Engine surge problem

Hello everyone,

I have a 2016 4runner SR5 v6. It currently has 17k miles on it. The other day when I was driving at a constant speed the rpm suddenly surged from 1500 to 3000 for no reason and then came back to normal after several seconds. When this happened, there was loud noise from the engine, but there was no change on speed, and the car didn't buck. I wasn't climbing uphill or accelerating either. It has been like this since I noticed this two weeks ago, usually at 40-50 mph. I called Toyota regarding this issue yesterday, but my warranty just expired earlier this year, they asked me to pay $150 for an inspection before they could tell me anything.

Another related issue is that the car also has high idle rpm when startup. It starts at 2000rpm and then gradually goes down to 1000. It has been like this since I bought the car new. The Toyota dealer whom I bought the car from told me it was supposed to be like this because the computer was programmed to start the car at a high rev so that the exhaust gas is less harmful to the environment.

I am not sure if the two thing are related. But the engine surge problem during driving really concerns me. Has anyone experienced the same problem? Any information is appreciated!

 

The starting "issue" yes that sounds normal mine starts racing a bit and does gradually back off after maybe 15 seconds or so. Does it ever "surge" in cruise control? At first when I started reading your thread I was thinking maybe that's when it was doing it which it will sometimes to catch back up to speed. Sorry that's all I got if it concerns you that much and you know it's something new it hasn't been doing (the surging) eat the cost and have someone look at it.

 

Sounds like a transmission issue. Doesn't Toyota have a 5 year power train warrantee (trans + engine)?

 

Thank you DGP and captsolo for your replies.
Yes, it does surge a lot in cruise control, especially when going uphill. However, the surge I am experiencing and concerned is not during cruise.
And yes, my car is still under the 5 yr powertrain warranty. But they are still charging me the $150 inspection and asking me leave the car in the store for couple of days. I am just hoping that there is some easy fix that can solve the problem without going to the store.

 

Call Toyota corporate I didn't think they charge you for any warranty concerns, maybe I'm wrong.