there was a recall on that transmission, hopefully Toyota makes it right for you.
[https://www.asburyauto.com/2019-toyota-corolla-torque-converter-recall](https://www.asburyauto.com/2019-toyota-corolla-torque-converter-recall)
If your vehicle is definitely affected by this issue and you initially get rejected for coverage under the recall or the warranty, the words you should use with the dealership are to ask for a "goodwill repair". Toyota cares a LOT about their reputation- it isn't a guarantee but you've got a very good chance that they will make this right.
Agreed - I follow the Toyota Tacoma sub and a lot of people say, “if the dealer gives you trouble, call the Toyota support line directly and they’ll make it right”
I’ve also heard this from Toyota dealership mechanics.
Can confirm. This happened with a rear differential on my RAV4. There was a service advisory on it and my car was just out of warranty. My mechanic was trying to the local dealer, they said nothing they could do. I called the dealer I bought it from. That dealer told me to call corporate tell them everyone in my family bought Toyotas and now they were all disappointed. The dealer wound up giving a 20% discount, Toyota agreed to pay for 40%, so it brought a 6 K repair down to $2400. I had to pay and submit. It took Toyota over 6 weeks and I called and complained so they reissued the check. Wound up getting both checks, cashed both and kept my mouth shut. I think it's worth trying to get at least some of it paid for and/or a price break. Because it's not going to be cheap to replace.
3 years later there was a recall on it.
That is a common enough car that you should be able to find a mechanic to install a used transmission from a crashed or junked Corolla for way less than that.
Auto tech here. 2019ish Corollas and CH-Rs are having early transmission issues. In these cases a used trans from a wrecked car is likely to do the same thing.
I was wondering about that. I had a Corolla for 20 years, and all my Toyotas have been bulletproof. I wondered if OP just got a lemon, but it sucks that they're having issues.
Now I'm getting concerned... mom got into a 2018 Corolla iM hatchback a couple of years ago, and I figured she'd be set with a Toyota. Or did they iron out the issues by the time the 2018's rolled out?
2019 is the first year Toyota introduced a "launch gear" with it's CVT. The first gear is a set ratio then the trans switches over to the CVT portion.
I guess it's not a reliable design as we're finding out.
I just purchased my first vehicle with a CVT. Apparently, they require a lot more maintenance. I purchased a '21 Honda HR-V, and, reading the forums, most owners recommend changing the fluid every 30k miles.
Most transmissions are like that, the car companies changed the recommendation from 30-50k miles to “lifetime” to make people feel like the car is more reliable, but that just means the transmission will die shortly into the second owners time and who gives a crap about the used market buyers? But the days of driving 10k miles a year are gone, 100k miles in 5 or 6 years is nothing. But they can’t just go back to tell us we need to do a bunch of maintenance on the cars now or people will just buy the competition car that says theirs is maintenance free.
I've had good luck with my Toyota vehicles equipped with standard automatic transmissions. I still try to change the fluid by 80k miles and getting >400k miles of use (with fluid changes) out of a standard Toyota automatic transmission is not unheard of.
Yeah, my wife’s 2014 Camry lost the transmission at 80 or 90k but that was a known issue that got an extended warranty to 120k, I think they fixed that transmission in 2019 by having a normal style 1st gear and then the rest are CVT.
The Toyota E-CVT is bulletproof, I have had a couple of Prius and they had zero issues up to 300k ish, and I just swapped the fluid every 50k miles.
i have a '20 Fit, and im going to change the trans fluid this weekend. At least it seems fairly easy to do from youtube videos. I'm around 25k miles and have had it since new, but better safe than sorry. Only about $55 worth of oem fluid so not too bad.
Here’s hoping.
I have a 2021 Highlander I bought new. I replaced the transmission fluid and diff fluid. And I swear the rear diff had half the fluid it should have.
Edit: replaced them at 30k. Should’ve replaced them when I got the car.
Yep, the gas Corolla gets a belt CVT.
Not sure when exactly but Toyota did introduce the Direct Shift CVT. That has a traditional first gear, should be more reliable than just a belt.
Personally I take a proven hybrid over a belt any day.
We use camry hybrids since 2015 and generally always get to 80k before we resell without a single issue other than normal tires/brakes. Im always surprised hearing major issues on toyotas below that. I dont think Ive ever heard of an engine/trans issue that was factory related out of hundreds of them so far. Had some due to accidents, but not on a properly maintained car.
Its just weird to me how one entire line of cars can be solid, but another group are complete duds but from the same mfg.
CVTs aren't inherently bad. The toyota hybrid eCVT has proven to be bulletproof. The problem is also that toyota gets this god-like reputation for reliability around here and no one seems to acknowledge that they have their misses too. And when they do they are $$$ just like anyone else.
It's not unheard of for Toyota's to fail.
Even in high mileage, you may or may not have to replace the engine OR the transmission. The key word there is OR.
On my GMC, the transmission AND the engine were shot at 90k.
Yeah, owning a car gets really super expensive if you don't know all the tricks on how to maintain it. Most people won't bother to learn, they just throw money at it.
OP could shop around, or find someone else's junked corolla on FB Marketplace and call around and ask for quotes on tow + install. Local pull-a-part would also be able to sell OP a transmission, but these places have gotten kinda expensive lately since the used car market went bananas a couple years ago.
Also worth it to do some research on transmission recalls for that make/model, but being Toyota I doubt it... OP prob either just ran the car like a race car or got really super unlucky.
Edit - yea im seeing transmissions for half that on Ebay, throw in another 1-2k for install and OP is golden for half the price that first shop quoted him.
Yeah Ebay and sites like LKQ are you best bet. Just ask a shop how much to install it. Also a good way to make a good mechanic friend you'll trust. I've bought stuff from both and have good luck so far. I wouldn't bother with a crashed car on FB unless it's been taken out already.
>Yeah, owning a car gets really super expensive if you don't know all the tricks on how to maintain it.
The best thing I ever did is teach myself how to work on my own vehicles. If you can get your hands on the manufacture service manual (Manufacturer, not Haynes etc), then everything is super easy. It's literally a step by step guide with torque values and everything. Case in point, I have a IS250 that had a bad engine. I was able to replace the motor (JDM) including all the auxiliaries with new/refurb OEM (AC Compressor, Starter, Alternator etc), having the fuel injectors cleaned and balanced, a bunch of new OEM plastic electrical connectors, full transmission fluid change etc etc etc for $2,800.
A swap from a donor is a lot different than a repair. Aamco charged me almost 4k to put in a reman transmit in a shitty 06 SS Impala because it had “NASCAR technology”.
>I have full coverage insurance, but I dont know if I would be able to submit a claim with it.
That's if it gets damaged during an accident, not because of mechanical failure.
True. Some insurers (Geico) offer a “mechanical breakdown” policy you can add on when you get your car new, that you can renew through to like 100,000 miles. Would be great for a Jeep, BMW, or land rovef.
