Does this sound like a bad transmission to you?

10

Asked by genewesley Apr 28, 2014 at 10:26 PM about the 2007 Toyota Sienna LE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I want to describe the problem and get opinions on whether the diagnosis fits. Our van is a 2007 Toyota Sienna.

We were out of town and 4 hours away from home this past weekend. My wife was driving the van Sunday morning and came back to the hotel to pick up my daughter and me. She pulled up to the hotel and tried to put the van in Park but it wouldn't come out of drive. It would shift into the lower drive ranges but would not go into Neutral, Reverse, or Park. A guy there at the hotel told her turn the engine off. She did. After that it would not start.

When I got to it I thought it had something to do with the "park lock" circuit. I checked the fuses in that circuit and they were all OK. I tried holding in the bypass button and it didn't change anything. I took out the start relay and tried to start the van by bypassing the safety mechanisms but it wouldn't even try to start. We had it towed to a dealership close by - we couldn't leave it where it was and the dealership was the only place open on a Sunday.

The dealership called today and said that they were able to get it started. They said the van would not go into reverse and would go forward in drive but would start slipping at about 5mph. They told us that it needs a replacement transmission and the bill is $4500.

To me, the symptoms that I saw don't point to a transmission problem. It just doesn't add up for me. My question is, do the symptoms match the diagnosis that we've been given?

Thanks.

12 Answers

62,675

Sounds like more of a linkage problem and the dealership is trying to take advantage of you.

5 people found this helpful.
62,675

If you're home now and can just show up at the dealership, do it. I have a feeling from what you described your Toyota's transmission will suddenly cure it's self. Do a Google search on the dealership where your car is now. Look for reviews. See if there is a patternt. In any event, get a seconds opinion. I smell a rat.

3 people found this helpful.
975

you took your car in as a "no start" and they say they were able to start it some how, without saying what the problem is? and then say you need a transmission? sounds like a neutral safety switch aka PRNDL switch aka range selection switch or the shifter cable. either way it sounds to shady, id take it to a independant shop for a second opinion. no explaination of why it didnt start? dosnt make sense to me.

5 people found this helpful.
10

Thanks BohoMark and Petey. I'm thinking along the same lines. It just doesn't add up - not in my experience. I had almost exactly the same thing happen with a Hyundai Sonata and the problem was a park lock switch at the break pedal. There is something else going on with this one but I don't think it is a bad transmission.

1 people found this helpful.
160

I have a 2000 Toyota Sienna it starts up but will not go in drive or reverse

14 people found this helpful.
160

Someone hit the front end of my car and now my 2000 Toyota Sienna will not go in reverse or drive and it is leaking oil

2 people found this helpful.
40

Genewesley hello, What was the problem? Same thing happening wwithmy 2006 sienna, i stopped top drop off my children, shifted to parking and it never shifted. I was able to bring it home, but right now my sienna is not turning on, because is not on parking.

4 people found this helpful.
85

Thank for the posts above. I have essentially the same problem with my Toyota Sienna 2008 LE. dash indicate D or 4, knob can be shifted to all 8 positions, car can not start becuase it sees the car in D mode. Went to my mechanic, he changed shift cable connectors, parts run about 30 dollars, labor 2 hrs at 130 dollars. Total $161, fixed.

8 people found this helpful.

I was told the mechanical clutch in my 2012 XLE AWD is going bad and is $2000 to replace. Is my van safe to drive until I decide what to do? It makes an awful whining/ whistle sound but otherwise drives fine. Thanks

Get rid of your Toyotas, the problems only get worse. I just had an unexpected acceleration event in my 2006 Sienna. Loved that van but now it is totally worthlesss, can't drive it and I definitely would not sell it to some unsuspecting family as UA can happen again. I am lucky to be alive to warn people of this very real problem that Toyota to this day continues to deny. Right now they are blaming me saying it was the car mat. NO, IT WASN'T! My van experienced an electronic failure, it was as if the gas pedal went into cruise control mode. Gas pedal just went to floor and stuck there, engine was racing and roaring, brakes did not work not even emergency brake. Interior lights of car were flashing after vehicle was stopped. I survived because I was on a straight and flat road with plenty of shoulder to use as runway, so to speak, until I brought that f%*!^#% van to a stop. No more Toyotas for me. It is a hate relationship now.

70

@Jeanine the gas pedal has only a spring return and a sensor no cables. It will not go to the floor by itself unless the return spring breaks and I am not sure if it will go to the floor when the spring breaks. That said you mentioned cruise control, I think you have a hi mileage Toyota over 120k miles. My suspicion is the throttle body is defective. This unit has two things a motor to operate the butterfly valve AND the Throttle Position Sensors. What happens is your Throttle Position Sensors are flaky and can only be repaired by replacing the throttle body. These sensors are different than the accelerator position sensor , these have a wiper action and fail over time / use there are two in the unit for safety reasons. The accelerator on the other hand has a magnetic pickup and a gradient magnet. I had UA that kept going when I clicked resume on cruise control the vehicle accelerated past the set point and kept on going hard and fast. I was up around 90mph when I turned the cruise off.

4 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Sienna

Looking for a Used Sienna in your area?

CarGurus has 578 nationwide Sienna listings starting at $2,499.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    TLX_4765
    Reputation
    2,050
  • #2
    Mik00000
    Reputation
    1,910
  • #3
    dandyoun
    Reputation
    1,710
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Odyssey
44 Great Deals out of 802 listings starting at $2,900
Used Toyota Highlander
37 Great Deals out of 814 listings starting at $8,495
Used Chrysler Pacifica
46 Great Deals out of 794 listings starting at $15,900
Used Honda Pilot
33 Great Deals out of 792 listings starting at $2,495
Used Toyota Sequoia
4 Great Deals out of 49 listings starting at $12,950
Used Toyota Highlander Hybrid
11 Great Deals out of 189 listings starting at $3,999
Used Toyota 4Runner
20 Great Deals out of 517 listings starting at $6,825
Used Toyota RAV4
111 Great Deals out of 2,857 listings starting at $2,949
Used Toyota Camry
44 Great Deals out of 1,140 listings starting at $3,900
Used Toyota Tacoma
43 Great Deals out of 684 listings starting at $9,975
Used Dodge Grand Caravan
90 Great Deals out of 1,866 listings starting at $2,495
Used Toyota Tundra
27 Great Deals out of 993 listings starting at $9,240
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
18 Great Deals out of 859 listings starting at $9,980

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.