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2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
It took me and my brother in law about 8 hours to swap the old one out and the new one in. He had got a hold of the instructions that skip the factory method so you don't drop the rack or cradle.
I was gonna replace the clutch at the same time but it looked in good shape.
You might regret that later. So much easier to do with the tranny already out, the whole clutch kit would have been less than $100.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Rob from Connecticut
I just read your post. I live in Tacoma, WA and when mine went out, I took it to SeaTac Transmission, in Seatac, WA. They are a VERY good shop, and it was only $1,800 (which is still a TON!)
The rebuilt it, so I am hoping they put better parts in it....
Just an FYI for you. It might be able to be done cheaper than $3,300.
My experience was very much like that of the other good people who reported on this thread. About three weeks or so ago I heard a tapping sound from the front of the car, primarily in 4th and 5th gears. I went through the usual suspects. Valve tap? No, can't hear it under the hood at idle or under acceleration at low gears. Hole in exhaust? No, can't hear it outside of car. Water pump? No. So I took it to my local Toyota dealer where I get service regularly. After one day ($75 + tax) of diagnosis, here's the quote on the receipt:
"...ROAD TESTED VEHICLE. NOISE HEARD FROM TRANSMISSION, HEARD IN ALL GEARS BUT LOADEST (sic) IN 5TH GEAR, DIFFERENTIAL OR 5TH GEAR IS ABOUT TO COME APART, REC REBUILT TOYOTA TRANSMISSION AND REPLACING CLUTCH WHILE APART $3506.99 "
Oh, really? It's about to come apart?? That's $3506.99?? (I loved the $6.99). I have to replace the transmission at 87,000 miles??! Needless to say I was not happy. That's when I found this forum, thanks to my boss. Lots of people reported the same problem, 2002-3 Matrix w/ manual trans. I called the dealership where I bought the car and explained the issue to their Service Director. I got the service records from my local dealer and met with him. He said he would have his Service Mgr. call me the following week. The Service Mgr. called and said I would have to make my case with the dealer who did the most servicing. Toyota acknowledges nothing about an on-going problem with these transmissions.
So I went back to the dealership where my car is serviced in Glen Mills, PA, USA (a nice dealership overall) and spoke with the Service Mgr. in person. "There's nothing we can do" is how the conversation started. I presented the ream of paper I had in my hands with this forum thread and mentioned the slew of people reporting the same problem, and that it appears to be a faulty bearing in the transmission. He gave me the same story as the Service Director in the original dealership, i.e., he confirmed that Toyota has no service advisory or technical bulletin on the problem. After I presented my situation in more detail, including that my extended warranty had run out at 75,000 miles, he agreed to go to the Toyota regional rep and see if they (Toyota) would do something for me.
He called back a day or two later and presented an offer that I agreed to. The dealership would diagnose the problem, even if the trans had to be disassembled, and effect a repair. Toyota agreed to pay for 1/3 of the cost of the repair, the dealership would pay 1/3, and I would pay 1/3. (The issue of replacing the transmission went away).
It took about a week to get to the problem. At first they replaced the 5th gear (and did he say differential?), but that did not solve the noise problem. So they took the transmission apart and, guess what? It was a bad bearing. I swear I told them that. Anyway, according to the the repair bill, they replaced a needle bearing, along with a spacer, synchromesh key and spring, transmission sleeve, shaft snap ring, transm. hub, radial bearing, ring set and bolt, all under warranty.
The total transmission repair bill was reported to be $1,200 of which I paid one-third. The clutch replacement was $394 total parts and labor, which I paid in full. Total cost to me for everything, including taxes (6% in PA) was $845.
$845 is by no means pocket change, esp. with my two daughters' tuition bills due this month, but it seemed like a fair price to pay. The car feels like new, and the clutch pedal is light as a feather. I do like the car. It's a great runabout and commuter car that gets me 34 mpg, and can carry a surprising amount of stuff when I fold down the seats. Other than the trans, it has been bulletproof. I serviced it by the book and could prove it. I believe that was at least part of the reason for the good will.
If I were you, I would take the experiences of those on this forum under advisement and try to get some good will on a repair before incurring the cost of replacing the entire transmission. Note the bearing repair is a replacement in kind. According to the Service Mgr., there is no upgraded part. So in time I would assume the problem can recur. I have decided to take my chances.
Good luck. If you need any more detail on this, I would be glad to copy you on the repair slip.
Mike T.
So, now i am stuck with a car that needs a transmission and a $320 month car payment. If i take it to the shop to fix the transmission, clutch & get my check engine ligh tto go off i am looking at close to $5000.
HAS ANYONE HEARD ABOUT A RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSON?
TOYOTA DENIES THERE IS A
PROBLEM THEY JUST LAUGH AND SAY NO THERE ISNT A PROBLEM!
THIS REALLY SUX ..........BUT THERE ARE ALOS PROBELMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION IS OTHER TOYOTA TRANSMISSION ACCORDING TO WHAT I HAVE READ ON BLOGS EX: 4 RUNNERS, TACOMAS, COROLLA, & THE AVALONS
I then brought it to Toyota to get it inspected and mentionned this forum, but they denied the problem as have so many others I have read on this forum
They changed 2 bearings and charged me 1400$ ......
To top it all off, my 5 year warranty ended July 16 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bougnt my Matrix 2004 used and not from the dealer, so I received no special treatment and got my car fixed elsewhere...
I am VERY dissapointed, this being my 1st Toyota, which I bought because of their good reputation.....
I can't really afford 1400$ right now, but what choice did I have??
