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Toyota Venza Maintenance and Repair

dmorrison76dmorrison76 Member Posts: 8
what is the best OIL to extend the life of my Venza
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Comments

  • normvenza09normvenza09 Member Posts: 36
    Venza owners like us don't need to worry about this problem but it is worth to view the video. In addition, I posted it on the this forum because the reporter drove the Venza to demonstrate what to do, in case, of sudden acceleration problem.

    The video also shows how to stop our Venza that comes with electronic ignition in case of an emergency.

    Now, I was shocked to see the VW at the end of video, brake overriding gas pedal which cannot be done in Toyota.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/RunawayToyotas/sudden-acceleration-toyota-cars-own- ers-rebel-accidents/story?id=8980479&page=2
  • brand01brand01 Member Posts: 1
    When car is cold very slow in excelaration,I do let it warm up.I had a new trans put in by toyota May 7/07.It had the same problem ,also after normal engine temp,when coming to a complete stop and then excelerating car sems to want to take off by itself.Has there been any feed back on transmissions and exceleration.Also cannot find trans. fluid stick, is this a closed transmission?I was also told toyota might have to update computer in car ,is this right?
  • halwickhalwick Member Posts: 45
    I never had any problems with sudden and unintended accelerations in my Venza.

    The dealer replaced your transmission as a result of sudden or sluggish acceleration complaints? And when you come to a complete stop the car accelerates on its own.....without your foot on the gas pedal? That doesn't make sense.

    I can see the car accelerating on its own when the cruise control is activated and when you move the cruise control lever to "resume", but the moment you step on or tap the brake pedal, the cruise control deactivates.

    As for lack of fluid stick, yes it is a closed transmission good for 100K miles. Then you have to take it to the dealer to have them replace the fluid...and it uses a special fluid. Jiffy Lube won't know how to do it.
  • xando05xando05 Member Posts: 42
    In all truth and honesty-please don't take this the wrong way.......................
    The Venza manual lists the recommended viscosity; follow that recommendation to a "T"

    As far as brand consideration, the oil used during a standard service interval at a TOYOTA DEALER is your best bet for longevity and reliability. Some dealers use Toyota branded oil and some may use another brand.
  • xando05xando05 Member Posts: 42
    For starters, I've owned a lot of cars and I have been inside a lot of cars, but I think this is the first and only vehicle that I've experienced such an issue like this.

    The issue is, when riding in the rear outboard seats(winter time with very cold outdoor temps), I'm clearly able to notice a cold draft around the rear door handle and rear door handle cutout(when closing the door). I thought I was crazy at first, but after multiple trips in the rear seats I continue to notice this problem. On many occasions I asked my wife to increase the heat temperature to combat the coldness I feel, especially while my arm is resting on the rear door ledge.

    If you're wondering why I sit in the rear of the car, is because we have a newborn, and sometimes it is necessary for me to sit next to him during a car ride.

    I'd like to know if this is a major insulation problem with Toyota Venza's? I'm considering ripping off the rear door panels and stuffing some R-8 grade insulation inside. No joke.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Maybe the dealers have gotten better, but lots of people over the years have noted that dealers buy oil in bulk and pump the same 10w30 into every car that passes through the service bays.

    If your dealer has big drums up in the shop ceiling with hoses hanging down, you may want to take your own oil to the shop to insure you really are getting the right weight oil.

    It's be worth it to ask the service writer what drums hold what oil, and then casually mention that you have an oil analysis done every now and then to check on the engine wear and see what kind of reaction you get. ;)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Is the draft noticeable on both doors?

    If it's just one door, maybe the plastic dust sheet inside the door didn't adhere right and is letting lots of air pass through. Or maybe there's just nothing around the cut-outs to help stop the drafts.
  • xando05xando05 Member Posts: 42
    Steve,
    Thanks for the quick reply. I noticed the draft on the right rear door. I need to confirm the left rear door.
    I will post once I confirm. Thank you.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Door panels are usually pretty easy to take off (famous last words?). Unscrew any trim around the handles, pop the clips starting at the bottom, and then lift up. You may have vanity lights to unhook too. But it sounds like you may have done this before.

    Maybe you can figure out how Toyota did the front doors and replicate that for the rear doors.

    Replacement clips for the ones you break taking the panel off can be found at the big box hardware store. :shades:
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    These days the manufacturer designates the oil type and viscosity just as much for FE as for engine life. Use of slightly heavier oil than recommended will not be harmful except for FE.

    "..dealers buy oil in bulk.."

