2007 Toyota Camry Transmission Questions

1…1112131517

Comments

  • ccostableccostable Member Posts: 55
    I'm still baffled by this transmission's ability to "learn". From what I've read before, it takes several thousand miles to learn your driving style. So then it must suck if at any time you share the car with someone. My wife's Jetta, which is over ten years old now, has an adaptive transmission. It "learns" my driving style within a couple of shifts. There's no waiting for miles and miles for shift points to change.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    You are correct, the ECU "learns" your driving style/habits with just a few miles, and then continuously "re-learns", adapts, "on the fly" to any changes in style/technique you might make down the road.

    In preparation for the next driver it ERASES the previously learned parameters when the ignition is switched off.

    The dealers seem to be confusing the issue of driver technique/style driving with the ECU's ability to learn, re-learn, continuously the parameters associated with operating the engine and trnasaxle properly as various componets age, wear, degrade, and sensor and servo tolerances change.

    THOSE parameters, obviously, are kept forever absent a complete system reset or reflash. Disconnecting the battery will undoubtedly erase some of those parameters but clearly not all.
  • booch55booch55 Member Posts: 5
    Good Luck with Arbitration. I went thru the process and of course, my request to have the Trans fixed or replaced was DENIED. I had exactly the same problems you described. Also, this is the 6th Toyota I have owned, and by far the worst. Toyota may have won the battle, but they lost the war. I traded my car in for an 08 Accord today and will never buy another Toyota.
  • dgs146dgs146 Member Posts: 1
    I've noticed that when my car is cold and I start driving (45-55 MPH), I notice a vibration in the steering wheel for the first 3-5 minutes and then it goes away. Has nayone else had this problem? Any recommendations?

    Also, my tire pressure light is on but my tire pressure is all within range. How do I get the light to go off?
  • acco20acco20 Member Posts: 211
    Do not know where you live but I would bet it has gotten cold wherever you are. My guess is that your tires are forming sort of a flat spot after sitting overnight. If this happens it usually causes exactly what you have described.
    Does not cause any problems that I know of. Hope this helps. By the way....low tire pressure would probably add to this problem.
  • smythesmythe Member Posts: 10
    I've noticed that some posters report that the application of either or both TSB's to fix the hesitation/cruise problems in the I4 5spMT camrys report that the problems do not go away. I have a theory. They applied the first TSB a while back and it didn't seem to help. So I did a little experiment. I looked in the manual and found the procedure for making the doors lock at 12mph (they normally do when the xmission selector is moved out of park). I noted that it would only save the setting about 1 out of 20 tries. Once I had succeeded, I could drive off and they would lock at 12 (they will ALWAYS lock instantly when the selector is moved to reverse, which I think is a software bug). But as soon as I next turned the ignition off, my changes would be lost. So next time I brought it in (I've had all sorts of interior/paint problems as well), I asked them to fix the interior trim, apply the TSB again, some other stuff, and at the bottom of my list: "Make doors lock at 12mph and stay that way". That last one fixed the problem. They determined that the computer was bad and that it had not really been taking the new software per the TSB. So they installed a new computer (ECU), and I had them flash it with the TSB software. Voillah! Still doesn't drive quite like it should but it's now safe to drive. So maybe many of you actually have a bad ECU like I did....

    As a side note, strangely, when I asked them to do the newer TSB (TSB036-07 as I recall, they refused to do it because they said my car didn't need it (even though it's in the VIN range). But then upon driving it, it suddenly understands that there is a 4th gear when using the cruise (before, it alternated between 5th and 3rd constantly on even the slightest grade). So they must have done SOMETHING...
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    a very VERY interesting observation!
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    You may have just figured out the problem with the remaining vehicles that still have a hesitation............nice!
  • sunilvsunilv Member Posts: 26
    I bought my Camry 07 LE 4-Cyl in April 2006 (one from the first batch). I had the hesitation after 3000 miles. First I did the TSB EG056-06.

    I did the TSB EG036-07 two months ago. The hesitation is gone now but there is a jerking when shift changes mainly in the lower gears. I informed the service dept and the technitian confirmed this after doing a test drive. After long research from their side they applied one old TSB which is TC010-06. After 200 miles now I am having the same jerking when shift changes.

    What should I do now with my car? If Toyota cannot fix my problem will they go do a buy back on my car which is 15000 miles? Please somebody help me......
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    It is my personal belief that in about '98 Toyota adopted a reduced capacity gear type ATF pump in order to reduce heat loading of the transaxle and extend FE somewhat.

