I am posting this here for Pam.
At the end of September I noticed there was something off with how my 2013 Highlander was driving. In the beginning of October I brought my car to the dealership to get checked out. I explained to the shop foreman, that the car was not shifting smoothly, there was a delay between gear changes and higher than normal RPMs during gear changes.
He went for a short drive with me and concluded that the car was driving as it should. He made it clear that there was no warning lights coming on and if there was a problem with the transmission or anything else, the computers warning sensors are very sensitive and would alert me immediately of any problems. I asked if there was anything else he could do to check out the car. He said no because there were no warning lights to let him know what to check.
I made an appointment on November 17, 2014 to get a 30,000 mile service. There was NO warning light on the car but I was noticing that the car still was having a hard time shifting smoothly. I also noticed that a few times that it made a funny sound when it was idling. I reported this to the service adviser and asked for it to be checked it out. She called me back to let me know that the transmission pan was damaged and there was signs of fluid leakage resulting in the transmission possibly needing to be replaced. I asked her why the warning lights didn’t go on? I explained that I brought in the car about the same problem and was told not to worry unless I got a warning light.
Later that day I spoke to the Service Manager, to get more information. He told me that fluid was not leaking (that’s why the light didn’t go on) but the transmission was starved for fluid due to damage done to pan and possibly the pick-up tube. He suggested making an insurance claim and having the Pan replaced first. When they replace the pan he will be able to tell what is happening with the pick-up tube and the extent of the damage to the transmission. If the pick-up tube is pushed up into the transmission than we will most likely need to replace the transmission. Today, the Service Manager said that after taking a closer look he didn’t think changing out the pan would help and we will need to replace the entire transmission because it is mostly likely cracked.
This problem could have been caught earlier if the shop foreman took my complaints seriously when I brought it in my car the first time. If he put it up on the rack, he would have seen the damage and addressed the problem immediately. I would not have driven the car for another 6,000 miles causing more damage to my transmission. I read online that when you’re driving on the road, your transmission is susceptible to lose rocks and other inconveniences that can strike and damage the pan. If a big object punctures the pan, it will cause a rapid amount of transmission fluid loss and you will be able to tell right away. If it’s a small puncture it might take a while before you notice any signs of leaking.
Questions:
- Since the damage to the pan did not result in rapid loss of transmission fluid, is it likely that the damage to the transmission could have been reduced if the problem was detected when I first brought in the car?
- Does the fact that I drove the car another 6,000 miles up and down mountain passes while the transmission was “starved for fluid” cause more damage to the transmission?
- If the transmission was cracked at the same time the pan was damaged, what are the signs/symptoms of a cracked transmission and would they be noticeable right away?
- Would a cracked transmission cause the transmission fluid to leak?
Thank you in advance for your help.