    Yes, and often from re-refineries. Dealers have NO legal obligation to follow factory guidelines when performing routine maintenance procedures.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    If he has a decent dealer, they might put some insulation in there for him under warranty. My dealer has been very cooperative on that type of stuff over the years.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Yeah, good idea. Most dealers are pretty good about that "fit and finish" stuff for the first 12,000 miles.
  • housethouset Member Posts: 36
    Just came across this information today. Thought I'd share. Very disappointing especially since I've been in the market for a Venza.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35111646/ns/business-autos
  • raysfanraysfan Member Posts: 13
    Why would this affect your decision? Venza is not on the recall list for the gas pedal issue. There is only a recall for Venza for all-weather floor mats, specifically the driver's side mat.

    Check out Toyota's website to get all of the recall info.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    The Toyota "recall" isn't fully over...
  • thehappypmthehappypm Member Posts: 2
    In Canada the word is Venza's are included.

    There is a link addressing the recall to the right side of the screen on edmunds.com and it has pictures that differentiate between those pedals made in North America that are part of the recall and those made in Japan that are not. Check the pictures, look at your gas pedal and you shall know.
  • thehappypmthehappypm Member Posts: 2
    I will correct myself.

    I checked out the gas pedal on my Venza, and according to posted photos, it is the Denso(?) version which is not part of the recall. So, mine will not be part of the recall.

    On another subject, I just read the following in a news post

    "CTS, based in Elkhart, Ind., said Friday that the sticky accelerator pedals shouldn't "be linked with any sudden unintended acceleration incidents." The company said it isn't aware of any accidents and injuries caused by the rare slow-return pedal condition. CTS has also said that it employs Toyota's design in the production of the pedals."

    A lady had her Matrix accelerate suddenly last year, and fortunately only drove it into a wood pile in the parking lot she was in. She had frequently complained to her dealer the gas pedal was sticking, but they could not find anything wrong. There has been a great deal of publicity in the Toronto papers of this case. I am sure CTS has been monitoring the press and read this story. And they have the audicity to say they are not aware of any accidents? Is this an attempted application of Hitler's big lie theory - tell it enough times and people will believe it? There is not problem? The lesson learned - don't expect the people responsible to fess up, they will play ostrich, if you have a problem keep nagging at them and be a pain in their side till you get what you want out of them.

    P.S. I'll mail them the news article of the accident so they can be aware

    http://www.thestar.com/wheels/article/756843--toyota-owners-fume-over-massive-re- call
  • dawgmommadawgmomma Member Posts: 5
    Can anyone tell me if the 2009 Venza (6 cylinder, AWD) has a throttle body manufactured by Franklin Precision Industries in Franklin, KY?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "...they (CTS) have audicity to say.."

    CTS is simple saying their gas pedal is not the primary causative factor in the current run-a-way engine situation, Toyota needs to look elsewhere for that.
  • dawgmommadawgmomma Member Posts: 5
    Agreed re "needs to look elsewhere for that." There's a lot more going on here than that. It's complicated, for sure.

    I have finally determined that I have the Denso pedal in my car. Now I need to find out if Franklin Precision manufactured the throttle body in my Venza. Anybody got any clues, suggestions, as to how I can find this out? I've called Franklin Precision, but I'll be shocked if the woman calls me back.

    My dealership rep is so flustered, I feel I'm getting doublespeak. Last week, he told me I had the CTS pedal and in the next breath he said it has the Denso. I had to go out with a flashlight and determine that for myself.

    Any help you can give me re the throttle body would be greatly appreciated.
  • dawgmommadawgmomma Member Posts: 5
    Folks, this is a lot bigger than floormats. If you believe it's just bad floormat design, then you don't read much.

    While one or two of the accidents may have been correctly tied to floormats, the pundits believe Toytota's sudden unintended acceleration (sustained) is a multilayered problem and ultimately has something to do with either the sensors in the drive by wire or a software problem in the main computer. Or, it may be tied to the allegedly broken throttle body shafts supplied by a Kentucky manufacturer. Or, it could be singularly one of the above or a combination thereof.

    Whatever the cause, the solution to any of the above causes of SUA or any not listed would have been to engineer a failsafe, in that the brake would override the throttle, such as those in European cars, BUT they did not. Big mistake.

    Toyota is playing the percentages right now and going for the cheapest smoke screen they can find. They hope to paper over this mess and pray that the furor dies down. Think about it: a plane crashes, 240 people die and the public on the whole doesn't stop flying. Toyota's attitude seems to be that ONLY 19 people have died in SUAs over the past 5 or 8 years (depending on the accidents you count in the SUA numbers.)

