I bought my new XLE V6 on March 16, 2006. It was made in January of 06 and is a "Japan" car. The "MAIN" reason we bought this car was the fact that my Wife was taking a 900 mile trip by HERSELF the next week. Both of the cars that we had were 10 years old and though they are in pretty good shape, I did not want my Wife to go on this trip by herself in either of those cars. I could not make the trip with her (work) and our son is in college. We went to look at an Avalon but could not find one exactly like we wanted in time for her trip.
So, we looked at the 07 Camry and decided to buy one even though it was a "new" model and were just becoming available. We really like the car and are VERY pleased with it so far. But, having said that, if this transmission problem had been known to everyone on March 23rd when she left on her trip I could not (in my mind) have put her on the road in this car by herself. Remember this is a car made in January with a last five VIN of 00211...it is one of the first to be made. Now if you call that Paranoia so be it. I feel better calling it a major "concern".
I am glad to see Toyota dealing with this problem. However I don't think they are going to tell us how many are really affected by this...IF they even know. BUT...if it is 160 cars they sure as heck should notify the owners of those cars. Luckily all the traveling we will do in this car for the next 3 or 4 months will just be local or I will be with her if we take a trip.
So, at what point will I feel "safe and comfortable" (as for the transmission part) in this new $32.000 car? I don't know the answer to that at this time.
wwest..you feeling ok today? This has to be your shortest post ever! ;-)
So...since the new lexus ES350 uses the same engine/trans, I'm just wondering if the "problem" transmissions could have fund their way to a Lexus? Same source for the transmissions in Toyota and Lexus? I have a friend getting ready to buy an ES350.
Somewhere along the transaxle product line a batch of 160 WRONG snap rings got mixed in with several thousand correct ones. Toyota might know EXACTLY how many bad snap rings were installed but not on which vehicles...
Hi max_99. Once again, your feedback is helpful to us, this time to ensure our processes in our contact center are truly customer-focused. We regret that you went into transfer hell and hope that you'll give us an opportunity to do a better job next time.
If you can tell tmsusa the area you are in, then we can ask our regional folks to ensure their dealers are current with our customer handling requests for this issue. If you provided that information to our representatives, that will be done. Certainly the service department should be able to talk to you about what we're doing.
We've put countermeasures in place so that there is no gear failure. That included examining many of the suspect vehicles before they were shipped to our dealers and then releasing them after we were satisfied the malfunction of the snap ring would not occur. The earliest production vehicles left our factories without that extraordinary step.
It is unacceptable for our cars to have a mechanical failure of any kind. We've kaizened quality measures in our vehicles in the U.S. for nearly 50 years and will continue to do so. But when something does go wrong, we will work tirelessly to make it right for our customers. We know this issue generally occurs at a little less than 500 miles. A few have been higher; faldoc on this thread for instance was just shy of 2,000. We are aware of one at 95 miles. But those are the outlier instances.
Max99, tmsusa hopes this information helps. We've forwarded your comments to our Customer Experience Center management team and once again apologize that your experience there today was not up to our standards.
I would like to enjoy my Camry and did for 3 days as it is one the 160. I am now driving a 2006 Camry loaner and there's no comparison. I must say Toyota is doing there best to accomodate us but it is disturbing they won't contact the dealer to have them pull the mystery VIN numbers off of their lots.
Transmission problems with a new vehicle are truly discouraging for the customer. If you are a long time Toyota owner, it must be quite a shock. I am a 20 year Dodge/Jeep customer. My perspective is quite different. Dodge was nice enough to allow me to use their phone to call a local rental car company when my transmission totally failed. It sounds like Toyota is working to quickly solve their manufacturing issue. Here you have what appears to be a Toyota rep on an internet forum interested in the customer's concerns. I am impressed and will continue to monitor to aid my next purchase decision.
angela8, can you give us some data. What model is your car, approx. mileage, and whether it is built in Japan or U.S. (Japanese built starts with a "J" on the VIN #) I assume your mileage to be pretty low, as you only had it for 3 days.
Thank you for such a quick response. The rep at the 800 number said he would contact the dealership and I gave him the name. But I don't have any sense that that happened and no-one has called me to followup. I am still anticipating a return call from the 800 rep since that is what they told me.
This dealership is in the Kansas City area. I called them to let them know I had contacted the 800 number and see if they had specific information. They were very courteous and seemed willing to help but I had the impression they didn't have any more information than that posted in the news release. In fact, they were interested when I told them of this problem and they begin looking for a notice.
I am interested in knowing if my vehicle is one of the early production models you mentioned. I had mentioned my concerns about 6th gear. Another person at another website actually mentioned their failure occurred while passing a truck and the gears downshifted to what seemed like first gear and the car limped home after that.
I am also tireless at getting to the bottom this kind of problem. Especially when I feel there is a safety issue and one of my family members could be involved..and all are drivers. Please get me pointed to the right people that can help me understand if I may have a problem or not and alleviate any safety concerns (dealer, 800 number person etc.)
However, it seems like the company is doing everything to help customers. I have a first year Infiniti G35 - early production model. It was one big problem and Infiniti fought me every step of the way. They replaced many parts, but only under duress of a lawsuit. I was about to sue the pants off Infiniti and they capitulated.
At least Toyota cares! It seems like they are trying to help from reading the posts. At least they take ownership of production issues.
Hi all, I would never buy a new redesign car or brand new model. why? because there is always issues come with it. New options or equipment are not tested thoroughly. Consumer reports suggested that wait at least one year on the new model to buy. I am thinking about buying 4 cyclinders Camry or Accord with 5spd manual but still haven't decide yet. You can look back all all the new redesign models, they never get the best rate. Well good luck with all the people who bought the 6spd AT. I would prefer manual for less problem with it.
