Toyota Corolla transmission problems

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA COROLLA S 5-SPEED WITH 91,000 MILES ON IT. WHILE DRIVING THE OTHER DAY, THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR AND HAVE MAINTAINED IT WELL SINCE I PURCHASED IT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH WAS BAD AND THEY GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE OF $1,036 TO REPAIR IT. AFTER SPEAKING TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND FINDING OUT THAT THE DEALERSHIP WANTED $400 MORE THAN AVERAGE TO DO THE SERVICE I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC. AFTER REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION FROM THE CAR HE INFORMED ME THAT THE CLUTCH WAS FINE AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. I BOUGHT A TOYOTA FOR ITS SUPPOSED RELIABILITY......WHAT A JOKE. THIS IS GOING TO COST THOUSANDS TO REPAIR AND HAS EFFECTIVELY RUINED MY SUMMER VACATION PLANS. I KNOW THERE ARE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS TRANSMISSION.....I HOPE SOMETHING GETS DONE ABOUT IT. *TR -BRYAN SHEPLER

ECU (ENGINE CONTROL UNIT) MALFUNCTION CAUSES HARD SHIFT ON TRANSMISSION. TOTAL REPLACEMENT CHARGE SUMS UP TO 762.00 AS PER TOYOTA DEALER. TOYOTA COROLLA S 2005 REPLACEMENT INFORMATION IN DATA BASE IS 89661 02C11 VS. 89661 02C12 ON PHYSICAL ENGINE CONTROL UNIT PART. COMPATIBILITY IN QUESTION. CUSTOMER SERVICE ADMITTED TO HAVE A TOTAL OF 4 CAR WITH SAME PROBLEM DURING THE SAME WEEK. ALSO SAID THAT THEY WOULD REPLACE IT WITH AN UPGRADED UNIT QUESTIONING THE MANUFACTURE PERFORMANCE. *TR

I HAD TRANSMISSION FLUSH ON 1997 COROLLA ON DEC 31, 2008. ON JAN 17, 2009, WHILE DRIVING, CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED AFTER STRONG VIBRATIONS. FORTUNATELY, THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON HIGHWAY. THE FIRST REPAIR SHOP SAID TRANSMISSION TORQUE CONVERTER LOCKING UP. TRANSMISSION IS NEEDED?. THE SECOND REPAIR SHOP OPENED THE TRANSMISSION AND FOUND ?TRANSFER CASE HAS NO OIL INSIDE?, WITH BROKEN BEARING THAT CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND NEED TOTAL REBUILD. BOTH SHOPS SAID IT COULD BE THE RESULTS OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUSH JOB. I CONTACTED THE SHOP THAT PERFORMED THE TRANSMISSION FLUSH AND THEY DENIED OF ANY POSSIBLE MISTAKE. IF THEY HAD ACCIDENTALLY EMPTIED THE DIFFERENTIAL UNIT, THE CAR SHOULD HAVE SEIZED IMMEDIATELY, NOT A FEW WEEKS AFTERWARDS. THEY SAID THAT WITH AGE, THE SEAL BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE DIFFERENTIAL CASE COULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGED AND THE OIL IN THE DIFFERENTIAL UNIT (TRANSFER CASE) TO LEAK AND EVENTUALLY DRIED UP AND CAUSE THE FAILURE. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON TOYOTA RECALL AND SERVICE BULLETIN. NOTHING OF THIS NATURE CAME UP FOR THIS MODEL YEAR BUT FOUND SIMILAR DESCRIPTION FOR 1997 TOYOTA PREVIA DEFECT RECALL DATE APR04, 1997 WITH DEFECT CONSEQUENCE: ?OIL LEAKAGE WILL RESULT IN A SUFFICIENTLY LOW OIL SUPPLY TO CAUSE BEARING DAMAGE TO THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL UNIT LEADING TO EVENTUAL SEIZURE OF THE UNIT INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. SO COULD IT BE A DEFECT SIMILAR TO THE 1997 TOYOTA PREVIA OR COULD IT BE THE SHOPS MISTAKE TO UNKNOWINGLY DRAIN THE DIFFERENTIAL COMPARTMENT WHICH CAN LEAD TO THE SAME SYMPTOM EVENTUALLY (NOT NECESSARILY IMMEDIATELY AS THEY CLAIMED) *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE PEDALS ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT HIS FEET BECOME TANGLED, AND HE LOSES CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED ON AUGUST 15, 30, AND SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH. HE STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO MOVE THE CLUTCH PEDAL APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 2 INCHES TO THE LEFT AWAY FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO AVOID DEPRESSING BOTH PEDALS SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2008. THE CONTACT STATED THAT MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLES SHOULD HAVE A SHIFT PATTERN AROUND THE STICK SHIFT FOR CORRECT SHIFTING. HE FEELS IT IS EASY TO MISS FIFTH GEAR AND SHIFT INTO THIRD GEAR BY MISTAKE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

CAR PARKED ON DRY, LEVEL SURFACE. DRIVER STARTED CAR NORMALLY, PUT FOOT ON BRAKE, SHIFTED INTO REVERSE TO LEAVE PARKING SPOT, EASED ONTO THE GAS, AND THE CAR WENT FORWARD. STOPPED THE CAR, DOUBLE CHECKED THE GEAR SHIFT WAS FIRMLY IN REVERSE, EASED ON GAS AGAIN AND, ONCE AGAIN, CAR WENT FORWARD. THIS FORWARD LURCH DRUG THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR OVER A CONCRETE BARRIER. CAR STOPPED TO INSPECT DAMAGE. WHEN CAR STARTED AGAIN, EVERYTHING FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. *TR

SUMMER 2007, WITH ABOUT 65,000 MILES ON MY 2004 TOYOTA COROLLA S (BOUGHT NEW), I STARTED TO NOTICE AN UNUSUAL SOUND WHEN I SHIFTED GEARS--SOUNDED A LITTLE LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE SOUND BUT VERY FAINT. SOUND SLOWLY BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED, UNTIL IT BECAME A WORRY. IT HAPPENED WHEN I USED THE CLUTCH (IT'S A MANUAL). I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM LISTEN TO IT. THEY DIDN'T HEAR IT, BUT RECOMMENDED THAT I LEAVE IT FOR SERVICE. I DID. DEALER SAID THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM. ALSO SAID THEY RARELY WORK ON MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS ANY MORE. CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUES, I BROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC PERSONALLY KNOWN TO ME. HE IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIED IT AS A TRANSMISSION BEARING PROBLEM. THOUGHT IT WAS POSSIBLY THE PILOT BEARING. HE RECOMMEND I TAKE IT TO A TRANSMISSION PLACE FOR A LISTEN. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION AS THE LOCAL MECHANIC. I REPORTED BACK TO MY MECHANIC WHO CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO CHECK WHETHER THERE WERE ANY SERVICE BULLETINS ABOUT TRANSMISSION BEARING PROBLEMS AND THEY SAID THERE WEREN'T. I CONTACTED THE DEALER TO REPORT THE FINDINGS OF THE TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I RETURNED TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION WORK DONE AND HE REPLACED THE BEARINGS. NO MORE UNUSUAL SOUND WHEN I SHIFT. I STILL HAVE THE OLD PART, WHICH SHOWS WEAR ON ONE OF THE BEARINGS. THE DEALER WAS NOT HELPFUL IN RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS EVEN LESS HELPFUL. THE REPAIR WAS VERY EXPENSIVE, ABOUT ~1600 (I ALSO DECIDED TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH WHILE WE WERE IN THERE). *TR