[FocusNow]

Toyota Camry has the reputation of being a great quality vehicle. Out of curiosity I went on toyotanation.com forum to see what kinds of things owners of the latest generation of Camry discuss.

Well lo and behold there is a toyota camry shudder and people were discussing it.
That car is not dry and uses transmission fluid but if I am understanding the discussion there are a lot of similarities to our problem.

The problem is the Torque Converter Clutch is not slipping enough during Flex Lock-up at low speeds. A higher speeds the torque converter clutch holds steady. There is a mechanical lock up clutch in the torque converter. When it locks there is a thump.(I am thinking this is the shudder) A flex lockup uses a computer controlled solenoid to rapidly turn the clutch on and off several times a second which has the effect of slipping the clutch in a manual transmission. This flex lockup clutch is used more often at lower speeds.(I am thinking at low speeds there has to be a lot of quick gear shifting so you need a flexible lock up)

According to one post a Colorado service manager said any camry that is shuddering has and is eating up the converter and putting out particles. He described it as a "dead man walking".

The toyota solution is a new torque converter with a redesigned heavy duty damper plate, redesigned spring, new torque converter clutch lining, and fresh transmission fluid. So far their problem seems to be resolved.

I find this interesting. My first clutch replacement was new seals and new gear fluid, my second clutch was a new heat resistant clutch lining, my third clutch was a redesigned heat resistant spring, will there be a fourth clutch redesign with a new "plate"? Why did Ford not make all these changes with the first clutch revision? Was Ford the trail blazer or spear tip on these types of transmission problems? Did toyota learn from our woes?

If any one IS having a shudder it sounds like we are right to complain about it. It is NOT how transmissions should behave. Our transmissions should be able to be used under a variety of driving scenarios. The fault is not how we drive. Ignoring the problem because we are told shuddering is normal is a bad idea and may lead to transmission failure later on.

 

[FocusNow]

Also read Toyota extended the warranty for afflicted owners of bad torque converters to 8 years or 150,000 miles. I think Ford should extend their warranty 7 years or 100,000 miles to match Toyota. OR Ford should exceed it and do 10 years or 150,000 miles like they did for the TCM.

 

[FocusNow]

From the referenced thread I learned this shutter only happens on 4 cylinder cars. The 6 cylinder have a different transmission and I am guessing it is more robust. Maybe this is a case of making parts lighter so as to be cheaper and improve mpg. Several companies in the US make the parts which are assembled into a torque converter. Since several manufacturers are involved maybe there is a quality control issue too. Nonetheless the end user is saddled with a problem. If it makes anybody feel better Toyota initially did not step up to the plate, admit responsibility, and solve the problem. The customer has to demand accountability.

 

[amc49]

'That car is not dry and uses transmission fluid...'

'The toyota solution is a new torque converter with a redesigned heavy duty damper plate, redesigned spring, new torque converter clutch lining, and fresh transmission fluid. So far their problem seems to be resolved.'

The difference between a wet and dry clutch.................the wet can be made to stop doing it.

 

[cg49me]

I don't know all the mechanical details, but I was driving a 2016 Kia Soul as a rental last weekend (ick) which had a DCT. That thing was as smooth as silk, only way I could tell it was DCT was when the clutch disengaged while braking, and all of a sudden I'd slow down quicker.

I've driven several 14-16 Focuses as rentals that all were great. I didn't even realize the DCT was a thing until I started researching the car because I liked it so much I wanted one. Unfortunately I ended up with one of the problem children.

 

[mjb457]

I have been suggesting that ford extend the warranty for ten years 150k for awhile now---the ford rep told me the only reason they extened the tcm is because it is already under federal law-8 years 80k miles so they just extended that a little.... Be a leader back it 10 years 150k like Toyota now!!

 

[felixthecat]

I have been suggesting that ford extend the warranty for ten years 150k for awhile now---the ford rep told me the only reason they extened the tcm is because it is already under federal law-8 years 80k miles so they just extended that a little.... Be a leader back it 10 years 150k like Toyota now!!

You & I know Ford would if it didn't have any issues w/ the dct.