Warning - New problem for Gen 2 ECM module

[JasonBegin]

ah ha, you found one thing that i will not discuss----i will never ever talk about legal issues unless there are concrete things that i know that i can talk about---and this is one of the ones. and you dont have to downshift as slingshot said---and also---i do not have privy to everything, such as the actual software settings and such---and if you know about it, my suggestion is to drive it like you know it and not put yourself in any dangerous situations--i.e. dont pull out into fast moving traffic..--not being a wiseguy, just my opinion.[/quote]






Hah, Thats funny, i would say 60-70 % of the people on this board prob live in a large Metro Area, NYC,LA,Philly, And its kind of impossible To not pull out of a Ramp on The west side hwy(NYC) when people are doing 70-90mph, So, Sorry. i Found that funny.

[IamaPig]

I too had the hesitation issue during my "break in" period as I drove the car like an old lady... when I put my foot into it the car went int shock and hesitated constantly...
I have an excellent mechanic (Toyota no less) and we found a way around this problem.
it all seems to stem from the AI (learning to respond to your driving habits). one of the criteria is to be fuel efficient so the fuel/air mixture is leaned out to the max.

to fix you can reset the system and drive like you usually do. But I recommend you do 10 or so stops and fast starts to train the system...
optionally the system over writes older data so once you stop and take off 20 or so times the problem solves itself.
The down side is that if you lend your car to the wife you will have to retrain it again.. I found that the car was much easier to train than the wife.. so... good luck

[Down2TheC]

That's what I've been thinking. Got mine in April '04. Did the break in period and then started puttin' her through the paces. Had the delay quite prominently. now 10 months later, it's fading. I could be getting used to it but it seems to be reduced. Doesn't happen as much or as drastically. So I was going to ask for the ECU reset so she could learn the right driving habits from scratch. The soft break in 1K miles just fooled her into thinking I was a 80 yr old lady going to church. That needs to be corrected.

[rs32828]

Has anyone had this issue on an '05 SLE? I am curious b/c it seems like my ragtop has a flat spot on taking off.... Almost had me killed more than once!

[crimson blades]

Mine does, makes driving it an adventure, you never really know whats going to happen when you step on it hard.

[Down2TheC]

Has anyone had this issue on an '05 SLE? I am curious b/c it seems like my ragtop has a flat spot on taking off.... Almost had me killed more than once!

Before you get too deep, finish the break-in then start fresh with an ECU reset. The lag may go away after some "combat training". I'm going to do it this week and then drive like a getaway car for a few weeks. We'll see if it's better.

[rs32828]

So to reset, I should just pull the cables for 1/2 an hour or so? I really hope this fixes the problem, it is a real trip pulling into traffic not knowing what the outcome may be! FUN!!!!

[Down2TheC]

I'm having Toyota do it. But that's probably what they do anyway. I'll ask them tomorrow.

[Down2TheC]

So to reset, I should just pull the cables for 1/2 an hour or so? I really hope this fixes the problem, it is a real trip pulling into traffic not knowing what the outcome may be! FUN!!!!

Results of the dealer visit: Nada! They had no problem scheduling the ECU reset and acknowledged the reasons when I dropped it off. The same guy comes out after an hour and says it's ready. Turns out they did nothing to the ECU. He says there was nothing in the program to alter anything about the acceleration. Then he proceeded to give me a lesson in accelerator cables of old and fly-by-wire. I cut him off but didn't bi+ch-slap him like I wanted to. So according to him there are no TSB's and the lag is just a "feature" of the new technology... so live with it. Funny how he didn't say anything like that until after. I'm guessing someone gave him the party line. So now I have to gather some ammo and/or go to another dealer. The claim is that a reset of the ECu won't help. I'll do it myself since they won't.

[dvdchris45]

I read around that the TRD muffler gets rid of the lag problem. Can anyone attest to this?

[Down2TheC]

Heck... I'd drop the $$$ for anything that gets me the power on demand. Such a waste of a nice engine to hide it behind these flippin' ECU/tran issues. With all the models effected, and aftermarket ECU mod would make some serious dough. But I imagine noone takes on that sort of thing. Any EE geeks looking for a challenge? Maybe disgruntled Toyota engineers with proprietary specs?

P.S. Avalon review in USA Today
"A sometimes-indecisive transmission is the one mechanical hiccup noticed during the test drives. In stop-and-go traffic or cruising at walking speed looking for an address or street sign, the transmission can't settle on a gear. Little jerks and shudders come through as the transmission hunts for the right ratio. Disappointing in such a well-done car. "

Sound familiar?