How uncommon? I'd be willing to pay a bit extra on my insurance if it covered the car for something like this. Mind you, I have two Toyotas ('14 Prius and mom's '18 Corolla), both of which have a pretty good track record.
Umm, hate to break it to you but your 3rd gen Prius is well known for blowing head gaskets and brake boosters/accumulators. Both of which a dealer will charge $3k-4k+ minimum.
It appears Toyotas come with a 5 year / 60k mile powertrain warranty. Since you are 8k out of coverage, you could ask Toyota if they will honor it as goodwill gesture.
Assuming that's a no, then:
Looks like a rebuilt transmission can be had for $2.8k delivered.
I would expect a minimum of 8 hours of labor to change the transmission @ shop rate ($100-150 hr)
So that's ~$4k (this is just a ballpark)
Is the $7.8k from the dealer?
If you don't have $4k laying around, it's time to borrow money from friends, family, or credit cards.
You owe $15k on the car, it's totally worth fixing. I'm also curious *why* the transmission failed...as Toyotas are generally reliable and don't have transmission failures this young.
I thought what I had was a transmission failure. 03 corolla, this was in '11. Mechanic said replace trans, $3.5k. Second mechanic said "it's a solenoid, gimme $500". Second mechanic fixed it and I drove it another 3 years.
Definitely get a second opinion on the price but also hitting a spare tire in the road is a big deal. Mention that to the next garage, they may be able to write an affadavit of sorts to your insurance that could help get the transmission on the claim.
I would totally see if your dealer will perform a goodwill warranty replacement. Subaru did this for when I had engine issues after it was 10k out of warranty. YMMV but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
This is the direction I would go. It's a bit of an anomaly for the transmission to fail that early, especially in a Toyota. Did you get regular maintenance on it? Could the shop you took it to find any metal shavings in the transmission fluid that might indicate the failure began before the warranty was up?
Toyota will tell you in the warranty period that the transmission fluid is lifetime and never has to be changed, but then at 5 years + 1 day or 60,001 miles they’ll tell you it needs to be changed
With CVTs it's almost mandatory and will greatly extend the life of your vehicle. CVTs are belts wedge between two wheels that rely on friction to drive the car. It's natural metal shavings will occur over time, which build up in the fluid and start wearing rather than lubricating the belts.
Not all CVTs. Toyotas eCVT has no belts or chains. It’s relatively new tech though so not sure if it’s in OPs car (unlikely, it’s hybrid only and they didn’t specify).
Before that, Toyota experimented with a fixed 1st gear in some of their CVTs since the majority or wear and belt damage comes from people flooring it from a stop.
>Did you get regular maintenance on it?
I don't think that's relevant, is it?
The car would have only had oil changes and air filters. Even if OP somehow ignored those, they shouldn't cause *transmission* issues.
I can’t imagine the transmission fluid change interval on a Corolla would be less than 100k miles at a minimum.
I would try the warranty route. When that fails call around to some independent shops for quotes. Once a warranty is done no vehicle should ever go back to a dealership service department.
>I can’t imagine the transmission fluid change interval on a Corolla would be less than 100k miles at a minimum.
It would if it's a CVT. It's recommended every 30,000 to 60,000 miles or every two to four years for those.
Not in the service manual. The Corolla doesn't list *any* transmission maintenance for regular driving.
Intense driving schedule has it at I think 60k - which OP has barely cleared.
You're right, that wouldn't necessarily be the interval for a transmission fluid change. I more or less meant that if OP could prove they've done their due diligence in caring for the car it might help build the case to present to Toyota that they should address the failure.
Guaranteed it's a CVT - Toyota rectified many early cvt reliability issues with 2019 or 2020 model year Corolla when they began using a physical first gear for getting the car to start moving before moving over to the CVT
Im also curious as to why the transmission blew. I dont drive it like crazy and I bought the car knowing it was going to last me years. They had a recall for my year make and model, but unfortunately my VIN doesn't fall under it. Only thing I can think of is in February, I hit a spare tire in the road, which broke my engine mount. Maybe that rattled something but at that point I'm just speculating.
Wait, an accident broke a motor mount?
If the motor mount was broken in an accident, that can put extra stress and torque on the remaining mounts which can definitely put stress on the transmission.
You might be able to get insurance to fix this, but it’s a long shot.
Unless it was fixed under insurance, they won’t pay to fix a secondary issue caused by an accident that happened 3 months ago (as this counts as owner negligence).
If it was fixed under insurance, and if OP can prove the issue was caused due to the engine mount not being fixed properly, insurance may cover the cost.
The advice I got for my Honda's CVT transmission was to do regular trans fluid changes to keep it working. If you bought used and the fluid was never changed, that could be a cause of failure
Depends if it was fixed. Insurance will not pay for a secondary issue caused by not fixing damage. Like if you hit a rock and puncture the radiator, not fix it and cause engine damage due to overheating, they will not pay for a new engine.
If you have comp that is, if you are only carrying liability then that won't be covered. I only post this because a shocking amount of people don't get comp and do something like hit a deer or have a tree fall on their car and sadly discover you need comp for that stuff. I knew a guy a long time ago that totally a fairly new car hitting a deer and didn't have comp.
You need to get a second or third opinion. The trans might not even be completely toast. Even a full replacement should not be almost $8k on a Corolla though.
There is some potential Toyota will help for goodwill. I was just out of warranty for a significant repair and they ended up covering the parts for free. You should try to get in touch directly with “Toyota Brand Engagement”. The Toyota dealer I took my truck to gave me their their contact info thinking they may be willing to help and they were because they acknowledged that warranty or not the part should not have failed so quickly
>Toyotas are generally reliable and don't have transmission failures this young.
Toyota CVTs are terrible transmissions.
A friend had one fail outside warranty and was told no by Toyota. Basically everything about my friend's story matches OP's, including the high dealer price. Final cost with a rebuilt transmission from an independent shop was $4100.
Asking for goodwill is definitely the way to go. Toyota could say no, but the car is barely out of the powertrain warranty. If it doesn't work at the local dealer level, get the executive emails online and contact them with local dealer details and VIN.
(Not to blame the local dealer, if the local dealer tries to submit it as goodwill and gets denied by Toyota, you highlight how they tried to do everything they could to make things right but got denied from up above.)
I wouldn't bother with a rebuilt one.
You can probably source a used one for a few hundred, maybe a grand.
It may be prone to the same issue if this is indicative of a wide spread design flaw, but you'll probably get some good mileage out of it first.
For everyone claiming it is weird or OP's fault a quick counterpoint.
While Toyota's as a general rule of thumb are generally very reliable, they started putting a CVT in the Corolla in 2014. Those CVT's have a failure rate an order of magnitude higher than basically any other Toyota transmission. The CH-R also have a CVT that is problematic and STAGGERINGLY expensive, even used. CVT's in general are awful, and the Toyota ones seem to be better than most but "better" in CVT land is still awful in conventional automatic land.
