2013-2015 Toyota Rav4 Transmission Shudder Warranty Extension ZH1

BGroot

Moderator
Subject: Warranty Enhancement Program ZH1
2013 – 2015 RAV4
Extension of Warranty Coverage for U760E Torque Converter Shudder

In our continuing efforts to ensure the best in customer satisfaction, Toyota is announcing a Warranty EnhancementProgram to extend the warranty coverage for repairs related to U760E Torque Converter Shudder.

Background:
In these vehicles, Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder during torque converter flex lock up. This shudder may be observed while driving under light throttle conditions between approximately 25 – 50 mph.

Although the Torque Converter is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 5 years or 60,000 miles (whichever occurs first), we at Toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience. Toyota is now extending the warranty coverage for repairs related to Torque Converter Shudder.

Warranty Enhancement Program Details:
This Warranty Enhancement Program provides a Primary and Secondary coverage extension to the vehicle’s “New Vehicle Limited Warranty” for repairs related to Torque Converter Shudder. If the condition is verified, the vehicle will be repaired with a new torque converter, additional transmission pan magnets, and updated engine control software under the terms of this Warranty Enhancement Program.

*The Primary Coverage offers warranty enhancement until December 31, 2018, regardless of mileage.

**After the Primary Coverage, the Secondary Coverage is applicable for 8 years from the date of first use or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Covered Vehicles:
There are approximately 433,200 vehicles covered by this Warranty Enhancement Program. Approximately 5,800 vehicles involved in this Warranty Enhancement Program were distributed to Puerto Rico.

Owner Letter Mailing Date:
Toyota will begin to notify owners in September 2017, and owner notifications will be mailed over several months.

Remedy Procedures:
Technical instructions for this warranty extension program can be found in T-SB-0023-15 (RAV4).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the condition?
In these vehicles, Toyota has received some reports where vehicles may exhibit a brief intermittent shudder
during torque converter flex lock up. This shudder may be observed while driving under light throttle conditions between approximately 25 – 50 mph. Some customers may describe this as a vibration.

Although the Torque Converter is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 5 years or 60,000
miles (whichever occurs first), we at Toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience. Toyota is now
extending the warranty coverage for repairs related to Torque Converter Shudder.

What is Toyota going to do?
Owners of vehicles covered by this Warranty Enhancement Program will receive a notification letter by first
class mail starting in September, 2017.

Owners who experience torque converter shudder should contact their local authorized Toyota dealership for diagnosis and repair. If the condition is covered by the terms of this warranty enhancement program, the repair will be performed at NO CHARGE.

Which and how many vehicles are covered by this Warranty Enhancement Program?
There are approximately 433,200 vehicles covered by this Warranty Enhancement Program.

Why are other vehicles, with the U760E transmission not covered by this Warranty Enhancement Program?
2012-2014 Camry vehicles equipped with the U760E transmission are covered in separate
field actions (E05 and ZE5). Other vehicles equipped with the U760E transmission have different
software logic.

Which part(s) are covered by this Warranty Enhancement Program?
The specific component(s) covered by this warranty enhancement is/are as follows:
*Torque Converter Kit (Includes Torque Converter, Gaskets, Additional Transmission Pan Magnets)
*Updated Engine Control Software

What should an owner do if experiencing this condition?
If an owner thinks that he/she has experienced the condition described in this Warranty Enhancement
Program, a local Toyota dealer should be contacted for appropriate diagnosis and repair. If the condition is
verified as being in accordance with the terms of the warranty enhancement, the repair will be performed at
NO CHARGE.

Will my vehicle illuminate a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) if this condition occurs?
No, if this condition occurs, it will not illuminate a malfunction indicator lamp or set a diagnostic trouble code.

How long will the repair take?
The software update and torque converter kit change will take approximately 1 day. However, depending
upon the dealer’s work schedule, it may be necessary to make the vehicle available for a longer period of
time. A rental car will be provided while the repair is performed.

What if I have additional questions or concerns?
If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1888-270-9371 Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday 7:00 am to 4:30 pm Central Time.













