Transmission Failure & Replace - 5th Gen

Anyone had transmission failure on their 5th gen and need to replace it? At how many miles did you swap? How much did it cost? What were your transmission oil change patterns?

 

Wrong forum..

 

I haven't heard of any going out yet. Various prices online. $2-3k depending on dealer. I'm sure they don't sell many so you should be able to get a deal. Parts department has 5 different prices on parts. You want the 2nd or 3rd price if possible and if they put it in a guaranteed it you might get a better deal. Mine looked like original fluid after 193k. Might have been changed once. I was getting torque convertor shutter in 5th at 40 mph. I changed fluid and installed transmission cooler and I have had no problems. Don't remove pan. Drain and fill. Toyota uses a screen and not a filter. The material in a Toyota transmission will clog a filter and not a screen. Transmission pan is held on with FIPG liquid paper gasket that will survive a nuclear winter before it will come off or leak. I have argued this point with Chevrolet mechanics that work on everything. Removing the pan can be start of all your problems. They say not to change it if you don't know, but I couldn't put that old fluid back in. Got lucky. Solved my problems.

 

Has one ever failed?

In all seriousness, I can't recall reading an instance of 5th Gen 4Runner trans failure. Your sample size might be pretty small.

 

As caring and OCD as most of the forum members here, myself included, I suspect most transmission failures go undocumented, by owners who neglect their 5th Gens.

 

Car Care Nut on YouTube is Toyota tech and he said he doesn't know of one failing yet. I used RV transmission cooler pulling 10k lbs so I hope to not have any myself

 

Mine looked like original fluid after 193k - doubtful
torque convertor shutter (shudder) in 5th at 40 mph - converter clutch plate damaged
Transmission pan is held on with FIPG liquid paper gasket - no, oem just rubber

 

Yep. My fluid looked like brown water and you couldn't see through it until it settled then it was dark red with clouds of fine particles gathering up. That material gives bite with miles and wear. I put some of the old material back in and new fluid. No more torque convertor shudder. Happened more when it was warmer out or hot I noticed. Everything works great now. That WS is like water.

 

Never heard of a 5th gen going out either. My 3rd trans died at 120k. Cost $3400 to replace with a Toyota rebuilt about 10 years ago. Who knows how the previous owner treated it.

 

Yeah. My 2001 went out but I think I changed fluid to soon. 15-30 on T4. I was going to get a Toyota transmission but they quit stocking after 20 years. It had 265k on. 5th don't appear to be anymore expensive than others. Should be cheap as many on the road. I hope they make parts a while.

 

Never heard of a failure. I did a pan drop, filter replacement at 102k it was overkill the fluid was still fine.

 

This is awesome, I was thinking I had never heard of a failure myself.

My mechanic said diplomatically that a change is ok at 140K, there is still enough sediment in the converter to keep everything sticking. The reason older transmissions had issues on changes was due to asbestos being the main after depositing on the clutch plates and that its less of an issue now.

 

Just remember it's a screen in Toyota. Filter in other makes. When people tell me that I worry it's aftermarket filter that can stop up with material that's normal and passes through the screen. Just saying

 

"my mechanic" phrase make this conversation feels strange.

 

Good to know someone

 

I cant do everything on my own, always good to know your limits lol

 

Yeah I try to. I'm just slower in my old age and no rack.

 

I was just informed that my 2015 SR5 (159k) w/no 4wd - has a failing transmission. Dealership didn’t look at it, they just told me I needed a new transmission @ a cost of $6k. Another dealership saw the 1st dealership’s notes & told me they wouldn’t go against the 1st dealership’s advise & offered a used transmission for $5k w/70k miles.

I'm looking for a 3rd opinion on what’s currently happening to My Girl!

 

Yep, keep us posted, the "replace everything!" tends to be a dealer thing but definitely hit up some independent shops for diagnosis.

I think the only anecdote that comes to mind is something going 264k miles or something around there on the original fill. Not sure if it failed then but I want to say yes.

 

Symptoms?

 

You must be confused. The Ford forum is over there…

 

What are the symptoms you are experiencing currently with your transmission? Did not see anything listed in your post.

 

I had a conversation with a service technician about just that. Replacing everything. He explained it that they don’t want you coming back complaining that they didn’t fix what you brought the car in for. They like to replace everything that has to do with the problem once diagnosed.

 

Note, the poster joined the forum the day before posting this.

 

I am on 34s, and have added a lot of steel. Stock gear. I wonder if changing the fluid sooner, like at 40k miles, will be a good idea

 

Also helps that it costs more and doesn’t require as much expertise from the tech to diagnose so I figure a win-win for the dealer.

 

I am a self proclaimed transmission killer. Out of all my 6 cars i have owned i have gone through 5 transmissions. Granted 3 of them were from my Dodge caravan, but still.

This is why my last 2 vehicles have been a Mazda 3 and my 4Runner, no transmission problems. And why i went with the bulletproof 4Runner.

 

You nailed it on both counts. I'm thankful to be able to work on all of my vehicles and can't even begin to calculate how much money I've saved over the last several decades.

A third point worth mentioning is the dealer (where people often assume incorrectly) is not where you go for top notch service generally. The mechanics are under paid and rush through the work. The simplest of tasks, i.e. changing engine oil is often done incorrectly. In my case and many others I've read about say the same thing. They way over tightened the oil filter housing/plug and the oil drain plug. Not just a little but so tight that a breaker bar and foot leveraged against the tire was necessary to break them loose. This happens when a mechanic is rushed and can't be bothered with hand tools or torque specs. They use the quickest tool possible which is an impact whench/gun. This is NOT the way it should be done under any circumstances and yet the Toyota dealers do it all the time. Luckily, nothing snapped when I changed my own.

 

Generally.....