The one had defected and going to be replaced new one. I would consider they are the lucky ones. The ones would not sure if they were among bad transmissions are considered as unlucky (constantly worry on long trip).
What a great area you are in Max99; tmsusa spent a few years in Overland Park and loved it.
Did you hear back from the Customer Experience Center representative? There is no way for tmsusa to know the build date of your vehicle from information exchanged on this forum, and it would be inappropriate to attempt to do that. We're not aware of that other passing incident as you described it, and once again, tmsusa really cannot speculate on technical issues via an online thread. Certainly, real world driving conditions can vary significantly, and thus it would be foolhardy for tmsusa to tell you what might happen in a passing situation--whether the vehicle had lost a couple of gears or not.
We recognize after reading that last paragraph, that tmsusa has not likely satisfied you with respect to the pointed questions you keep raising. But your concerns are genuine and tmsusa recognizes how important this is to you. If you've not reconnected with the 800-representative by tomorrow, please provide his/her name. Not for any scolding!! They're very busy and really do a great job. But it will help tmsusa "ID" you so that we can get you connected with a case manager for resolution of your concerns.
Thank you again for your feedback. We are asking our Kansas City Region management team to confirm that their dealers are fully informed of the specifics of our request for assistance to affected customers.
Hi Msiseng; Sorry to hear about the problems with your early G35 Sedan. I also have a VERY early built G35(04/2002) and have had a few problems(all of TSBs have been apllied) that were fixed with NO Questions asked! Actaully one of TSBs originated with my complain(the A/C). We just bought the new 2007 Camry Se V6 and I do expect a few problems but also expect them to be rectified with no questions asked. This will be our second Toyota and the experience with our first one(2003 Corolla) was first rate. If everyone didn't buy the first year models, well........, there would be NO 2nd year models! Also, I still own the G35 and expect to keep it for a long time. Have a great day;
1) read through this thread thoroughly to understand the issue at hand with the Camry V6's 6A
or
2) not post unless you know what's going on.
Clearly, even though this has been beaten to death, it bears repeating that:
-The issue with the Camry's Six Speed Auto is not one of design and response. It is one of manufacturing.
-The issue in the Lexus ES is one of response due to the interaction between the throttle setting and the transmissions algorithmic logic/computer control, which yields what some feel as excessive hesitation. That is NOT the problem that certain Camry owners have experienced.
-The problem in the Camry 6A is that a fastener within the transmission may become loose, resulting in the loss of 2nd and 6th gears. It seems for those who do not experience this issue, the transmission is an exemplary one. Indeed, edmunds.com said so in their review, as compared, for example, to the comments they had for the Hyundai Sonata's 5 speed...
At this point, the issue with the Camry V6's 6 speed automatic is one of manufacturing.
Making a statement like "how do you know there is no design flaw when it was introduced for a few months". Well, to that point, how can anyone say anything on a car won't go wrong? We can't. But at this point, there seems to be no design issue. The problem certain Camry owners are having is not due to software/programming/response.
FWIW, the 4 cylinder 5AT IS NOT an identical transmission to the V6 5AT, I'm not sure why you thought that. As proof, you may reference the following that shows the different ratios for the transmission:
Without being rude, I dont know how the transmission issue in your Camry would come and go as you state. It seems to be whether or not you noticed, as is the case with most owners who experience hesitation. For example, I feel a slight hesitation (delayed kickdown response with soaring revs) with my dad's Subaru Legacy, but my mom said she never noticed anything when I brought it up.....
I think this issue is different from the hesitation issue.
I had no 2nd or 6th gear (apparently) and the logic controls were very confused about what to do. I think it tried to go into 2 and having none it down shifted to 1 then up to 3 or 4 then back and forth with some over-revving to redline. The revs were up and down.
There was no hesitation: just wild and jumbled shifting resulting in a lurching and very disconcerting activity, which I think is a safety problem and one of possible damage to the engine or transmission. It cannot be good for an engine and transmission to be lurching back and forth through the different gears with over-revving.
Toyota has already told me they will replace the car if the transmission repair is not satisfactory to me. In fact I will not avail myself of the package of extended warrantee or reimbursement of car payment until I am satisfied of the quality of the work done on the transmission. So far they have been forthcoming and rapid in their response and I await completion of the repairs to evaluate the worthiness of the car and this company for my respect.
Due to the importance of the 2007 Camry to Toyota, especially at this early time in their massive marketing campaign, they are doing their best to resolve these issues, in my opinion, even if they have not for other issues on other cars.
that if I owned one of these cars, I'd rather have the problem surface sooner rather than later. How many of those persistently decrying Toyota's speculated design flaw would've preferred to have whatever the real problem turns out to be to surface at 60,001 miles? I can understand the frustration of being without your new car for several weeks, but Toyota's not ducking for cover or stonewalling as several domestic automakers have been known to do. And, y'all are getting a loaner car to tool around in while your rides are tied up.
Today I talked with the 800-representative about the transmission. There were some additional issues from that conversation.
I explained to the 800-representative that I do not have a problem, but it appears to be an early production model and I am concerned about the safety aspect of failure during passing. One user at another fourum reported such an incident and another reported failure with rapid accleration. A failure of 6th gear while passing is a concern to me since there are higher speed involved and this frequently occurs during passing.
BIG NEWS: The representative told me that there is no problem with 6th gear and that the failure only occurs in 2nd gear. I noted that the official Toyota press release mentions 2nd and 6th gear but the rep had no knowledge of that release. Has Toyota backed off of the original press release?
