2007 Toyota Camry Transmission Questions

user777 · April 2007

your friendship (if valuable) warrents spending more and buying new as in my humble opinion even if it didn't have a hesitation or flare issue, and completely regardless of model/make... you don't want to jeopardize it if a vehicle develops problems. he'll feel bad, you'll feel bad, etc.

teamtbo · April 2007

jmpinmoonlite, by the way, did your friend tell you why he is selling an almost brand new car with 6500 miles on it? If not, you may want to find out. I would be a little suspicious...especially if the topic never came up.

I agree with user777 as well. If this is a really good friend, it is probably better to find a different car.

imidazol97 · April 2007

>This may be nothing more than Toyota placing more Camrys

And this MAY be a result of problem cars. You may have your opinion and I will have mine. I realize you don't want to give up on the idea here's no real problem but there are a larger number of cars out there that are Camrys.

lzc · April 2007

Actually, I'm willing to go wherever the evidence leads. But it needs to be evidence, not prejudice.

No matter. We'll soon know whether a significant number of Camrys are defective. If there are, the price for nearly-new Camrys will fall, and then we'll have evidence, not conjecture, that something serious is going on.

rsb1445 · April 2007

So do the transmissions in V6 Camrys built after these work properly? Do they experience the flare?

RSB

chuck28 · April 2007

Just wondering if the rpm trans flare problem has been solved in everyones car? Havent' seen a post fro a few days?

6abc · April 2007

I finally solved my transmission flare problemS on my 07 Camry V6 engine and the gas tank problem (thumping noise and car vibration on acceleration when the tank is full) They have already replaced the tank once and did not solve the problem. I purchased the car on Dec 31, 2006. Have had the car for a little over 3 months been to the service dept 4 times (for those of you who have not seen my posts before).

How is it being solved I am dumping the car. I am purchasing another car that is slightly more expensive than the Camary. I am doing a trade in getting a fair amount back but only through the Toyota dealer. It is not a buy back but I am doing a trade with their used car dept.

How it is going to work is the dealer that I am purchasing my car from (they will be doing the trade-in) got a confirmation from the dealer that I bought the Camary from that they would be able to sell the car back to the Camary dealer. Since I am doing my Camary as a trade in to the new car dealer I do not have to pay the taxes again because it is in the same purchase year. So that saves me about $1200.

In the end I am getting a check from the new dealer for over $500 which I will put towards my new warranty. I know this might sound goofy to some of you but I put my intentions out to the universe and asked for help from a power greater than mine. I refused to live with a vehicle that was causing me stress. There are too many other things in my life that I want to spend my energy on.

I just could not justify keeping a brand new car that has problems and that I would have to take back to the dealership several more times when "the FIXES came out" (you know what I mean about "we are waiting for a FIX on the problems").

I wish all of you good luck with your problems and hope that you can find solutions for them and if not that you will be happy with what you have.

blackexv6 · April 2007

6abc -

I've been following the '07 Camry discussions since the redesign was introduced. Your situation also makes me sick & I can appreciate your frustration. We are going through a similar experience with our '06 Honda Odyssey that has a droning noise defect that cannot be repaired (5 attempts). We are scheduled for a court date (Lemon Law)later this year.

I chose to fight back since all of my mediation options were exhausted. We offered to trade the car for a new one & the dealer gave us the "deal of the century". Blue Book on the trade and the advertised sales price ($200 more than we paid on the original deal).

We bought Honda & Toyota for their stellar track record with reliability and quality. However, we are finding that these new cars have problems just like other manufacturers.

I know this a Camry forum but I wanted to share a similar experience. Honda & Toyota lovers save the grief....I am still loyal and will only buy H or T cars.

chuck28 · April 2007

Hello 6abc, well said and I know exactly how you feel. It could of been me writting your words.
One question please, is it another toyota you bought. I also bought my car in 2006 can I still avoid the taxes?
Any info you have that can help me here would. My dealership is working on getting me out of my car adn I'm waiting on a call back.
Keep in touch, thanks and God Bless

mikec18 · April 2007

Hi all,

I bought Camry 2007 LE back on Aug 2006. From the beginning, I had this problem.(Or I think it is a problem)

1. Before the car is going downhill, it is running at about 2000RPM.
2. Car is moving faster and faster since it is going downhill.
3. When I step on brake, sometimes,(about 30% chance), car can suddendly move faster. RPM can jump to 2500-3000 depends how fast it is when the brake is applied.
4. RPM can stay at the same speed for a long time. One time, I was on a trip and there is a long downhill drive for several miles, RPM stayed at 3000+ for several minutes even I am not stepping on gas.

