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FYI: Torque Converter Shudder - Warranty Enhancement Notice

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#21 ·
Not sure if this has been covered but I looked and didn't see anything. Is this an issue with the 2013 - 2014 Ravs or is this will all Gen 4 up to 2018 ??
 
#23 ·
kehfun said:
How/what does this feel like?

I have a odd shudder at the first start of the day. First drive of the day, I start it up, let it idle for about a minute, then begin slowly driving. The first shift while rolling from gear 1 to 2 is rough as hell. (Its around 20km when it shifts) Wondering would this be similar to what happened to you?
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kehfun - I have a similar issue that happens in the mornings. It seems that the transmission does not want to shift into second gear. I have found that if I let off the gas, the transmission will shift roughly into second. I also note that in 4th or 5th gear, it seems like the TC has not locked up because the RPM are higher than usual. Again, if I lift off the gas for a second it appears that the TC locks up and everything operates normally after that.

I brought this up to my Toyota dealership and they said they would just put a new transmission in it at my cost because it would not be worthwhile for them to open the transmission up.

My wife will not driver the car because she doesn't feel comfortable driving it with that condition, especially since we have to stop at a stop sign going uphill and when pulling away from the stop, the transmission not shifting out of first is very awkward feeling. :confused:
 
#24 ·
joyridin' said:
Are you sure? I just looked on Toyota’s website for my 2015 Limited and they are saying 5 years/60,000 mile powertrain. Did they extend it due to the transmission issue?
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It may be 5/60 on the '15 (and Canada may be different as well), but that is still way over HappyPanda's 60,000km (37k miles)
 
#25 ·
If you receive the letter from Toyota informing you of this issue, HOLD ON TO IT. The letter states that most Rav4 owners won't experience the shudder but this issue seems to pop up at different mileages for everyone. I had this issue start as a minor vibration around 40,000 miles. I thought it was just the tires being cold since the vibration would disappear once the Rav4 was driven for a while. Around 44,000 miles, the shudder became very obvious when driving between 25 to 50 mph as described in the letter. It felt like driving over rumble strips but the vibration was coming from under the floor, not the wheels. I knew the tires weren't the problem when the shudder persisted after having them checked and balanced at a tire shop. I'm glad I had this letter when I brought the car to a dealership and explained the situation with my car. Fortunately, it was determined that the issue was indeed the torque converter and the remedy described in the letter was applied to my Rav4 (new torque converter, additional pan magnets, and ECU reprogramming) and all covered under warranty. I didn't shell out a penny (even the fee for the rental car the dealer provided was waived). It's been 2 weeks since the car was fixed and no problems to report. It's like driving a new car!
 
#27 ·
Likewise. Just received my Canadian torque converter shudder warranty enhancement in the mail today. I already had the torque converter repairs done in Dec/17 so will be heading back to the dealership for reimbursement.
2013 XLE with 110000 Km.
 
#30 ·
Markus65 said:
Since I just bought it mine used in December I likely won't get a letter is my guess.
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You should get it and have to right to it. I. The letter it state that it can be transfered too if the car is sold to someone else.

I didnt bought mine brand new either last july and received the letter last week.

You can always try to contact Toyota about it.

Envoyé de mon SM-A520W en utilisant Tapatalk
 
#31 ·
How bad does this have to be for Toyota to change the TC? Mine has the symptoms (still not too bad though) - obviously the issue is the TC, but I just fear the dealer will conveniently not be able to recreate the issue.

On the same topic, does anybody know a dealer in the Montreal region who can get the job done properly? I don’t want to leave the dealer with more problems than I have now.
 
#33 ·
boilerroom said:
khadbui said:
My car is 2013
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I got the same letter. Was wondering whether or not to act on it myself...I have a shudder, but hard to notice, and only at gentle accel.
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I’m in the same situation. Not sure if I should risk some tech opening the tranny up and messing something up. I also don’t want to waste my time going to a dealer who will try and tell me they can’t recreate the symptoms.
 
#35 ·
2010 Rav4 Sport, 152,000. Same Problem, Growl between 35-40mph, slow speed. Acceleration is fine. Had Toyota look at it, document it , verify its the Torque Converter ,but they want to charge me for the Fix. (2800.00). I received the Enhanced Warranty Reimbursement Letter but they say it wont cover it. Isnt that part of the PowerTrain? I wrote Corporate in California.. Anyone else I can write? Thanks so Much
 
#36 ·
I have a 2013 Limited with 43,500 miles. I took it to Toyota, with the letter about the TC and they checked it out for me. They verified it did qualify and need the replacement, set me up with a loaner and took care of it without any problems.
 
#37 ·
I just had the torque converter replaced in my 2013 with about 68k miles on it.

The biggest surprise was the better response from the cruise control. This has always been a huge problem for me; the cruise control would downshift abruptly going up the slightest incline and would not upshift afterwards. I took a road trip after the repair and the transmission behaved as it should the entire trip.

Also, the gas mileage has improved dramatically. I knew the TC would impact gas mileage but I didn't realize how much it would improve. After graphing my mileage, it was obvious there was a steady decline over time starting a year into owning this vehicle. I only wish I had done something about this earlier.

My 75k extended warranty is about to expire. I'll most likely be keeping this vehicle another two years or about 100k miles. I hope this last 30k goes better than the last 30k.
 
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