OTHER BIG NEWS: The representative told me that the failure would like occur during "low mileage" but there was not specific number. Again, I noted that the press release mentioned a likely occurance before 500 miles. I assume Toyota has backed of the 500 number given the failures are being reportde at nearly 2000 miles. We discussed that low mileage can mean anything. Someone trying to get 500,000 miles on their car are probably at low mileage at 100,000 miles. So low mileage means nothing to without a range, statistical distribution or something that quantifies the term.
The rep also said there was not current block of VIN numbers with this problem, wasn't sure there would ever be one.
The reps recomendation is to talk to the dealer. I called service at my dealer again and they said there was no updates from yesterday and they can't do much unless I have a problem. Their recommedation is for me to "Drive the car". Everyone tells me to call me when there is a problem. I believe there is a plan in place when/if that happens and I survive the incident.
Bottom line for me is that I know less than yesterday.
Can you confirm the information above and provide any other direction for this unhappy customer?
Hey Max: As one of the afflicted drivers let me say I would rather be in your shoes. I would not worry about it: it is disconcerting if the problem happens but the car will still go. Maybe not as fast if the issue pops up, but it does accelerate. Just in a strange manner.
In my case the car may have had the problem early: I never really accelerated beyond a real slow pace till nearly 2000 miles to find out. This probably masked the issue.
If what they say is true, and only a small number of cars are affected, (even if it is 20 times as many as they say, it is only 10%) then your odds are pretty good of not ever having a problem. If you do then I think they will deal fairly with you, if my experience is any indication. faldoc
If you scan through tmsusa's posts to this board max_99, you'll see that we have previously confirmed what is going on with our 2007 Camry V6 6-spd automatic transmission vehicles. All of them, except for the very few we've talked about here, are working just fine, like yours. Those that experience the transmission problem are being handled in accordance with our customer support efforts for this issue.
You are getting hung up in unwarranted mileage speculation. We know that the anomaly with the tranny generally occurs around the 500-mile mark and stand by that statement. Could your Camry's transmission have a problem as it passes the 500,000-mile mark? Of course. Your wiper blades could wear out too.
But we really hope you will relax and enjoy your beautiful Camry. Enjoy that gorgeous Kansas City springtime, too!
The purpose of this discussion is for tmsusa to talk to us about the recognized new Camry transmission issue. Sniping at members who are concerned about their vehicles doesn't belong here.
Thanks again TMSUSA, Your information is helpful and information. And yes, springtime is quite pleasant this time of year. You might also be familar with the highways in western and southwest Missouri. I fequently drive this region. I really liked the supurb, quiet power of the Camry for these two lane roads. If you know the region, you know how treacherous HW13 can be south of Clinton..hills, curves and slow moving trucks while drivers exceeding 80mph. I expect to drive this car on this highway and passing at these speed several times a year. I'll spare everyone the local name for this highway. It has to do with the high fatal accident rate.
The failures of 2nd gear while going at 30-40mph don't really concern me. And I don't think 4 lane driving much of a problem,...even with the higher speeds. But I do think I have a reasonable concern about 6th gear failing when I need it the most. I assume the car would downshift and then I (or someone in my family) would have to respond if traffic is oncoming.
I was not trying to be funny by saying that it big news to know the problem is just limited to 2nd gear, not 6th. To me, this is important information and could alleviate my specific safety concern.
Also, I am not as concerned about the warranty issue. But I would like to know how long I need to drive the car before I can reasonably feel this is not one of the cars that may exhibit this problem....and can not worry about passing gear around a semi on a wet curve at 70+mph.
Scanning previous posts as you suggest (but at another site) Out of the 20 V6 reports at Toyota Nation, 7 report transmission failures. 35% is a long way from 0.5%. I would like to see specific data that shows lower failure rates a lower mileage.
I understand your concerns, but I don't think we should be asking tmsusa to speak about individual dealerships. He's not in a position to know about them and that's not really what he's here for.
Hope things work out for you with your new Camry.
Edit: Oh, I see you must have read my post and taken those questions out of your message - good idea, thanks.
Dear Host, Thanks for this reminder and keeping us all on our toes as we work through these issues. You are quite right. I have edited out that portion.
You're welcome dp5. Sorry for the delay in responding, but this issue pertains to the 2007 Camry with V6 engine and 6-spd auto transmission. The new 2007 Lexus ES350 sedans were released this week and are on their way to Lexus dealers now.
All of the ES350s vehicles have undergone extensive QA testing--consistent with the Lexus brand--and were confirmed to meet Lexus quality standards prior to release.
If you're thinking of buying one, you'll love it! Thanks.
Thanks to all who have participated in this forum discussion this week, whether you were posting or just reading & lurking.
It's close to quitting time at tmsusa's HQ office in Torrance, CA and--being human--tmsusa will be shutting down and going off camping with his son and a bunch of 9-year olds. Oh Boy!
Not to worry. We'll continue to monitor the discussion and respond where we can starting Monday. In the interim, our Customer Experience Center folks are available on Saturday from 7am until 4pm. Call them at 800-331-4331. Enjoy the weekend, hopefully in a Toyota!
Thanks for your reassurance. I test drove the ES 350 today and will order one as soon as I have a chance to look at the various colors to choose my favorite. The Camry has received rave reviews in these forums by its owners and I'm looking forward to driving its twin from the Lexus lineup.
I have to agree, an issue which pops up early like this with a threshold number of cars will get prompt and thorough attention. I think that if it were scattered about over 20,000 miles of use then they probably would not be as generous with the loaner, and other enticements to stick with the car.
The delivery of a loaner to my driveway has helped to minimize the frustration/hassle level.