I brought the car to dealer twice and they said that is normal.

Can can give me some idea about whether this is really normal?

Thanks in advance.

kiawah · April 2007

Is your vehicle a 4 cylinder, or 6 cylinder? There is a TSB for the 4 cylinder, addressing hesitation and lack of power at cruise control speeds. This TSB addresses engine mixture and transmission shifting, and takes about 1/2 hour for the dealer to install this software.

6abc · April 2007

Hi chuck28. The way I understand it about the tax issue is that if you sell your new car and buy another WITHIN a years period say Mar '06 to Mar '07 not paying the taxes again will work. If you are selling and buying from the same dealer it should be easy.

I had alot of questions when I went to several Mercury Dealers. Some had no idea what I was talking about. Others said OH we just had someone else do that but they were trading in a car that they had bought at their dealerships.

How it worked for me was I went to a hugh dealership to buy my new car. They seem to know so much more than the smaller ones did. they were also in the same area as the Toyota dealer that I bought my car from and the Manager knows the owners of the Toyota dealer. How the transaction went was: The Mercury dealer bought my Toyota from me and than got a commitment from Toyota that they would buy the car from them. And the reason for that was that Toyota was giving me a great price for the 07 Camary that outside dealers would not.

I bought a Mercury Monteigo. I LOVE IT... So much more than the Camary. I got it loaded with the convenient package. The car was more expensive than the toyota but I got such a great deal because it is near the end of the month and they are also trying to move these cars off the lots because they are coming back in 08 as the Mercury Sable.

The dealer gave me a check back that I than put toward my extended warranty. With the money that I will get back from my Toyota warranties I walked away from the deal even. What more could I ask for. Someone was looking out for me.

Granted the Camary felt a little sportier but this car rides very solid. It has much more than my Camry did. Adjustable foot pedals, Rear reverse sensors, both side power seats, dual control for heating and cooling. In addition to side air bags it has some sort of shield that comes down. The seat height is great almost like an SUV GREAT for people who have back issues. I don't have any issues yet with it. But any new car can have issues so here is hoping for the best. I truly love this car.

In a way I feel sad about all the bad Toyotas that are on the road. I has always been such a well respected product. I hope that they get their act together and honor their product and their customers. But as a customer don't let them get away with a bad product. The consumer has a great voice out there and maybe the upper levels in Toyota will start listening. Good Luck to all of you.

mikec18 · April 2007

It is a 4 cylinder. Can you tell me some details about the TSB? I am new to this forums.
Thanks.

kiawah · April 2007

Do a search on TSB EG056, I think it's in the Toyota Problems forum. I don't have time to research this right now, or I'd do it for you. One of the posters, put a copy of the actual TSB on their carspace page and if you read the forum you'll find reference to it with a link. You can print it and verify that your VIN number would be one of the effected units.

chutist · April 2007

I have a 2007 Camry SE that I bought new in November of 2006. It's had the "shift flair" problem since new. I took it in to my dealer last week and Toyota told them to replace the transmission. So far so good, I'm not happy about needing a new transmission in the car but at least they didn't give me a hard time.

I got the car back yesterday and drove it on a 3 hour trip to Los Angles from our home in Ridgecrest, Ca. On the way back with about 20 miles to go the "check engine" light came on but everything seemed find. Then the transmission dropped down one gear and would not shift back up. I came to a stop sign near my house and thought I saw a puff of smoke as I left the sign. The car would only shift up to about 4th. As I pulled in the garage the car was engulfed in smoke....I backed out away from the house and shut down. Got my wife and myself away from the car. After a time it quit smoking, we unloaded all of our belongings and called Toyota...it was towed to the dealership...

So I'm guessing I've lost the SECOND transmission on this car.

The capper was when I called the dealership and asked if they had an update for me. Service guy says and I quote :"I drove it this morning and it drove fine for me" - with a tone that lead me to believe he though I was mistaken that there was a problem. I asked "did you notice the transmission fluid all over the engine bay?" Him " ahhh no...".

