My Toyota Dealer Said TSB Tundra Fix Didn't Exist Until I Proved Them Wrong And Completely Transformed My Truck

The owner of a Toyota Tundra, who visited to the dealership for a 25,000-mile service, says that once he informed the service advisor about the TSB, and the advisor confirmed its existence with the technicians, the dealership performed the work and the truck started to run and drive much better.

The owner, John Mathys, does note that he's only driven about 50 miles since the work was done.

From Mathys on Facebook:

Fellow Tundra owners chimed in, suggesting that their trucks also ran -- and shifted -- better.

Torque News Checked The TSB. Here's What It Says

The technical service bulletin addresses 2024-2026 model-year Tundras, specifically non-hybrid Tundras with the V35A-FTS engine. It's meant to address hesitation under acceleration from a rolling or quick stop, and it does so by fixing the transmission control module's logic.

Based on the comments on Mathys' post, it seems to work.

A few Facebook users complain that service advisors didn't know about the TSB, but as a former service advisor myself -- one of the shops I worked at was a Toyota dealer -- I can tell you that TSBs go straight to technicians. Service writers are not usually alerted, unless a tech mentions it.

All this means is that if you own one of these trucks and it's hesitating when accelerating, either from a dead stop or during a rolling start, this might be the fix you need. If a service writer seems stumped, ask him or her to check with their technician colleagues.

What A TSB Is

Technical service bulletins aren't quite recalls -- they are notices from the manufacturer to dealership technicians about known problems. They usually include the recommended fix to the problem. Technicians typically alert their service writer to a TSB's existence if one applies to a car in for service. If the customer is experiencing the problem addressed by the TSB, he or she can have the fix applied. It would usually be for no cost to the consumer under warranty, though that might not always be the case.

Of course, Mathys' Facebook post above shows that perhaps a service advisor is unaware of a TSB. If your vehicle is at the dealership for service and a certain problem seems to be stumping the service staff, try searching for a TSB that might offer a fix.

About The Author

Tim Healey is an experienced automotive writer and editor from Chicago. He has covered automotive news at Consumer Guide Automotive, Web2Carz, AutoGuide, and was the managing editor at The Truth About Cars. Tim is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association. You can find him on Facebook, X/Twitter, and on LinkedIn.