I had recommended the new Camry to my mother-in-law and we had the color and options all picked out and were going to close the deal on Friday.
Needless to say we passed on the Camry. Not knowing what vehicles have this transmission defect is amazing to me.
Why would someone want to buy a brand new car only to be a guinea pig to find out if they are one of the unlucky ones with a defective transmission?
With my luck my mother-in-law would be the one having her brand new Camry up on the lift getting a rebuilt transmission put in it, and guess who would get the blame!!! for the rest of my life!
Toyota seems to be in the news a lot lately with quality problems.
faldoc, what are they doing with your car? Fixing the transmission or replacing the whole transmission?
How long did they say will take them to do this? I am still considering the SE V6 I have planned to buy when it becomes available - and the dealership says it may come within a week or two.
It was suppose to leave Ky last week, but was delayed for a week - maybe to check or fix the tranny - just me. I am just not comfortable going on buying because of this news.
If Toyota can only say that all those manufactured from ....this date have been thoroughly inspected of the problem, then I may have less worry. I understand Toyota not saying much in the news and treating this just an isolated cases. Admitting it publicly this time might have a great impact on the sales of this new model.
filod: they are apparently going to change out the transmission. It will be about 2 weeks before it will be done: I suspect that is how long it will take to get the transmission in from Japan, or wherever they come from.
I have been thinking about this and I might have them give me a new car instead of the extended warrantee/payment deal. I am not sure that you can change out the transmission and have everything like a new car again.
Do they have to disconnect everything and drop the motor to get the tranny out? Doesn't that mean the suspension, all the electricals, the various fluid lines, etc etc?
Toyota was damned if they did and damned if they didn't acknowledge the problem. I guess they could've pulled a "GM" and just stonewalled the problem, huh?* Even offering, a) a fix, b) a loaner for the duration, and/or c) a brand new replacement car (before or after the fix) doesn't seem to alleviate the concerns of some new and prospective '07 Camry owners, does it?
*GM's being sued in a class action litigation regarding badly engineered intake manifold gaskets that allowed coolant to enter and contaminate the engine oil that resulted in severe bearing erosion including irreperable engine damage.
We are doing everything possible to expedite shipment of the transmissions from Japan and are allocating them from our parts distribution centers. Our North American manufacturing folks are also working with us to take production transmissions for the V6 Camry 6-spd automatic and ship them to dealers with customers awaiting repairs if necessary. Toyota will accommodate affected customers to minimize any inconvenience.
Faldoc, tmsusa is not technically savvy enough to know the procedures for replacing the transmission, but will check with our Product Quality and Service Support group on Monday to see if they can provide a summary of the steps involved.
Your comments about the transmission replacement for your car reminded me of similar concerns I had when Honda replaced the transmission in my '04 Accord. They replaced it at 4,000 miles because of a persisent whining noise. Now, at 20,000 miles, the replacement tranny works like a charm.
My previous car was an '02 Camry. I'm shopping the '07 Camry V6 LE because I may want to move back to the power of a V6, even though my 4 cylinder Accord is great for a four-banger. I've driven the Camry LE V6 and was favorably impressed.
I think the transmission replacement can turn out fine, provided it's done carefully (my service manager took a personal interest in what the technician was doing). I was skeptical about the whole thing, since it seems like major surgery on a car to me. Apparently, the computer settings can be tricky to get back right. To this day, my clock settings do something completely backward.
Honda put a remanufactured transmission in my car. My understanding is that this is a unit where they save the casing and then replace any internal problem parts with new ones. Toyota seems to be promising you a new transmission. I would think it's worthwhile to know the difference. The defective transmission they remove from your car, for example, may be remanufactured and then turn up in someone else's car later on. This appears to be an accepted procedure in the industry and, so far at least, has turned out fine for me. If it's only a single part causing the problem, that process would certainly make sense.
"Not knowing anything about the process, of course I have fears of this being like a heart transplant..."
This is an understandable concern faldoc. The actual work is really nothing like a heart transplant, although tmsusa cannot think of any other medical procedure to which to compare it. The process is straightforward and can be performed by any of our dealerships with Toyota-certified technicians; essentially removing and replacing the transaxle and torque converter.
BTW, tmsusa has seen some comments here about the use of reman parts, commonly done with certain repairs by most manufacturers, including Toyota. But not common here! The transmission is brand new and is not even close to being put into the reman process, which occurs more like a year after the product/part has been out.
In the case of the repair for the specific issue here on the '07 Camry 6-spd automatic tranny, the replacement parts are all brand new--so new that the biggest headache we have right now is getting them from the point of manufacture in Japan to our dealers here for the repairs. That's improving as we are air-shipping directly to our parts distribution centers in the U.S.
So, you'll remove faldoc's defective transmission and install a new one? What will you do with faldoc's old transmission? If that one won't get into the remanufactured cycle until a year from now, that means it won't be showing up in another Toyota until then? Interesting it would be kept on the shelf that long.
Just curious, since I'm contemplating buying an '07 Camry, my second Camry in recent years.
The purpose of our previous post was to reassure faldoc and any other customers affected by this issue that the replacement parts put into their new Camrys are the same as the ones going into new production Camrys in the U.S. and Japan. They are new and cannot possibly be Toyota remanufactured.
Since tmsusa does not work in our technical areas, I am not familiar with the provisions for storing used components awaiting possible remanufacture. I do know that any part put into the reman process by Toyota must meet stringent quality standards as if it were a new part.
Will the transmissions being taken from affected owners' cars make their way back into use as remanufactured parts some day? It's possible, but as noted, that would not happen for at least a year, and the components would be "remanufactured" to bring them up to quality standards consistent with our requirements. Were that not possible, the parts would eventually be scrapped.
