Transmission acting up with TRAC OFF and CEL light on

My TRAC off light and CEL came on and I drove just fine for a few days, I reset the code (removing neg cable to battery) and lights were off and no problems for a few days. Then both lights came back on and shortly after my transmission was going in/out no power to the wheels at times.

Bad enough that I could not drive it to the dealer, thought they would probably be the best suited to diagnose this. Towed to the dealer, and it's going to take a few days till they can even look at it. 2012 4Runner 135k miles, anyone experience this before? Kind of sounds like some sort of electronic sensor issue (I hope) any thoughts appreciated.

 

the toyota 4runners have to replace all the transmission fluid and filter ...................@100K miles..............
typically many members have transmission issues when they do not change the total tranny fluid at 125K - 150K miles ..
dealership will flush out all the bad fluid in the system using a flush device...cost maybe around $400............

 

Thanks for your response. I actually had the dealer do that service at 110k, 25K miles ago.

 

Check your gas cap. I actually purchaesed a locking gas cap (advertised as a perfect fit for my vehicle) for my 2016 4Runner SR5 Premium. After running a few weeks, my CEL and Trac light both lit up......did the same with the batter disconnect and the lights went away.....a few days later they were back on......finally took to my dealer and after some troubleshooting, determined is was the locking gas cap, which was not providing a good seal. Replaced it wiht the OEM gas cap (which I still had) and now there are no issues. Hope this helps.

 

@4:40 in he(lightly) covers sensors. General information you may be interested in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JteXnrxPQJo

 

What code was setting off the CEL?

 

Man I love watching this guy. If my transmission failed today, I would refuse to believe my reality and just insist how bullet proof it is

Even though I kinda joke about refusing to believe a broken transmission, I am half serious. If it is indeed something with the transmission, it seems like it is designed to be very very serviceable. In other words, if the dealer says you need a whole new transmission, it will probably be worth it to get a second opinion from a transmission shop.

I’d be curious if your lack of power to the wheels is somehow related to that neutral switch he was talking about.

Good luck and keep us informed of what they find.

 

I 2nd the gas cap. My corolla did this and ended up being a worn our gas cap. Replaced it and no more lights.

 

It seems like the OP has bigger problems than just a CEL though. His transmission actually stopped transmitting.

The more I think of it, the more Im betting it’s the neutral safety switch.

 

Thanks for all the responses.. for those with TRAC and CEL on, it seems you did not also experience the transmission issue at the same time, correct?

 

The reason most dealerships would say that is that they no longer rebuild transmissions themselves. Generally speaking, they're too complex and not enough technicians truly have the ability to do the work - and warranty it. It's far easier to pull the old transmission, slip in a Toyota remanufactured (not rebuilt) unit and warranty the whole thing. And if you saw the way some transmission shops "rebuild" transmissions, you'd be appalled. A remanufactured unit is a far better way to go - if indeed the OP needs a transmission - which I'm not convinced of yet.

 

Well, a very pleasant surprise - dealer just called and said it was my gear selector. They cleaned it and lubricated and now I'm good to go. We'll see.

Picked it up and seems to be good. Code was P0705 they lubricated the switch and gear swapping linkage. $160.00 .

 

So it wasn't the gas cap?

 

it was not the gas cap.

 

which switch did they lubricate?

 

Given the symptoms you were describing, I can't believe anyone was seriously offering that as a solution.

 

probably the gear switching could be cleaned up...and the linkage shifting components....

 

Up here in the rust belt, I keep mine well coated with Fluid Film to prevent corrosion. Another common symptom that this bad boy is going bad is the shifter getting hard to move.

 

I believe that switch is a common failure point.

 

is that picture the infamous neutral safety switch?

 

This is the part Yes -
Switch Assembly, Neutral Start - Toyota (84540-35061)