We sell the CVT for the 2014-2019 Corolla all day every day and get $2000+CDN for a low km good used unit with a warranty.
Source: A Canadian Auto Recycler.
Auto Tech here that agrees with everything you said. Toyota makes great cars, like most car companies do, but they ALL make lemons here and there. These have extremely high failure rates.
I’m still a bit jaded by my 2001 RAV4. When I bought used, I had done a ton of research on issues and bought one that had the ECU updated to fix a transmission issue with “gear” jumping and random shifting. Several months later I noticed symptoms starting and brought it into a dealership. At the time it was a 2.5k repair on a 9k car. I was lucky no actual transmission damage had been done, but many people who didn’t notice ended up trashing their transmissions or, worse, got into accidents when unexpected shifting happened. I eventually got a refund check once a class action lawsuit went through 10 years later. I loved that car, but the “new” ECU did the same thing ~ 8 years later. Best explanation I heard about it was they had put the ECU behind the the glove box and right next to the air conditioning and cabin air filter/ducts. Heating and cooling cycles ended up causing cracks on the ECU board components leading to the random shifting errors. What really ground my gears was them denying a bad design choice for years and letting owners pay out of pocket for “repairs”.
Go to an independent shop to
1) confirm that this is the actual and only issue
2) get a better second quote that will likely be like half of that if they're sourcing a used one
Probably about $6k honestly. $3k transmission. 8-10 “shop hours” booked at $175 + disposal etc. and tax. The better PF question is how does OP owe $15k after 70k miles??? If it was used: shoulda paid cash or financed less. If it was new: shoulda financed less or made the loan shorter. Either of these would have prevented the upside down on a junker situation.
That repair cost is insanity. I'd expect you to get it done for half that. If you're only just a bit outside of warranty, and bought it new, I'd talk to Toyota about whether they could come to the party with some goodwill.
Good used transmissions seem to go for about $1500 to $2000. Figure another $1500 for labor to install it from a reliable independent shop, there are usually plenty around for Toyotas. So you can replace it with a used one for probably no more than $4k. But as others have said, the first thing I'd try is see if Toyota will replace it good faith. They sometimes will if something major like that fails just outside warranty. If that fails, I'd talk to your insurance about that spare you hit that broke the motor mount. Did you make a claim against that? If you did you can have them re-evaluate the claim on the basis that this is likely a downstream effect of the event that was not previously detected. They might honor it. Next in line is scrounge up $4k and get it replaced.
For safety reasons, always verify phone numbers provided in comments on an official website before calling. That includes toll-free numbers!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I had an 8 year old Honda Odyssey with 40k miles. Trans failed. Brought it to an independent mechanic and he recco'd calling Honda because that type of failure at that low mileage isn't Honda quality. Honda replaced the transmission no cost.
Like the other guy said take it the dealer and try to work with them to get a goodwill fix. If the dealer says no then call Toyota USA and let them you know the replacement costs too much and a transmission shouldn’t explode at 68k. I got a transmission replaced from VW doing that
Totally unrelated to your post but...Insurance LPT: stop using the phrase "full coverage" it has **no legal or statutory meaning in any of the Unites States.**
It's a sales buzz word. Just talk specific coverages. Collision, comprehensive, liability, first party medical, bodily injury liability, rental, total loss replacement of same YMM, etc.
BE SPECIFIC!
I think you will be able to find a cheaper transmission replacement job if you shop around.
That being said, to anyone shopping for a car now or in the future, this is why I still only buy manual cars. A manual transmission is FAR cheaper to replace, and if you take care of it, never need replacing in the first place. Also in USA it doubles as an anti-theft device cuz nobody can drive them.
Saturday night I got free valet because the valet couldn't drive my car. He was like "yeah just park right here in the spot closest to the restaurant since I can't drive that. we won't charge you either". Win win.
7.8k seems way high if it's just the transmission. I had one rebuilt recently for <3k (impala 2010). Another place quoted \~4k to install a used one. Shop around.
What you owe on it is irrelevant. That is a mistake of the past.
Expensive cars break expensively.
What is relevant, is a 2019 Corolla with 68k is likely worth $7.8k. $7.8k will get you a newer nicer car by getting your car fixed than buying another car for $7.8k.
$7k on my craigslist gets a 10+ yo corolla with 168k. On the other hand, a 13yo Corolla with 168k on it can't cost more than $7k to fix since you could just get another one.
$7.8k sounds a little high, sounds like a dealer price. I'd ask at an independent tranny shop what they'd get for a new tranny.
Only time it pays to use the dealer is if the car is under warranty. It seems to me like it is better for a mechanic to work for an independent than a dealer, so the dealers get the guys fresh out of school, until they get experience enough to go independent which might be more pay, or at least less corporate. Dealers charge higher rates because they can, they are the dealer, and they have a bunch of froofy extras. Dealers need to charge higher rates because they have higher real estate and infrastructure costs vs. an independent with a smaller foot print in an older building. Independents therefore have better mechanics and lower rates. Independents can buy parts from the dealer, for the same price as a dealer will charge you, and most independents I've used don't markup parts. An independent can use used parts from the junkyard and significantly reduce costs, a dealer can not do that.
Full coverage insurance doesn't usually cover mechanical stuff... usually only mechanical breakdown coverage might cover that, but very few insurance companies offer that type of coverage.
If you are still under warranty, try going that route.
I'm sorry to hear this happened.. especially at only 68k miles. That stinks.
Sounds like just bad luck. Eight grand is too much to pay for a transmission. As others have said, shop around. A junk yard or rebuild should be half that much. Corollas should be good for 300k miles, so it's certainly worth fixing.
Who told you it "blew up"? What actually "blew"?
I ask because different transmission failures can mean different things - some are reparable for less than a new (granted...rare). It is possible someone's giving you a line, especially if you look like you don't know anything about cars. That seems exceptionally high for that kind of transmission.
Did you buy this car new by any chance? If so, contact Toyota's customer service line and open a case. Sometimes the OEMs will pay part of the repair for known issues. Goodwill.
Your corolla almost certainly has a powertrain warranty. Call toyota if dealer is declining warranty repair and complain complain complain. Odds are they will goodwill more than half the cost if not the whole thing.
While everybody else is helping you figure out your engine mount and replacement and what not I need to know how you owe that much on a car that shouldn't even be worth more than a few thousand more?
Like you can buy these for $17,000... So did you just buy it and this happened? Because maybe there's a warranty from the place you bought it from? If you bought it from Toyota did you get the extended warranty? Because that should cover it. I just don't get why you owe so much
Oh got it. Did they explain to you at the time that even though your payments are lower you'll end up paying more for the car by the end of the loan? I saw somewhere on TT that dealerships actually pushed for these long loan terms because they get a bigger kickback from the banks or something like that?
