Check VSC System light intermittently came on. Toyota replaced the neutral safety switch and 30 miles later Check VSC System light came back on and was told to take it to a transmission shop. Now, transmission shop says I need a transmission overhaul/rebuild. Has anyone ever heard of a Land Cruiser transmission dying this early? The error was a P0705.
2009 LC with 108,600 miles. Transmission shop says I need a rebuild at $4,437. Sound right?
- Thread starter corysmith32
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Im sorry you are having this issue. I’d check every possibility first. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first 6 speed failure i have every heard of.
Ok so those 2 posts are from the Toyota diagnostics FSM for your 2009. I can't say that you don't need a new transmission, but IMO given the only symptom described so far is a CEL, it seems far more likely there's something else wrong. I suggest having a competent mechanic go through the above procedure before dropping five grand. The "worst case" scenario above is a new ECM, NOT a new transmission. 200-series transmission failures are pretty rare, aside from a few issues when the 8-speed was first introduced in 2016.
That said I am not a mechanic and you don't say if you've had any other issues aside from the CEL, if you're the original owner, any other repairs (accidents, windshield replacement, etc). There's a chance it's something else, like a mouse that's chewed through some wire insulation which is causing occasional shorting to ground, or water dripping inside the vehicle from a poor windshield seal that's caused corrosion on a wiring harness connector.
That said I am not a mechanic and you don't say if you've had any other issues aside from the CEL, if you're the original owner, any other repairs (accidents, windshield replacement, etc). There's a chance it's something else, like a mouse that's chewed through some wire insulation which is causing occasional shorting to ground, or water dripping inside the vehicle from a poor windshield seal that's caused corrosion on a wiring harness connector.
- Thread starter
- #6
Not the original owner. South Florida, then MD, and the past 4 years it's lived in Charleston, SC. It came with tons of service records and I go to dealer for regular maintenance every single time. Been completely bulletproof and is completely stock (was waiting to level it and put all terrains when it's time to replace tires). A month ago, my keys were in my pocket and I magically hit the lock/unlock button in the right series of events that caused all windows to open up and it got rained for about 15 minutes. Weeks go by and then the Check VSC System light intermittently went on. After a few visits to Toyota we replaced the Neutral Safety Switch and gas cap. After the safety neutral switch was replaced, light went away for about 30 miles. Took it back to Toyota, they said it's transmission related and to take it to a transmission shop. My notes from today are: "gear ratio error" "contaminated solenoid" "and need a rebuild/overhaul. I can NOT find any research that ANYONE out there has ever had to replace a J200 transmission with 108k miles. It was shifting smoothly. I'm baffled. I'm at $500 for a diagnostic fee but am strongly considering taking it to another shop for a second opinion. I'm completely shocked and baffled.
Shouldn't the Toyota dealer be able to go through the above procedure? And not say "take it to a transmission shop".
Was the water properly drained from under the carpets? There are harness connectors near both driver and front passenger feet that can corrode from water trapped there. Thing is, most if not all transmission wiring doesn’t go through that area.. it is in the engine harness that goes through the firewall directly into the ECU (with built-in TCM) mounted on said firewall. Still, these systems are complex and other wires could definitely contribute.
I agree with @linuxgod find a competent mechanic to go through the above procedures. It’s just too coincidental for the inside of the truck getting wet IMO, and getting all that water out should have been a priority. Btw it is very easy to pull the door sill trim and look for water. Just pull up. If water remains it’ll be toward the front with your wiring harnesses lying in it.
I agree with @linuxgod find a competent mechanic to go through the above procedures. It’s just too coincidental for the inside of the truck getting wet IMO, and getting all that water out should have been a priority. Btw it is very easy to pull the door sill trim and look for water. Just pull up. If water remains it’ll be toward the front with your wiring harnesses lying in it.
- Thread starter
- #9
It got rained on hard for a few minutes. It was sunny the rest of the day and it sat in the sun drying out. The next day, same thing. No smell (not sure if that's a good indicator). I have Weathertech's and they weren't overflowing when I dragged them out.
- Thread starter
- #10
I was surprised when Toyota told me that as well. They told me (after the 4th visit this month) that they don't service transmissions and that it's a transmission issue. I'll avoid a long story, but I caught them trying to over-diagnosis my LC ($750 fuse block and $750 labor) and informed the Service Director with documentation, who wrote me a check after reprimanding the tech (his words).
I would follow the FSM and dig deeper. Lots of folks shoot from the hip nowadays and its just going to cost you.
Did the shifter/center console get wet from the rain? I’ve seen spilled coffee do some stuff. Do you have access to techstream? Maybe you can take a look at Data List/Parameters if they are listed. Its been a while for me. Somewhere down the line theres a discrepancy.
Did the shifter/center console get wet from the rain? I’ve seen spilled coffee do some stuff. Do you have access to techstream? Maybe you can take a look at Data List/Parameters if they are listed. Its been a while for me. Somewhere down the line theres a discrepancy.
- Thread starter
- #12
I told the guy at the transmission shop to hold back while I wrap my head about a transmission rebuild. I do no have access to techstream. It's a $500 transmission diagnostic fee if I don't move forward, which is a little over 10% of the total cost. At this point, it looks like I'll eat that cost and take it to someone else for a second opinion. I could be in the 0.01 of the population of LC's with 108k miles - I can't find a single thing online that supports this anomaly - to require a rebuild and will happily eat that to know that it's the correct diagnosis.
Depends on the dealer... The Toyota dealers in NYC do not know anything about LC's. I use a family mechanic 250+ miles away. He loves to work on it and never fails. If anything major happened I would have it flat bedded to him.
To the OP that does sound strange. Did you tell the mechanic you left the windows open and it got soaked? Electrical stuff can be a pain to trace. Strange things do happen? It had previous owners. Maybe they did the horrid mechanical transmission flush not knowing but with good intentions? That might trash the tranny. I feel for you. Take it to another shop and pay again for diagnostics? Maybe? But if the transmission is shot that is just adding to the cost. Toss a coin? Find an old school mechanic that can work on anything? They love Toyotas.
Have you had the transmission fluid tested? The test where you mail off the fluid to a lab. Those can tell you a lot. Even before something breaks.
Your mats won’t be a good indicator of whether water is under the sills. Trust me, it’s easy to look. Even the lack of smell isn’t reliable, as there are what amount to gutters off to the sides that the harnesses run in that can hold water but keep it out of the jute.
From what we know so far, it seems very likely to be a corroded wire connector or water in the wrong place. The sequence of events and symptoms indicate that. Just removing the floor liners and letting it sit in the sun is not enough to dry out a rain soaked interior. I’ll bet the transmission is fine and you just need a mechanic willing to go through the diagnostics to track down the bad wiring or ECU. And get that interior dried out, even if it was a month ago.
Exactly! And a $500 transmission diagnostic fee?? WTH (what the heck
Let me guess, if another “transmission shop” takes a look at it, maybe they’ll want to rebuild it too?
I’ll bet that linuxgod’s posts with the factory procedure for that error code has the best chance of success.
Let me see, it shifts OK, there’s a Toyota error code, and a transmission shop wants to rebuild it. Hummmm... Rant over.
Here’s a thread with the same code that turned out to be corroded wiring in the seat.
2016 Warnings Popped Up: LDA/Headlight/Pre-collision/Check Engine
forum.ih8mud.com
This is why I’m so glad I joined this forum. Great people helping others.
Take it to Lexus dealer and they can figure this out quick. Toyota dealers r morons
My previous 13 LX with 130K needed a new transmission. Torque converter failure. Happened shortly after a trans fluid service a quick service type garage then traded in to the dealer I bought it from.