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Camry 2011 transmission problem

303 messages,  Last post on Feb 28, 2013 at 12:27 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Camry, Sedan

Messages Page 13 of 31

#117 of 303 Camry a GREAT VEHICLE by djm2

Feb 08, 2011 (9:32 am)

Hi All:
 
     I am presently in the market for a new 2012 vehicle! ----- At the present time, I own a 2010 Chevrolet LTZ 4 cylinder Malibu, and a 2007 Toyota XLE V6 Camry. -------- (Both vehicles were purchased new, and are serviced by the selling dealer every 2,500 miles, and both vehicles have a 6 speed automatic transmission.) ----- If you review the history of the 2007 Camry you will find owners who have had all kinds of problems with this vehicle. ---- I presently have 63,000 + miles on this vehicle, and I have NEVER experience any of the problems that have been presented on these boards, so as such, I will be looking at a 2012 Camry, or a 2012 Avalon. ---------- (There is a possibility that if I run across a one year old Camry or Avalon, at a dealer, with full warranties I will go in that direction.)
 
      I service & drive my vehicles in a unique fashion!
 
1.) I always warm up the engine during the winter months before starting out on my trip. ---- (My choice! ----- I know it is not recommended, ----- but I make my own decisions in my life! ---- On cold mornings I need to get the frost off the windows. ---)
 
2.) For the first few blocks I operate the 6 speed trans in the manual mode. ----- I set the selector to #3. --- I do not allow the trans to shift into 4th gear. --- I continue to operate the vehicle in this fashion until I feel the trans is up to operating temperature. ---- When I enter the highway, I place the selector into automatic drive position. (I have NEVER had an operational problem with the transmission. Some Toyota owners have complained about a "rpm flare up on the 3 to 4 and the 4 to 3 shift when the vehicle is driven on a cold start!)
 
3.) I change the engine oil and filter every 2,500 miles at the dealer, and I use a dealer recommended oil additive BG / MOA at every oil and filter change. --- This additive controls the "sludge problem!" ---- (The engine does not use any oil between oil and filter changes. I drive extensively on the highway on long over the road trips at 65mph for hours!)
 
4.) The Camry has Michelin tires, and I easily get 30mpg on long trips. (I have also gotten as high as 34+ mpg on long highway trips at 60mph! ----My 2010 4 cylinder Malibu only get 27mpg on the highway. ----- Both vehicles have a 6 speed automatic trans.)
 
5.) The Camry seating is very comfortable, and the performance of the power train is outstanding. --------( I would love to go "head to head" with a Ford Mustang with this V6 Camry coming out of a toll booth on the Graden State Parkway. ---- I know that the Mustang will eventually beat the Camry "if" it has the BIG ENGINE, --- but from a dead stop, ---- the Camry would hold its own to 60mph, (depending on the skill of the Mustang driver, and the engine in the Mustang.)
 
       I would purchase a 2012 V6 Camry or Avalon in a heart beat! ----- I see them as a high quality product, and I have an OUTSTANDING dealer to keep the vehicle running great.
 
       Best regards. --------------- Dwayne

#118 of 303 Re: Camry a GREAT VEHICLE [djm2] by motorcity6

Feb 08, 2011 (10:28 am)

Replying to: djm2 (Feb 08, 2011 9:32 am)
Buy another Camry and then we can look forward to your praises of its outstanding features..The 4 cyl Malibu is not much of a car, and the 4 banger Camry is much superior..Never owned one, however I have a 2002 XLE in the garage which is a trouble -free to date..
 
I was going to buy a 2011 Camry SE, 4 banger at a huge discount, however I stumbled onto the tranny glitches which changed my mind. The SE series is the only Camry I would own due to its upgraded suspension goodies which enhances the handling eliminating the mushy handling of all Camrys including the Avalon..
 
My current rides are a supercharged 2006 Pontiac and a 2010 Mustang GT which are not the greatest for fit and finish, however fun items to drive..Living in Fla the roads are great, which tends to up the speeds on the xway so handling is important and triple-digits are quite common..
 
The V-6 Camry is pricey, but handles the a/c better at high speeds...Good luck on your Chevy, for it will only get worse..trade it.. Yep, I am a Big3 fan having owned 51 Big3 cars, but most of the economy cars out from the Big3 in the past have failed in MPG scene and worse in the durability factor..

#119 of 303 Re: Just want to say "THANK YOU" [wwest] by kbetts1

Feb 08, 2011 (3:15 pm)

Replying to: wwest (Feb 07, 2011 10:25 pm)
WWEST,
   There are a lot of unknowns so maybe you're right. But my personal experience says different and that the 'learning' is very fast.
 
We live three miles down a winding hilly road with a 25mph speed limit (not quite a roller coaster road, but close). At first our car was clunky and the transmission was often in the wrong gear lugging down the motor. The shifts were very loud and could be felt. After the first 100 miles on the car the transmission has always been in the right gear. No downshifting, no gear hunting, no hard shifts. Shifts on the highway are now almost seamless and I'm sure after a few more months of ownership the differences between our 2003 and our new 2011 will be forgotten.
 
All I can tell you is that I've experience all the "PROBLEMS" everyone else has and they were gone after the first week (120 miles). The engine is getting quieter but it's still noisier than our old 2.4L. This new 2.5 has 15 more horsepower and is more than a second faster accelerating to 60mph so a little noise under throttle is a good trade off. Just cruising down the road, this 2011 is MUCH quieter than our old Camry. I think it might be quieter than our 2008 Avalon who's tires are getting noisy.
 