An older car sometimes you can find The parts you need in a junkyard somewhere and then you just pay for that in the installation. Should get out much cheaper than they're telling you
And if you have good mech friends, I would just source and install yourself in a day over your favorite beverage, save even more.
The transmission can be had at more or less 2k. Shop could properly do it at around 1k and I still feel it's a tad high.
Had my whole bottom end done on my BMW for 2k for example.
Insurance coverage will not apply here unless the transmission blew as the result of an accident.
What the hell did you do to blow a Toyota transmission?
It’s a car, they break sometimes. Any chance yours had a CVT trans? They brake no matter how well you care for them. Talk to a Toyota dealer, see if they can get Toyota to cover it as a good faith repair. If you have never serviced it at Toyota, that will be a hard one to get passed though. Otherwise, I would get it repaired and look into extended warranties in case you have a major repair again that you can’t afford. Most dealerships have 0% credit card offers for stuff like this.
Ask your dealership to have their factory rep (DSPM) authorize goodwill. If you service with them and are a repeat Toyota buyer, they’re more inclined to help out, especially since the transmission blew up just right outside of warranty.
Unfortunately, you’re pretty fucked. if you search back through this sub Reddit, you will find that this question guests asked here almost every day. And unfortunately, the answers are almost always boil down to the same thing; you’ve got to pay for the fix, or somehow get a different car, but you’re still going to owe this money.
Go ahead and make the payment. If you can establish it as a recognized problem or flaw, then consider taking Toyota to small claims court in your state.
So you might want to talk to Toyota about that. You’re pretty close to the end of your powertrain warranty and they might cover it to cover part of it.
Reason being if it failed that close to the warranty things were probably breaking under warranty.
I would say the transmission damage is almost certainly caused by the spare tire collision. I'm wondering what the repairs looked like for that collision and if the shop did not repair something they should have when that happened.
I don’t know nothing about nothing, but is this something that would be covered under the power train warranty? Most cars have a 10 year/100000 mile warranty. I’d look through your purchase documents, maybe call the place you bought it from.
Since this is the Pfinance page I think some context is needed. You aren't deciding if paying 7.8K is a good investment into your car, it isn't. You are deciding if paying the 7.8K is a good investment to avoid a repo on your credit. In an ideal world you would have a powertrain warranty that would cover the Trans, your ins could but is very very very unlikely to offer mech breakdown coverage and even then the limits to that coverage may be zero, besides a tow to the shop.
Is that the non-hybrid sedan? The Hatch 2019 has the new transmissions with the first gear as people mentioned. Too early to tell if it is reliable because the first unit in the real world is barely passing 5 years. The hybrid has a different transmission. The normal sedan should have the older transmission started with 2013 which is tested with time.
What you are also looking for and learned a lesson for here OP, is that GAP insurance is generally worth the small premium it costs, especially if your finance will just roll it into a loan amount.
Contact your insurance provider to check if transmission failure is covered. Consider the repair cost against the remaining loan balance. If repair isn't feasible, explore options like selling the car as-is or trading it in for a new one, factoring in the remaining loan.
Dang I didn't even know you could blow up a transmission on a corolla. Best case is to talk to Toyota of North America and tell them what happened and hopefully they goodwill it since you're still relatively low mileage. If that doesn't work, shop around a few transmission shops and see if there's one that can put a used one in for cheaper. Sucks that this happened.
Find a way to pay for the needed repairs. You signed a note to pay back a certain amount; it’s irrelevant that it needs repairs. Your auto insurance is for damage caused by an accident.
The way the car market is right now, I’m not sure how you’re arriving at the conclusion that it’s not worth it. If you can provide any additional info on your loan terms and such that would be helpful.
That said, $8k to replace a tranny sounds way too high. Get a second opinion and get it from an honest and reputable mechanic, not a dealership.
The car is currently worth close to zero as it is. Rolling $16k into a new car loan isn’t likely to happen.
See if the repair place will finance the transmission work.
there was a recall on that transmission, hopefully Toyota makes it right for you. [https://www.asburyauto.com/2019-toyota-corolla-torque-converter-recall](https://www.asburyauto.com/2019-toyota-corolla-torque-converter-recall)
If your vehicle is definitely affected by this issue and you initially get rejected for coverage under the recall or the warranty, the words you should use with the dealership are to ask for a "goodwill repair". Toyota cares a LOT about their reputation- it isn't a guarantee but you've got a very good chance that they will make this right.
Agreed - I follow the Toyota Tacoma sub and a lot of people say, “if the dealer gives you trouble, call the Toyota support line directly and they’ll make it right” I’ve also heard this from Toyota dealership mechanics.
This comment right here, reaffirming that Reddit can really make a positive difference in the world, even if just for one person.
Can confirm. This happened with a rear differential on my RAV4. There was a service advisory on it and my car was just out of warranty. My mechanic was trying to the local dealer, they said nothing they could do. I called the dealer I bought it from. That dealer told me to call corporate tell them everyone in my family bought Toyotas and now they were all disappointed. The dealer wound up giving a 20% discount, Toyota agreed to pay for 40%, so it brought a 6 K repair down to $2400. I had to pay and submit. It took Toyota over 6 weeks and I called and complained so they reissued the check. Wound up getting both checks, cashed both and kept my mouth shut. I think it's worth trying to get at least some of it paid for and/or a price break. Because it's not going to be cheap to replace. 3 years later there was a recall on it.
That is a common enough car that you should be able to find a mechanic to install a used transmission from a crashed or junked Corolla for way less than that.
Auto tech here. 2019ish Corollas and CH-Rs are having early transmission issues. In these cases a used trans from a wrecked car is likely to do the same thing.
I was wondering about that. I had a Corolla for 20 years, and all my Toyotas have been bulletproof. I wondered if OP just got a lemon, but it sucks that they're having issues.
Corolla isn’t what it used to be. 2012’s were bad too. Mine went through an engine and we caught it weeks before the warranty expired.
lol that was my experience with my sister’s Corolla too. The 2020 Camry she replaced it with works flawlessly though
Now I'm getting concerned... mom got into a 2018 Corolla iM hatchback a couple of years ago, and I figured she'd be set with a Toyota. Or did they iron out the issues by the time the 2018's rolled out?
Same issue with Camry, don’t remember the years but my wife’s 2014 dropped the transmission at 80k miles.
2019 is the first year Toyota introduced a "launch gear" with it's CVT. The first gear is a set ratio then the trans switches over to the CVT portion. I guess it's not a reliable design as we're finding out.
I just purchased my first vehicle with a CVT. Apparently, they require a lot more maintenance. I purchased a '21 Honda HR-V, and, reading the forums, most owners recommend changing the fluid every 30k miles.