    DBW, e-throttle, was later adopted to resolve some of the problems that arose from the ATF pump not having enough capacity to support certain shift patterns/ procedures, especially those with the engine at idle or nearly idle.

    So, bottom line...

    You can have a Toyota or Lexus with 1-2 second DBW enforced delay/hesitation, or you can have "jerky" shifting and possibly premature transaxle clutch failure down the line.

    Eventually I expect Toyota will follow Ford's lead in this, and adopt a variable displacement ATF pump as Ford has done in the new Edge.
  • teamtboteamtbo Member Posts: 78
    You may want to contact a lemon law attorney in your state. In California, you need at least 3 or 4 attempts to fix the same issue in order to qualify. The mileage shouldn't be an issue - I think you have until the basic warranty expires (but you should check with a lawyer). The only potential issue I see with your case is if each repair was due to the same issue...Toyota might argue they are different issues. Oh, and under the lemon law, the manufacturer pays for your attorney fees.

    You must have really good documentation about each and every time you visited the dealer, what your complaint was, what Toyota observed and what repairs were made (if any). Without the necessary documentation that an issue really exists and the dealer was unable to fix it, the lemon law attorney will probably not take your case.

    I approached a lemon law attorney about 2 months ago about my 2007 V6 due to the shift flare. I faxed them all my repair orders (about 6 total). They reviewed them and called me in a few days to tell me they were taking my case. After about a month, Toyota replied and told me they would buy back my car. I am waiting for them to tell me when and where to drop it off.

    I wish you much success!
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Yes, cold weather will cause this problem. I noticed it when I recently decided to move my 2004 Odyssey after parking it for 2 weeks (up for sale as we replaced with a Sienna) and when I drove it off, it was doing this very thing. Turned out the cold weather had created flat spots as well as the pressure was low, due to denser, colder air. As soon as I pumped them back up to 35 psi, problem disappeared. This is also normal for the first few minutes on a cold day even when pressure is correct.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    Yes, could someone please explain to us newcomers what a transmission flare is?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Primarily when the engine/transaxle has not yet warmed up to operating temperature the 3-4 shift sequence results in an engine "overspeed", surge, RPM climbing well above normal, for a brief period until 4th gear is actually engaged.

    Some have reported it happening even after the engine/transaxle is well into normal operating temperature.
  • teamtboteamtbo Member Posts: 78
    The shift flare is like you put a manual transmission in neutral for a second in between gears but forgot to take your foot of the gas - the rpms will flare up to 1100 rpms.

    And yes, a few times I experienced the shift flare after 25 minutes of highway driving going approximately 45 mph. However, it is usually worse after 5-20 minutes of driving after a cold start.
  • gotoyotagotoyota Member Posts: 280
    I see - thanks for the explanation. Doesn't sound like it's good for longevity.

    So has there been any actual failures and does it happen on every V6 Camry or is it affecting just a certain %? And is Toyota doing anything about it? I am really thinking about the V6 SE to replace my tired old 97 Maxima but I can't bring myself to buy one with this problem. It makes the most sense for me in every way, except this one. I like the price, looks, speed and economy, and I love the 3.5L... Does the "flare" happen with Toyota's 5 speed trannys too? I have an 07 Sienna XLE Ltd with the 5 spd that so far has been perfect and I think the transmission is superb.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Toyota and Lexus seem to be having a fleetwide design problem with their FWD and F/AWD transaxles going all the way back to the introduction of the '99 RX300. Once DBW, E-throttle, was adopted it seemed to settle down to only the 1-2 second downshift delay/hesitation but now they seem to have this engine flare problem on top of.

    My suspicion is that it all began with an attempt to improve FE by reducing the pumping capacity of the gear type ATF pump. Ford has just adopted a variable displacement ATF pump for the new Edge to improve transaxle efficiency and thereby FE.

    I suspect the variable displacement ATF pump will also be the final fix for Toyota and Lexus, maybe the '09 models??
  • teamtboteamtbo Member Posts: 78
    Not every 2007 V6 Camry owner experiences the shift flare but a lot of them may not notice them unless it were pointed out.

    Yes, Toyota is trying to fix the problem - they have updated their TSBs at least 3 times. The original solution was to replace the torque converter. When that didn't work, they recommended replacing the entire transmission and torque converter. When that didn't do it, they designed new software for the ECU.

    I have had 2 tranny replacements and a software update and the flare is still there. I went to a lemon law attorney and Toyota has agreed to buy back my car. Lord willing, I will be dropping it off tomorrow or the next day.

