2009 Toyota Venza Power Train

MY 2009 TOYOTA VENZA WITH ONLY 70,000 MILES SUDDENLY DEVELOPED A WHINING, GRINDING NOISE WHILE DRIVING AND ACCELERATING. THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE REAR AXLE. THE NOISE GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE VERY QUICKLY. AFTER MECHANICAL INSPECTION I WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS SHOT. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULDN'T BE DRIVEN FOR LONG DISTANCES BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL OF THE DIFFERENTIAL TO OVERHEAT AND FAIL.THE FAILURE COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH SAFE DRIVABILITY ISSUES.

THIS IS 2009 TOYOTA VENZA V6 AWD VERSION. OIL LEAKED FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN ELECTROMAGNETIC COUPLER SUB-ASSEMBLY AND THE DIFFERENTIAL. THE COUPLER ITSELF ALSO LEAKED OIL. THE UNIT IS ALL COVERED BY OIL. DEALER STATING THE PART IS NON-SERVICEABLE AND HAS TO BE REPLACED.

DRIVING AROUND 45 MPH WHEN I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR IT STARTS DOWNSHIFTING UNTIL IT REACHES 20 MPH AND THEN IT COASTS FREELY, GARAGE UNABLE TO FIX. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS - RAPID DOWNSHIFTING & SAYS IN DRIVE WHEN IT'S IN SPORT MODE. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ALONE AND I WAS GOING AROUND 60MPH IN THE 3RD LANE WHEN THE VENZA SAID "D" ON THE DISPLAY BUT THEN IT FELT LIKE IT SHIFTED INTO 2ND GEAR BECAUSE IT WENT FROM 60MPH TO AROUND 20MPH WITH NO WARNING AND I HAD TO GET IT INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE IN THE CENTER SO I WOULDN'T GET HIT AFTER THAT I TOOK IT TO RIGHT OVER TO GREENWICH TOYOTA AND THEY LOOKED AT IT BUT FOUND NO TROUBLE CODES AND ABOUT A WEEK LATER I WAS WITH MY WIFE [XXX] AND I WAS GOING DOWN E PUTNAM AVE AND IT HAPPENED WITH HER IN THE CAR AND THIS TIME IT WENT FROM AROUND 40MPH IN "D" TO AROUND 10MPH AND IT SCARED HER AND SHE JUST ASKED TO BE TAKEN HOME SO THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND LEFT IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND STILL NO TROUBLE CODES WERE FOUND AND IT'S HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES SINCE THEN WITH STILL NO TROUBLE CODES NOW I ONLY USE IT IN SPORT MODE WHERE I MANUALLY SHIFT IT. WELL JUST RECENTLY IT HAS HAD PROBLEMS IN THIS ALSO WHERE IT WON'T ALLOW ME TO SHIFT UP OR DOWN AND WHILE IT'S IN "S" IT SOMETIMES SAYS IT'S IN "D" AND I'M TIRED OF IT BECAUSE THESE 2 RECENT TIMES ONCE I SHOWED JAY A SERVICE ADVISOR AND ALSO THOMAS STEIN THE OWNER THAT IT SHOWED "D" WHILE IT WAS IN SPORT MODE AND THEY'VE PLUGGED IT IN AND NO TROUBLE CODES WELL THEY SAW IT WITH THEIR OWN EYES, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO. I HAVE TAKEN MY 2009 TOYOTA VENZA TO GREENWICH TOYOTA IN GREENWICH, CT TO GET IT FIXED 4 TIMES NOW AND THEY SAY THEY CAN'T FIX IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT SHOWING ANY TROUBLE CODES. I'M TIRED AND DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN. [XXX] *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA VENZA. THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY BEGAN TO HESITATE WHEN ACCELERATING AFTER THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED WHILE IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. THE VEHICLE MOMENTARILY PAUSED BEFORE ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,813.