    When I called about my Venza being on the recall list, I actually had my dealer say to me in a very irritated voice: "Look, people get into car crashes every day. People die in car crashes every day." Now THAT's audacity.
  • normvenza09normvenza09 Member Posts: 36
    this thread is about VENZA. I posted floormat recall because Venza is not listed on the pedal recall!

    Now let's see who doesn't read!

    "No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale."

    http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-consumer-safety-advisory-102572- .aspx
  • dawgmommadawgmomma Member Posts: 5
    Oh please. If that is what you want to believe, fine by me.

    BTW, the Transportation Secretary just said those affected by the pedal recall should all stop driving their cars and head to the dealer for repairs. This isn't going away quietly.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The Transportation Secretary turned around and said he "misspoke".

    Edmunds.com Responds to LaHood Flip-Flop about Toyota Recall (dBbusinessNews)

    The pedal mess could very well reach the Venza ... and Ford and Chevy. Well, it's already reached Ford in China where they recalled some Transit Connects. But that's no reason for us to get snarky with each other.
  • dawgmommadawgmomma Member Posts: 5
    Steve, well said and agreed. I'm still trying to find out about the throttle manufacturer for the Venza. Any suggestions on how I can find out? Thanks in advance,
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Yeah, grab a flashlight and crawl around under the dash. There are identifying marks on the accelerator and it's not hard to tell the Denso apart from the CTS model. I don't think there's a third supplier.

    Toyota Recall Update #3: How To Tell Which Pedal You Have (Straightline)
  • jeffb1124jeffb1124 Member Posts: 13
    Just a fyi, all Venza's have the Denso gas pedal. There are 2 production lines at the Kentucky plant, one line uses the CTS pedal while the other line uses the Denso pedal. All Venzas are produced on the line that uses the Denso pedal... That is also why the Camry Hybrid isn't included in the pedal recall. Produced on the same line as the Venza so will also have the Denso pedal.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    And when Toyota/etc admits, finally, that none of the "above" were the base cause of some instances of UA...??
  • halwickhalwick Member Posts: 45
    I crawled underneath and with a camera snapped a picture of the gas pedal assembly. It has the 3 bolts and "Denso" stamp. Also checked clearance between the gas pedal and floor mat (standard, not all-weather). I don't see a problem. We feel better.

    Haven't experienced any surge acceleration caused by computer hiccup.....yet.

    Hal.
  • texan8899texan8899 Member Posts: 17
    I read an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press about the sudden accel. problems. Looking past the pedal and mats, electronic interference from cell phones, power lines or even resturant microwave ovens could also cause the sudden accel problem. One way some mfgs prevent this, such as MB, Audi ,is with a brake override system. With this system as soon as the brake is applied the throttle message is cancelled.

    The article states that Toyota has now been adding this override to their vehicles.
    Does the Venza (hopefully) have such a brake override system? If not is Toyota planning on adding as part of a recall? Thanks
  • texan8899texan8899 Member Posts: 17
    I have an 09 Venza. I put my floormat in the trunk, dont know if it is the regular or the all weather but it is in the trunk. Pedal is made by Denso so, so far so good. The next worry is the electrical interference possibility from a cell phone, power lines etc. A brake override system, currently in some cars seems to be the next step to put my mind at ease.
  • tanchyk2000tanchyk2000 Member Posts: 7
    Checked my V6 09 Venza floor mats -- they are secured to the floor with 2 hooks and they has not moved an inch in the last 2 month (my last visit to carwash); the clearance between floor and the pedal is normal, no different than in my other car M3. What is this recalled based of? Do those hooks become loose overtime or is there any other reason? :confuse:
  • texan8899texan8899 Member Posts: 17
    why take the chance? remove the mat and throw it in the garage until you get the recall letter from Toyota. I quess they will either tell you your mat is not the problem, give you a new mat or add an additional hook.
  • texan8899texan8899 Member Posts: 17
    Toyota said Monday night that it was expanding the number of vehicles that will receive a brake override system, meant to reduce engine power when the accelerator pedal and brake pedal are pressed simultaneously. It will add the feature on 2005 to 2010 model Tacomas, 2009 to 2010 Venzas and the 2008 to 2010 model Sequoia. It already announced plans to install the system on five other models. In a statement, Toyota said it had received a Securities and Exchange Commission request and a federal grand jury subpoena for documents related to the sudden unintended acceleration.