    No, the 5 speed 4 cyclinder does not have the shift flare. Toyota loaned us a 5 speed 2007 Camry when our car was being worked on and I liked it. I was surprised that it had some "get up and go" for a 4 banger.
  • mauriemaurie Member Posts: 8
    I purchased the V6 XLE in October of 2006. Experienced a major flare only four times between then and Oct of 2007. Starting around February of 07 began to experience minor 3/4 flare (quick 2-300 rpm) every time car was used. Would happen just once and would not reoccur until car was used for next foray. Ambient temperature did not make any difference (cold, warm, whatever). At last service appointment in Oct 07, TSB TC7006 was applied (flashed the ECU with a new instruction set). I have not experienced any flares (of any magnitude) since then. Traveled approximately 4,000 miles. The cold winter months of Michigan have not had an effect so far. Maybe they have the issue resolved!? I would be interested in hearing from others who may have found a remedy.
  • teamtboteamtbo Member Posts: 78
    maurie, that is great that your car has been flare free since the reflash.

    When I had TC007-07 (aka TC7006) performed, the flares got much worse. It went from around 500rpms to about 800 on average...sometimes as high as 1100. Curious if others have had success or not.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Here's the link: carma350, "Which Camry is right for me?" #29, 16 Dec 2007 11:09 pm.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    linky: gashugger, "Toyota Camry Real World MPG" #557, 21 Dec 2007 5:42 pm
  • vlapintavlapinta Member Posts: 23
    I have an 07 V6 Camry. I bought it new in June of 07.I have been reading about all the problems and I am trying to figure out when most of the problems start. Is it right away or after a certain # of miles? I have 4500 miles on mine now and I haven't noticed anything.

    Vicki
  • swinnswinn Member Posts: 1
    I bought an 07 Camry in July 07 this is a 4 CYL. LE and it did great until I hit 7000 miles. My mother in law bought one two weeks prior to mine and hers is still fine. I have called toyota and they tell me this is a normal charastic of this transmission. However I spoke with another lady and hers does not do it either. I am not satisifed and feel like toyota has let everyone that is having this problem down.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    There is a TSB out that indicates the ATF fill level is critical to this matter. Apparently the fill level must be accurate to within 1/4 of a qt.
  • killjoykilljoy Member Posts: 20
    hmmmm Toyota told you that was normal.....Toyota will not tell you there is a problem without a recall to fix the problem.....it seems Toyota is still working out the kinks.....Remember its best to solve this problem the easiest and cheapest way possible.....trying everything from reprogramming the transmission before replacing the transmission.....I'm just waiting for the recall notice....It doesn't make any sense to waste my time bringing in my car and let them make things worse.....this problem happens twice in the early operation/not warmed up.....its a computer problem..(I think they have 4 new fixes for the computer and none of them work)...I get 22 to 24 MPG now.....you let them screw with your car and you might get 15 to 17 MPG from them adjusting the computer......just imagine bringing your car back in and asking them to put everything back how it was running.....Now watch them laugh at you.....Yeah...they will take your car....they will tell you come back in 3 to 4 hours.....in all that time...your car will set on the rack or in the back....when you come back they will tell you drive it...and if you have anymore problems just bring it back....don't worry...we didn't charge you for working on it today.....have a nice day....that is much easier then telling you we can't fix it....and have you ask over and over and over why not.....the later works best....your happy the car is fixed (not at all) and you were not charged.....plus you can bring it back...and everyone was so nice......ROFL....wait for the recall.....
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    Good Morning Killjoy:
    You have given very good advice on this subject! ------ I guess I am one of the lucky owners of a 2007 V6 XLE Camry, because I do not have the transmission problem, ------- or my driving style is masking the issue!
    As you know from previous postings on these Toyota boards, I purchased a 6 year / 100,000 mile Toyota "top-of-the-line" extended warranty. The vehicle presently has 21,000 + miles, and it is just about one year old. ------ It might take Toyota a couple of years to develop a fix for this transmission issue. Should my transmission fail at 50,000 + miles, then the replacement unit will be the "up-dated unit," and the extended warranty will pick up the total cost! -------- I still think that the "drive by wire" throttle has a lot to do with the operating characteristics of the vehicle. In the cold weather, I make it a point to warm up the vehicle prior to starting out for the day. I then drive on city streets using manual 3 & 4 till I get to the highway. By the time that I get to the highway, the transmission and the engine are at operating temperature! I put the trasmission selector into "D" and I do not have any issues.
    Best regards. ------- Dwayne :shades: ;):)
  • killjoykilljoy Member Posts: 20
    Dwayne,