New $30,000 car that has basic drive train problems, not good.

chuck28 · April 2007

Thank you 6abc. You seem to be a man of faith as I am. I headed to the dealer tomorrow to see what they can do?
Your prayers are welcomed. Thanks again and enjoy your new car.

6abc · April 2007

Hi Chutist, I am sorry about all of your problems. Have you read any of the posts for Camry Repair and Problems. There are also many on the Transmission. I got some very good ideas from there on what to do and what not to do about my problem which was a gas tank and the transmission was starting to slip. Read some of them.

What I ended up doing was going right to the owner of the dealership. Telling him I was very dissatisfied with the car and that this was just unacceptable (said that several times). I was very calm and very nice about it. (I wasn't that way at the service department and than I realized those guys don't care and they are given a book? with statements in it to respond to all of our problems.

) I repeated over and over again to the dealer how upset this issue was making me.

I asked what he could do for me and waited to see his response. We discussed several options. He wanted to get me another Camry and I said NO WAY I wasn't taking another chance. Than I was going to go with a used Avalon from several years ago and thought about it for several days and knew I didn't want a used car. So I called him and said this was not going to work. I didn't want any other Toyota. I was not comforatable in them.WHAT else can you do for me could you buy the car back? AS I understand it dealers can buy a car back on their own. What happened was their used car lot bought it back and I lost about a couple thousand $$ but it all worked out very well for me at another dealership. As I said before in my other posts someone was looking after me. Go into the situation with good intentions and a positive attitude and it is amazing what you get back.

These are just some suggestions but if you really LOVE your Toyota than you will just have to deal with the problems because it seems to me that Toyota doesn't think there is a problems and until they keep seeing the statistics of these cars coming back they won't get it. They need to start losing profits for them to understand.

I had also called the 1-800 number at Toyota and started a record of my problems (I don't really think that helped but at least they have a record). Lemon Laws are hard to deal with they make it difficult and you need to start proceedings with Toyota abitration also. But if you can get the dealer to work with you on a personal level you will not have to go through this and months of waiting for decisions and getting you car repaired. Like I said be NICE but be FIRM and really know what you want out of this.

Best of LUCK!!

6abc · April 2007

Chuck28, you're welcome and I will send some good thougths your way (some of us call it good energy others of us call it prayers) This is the third day with my Mercury Montego and I have added another star to the 4 stars I already gave it. Hope your trip to the dealership worked out in your favor.

teamtbo · May 2007

I just picked up our 2007 Camry XLE V6 today after having the transaxle replaced. The part number is 30510-33530. So far, I haven't experienced the shift flare. I did notice that the shifting isn't quite as smooth though. Anyway, I am going to keep my eye on it since I only have 30 miles on the new transaxle.

chuck28 · May 2007

Thanks Team, please keep us informed. CHuch

djm2 · May 2007

Hi teamtbo:
I am very interested in the outcome of this repair. Please keep all of us informed about this issue!
Best regards. ------Dwayne :shades:

starhusker · May 2007

I was almost certain to buy a 07 camry until I found out there are so many complains about the transmission. Is it because there are too many people who bought the cars so that problems are inevitable or the transmission problem is really serious? thanks!

btw, I am looking for a reliable midsize sedan with stability control and traction control features. I like the outlook of Altima, but only in those V6 models these safety features become optional. I don't want to go V6 because I feel like the extra HP means nothing to me and I lose some MPG..

kiawah · May 2007

The 4 cyl LE with 5speed transmission is fine. I have one, and would buy another if needed another vehicle. I do have one of the early production models, did have the hesitation and cruise control downshift problem, but both issues were fixed with the TSB back in October 2006.

I personally would not hesitate at all.

djm2 · May 2007

Hi kiawah & starhusker:
I own a 2007 V6 XLE Camry which was purchased in January. I do alot of driving. To date, I have 7500 miles on this vehicle. I DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THE PROBLEMS that you see posted on this site! The transmission in my vehicle shifts VERY SMOOTH and POSITIVE! My vehicle is just about five, (5) months old.
If you check my other postings, you will see that I warm-up my vehicle the first thing in the morning, and I believe in frequent oil and filter changes,----(every 2,500 miles / half of what Toyota advocates which is 5,000 miles)
Best regards. ----- Dwayne :shades:

bobp3 · May 2007

I purchased my Camry XLE in November. Around 1,000 miles Toyota replaced my transmission due to severe engine flare. The end of December I received my car back with the 2nd transmission. The transmission did not seem to be consistent; sometimes shifting hard. Still noticed slight engine flare. We took the car on a trip to FL in the winter,& I noticed the engine flare more often. The flare was not as bad as with the first transmission, the engine would go up a couple of hundred RPM before engaging in the next gear.