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I know that in my case I never had it changed prior to selling the car. I would imagine that if you tow with yours, that would change things.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Spent tons of time yesterday reading about the 5-speed manual C59 transmission/bearing problems in the Matrixes of a few years ago. I started to get scared about buying a new 09 Matrix S 5-speed manual. Should I be?
I read that they started using better bearings in 05 and later. There were so many posts, but they were all from 03-05 owners, and of course the problem starts showing up about now in 09, after a few years driving it. Anyone know what the current situation is?
2003 XR 5 speed manual transmission blew at 87k...drove around with some grinding, took it to the dealer, they said my transmission was screwed. i wanted a second opinion, so drove it to a mechanic that same day, and it was crackling the whole way over on 1st, 2nd gear, less on 3rd, and a little on 4th, and it lasted like this for like thirty minutes, before a high whistling sound became a little permanent, and then the absolute end: a higher whistling sound that made me stop as i rolled to the side on neutral. after that, couldn't put it in gear, nothing..had it towed to the mechanic, transmission's gone.
we need to complain about this to TOYOYA! trying to look for a japanese replacement....dealer had estimated costs at 3,500
email me:
weiom@hotmail.com
I've scoured the web looking for a shop manual or a description of removal/installation procedures. The guy I bought it from said it was a relatively easy home job.
Anybody have info on how to go about this job?
Thanks.
zebwainwrightATgmail.com
I say go for it, as long as there are all the service records, or it comes with some sort of a warranty.
My problems started late Friday fortunately 1/2 km from home. Malfunction lamp came on, engine stalled at a busy crossroad, managed to start it after a few tries, limped home, checked all connections seemed okay. Dealership today afternoon says seems like a computer problem (at only 34000 kms), wait till Monday, get a rental car, pay for rental myself (I do night weekend shifts ). Called Toyota customer service. They listened to my ramblings with concern however since I had no extended warranty I do not get a rental/courtesy vehicle. Told them that extended warranty comes after your regular 60000 km warranty. They said rental depends on dealership and dealership says depends on Toyota. Told Toyota this is becoming a vicious circle and hassle. Told Toyota I am going to write a complaint and next time no Toyota vehicles for me. Never had these hassles with American vehicles. In short, no more Toyotas I would even go close to. Why I am writing this is do not think about Matrix as they are not reliable and Toyota service needs big time improvement.
Thanks.
I would highly recommend Kormex Transparts out of Ontario, CA. www.kormextrans.com. Ask for Lucas.
Found this post AFTER my tranny failed. Wish I could have found it before. Same tranny problem as everyone has had. Noise coming from engine compartment, led to a whine which led to, what sound like, pieces of my tranny falling out. After that I lost first gear. Pulled into a gas station and decided to try to hobble to the dealer. Didn't make it, tranny died and it's stuck in second. Car is at 73k and obviously out of warranty. I called Toyota and talked to a very nice guy. However..... they decided that there was nothing they could do to help me with the $3,100 tranny replacement. This was my first and will be my last toyota. Bought this car brand new, bought toyota for its reliability record, bought a P.O.S.
My name is Tim and I work for an automotive facility in Green Bay Wisconsin. We are typically a performance shop that modifies vehicles for racing and other competitive use, however I happened to own a 2003 Matrix XR with a manual transmission. Its actually my wife's car, but for a while I had been hearing a grinding noise when the car was in gear and under power. After some research I found this thread and determined that the bearing was on its way to failure. Surprisingly our car had over 100k on it, seems like it lasted longer than others on here.
Being that we purchased the car used and the millage I knew Toyota was not going to do anything to assist us. So i had the guys in my shop remove the transmission and check everything out. Yep, there it was a faulty bearing ready to fall apart. Called Toyota got the new bearing and had the guys put it back together with a new clutch as well.
I see some of you have had better luck with Toyota, and others have found reman units for your cars. I found it difficult to find a unit for a reasonable price. So, I'm here to offer to anyone who is interested a rebuild service. If you are experiancing this problem please email me at: Tim@beyondredline.com and I'll be happy to provide you with a quote on rebuilding your transmission, as well as the service to remove and install your unit if you live near us. We are located in Green Bay Wisconsin. Our website is www.beyondredline.com
Again, we are a performance shop, but because of my experience we are now fully prepared to work with you on this or any other issue you may have. Hey, we installed a supercharger on a matrix last year too...
Thanks everyone, good luck
Tim
Do the XRS 6spd's have the same bearing issues as the 5spd's?
Should I dump this car before it leads to bigger problems?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Q: does anyone know for sure if the bearing problem has been corrected???? Is there any way to verify from Toyota what has been changed (like is it a new 9 ball bearing as opposed to the old 6 ball bearing, or whatever).
Thank you all for having put out the information for those more diligent than I who might find it before they buy.
dennis :confuse:
Could you please tell me, what year and how many miles on your matrix?
If you have the 1.8, I don't think you should worry. They changed the bearing in question for the 2005 models. Certainly the '09 Matrix should not suffer from this problem.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Thank you so much for your post. I do have the 1.8 and manual 5 spd, so I was concerned that it might still be a problem - some of the posts don't mention what year their cars were, anyway, I certainly appreciate your information - it puts my mind at ease.
thanks,
dennis
I have the 04 Matrix 5 speed. I was fortunate enough to have driving mine 149k before the tranny started to go. I've sent it into the shop. The parts mgr i spoke with said he wasnt aware of after market bearings for the matrix as stated on a different post. My car can still be driven and I can still shift with relative ease. But the rattling notice is killing me.
Thanks,
frustrated matrix owner!
thanks for any help.
Having said that, I do wonder if it is technically feasible to do this. You would have to get the computer updated to handle the automatic transmission.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)