Transmission dying at 38,000

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That's why I will not buy another automatic ever for personal vehicle. Sorry for your troubles. Do you drive your truck hard? Maintenance done? Could factory defect, maybe. How ever something doesn't sound right.

 

damn sorry to hear that manual is where is it at but no I have never heard of a transmission dying that soon

 

Do you have the extended warranty? If not, I'd be on the phone with Toyota Customer Service!

 

this and that

Service manuals are for suckers. My service manager thought I was crazy getting mine done at 30k and tried to talk me out of it. This spring Ill have it done again at a little over 75k.

 

If the transmission is already dying, changing the fluid could be the worst possible advice you could give him. Putting fresh fluid in a worn auto could cause it to not work at all.

FWIW, I've never thought about changing the transmission fluid for any vehicle under 50k miles unless it's a dedicated tow rig or heavy hauler (or just beat on in general). The fluid shouldn't break down that quickly. Either this OP's transmission was abused or something was wrong with it from the get go. 38k miles on original fluid shouldn't be the sole cause of a dead tranny in my opinion.

 

I doubt his tranny is actually dieing...after all "Toyota" told him it was & we all know they have their heads up their arses. It too me 3 visits to get my TSB springs done correctly

I have 75k worth of hard miles and I know many local guys who beat there trucks and are over 100k. That said anything is possible.

I didn't get a chance to check my trans fluid out but when I did my diffs at 30k both needed it bad so if that's any correlation to the trans fluid 36k on 6 yo fluid could be the issue. After all you can either spend $100 on new fluid or 3k on a new trans. Ill go with option A.

Edit: Just read OP's last post....

 

Have you checked the fluid level in the transmission since they changed the fluid a few hundred miles ago?

 

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How do you only have 38000 on your 06?

 

Extended warranty means you'd be covered so even if it did puke, it'd be on their dime. If you're going to eat the cost anyways, I'd at least try to get Toyota to cover it. Toyota does not list the transmission fluid change in their recommended maintenance and you're not that far out of your powertrain warranty. So while I do agree that changing fluid more frequently is better, Toyota can't throw that in your face because you followed their recommended maintenance schedule and the transmission still puked at 38k miles.

All that being said, check the fluid level in the transmission yourself. Having the wrong fluid level can cause the transmission to act up.

Edit: Never mind that last bit, you responded while I was typing.

 

Yeah, I suppose there are cases like this guy where time should dictate over mileage.

Believe me, you don't have to convince me that changing your fluid is cheap insurance, I whole heartedly agree. I just have a hard time believing that failing to change the fluid could cause it to crap out in 38k miles if it was in fact driven easily.

 

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FWIW ... I change my transmission fluid every 25k or 30k and I am "cupcake easy" on my truck.

It sounds like the transmission (abuse) problems maybe have started before OP even got the vehicle. As you guys know, 38k miles is nothing on these transmissions.
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dwd1985,

Consider taking your truck to a reputable independent transmission shop for a second opinion.

 

... ^^^ ... Ditto ...
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Under special operating conditions in my 2007 maintenance guide it reads 60,000 miles or 72 months (6 years) which ever comes first. If i were to go by the maintenance guide my dealership hands out they recommend replaceing the auto tranny fluid every 30,000 miles (same mileage the Chilton's manual says.) Since I can't go by mileage (truck only has 18,300 miles) i have to go by the years. I plan on getting it replaced next month and every 5 years afterwards.

OP...who changed your fluid?

 

i have 36,000 on my 06. 2 deployments for a total of 26 months will make it so easy to have low miles and also i had it in germany and didnt drive it a whole lot there.

also, i'd rather have a auto than the shitty 6spd in this truck. i hate my stick

 

I had a all wheel drive v8 4 runner and it used to clunk when i came to a stop. When i took it to be serviced they said it was good to go to 100k . I insisted that they change the fluid at about 58k. It still clunked but it never left me stranded. I drove it til it had 89k and traded it in. You may want to see if it is an electrical issue of some sort. My would clunk worse during hot weather . Hope this helps

 

This is a LONG shot but might be worth a try. I'm not positive but pretty sure Toyota has adaptive shift logic in their computers.

Disconnect both battery cables and hold the cables together for 30 seconds. Then leave the battery disconnected for about 10 minutes. This will clear the learned shift patterns from the computer. You'll have to drive it for a while, the way you normally drive, and relearn it but you should notice some kind of change almost immediately after doing this. I've seen some weird trans issues resolved on GM, Ford and Hyundai by doing this.

The only reason I'm thinking this might help is that it sat for a while and someone else was driving it but like I said it's a long shot.

 

Clunking symptom you describe is also consistent with how axle wrap behaves. You sure it's a shifting problem? Your tach lining up with the clunk issue?

FWIW I also fall into the "change your driveline fluids much more often than needed."

Diffs and t-case get fresh oil every 15k or so. Tranny is going to get flushed every 30k. Basically half of the service life Toyota recommends for each, but then most of my truck usage does fall under "special operating conditions".