Were you experiencing any issues?
Who's making the recommendations?
Only complaints I've seen were failed torque converters.
Maybe go with a low mileage warrantied used one since they're pricey.
Check places like car-part.com for salvage yards near you.

 

I was told that the CVT Transmission has failed. I am having trouble getting more information

What do you mean by "I was told"? Were there any signs/symptoms or did a technician - from what kind of shop - just throw it at you this way? In any event, whether it's torque converter or CVT itseld related, you best option is a used/salvaged one. They may be find for $500 or less at your local scrapyard.

 

Unfortunately the used CVT's are running well above $1,200 bucks now and lower mileage units approaching $2k. Finding out what is really wrong with it is an absolute.

 

If you want a better answer than the one the mouth-breather at the shop told you, have the OBD2 codes pulled and see what the car says is wrong. The computer doesn't guess or send a child to college; they'll be something like P07xx.

 

BFR333- go slow on the replacement idea.
As has been recommended here, post the problem your having and the specific diagnosis that was done if any.
Hear you when you say your having trouble getting info.
Keep at it and research all you can.
Let us know symptoms and error codes.

 

Hey Guys,

Really appreciate all of the advice! To answer some of the questions:

• In December I noticed some problems, weird noises and my car would randomly stop accelerating.
• I took it to my mechanic. He said there was nothing wrong with it.
• The problems kept happening so I took it to a Toyota Dealer in January, and they informed me that the transmission had failed.
• I recently went to the Toyota Dealer again to get the specific codes. The report says that the codes turned up were U0101 and U0100.
• I just bought a scanner so I’m going to try and scan it myself just to confirm. If any additional codes pop up I will let you know.

Appreciate any tips you might have. Is there a more thorough diagnostic I can have performed to see what the specific problem is (and if there is a cheaper way to fix it)?

 

The report says that the codes turned up were U0101 and U0100

U0101 and U0100 – Lost communication with Transmission Control Module. This could cause transmission management issues (or even prevent the car to start) but the problem isn’t the transmission. Could be the control module itself or bad wiring or even just a weak battery. I'd suggest having those possibilities checked... at another mechanic than the one suggesting a new transmission.

 

Those are Lost Communication codes, definitely not "Hey your trans is trash".
Could be sketchy TCU or even the ECU or associated harnesses.
With what your mechanic saw/said it very well could be electrical, as in inter-mitten.

 

thanks sdspeed...one key detail I failed to mention is that there is a recall on my car for an ECU that has improper programming. Any chance that could be causing a U0101 or U0100 code?

 

Mine was really hesitant to go from a stop for a while and would want to keep high rpms and not accelerate Probably around 75,000 miles New service guy noticed the recall for the ecu programming he did it took 30 min never had a problem since , have 242,000 on it now

 

No way to know since I'm not seeing that recall, I only know of 2 and they're not related to your issue.
Not knowing all the symptoms, time-line etc. it's possible that a software update could resolve things. 🤞
I wonder though if it runs well enough to get that recall done, maybe it will provide more information concerning your problems. Perhaps the computers will communicate properly.
Keep in mind a new or remanned ECM or TCU is still cheaper than a transmission

 

Did you recently disconnect the ecu? If you did, would double check the pins bent or broken.

 

My experience with CVT transmissions has been pretty horrible, overheating/burning fluid mainly due to lack of CVT fluid cooling capability causing valve body or valve body components to fail, I fixed by replacing the valve body myself for a couple of hundreds and spent another hundred for an aftermarket cooler and connections to help keep the fluid cooler. But this was on a Nissan and Nissan gets their CVT transmissions from a shitty manufacturer, You do not tend to see the same issues with CVT's from Toyota. Your issue could be something electrical in the transmission but it could just as easily be your computer going out, or a loose connection or wire in the harness. I had a dodge that started stalling when it got nice and warmed up, turned out to be a bad computer, I replaced the PCM but the new PCM was faulty and had an issue with the transmission communication, I tried backing my dodge up and the transmission was making all kinds of sounds and metal clanking, You would think the transmission was gone. I sent the computer back and got a replacement, and the dodge ran like a dream for years after that. I would diffidently try another shop, maybe a non-dealership shop, to take a look and try to diagnose it. There are shops that specialize in Asian model cars like Toyotech in my area that do good work and only work on these cars. Might save you a lot of money.

 

The Toyota CVTs have been extremely reliable workhorses for over 10 years (since 2014 in the US).
One member here put more than 350k on his, ultimately it was the engine's top end that went out, never had a problem with the trans.

The only issues were related to the recall from 2018, which if the failure occurred, could cause damage to the valve body.
The original TSB for the condition instructed dealers to replace the transmission, but the revised TSB and later recall required only replacement of the valve body, and only if damage was confirmed via test-drive after upgrading the firmware.
My '16 had the recall done in December 2020 with 90,000 miles on it and there was no damage so no parts needed to be replaced. I had the fluid replaced while it was there.

Now, back to the OP... The problems described sound like the problems caused by the software issue, so I suspect that the recall was not done, or damage was present and not detected.
This means that it is very possible that OP does need a new valve body.

 

Did u ever change transmission fluid?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

thanks sdspeed...one key detail I failed to mention is that there is a recall on my car for an ECU that has improper programming. Any chance that could be causing a U0101 or U0100 code?

Curious what the resolution was?