ProMan

I received a letter from Toyota saying that the warranty for the transmission is extended to 8 yr/100K.

Did anyone receive this letter from Toyota? Have your transmission ever had a problem?

Big Yellow Monkey

For what years? And do you mean 100K miles? Cause as far as I know, my warranty is 5 years/100K km's.

-Biggie!

ProMan

For 97 - 00. The original warranty is 5 yrs/70k mile.

melmacarthur

I received this letter as well because I have had major problems with my tranny on my 2000 Sienna. The first on died at 40,000 miles, the secon one under 20,000. I am on my third now! I was writing the president of Toyota, the dealer. Nobody could do anything, thank God it was still under warranty (59,000). But then a few months later I got the letter. 8 years from service date or 100,000 miles! They knew there was a problem.

junfab

99 Sienna LE bought pre-owned /certified off of Toyota dealership about 55k on the odo.Ran quiet and fine, good accel. and gas mileage.Few wks later,tailpipe started smoking a little on startup but not on cruise.Also strange soft whirring noise from tranny at 70 k between 15-25 mph while stepping on the gas but not on coast.Brought the car to the dealership for diagnosis:valve guides/seals are toast, and the tranny is shot-shavings and grit seen on the ATF dipstick sample-apparently due to "internal failure".Solution: Toyota pulled the heads and replaced the valve guides/seals,then replaced the tranny with a rebuilt unit all under warranty( paid all of $50 for deductible).When asked why the problems came as they did,the technician said that quite a few of this model tranny had such problems.Moral of the story-do not ignore minor symptoms or funny noises.They could be serious.

surveyor

I have a 2000 sienna and would like to know about the extended transmission warrenty. I have'nt had a problem yet.

doronronny

I have a 99 LE 84K, original owner, noise coming from the transmission just started, but very apparent. Toyota says that the transmission is covered by the 8y 100k warranty only if the transmission is slipping or if it freezes. I've argued with dealership, regional manager, customer service agent - all to no avail. Anyone had success in this type of scenario?

Clyde Mays

Give it a week. The noise will lead to a transmission freeze and you'll be stranded on the side of the road. Not to sound dismal....I have a 99XLE with 65K and this happened to me. See post Toyota Leaves GWOT GI Stranded for further details. I just sent a certified letter to President Otaka of Toyota USA asking them to honor their warranty enhancement notice in good faith. Seems they are trying to get out of paying for mine since I am in the military and currently stationed overseas.

I would try calling their customer service line again. I called twice and both times got different answers about payment. Get the names so you can quote them later if needed. One said they wouldn't pay, the one I talked to a few days ago said they would reimburse me if I pay - yeah, like I believe that! This is a known problem to Toyota and they should be honoring their service bulletin. My 99 Sienna started making a funny noise and exactly one week later the transmission died leaving my family stranded on the side of the road in Germany!

While we were researching the warranty coverage on this vehilce, we came across the numerous service bulletins! WOW! And it gets a recommendation and high reliability standard from Consumer Reports? What are they thinking? We were in the market to buy a new Sequoia in January but are rethinking our choice of vehicle manufacturers now.

Good luck. If I were you, I would keep pressing to have it covered under the warranty enahancement and go all the way to Japan if you have to. Mr. Otaka's favorite sayings in all his speeches is customer satisfaction is number one.

2000sienna

My 2000 Sienna has 134K miles, is out of warranty, even the extended warranty. The transmission is failing, currently almost no reverse. Dealers have been less than helpful with other issues so I am not excited about bringing this major issue in to them. This failure at 134k is not what I expected when I purchased Toyota. If I had known the tranny would fail at 134K, I would have stayed with a Dodge Caravan. My experience with Caravan was a tranny lasting about 125k, and it costs about 50% less to replace. A new Toyota tranny is $3K plus labor. The new Caravan tranny is about $2k plus labor.

How do you write to Mr. Otaka?

I am unimpressed with Toyota due to poor service from 2 dealers that I have to finish myself, and now this major failure.

2000sienna

What is the nature of failure that this extended warranty addresses? My failure was at 134k miles, the oil blew out on a 90 mile drive. The bolts were tight, I couldn't see any gasket failure. After replacing the oil, filter and gasket, (there were no shavings in the pan), I no longer had reverse. I'm in the market for a transmission now. $3k just for the part from Toyota. OUCH!!

Clyde Mays

You wrote me last week regarding the Sienna transmission. Mr. Otaka's address is:
Mr. Hideaki Otaka
Toyota Motor North America Inc.
19001 S. Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90509-2991

I can tell you that even with certified (return receipt) snail mail, he never replied. I would still write, but don't expect any assistance.

cx204

I also have a 99 Sienna with Tranny issues. The whirling/scrapping noises started 3+ months ago and I am now at 143K. The dealer charged $50 to tell me I have to replace my tranny. It will cost $5034 for a rebuilt and come with a 1 year warranty unit. The noise occurs at 20-35 mph (2nd - 3rd gear), but not when I go into neutral. I was told my car was not covered in the extended bulletin. I paid $20K for this 5 years ago and was hoping to drive it another 5 as I have a Toyota. What bad luck, I switched from a Ford Explorer with tranny problems at 160K to a Toyota with tranny issues at 143K.

beanagee1

My 2000 Sienna just had a toasted transmission. I am glad I found this post. Is this extension valid in Canada? Is the dealer likely to acknowlede this extension without much hassel? Thanks for you help.

beanagee1

Proman: is it possible for you to post the PDF of the letter? Thanks.

beanagee1

I wrote to Toyota Canada and this is the reply that I got from them.


Thank you for your recent email. As per your owner's manual supplement, vehicle transmission is a listed component of the Powertrain warranty, which provides coverage for a duration of 60 months or 100,000 kms, whichever occurs first. We suggest speaking with the service department at your dealership for further detail. Thank you for writing. Sincerely.


This reply is crap. The dealer will honour the extension if you probe about the warranty extension. I am getting my 2k Sienna transmission replaced at 52k on the odo.