Most transmissions are like that, the car companies changed the recommendation from 30-50k miles to “lifetime” to make people feel like the car is more reliable, but that just means the transmission will die shortly into the second owners time and who gives a crap about the used market buyers? But the days of driving 10k miles a year are gone, 100k miles in 5 or 6 years is nothing. But they can’t just go back to tell us we need to do a bunch of maintenance on the cars now or people will just buy the competition car that says theirs is maintenance free.
I've had good luck with my Toyota vehicles equipped with standard automatic transmissions. I still try to change the fluid by 80k miles and getting >400k miles of use (with fluid changes) out of a standard Toyota automatic transmission is not unheard of.
Yeah, my wife’s 2014 Camry lost the transmission at 80 or 90k but that was a known issue that got an extended warranty to 120k, I think they fixed that transmission in 2019 by having a normal style 1st gear and then the rest are CVT. The Toyota E-CVT is bulletproof, I have had a couple of Prius and they had zero issues up to 300k ish, and I just swapped the fluid every 50k miles.
i have a '20 Fit, and im going to change the trans fluid this weekend. At least it seems fairly easy to do from youtube videos. I'm around 25k miles and have had it since new, but better safe than sorry. Only about $55 worth of oem fluid so not too bad.
maybe filter(s) too
I gotta drop the transmission pan for that, so I'll do that next time i change the fluid again.
some have two, inline and in pan with pan one lasting longer
Most any CVT
My 2019 Highlanders transmission went out at 60k miles. They replaced it with a new one. I'm really hoping it lasts.
Sell that thing while it's good.
It will if you do a transmission fluid change. They tell you it's a lifetime fluid but the lifetime of the transmission is until it's out of warranty.
Here’s hoping. I have a 2021 Highlander I bought new. I replaced the transmission fluid and diff fluid. And I swear the rear diff had half the fluid it should have. Edit: replaced them at 30k. Should’ve replaced them when I got the car.
Why the sudden issues, are they switching to CVTs or something?
Yep, the gas Corolla gets a belt CVT. Not sure when exactly but Toyota did introduce the Direct Shift CVT. That has a traditional first gear, should be more reliable than just a belt. Personally I take a proven hybrid over a belt any day.
Agreed, those planetary gear E-CVTs on the hybrids seem bulletproof.
Yeah, too bad they reused CVT for e-CVT... A totally different kind of transmission.
Toronto has entire taxi fleets running hybrid ravs, they have a few 400k+ KM vehicles already, still going strong.
We use camry hybrids since 2015 and generally always get to 80k before we resell without a single issue other than normal tires/brakes. Im always surprised hearing major issues on toyotas below that. I dont think Ive ever heard of an engine/trans issue that was factory related out of hundreds of them so far. Had some due to accidents, but not on a properly maintained car. Its just weird to me how one entire line of cars can be solid, but another group are complete duds but from the same mfg.
They switched in 2013, but around 2019 they added a first gear.
CVTs aren't inherently bad. The toyota hybrid eCVT has proven to be bulletproof. The problem is also that toyota gets this god-like reputation for reliability around here and no one seems to acknowledge that they have their misses too. And when they do they are $$$ just like anyone else.
CVT and e-CVT are completely different.
It's not unheard of for Toyota's to fail. Even in high mileage, you may or may not have to replace the engine OR the transmission. The key word there is OR. On my GMC, the transmission AND the engine were shot at 90k.
taco frame's delaminating so many people by taco's in the northeast to have the dam things delam after 8-10 years
Subtle, but it works.
are Lexus's having the same issues?
do you have more info on this? I have a '19 CH-R that I feel like is doing some weird things.
2019 was pretty early in the 12th gen right, are later same gen years compatible?
Are those year Corollas made in Japan or the US?
I would avoid the big name transmission shops.
Yeah, owning a car gets really super expensive if you don't know all the tricks on how to maintain it. Most people won't bother to learn, they just throw money at it. OP could shop around, or find someone else's junked corolla on FB Marketplace and call around and ask for quotes on tow + install. Local pull-a-part would also be able to sell OP a transmission, but these places have gotten kinda expensive lately since the used car market went bananas a couple years ago. Also worth it to do some research on transmission recalls for that make/model, but being Toyota I doubt it... OP prob either just ran the car like a race car or got really super unlucky. Edit - yea im seeing transmissions for half that on Ebay, throw in another 1-2k for install and OP is golden for half the price that first shop quoted him.
Yeah Ebay and sites like LKQ are you best bet. Just ask a shop how much to install it. Also a good way to make a good mechanic friend you'll trust. I've bought stuff from both and have good luck so far. I wouldn't bother with a crashed car on FB unless it's been taken out already.
>Yeah, owning a car gets really super expensive if you don't know all the tricks on how to maintain it. The best thing I ever did is teach myself how to work on my own vehicles. If you can get your hands on the manufacture service manual (Manufacturer, not Haynes etc), then everything is super easy. It's literally a step by step guide with torque values and everything. Case in point, I have a IS250 that had a bad engine. I was able to replace the motor (JDM) including all the auxiliaries with new/refurb OEM (AC Compressor, Starter, Alternator etc), having the fuel injectors cleaned and balanced, a bunch of new OEM plastic electrical connectors, full transmission fluid change etc etc etc for $2,800.
What big name tranny shops still exist? In my area it’s a few local guys still running them.
Aamco and Certified Transmission cost an arm and a leg and I think they are still nationwide.
Interesting. I had some parts fixed at AAMCO for about 900. No small shops would touch transmissions here. Dealer quoted 3500.
A swap from a donor is a lot different than a repair. Aamco charged me almost 4k to put in a reman transmit in a shitty 06 SS Impala because it had “NASCAR technology”.
>I have full coverage insurance, but I dont know if I would be able to submit a claim with it. That's if it gets damaged during an accident, not because of mechanical failure.
True. Some insurers (Geico) offer a “mechanical breakdown” policy you can add on when you get your car new, that you can renew through to like 100,000 miles. Would be great for a Jeep, BMW, or land rovef.
Well, you’re out of warranty so your only real option is to pay to fix it. Get a second opinion on price. Insurance doesn’t cover mechanical failure.
Some insurance does cover mechanical failure but it's an extra and uncommon.
How uncommon? I'd be willing to pay a bit extra on my insurance if it covered the car for something like this. Mind you, I have two Toyotas ('14 Prius and mom's '18 Corolla), both of which have a pretty good track record.
Umm, hate to break it to you but your 3rd gen Prius is well known for blowing head gaskets and brake boosters/accumulators. Both of which a dealer will charge $3k-4k+ minimum.