As I was researching the Avalon last year and test driving it, I recall it is based on the previous Camry platform, but it must have it's own major parts for the body. The engine is the same 268 hp V6 motor, and has a 5 sp tranny and not the new 6 speed.
Thanks for the info TMSUSA. It is reassuring to know a fresh, new transmission is going into my Camry, therefore it cannot have the snap-ring issue.
For now I am letting Toyota work on the car and we will see if it is as good as I hope. The 06 Camry LE V6 I am driving for now is very good. Even the old V6 has good pickup.
"Thats a major major repair job, I would be worried about future problems with electrical connections or other mechanical items going wrong because a mechanic had to disassemble a bunch of mechanical in the front end to get the tranmission out. "
Wow, that's a strong statement, jp10. And not very accurate in this case. No question, this is not a DIY weekend project, but in the hands of any of our certified Toyota technicians, the process of removing the suspect transmission/components and replacing with the new tranny is a straightforward clearly defined process and not terribly time-consuming--once the new parts are at the dealership.
You do not indicate the types of cars you've owned, but I suspect you are longing for a Toyota. Please take a look at any of our cars and trucks at your local Toyota dealer, or call our Customer Experience Center at 800-331-4331. They will be happy to answer any questions you have about our products and assist you in locating a dealer.
Thank you for providing tmsusa an opportunity to clarify the facts re this particular issue and repair process.
Possibly a post you removed was the one that TMSUSA is replying to in his post #165. That (possibly removed) post was from jp10. Could you tell us if the quote that TMSUSA begins with, from jp10's post, that begins "That's a major repair job..." constitutes the entirety of jp10's post? If so, fine. If not, it's a shame we don't have jp10's entire post and its context so that we can better understand TMSUSA's response.
Comments
So, we looked at the 07 Camry and decided to buy one even though it was a "new" model and were just becoming available. We really like the car and are VERY pleased with it so far. But, having said that, if this transmission problem had been known to everyone on March 23rd when she left on her trip I could not (in my mind) have put her on the road in this car by herself. Remember this is a car made in January with a last five VIN of 00211...it is one of the first to be made. Now if you call that Paranoia so be it. I feel better calling it a major "concern".
I am glad to see Toyota dealing with this problem. However I don't think they are going to tell us how many are really affected by this...IF they even know. BUT...if it is 160 cars they sure as heck should notify the owners of those cars. Luckily all the traveling we will do in this car for the next 3 or 4 months will just be local or I will be with her if we take a trip.
So, at what point will I feel "safe and comfortable" (as for the transmission part) in this new $32.000 car? I don't know the answer to that at this time.
Mike
Bridge toll...
Steel grating, slight wheelslip/spin...??
So...since the new lexus ES350 uses the same engine/trans, I'm just wondering if the "problem" transmissions could have fund their way to a Lexus? Same source for the transmissions in Toyota and Lexus? I have a friend getting ready to buy an ES350.
If you can tell tmsusa the area you are in, then we can ask our regional folks to ensure their dealers are current with our customer handling requests for this issue. If you provided that information to our representatives, that will be done. Certainly the service department should be able to talk to you about what we're doing.
We've put countermeasures in place so that there is no gear failure. That included examining many of the suspect vehicles before they were shipped to our dealers and then releasing them after we were satisfied the malfunction of the snap ring would not occur. The earliest production vehicles left our factories without that extraordinary step.
It is unacceptable for our cars to have a mechanical failure of any kind. We've kaizened quality measures in our vehicles in the U.S. for nearly 50 years and will continue to do so. But when something does go wrong, we will work tirelessly to make it right for our customers. We know this issue generally occurs at a little less than 500 miles. A few have been higher; faldoc on this thread for instance was just shy of 2,000. We are aware of one at 95 miles. But those are the outlier instances.
Max99, tmsusa hopes this information helps. We've forwarded your comments to our Customer Experience Center management team and once again apologize that your experience there today was not up to our standards.
I'll post my question again more succinctly since it was ignored the first time.
Is it possible that any 2007 Lexus ES 350s could experience the same transmission problem currently being reported in the 2007 Toyota Camry XLEs?
Thank you in advance for your response.
Thank you for such a quick response.
The rep at the 800 number said he would contact the dealership and I gave him the name. But I don't have any sense that that happened and no-one has called me to followup. I am still anticipating a return call from the 800 rep since that is what they told me.
This dealership is in the Kansas City area. I called them to let them know I had contacted the 800 number and see if they had specific information. They were very courteous and seemed willing to help but I had the impression they didn't have any more information than that posted in the news release. In fact, they were interested when I told them of this problem and they begin looking for a notice.
I am interested in knowing if my vehicle is one of the early production models you mentioned. I had mentioned my concerns about 6th gear. Another person at another website actually mentioned their failure occurred while passing a truck and the gears downshifted to what seemed like first gear and the car limped home after that.
I am also tireless at getting to the bottom this kind of problem. Especially when I feel there is a safety issue and one of my family members could be involved..and all are drivers. Please get me pointed to the right people that can help me understand if I may have a problem or not and alleviate any safety concerns (dealer, 800 number person etc.)
Max99
However, it seems like the company is doing everything to help customers. I have a first year Infiniti G35 - early production model. It was one big problem and Infiniti fought me every step of the way. They replaced many parts, but only under duress of a lawsuit. I was about to sue the pants off Infiniti and they capitulated.
At least Toyota cares! It seems like they are trying to help from reading the posts. At least they take ownership of production issues.
