Have 2 incidents. 1. Transmission would do a hard jerk when shifting from 1st to 2nd going about 20MPH. Also happened when slowing down. Also happened when going from park to reverse/drive and/or reverse to drive. Happened randomly. Had to tech from dealer for ride along and tech saw it happen first hand. Ended up getting new transmission. Truck has 30K miles. 2. Drivers side door handle broke. Had to roll down window to open door from outside.
Toyota Tacoma jerking problems
160 of the 8,489 owner complaints about the Toyota Tacoma describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 160
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 15,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Sudden acceleration 15Harsh shifting 10Adaptive cruise 9Check engine light 8Hesitation 7Grinding brakes 7Transmission failure 5Stalling 5
What owners say
2025 Toyota Tacoma SR5, 8-speed automatic transmission. Harsh, hard shifts — primarily 1st-to-2nd and 2nd-to-3rd — on cold starts. The transmission slams into gear with a noticeable jolt/lurch of the vehicle. Occurs when the powertrain is cold; diminishes as it warms up. No warning lights and no diagnostic trouble codes stored. Reported to Kenny Kent Toyota (Evansville, IN) twice. First visit: dealer could not replicate. Second visit (09-17-2026): vehicle left overnight for cold-start diagnosis; dealer acknowledged the hard shifting but stated it is "operating as designed" because another Tacoma on the lot behaves the same way, and declined warranty repair absent a manufacturer bulletin. The unexpected lurch on engagement is a safety concern, particularly in parking lots and stop-and-go traffic. This matches Technical Service Bulletin TSB-0094-24 addressing shift quality on this transmission family and numerous identical owner reports.
On Sunday March 22, 2025 at around 1340, I was leaving my house and driving on a small incline and noticed my vehicle had a jerk when down shifting. This happened four times while traveling up hill. I have not yet had any repeat issues since this date.
I was driving my 2017 Toyota Tacoma and I my car suddenly was lurching and running rough. I had to put on hazards on a main road and pull over immediately and was not even able to let it run for air conditioning. It was 108 degrees out that day, waited for 1 hour 30 minutes in heat. Had truck towed to mechanic that stated my fuel pump was bad and there was a federal mandate recall on this. I have the paperwork for this (attached), when I called dealership they said it was not covered so I called advocate for Toyota that stated my truck was built in June and the mandate was only for September of 2017 and forward. So I have the exact same problem that they have a federal mandate to fix but won't fix mine. If I had been on the freeway I could have been killed. I have attached estimate to fix.
Vehicle lurched forward with a “bang” accelerating in stop and go traffic. Vehicle then stalled and flashed multiple warnings. Hybrid system failure. Drive mode failure. General failure. Vehicle would not restart on first attempt - multiple attempts made to restart. Upon restarting, it would not move forward in Drive, prompting a new error stating it needed to be returned to park. After a couple more restarts it was able to engage the gear and move forward. Power was limited, it drove differently, and the hybrid error persisted.
It's defiantly a fuel pump issue cause when check to see if fuel pump comes on it don't I was driving about 30 MPH it started jumping and jerking like if it was out of fuel I barely made it home it has been two to three weeks now with no response back from toyota dealer
Was driving to the store, and it started cutting out jumping and jerking with tremendous loss of power barely made it home had to push it in my DRV way and still no start it says my truck is not in the recall for faulty fuel pump warning check engine lights came on and says malfunction in the throttle body censer and automatic transmission sender
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently drifted to the left and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the instrument panel was not functioning properly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the long block and torque converter had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 188,000.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Transmission, and yes its available for inspection. When I put the truck into drive from park, and even reverse, the truck would jerk. (I have videos) When accelerating around 13-14mph, I could feel the transmission "gear searching" with rough shifting. When decelerating around 15-17mph, the transmission would down shift too early, producing the feeling of engine breaking, and again rough shifting. When I needed to really go, I experienced "transmission lag" where the engine would be working, reving up, the feeling of engaging the clutch (coasting feeling), then after a moment the gear would catch and the truck would finally take off. I took the truck to a dealership to have it checked out, but the technicians said they couldn't reproduce this issue. I called corporate and they sent me to another dealership. This dealership said the same thing, BUT went the next step and pulled some transmission fluid and found metal shavings. They had the truck for almost 3 weeks and replaced the transmission and torque converter. When I went to pick up the truck I put the truck into drive and felt the jerk I experienced before. I put it into reverse then drive, and again the whole truck jerks. I asked to speak to a manager and he said he can have the foreman look at it the next day. I made him get in the truck with me and showed him the truck jerking when placed into drive. Next day, foreman said there was nothing wrong and performed the same as a new truck on the lot. I spoke to a higher manager and he recommended I bring the truck in for the regional Field Technician. The Field Technician reviewed the vehicle and determined there was nothing wrong and it was performing the same as 3 new trucks on the lot.
The automatic will get stuck in a high gear, making it impossible to accelerate. I was almost hit trying to merge into traffic with the Transmission failing. Going from reverse to drive, the vehicle will "Buck", lurching forward. When at a red light, if the auto start/stop function kicks in, the car will also lurch into gear moving forward.
Related recalls
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2025 Tacoma and Tacoma Hybrid vehicles. The front driveshaft constant-velocity (CV) joint may deform and break.
- Risk
- A broken driveshaft can impair steering. Vehicles with full-time 4WD may experience a vehicle rollaway while parked without the parking brake applied. Both scenarios increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace both front driveshaft assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 11, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB11 and 25TA11.
Recall number 25V656000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturer (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Tacoma vehicles. The axle shaft sub-assembly may separate from the axle housing due to debris causing improperly secured fasteners.
- Risk
- Axle shaft separation can cause a loss of vehicle stability and brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear axle assembly, tighten the axle retaining nuts as necessary, and repair or replace any damaged components, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 24TB05 and 24TA05.
Recall number 24V152000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Tacoma vehicles. Oil may leak from the area where the rear differential carrier is assembled to rear axle housing.
- Risk
- If the vehicle is operated with an insufficient amount of oil in the rear differential, the differential may seize and cause a loss of control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear differential for oil leakage. Based on the inspection, dealers will either tightening the fastening nuts or replace the fastening nuts and gasket. If the rear differential components are damaged, the rear differential carrier assembly will be replaced. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall June 19, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0G.
Recall number 17V285000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 toyota tacoma pickup trucks. The propeller shaft may develop cracks during the manufacturing process. Over time, the cracks may eventually lead to the separation of the propeller shaft.
- Risk
- This may result in a loss of vehicle control increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the front propeller shaft on affected vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on march 22, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 10V042000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with four wheel drive, a section of the rear propeller shaft may have been improperly cast.
- Risk
- The front side of the rear propeller shaft could separate at the joint and come into contact with the road surface which could result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the possibility of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear propeller shaft with a new one free of charge. The recall began on august 1, 2007. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 07V324000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota Tacoma jerking
Which Toyota Tacoma years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (21 complaints), 2005 (20 complaints) and 2007 (18 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Toyota Tacoma?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history