Affected Years: 2017, 2018, 2019 Toyota Tacoma. Our law firm is also investigating 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Toyota Tacoma for the same issues.
These issues seem to arise from defects in the Automatic Transmission.
Across most of the manufacturers, you can still get a test drive, though they are likely soon to be a thing of the past. While you never get to drive it long enough to do more than form an opinion on the cabin visibility, and perhaps the handling, braking, and power, it is still worth doing. This is still valuable because it will give you something to compare to the day you drive your vehicle off the lot for the 1st time. Vehicles make many unique sounds.
After some time, you might notice the Toyota Tacoma behaving in some odd and interesting ways. You might detect some vibrations that you don’t think were there originally, or some changes in the handling that seem excessive for the mileage you have put on your pickup. You decide to swing by and test drive a new one just to compare them. Then you hear some odd sounds coming out of the front end. The next thing you do is make an appointment at your local Toyota dealership to have it evaluated. There are many different things on new vehicles that will need lubrication, or might change after break-in. There are different things that wear down or break on today’s vehicles. The new vehicle warranty is one of the top reasons given by buyers in post-purchase surveys as to why they purchased a new vehicle. You don’t appreciate the importance of the warranty until you suddenly find your pickup truck at the dealer’s repeatedly for failures of the same things, like transmission issues, rough shifts, and loud noises.
If you are having an issue with your Toyota Tacoma and somewhere after the third or fourth trip to the dealership service department, you may start to wonder if you have a lemon on your hands. If you are worried, Guardian Lemon Law is waiting for your call. We will schedule a review of your case and see if your vehicle and its problems will actually qualify under California Lemon Law, and more importantly, for how long.
If it does qualify, it clears the way so that we can sue Toyota for selling you a defective, lemon Toyota Tacoma, and provide you with an experienced Toyota Tacoma lemon law attorney to do so. We provide our clients with a Zero-Fee Guarantee when they hire us. More on that later.
Lemon Law In The State Of California
The Song-Beverly Act was signed into law in 1971, and its purpose was to provide consumer protection when dealing with manufacturers and their express warranties, ensuring that consumers had recourse if manufacturers failed to meet their warranty obligations. It remains the foundation for California Lemon Law today.
The basics of qualifying under Lemon Law in California begin with a Guardian Lemon Law attorney performing an evaluation to determine the answer to the qualification question. There are 3 parts to this process. The first step starts with verifying your vehicle qualifies under the law. The 2nd part focuses on examining the issue itself to verify that it meets the criteria for a Lemon Law claim. The 3rd part is to verify that you are within the time limits defined by the Lemon Law to file a claim or lawsuit. The next step is to determine the desired remedy.
The options available to you are either a vehicle buyback, which is comparable to a refund of what you paid for the Toyota Tacoma, plus fees, or a vehicle replacement equal in either value or in make and model if one is available. When you need a Toyota Tacoma transmission shudder/hunting lemon lawyer, Guardian Lemon Law is ready to take you on as a client.
The Qualifiers Of A Vehicle Under California Lemon Law
There are two parts to the qualification list. The first part is specific to the vehicle and the cause of the issue. The first three items listed below must all be met to qualify.
- Your vehicle must remain covered under the manufacturer’s new car warranty or a certified pre-owned warranty when the issue started and when all the repairs were attempted
- The repair issue being worked on cannot be caused or created by improper use or abuse of the vehicle prior to the first repair effort or during any follow up efforts
- A reasonable number of attempts to repair your issue have been made, with reasonable being defined as at least two attempts for significant safety issues, and at least four attempts for any defect that is not safety-related
Under the Lemon Law in California, you must give the manufacturer or its representative the opportunity to make the necessary repair. If either of the two items below is met, what is called a presumption of the vehicle being a lemon may be created.
The efforts to repair the issue have totaled more than 30 days of out of service time on the vehicle, meaning it has been unavailable to you for use
The issue being experienced is affecting the safe operation, the actual use, or the value of the vehicle to its owner
When you need a lemon lawyer to sue Toyota for transmission shudder/hunting, the last qualification is that the time limit set by the Statute of Limitations cannot be exceeded.\
The Time Limit For Lemon Law Claims And Lawsuits
The Statute of Limitations in the State of California for filing a Lemon Law claim or lawsuit was updated on January 1, 2025. The two limits set under the law say within one year of the expiration of your vehicle’s factory warranty, or six years from the date you took delivery of your Toyota Tacoma. The date that applies to the time limit is the earlier of the two. The Guardian Lemon Law team can provide more information on this during your case evaluation and make sure the Toyota Tacoma transmission shudder/hunting lemon law lawsuit is filed in time.
The Causes Of The 2017-2019 Toyota Tacoma Transmission Shudder issue
The Tacoma transmission feels as though it is “hunting” for the correct gear, and during this time, you notice excessive vibration at different speeds. These are the common symptoms noted from the cabin.
The common symptoms are:
- There is a very specific vibration and shaking, or a sensation of driving over a rumble strip, often happening during light acceleration or at speeds between 25-50 mph
- The transmission is shifting frequently, looking to find the right gear, particularly on inclines or at highway speeds
- A harsh downshift (often from 2nd to 1st) or delayed engagement when switching from reverse/drive, sometimes described as a loud metallic clank and shudder
These issues are widespread enough that they are often discussed in 3rd Gen Tacoma forums and considered a characteristic of the 3.5L powertrain, which some dealers may call normal behavior
The root causes vary, but have been found to be:
- The torque converter clutch (TCC) may be slipping, often exacerbated by degraded or contaminated fluid. Many Gen 3 Tacoma’s have also been found to be underfilled
- The Tacoma ECU/TCU is programmed to prioritize fuel economy, which has been known to cause excessive gear hunting to meet that programming
When you need a lawyer experienced in Toyota Tacoma transmission shudder/hunting lemon law cases, we want you to know you can hire Guardian Lemon Law.
Guardian Lemon Law And Our Zero-Fee Guarantee
Let’s begin by stating that we will not charge a client up front before taking on their case. Your initial consultation is free, as is a second opinion on a case you already have in progress with another firm.
There is no easy way to go through a Lemon Law issue on a vehicle you pay a lot of money to own. It is not enjoyable when you start spending your own time and energy to get your Tacoma fixed. It is even less fun when it looks like you are going to have to file a claim and retain legal counsel. Here is where Guardian Lemon Law is ready and able to help you. Our Zero-Fee Guarantee says that if we don’t win your case, there will be no fees at all.
Please call Guardian Lemon Law when you start thinking about a Toyota Tacoma defective automatic transmission lemon lawsuit or claim. We can help you through each phase and take some of the burden off of you as we work to resolve this in your favor.