    Remember that most will burn though a 6 year/100,000 mile in under 4 years....but toyota will fix it when its their fault....best case would be to just drive your vehicle until there is a fix that works....I would rather drive my car 100,000 miles and get a new transmission. There are some who had their transmission replaced but were shocked to have the same problem with the new transmission....I do think its just a computer error not allowing the transmission to warm up (which you fixed yourself) and maybe a transmission fluid level being a little low....Or maybe a presser switch not allowing enough fluid into that part of the transmission....Toyota is addressing the fix but with that they have sent out fixes that were not tested......completely....It seems its a microsoft testing again.....send it out and have the users become testers and toyota will send out fixes....as you may have guessed....this is going to take a while.....remember....rule states if you fix one thing without testing it completely....you could end up with 4 new problems.....effecting 3 different areas.....yes the one thing might seem fixed....but now it runs like sh&t and you are getting 14MPH.....and the dealer is happy to fix it for you..again and again...just because he gets paid from toyota....so plan on really getting to know your dealer.........You will be in and out of there alot....or just wait and best case get a new transmission for free....that works....3 years from now......
  • doug52doug52 Member Posts: 25
    I realize this forum is focused mainly on AT issues, but has anyone had a MT for a while and, if so, what was your experience? Not sporty I know, but curious about your impressions. Problem in Denver is that dealers have very few CEs with MT, none so far with VSC - thanks for any advice. Doug
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    I have had an '07 CE MT Camry for a year, love it. I would expect that you would have to order one to get VSC, because the MT's normally come with no extras. In my area, you never see any MTs. I had to go far, far out of town to get one, but it was worth it. Toyota only some ships sticks to some parts of the country, such as California, Denver, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the North East Coast.

    I buy Toyota for reliability and comfort, but I have always had MT and really hate automatics. The MT adds to the reliability and is cheaper (I am cheap!).

    We should probably put further discussions about this in the 2008 Toyota Camry forum.

    Let me know if you have any questions about the MT Camry - why do you
    want one?
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Here's the link: hause7, "Would you buy a current generation Camry?" #51, 11 Jan 2008 4:54 pm.
  • jl168jl168 Member Posts: 1
    My 07 V6 LE has all the transmission problems you have. I so regret that I bought this car. My 00/98 Camry are perfect. To the point why I post this. I just need to persuade at least one person not to buy this car. Just don't buy it. Don't risk your $$$$$.
  • calipso27calipso27 Member Posts: 15
    I hope I have this in the correct spot. I just posted about my horrible mpg over in another post, but wanted to post about the lag I experience when accelerating.

    I don't know if this is the issue everyone is talking about? When accelerating from a stop, there are more often then not, times when my car does nothing at all for a few seconds. Then it's as if it finally catches up and off I go (slowly).

    I have a 07 Camry SE 4 cyl.

    I read about some people talking about opening cases with Toyota about their issues... What is that and is it something that might best serve my interest?
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    Sounds like you need the TSB - it only took my dealer 35 minutes, now the acceleration is perfect. Just take to your dealer.
  • calipso27calipso27 Member Posts: 15
    What do you mean by TSB - Traction/Stability Control?
    I have the VSC installed. Does that mean I would also have TBS?
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    no.....

    TSB is a Technical Service Bulletin.