    Any one hear anything about this? I have an 09 Venza. What exactly will this overide system entail?
  • johnk12johnk12 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2010 Venza with 1,600 miles on it. I was pulling into my driveway, put on the brake and pushed my built-in garage door opener. The garage door was about one foot off the ground, when the car suddenly accelerated at a great speed at over 5,000 rpms. I was headed straight to crash into the garage door and through the back of my garage into my family room. I immediately put both feet on the brake, then jammed the car into neutral, then reverse, then park. The engine was still racing at over 5,000 rpms. I then shut it off. I sat there for 5 minutes, heart pounding. Called the dealer and had it towed to the dealership.

    A few days later, I received a call from the dealership that my car is ready for pick-up and I could view a video they sent me via e-mail I viewed the staged, phony video where they had purposely placed a light plastic floor mat on top of the gas pedal and said that was the problem. No pedal fix, no brake override, even though I read them over the phone Toyota's Feb. 22 press release that 2009 and 2010 Venza's were added to the brake override system list. By the way, as soon as I shut off the engine, I immediately looked down and no floor mat was anywhere near the gas pedal. To achieve those rpms, two bricks would have had to have been sitting on the gas pedal.

    I let the car sit for 6 days while exploring lawyers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. None were of help. I picked the car up yesterday and held my breath driving home. This weekend I will try to trade it in for another make, I'm sure at a significant loss.

    Clearly, there is something wrong with the electronic control system.
  • housethouset Member Posts: 36
    Thanks for sharing your story. This is extremely unsettling. Although the Venza is exactly the car i want to buy for it's style and price, I will not risk my family's safety until Toyota wakes up and starts working toward a real solution.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "...What exactly will this overide entail..."

    Basically a whole bunch of SHEER IDIOCY...!!!

    The indications, at this moment, is that the engine control ECU is "out to lunch", stuck in an illegal instruction execution sequence, when UA occurs. So it is shear idiocy to add more firmware, BTO firmware, to the engine ECU with the expectation it will work.

    But that's what the idiots at Toyota/etc (NipponDenso and Denso US, in reality) appear to be proposing.
  • jkl01jkl01 Member Posts: 1
    the news that your Venza reacted with UA during the braking process has reinforced my first reactions to my car's brakes. My Venza brakes are behaving like they will accelerate as I apply the brakes and only after a momentary delay and surge does the brakes kick in.Its somewhat reminescent of a clutch that is held too long and the engine continues and no braking occurs, or sometimes the cars lurges faster. At some point, following your article I wonder if my brakes will not kick in before the surge gets out of control. Its like I have to be very very careful when children are on my street that the car will brake or even slow down when I want it to. My car doesnt have 1000 miles on it yet. I've had it in the shop and the report was that they could not find anything wrong at this time.
  • ab18ab18 Member Posts: 4
    I purchased our 2009 Venza on February 6th of this year and just discovered that the recall notice for this vehicle was issued by Toyota on January 27th - some 10 days earlier. More than one of the salespeople helping us at the time made a point of declaring that the Venza was not on the recall list and so we went ahead with our purchase. Now, my wife does not want to drive the car and my kids don't want their kids in the car either. I am curious to know if we have any recourse, either with Toyota or the dealership. Even if Toyota had not noticed the dealership by Feb. 6th, I would think that they (the dealership) had a duty to know and an obligation to advise us prior to the purchase.

    I wonder if this has happened to anyone else?
  • robfilerobfile Member Posts: 9
    I believe the Venza recall is limited to the all-weather floormats and not the supposed unintended acceleration
  • ab18ab18 Member Posts: 4
    Yes, the Venza recall is for the mats, but after reading Johnk12's message, I am not convinced that it is just that. Especially after all of the issues with the Prius.

    My question was more along the lines of receiving advice on how best to approach Toyota and the dealership regarding the sale of a vehicle that is known to be on any recall list - wether it is mats, software or whatever. I seriously doubt that we would have purchased the Venza knowing that it was on the recall list. We would have continued our search for a low mileage used Highlander to replace the one that was totaled recently. We did not have a lot of time to research different vehicles and were dependent on a dealership (and brand) that we have come to rely on and feel it was their obligation to be forthright with any information - especially involving recalled cars that they were selling.

    Any thoughts on how to deal with this situation would be appreciated.
  • robfilerobfile Member Posts: 9
    The Venza has the Denso pedal which is not part of the recall and isn't the same as the Prius. .

    Reference: http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2010/01/toyota-recall-update-3-how-to-t- ell-which-pedal-you-have.html

    FYI the Venza recall is the same recall that is on the Highlander.

    While I'm not calling into question Johnk12's issue, I certainly would have left an email address on this forum and would want to talk to anyone who had a similar problem.

    However, I do believe that Toyota needs to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Some of these UA's are legitimate and others are outright scams such as is Prius in California.