I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MERGING ONTO THE OHIO TURNPIKE AND DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE AND PASS A SLOW-MOVING SEMI IN FRONT OF ME. THE CAR ACCELERATED AND ONCE PAST THE SEMI I RELEASED PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL ONLY TO HAVE THE CAR CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE. DESPITE PRESSING THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW. AS I PREPARED TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL GEAR I REACHED DOWN AND PULLED THE FLOOR MAT TO THE DIAGONAL CORNER OPPOSITE THE GAS PEDAL. WITH THAT ACTION THE PEDAL APPEARED TO BECOME RESPONSIVE TO PRESSURE AND THE CAR DECELERATED. A REAR SEAT PASSENGER OBSERVED A WARNING LIGHT APPEAR ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATING A MASTER SYSTEM WARNING. THE LIGHT DISAPPEARED AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW. NO OTHER ACTIONS OCCURRED FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT. *TR

DRIVING IN RESIDENTIAL AREA, 20-25 MPH, MADE TURN, AND WHEN ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. IT WAS AS IF THE CAR HAD SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL, BUT IT WAS STILL IN DRIVE. I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THEN BACK IN DRIVE AND IT STILL WOULD NOT GO. THE CAR, HOWEVER, WOULD GO IN REVERSE. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS MADE SHIFTING FROM OTHER GEARS TO DRIVE (INCLUDING THE SEQUENTIAL SHIFT) WITHOUT SUCCESS. FINALLY DROVE THE CAR IN REVERSE FOR A SHORT DISTANCE, THEN PUT IT IN DRIVE AND THE GEAR ENGAGED AND IT WENT FORWARD. CONTACTED DEALER AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SHOP. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ERROR AND SAID NOTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL AN ERROR CODE WAS FOUND OR THE PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED. CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND THEY REFERRED US BACK TO THE DEALER. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED, BUT IF IT HAPPENED ONCE IT WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN AGAIN. NEXT TIME, I COULD BE IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

MY TOYOTA VENZA 2009 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - WHEN THE TRANSMISSION IS IN "DRIVE" THE CAR ROLLS BACK EVEN ON RELATIVELY MILD SLOPES. IT HAPPENS ABOUT 40% OF THE TIME. *TR

I ACCELERATED TO MAKE A LANE CHANGE,VEHICLE TOOK OFF TO INCREASING ACCELERATION I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND. LUCKILY NO TRAFFIC WAS AHEAD OF ME. FINALLY CAR MANAGED TO STOP. I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD. I HAD TO PRACTICALLY STAND ON BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS ASSUMING SOME HOW THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS INADVERTENTLY PRESSED BUT NO IT WAS NOT. *TR

2009 TOYOTA VENZA (MANUFACTURED -OCT./08), 6 CYLINDER. WAS IN PARK,ABOUT TO GO IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF LEVEL DRIVEWAY, FOOT ON BRAKE, CAR WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN REVERSE! FOOT BRAKE PEDAL FELT TENSE AND INFLEXIBLE. IE. WOULD NOT MOVE EVEN WITH APPLIED FOOT PRESSURE. FLASHING TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. TURNED OFF CAR THEN RESTARTED AND REPEATED EFFORT TO BACK OUT. SAME THING! AGAIN REPEAT STEPS, REPEATED SAME RESPONSE. TRIED TURNING OFF TRACTION CONTROL AND TURNING BACK ON SEVERAL TIMES. NO IDEA WHAT DID IT, BUT FINALLY WAS ABLE TO BACK OUT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA VENZA. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT GEARS OR DURING BRAKE ACTIVATION THE TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVATES. USUALLY AFTER 30 SECONDS THE TRACTION CONTROL MODE IS DEACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TWICE FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE A REMEDY. HE THEN ADDED THAT ALTHOUGH THE FAILURE WAS COMMON FOR HIS MODEL TYPE, THEY HAVE NOT DEVELOPED A REMEDY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 1300.