I recently had my car into Toyota for something else and asked if they had a program update for my car, which they did. Since the program update my transmission has been working much better. As of this writing all transmissions issues have been fixed and the transmission is behaving properly.

I hope this helps some of you who have the 6 speed transmission that are having some issues.

Thanks,
Bob

starhusker · May 2007

I also checked user reviews from autos.msn.com. It seems that people start to complain about the transmission for both V4 and V6 models after 10,000 miles. The hybrid version got almost perfect feedback though.

kmacomber · May 2007

I have had my 2007 LE to the dealer twice to check the hesitation and constant shifting of gears during cruise control. My Camry has all the software updates and it still has the problems. Knowing what I know now, I would have kept my 4 speed 2002 Camry and looked at more options before buying a Camry. The drive by wire hesitation problem is unacceptable and IMHO the constant shifting of gears when climbing hills in cruise control will only lead to excessive wear on the engine and transmission. I plan to sell this one and look at other vehicles. Not a happy Camry owner after 26 years of Toyotas.

kiawah · May 2007

I would take it back and tell them you still have the symptoms. Ask them to check that they installed it correctly (and check under the hood to see if they put the sticker on).

The TSB made a huge difference, most noticeable to me on the cruise control shifting problem. I went from shifting on even the slightest of inclines during my 10 mile Interstate stretch, to not downshifting at all.

From the way it sounds, it's like the TSB isn't even on.

wwest · May 2007

"...constant shifting of gears...."

Seems to have become SOP across the industry.

On vacation in HI I drove a Mazda minivan for the first week on Maui and a Chrysler Sebring Conv. (both relatively new, current models) for the second week on the big island.

The Mazda amazed me at the number of shifts it did at the slightest movement of the gas pedal or difference in the roadbed slope. It proved to be somewhat better in cruise control but was still much more, a LOT more, "busy" than my 2001 RX300 here at home.

I concluded that the Mazda minivan had some sort of problem.

Then I drove the Chrysler and it acted the same way, maybe even a tad worse.

6-speed transaxles, and ability to use the torque converter lockup clutch in the top three of those....

That makes a 9 "speed" transmission.

Totally, TOTALLY, optimized for FE = lots of shifting. Include the upshift pattern to alleviate problems with engine compression braking on the front/drive wheels..

Of course it shifts LOTS...!

silverstar · May 2007

My car - Oct 06 built 07 Camry XLE v6.

Had tranny problems within a couple of hundred miles: slipping, flaring, reverse not engaging, etc. youve been reading about all these problems. Dealership repaired it  made it twice as bad.  I took car back  got transmission replaced.

After replacement:

Much better for a while though it has always continued to slip a little in first cold starts  when shifting from first to second gear  engine flares (about 300 rpm) and re-engages. Happens every time.

Fast forward 2000 miles on this new tranny  car has started slipping out of gear going from 4 to 3 (or was that 3 to 2) hard to tell, when slowing down and on gentle re-application of accelerator - FLARE and not so pleasant re-engage. Has happened two times recently.

Engine compression braking (or is it tranny/convertor lock-up) during periods of full lift-throttle coastdown events. Particularly between 35mph and 25mph  I absolutely hate this  coasting seem not possible in town. This does not happen over 35 or under 25 mph, but in this 35~25 range I feel like I am dragging an anchor or a parachute behind me when I lift foot of the accelerator.  what gives? 80% of my driving is in town  I am not amused. :mad:

Also just before coming to a full stop the car seem to have a sort of a "greased-sled, bumped-from-behind, slipping-foward" feeling similar to partially releasing the brakes (with apologies to wwest, I am borrowing many of your words since they describe my experiences better than I can articulate)

My replacement transmission in October did not include the torque-converter replacement. If I get this, will it help elevate some of my cars transmission/shifting problems?

Other problems: just for the record.