 
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Deb Schwendiman

Guest
Thank you for this update.
I took my Rav to Ira Toyota and they said they performed the necessary repair. However, not only did it not resolve the problem, it has become increasingly worse. Granted it is not severe, but the fact that it has worsened over the past 4 or 5 months gives me cause for concern. Also when I asked what happens if the transmission fails, they answered that the tranny was covered for 5 years. I am worried that the vibration will continue to increase and that will cause friction in the transmission and it will fail at some point after the warranty expires in 2018. And since the work was supposedly done..........what will be my recourse.?
 
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Nikki Breedlove

Guest
My Rav4 was just diagnosed with this problem today. The repair is going to be done Saturday. I read the above comment where the repair made the problem worse. Was there any resolution? I bought a Toyota for dependability and now I'm worried.
 
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Jaybonbon

Guest
Amazing I got the shudder 2015 any updates??? I just found this it's 2019 anyone out there hope Toyota will honor this and repair .... Smh anyone have any new news this would be appreciated....
 
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AShaw

Guest
So I bought a brand new 2013 Rav4 right off the lot. In late 2017 I heard about this shudder issue. I felt it periodically but very faint around the start of 2018 but was not overly concerned. As of late 2018, the shudder is so bad it feels like you are driving over rumble strips between 60km and 80km. The hoops that Toyota is making people go through to have it repaired is absolutely ridiculous. So you take it in, they CHARGE YOU $120 for the diagnostic fee - yes you heard me right. They said Toyota wants to know "I am invested to repair my vehicle for the right reasons". That is a direct quote. They build defective vehicles and then want you to pay to have it diagnosed. How is this a warranty repair if I have to pay someone to determine it is happening? Completely ridiculous and shows me that Toyota does not care about their customers. We should be out NOTHING to deal with this issue. As it is I have to take time off work to bring the vehicle back and forth. Today they are trying a bandaid approach of doing a transmission flush and a software upgrade instead of just replacing the torque converter straight away. So let me guess... bandaid it today so that down the road when it starts happening again, I have to go through all of the hoops again. Fantastic. Time to buy a Honda I think.
 
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Philippe Rioux

Guest
Regarding the last post, you guy had no chance. I bought a 2014 rav4 and I got no diagnostic charge and they will repair it for free. It does not cover the wheel alignment though. I still believe Toyota produces the best reliable cars so far. It is just bad that some concessions suck and let some customers down. This is my 2nd Toyota and I will not try anything else!
 
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Seen peden

Guest
Thanks for this information. My 2015 started having same troubles mentioned. Spoke to dealer said this issue would feel like driving over a washboard for a short period of time. Took a bit for me to actually realize that this was what my car was doing. Toyota did a long test drive to warm up transmission then was able to confirm that my car had a bad torque converter and it was covered by the tsb. No charge for diagnostic and work. Getting converter changed in a couple of days. Hope they do good work. Wanting to keep this car a long time.
 
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David murphy

Guest
Well - we have a 2015 rav4 with the exact issue but toyota refuses to help. They say the vin is not one of the covered vehicles. Dealer said it is ridiculous. They wont budge. Guess it is the last toyota I buy.
 
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Kelly Hudgins

Guest
I called Toyota this afternoon regarding my 2015 Rav4 - Same issues shutter in the transmission, they wont help. My quote from the dealer is $3800. to fix. Not sure if I will by another.
 
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Paul D.

Guest
I have a 2015 Rav4, I have the exact same problem and the dealer after charging me $120 told me they can't reproduce the problem.
The moment I left, it started doing it and I immediately went back to the dealer. I took it out with the tech for another test drive and I got it to do it, but he's saying that it's not the torque converter, it's the viscous coupler or a drive shaft. I had it over at Mister Transmission for a FREE diagnosis and they are saying it IS the torque converter.
 
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Dan Butler

Guest
I have a 2017 RAV4. Am intermittently experiencing the "shudder" several times today at speeds around 65-75 MPH. Feels like you hit a series of large rumble strips. It is dangerous in heavy close traffic as it feels as if you are going to lose control. I am still under warranty and will call on Monday to see what they say.
 
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Michelle A.

