Transmission Failure at 45,000 Miles

So Monday morning I woke up and went to get breakfast (I go to college in North Carolina) it was about 35 degrees outside. All was normal until my transmission started to slip as it shifted from third into fourth. I thought it was just doing something weird at first but then it was every time I hit gas and went through all the gears. once going into fourth it would slip then slam into fourth.
I have a 2014 tacoma dcsb SR5 4.0 4x4 automatic with just over 45,500 miles with all regularly scheduled service by Toyota. I have trd pro suspension and steel bumpers.

I took my tacoma right to the Toyota dealership which is only about a mile away from where I was at the time (about 10am). I put it into 4 instead of D an it was fine so I thought it had something to do with overdrive.
Toyota initially said it could be a low trans fluid level. which didn't make much sense because a light would go off but I said alright and they'd call me when they could look at it. it took them until about 6pm to get back to me. reason being that it took all day for the transmission to cool.
The service man told me he just ordered a new transmission for my truck and that fourth gear and overdrive were completely gone. I was amazed that at 45,000 miles my transmission was shot. it is being covered under warranty through Toyota.
They also said it was low about a quarter of a quart of trans fluid, which could not have caused the issue.
This is concerning to me.

 

hopefully they get ya fixed up! by new does he mean new or reman?

and thankfully this didnt happen to a 3rd gen or the forums would go into panic mode

 

Damn...

 

Had this happen on my 2007 AC, at 28000 miles from new (same symptoms as I recall). Dealer was surprised, said its rare but happens. Offered me a loaner car, said it’d be a couple days for new trans to arrive and install, and three days later drove out the door. I’ve had a DC and another AC since with no issues.

 

FYI there is no low fluid light on the trans AFAIK.

A quarter quart low would not cause these issues. Sometimes shit just happens, be thankful you were under warranty. That stated, failures of the 5sp auto found in our 2nd gens are EXTREMELY rare.

 

He said new from Toyota. pretty sure the warranty replaces it with new. Toyota is pretty good with their powertrain warranty I've learned from this. It should be done by Thursday hopefully.

 

You'll have a defect now and again. The important thing is that Toyota stands behind their vehicles. They are making it right, will provide a loaner vehicle free of charge, etc.

 

I was told by Toyota of Dallas that under warranty they only use brand new drivetrain parts. I wouldn't worry since it'll be free for you. Probably was just a fluke and set not caused by being a quarter of a quart low on fluid.

 

If it makes you feel any better... My wife bought a 98 Sienna Van ( First Year Model ) and about the 40K mark the transmission in it burned out also. Being a first year model there were no available transmissions for 4 months. This happened on a trip to Northern Virginia from South Georgia. They loaned her a new Sienna Van and she drove it for the 4 months. The transmission was replaced and they swapped vans back. She used it for another 100K miles and then gave it to her cousin. She put another 65K on it and sold it to a friend. THe van is still on the road with about 350K miles on it and running like a top.

 

Glad you had warranty !!
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...th-pics-for-second-gen-4-liter-trucks.289913/

 

Yup, lucky it was under warranty!! Manual transmissions have few problems and last forever compared to automatics.
Automatic you have to always worry when it starts to slip.
Still on my original 5 speed transmission with no issues

 

I can guarentee if you search these forums you will find FAR fewer 5spd auto transmission issues / failures compared to the 6spd manual of the second gen.

 

Mmm, Guess that's a 2nd gen issue, each gen has its own issues I guess, 1st gen 5 sp manual are bulletproof and we all know the 3 gen automatic have a ton of transmission shifting issues as there are tons of threads here Even on a new Tacoma

 

I don't think it's 'failures' with the manual so much as it's the issues people have, namely with the pedal assembly (creaking/squeaking/popping) and the notorious throwout bearing issues that have plagued Toyota manuals for decades now. They'll last forever but they'll have a ton of quirks, lol.

At least that's what I've gathered reading mostly 1st gen manual threads and some 2nd gen, haven't really seen a thread about a complete failure unless it was a very high mileage truck (or one that was neglected, aka never serviced like it should've been)

 

This has me a bit worried. I go to school in Boone, and since the temperatures dropped I’ve noticed mine doing the same thing when shifting gears. It did it two mornings in a row but I wasn’t paying attention to which gear it did it at. I’ve got a little over 36k miles on mine, but I got the 7 year/100,000 mile warranty when i bought it so if something does go wrong it’s covered. Could the driveshaft cause any problems with the transmission? I’ve got a little vibration from my 3 inch OME lift and I’ve been trying to fix it but haven’t got it perfected yet.

 

The a750 is a solid transmission, I wouldn't let a fluke failure scare you away from your truck or Toyota. The million mile tundra had the 4.7 and an a750, he made it 750,000 miles before his transmission lost reverse, he had it fixed/rebuilt and put another 250,000 miles on it before Toyota bought it back and gave Victor a brand new Tundra. This trans has a solid reputation and is used around the world in many Toyota vehicles, its even used in the Suzuki Grand Vitara.

 

There is usual vibration most of us get from take off until like 15 mph will be slight vibration. If your trans is still slipping you have someone check it out.
Toyota got my new trans today shipped from Florida and they just told me a few hours ago I also need a new neutral safety switch which can't get here until Friday. You think they could have figured that out before waiting a day for the new trans to show.

 

How about 1st Gen automatic? I've been towing a small trailer while moving and it feels like I'm fu**ING my sh** up! Now even when I'm not towing it feels like it has resistance when I'm just driving normal & idle even sounds different. Hopefully I'm just being extra sensitive/paranoid, but there iS a change..