2020 Transmission Fluid Check Plug GONE!

The other day I was driving my 2020 TRD Offroad (Only has 11k miles on it) and the transmission completely went out on me. The service department said it was because the Fluid Check Plug was gone, poof, it just vanished and obviously all the fluid went with it. Toyota is saying someone must have removed it, out of spite or something. I cant think of anyone Ive pissed off lately so with that said. What else could have caused this plug to be gone? Anyone else ever encounter this?! They wont warranty the transmission because they are convinced it was installed properly by the factory.

 

Unless they can prove someone removed it….BS

Out of al the things someone could do they aren’t going to go under the truck and take off the check plug….

 

How does all the fluid drain out from the check plug? You would get a trickle when the fluid was hot but you couldn’t lose enough to grenade the tranny.

Did you notice it behaving strangely? Rough shifts, flaring?

 

Yeah it definitely was shifting rough into 1st and 2nd but then 3rd and up were smooth. After noticing all this I let it sit a while and tried again and it wouldnt even shift into first at all. It just made a very bad sounding high pitch noise like a pump pushing nothing at all. I really dont know much of anything about the innerworkings of transmissions or the majority of the truck for that matter. Im just trying to see if this is something that toyota should replace instead of insurance because it seems to me plugs shouldnt just fall out.

 

That was my thoughts exactly but because the plug is nowhere to be found they are saying that it must have been taken. Apparently its a multi step process to remove this thing and if it had just fallen out it would still be with the truck.

 

I would push it up Toyotas chain of command. If the plug falls out on its own, its a warranty issue. Do you do your own work? If you don’t do your own work then its up to Toyota to prove you or someone pulled the plug.

 

I don't do my own work. I'll have to talk to a service manager Monday I guess and see just how far up I can go from there. This whole situation seems like the dealer is trying to cover their tracks and make insurance pay out.

 

Well that is not true lol.

 

they can't prove the part was properly torqued, and besides, a good dealership would find a way to warranty it for you. However, this situation is tricky.

 

Did you bring it in recently for. a 10k service? I’m betting the dealer was “checking” fluids and pulled it. Or wasn’t torqued from the factory. Plus they are still under filling transmissions from the factory. This should be on toyo. Not you

 

Lol all you guys. He drove 11K miles. It is not Toyota's fault.
This is a pressurized transmission, hence no dipstick. Even though it would not have leaked enough fluid to bomb it, lack of pressure to lubricate whole transmission would. And it wouldn't take 11K miles.
This is on the owner unless he can get goodwill from dealer.

 

That plug unscrews just like any other plug on the truck. Lefty loosy, righty tighty.

 

I want to know what kind of insurance you have that will cover a transmission failure on a vehicle. I would think they would come to the same conclusion

 

Seriously? It’s pressurized behind the pump, not inside the pan. The transmission has a breather to allow for fluid expansion in the pan.

 

@hiPSI ....

Transmission is not pressurized, only the fluid passages downstream of the pump have pressure. The pan does not hold pressure.

When the check plug is missing, the trans will keep losing fluid. The torque converter will hold fluid while running. When not running, the fluid in the TC will drain into the pan to escape thru the Check Plug hole. Eventually, sufficient fluid will be missing to cause shifting problems. I would not expect this to take 11K miles. Therefore, I believe the plug was in place from the factory.

Sometime during the OP's possession, the plug was removed and not reinstalled.

 

Did you have your 10k service done at the dealer? Did they check the transmission fluid level? If so I would think most likely they either didn't put the plug back in or they didn't tighten it down.

Also ask them to show you exactly the multi steps to remove the check plug! Then ask them why they are lying to you!

 

Mechanic is checking trans. fluid level and gets called away. He screws plug in hand tight with intentions of torqueing it when he returns. Returns after break and continues checks but forgets about plug. Owner picks up vehicle and drives it until plug eventually works it's way out and oil slowly sloshes out until bang! May not have happened in this case but similar happens more often than you think. Sorry for the repetition flatback. Was typing as your post popped up.

 

Thinking of something else. My bad.

 

You can't think about sex all the time........

 

No it's not. I've done it. Comes right out. Nothing in the way.

No. True but it could last about 100 - a thousand if OP took it in for a 10k service and they checked it recently.

Bingo. Maybe the Toyota manual says to do things differently but any shade tree mech will just pull the bastard in a few seconds. There are a ton of stories of people accidentally pulling the ATF drains instead of their oil pans when doing oil changes. It's not exceptionally difficult.