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02 V6 Camry Transmission Trouble

I'm having some trouble with the AT of my 2002 V6 Camry w/ 24K miles. It hesitates between 38-44 MPH (steady speed), and the only way to get rid of this is by accelerating/decelerating to get out of that speed range.

The problem started slowly at around 18-19K miles, and by 21K it was very noticeable. I took it to the dealer to get the oil changed at

21K, and to get the AT looked at. From that visit, the service rep told me that the fluid was old & it was the incorrect type. I bought this car new, and according to my manual the AT should be serviced @ 30K (15K for HD use). The dealership insisted in having the fluid replaced b/c it was overdue - according to them, it should had been done at 15K. I told them to replace it, since I didn't have my service records handy. I picked up the car, and when I got home, I checked all my records and the AT fluid had not been changed since new (I was on travel for a few months and my wife had the oil replaced by another Toyota dealership, so I wanted to make sure no AT fluid had been replaced then).

Long story short - 3K miles later, the same hesitation is back. It went away for the first couple of weeks after the AT fluid replacement, but it came back slowly, and now it is getting worse... This sucks!

We do not tow or race w/ this car, my wife and I drive it very easy all the time.

Thanks in advance for your comments,

SB

Reply to
Spongebob
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The transmission fluid is Toyota T-IV grade semi synthetic. According to my

2002 Camry LE V6 manual, it should be replaced every 96,000 KM (60,000 miles). On the side of caution, I replace it every 32,000 km to 40,000 km.

My 2002 Camry had a transmission problem at 7,000 km when the car would not shift from 3rd to 4th gear. The engine light went on and I drove the vehicle to my Toyota dealer who was 3 km away. They diagnosed the problem to be a shift solonoid malfunction and gave me a rental car for 4 days and fixed the part. The repair was covered under warranty (either factory or ECP.. not sure) and the bill amounted to $1100 CAD. After that, the transmission is seemless with no shifting problems at all. I now have

41,000 KM (26,000 miles) on the vehicle.

According to my readings, there were only 1100 Camrys affected by this problem because of a defective part. I bought my Camry in Jan 2002 so it was the first production run.

Reply to
Car Guy

SB;

This is a general problem with majority of the 2002's and even some of the 2003's. I sometimes notice it on my 02 V6 as well. There are at least 3 recalls that I found that address the automatic transmission:

  1. EG022-02 : A/T - Light Throttle 2nd - 3rd Gear Shift Shock/Shudder
  2. EG013R-01 : A/T - Poor Shift Quality
  3. TC001-02 : A/T - Fluid Requirements

(source:

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Just call Toyota @ 1800-Go-Toyota (US), describe your problem, and ask about the above Technical Service Bulletins (TSB). The customer service rep will open a new case for you, and forward a service request to the dealer who will then HAVE TO perform the fix if it's relevant. This way you avoid the dealer run-around.

Even if the above recalls are not relevant, Toyota customer service should be able to guide for what else to do.

BTW, from experience, never ask the dealer about recalls. They always seem to be "interestingly" unaware of any. If you suspect your car might be subject to a recall, just call Toyota and give them your VIN and they will tell you whether it is or not. The above site is also a great source for recall info.

--Ibrahim

Reply to
Ibrahim

Say no more, you need an ECU flash program update. Nothing serious, a little software glitch.

Reply to
MDT Tech®

Email me private and I will fill you in on the transmission problem and my Lemon Law suit against Toyota Corp. Don't be BS'd about these TSB fixes. They have a problem and are turning their backs on it.

snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net

Reply to
Ron

In news: snipped-for-privacy@news.comcast.giganews.com, Ron being of bellicose mind posted:

Why not just post the problem here for the world to see?

Reply to
Philip ®

Ron, you so full of shit your eyes are brown!

Reply to
MDT Tech®

Ron such an ass , secret, ? post or shut up

Reply to
mark Ransley

Forget it ass wipe. Sorry I volunteered to help out.

Reply to
Ron

Interestingly TSB is a good place to look when buying a new car. NHTSA should force the publication of all text of the TSBs.

The 2002 transmission problems were descrbied in many car reviews. It even happened to car reviewers. The fact that it is still showing up in 2003 Camries probably means it's more than just reprogramming and changing solenoids.

If you are out of the 3/36 warranty period, then you have to eat the $1100 (CDN) bill!

Reply to
Mike

Ron, the Camry transmission problems is well described in car reviews and we know the problems it suffered.

But it would really help if you can post the details for all to see, so others won't have to listen to this shouting match.

Reply to
Mike

I thought so!

Reply to
MDT Tech®

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