You should always replace a converter seal when the converter comes out. Is about 30 minutes max work and a $10 seal. I would think it would be covered but not sure.

2 axle seals can be replaced without pulling transmission at a later date. Also cost about $10 each. With transmission out both can be replaced in less than 30 minutes. Without pulling transmission a couple of hours work per side.

Unless you have a lot of miles I would not touch the rear main engine seal. Rear main seal is about $15 and with transmission out takes about 1 hour. Is a major job if transmission is not out.

None of the seals are removed when the converter is replaced. I have seen the torque converter seals wear a groove in the converter shaft so it makes sense to replace with the converter.

Sounds like you could negotiate price lower.

 

130,000 miles. Is that about time for these seals?

 

If you intend to keep it a few more years, I would do all of them. Cheap insurance.

Make sure it includes an engine oil and filter change as well as transmission fluid change.

I found TS-B-0034-14 which covers the torque converter recall. It included fluid for the transmission oil change, pan and rear cover gaskets. No seals of any type.

Edit- just found later version of recall, no longer includes any gaskets and they cut labor from 8 to 5 hours.

 

2010 Toyota Venza with bad torque converter here as well. Shuddering between 40-55mph when slowly stepping on the gas pedal. Started at 100k miles. Technitions at both the Toyota dealer and elsewhere said got to drop transmission and replace torque converter with no other fix. Going to be lucky if only spend $2600. I am hoping to get another 100k with theses crappy transmissions, and won't buy a Toyota again. I have had better luck with Fords and Nissans. Tons of torque converter problems with Toyota.

 

It was a service bulletin not a recall, my torque converter just failed at 115,000 miles 3 months after the bulletin expired. They are trying to charge me 2400 just to replace the torque converter. Claiming 11 hours of labor. After reading this I am even more pissed at Toyota as this should have been a recall not a service bulletin. Nice to know that the dealerships can lie and charge you whatever they want when Toyota clearly knows the job takes 6 hours or less (as per every review and comment I've read). I think it is time for a class action lawsuit as this is B.S.

 

How did you drive the car? Was the trans fluid changed regularly as well as the filter? If you neglected that, or drove the thing like a bat out of hell or a maniac all the time, then I wouldn’t be surprised. Be honest.

 

But was the trans fluid ever changed? I’m only asking because Toyota tries to argue that it’s a so-called “lifetime” fluid that doesn’t need to be changed, which everyone knows isn’t true. TSB or no TSB, I find it very hard to believe that a torque converter quit with less than 120k on it. If the dealer did in fact change the fluid often enough, and you have receipts proving it, it helps your case if or when you decide to take them to court. Something doesn’t add up here.

 

According to my local transmission mechanic, you should change fluid every 100,000-150,000 miles. But I have a lawyer now against them for the torque converter, all my reciepts and everything have already been sent in. At 100,000 miles how many times do you think the fluid should have been changed? Because it isn't the best idea from what I've been told to keep messing with the fluid in a transmission. But the car in question has had all routine matinence on time, Toyota just made a faulty part at the expense of us, the consumer. I'm pretty sure there will be a class action against them very soon for the shudder in the torque converter.

 

I have 2012 toyota camry and the car is shuddering when I’m driving 40-50 mph, most likely it is the torque converter, I called toyota and asked them about recall program if my car qualifies and they told me that my car has a rebuilt title and the recall program doesn’t work on this type of vehicles. What do you suggest guys ? I’m not quite ready to spend $3000 for the new torque converter and if anyone has experience with same issue I would be glad to hear some thoughts. I’m going to keep driving like that hopefully it won’t get worse (

 

This shudder issue is largely dependent on the friction level at the flex-lock clutch, which is mediated by the transmission fluid.
In cases like yours, out of warranty, I would firstly have a thorough fluid replacement done, preferably a full drain-out and refill then with the cooler hose allowed to drain the torque converter a couple of times with the engine running.
Note that the popular synthetic fluids that meet WS specifications have a higher viscosity under standard conditions (however still meeting the specifications over the entire temperature range). So these up-rated fluids from Amsoil and Redline (or even the inexpensive MaxLife) would seem to offer the chance to soften the torque pulses from the dwell-modulated, cyclic applications of the flex-lock clutch, which is the source of the shudder.

If the fluid change does improve your transmission's shudder, then I would follow up with a pan-drop fluid and filter change. There is rather little to lose here, yet the payback is enormous.
You could even take one more step and add a friction modifier, but don't take the cheap/lazy route and use such a product first! Definitely a last-try sort of thing after a very thorough fluid replacement has been tested.

You didn't mention how many miles are on your car's trans fluid, but it's not a lifetime fluid in the real world, especially for these pre-2015 cars.

Lastly, don't wait and keep driving a car with shudder. The shudder likely develops a wear pattern on the clutch surfaces which might be harder to correct with fluid replacement after it's been going on for a long time.

 

They tried a fluid change and it didn't fix it. He was hoping because he had one like mine that it did fix. So we ended up at Toyota and 2400 bucks later it's all good to go. This was something I went to a professional for and he knew to do what you suggested. But no luck!