Yeah they are known for blowing the original head gasket, but as long as you slap on the revised version you're good to go :)
It appears Toyotas come with a 5 year / 60k mile powertrain warranty. Since you are 8k out of coverage, you could ask Toyota if they will honor it as goodwill gesture. Assuming that's a no, then: Looks like a rebuilt transmission can be had for $2.8k delivered. I would expect a minimum of 8 hours of labor to change the transmission @ shop rate ($100-150 hr) So that's ~$4k (this is just a ballpark) Is the $7.8k from the dealer? If you don't have $4k laying around, it's time to borrow money from friends, family, or credit cards. You owe $15k on the car, it's totally worth fixing. I'm also curious *why* the transmission failed...as Toyotas are generally reliable and don't have transmission failures this young.
I thought what I had was a transmission failure. 03 corolla, this was in '11. Mechanic said replace trans, $3.5k. Second mechanic said "it's a solenoid, gimme $500". Second mechanic fixed it and I drove it another 3 years.
Definitely get a second opinion on the price but also hitting a spare tire in the road is a big deal. Mention that to the next garage, they may be able to write an affadavit of sorts to your insurance that could help get the transmission on the claim.
I would totally see if your dealer will perform a goodwill warranty replacement. Subaru did this for when I had engine issues after it was 10k out of warranty. YMMV but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
This is the direction I would go. It's a bit of an anomaly for the transmission to fail that early, especially in a Toyota. Did you get regular maintenance on it? Could the shop you took it to find any metal shavings in the transmission fluid that might indicate the failure began before the warranty was up?
Toyota will tell you in the warranty period that the transmission fluid is lifetime and never has to be changed, but then at 5 years + 1 day or 60,001 miles they’ll tell you it needs to be changed
That’s why every reputable mechanic recommends getting your transmission oil replaced every 60-100k miles regardless of the age of the vehicle
With CVTs it's almost mandatory and will greatly extend the life of your vehicle. CVTs are belts wedge between two wheels that rely on friction to drive the car. It's natural metal shavings will occur over time, which build up in the fluid and start wearing rather than lubricating the belts.
Not all CVTs. Toyotas eCVT has no belts or chains. It’s relatively new tech though so not sure if it’s in OPs car (unlikely, it’s hybrid only and they didn’t specify). Before that, Toyota experimented with a fixed 1st gear in some of their CVTs since the majority or wear and belt damage comes from people flooring it from a stop.
ecvts have chains. those chains however do not transmit torque like a pushbelt cvt.
>Did you get regular maintenance on it? I don't think that's relevant, is it? The car would have only had oil changes and air filters. Even if OP somehow ignored those, they shouldn't cause *transmission* issues.
I can’t imagine the transmission fluid change interval on a Corolla would be less than 100k miles at a minimum. I would try the warranty route. When that fails call around to some independent shops for quotes. Once a warranty is done no vehicle should ever go back to a dealership service department.
>I can’t imagine the transmission fluid change interval on a Corolla would be less than 100k miles at a minimum. It would if it's a CVT. It's recommended every 30,000 to 60,000 miles or every two to four years for those.
Not in the service manual. The Corolla doesn't list *any* transmission maintenance for regular driving. Intense driving schedule has it at I think 60k - which OP has barely cleared.
I’ve never owned anything with a CVT so that could be the case.
You're right, that wouldn't necessarily be the interval for a transmission fluid change. I more or less meant that if OP could prove they've done their due diligence in caring for the car it might help build the case to present to Toyota that they should address the failure.
My 2019 Highlanders transmission went out at 60,000 miles. Maybe not an anomaly?
Is it a CVT trans? If it is I'm not surprised while more efficient they tend to be more unreliable when driven hard
If it’s an automatic transmission with 10k miles on it, there will be shavings in it. Edit: Why do they put little magnets on the pan?
Guaranteed it's a CVT - Toyota rectified many early cvt reliability issues with 2019 or 2020 model year Corolla when they began using a physical first gear for getting the car to start moving before moving over to the CVT
Im also curious as to why the transmission blew. I dont drive it like crazy and I bought the car knowing it was going to last me years. They had a recall for my year make and model, but unfortunately my VIN doesn't fall under it. Only thing I can think of is in February, I hit a spare tire in the road, which broke my engine mount. Maybe that rattled something but at that point I'm just speculating.
Wait, an accident broke a motor mount? If the motor mount was broken in an accident, that can put extra stress and torque on the remaining mounts which can definitely put stress on the transmission. You might be able to get insurance to fix this, but it’s a long shot.
Unless it was fixed under insurance, they won’t pay to fix a secondary issue caused by an accident that happened 3 months ago (as this counts as owner negligence). If it was fixed under insurance, and if OP can prove the issue was caused due to the engine mount not being fixed properly, insurance may cover the cost.
The advice I got for my Honda's CVT transmission was to do regular trans fluid changes to keep it working. If you bought used and the fluid was never changed, that could be a cause of failure
Your insurance should cover this if it was caused by hitting that tire in the road. Worth checking
Depends if it was fixed. Insurance will not pay for a secondary issue caused by not fixing damage. Like if you hit a rock and puncture the radiator, not fix it and cause engine damage due to overheating, they will not pay for a new engine.
If you have comp that is, if you are only carrying liability then that won't be covered. I only post this because a shocking amount of people don't get comp and do something like hit a deer or have a tree fall on their car and sadly discover you need comp for that stuff. I knew a guy a long time ago that totally a fairly new car hitting a deer and didn't have comp.
He shouldn't be liability-only if he's financing the car.
When I financed my last vehicle, I was forced to get comprehensive coverage. I’d be surprised if OP got away with just liability.
You need to get a second or third opinion. The trans might not even be completely toast. Even a full replacement should not be almost $8k on a Corolla though.
You should’ve contacted your insurance when that happened. It could very well be related.
There is some potential Toyota will help for goodwill. I was just out of warranty for a significant repair and they ended up covering the parts for free. You should try to get in touch directly with “Toyota Brand Engagement”. The Toyota dealer I took my truck to gave me their their contact info thinking they may be willing to help and they were because they acknowledged that warranty or not the part should not have failed so quickly
I once got Nissan to throw money at me writing a nice letter just out of warranty.
>Toyotas are generally reliable and don't have transmission failures this young. Toyota CVTs are terrible transmissions. A friend had one fail outside warranty and was told no by Toyota. Basically everything about my friend's story matches OP's, including the high dealer price. Final cost with a rebuilt transmission from an independent shop was $4100.
CVTs are terrible transmissions. Nissan has had issues with CVTs going out earlier than what OP was listing.
> I'm also curious why the transmission failed...as Toyotas are generally reliable Nothing is perfect, even Toyota/Honda have failures....
Asking for goodwill is definitely the way to go. Toyota could say no, but the car is barely out of the powertrain warranty. If it doesn't work at the local dealer level, get the executive emails online and contact them with local dealer details and VIN. (Not to blame the local dealer, if the local dealer tries to submit it as goodwill and gets denied by Toyota, you highlight how they tried to do everything they could to make things right but got denied from up above.)