This is our fourth Camry. What a great car. Sorry for those who are struggling but my wife and I think this car is a fantastic improvement. We are thrilled. We don't know of any other car in this class that's better for us and we've driven a lot of them.

#120 of 303 Re: Just want to say "THANK YOU" [kbetts1] by delbar

Feb 08, 2011 (4:22 pm)

Replying to: kbetts1 (Feb 07, 2011 8:30 pm)
how exactly do you check the fluid levels - there is no dip stick in the new camry
I also had taken my car to the dealership and after being told there were no issues, was told there was a tsb so they reset the codes, car ran ok for an hour then back to the same old issue again
this car has 2400 miles on it and drives like crap

#121 of 303 Re: Just want to say "THANK YOU" [delbar] by kbetts1

Feb 08, 2011 (5:49 pm)

Replying to: delbar (Feb 08, 2011 4:22 pm)
The dealer has a procedure to check the fluid level. Insist on it if you are still having trouble. It's a huge PIA requiring multiple steps so they won't do it unless you tactfully ask for it. I have no clue how to 'tactfully' do anything so I'd just find the procedure online and threaten that if they don't do it, I'd do it myself.
 
Insist the following things get checked!!!!
 
Check the battery health. A weak battery or a battery with a shorted cell will not allow the system to operate correctly. This can be done quickly by the dealer at little cost.
 
If that is good, then:
Check the ground straps from engine/transmission to chassis and chassis to neg battery. A poor ground will prevent the electronics from operating correctly
 
If that is good, then;
 Check the transmission fluid level. Low fluid level will cause multiple problems including hard shift.
 
If that is good then;
Perform diagnostic performance tests. The dealer can interrogate the computer and run diagnostic checks on the transmission to insure full operation.
 
I can't think of anything else that would cause the issue except a driver/car interface problem.
 
I can tell you are frustrated with your car. When you get to a certain point it's really tough to recapture an objective attitude. If you're not a car guy it's even harder because you rely on others to correct any issues.
 
This transmission "problem" can't always be solved by the dealer. Even if the transmission is perfect, it requires the driver to drive normally even if it shifts too hard or too often. Hope things improve for you soon.

#122 of 303 Re: Just want to say "THANK YOU" [kbetts1] by delbar

Feb 09, 2011 (5:01 am)

Replying to: kbetts1 (Feb 08, 2011 5:49 pm)
thank you
i will call the dealer today and see if i can schedule an appt to have all of that done
hope it gets better because I am out of ideas for trade in
every car i read about has some issue or another
thanks again and yeah i hope things get better too

#123 of 303 Re: Just want to say "THANK YOU" [kbetts1] by puru

Feb 09, 2011 (4:06 pm)

Replying to: kbetts1 (Feb 08, 2011 5:49 pm)
kbetts1,
Thank you !! I can see that you are genuinely trying to help people who are having problems.
Sorry for my out burst earlier , I was pissed off with the problems with this camry model. As you have said " When you get to a certain point it's really tough to recapture an objective attitude " and this is what happens to me too
I am not a car guy and never paid much attention to the engineering and how stuff works. However after I bought this car and started experiencing these problems with transmission , I started reading and writing stuff on these forums.
Like delbar, I too have spend hours researching on these issues and so far I have got no where.
But, I always have a positive attitude and I hope the car just gets better !!

#124 of 303 Re: COMPLAINTS [delbar] by puru

Feb 16, 2011 (6:35 pm)

Replying to: delbar (Feb 07, 2011 4:10 pm)
Delbar,
Had an appointment with the dealership yesterday.
Again we went through the same list of complaints that I have been facing. Nothing new, they always have answers ready, some of which are pure BS.
 
Anyways, they had it inspected by their Lead Technician. After two hours of wait , all they did was a "learned memory reset". The said that they checked the transmission fluid, software version and it was all fine.
 
So, back to where I started. As per them the car will start "learning" again and I should see some difference after 2-3k miles.
 
May be I will forget driving by the time the car has finished learning
I can't believe I paid a fortune just to make a new car learn how to drive smooth and correct.

#125 of 303 Re: COMPLAINTS [puru] by delbar

Feb 17, 2011 (4:58 am)

Replying to: puru (Feb 16, 2011 6:35 pm)
i know what you mean, last time i was at the dealership i heard that I was the only person that ever had these issues and when i directed them to this website ( and several others) they said edmunds.com was full of __it
etc. I too am so depressed after paying for this car and having these problems. I am at 2500 miles now and dont feel much difference in this car at all - one day it drives "normallY' and others it is back to driving like a garbage truck. I see signs on the road all the time "Cash for Junk Cars" and say hmmmmmmmm !! Still shopping around to trade in here but hate to lose money on this one - Have a 3 day weekend coming so may drop back by the dealership to let them know I am still having issues.
AAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHH

#126 of 303 Re: COMPLAINTS [delbar] by kbetts1

Feb 18, 2011 (9:15 am)

Replying to: delbar (Feb 17, 2011 4:58 am)
Peru and delbar,
  Sorry to hear that you are still having problems. I've been thinking some more about this issue. You both have 4cly engines? You both are conservative / fuel conscious drivers? You both drive for extended times below 45 mph?
 
If you could compare your driving situation, maybe you could come up with some commonality areas to help isolate the cause or possibly help generate a work around.

Messages Page 13 of 31

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