I bought used Toyota from dealership 03/27/2021 21k miles today it sits at 108000 miles this month i started experiencing shutter at 25-40mph took to dealer today told it was torque converter whole new transmission suggested quoted 8k apparently my extended warranty would have covered but car is over milage Toyota hasn't been helpful even though symptoms are same as previous version recalls I'm trying to figure out what to do of course this happens once I'm done paying car off.
We had another topic about 2018 RAV4 transmission shudder posted here late last year by site member @teachmehow2dougie who provided the following information:
The 2018 Toyota RAV4 torque shudder is a known issue often caused by the torque converter locking up under light throttle, causing a vibration between 25 and 50 mph. Toyota issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) for this problem, recommending a software update to adjust the lock-up point. If the shudder is already occurring, the vehicle may need both the software update and a potential torque converter replacement. Other, less common causes for vehicle shudder can include tire issues or poor transmission fluid maintenance.
Other, less common causes for vehicle shudder can include tire issues or poor transmission fluid maintenance.
However the TSB number was not provided in that thread and I have not seen one for this problem in 2018 models. The points about software update and adjustments of the lockup point may be worth investigating.
You might want to take your vehicle to a good independent transmission shop (not a chain like AAMCO) and get a 2nd opinion. The dealer is usually the most expensive option and they usually want to swap entire assemblies out for $$$$ rather than spend time on diagnostics.
@chucktobias he never did give us the TSB number
You beat me to it, I had just edited my post here to reflect that. (I did a quick check in a couple of places and could not find anything.)
@chucktobias T-SB-0004-18 found this not sure if it's accurate. I asked dealer about software update or if they even checked fluid she just brushed me off and said no we know it's the torque converter so you would need to get a new transmission.
That could be but for something like that I'd want to get a second opinion.
As far as I know the 2018 isn't known for transmission issues, so a TC failure at 108k miles would be rare. It might be prudent to get a second opinion from a transmission specialty shop. There are other causes for shudder. Could be as simple as tire balancing.
If they're right then you're out of luck I'm afraid. But I think the vehicle is worth putting $8k into.
Did you change the trans fluid around 50k-60k?
@imperator no i messed up because originally about 3months ago i took it to mechanic when i heard the faint shudder and the mechanic said maybe you just need new tires and a wheel alignment so last month i did that and the shudder kind of went away but over the last few weeks it came back and more consistent so i took it back now he said oh kind of sounds like transmission my heart dropped i've never done trans fluid change since apparently Toyota has "forever" fluid and thats when i took it to dealer for diagnosis where they told me warranty would have covered it if i wasn't at 108k . I'm taking it to a transmission shop Tuesday to see if they can check it better.
i've never done trans fluid change since apparently Toyota has "forever" fluid
"Forever" fluid is like forever underwear ... it doesn't exist. For best transmission life, you need to change it.
This is a claim manufacturers make because:
- it makes the vehicle seem low maintenance, so they can sell more of them.
- when they say "lifetime" they are really talking about the "lifetime" of the warranty period. Because after that , they're off off the hook and replacement is on you , as you found out. Doing maintenance is important for you, as the owner, for the lifetime of the vehicle, not for them.
Hopefully the trans shop will help you out.