For those that have issues, has anyone done a survey between Hybrid and NON? Ive seen a lot of hybrids reporting this. Wondering is there any diff with the increased torque?
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2025 4Runner Transmission Overheating on Climbs Off-Road
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Took my 2025 4Runner TRD Offroad out yesterday to Slaughterhouse Gulch near Bailey CO, and after several steep hill climbs in 4Hi (drive mode) the transmission oil temp light went on and I lost power. I had to stop for 4 minutes to let it cool then switch to 4Lo. It was my mistake to do multiple hill climbs in 4Hi, I should have been in 4Lo. I've also heard manual (s-mode) reduces temp as well (compared to drive mode which shifts between 1st & 2nd often).
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I have 2026 Land Cruiser and same issue has been reported by some owners.
Sounds like Toyota might rectify by reprogramming tranny to hold higher rpm before shifting (give up a bit of mpg, which they are certainly loathe to do).
my 2016 4Runner got on my nerves for low rpm shifting, but at least the 6 sp tranny was bulletproof by then.
For now, on road at least, the LC Owners Manual actually suggests using sport mode on long, windy mountainous roads. I think tow/haul mode might also work. Disappointing performance envelope omen for my new Land Cruiser tranny, but unfortunately part of new model/tranny shakeout. could also toss manual shifting into the options for long off road climbs.
Sounds like Toyota might rectify by reprogramming tranny to hold higher rpm before shifting (give up a bit of mpg, which they are certainly loathe to do).
my 2016 4Runner got on my nerves for low rpm shifting, but at least the 6 sp tranny was bulletproof by then.
For now, on road at least, the LC Owners Manual actually suggests using sport mode on long, windy mountainous roads. I think tow/haul mode might also work. Disappointing performance envelope omen for my new Land Cruiser tranny, but unfortunately part of new model/tranny shakeout. could also toss manual shifting into the options for long off road climbs.
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Yea putting it in sport mode or tow mode on road on long windy mountain roads is what the dealer told me too which is ridiculous as sometimes the roads open up and I can actually gain speed and have to switch it around. I would have just bought a manual 4Runner if they still made them. As I've mentioned on here multiple times I can make the same drive in my Honda Accord without doing anything.I have 2026 Land Cruiser and same issue has been reported by some owners.
Sounds like Toyota might rectify by reprogramming tranny to hold higher rpm before shifting (give up a bit of mpg, which they are certainly loathe to do).
my 2016 4Runner got on my nerves for low rpm shifting, but at least the 6 sp tranny was bulletproof by then.
For now, on road at least, the LC Owners Manual actually suggests using sport mode on long, windy mountainous roads. I think tow/haul mode might also work. Disappointing performance envelope omen for my new Land Cruiser tranny, but unfortunately part of new model/tranny shakeout. could also toss manual shifting into the options for long off road climbs.
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I have 2026 Land Cruiser and same issue has been reported by some owners.
Sounds like Toyota might rectify by reprogramming tranny to hold higher rpm before shifting (give up a bit of mpg, which they are certainly loathe to do).
my 2016 4Runner got on my nerves for low rpm shifting, but at least the 6 sp tranny was bulletproof by then.
For now, on road at least, the LC Owners Manual actually suggests using sport mode on long, windy mountainous roads. I think tow/haul mode might also work. Disappointing performance envelope omen for my new Land Cruiser tranny, but unfortunately part of new model/tranny shakeout. could also toss manual shifting into the options for long off road climbs.
Toyota 4Runner 2026 Limited – Transmission Oil Temperature Warning / Loss of Power
I would like to share my experience with my 2026 Toyota 4Runner regarding a serious issue while driving uphill, same issue has been reported by some owners.
On a steep hill, the vehicle suddenly lost power and displayed a transmission oil temperature warning. The vehicle was no longer able to continue climbing, even with the accelerator fully pressed. I had to reverse back down the hill because the vehicle could not move forward anymore.
From the beginning of the climb, I was driving in Sport mode. When I noticed the vehicle was losing power, I switched to manual mode and tried 1st and 2nd gear. The vehicle moved a little farther, but then it stopped again and would not continue uphill.
This has happened more than once, which is very concerning. This is supposed to be a capable 4x4 SUV, and I would not expect this kind of overheating or power loss during a normal steep climb.
Could this be related to transmission cooling, software calibration, torque management, or a defect in the vehicle?
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Hey Logan,
Toward the end, I was manually shifting between 1st and 2nd gear.
It was off-road, but nothing too heavy — more like a forest path. The total climb lasted about 20 minutes: the first 10 minutes were on paved roads, then about 5 minutes off-road in automatic Sport mode, and the last 5 minutes in manual mode, until the vehicle could no longer move forward.
I went to the dealership yesterday, where I was told that this type of vehicle should always be driven in manual mode when climbing. According to them, this was a driver error.
However, I have owned several 4Runners, and this is the first time I have ever experienced this kind of situation — and this kind of response from Toyota. The way they handled it was rude and unprofessional.
Toward the end, I was manually shifting between 1st and 2nd gear.
It was off-road, but nothing too heavy — more like a forest path. The total climb lasted about 20 minutes: the first 10 minutes were on paved roads, then about 5 minutes off-road in automatic Sport mode, and the last 5 minutes in manual mode, until the vehicle could no longer move forward.
I went to the dealership yesterday, where I was told that this type of vehicle should always be driven in manual mode when climbing. According to them, this was a driver error.
However, I have owned several 4Runners, and this is the first time I have ever experienced this kind of situation — and this kind of response from Toyota. The way they handled it was rude and unprofessional.
think there's any possible correlation with the underfilled transmission oil from the factory reported here? hybrid system malfunction i understand overheating can happen under challenging conditions but surely a 4runner in 4hi should not be tapping out when a honda accord or a crossover has no issues.
I've started noticing this happening to me where I previously had no issues. Happens when going uphill offroad in 2WD or 4HI. I haven't tried using tow or sport modes but it never happens in 4LO. I've caused the dash warning to go off twice now but I've changed the dash to show me tire pressures and my temps and that's what I keep on the dash for off roading. It wasn't that hot outside when it happened to me this weekend.
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