Guest
I have a 2014 RAV4 and took it to a transmission place and they diagnosed it with the torque converter but instead of fixing it and charging me they told me that there might be an extended warranty for this problem. I googled it and this website came up. Thank you. I have 135,000 miles and the warranty is only good till 150,000 just made it. I had it repaired yesterday. I did not have to pay anything. But I have a shifting problem that did not get fixed with the change of the torque converter. They told me it was my transmission. Is there any extended warranties that anyone know of. I can't afford to replacement my transmission.
 
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Brandon Curtis

Guest
I have a 2017 RAV4. Am intermittently experiencing the "shudder" several times today at speeds around 65-75 MPH. Feels like you hit a series of large rumble strips. It is dangerous in heavy close traffic as it feels as if you are going to lose control. I am still under warranty and will call on Monday to see what they say.

Hi Dan. How'd everything go with that? I have a 17 Rav EXL with high mileage, shudder began at about 90K and happens primarily at lower gears.
 
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Chris L.

Guest
Well I was completely screwed on this issue. Sole owner of a 2013 rav, high mileage driver. Started experiencing a very random shudder last year before it hit 150k. I had no idea and thought maybe it maybe bad gas? I found out on line what the torque converter issue was and called Toyota Care at 154k. They said no exceptions to the rule cause I was over the mileage threshold. I had it diagnosed by AAMCO, and finally brought it into a TOY dealership BUT they could not replicate the shudder(since it was so random). Long story short, finally at 158k they could replicate it, but I ended up paying $1591 for the job. They had even called corporate on my behalf with no luck. So..I decided to email some big wigs at Toyiota America and cc’d Jim Lentz, President since I had no other recourse. I have no idea where this will go, but I think it’s absolutely delinquent of them to deny ANY claim due this issue when over 400k vehicles are potentially affected. The transmission was produced with a defective converter design(or manufacture), and they won’t own up to it with integrity.
 
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Heather Thielen

Guest
I have a 2015 Rav 4 with this issue but my VIN number is not covered. The Customer Service was incredibly rude and the Dealership was shocked that they wouldn't cover. Very sad when a company won't stand behind their products and refuse to fix a problem they are aware of. I will never buy another one.
 
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Sumo

Guest
I have a 2015 Rav4, I have the exact same problem and the dealer after charging me $120 told me they can't reproduce the problem.
The moment I left, it started doing it and I immediately went back to the dealer. I took it out with the tech for another test drive and I got it to do it, but he's saying that it's not the torque converter, it's the viscous coupler or a drive shaft. I had it over at Mister Transmission for a FREE diagnosis and they are saying it IS the torque converter.


Any update on this??
 
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Yoga

Guest
I felt the same shuddering on my 2015 Rav4 LE AWD. At first it was mild and now at times it vibrates uncontrollably. It happens at the lower RPMs under 60km/h usually. I had it checked out at the dealer and they said they weren't able to diagnose an issue with the torque converter and during two independent test drives. They told me to come back if it happened more regularly and reassured me that if it was indeed the torque converter, the extended warranty would last until 8 years from date of purchase for it. A little annoying, but glad there's more time to fix the issue.
 
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JRobertson

Guest
Amazing I got the shudder 2015 any updates??? I just found this it's 2019 anyone out there hope Toyota will honor this and repair .... Smh anyone have any new news this would be appreciated....
I called the number provided and my 2015 VIN is not included & so will not be covered:(
 
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JRobertson

Guest
I felt the same shuddering on my 2015 Rav4 LE AWD. At first it was mild and now at times it vibrates uncontrollably. It happens at the lower RPMs under 60km/h usually. I had it checked out at the dealer and they said they weren't able to diagnose an issue with the torque converter and during two independent test drives. They told me to come back if it happened more regularly and reassured me that if it was indeed the torque converter, the extended warranty would last until 8 years from date of purchase for it. A little annoying, but glad there's more time to fix the issue.
Apparently not ALL 2015 RAV4’s are covered. Mine is showing the symptoms but according to Toyota, my vehicle is NOT covered under the extended warranty... ‍♀️
 
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Al johnson

Guest
Hi I bought a used 2013 rav4 will Toyota cover the warranty for the shudder
 
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