    After talking to several people with Toyota as well as those in the industry I have no concerns of UA with the Venza.

    No matter what type of car you own, one needs to be aware of how to stop the vehicle if the worst case scenario.
  • ab18ab18 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the response, Robfile, your comments are appreciated. I understand that the possibility of an acceleration problem with the Venza's are remote and that we should be able to respond to those situations rationally, but my point was not so much with the physical problems with the vehicle as much as the responsibility of the manufacturer and/or the dealership to notify a prospective owner that there is a recall pending on the vehicle that they may be purchasing.

    I would like to think that when I go to a Toyota dealership (or any dealership for that matter) that I have been provided with all of the information needed to make a reasonably informed purchase decision - especially if it has to do with safety and specifically a product defect that has already been noticed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as this was 9 to 10 days prior to us buying our Venza.

    I just got off the phone with a representative from Toyota and had a most dizzying conversation with a poor gentlemen that was doing his best to support the party line, but just could not make a rational statement when pressed for details. For example, when I asked him if he could tell me when Toyota noticed the dealerships about the January 27th floor mat related recall of the Venza, he put me on hold for 15 minutes and came back with a comment to the effect that the dealerships have not been noticed as there is not a full remedy for the problem yet. Even though he admitted that the "partial" remedy was to remove the driver's side mat, there was no obligation on their part to notify customers of this and that it was up to us to find this information on their website. He stated that they don't have a responsibility to notify their customers until a full remedy has been determined at which time we will get a formal notice in the mail. (Needles to say, this was not an acceptable response and his supervisor will be calling me in the morning.)

    The bottom line is this - a customer shopping for a car should be told by a representative of a factory sponsored dealership of any recalls - whether pending or fully completed - so that they can make a fully informed decision when deciding on which vehicle to buy. I have been a loyal Toyota fan for over 25 years, but I think they have some serious issues and this situation seems to be further proof of that.
  • ab18ab18 Member Posts: 4
    An update to my last post - a supervisor from Toyota called me yesterday and actually apologized for the "miss-information" I had received from his customer service rep. He stated that Toyota should have notified car owners by now. When I asked him if and when the dealerships were notified of the floormat recall on the Venza's, he researched it while we were on the line and reported that the dealerships were emailed the information immediately (January 27th or 28th - some 9 to 10 days before we made our purchase).

    The supervisor was honest and forthright with his responses which I appreciated very much. Unfortunately, I now have a bone to pick with the dealership for not being the same with us. I'll let you know how that goes.
  • sam063sam063 Member Posts: 1
    I have the exact same problem with my 2010 Venza bought in April'10 and brought it back to dealer with 4400 miles on it. I left it at Toyota for the day. (by the way - no loaner cars!) They proceeded to call me later and said the car is ready and wont surge anymore. They actually ended up cutting my rotors at 4400 miles. I have had many brand new cars and NEVER heard of this. I dont think they even though twice that there might be a defect in the brakes or rotors and whatever could be the problem besides CUTTING my rotors. I think they have a big problem and now I do also. I cannot trade it in. I have decided to ignore it for now. And I did ask my salesperson before the purchase if it was on recall list which she assured me it wasnt, and hello - 3 weeks later- I got the recall for the gas pedal problem with the mats but dont bring it to dealer as they dont have a fix for it yet. I am very disturbed and god forbid if something happens because of this to myself or my family or someone else. I am lost. Any suggestions?
  • marvin6marvin6 Member Posts: 72
    We bought our 6 cyl venza at the end of April and have just over 1,000 miles on it. We have no brake issues, but I do totally agree with you that you should have been informed of any recalls. That being said, I don't think there is anything wrong with the mats. I've been driving over 35 years and I have pulled the mats out from under the pedal of just about every car I've ever owned or driven (with the exception of those with retaining hooks on the mats). This car has the hooks to hold them in place. I think the old saying "if you can scare people you can take their money" (or control where they spend it) applies here. UA is not unique to toyota by any means, but I think the hype is because toyota is a foreign-owned company with non-union labor. I'd suggest you drive and enjoy the car.
  • dee2010dee2010 Member Posts: 2
    I have had my Venza for 3 weeks and the AC quit cooling. Per the Toyota dealer, a rock has gone thru the grill and busted into the conderser causing it to fail. I was sitting in traffic when this occurred and obviously did not hear anything hit the car. Now they want my insurance company to pay for the repair and I pay the $500 deductible. Is this true? IF THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH, this is a faulty design and it can happen over and over again. It's not like I was out 4 wheeling when it happened. Any thoughts? Should I get a lawyer?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Dealer appears to me to be on rather solid legal ground.
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