it.

You are right to be worried about that - most Dealers will look for any reason to decline a claim in something as significant as a Transmission. Have you had any dealer services done ( oil changes, tire rotations, etc)? A lot of times, your relationship with a Dealer's service department goes a long way. I've owned 6 Toyotas over a span of 12 years and realized this after my 1st one....

You might have the certified warranty in your favor. But those tires are probably going to be scrutinized. Do you have the stock tires to throw back on and bring it in?

 

Only had it to the dealer once to figure out why my abs light was on. Then they quoted me over $500. $300 for the wheel speed sensor and $50 for the sensor wiring. And $150 for install. I simply asked how do you know the sensor is bad if the wires got cut. They replied because there's no reading to the sensor. I replied no shit cause the wires got ripped. I left, bought the wiring for $25 and swapped it out in 5 mins. (Not to get off topic).

But no my 4runner has never been serviced by a dealer/shop. I'm turn wrenches for a living(union millwright) and I enjoy working on my vehicles. I think I'm going to change the fluid see if it fixes anything. If not ill buy a set of stock wheels/tires off fb. And then take it to the dealer.

It's just strange, it drove flawlessly until 4 days ago. And this damn truck is babied compared to my last vehicles.

 

Yep. We all deal with dealers like that, it sucks!! Theres little/no oversight on them and they get away with stupid shit like that ALL of the time.

Too bad you're in PA, I am taking off my stock rims this week and having the TRD rims I bought on Black Friday put on, I'd let you borrow them lol. But Detroits kinda far.... Change that fluid and use Toyota Genuine.... that way you can always show them the receipt(s) "Here look, I even used OEM fluid!" just in case. (I should add I have been an Amsoil dealer for 15 years or so and even *I* will only use Toyota fluids in my Toyotas. My GM products get whatever (except the transfer case gets genuine AutoTrakII because there really isnt any substitute), my Chryslers get generic fluids too)

 

Oh, then just take it in.

 

Agree,

I had a relative take there GMC into an independent shop for a transmission fluid change and now it doesn’t shift right. Regarding dealerships, my personal experience has been good. You have to establish a good repore with a service manager and let them know your expectations.

Good interpersonal skills will get you far in life.

 

I wonder the increase in rpm before the shift points to a throttling issue instead. Maybe the ecu picked a bad habit somehow which could be cleared by disconnecting the battery for a while and forcing it to relearn? Might be worth a shot first, before checking the level or doing a drain-refill.

Actual slipping seems like it would be extremely premature for the mileage. Slipping sometimes is made worse by changing oil, and I’ve only heard about it when talking about transmissions that are terminal.

edit to add more stuff: I have a sneaking suspicion that anything that affects the engines ability change rpm exactly as dictated by the ECU, affects the feel of shifts first, before you even suspect anything with the engine. It might be worth checking the basics…air cleaner, the MAF, anything that might make the engine not respond exactly like it’s expected to, especially in the rpm changes between shifts.

 

Maybe a local member with stock tires will swap with you for a few days.

That sounds like strange behavior to me. I'd try my best to get it looked at under the extended warranty.

 

Mine is doing this at 40k miles. I may do what @McSpazatron suggested and look at those things. And may disconnect the battery for a while also and see how it does. It is very disappointing. I have never towed with this truck. I have only done light 4 wheeling.

As a side note, my 2015 2WD 2nd Gen Tacoma with the same powertrain - I have towed tandem axle trailers with furniture and such, as well as a Waverunner which I considered light duty. Never had a problem and I am at 119k mileage on this one.

 

Your having the same 4th to 5th gear slipping?

 

Yes. Just the way you described above. Many times I also use S4 to control the shift into 5th.

I have no leaks. And will look into making sure it has the proper fluid level.

I am still under the six year / sixty thousand mile warranty. I'm definitely scared to take it to Toyota here. I stopped using them in 2020 when they laid off most of the people there. There are former car salespeople working as service advisors now. Just what I need, an even bigger liar.

 

This sounds really disappointing for sure. @hossler1788 @2Toys , so after the rpm rises, how long do the rpms hang before engagement of 5th. How does the engagement of 5th feel? Extra hard, or normal?

if you up shift manually 3,4, then 5, does it feel normal?

Do either of you have tunes or throttle controllers?

 

Its only delays in shift for a second or two, but it revs up to like 3 or 3.5 rpms(when it shifts at 2.5 or a little more) and it doesn't shift hard. Just revs up a little.

I don't manually shift through the gears in s. I put it in s4 which it shift through the first 4 gears perfect. Then I let off the gas and put it in 5 and that shift feels fine.

I do also have a tune. But I had it for 10k miles previously before having this issue. So I don't really think its the tune.

It is disappointing but I plan to work through this issue, no matter the cost or time. I'll never get rid of my 4r.

 

I don't see how this post is helpful

 

@hossler1788 @2Toys

Have you guys done a trans oil change previously? If so, what method did you use to check the fluid level?

Does this happen every time you're going from 4th to 5th or only at certain times (like when it's cold)?

 

I haven't changed the fluid yet(I'm only at 61500 miles) It seems to be happening pretty consistently (cold or warm weather) but since it is getting pretty cold here I thought it could be a factor.

 

Instinctually, as soon as I hear the RPM rise, I take my foot off the gas, and then the shift is completed, and so far feels normal. I don't shift up through the gears in S mode.

I also have a tune and have wondered about that. I may have the tuner go back to the original settings and see if that helps. I have had the tune for 2 years, and around 10k miles. I will say that I don't think the transmission shifting issue happened until after the tune.

 

not helpful post deleted

 

I'm at 40k mileage, so have not had any transmission servicing so far. But that doesn't mean the fluid is at the proper level as others have posted that the level was not correct from the factory fill. I have no evidence of leakage.

It does not happen every time, or even often to me. But concerning when it does.

 

Ah ok, I was mostly curious to see if you guys felt oddness as the shift to 5th was completed. I’ve only had one transmission fail in a previous car, and I remember rpm hanging before the shift, but the shift itself when it completed was very hard.

Hard to say if the tune contributes, but maybe it could. Maybe the tuner folks have some input on the behavior you guys are experiencing. One of the reasons I asked about how it behaves if you “manually” shift (3, then 4, then 5) was to see if maybe it shifts normally, without the rising rpm hang. If the shift is normal, maybe that would suggest it has more to do with throttling logic, as opposed to something physically wrong with the transmission. If the shifting seems normal when shifting manually, that might make the decision to revert to stock tuning easier to see if that’s the cause.

Another possibility is to ask the tuners if the shifting behavior itself is a variable that could be tuned.