Transmission shifting issues on freeway

You know, in my other SUV, the transmission will not go into O/D (its only a 4 speed) until the engine coolant hits a certain temperature, as read by the Engine Coolant Temp sensor.
However, this sounds like a common enough phenomenon here that it seems to be design and not an actual problem. I will have to pay attention now and see if mine does this!

 

Mine does the same exact thing. The terrain in NW Mississippi has flat delta lands to gentle rolling hills (as you go east). I used my cruise control this past weekend going down I-55 and it's mostly flat and level with a few hills, and it stayed in fourth gear and TAC went up. Killed the cruise control, and it shifted to 5th gear. My 3rd gen tacoma had same issue. I'm wondering if a tune might help update the shift patterns.

 

The cruise control is terrible. It is hyper sensitive and shifts like crazy compared to no cruise control.

 

I have no extra weight. Stock everything, no cargo whatsoever. Me and a full tank of gas is all it was hauling. Refused to leave 4th gear at anything over 70mph. I will add this is at super high elevation, so I know that robs some power. But man, I’m pretty sure I’ve drivin 1980’s 4 cylinders that had more juice than this.
Honestly, my old 4.0 Tacoma feels like a supercharged big block compared to this thing. It’s really that much different. Same engine. WTF?

 

I have the opposite situation, mine is always wanting to shift to a higher gear.

 

Depending on how high your altitude is, it might not be able make enough power to pull 5th gear at interstate speeds. This might lead the transmission to hold onto 4th.

The amount of available oxygen (and power) drops off pretty quick as altitude increases. And that lack of oxygen/power is going to affect the 4runner much more at higher speeds, compared to small cars, because it has relatively more aero drag to work against. Does it shift into 5th normally at slower speeds?

 

Oh I know all about the high altitude HP loss.
I wasn’t expecting a race car, as I said, I also drive a Tacoma. So I figured they would be very similar. I thought driving them both would feel about the same, and that is just not even close.

I was just expecting to use all 5 gears. Like I have with literally every other vehicle I’ve ever driven. Yes, even at this altitude

 

Same here, it’s always trying to get into and stay in 5th gear. I have found myself on more than one occasion fiddling with the throttle just to keep it in lower gear because I’m anticipating a hill where I know it will stay in 5th gear and bog down and lose momentum.

 

Don’t some highways in WY and MT have like 80 or 85 mph speed limits? They did when I was out there in 2016. Are you trying to maintain those speeds when you experience the lack of up shifting?

 

Perfect case for using S mode.

 

What year 4runner? If it’s new, maybe it just needs to learn. And maybe it needs extra time to learn a high altitude/high speed terrain.

If it's an older 5th gen, maybe it actually is down on horsepower. Might need new plugs and some fuel treatment?

 

It’s brand new. 2024
Maybe that’s just the way it is and this is just how they drive. Might just have to get used to it.
I just couldn’t understand why the 4.0 in my Tacoma runs so much better

 

I’m betting the ecu will adjust once it gets some mileage on it. In the meantime, bumping into S and manually putting it in 5th might get the ecu get the hint lol

 

Your 4runner is heavier than your Tacoma by up to 1,000 lbs (depending on tacoma trim)....... so that would certainly be a factor.

 

Cruising on flat ground, at 65mph or so it should be in 5th gear.

 

Mine’s a new ‘23 I bought a month ago. Drove it home from Colorado to Arkansas right off the dealers lot. Zero issues at all. Runs in fifth just as it’s supposed to.

 

Must be something wrong with it

 

The T4R is a dog at elevation. I drove up the Pikes Peak Hwy and it was all it could do move along in low gear. A bit further west not far from Gunnison, on a flat straight state highway mine refused to use 5th at 65mph. Elsewhere while struggling along on a grade at elevation a Ram Cummins towing a big horse trailer clearly considered passing me. That truck and trailer probably weighed as much as 6-7 T4R but could have overtaken me.
Get a supercharger and/or gears if you really like the T4R and can’t live with the limited low end torque, otherwise find something else with a V8 or a turbo.

 

Dunno...just drove my 2018 from Phoenix to Flagstaff (el 7000) and back and 5th gear dominated, with a few 4ths and a 3rd or two on steeper grades.

 

It’s funny how quickly elevation, grade, and aero drag stack up and overwhelm this V6. I always hear about 4runners being popular in Colorado. Must be that they aren’t on the interstate all that much.

I’ve never felt mine lacking, but I don’t have a need for the interstate day to day, I’m at low altitude, and don’t really need to go much faster than 75. I feel like I’m getting into “dog” mode ever since I put my roof rack on. I need to get a air deflector on that thing.

 

I live at @600’ so that power loss at elevation is very apparent to me. Around home the 4.0 is perfectly adequate, even on the freeway.
A wind deflector made a night and day difference in wind noise from my rack. It was a jet engine without. I hardly know is there with the deflector. Zero turbulence at the sun roof. Now that I’ve had the rack a while I think it cost me well under 1 mpg.

 

Mine's only 2 months old but it's happened to me twice. Both times I tapped the accelerator lightly and it immediately went into fifth. I never turned off cruise control. Both times were going uphill, not Colorado elevation but it was in the Smoky mountain area.

I do recognize the symptom you guys are describing, but luckily for me it only happened twice in 1800 miles. Sounds like some of you have way worse issues than I do with it.

 

I’m in Colorado at the moment, I’ll pay attention to it tomorrow. I drove around today and didn’t notice anything unusual. I’m also up in a mountain to top it off.

 

I’m also in Colorado, and I’ve certainly experienced the behavior using cruise control. Occasionally I’ll notice the transmission holding 4th gear even without cruise, but I just lift my foot entirely from the accelerator for a couple seconds and it shifts to 5th. Cruise control is the only thing that irritates me. While using cruise on cross country trips I consistently get around 4mpg less. I sure would like to use cruise in my 1,000 mile trips I tend to take at least once a year. I do notice when I’m in Minnesota the cruise seems to work better.

 

That sounds like something is wrong to me. I live at 7000ft elevation and haven't experienced anything like the lack of power you're describing (2021 w/ 60k). The transmission shifting is adaptive, but the power issue doesn't sound right. Especially if you're in 4th gear, it should have more power. One thing mine does when the ambient temperature is below 20F or so is: I leave my house and hit a 3 mile stretch of highway 1.5 miles from my house. I'm doing 65-70mph and it holds 4th the whole stretch until I turn on to the next road. This stretch is a gradual uphill with about 800ft of elevation gain. After I turn onto the next road (55mph), shifts are all back to normal. I believe this is due to transmission fluid temperature and is inherent to the design. Old Tacos running circles around me like a supercharged big block? 80s 4cylinders? Lol, ain't gonna happen

 

Trust me, I know...grew up at sea level and brought a CBR 600 to Colorado and got a rude awakening the first time I went over a mountain pass. When I made the 400 mile trip to take my daughter to college this past summer, (wife, daughter, and her stuff), I quickly realized how much of a slug the 4Runner is when loaded. I was the slow poke going over Wolf Creek Pass that was getting passed by Subarus. Good call on the gear swap, btw...

 

I’m currently in Colorado at an 7220ft Elevation. My 2023 Off Road Premium with 14,000 miles has no problem shifting to 5th gear at highway or city speeds by itself (without my intervention)

However, given my current elevation I do feel the car to be slower and shluggier than usual, but I have had no problem keeping up with anyone or anything, especially in sport mode.