Since I bought the car in October, engine rev at startup. First cold start  engine climbs to a whiny 1800 rpm for about 3 seconds  I complained and was told : Normal! all Toyotas do that. Is this true?

Squeaky dash when cold: Though with temperatures warming up around here, this may be a problem that will go away until next Fall.

user777 · May 2007

wow. completely unacceptable.

it's possible the replacement transmission is bad, and / or, you have a torque convertor problem as you suspect. it's possible you have some sticking shift solenoids, or an ATF underfill/overfill condition. it's possible you have an ATF temperature sensing issue.

i'm not sure anyone (outside of toyota, perhaps inside as well) is going to be able to pinpoint for you exactly what is going on. many report no problems at all, so it seems they have a manufacturing or parts quality control problem.

i would video-tape these behaviors, because i think you're gonna need to be "documented" if you have to get out of the vehicle.

speak to the dealership and impress on them the unacceptable operation of the vehicle. demand that they try a torque convertor swap or possibly another transmission right away.

good luck.

djm2 · May 2007

Hi Silverstar:
Thank God that I have some knowledgeable Automotive friends, that are willing to share some information with me!
I think you might have "hit on the problem with the V6 Camry transmission"! ----- From what I have been reading and hearing about this condition, the cause might be in the "Torque Converter", not in the transmission itself. This would account for the erratic shift patterns, when the "on-board computer" is trying to match the engine speed to the road speed / traffic conditions. Also a torque converter problem would account for a "flare," (slippage), on the first few shifts when the vehicle is first started in the morning, because the fluid is cold, and the torque converter might not be completely filled with fluid at "start-up"! ----- (The torque converter might not be multiplying torque, but rather, acting like an old "fluid coupling" of the vehicles in the 50's. Chrysler vehicles used a fluid coupling on a three speed conventional trasmission in those years with a clutch. You could shift the trans like a normal "stick shift," or you could leave the vehicle in third gear at a traffic light with you foot on the brake, and start off in third gear by just depressing the accelerator pedal. There was a lot of "slippage in the fluid coupling" when you operated the vehicle in this manner. This drive train eliminated the "bucking" associated with "stick shift operation". Anyone could operate a "stick shift," because there was no positive connection between the input shaft of the three speed transmission, and the crankshaft of the engine. The "fluid coupling" was the "buffer"!)
The difference between a "Torque Converter" and a "Fluid Coupling" is that a Torque Converter has a "stator" between the "drive member" and the "driven member" of the unit to redirect the fluid for maximum efficiency. The fluid coupling does not have the "stator"! That is why, there is so much slippage in a fluid coupling. If the "stator" is not operating properly in the torque converter, the vehicle would experience "slippage" in the drive train, erratic shifting and poor fuel mileage. The reason is that the unit is not multiplying torque, but rather it is transferring torque like a fluid coupling.
Best regards. ----- Dwayne :shades:

mcdawgg · May 2007

"Since I bought the car in October, engine rev at startup. First cold start  engine climbs to a whiny 1800 rpm for about 3 seconds  I complained and was told : Normal! all Toyotas do that. Is this true?"

Completely true.

gbabaluk · May 2007

Morning everyone;
Well, the dealer had our SE V6 this Monday for the dash rattle and "console" rattles. So far so good BUT it's 80 degrees outside and not 0 degrees, so we will have to wait for the fall/winter to see if this worked.
Our car is one year old next week and have been fortunate that the transmission flare issue has not shown up yet. Only about 10K kilometers. This is my wife's car, so I don't drive it that much but when I do, I always do a couple of full throttle(redline) runs on the car to make sure the "adaptive learning" TCU knows that it has to shift. The tanny shifts much better(crisper) after I do this. Not sure if this helps keep the flares away but who knows.
Have a great day;

wwest · May 2007

COLD ATF will have a higher viscosity and therefore the torque converter will be somewhat more efficient.

But COLD ATF will also have a lower overall volume and I personally think that is at the heart of the engine flare that seemingly only occurs until things warm up.

Not enough fluid volume in the sump when cold.