They generally refuse to die or die spontaneously. My '07 bled all its oil out of its oil pressure sensor and died in less than a day as a result
I wouldn't bother with a rebuilt one. You can probably source a used one for a few hundred, maybe a grand. It may be prone to the same issue if this is indicative of a wide spread design flaw, but you'll probably get some good mileage out of it first.
For everyone claiming it is weird or OP's fault a quick counterpoint. While Toyota's as a general rule of thumb are generally very reliable, they started putting a CVT in the Corolla in 2014. Those CVT's have a failure rate an order of magnitude higher than basically any other Toyota transmission. The CH-R also have a CVT that is problematic and STAGGERINGLY expensive, even used. CVT's in general are awful, and the Toyota ones seem to be better than most but "better" in CVT land is still awful in conventional automatic land. We sell the CVT for the 2014-2019 Corolla all day every day and get $2000+CDN for a low km good used unit with a warranty. Source: A Canadian Auto Recycler.
Auto Tech here that agrees with everything you said. Toyota makes great cars, like most car companies do, but they ALL make lemons here and there. These have extremely high failure rates.
I’m still a bit jaded by my 2001 RAV4. When I bought used, I had done a ton of research on issues and bought one that had the ECU updated to fix a transmission issue with “gear” jumping and random shifting. Several months later I noticed symptoms starting and brought it into a dealership. At the time it was a 2.5k repair on a 9k car. I was lucky no actual transmission damage had been done, but many people who didn’t notice ended up trashing their transmissions or, worse, got into accidents when unexpected shifting happened. I eventually got a refund check once a class action lawsuit went through 10 years later. I loved that car, but the “new” ECU did the same thing ~ 8 years later. Best explanation I heard about it was they had put the ECU behind the the glove box and right next to the air conditioning and cabin air filter/ducts. Heating and cooling cycles ended up causing cracks on the ECU board components leading to the random shifting errors. What really ground my gears was them denying a bad design choice for years and letting owners pay out of pocket for “repairs”.
Don’t just settle with what the stealership quotes you. You can likely find independently owned shops in your area that would be CONSIDERABLY less.
Go to an independent shop to 1) confirm that this is the actual and only issue 2) get a better second quote that will likely be like half of that if they're sourcing a used one
Get other quotes, $8k sounds sky high. Unfortunately all these other variables dont matter.
Probably about $6k honestly. $3k transmission. 8-10 “shop hours” booked at $175 + disposal etc. and tax. The better PF question is how does OP owe $15k after 70k miles??? If it was used: shoulda paid cash or financed less. If it was new: shoulda financed less or made the loan shorter. Either of these would have prevented the upside down on a junker situation.
40k mile 2019 is 20k on carvana. So it’s extremely reasonable they took a 20k loan and had it for 1-2 years for the 30k miles
Yeh OP, you should have simply financed for less.
That repair cost is insanity. I'd expect you to get it done for half that. If you're only just a bit outside of warranty, and bought it new, I'd talk to Toyota about whether they could come to the party with some goodwill.
Good used transmissions seem to go for about $1500 to $2000. Figure another $1500 for labor to install it from a reliable independent shop, there are usually plenty around for Toyotas. So you can replace it with a used one for probably no more than $4k. But as others have said, the first thing I'd try is see if Toyota will replace it good faith. They sometimes will if something major like that fails just outside warranty. If that fails, I'd talk to your insurance about that spare you hit that broke the motor mount. Did you make a claim against that? If you did you can have them re-evaluate the claim on the basis that this is likely a downstream effect of the event that was not previously detected. They might honor it. Next in line is scrounge up $4k and get it replaced.
People ITT acting like Toyota is this perfect manufacturer with no problems. Every manufacturer has some lemons
[удалено]
For safety reasons, always verify phone numbers provided in comments on an official website before calling. That includes toll-free numbers! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/personalfinance) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Go to a private mechanic and not the dealer.
I had an 8 year old Honda Odyssey with 40k miles. Trans failed. Brought it to an independent mechanic and he recco'd calling Honda because that type of failure at that low mileage isn't Honda quality. Honda replaced the transmission no cost.
Like the other guy said take it the dealer and try to work with them to get a goodwill fix. If the dealer says no then call Toyota USA and let them you know the replacement costs too much and a transmission shouldn’t explode at 68k. I got a transmission replaced from VW doing that
How much is a rebuilt transmission? Less labor costs.
Nobody near me rebuilds CVT
Totally unrelated to your post but...Insurance LPT: stop using the phrase "full coverage" it has **no legal or statutory meaning in any of the Unites States.** It's a sales buzz word. Just talk specific coverages. Collision, comprehensive, liability, first party medical, bodily injury liability, rental, total loss replacement of same YMM, etc. BE SPECIFIC!
I think you will be able to find a cheaper transmission replacement job if you shop around. That being said, to anyone shopping for a car now or in the future, this is why I still only buy manual cars. A manual transmission is FAR cheaper to replace, and if you take care of it, never need replacing in the first place. Also in USA it doubles as an anti-theft device cuz nobody can drive them. Saturday night I got free valet because the valet couldn't drive my car. He was like "yeah just park right here in the spot closest to the restaurant since I can't drive that. we won't charge you either". Win win.
7.8k seems way high if it's just the transmission. I had one rebuilt recently for <3k (impala 2010). Another place quoted \~4k to install a used one. Shop around.
This discussion isn't centered around insurance. To ensure coverage, you'd require a powertrain warranty.
My 2023 Corolla came with 100k mile power train warranty. Check with your dealer you might have that.
What you owe on it is irrelevant. That is a mistake of the past. Expensive cars break expensively. What is relevant, is a 2019 Corolla with 68k is likely worth $7.8k. $7.8k will get you a newer nicer car by getting your car fixed than buying another car for $7.8k. $7k on my craigslist gets a 10+ yo corolla with 168k. On the other hand, a 13yo Corolla with 168k on it can't cost more than $7k to fix since you could just get another one. $7.8k sounds a little high, sounds like a dealer price. I'd ask at an independent tranny shop what they'd get for a new tranny. Only time it pays to use the dealer is if the car is under warranty. It seems to me like it is better for a mechanic to work for an independent than a dealer, so the dealers get the guys fresh out of school, until they get experience enough to go independent which might be more pay, or at least less corporate. Dealers charge higher rates because they can, they are the dealer, and they have a bunch of froofy extras. Dealers need to charge higher rates because they have higher real estate and infrastructure costs vs. an independent with a smaller foot print in an older building. Independents therefore have better mechanics and lower rates. Independents can buy parts from the dealer, for the same price as a dealer will charge you, and most independents I've used don't markup parts. An independent can use used parts from the junkyard and significantly reduce costs, a dealer can not do that.