I would never buy a new redesign car or brand new model. why? because there is always issues come with it. New options or equipment are not tested thoroughly. Consumer reports suggested that wait at least one year on the new model to buy. I am thinking about buying 4 cyclinders Camry or Accord with 5spd manual but still haven't decide yet. You can look back all all the new redesign models, they never get the best rate. Well good luck with all the people who bought the 6spd AT. I would prefer manual for less problem with it.
Regards,
Tasay.
I would consider they are the lucky ones.
The ones would not sure if they were among bad transmissions are considered as unlucky (constantly worry on long trip).
Did you hear back from the Customer Experience Center representative? There is no way for tmsusa to know the build date of your vehicle from information exchanged on this forum, and it would be inappropriate to attempt to do that. We're not aware of that other passing incident as you described it, and once again, tmsusa really cannot speculate on technical issues via an online thread. Certainly, real world driving conditions can vary significantly, and thus it would be foolhardy for tmsusa to tell you what might happen in a passing situation--whether the vehicle had lost a couple of gears or not.
We recognize after reading that last paragraph, that tmsusa has not likely satisfied you with respect to the pointed questions you keep raising. But your concerns are genuine and tmsusa recognizes how important this is to you. If you've not reconnected with the 800-representative by tomorrow, please provide his/her name. Not for any scolding!! They're very busy and really do a great job. But it will help tmsusa "ID" you so that we can get you connected with a case manager for resolution of your concerns.
Thank you again for your feedback. We are asking our Kansas City Region management team to confirm that their dealers are fully informed of the specifics of our request for assistance to affected customers.
Sorry to hear about the problems with your early G35 Sedan. I also have a VERY early built G35(04/2002) and have had a few problems(all of TSBs have been apllied) that were fixed with NO Questions asked! Actaully one of TSBs originated with my complain(the A/C).
We just bought the new 2007 Camry Se V6 and I do expect a few problems but also expect them to be rectified with no questions asked. This will be our second Toyota and the experience with our first one(2003 Corolla) was first rate.
If everyone didn't buy the first year models, well........, there would be NO 2nd year models!
Also, I still own the G35 and expect to keep it for a long time.
Have a great day;
It will not be fixed in two weeks...get a good lawyer..
1) read through this thread thoroughly to understand the issue at hand with the Camry V6's 6A
or
2) not post unless you know what's going on.
Clearly, even though this has been beaten to death, it bears repeating that:
-The issue with the Camry's Six Speed Auto is not one of design and response. It is one of manufacturing.
-The issue in the Lexus ES is one of response due to the interaction between the throttle setting and the transmissions algorithmic logic/computer control, which yields what some feel as excessive hesitation. That is NOT the problem that certain Camry owners have experienced.
-The problem in the Camry 6A is that a fastener within the transmission may become loose, resulting in the loss of 2nd and 6th gears. It seems for those who do not experience this issue, the transmission is an exemplary one. Indeed, edmunds.com said so in their review, as compared, for example, to the comments they had for the Hyundai Sonata's 5 speed...
~alpha
Alpha,
How you do know for sure there is no design flaw(s) in 6AT when it was introduced for few months?
When I had 2003 V6 5AT, the hesitation/delay showed up after around 4K. I did not notice at initial test drive.
Even after they put new FW on my transmission, the problem returned after 4-5 months.
The 4 cyl 5AT has identical transmission with V6 5AT. If 4cyl 5AT works well why Toyota did not apply the logic controls to V6 5AT ?
Making a statement like "how do you know there is no design flaw when it was introduced for a few months". Well, to that point, how can anyone say anything on a car won't go wrong? We can't. But at this point, there seems to be no design issue. The problem certain Camry owners are having is not due to software/programming/response.
FWIW, the 4 cylinder 5AT IS NOT an identical transmission to the V6 5AT, I'm not sure why you thought that. As proof, you may reference the following that shows the different ratios for the transmission:
Page 2 of 4
http://pressroom.toyota.com/presstxt/2006toyotakit/2006camry_s.pdf
Without being rude, I dont know how the transmission issue in your Camry would come and go as you state. It seems to be whether or not you noticed, as is the case with most owners who experience hesitation. For example, I feel a slight hesitation (delayed kickdown response with soaring revs) with my dad's Subaru Legacy, but my mom said she never noticed anything when I brought it up.....
~alpha
I had no 2nd or 6th gear (apparently) and the logic controls were very confused about what to do. I think it tried to go into 2 and having none it down shifted to 1 then up to 3 or 4 then back and forth with some over-revving to redline. The revs were up and down.
There was no hesitation: just wild and jumbled shifting resulting in a lurching and very disconcerting activity, which I think is a safety problem and one of possible damage to the engine or transmission. It cannot be good for an engine and transmission to be lurching back and forth through the different gears with over-revving.
Toyota has already told me they will replace the car if the transmission repair is not satisfactory to me. In fact I will not avail myself of the package of extended warrantee or reimbursement of car payment until I am satisfied of the quality of the work done on the transmission. So far they have been forthcoming and rapid in their response and I await completion of the repairs to evaluate the worthiness of the car and this company for my respect.
Due to the importance of the 2007 Camry to Toyota, especially at this early time in their massive marketing campaign, they are doing their best to resolve these issues, in my opinion, even if they have not for other issues on other cars.
Today I talked with the 800-representative about the transmission. There were some additional issues from that conversation.
I explained to the 800-representative that I do not have a problem, but it appears to be an early production model and I am concerned about the safety aspect of failure during passing. One user at another fourum reported such an incident and another reported failure with rapid accleration. A failure of 6th gear while passing is a concern to me since there are higher speed involved and this frequently occurs during passing.
