Yesterday I also filed with Toyota.com on this uncontrolable shifting at speed. They stated the same thing the service mgr. said. Upgrade in the works…no ETA
I have the same problem exactly as described. Noticed the problem within 100 miles. It isn’t downshifting. It happens at approx 55 to 60 mph at about 2200rpm. If I’m driving at a constant speed/accelerator pressure, and I go down a slight decline on a relatively flat road, I feel a pullback, the instantaneous gas mileage goes to 99 and the tach drops to about 1800. It will sometimes bounce back and forth between the 2 tach readings. If I go up to about 65 mph at about 2500 rpm, it seems to work properly. It feels very much like a cruise control that can’t decide which is the best gear to be in. I shifted into 3rd to see what the rpm was at 60 mph in 3rd gear. It is about 3000 rpm. The problem is not the transmission downshifting.
Additionally, I was going down a fairly steep hill at about 45 mph. When I took my foot off the gas, the car doesn’t coast down the hill…it feels like it downshifted and holds the car at about 45 mph…just like a cruise control. I’m wondering if there is a relationship. On this hill, every other car I drive coasts faster so that I have to apply the brakes in order to keep within the 45 mph speed limit. I wonder if all of this is due to Toyota’s implementation of the electronic speed control.
We all need to make as much noise about this as possible. I do not want to be stuck with this car with this driving condition. It is not a comfortable drive when the uncontrolable shifting always has you on guard with a reaction.
I just bought a 2011 corolla and noticed this problem on my first ride home… Very disappointing…exactly as everyone here is describing it, when I have the cruise on the tach jumps (super quickly) 400 rpms or so. Needle going haywire. I have owned 7 toyotas and never had a problem with any of them. Mine has 30 miles on it. Do I want this car???
I’m wondering whether or not this car isn’t one where the injectors are shut down while coasting, and perhaps whether this might not be happening right at a point where the road grade is almost maintaining the set speed - so that the rpm fluctuations have to do with the injectors kicking on/off - ? I don’t really have a good understanding of how those auto-shut down injector systems work so I’m reaching…but its just a thought.
Toyota hasn’t used the active cylinder management like other manufacturers. And even if plugs weren’t firing the rpms and tach needle wouldn’t be responding the way it is, something ain’t right.
My 2011 camry does not do this, nor did my tundra. I think it needs a re-flash
It is not gear hunting, I know what gear hunting is. someone in this post also mentioned the fact that the corolla downshifts (rpms jump) when the drivers foot is taken off the accelerator or when the brake is depressed, that is completely normal. All new toyotas have electronically controlled transmissions and they are designed to do that, someone mentioned that this could be related to the crazy jumpy tach needle, but they are not related. One is intended, one is faulty.
Jenwerner, my 2002 Sienna turns off the injectors when you are going down hill. I do not think this is the same as active cylinder management, which I am guessing is the system some makers use to turn off un-needed cylinders when the power is not needed. Turning off the injectors when going down hill seems to be a normal part of fuel injection control.
I know this is true, because some months ago I had a low efficiency cat converter when going to Cordoba, Vera Cruz. There is a 17 mile stretch as you drop from around 8,000 feet to around 3,000 feet of altitude. The code cleared itself up, but I bought a live scanner, and next time I went that route, I had my wife position that scanner so I could just glance at it (when no cars were near me) as one glances at the odometer. On the down grades it most definitely shuts off fuel, and the sensors before the cat converter showed maximum lean.
I believe these seemingly odd behaviors are an effort to drive folks to the showroom due to EPA figures.
Drive-ability suffers a bit in order to achieve just a bit better MPG.
I found some dreadful shifting in recent (rented) cars including the Chevy Cruze and Ford Fiesta. I did not notice it in a Toyota Corolla but did not look at the tach.
Complain to Toyota. I think enough folks do it you will get a reprogram of transmission.
I love my new corolla so much I am really trying not to let this bother me… I’m getting about 40 mpgs in this hog… It’s awesome! I asked my service advisors at the dealership and of course, nobody knows nothin…I can’t believe that, has no one else complained about this??? I really find that hard to believe. Is it just a handful of the '11 corollas with this issue or are most drivers totally unaware and unobservant of this odd behavior
Even taking into consideration leaning out on downhill grades and coasting doesn’t explain this haywire tach. I’m actually noticing 2 drivability issues w the new corolla: 1- tach jumping in a split second back and forth 2-the car actually has some weird shift patterns ( not at the same time as the haywire tach) that really aren’t conducive to the way yotas usually drive…
@Jenwerner, I would continue to chase them until someone addresses your concerns. If you must just keep climbing Toyota corporate until someone takes it seriously
Yeah, thanks cigroller
How’s Your Steering ?
I see as many (more ?) complaints about EPS (Electric-Assist Power Steering) systems as the transmission problems on these Corollas. Many owners (repeat Corolla buyers, too) passed on buying this car because they deemed the steering to be unsafe.
CSA
I have had no probs at all with the steering (knock on wood). I love how effortless it is compared to my SE camry
Many owners (repeat Corolla buyers, too) passed on buying this car because they deemed the steering to be unsafe.
Where did you get that stat from???
Edmunds.
“Handling is uninspiring, however. Body roll is decently controlled, but the electric steering on non-XRS models provides so little feedback, you may find yourself making corrections simply to keep the car traveling in a straight line.”
However, Edmunds point out that there’s one model where the steering has been recalibrated and has better feel.
" Toyota retuned this setup for the XRS, and indeed its steering feels crisper and weightier. "
TSB
The Feds
I’m NOT disputing that there’s a problem…
My question was …where did the stats come from saying previous Corolla owners passed on buying the car because they deemed it unsafe??? I’ve never heard anyone keeping those kind of stats.
I have the same exact problem with my new Corolla. I purchase my vehicle and brought it back to the dealer within a couple of days to have it checked out since the transmission was acting odd. The behavior is very consistent and appears between 45 and 65 mph. Any faster or slower and the behavior disappears. It is like the transmission cannot decide what gear it needs to be in and cycles up and down. Curiously, or not, if I am going up or down hill it doesn’t seem to happen. I’ve never had a car that acts this way and cannot believe that this is normal. My dealer initially said they couldn’t reproduce the problem so I took the service manager for a ride and was able to consistently demonstrate the problem. He said there was nothing he could do and that Toyota has not identified this as a problem. He gave me the Toyota quality care number which I called and registered my complaint, but I got the same response from Toyota. They insist that this is not a problem. I live in NY and will be filing a complaint with our State Attorney General’s office. If enough people complain they will investigate and force Toyota to fix the issue. I recommend that everyone do the same.
Well, the reports keep rolling, it seems. And all the same with regards to Toyota’s reaction to the issue.
I think that if it was me I’d be thinking about a trip to an independent transmission shop for an evaluation. A good transmission tech should be able to tell what is happening and perhaps why. E.g. perhaps the TCC is being commanded on/off for some reason. Perhaps this could be linked to a throttle position sensing problem. Perhaps to a load calculating issue (MAF/MAP readings). Perhaps there are fluid pressure issues. Perhaps …etc., etc. Some should be able to find out exactly what the transmission is doing and why - and/or verify that it is something about the transmission.