A 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport owner claimed that he was having concerning transmission issues not even 100 miles into the life of the vehicle, and has filed a class action lawsuit in response.
News of the lawsuit, filed by Abdul Syed in a California court, comes courtesy of TikTok creator Brian Mello (@realbrianmello), who compiles auto news and shares it on his platform. The Daily Dot covered prior news stories involving Hyundai and Nissan that Mello amplified in his videos.
The clip covering this news came up on Wednesday and has received more than 411,000 views as of Sunday morning.
In it, Mello shares salient details from the case, primarily from an article on the CarScoops website.
“The lawsuit claims that the eight-speed automatic transmissions of 2024 Toyota Tacoma models can fail to shift into gear, enter limp mode, or engage harshly, leading to damage that can cause the entire gearbox to fail,” he says.
He adds, “It’s also alleged that the transmissions and torque converters offered by Toyota as replacements are also defective.”
According to Mello, Syed reported “his 2024 Tacoma with under 100 miles on the odometer, would downshift and jerk between gears when slowing down and when accelerating from a stop. There was a noticeable delay in shifting, sloppy engagement in what he called jolting.”
As Mello noted and the Tacoma4G.com forum shared, Toyota did issue a technical service bulletin alerting people to known transmission issues but has not yet issued a recall.
@realbrianmello Toyota Tacoma Transmission Lawsuit! | #toyotatacoma #tacoma4x4 #trdpro #toyota ♬ original sound – Brian Mello
What auto sites are saying
The CarScoops article Mello borrowed from adds that manual transmission versions of the truck were not exhibiting the same issues and that Toyota would replace transmissions and torque converters showing signs akin to what Syed described.
That article also reports Syed claims the defect exposes truck owners to “an increased risk of severe injury or death.” The suit seeks compensation for any related repairs (including future ones) and for diminished resale value, contending that buyers “paid a premium for the supposed safety and reliability Toyota’s brand promised.”
CarBuzz fills in one additional detail: Syed’s claim that the September bulletin from Toyota doesn’t apply to the particular issues he’s having with his truck.
According to PacerMonitor’s following of the case, Toyota has assigned lawyers to the case, acknowledged by the court in question on Oct. 23.
What commenters are saying
Some commenters weighed this report against Toyota’s reputation for reliability.
“Not even the reliable brands are reliable any more,” one lamented.
Another observed, “I blame the emissions forcing them to change their equipment,” letting Toyota itself off the hook.
Someone countered, “This doesn’t happen to the other manufacturers in the US. Also emission regulations have nothing to do with transmissions.”
“Still better than any GM transmission,” a commenter said.
“Keep it simple,” one advised. “Keep it manuaaaaaallll.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Toyota via email and to Mello via Instagram and TikTok direct message.
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