BIG NEWS: The representative told me that there is no problem with 6th gear and that the failure only occurs in 2nd gear. I noted that the official Toyota press release mentions 2nd and 6th gear but the rep had no knowledge of that release. Has Toyota backed off of the original press release?
OTHER BIG NEWS: The representative told me that the failure would like occur during "low mileage" but there was not specific number. Again, I noted that the press release mentioned a likely occurance before 500 miles. I assume Toyota has backed of the 500 number given the failures are being reportde at nearly 2000 miles. We discussed that low mileage can mean anything. Someone trying to get 500,000 miles on their car are probably at low mileage at 100,000 miles. So low mileage means nothing to without a range, statistical distribution or something that quantifies the term.
The rep also said there was not current block of VIN numbers with this problem, wasn't sure there would ever be one.
The reps recomendation is to talk to the dealer. I called service at my dealer again and they said there was no updates from yesterday and they can't do much unless I have a problem. Their recommedation is for me to "Drive the car". Everyone tells me to call me when there is a problem. I believe there is a plan in place when/if that happens and I survive the incident.
Bottom line for me is that I know less than yesterday.
Can you confirm the information above and provide any other direction for this unhappy customer?
Thanks,
Max99
As one of the afflicted drivers let me say I would rather be in your shoes. I would not worry about it: it is disconcerting if the problem happens but the car will still go. Maybe not as fast if the issue pops up, but it does accelerate. Just in a strange manner.
In my case the car may have had the problem early: I never really accelerated beyond a real slow pace till nearly 2000 miles to find out. This probably masked the issue.
If what they say is true, and only a small number of cars are affected, (even if it is 20 times as many as they say, it is only 10%) then your odds are pretty good of not ever having a problem. If you do then I think they will deal fairly with you, if my experience is any indication.
faldoc
You are getting hung up in unwarranted mileage speculation. We know that the anomaly with the tranny generally occurs around the 500-mile mark and stand by that statement. Could your Camry's transmission have a problem as it passes the 500,000-mile mark? Of course. Your wiper blades could wear out too.
But we really hope you will relax and enjoy your beautiful Camry. Enjoy that gorgeous Kansas City springtime, too!
Thanks max_99.
Your information is helpful and information. And yes, springtime is quite pleasant this time of year. You might also be familar with the highways in western and southwest Missouri. I fequently drive this region. I really liked the supurb, quiet power of the Camry for these two lane roads. If you know the region, you know how treacherous HW13 can be south of Clinton..hills, curves and slow moving trucks while drivers exceeding 80mph. I expect to drive this car on this highway and passing at these speed several times a year. I'll spare everyone the local name for this highway. It has to do with the high fatal accident rate.
The failures of 2nd gear while going at 30-40mph don't really concern me. And I don't think 4 lane driving much of a problem,...even with the higher speeds. But I do think I have a reasonable concern about 6th gear failing when I need it the most. I assume the car would downshift and then I (or someone in my family) would have to respond if traffic is oncoming.
I was not trying to be funny by saying that it big news to know the problem is just limited to 2nd gear, not 6th. To me, this is important information and could alleviate my specific safety concern.
Also, I am not as concerned about the warranty issue. But I would like to know how long I need to drive the car before I can reasonably feel this is not one of the cars that may exhibit this problem....and can not worry about passing gear around a semi on a wet curve at 70+mph.
Scanning previous posts as you suggest (but at another site) Out of the 20 V6 reports at Toyota Nation, 7 report transmission failures. 35% is a long way from 0.5%. I would like to see specific data that shows lower failure rates a lower mileage.
Thanks,
Max99
I understand your concerns, but I don't think we should be asking tmsusa to speak about individual dealerships. He's not in a position to know about them and that's not really what he's here for.
Hope things work out for you with your new Camry.
Edit: Oh, I see you must have read my post and taken those questions out of your message - good idea, thanks.
Thanks for this reminder and keeping us all on our toes as we work through these issues. You are quite right. I have edited out that portion.
Max99
All of the ES350s vehicles have undergone extensive QA testing--consistent with the Lexus brand--and were confirmed to meet Lexus quality standards prior to release.
If you're thinking of buying one, you'll love it! Thanks.
It's close to quitting time at tmsusa's HQ office in Torrance, CA and--being human--tmsusa will be shutting down and going off camping with his son and a bunch of 9-year olds. Oh Boy!
Not to worry. We'll continue to monitor the discussion and respond where we can starting Monday. In the interim, our Customer Experience Center folks are available on Saturday from 7am until 4pm. Call them at 800-331-4331. Enjoy the weekend, hopefully in a Toyota!
Thanks for your reassurance. I test drove the ES 350 today and will order one as soon as I have a chance to look at the various colors to choose my favorite. The Camry has received rave reviews in these forums by its owners and I'm looking forward to driving its twin from the Lexus lineup.
The delivery of a loaner to my driveway has helped to minimize the frustration/hassle level.
I had recommended the new Camry to my mother-in-law and we had the color and options all picked out and were going to close the deal on Friday.
Needless to say we passed on the Camry. Not knowing what vehicles have this transmission defect is amazing to me.
Why would someone want to buy a brand new car only to be a guinea pig to find out if they are one of the unlucky ones with a defective transmission?
With my luck my mother-in-law would be the one having her brand new Camry up on the lift getting a rebuilt transmission put in it, and guess who would get the blame!!! for the rest of my life!
Toyota seems to be in the news a lot lately with quality problems.
If
How long did they say will take them to do this? I am still considering the SE V6 I have planned to buy when it becomes available - and the dealership says it may come within a week or two.
It was suppose to leave Ky last week, but was delayed for a week - maybe to check or fix the tranny - just me. I am just not comfortable going on buying because of this news.
