2006 V6 Automatic Transmission failure

I have an 06 PreRunner. I have had two(2) u-joint failures in 45,000 miles. However, I knew what it was as soon as it started squeaking and shaking.
Two friends of mine with 06 and 07 Tacos have had similar issues. My failures were repaired under warranty, thank goodness.

I am happy to hear the Transmission problem was really a U-joint issue. You are fortunate and smart to check into it further.

 

i would say that its possible the fluid was low from day 1 and thats a big part of why it failed. the system is sealed and should not be low in any way after normal driving. Is it documented that the trans fluid was low? there have been many 2010 taco autos leaing the factory with at least a quart low on the trans fluid. I would take this up with toyota if i were you. theres no way I would pay for a new tranny after 4 years and 80k milles on a 30 k truck....

 

At the time my transmission had about 80,000 miles on it, I was out of warranty. I agree the transmission is sealed thus there should not be any sign of low fluid. Then again Toyota is not doing anything about it.

I'm not sure if you noticed but it was NOT the transmission but a U-joint. Thank god, about a $100 repair. Since then I've put another 10k on the truck without problem of vibration. This is another reason owners should go to a reputable shop and have the fluid checked when they have it changed, I had mine changed at the shop that found the broke U-joint. Thanks for your response and comments.

 

Just before I bought by 06 DC, ujoints were replaced by the original owner (I'm second) $400 from Firestone per the receipt he supplied.

I had a ranger years ago that had an issue I thought was transmission, lagging, jerking. Took it to AAMCO they wanted $3k to replace it. Convined it was the tranny and was offering me a "heck of a deal." Took it to another shop, turned out it was a $60 rear wheel speed sensor.

 

Grease those zerks!!!!!

 

hi i am having the same problems.

1. was yours slipping?
2. was it doing it with trailer only or with out?
3. how was the ujoint broken? is it somehting i can see with out pulling?

mine only slipps/vibrates under load, any gear. with 5,000# travel trailer.....

What is the warranty on 2005 v6 prerunner?

 

also my truck has started having check engine lights coming on. computer says it is the transmission speed senser....would this be slipping problems?????

thanks

 

here is my stats,

original ower 2005 taco, v6 prerunner, 63,000 miles. I tow 5k# travel trailer all over us, added tow package myself, trans cooler, oil cooler, class III

thanks

 

My vibrations were noticeable very slightly at first, with our without pulling our 2500 pound travel trailer. Then later it appeared to be worse with more weigh. Does it have the problem in all speeds 1,2,3,4 and 5? You need to find a reputable shop, I went to the dealer first thinking they would be able to trouble shoot it. To my surprise even their MASTER technician came to the conclusion it was the tranny. My local shop found the problem faster and fixed it for about $100. So take it to more then one shop if someone is telling you its the transmission. My U joint was the one directly behind the transmission or the one directly connected to it. It was a simple bolt out and bolt in the new one.

Toyota does have a 5 year 50 thousand mile drive train warranty. If it is the transmission and you have less then say 100k even if it is our of warranty by date contact Toyota customer service. NOT THE DEALER, with me they offered to pay for 1/2 of a new transmission. This was when I had about 100k on mine. Toyota agreed that 100k was too pre-mature to have to replace it. Good Luck

 

I don't think I would tell them you tow and how much you tow.

 

Derk - did Kern Transmission suggest that the auto parts U-Joint was equal in quality to a factory one? I'd rather ante up $30 than $60. Do you know if the factory one had the ability to be lubed? And was it as far as you know?


John

 

Yeah, but that new tranny would be bitchin' huh? Especially with a broken u-joint.

 

I had a Issue with my ram, they thought it was inside the tranny. Well it turned out that it was the driveshaft that lost a weight and it needed to be balanced.

 

It was a U-joint, not the tranny.

 

Thanks to the op for the info about the vibration and u-joint. Could come in handy.

 

id look into AAMCO and their lifetime warranty, just like dealerships there are some good and some bad, i worked with the one locally and the people there know their stuff, also have you checked salvage yards or dare i say it, ebay and try to get some friends together and DIY

 

Kern Transmission has a good reputation, I know this from talking to other mechanics. Toyota did NOT have the proper U joint so Kern got the joint from a high performance shop in the area. Kern told me that the U joint he installed was a better quality one then stock. It did not appear you could lube the factory joint but I'm not 100% sure. Since this truck is made in CA I would suspect it used local parts as well. I've since put another 20k on the truck and not had any problems.

 

When this first happened I looked into AAMCO (I agree there are good and not good of everything) and found too many bad-poor reports on the internet and BBB about them. I went to what I was told a very reputable dealer in Florida (I was on a trip far from home) you would expect the dealer would be able to trouble shoot a problem the best, however if you read my story this was not the case. I choose to drive it home with the vibration and take my chances. I drove over 2500k on a broken U joint. My regular mechanic who I called and told I was having transmission problems told me to take it to Kern. After the repair my mechanic told me he could have repaired a U joint with no problem had he known what the problem was. He said U joints and drive train problems are easier to diagnose.

In the end the moral of the story is to find someone who knows what they are doing and being honest does not hurt. I think one of the big keys was that my problem caused the same vibration in all gears. I'm told transmission problems "usually" mean 1 gear has a problem at first, not all of them equally.

The transmission is one the most important parts of your truck next to the engine. So take precautions when replacing it.

 

im glad you were able to diagnose your problem efficiently, i was having trans issues a while back caused by my broken front diff. well go figure i had to replace it anyway because something broke and smacked it too hard but se la vi

 

Derk, do you know the brand or part # of the u-joint that Kern Transmission used? That seems the best way to go if in need of one in the future, and I sometimes carry a spare of a top quality part - you'd probably only find junk if it's an emergency repair.

I have a 2006 V-6, auto trans, double cab, short bed.

John