Besides which, were it the torque converter slipping wouldn't that be more likely to happen in 1st gear when really high torque needs to be passed??

djm2 · May 2007

Hi wwest!
Cold ATF fluid would have a higher viscosity, but because of this viscosity, I would think that it would move slower in the Torque Converter, from the drive to the driven member of the unit!
According to my knowledgeable automotive friends, the "stator" is mounted between the "drive member" and the "driven member" of the torque converter. It's job is to re-direct the fluid between the "drive" and the "driven members", so that the flow of fluid increases the torque, and the converter operates at a high level of efficiency.
If I understand the explanation correctly, the stator locks-up in one direction of rotation, and free wheels in the opposite direction, as the vehicle approaches "cruising speed", and the fluid flow changes in the unit.
Is it possible, that the "stator" in the V6 Automatic Trans converter goes into a "free-wheel mode", (due to the "drive by wire" action of the accelerator pedal), thus causing the converter to react as a "fluid coupling," thus causing a momentary "flare / slippage" in the converter unit, which then causes the stator to lock-up, and return the unit to a torque converter operation? Is it possible that the "lag" in the drive-by-wire accelerator pedal action sends an eroneous signal to the stator to free-wheel, under certain traffic / driving conditions?
If the transmission were to slip internally, the soft parts of the transmission, (clutches & bands), would burn out very rapidly. But if the slippage was in the Torque Converter, this faliure would not occur. Some additional heat would be generated, but not enought to damage the soft parts of the tarns.
I have been told by some of my older friends that old Hydramatic transmission would loose some fluid out of the torque converter, (as they accumulated mileage), when the vehicle was parked over night. The fluid would drain back into the pan of the unit. If the driver started the engine, and drove off real quick, the converter would slip until it was refilled by the pump. The slippage was not in the trans, but rather in the torque converter!
QUESTION: ----- Has anyone reported clutch or band failure on this Toyota transmission?
Best regards. ------ Dwayne :shades:

silverstar · May 2007

Many thanks to djm2, wwest, mcdawgg, and user777 for replying.

The possibility that most of my cars problem could be remedied by replacing the torque converter sounds comforting and hopeful. I have to admit some of that technical stuff zipped about 6 inches over my head but none-the-less, I found it interesting to read.

I had a thought about my 35mph~25mph engine/transmission braking behavior. Could it be that as a stop-gap measure to correct the 3-4 gear flaring, Toyota intentionally programmed the on-board computer to force the tight coupling of the engine/tranny in this speed range to prevent unintended disengaging the transmission and resultant engine flare? - phew! long sentence.

Next week I will approach my friendly Toyota dealer and explain my issues. Lets see if they cough up a torque converter for me.

Ill let you all know

Thanks again.

wwest · May 2007

A bit of confusion on my part...

Your paragraph: "Fast forward 2000 miles...." "slipping out of gear..."

Is a virtually perfect description of the indicative symptoms of the upshift technique adopted late in the last century for FWD (or,)vehicles with automatic transaxles to prevent or lower the potential for loss of directional control should the roadbed happen to be slippery.

The idea, seemingly, was to quickly upshift the transaxle ("slipping out of gear") upon a full lift throttle event to alleviate any substantial level of engine compression braking on the front, driven AND STEARING wheels.

Regrettably in many cases, quick reapplication of gas pedal pressure, this apparently resulted in a bit of a "lurching", or delayed, sequential downshift since the transaxle's gear type ATF pump had not been designed, up until recently, to support two gear changes in quick succession with the engine at idle RPM.

Insofar as I know only Ford has stepped up to the plate and properly addressed this issue via use of a variable displacement ATF pump in the new Edge.

But then the very next paragraph ("engine compression braking..."), apparently conflicts with this prior one. The newly adopted upshift pattern apparently adopted to prevent engine compression braking is largely in conflict with this statement. On the other hand in reading the shop manual more carefully it is possible to have narrow roadspeed "slots" just as you describe, wherein engine compression braking is allowed.

Puzzling...!

user777 · May 2007

based on this owner's description, and the conflicted behaviors, one has to suspect a torque convertor or transmission or both in need of relacement.

people claiming no issue, and then there are a few that can't get satisfaction from their dealership for their new ride. :lemon:

silverstar · May 2007

wwest and others, sorry for restating what I have already written last week - not my intent to continue to complain but maybe if I add a bit more specificity it and might shed a little more light on the problems of my car. Maybe what I perceive as different problems may all symptomatic of a single cause.