    There is a TSB issued by Toyota, which addresses engine and transmission performance on 4 cylinder engines. It's a software load to the car computer, takes about 1/2 hour. Read thru the forums, I've posted a link to a copy of the TSB couple times previously.
  • calipso27calipso27 Member Posts: 15
    thanks!
  • chuck28chuck28 Member Posts: 259
    You don't have to pesuade me I too have all the trans issues and now that they reprogramed my computer the flare is gone but the shifting is not pefect and my gas milage has gotten much worst.
    When I mention the gas milage they just try to say it the cold weather or my driving habits. My habits havent changed but the car has.
    Buyer beware until Toyota gets it right!
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    Hi All:
    Last week I took my vehicle in for the 2,500 mile oil and filter change, (my choice)! (My vehicle now has almost 23,000 miles). I wanted to set up a date for a fluid change on the automatic transmission. The Service Manager and the Service Advisor told me that there is no fluid change scheduled for the V6 XLE Camry till it reaches 100,000 miles. This transmission has some "special fluid," and the cost is somewhere around $75.00 per gallon! I also inquired about the engine coolant, and I was told, that it also should last 100,000 miles! I find this hard to believe, but they said that if something goes wrong my warranty will be "ok"!
    Best regards. ------------- Dwayne :shades: ;):) :confuse:
  • carguy65carguy65 Member Posts: 24
    Hi, I purchased a 2007 Camry in May of 06, after about 500 KM, (300 miles) or so it failed, they replaced it and all was well again, after about 1200KM (750 miles) it started making a thumping noise, it was reprogrammed and continued to thump. They replaced it again, I drove to about 10,000KN (6200 Miles) and the engine light came on, the local dealer said it was over heating the transmission, and it was most likely a sensor inside, the transmission.. I dumped the car and bought a Nissan Altima, a very nice car with a flawless transmission, how ever I do not like the ride on the Altima, everything else was awesome. So I have ordered an 08 Camry for delivery in about two weeks. XLE-V6 sale as before, I am sure hoping I did the right thing. I will give Toyota one more shot and see how that goes, the gas mileage was very good on the 07 Camry, about 38 MPG on the highway (Canadian Gallon 160 OZS.) :confuse:
  • niceguy1234niceguy1234 Member Posts: 37
    Maybe you can change engine coolant every 100,000 miles (still hard to believe). The trans oil should be changed every 36000 miles. I think this is printed on the maintainance schedule booklet.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    when you dumped it, did Toyota do a buy-back?
  • carguy65carguy65 Member Posts: 24
    Hi, No I lost a lot of money, they did give me a $2,000.00 extended warranty, which really did not do me any good over all. I had, the dash fixed, and the brakes done and the transmission replaced twice, it's the worst Toyota I ever owned. I decided to try Nissan after being a Toyota person for so many years. Like I mentioned the Altima is a fine car every bit as good as Toyota, but the V6 SE ride is so harsh, not good in northern climates, if the Camry ride was as harsh I would still be a Altima owner.
    I am giving Toyota one more try. I hope I have invested my $40,000.00 wisely. :confuse:
  • chuckhoychuckhoy Member Posts: 420
    Why would you go back to them when the last car was a POS?
  • acco20acco20 Member Posts: 211
    Just curious....did you try the Camry hybrid before you ordered the 6 cyl.
  • carguy65carguy65 Member Posts: 24
    I have had about 6 Camrys all were great cars, I tried a couple of different ones in between, and they all sucked compared to the Camry, for me it's the ride. But fair question, I asked myself that question, one more try was my answer.
  • carguy65carguy65 Member Posts: 24
    I tried the Camry Hybrid, I did not feel the same way about the HP and the feel of the car, in the Canadian winter the batteries don't work well at -30c, as I park outside it was a factor, I did not like the idea of the car starting all the time, it would stop, and then start, trying to keep us warm, in the winter, I feel also it may require more maintenance, if you look at the extended warranty, it much more expensive than the 4CYL Camry all personal reasons, I was very impressed by the Hybrid. I don't know for a fact but I believe the engine running time is dependent on the temperatures out side.
  • ericlsailorericlsailor Member Posts: 7
    I have a Camry 2007 SE V6, purchased last June (2007) and have now experienced the transmission flare. Mine occurs when first starting on cold days. It is intermittent and does not always occur. It feels like the transmission is slipping when I first start out. Slowly, it seems to catch and I begin to move. I get very little forward movement at first. I have not noticed the 3 to 4th gear flare others have talked about. I also have noticed when decelerating, it seems to catch in 3rd gear and at 22mph it free wheels again giving a little lurch forward after the shift.

    Last week my dealer did the TSB 007-07. Just yesterday after having not driven the car for a day and the temperature dropped outside, it did it again. I backed out of the driveway and cannot get going in forward for a minute or so until the trans gets going. It seems that the 3rd gear issue on deceleration is a little better after the TSB.

    Has anyone experienced any improvement from any of the TSB's or transmission replacements?

    Also how are people determining when the car was built? my vin ends with U039683. I know that this is the sequence it was built.

    How many others have the flare on cold start from a stand still as opposed to the 3 to 4 flare or have people had both?

    Any word yet if Toyota will develop a better fix or a recall on the trans?

    I am brining mine back to the dealer next week but I am concerned that additional fixes mess up the gas mileage, or don't seem to work as I have read here.

    By the way, I found some of the TSB's in pdf format at Toyota Nation. com. Here is the link: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=104. If this does not work, it is under Camry forums Gen 5&6 scroll down a bit and there it is.

    Thanks for any additional help on this matter.

    Eric
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,704
    The flare is when the motor speeds up during a shift because the transmission isn't keeping it loaded during the shift.

    Your problem sounds like a defective transmission or part. You should keep on the dealer to fix the problem under warranty.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Your manufacturing build date is listed on a sticker, on the drivers door jamb
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy

By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our Visitor Agreement.