If Toyota can only say that all those manufactured from ....this date have been thoroughly inspected of the problem, then I may have less worry. I understand Toyota not saying much in the news and treating this just an isolated cases. Admitting it publicly this time might have a great impact on the sales of this new model.
they are apparently going to change out the transmission. It will be about 2 weeks before it will be done: I suspect that is how long it will take to get the transmission in from Japan, or wherever they come from.
I have been thinking about this and I might have them give me a new car instead of the extended warrantee/payment deal. I am not sure that you can change out the transmission and have everything like a new car again.
Do they have to disconnect everything and drop the motor to get the tranny out? Doesn't that mean the suspension, all the electricals, the various fluid lines, etc etc?
*GM's being sued in a class action litigation regarding badly engineered intake manifold gaskets that allowed coolant to enter and contaminate the engine oil that resulted in severe bearing erosion including irreperable engine damage.
Faldoc, tmsusa is not technically savvy enough to know the procedures for replacing the transmission, but will check with our Product Quality and Service Support group on Monday to see if they can provide a summary of the steps involved.
Your comments about the transmission replacement for your car reminded me of similar concerns I had when Honda replaced the transmission in my '04 Accord. They replaced it at 4,000 miles because of a persisent whining noise. Now, at 20,000 miles, the replacement tranny works like a charm.
My previous car was an '02 Camry. I'm shopping the '07 Camry V6 LE because I may want to move back to the power of a V6, even though my 4 cylinder Accord is great for a four-banger. I've driven the Camry LE V6 and was favorably impressed.
I think the transmission replacement can turn out fine, provided it's done carefully (my service manager took a personal interest in what the technician was doing). I was skeptical about the whole thing, since it seems like major surgery on a car to me. Apparently, the computer settings can be tricky to get back right. To this day, my clock settings do something completely backward.
Honda put a remanufactured transmission in my car. My understanding is that this is a unit where they save the casing and then replace any internal problem parts with new ones. Toyota seems to be promising you a new transmission. I would think it's worthwhile to know the difference. The defective transmission they remove from your car, for example, may be remanufactured and then turn up in someone else's car later on. This appears to be an accepted procedure in the industry and, so far at least, has turned out fine for me. If it's only a single part causing the problem, that process would certainly make sense.
Good luck with your "operation."
I am more concerned that they not break something in the process of replacing the transmission than I am of future problems with the transmission!
Thanks TMSUSA for your interest.
This is an understandable concern faldoc. The actual work is really nothing like a heart transplant, although tmsusa cannot think of any other medical procedure to which to compare it. The process is straightforward and can be performed by any of our dealerships with Toyota-certified technicians; essentially removing and replacing the transaxle and torque converter.
BTW, tmsusa has seen some comments here about the use of reman parts, commonly done with certain repairs by most manufacturers, including Toyota. But not common here! The transmission is brand new and is not even close to being put into the reman process, which occurs more like a year after the product/part has been out.
In the case of the repair for the specific issue here on the '07 Camry 6-spd automatic tranny, the replacement parts are all brand new--so new that the biggest headache we have right now is getting them from the point of manufacture in Japan to our dealers here for the repairs. That's improving as we are air-shipping directly to our parts distribution centers in the U.S.
Hope this info helps put your mind at ease.
So, you'll remove faldoc's defective transmission and install a new one? What will you do with faldoc's old transmission? If that one won't get into the remanufactured cycle until a year from now, that means it won't be showing up in another Toyota until then? Interesting it would be kept on the shelf that long.
Just curious, since I'm contemplating buying an '07 Camry, my second Camry in recent years.
Since tmsusa does not work in our technical areas, I am not familiar with the provisions for storing used components awaiting possible remanufacture. I do know that any part put into the reman process by Toyota must meet stringent quality standards as if it were a new part.
Will the transmissions being taken from affected owners' cars make their way back into use as remanufactured parts some day? It's possible, but as noted, that would not happen for at least a year, and the components would be "remanufactured" to bring them up to quality standards consistent with our requirements. Were that not possible, the parts would eventually be scrapped.
Thanks for the info TMSUSA. It is reassuring to know a fresh, new transmission is going into my Camry, therefore it cannot have the snap-ring issue.
For now I am letting Toyota work on the car and we will see if it is as good as I hope. The 06 Camry LE V6 I am driving for now is very good. Even the old V6 has good pickup.
Wow, that's a strong statement, jp10. And not very accurate in this case. No question, this is not a DIY weekend project, but in the hands of any of our certified Toyota technicians, the process of removing the suspect transmission/components and replacing with the new tranny is a straightforward clearly defined process and not terribly time-consuming--once the new parts are at the dealership.
You do not indicate the types of cars you've owned, but I suspect you are longing for a Toyota. Please take a look at any of our cars and trucks at your local Toyota dealer, or call our Customer Experience Center at 800-331-4331. They will be happy to answer any questions you have about our products and assist you in locating a dealer.
Thank you for providing tmsusa an opportunity to clarify the facts re this particular issue and repair process.
Possibly a post you removed was the one that TMSUSA is replying to in his post #165. That (possibly removed) post was from jp10. Could you tell us if the quote that TMSUSA begins with, from jp10's post, that begins "That's a major repair job..." constitutes the entirety of jp10's post? If so, fine. If not, it's a shame we don't have jp10's entire post and its context so that we can better understand TMSUSA's response.
Thanks.
I've had my V6 SE on order since mid-March - still no production date. (Suddenly, this is good news!)
We should do a survey here of owners of 2007 Camry V6's:
If you own a new 2007 V6 Camry, are you happy with the performance of the transmission?
I will also post on the 2007 board.