April 2007 Build - V6 Transmission Impression - Still Has Issues

[mattskav]

So I ordered and SE V6 with everything about 5 months ago - the car was built last month April 2007 and delivered in May.

One of the big things I was curious about was the transmission; would all of the problems be solved that I was hearing about. I noticed many people had problems but they seemed to be largely isolated to the earlier builds. Some of these posters were particularly vociferous. I could never get an accurate assessment of a new V6 tranny no matter how hard I looked.

Here is my impression on a new camry v6 transmission after 800 miles.

- the transmission is still not functioning to a quality standard which I attribute to Toyota. The big issue seems to be that the software is poor and it would seem that the root cause is poor clutch pack control under light load.

What happens is the transmission exhibits the "slipping" problem which rears itself tamely as 250-300 RPM throttle blip between 1st and second when cold, followed by clutch pack engagement. The 1-2 change is barely noticeable but has happened twice in the first 800 miles. The more concerning behavior is at about 30 miles an hour when lightly accelerating from a coast - and in this case the engagement is quite harsh resorting in a very noticeable shudder.

This only seems to happen under light load conditions, the transmission performs well on high loads.

My conclusion is, these issues to not appear detrimental, it would seem the clutch pack is probably taking the brunt of the issue but it's probably well within design tolerance at these light loads. However it is still an irritating problem to those who notice such things. Furthermore it does not appear that the transmission problems are fixed on cars being delivered in May 2007 such as mine, which is >1yr after SOP.

I thought I would share this, again it was information I was looking for when deciding to purchase and I wish it was available as it may (probably would have) have changed my mind.

-Matt

[neil0311]

WOW...the fact that you waited 5 months for a Camry (or any car) is a bit hard to fathom in and of itself.

These problems should be no surprise to you or anyone who buys a V6 Camry. I'm sorry I keep hearing stories like yours of people who have not read the myriad articles, reviews, reports, etc. of the troubles with this vehicle.

I bought a V6 XLE in Sept 06 (built in 8/06) and began having issues soon after. After replacing the tranny and experiencing the issues again, along with a host of others I won't mention, I sold my Camry. Yes, it cost me some money to get out of a car with only 9K miles, but my new car is well worth the financial cost. It was the best decision I could have made. Only thing I wish is that I'd spent the extra few grand in the first place. You shouldn't have to put up with major problems with a new car.

To those who have "perfect" Canmrys with no problems, you apparantly dodged a huge bullet, but please don't repeat your "Animal House" mantra of "All is well...nothing is wrong...no need to panic." The 07 Camry has major problems that need to be corrected. Anyone who buys an 07 Camry at this point with all that's known and the TSBs should not be surprised when they get to know the dealership folks really, really well.

[mattskav]

Like I said, I did read the articles and most people who have been vocal all have cars built before 07. It was hard to find anything on someone with a >07 build date car. I took a risk. It's clear now that it's an issue with cars on the lot today, right now. I would not call it a major problem, because it does not seem bad enough to cause damage. It's more of an issue - something that irritating but not worth taking the car in for.

I see there is a new TSB just issued, hopefully this corrects the issue. I put this out there for anyone who is considering a purchase so they are aware that this condition can exist today, right now, on cars that were just delivered to the dealership. If you buy one you may need to deal with it.

m

[geoff5093]

I read up on all these problems to, but I bought my car last month and I have over 1000 miles on it, but no tranny problems yet.

[gdanaher]

Originally Posted by geoff5093

I read up on all these problems to, but I bought my car last month and I have over 1000 miles on it, but no tranny problems yet.

It's about time then for something to happen. You'll recognize it when it starts. What I really don't understand though is why it does take a little time for the problem to manifest? Takes some wear internally to clean up the machining burrs or something? Rarely is a flare reported right off the dealer's lot with zero mileage.

[Mistabullet]

Originally Posted by gdanaher

What I really don't understand though is why it does take a little time for the problem to manifest? Takes some wear internally to clean up the machining burrs or something? Rarely is a flare reported right off the dealer's lot with zero mileage.

I believe it takes the various computers (drive-by-wire and others) time to adjust to the new driver. Once it adjusts to a certain driving style it begins to flare. This would also explain why some of us experience the flare and some don't because we all have different driving styles. Furthermore, I believe the flare is associated with drivers who don't have a lead foot. I say this because my tranny began to flare around the same time I started taking it easy on the accelerator. One of our users also suggested leaving your battery disconnected over night (reset the computer?) and to drive it hard for the next few days. However, I don't know if anyone actually tried this.

Anyway, I recommend you guys give the new TSB a try.

[jaysi09]

so far i have no tranny issues. i bought my SE V6 last february. 01/07 built. and it has 6000+ miles so far and no issues. IMO it just depends on wat factory your car came from...