 

i change mine every 30k..i dont give a rats ass what they tell u..toyota recommends its lifetime fluid! they know its a faulty tc thats why they extended the warranty. im getting ready to change mine,i dont have any issues but im not waiting for all hell to break loose. 450 for the tc, my friend who is a master tech will replace it for 350. now factor in filter kit..fluid and im looking at about 850 dollars..well worth risking the shudder then trans failure

 

I am going through this with my 2012 Camry. I have always taken it to the dealership for all maintenance and they have never said anything to me about this. Now the bid is $2900. I cannot afford this. Need help. Will be calling other places to get a bid as well as the dealership on Monday after I have read these post and searched the issue to find out that it is a faulty part and should be on Toyota.

 

I just had my 2012 Toyota Camry serviced at the dealership, where it has had all of its services done according to schedule. Just was told that my car needs to have the torque converter replaced as well at 130,XXX miles. Now that I reading these posts I am very upset that Toyota has not taken responsibility for this. Nor did the dealership say anything about it. It is past warranty and the estimate is $2900. I do not have that kind of money. I feel after reading these other posts, this is on Toyota. What recourses do we have? Any suggestions and support is appreciated.

 

They sent out letters to the original owners providing an extended warranty which I believe expired at 125K.

I hear you can have it done at aftermarket transmission shops for about $800. The converter itself if you use the part numbers for the replacement "kit" from Toyota was about $300 so $800 sounds about right. Have them replace the front seal as well which should not add more than $50 to your bill.

Let us know how you make out.

 

Thank you. I am not the original owner, bought it used. I am going to call around tomorrow to see about getting more bids. Toyota should be "Better" than this.

 

The extended warranty was 8 years/ 150k miles from first date of service. I would try to find out exactly what that date is. If it was purchased later in 2012 (a left-over, perhaps) you could be within the warranty period. It’s unlikely, but worth checking. If not, appeal to Toyota. It’s a pretty lousy situation. If you were “lucky” enough that it went a year ago, it would be covered in full, but because it held out a bit longer, you get stuck with the bill.

 

Crazy. I / we should not be stuck with a bill. As the second owner, I did not know anything about this or an extended warranty. Only think I can hope for is to get a better estimate / bid from a reputable repair / mechanic. Thank you for the information.

 

My 05 camry 2.4 transmission is still going and the car has 305k miles on it.
I know technology has changed a bit, but that's ridiculous.(OT)

I've changed the tranny fluid at 166k (1st known change-poor mans flush) along with filter/pan gasket, and a few more times up to 305k; and that's with the tranny having an odd 1-2 shift the whole time.

They seem to be making them cheaper and cheaper.

 

I have no idea. From the search I did, I am not the only person who has had an issue with the torque convertor. I am waiting to hear back from the dealer as to what they will or will NOT do for me. When I called, again today after no response, I asked for a copy of all my records. As I felt this was on Toyota and they had an obligation to make it right. I am waiting for their response. They said within 24 hours.

Thank you for the input.

 

What seems REALLY odd to me is that after years of discussion of the infamous failed flex-lock clutch, I have yet to come across a detailed description/explanation of the nature of the failure mode. No pictures or anything!

I'm left to imagine what goes on in this thing, where the lock-up plates come together under duty-cycle controlled compression of friction surfaces that are immersed in transmission fluid.

Do we even have any confirmation of what exact part of which component is wearing funny?
Does anyone know what Toyota's software tweak involved?
Has anyone ever repaired one of these malfunctioning converters? Does any company rebuild them?
What exactly is different about the improved later units?
At least with some data/evidence, we could speculate on how to best deal with the problem before it happens and after it happens, especially so as to prevent transmission damage.
Maybe there are photos or technical papers out there that I just haven't come across yet(?).

The sort of "black box" mystery of these things is annoying even as I don't even have or expect a problem with my 2015 LE!

 

Let's just focus on the 8-speed issues 🤪

 

The way I look at it is, Toyota knew there was an issue. They should work with owners / the service department should meet owners half-way with the costs. Does not sound like it is going to happen. I have a couple quotes over the phone that are less by $1200 from reputable transmission shops. So we will see what I decide to do next week. Appreciate the feedback.

 

TSB vs recall, if it is not under warranty it won't be free and nothing is free in life.

 

The person I spoke to at Cop Toyota slipped and called it a recall, then corrected himself to call it a service bulletin. Toyota had an extended warranty where they were covering it. It ended April 2020, or 150,000 miles. My car just started having issues with 131,000 miles. So under the miles but missed the date by 3 months. If they will not cover it, my request was that they come down in their price and match the other place(s).

 

It is too easy to get TSB's and Recalls mixed up. More so since everyone expects stuff for free. Otherwise all you can do if the dealership can't help you is bring it to Toyota Corporate.

 

Not expecting it for free. Expecting and hoping that Toyota would stand behind their product, knowing, even if it was a TSB, that there was an issue. Meet in the middle. If not, I have already called around and have 3 other places that can do the work with bids from $1600-$1900 compared to their $2943. Bottom line, car needs to be fixed so I can live my life and move on from this. Just leaves a bad feeling with Toyota.

