2018 Tundra 4.6L Throttle Acceleration Issue - Sluggish

I have a 2018 Tundra 4.6L SR5 TSS Off Road with 27k miles...

So yesterday heading home from work as usual, everything with the Tundra seemed to be normal until I came to my first red light. I was first in line and when the light turned green I accelerated as usual, or at least I tried, and the truck acted like I was pulling a heavy trailer... I typically accelerate with medium-heavy pressure on the throttle to get a nice jump of acceleration but this time the trucks response was way out of character.

When applying throttle the engine's rpms increased but the truck was sluggish catching up to the rpms it was putting out.., and as the truck increased in speed, I could feel a slight pulse of actual speed increase every so often, almost like a small bump of acceleration here and there through the power climb. In short, it felt as if you were already in 3rd-4th gear when you should be in 1st.

So naturally I continued to and from each red light duplicating my driving patterns to get a good handle on what was happening, and this symptom continued throughout the 40 min commute. In some instances I could mash the pedal to the floor from a dead stop or while cruising and it had very little affect on acceleration... rpms would slowly rise then the truck would slowly follow.

Has anyone had this same issue? Also, this morning's commute did not have the same issue, and the truck seemed to be back to normal, but I plan on taking it in to the dealer to at least document the issue with them. Maybe there is a known issue that hasn't been posted yet.

One last thing. The truck actually has a great stock rumble to the exhaust but I've noticed at higher rpms it turns into more of a clapping sound as if the cat is rattling... if that makes sense. It's noticeable if you have the windows down but not within the cab. Not sure if that is a problem at all, or if it could be a related issue and the catalytic converter is bad or something.

 

I have the same truck, only a 2019 model. I have owned the truck since the end of Jan.. I have not had this issue with my truck. I would, as you stated, document it with the dealer so it's on file with them.

 

Going to follow this since I have a 4.6 as well. No issues as at all for me. 2018 4.6 WITH 5800 MILES

 

also have you tried to run ODB 2 scanner to see if any codes ? Can get one from anywhere or borrom from some garage. If you are in Cali Los Angeles Area I would let you borrow mine.

 

Update:
Within the last few weeks, I received a "Recall Notice" from Toyota relating to the fuel pump in the Tundra. Now, this may or may not have been my issue but my assumption is that it was, and my issue happened before Toyota knew they had a serious problem. I also confirmed that Toyota dealerships cannot sell some of their new inventory due to this issue bleeding over into their newer production vehicles.

Letter basically says this:

What is the condition?
"The subject vehicles are equipped with a low-pressure fuel pump which may stop operating. If this were to occur, warning lights and messages may be displayed on the instrument panel, and the engine may run rough. This may result in a vehicle stall, and the vehicle may be unable to be restarted. if a vehicle stall occurs while driving, this could increase the risk of a crash".

What will Toyota do?
"Toyota is currently preparing the remedy for this issue. When the remedy is available, it will be FREE OF CHARGE to vehicle owners. You will receive a second notification when the remedy is available."

I'm just waiting for the second letter to come in, but from what I understand, they don't have a fix just yet.

 

I'm new to the group and have 16 tundra 4.6 that's also having the same issues being sluggish trying to accelerate and sometimes it jerks while accelerating. I've taken it to the mechanic who happens to be a friend of mine and he can't figure out what is wrong with it. He keeps saying I need a transmission but it has no problems going into gear or shifting gears. I've got a new battery and a new throttle body installed from him. I just got done replacing the spark plugs and coil packs but haven't had a chance to drive it yet since doing that. The check engine light is on and the trac control is off as well. They go off randomly but always come back at the exact same time. I'm a little confused about the situation since my mechanic says it's not throwing any codes when he hooks it up to his scanner. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have a 2016 4.6 2WD and mine also makes a very similar noise to OP (clapping sounds at higher RPMs). I’m the second owner and replaced the spark plugs and coil packs as well as cleaned the throttle body and mass airflow sensor bc I also noticed sluggishness and lower than expected gas mileage. I recently did a drain and fill on the transmission fluid on top of all this. Only seeing minor improvements but the sluggishness is still there as well as the high RPM clapping sound.

Recently noticed clear liquid dripping from what looks like the exhaust line (just before the muffler) after warm up. I know a little moisture in the exhaust due to condensation is typical but this was like a puddle. Wondering if an exhaust leak could also be at issue here.

 

Spark or fuel? Check the plugs too.