1)
First, the engine compression braking. The behavior happens after the car is driven more than five minutes and has had a chance to warm up. In other words, no engine braking effect for the first five+ minutes.

After that, especially when cruising in the 30~35 mph range, lift throttle and you can feel something slowing the car more than normal: about 4 seconds from 35 to 30 and another 4 or so seconds to 25. After dropping below 25 and the car feels normal again and coasts merrily along slowing at a rate like every other automatic I have driven in the last 30 years. In fact, coasting from 25 to 20 takes a leisurely 10+ seconds. Same is true when lifting foot of throttle at 50, 60 or 70: normal feeling of slowing down until the needle reads 35 mph, then speed drops fast until 25 and then returns to smooth coasting.

So why a perceptibly different deceleration rate in the 35-25 range? an effort to suppress flare in this range? The car drives perfectly fine on the way up though this range  just the way down is aggravating.

2)
After warm-up, slowing down to 10 mph and taking a corner and normal re-accelerating  the transmission decouples, the engine flares and then I get a hard re-engage of transmission  happened two or three times since new transmission. Last one about three weeks ago. However more usually, the transmission seems to momentarily disengage or uncouple when coming to a stop at about 3 mph and the rpm jumps from 1000 to 1300 but settles down again in a second or so as I come to full stop.

Work schedule has not allowed me the opportunity to discuss these and other issues with the dealership.

djm2 · May 2007

Hi Silverstar:
This is VERY interesting information! ---- From what your are describing, this sounds like the "lock-up feature" of the Torque Converter comes "on" and "off" at different speeds!
I believe that the "flare" (slippage), that some people are experiencing is in the Torque Converter, not in the transmission. If the slippage was in the transmission the "soft parts", (clutches and bands), would fail very quickly, and the vehicle would not move! (People would have a "burned out" transmission.)
We know that we are dealing with a six speed transmission. Here is the question: ------ Does the Torque Converter on this transmission, throught the "software package", have the capability to "lock-up" in each given speed? (EXAMPLES: ----1st gear / 1st gear lock-up, 2nd gear / 2nd gear lock-up, 3rd gear / 3rd gear lock-up, 4th gear / 4th grear lock-up, 5th gear / 5th gear lock-up, 6th gear / 6th gear lock - up). If this is the way this unit operates, then what we have here is a 12 speed transmission, because we have a lock-up in each gear, as opposed to only a lock-up in high gear! Now, the question becomes, -----what is happening as we coast down the speed range? ---- What we could be experiencing is the "locking" and "un-locking" of the Torque Converter as the vehicle slows down, and the transmssion down shifts to the next lower gear. If this action is "true," then there has to be a schedule of events. (First the un-locking of the converter, then the downshift to the next lower gear in a coast mode, and then the "re-locking" of the converter in that gear range). In the process, at a given speed of the vehicle, the transmission unit might not "down shift" to the next lower gear in a smooth fashion, or what ever is responsible for the "schedule of the events" is not doing it's job! It might be, that there is a "neutral" in the Torque Converter that prevents a "down shift" to a lower gear on a "coast mode," if the torque converter is in a lock-up mode! (The torque converter must be un-locked before a down shift can occur in a coast mode.)
I believe that the "flare" / "slippage" issue is in the Torque Converter, and the software package that controls the transmision operation. The reason is that no one is complaining about a "burned out transmission." They are complaining about shift issues.
Best regards. ---------- Dwayne :shades:

bestoldies · May 2007

I have a 2007 Camry XLE V6 bought a couple weeks after they were released. I have had the Camry in for service three times due to hesitation when shifting around 35 mph. I have talked to Toyota Corporation numerous times. I am still having a problem with the transmission and Toyota has refused to do anything, they told me they are unaware of any problems. The Dealer said they can't do anything either until Toyota acknowledges there is a problem. I will never buy a Toyota again, very poor experience. :mad:

wwest · May 2007

1-2 second delay/hesitation or....

..engine flare.....

Toyota and Lexus have had too many complaints and adverse PR about 1-2 engine delay/hesitation, some making it a safety issue. Seems as if the Camry, 03 to 06, had the most of these.

So lets assume that I've been correct all along and it's due to the lack of sufficient ATF pressure/flow for supporting a second gearshift in QUICK succession to the previous one, all with the engine idling.