 

Yep, pretty lousy. If it happened in March, it would have been covered 100%. But because it happened a few months later; 0%. “Oh, what a feeling” -Toyota

 

Yep...and "the feeling" isn't great. But, I will take care of it and move on. Just crazy, I had no idea until I searched. Just feels dishonest by Toyota, especially since all service has been done by them. Lesson learned.

 

Research and hit or miss. Not much else you can do.

 

glad mine is done..

 

Anyone have the updated version of Torque converter part number? I have a 2012 Camry LE 4 cylinder purchased new with now only 67K miles that's showing symptom of this TC shudder issue. Called 2 toyota dealers and corporate and they told me replacement program expired last year for my vehicle. I'm stucked foking $ for repairs.

 

put some shudder guard in it

 

I'm wondering about a couple of things related to this.

Firstly, does the shudder-guard product address the particular failure mode of these TC clutches?

What is the failure mode of these TC clutches, not the symptoms but the actual mechanism of failure?

With respect to the latter, I have often suspected that the failure rate of these TC clutches was lower than what one might suppose it was, based on internet chatter. This is because I have yet to see even one article that dives into the problem and shows (with pictures) what discreet component is "failing" such as to cause TC clutch assembly failure.

Only by first identifying the mechanism of failure can we begin to identify and correct the problem (beyond simply replacing the TC clutch assembly or posting anecdotal reports of corrective measures such as fluid tinkering).

So has anyone here seen or read of a sort of post-mortem examination of the affected clutch mechanism?
Wouldn't someone, somewhere, have taken apart one of these TC clutches and posted photos by now?
Again without such "data" I find myself tending to doubt that the frequency of TC clutch failure could be all that high, especially since these cars still consistently find their way into the "most reliable" category of all the ratings publications.

And lastly, asking again, does anyone here have a non-US Camry and who can post the prescribed oil and trans fluid change interval from their owner's manual? Is the 10k figure for engine oil in km or miles(?) and what about the trans fluid change interval??? Thanks in advance from all of us! Thanks again!

 

I'm wondering about a couple of things related to this.

Firstly, does the shudder-guard product address the particular failure mode of these TC clutches?

What is the failure mode of these TC clutches, not the symptoms but the actual mechanism of failure?

With respect to the latter, I have often suspected that the failure rate of these TC clutches was lower than what one might suppose it was, based on internet chatter. This is because I have yet to see even one article that dives into the problem and shows (with pictures) what discreet component is "failing" such as to cause TC clutch assembly failure.

Only by first identifying the mechanism of failure can we begin to identify and correct the problem (beyond simply replacing the TC clutch assembly or posting anecdotal reports of corrective measures such as fluid tinkering).

So has anyone here seen or read of a sort of post-mortem examination of the affected clutch mechanism?
Wouldn't someone, somewhere, have taken apart one of these TC clutches and posted photos by now?
Again without such "data" I find myself tending to doubt that the frequency of TC clutch failure could be all that high, especially since these cars still consistently find their way into the "most reliable" category of all the ratings publications.

And lastly, asking again, does anyone here have a non-US Camry and who can post the prescribed oil and trans fluid change interval from their owner's manual? Is the 10k figure for engine oil in km or miles(?) and what about the trans fluid change interval??? Thanks in advance from all of us! Thanks again!

They supposedly changed my TC at about 47K. At 67K I still have the shudder.
I have it on good source from an engineer at a Toyota supplier is that the original veins were junk and that is what is falling apart.
And, dropping the TC and then the refill leaves s LOT of crap in there!
It may just be because I just don't trust the dealer that did the work, but I'm not sure the stuff is refilled correctly if they used that goofy machine.

Sent from my SM-A716U1 using Tapatalk

 

A drain and fill actually gets less than 1/3 (about 2 quarts of the 6.9) of the fluid. Doing multiple drain and fills is the key.

 

I had to drain/fill my used Corolla purchase five times (100 miles of driving between changes) before the fluid was predominantly a red color. Maybe I over-did it?
Thing is though that I regretted my approach and should have done the pan-drop and filter change first, so that the bulk of the silt could have been tossed with the filter before mixing with the new fluid.

I was getting 3 quarts out with each drain by using a vacuum tube down the dipstick tube and running the engine for 15 seconds with the pan level very low, and which does no harm.
The Camry retains a full 1+ quart in the pan after draining, below the top of the threaded bung, and wit no dipstick tube to allow pulling fluid from the bottom of the pan, so I had to use a sharply-bent tube to get to the bottom of the pan from the drain plug bung. Otherwise, only two quarts comes out by merely pulling the plug
But doing two or three purges out of the cooler return line can get two additional quarts of dirty fluid directly out of the torque converter each time if the trans if first over-filled by 1.2 quart after each drain-out. This goes quickly(!) if your setup for the hose going into the drain pan is visible from the driver's seat, and if a suitable refill funnel/tube is in place for adding back fluid quickly.
I was able to get my hands to the trans cooler hose/clamp from above, which might require thin arms like mine lol.
I couldn't believe how easy that this part of the whole job was (compared to getting my car leveled in my tilted driveway).