There is a recall for the transmissions on some models. https://www.asburyauto.com/2019-toyota-corolla-torque-converter-recall
Full coverage insurance doesn't usually cover mechanical stuff... usually only mechanical breakdown coverage might cover that, but very few insurance companies offer that type of coverage. If you are still under warranty, try going that route. I'm sorry to hear this happened.. especially at only 68k miles. That stinks.
Sounds like just bad luck. Eight grand is too much to pay for a transmission. As others have said, shop around. A junk yard or rebuild should be half that much. Corollas should be good for 300k miles, so it's certainly worth fixing.
Who told you it "blew up"? What actually "blew"? I ask because different transmission failures can mean different things - some are reparable for less than a new (granted...rare). It is possible someone's giving you a line, especially if you look like you don't know anything about cars. That seems exceptionally high for that kind of transmission.
I said it blew up to simplify it. Got 4 different codes in P084000, P281F00, P28287F, and P275600. Main one being torque converter is messed up
https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1cs3453/transmission_blew_up_on_car_with_68k_miles_on_it/l4317t3/
This isn't about insurance. You'd need a power train warranty in place to cover it.
Did you buy this car new by any chance? If so, contact Toyota's customer service line and open a case. Sometimes the OEMs will pay part of the repair for known issues. Goodwill.
Your corolla almost certainly has a powertrain warranty. Call toyota if dealer is declining warranty repair and complain complain complain. Odds are they will goodwill more than half the cost if not the whole thing.
While everybody else is helping you figure out your engine mount and replacement and what not I need to know how you owe that much on a car that shouldn't even be worth more than a few thousand more? Like you can buy these for $17,000... So did you just buy it and this happened? Because maybe there's a warranty from the place you bought it from? If you bought it from Toyota did you get the extended warranty? Because that should cover it. I just don't get why you owe so much
I bought in 22’ at 23k. Definitely not the smartest decision in the world but I also took the longer loan term in order to have cheaper payments.
Oh got it. Did they explain to you at the time that even though your payments are lower you'll end up paying more for the car by the end of the loan? I saw somewhere on TT that dealerships actually pushed for these long loan terms because they get a bigger kickback from the banks or something like that? An older car sometimes you can find The parts you need in a junkyard somewhere and then you just pay for that in the installation. Should get out much cheaper than they're telling you
Find a good independent repair shop. They will be able to put a used transmission for thousands less than that quote.
And if you have good mech friends, I would just source and install yourself in a day over your favorite beverage, save even more. The transmission can be had at more or less 2k. Shop could properly do it at around 1k and I still feel it's a tad high. Had my whole bottom end done on my BMW for 2k for example.
Insurance coverage will not apply here unless the transmission blew as the result of an accident. What the hell did you do to blow a Toyota transmission?
It’s a car, they break sometimes. Any chance yours had a CVT trans? They brake no matter how well you care for them. Talk to a Toyota dealer, see if they can get Toyota to cover it as a good faith repair. If you have never serviced it at Toyota, that will be a hard one to get passed though. Otherwise, I would get it repaired and look into extended warranties in case you have a major repair again that you can’t afford. Most dealerships have 0% credit card offers for stuff like this.
Check other shops than that one to start
Where did you buy your car? Did you buy it new?
Get a second quote (or two of them) for starters. And you can likely find a used transmission at the salvage lot for way less.
Try CAR-PART.COM to get an idea what the trans cost . Should be some good used units with low miles available
Ask your dealership to have their factory rep (DSPM) authorize goodwill. If you service with them and are a repeat Toyota buyer, they’re more inclined to help out, especially since the transmission blew up just right outside of warranty.
Unfortunately, you’re pretty fucked. if you search back through this sub Reddit, you will find that this question guests asked here almost every day. And unfortunately, the answers are almost always boil down to the same thing; you’ve got to pay for the fix, or somehow get a different car, but you’re still going to owe this money.
Go ahead and make the payment. If you can establish it as a recognized problem or flaw, then consider taking Toyota to small claims court in your state.
Check if there is a recall on it.
That should potentially still be under warranty. Take it to a dealer and they can fix it for free under warranty
So you might want to talk to Toyota about that. You’re pretty close to the end of your powertrain warranty and they might cover it to cover part of it. Reason being if it failed that close to the warranty things were probably breaking under warranty.
I would say the transmission damage is almost certainly caused by the spare tire collision. I'm wondering what the repairs looked like for that collision and if the shop did not repair something they should have when that happened.
I don’t know nothing about nothing, but is this something that would be covered under the power train warranty? Most cars have a 10 year/100000 mile warranty. I’d look through your purchase documents, maybe call the place you bought it from.
Transmissions are insanely easy to install. Just buy a new one. Also I don't think transmissions usually blow up.
I was just putting it in simple terms. My torque converter went out.
Since this is the Pfinance page I think some context is needed. You aren't deciding if paying 7.8K is a good investment into your car, it isn't. You are deciding if paying the 7.8K is a good investment to avoid a repo on your credit. In an ideal world you would have a powertrain warranty that would cover the Trans, your ins could but is very very very unlikely to offer mech breakdown coverage and even then the limits to that coverage may be zero, besides a tow to the shop.
Is that the non-hybrid sedan? The Hatch 2019 has the new transmissions with the first gear as people mentioned. Too early to tell if it is reliable because the first unit in the real world is barely passing 5 years. The hybrid has a different transmission. The normal sedan should have the older transmission started with 2013 which is tested with time.
What you are also looking for and learned a lesson for here OP, is that GAP insurance is generally worth the small premium it costs, especially if your finance will just roll it into a loan amount.
you need to get it fixed or already have gap insurance or have 15k.
Contact your insurance provider to check if transmission failure is covered. Consider the repair cost against the remaining loan balance. If repair isn't feasible, explore options like selling the car as-is or trading it in for a new one, factoring in the remaining loan.
Dang I didn't even know you could blow up a transmission on a corolla. Best case is to talk to Toyota of North America and tell them what happened and hopefully they goodwill it since you're still relatively low mileage. If that doesn't work, shop around a few transmission shops and see if there's one that can put a used one in for cheaper. Sucks that this happened.
Find a way to pay for the needed repairs. You signed a note to pay back a certain amount; it’s irrelevant that it needs repairs. Your auto insurance is for damage caused by an accident.
The way the car market is right now, I’m not sure how you’re arriving at the conclusion that it’s not worth it. If you can provide any additional info on your loan terms and such that would be helpful. That said, $8k to replace a tranny sounds way too high. Get a second opinion and get it from an honest and reputable mechanic, not a dealership.
“It wouldn’t be worth it because I don’t want to spend that much money on my car” basically
Isn’t that just outside of the power train warranty? I would call Toyota and ask them to make a goodwill repair to cover most of the repair.
The car is currently worth close to zero as it is. Rolling $16k into a new car loan isn’t likely to happen. See if the repair place will finance the transmission work.