The only way, seemingly, to properly address this problem would be to increase the pumping volume/capacity of the standard gear type ATF pump. That undoubtedly results in a serious ATF cooling problem or a MAJOR transaxle redesign.

But it does appear that is exactly what Ford has done with the new Ford FWD Edge.

Ford....?

So, buyers begin not to accept "it's operating as designed" and/or " it's to protect the drive train"...

So, admittedly, most drivers never even experience the 3 or so circumstances that might lead to encountering the infamous 1-2 second engine/transaxle delay/hesiation. Even for those that do it is a somewhat rare experience and clearly only under certain specific circumstances.

So, just how much damage, extra wear, can be done if the (Toyota engineers) allow the engine to react more quickly to the driver input in this case and as a result the transaxle downshifting clutches slip just a bit?

Given the new "input" mighten the drivers "learn" to avoid these circumstances?

So now instead of 1-2 second downshift delays, which are deemed patently unsafe by some, given the circumstances under which it is more likely to occur, now we have the engine developing rising torque levels BEFORE the clutches are fully seated.

Engine FLARE...

But what about the complaints of engine flare with 3-4 upshifts?

Shifting up into 4th....

Or is it REALLY a downshift into 4th...?

Isn't that often the point at which many of us would begin to lift foot pressure from the gas pedal? So, do it just a bit more rapidly/"strongly" than you intended, the transaxle gets an inadvertent upshift command, far above 4th, and now you reapply foor pressure ever so slightly and create a quick succession downshift requirment...

Yes, all of this is a bit of a stretch...

But having driven two new '07 models recently for an extended period, Mazda minivan and Chrysler Sebring convertible, and experienced the touchiness, EXTREME touchiness, of the gas pedal with regards avoiding so many gearshifts/changes, I do begin to wonder.

Would, could, just a very slight lifting and momentary reapplication, "dithering" of the gas pedal just as the 3-4 shift begins result in an inappropreate upshift level and thereby a quick sequential downshift requirement..??

My recent experience with the new '07 models says YES..!!

silverstar · May 2007

I bought the v6 because I thought the v4 would not be enough when I need it most - emergency maneuvers; long hill climbs with full passenger load, etc.

Truth be known  I never tap into that extra power and fortunately I have not needed the extra oomph! The price I pay for the privilege of this latent power is 17 mpg in town (if I am to believe the dash readout) during the last 6 months - though I have seen 30ish on the highway.

Then last week, for the first time ever I decided to push a little harder from a complete stop up to 35 mph. WOW! Even with the pedal half floored, what a rush! - way more power (and smoother) than I expected, way more than I have ever experienced from the drivers seat except maybe the 3.6 Passat I test drove in September last year.

I like my Camry in so many ways (roomy, quiet, powerful etc.) That's why I chose it over 20 different cars  too bad I just dont trust it yet.

dllharwood · May 2007

I purchased my XLE V6 Camry two weeks ago. It had 3700 miles on it. Yesterday, I was beginning to pass another vehicle and I "stepped on it." The RPM guage shot up 2-3000 RPM but the vehicle did not respond. Is this the transmission flare you all are talking about?

andy82471 · May 2007

Sometimes it takes a fraction of a second if u abruptly step on the gas pedal for the surge in accleration you expect, especially in today's cars with DBW technology.

teamtbo · May 2007

Just found out that there is a new TSB on the 2007 Camry V6 shift flare.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/show...=282808&page=2

I hope it's ok to to include links from other forums. Oh, by the way, the Lexus ES350 has the same tranny as the 2007 Camry V6.

kiawah · May 2007

That link doesn't work for me

I can get to the clublexus site, and their forums fine. Can you tell us which forum topic and posting it is in? (or fix the link). Thanks in advance.

swong6 · May 2007

">Hi Everyone-

I got hold of the new Toyota TSB for the 3rd to 4th gear "flare" however it's only a partial. Can someone who has full privileges to the Tundra web site d/l the newest TSB #TC002-07 with the May 17th 2007 date and email it to me or post it on this site? See below for the partial as taken from the club Lexus Forum:

teamtbo · May 2007

Sorry about the link I pasted above. Hopefully this link will work:

Partial post of TSB TC007-07

It is only a partial posting though. I have an account at Tundra Solutions but it doesn't look like the TSB is posted yet.

2007 Toyota Camry Transmission Questions

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