In early August, we reported on transmission issues affecting some 2024 Toyota Tacoma owners. While not all vehicles are affected, numerous complaints have surfaced on forums, Facebook groups, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. These concerns have been acknowledged by Toyota, which has issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) for the affected trucks. The proposed solution? A complete replacement of both the transmission and torque converter.
This TSB was published this week on tacoma4g.com, providing guidelines for owners to determine if their vehicle is impacted. It appears that only Tacomas produced during specific production runs are affected, all of which have automatic transmissions. An official count of these affected vehicles has not yet been provided, and it’s uncertain if there will be any recall associated with this issue.
Since this situation does not constitute a recall, Toyota dealerships will only carry out the transmission and torque converter replacement if the vehicle experiences a failure. A minimum of one of six diagnostic trouble codes must be indicated, which are associated with a malfunctioning pressure control solenoid actuator or a torque converter clutch actuator that remains disengaged. Therefore, even if a Tacoma falls within the affected range, it might not receive important replacements unless a part actually fails.
This differs greatly from Toyota’s previous recall of the 2022-2023 Tundra pickups equipped with the non-hybrid twin-turbo V6 engine. In that instance, Toyota will replace approximately 102,000 engines that are at risk of failure due to debris in the combustion chambers. Fortunately, affected Tundra owners can get their engines replaced before they fail, although not everyone has had the same good fortune. Many forums and Facebook groups for Tundra owners feature posts from individuals whose trucks have broken down unexpectedly.
It’s commendable that Toyota is taking responsibility by offering necessary repairs at no cost to customers. The company could have opted for a less generous approach, but instead, it is instructing dealers to replace entire transmissions and torque converters rather than just repairing individual faulty components that could affect others as well.
If you own a 2024 Tacoma and notice any warning lights or unusual transmission behavior, now is an opportune moment to contact your dealer to check if you’re eligible for the new TSB coverage.
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