Transmission burned out at 77,000 on Gen1

CBS · 10-04-2009, 02:12 PM

The transmission on my 2001 Prius has burned out a 77,000 miles, and so is not under warranty. I've been told it will cost $5100 to replace. Has this happened to others? Any suggestions?

Patrick Wong · 10-04-2009, 02:38 PM

Transaxle failure has happened to others. The $5K price seems right if you are having a new part installed at a Toyota dealer. You might call the Toyota Customer Experience Center to see whether they are willing to offer any financial assistance on the repair given your relatively low miles.

An alternative is to find a salvage part (on eBay, for example) and locate an independent mechanic willing to learn how to install that for you. However there's some risk that the salvage part may have a limited life.

tochatihu · 10-04-2009, 09:32 PM

Sorry CBS, first time poster with a big problem.

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

seems to be the most complete listing, and right now the used transaxle assy. are offered for $950 to $2550. The work would be generally similar to transmission replacement on other small, transverse-engine cars.

It is definitely worth your effort to camp out at 800-331-4331 and see if they can be convinced to help with this. Good luck.

Edit: for others, we hope this will convince you to change the transaxle fluid on an appropriate schedule. It may not prevent failures but there is really nothing else we can do to try to make this part of the machine happy.

Fstr911 · 10-04-2009, 10:09 PM

CBS, sorry to hear about the tranny matter. This sounds like something that shouldn't happen with a Toyota with so few miles.

Is maint or use (mountain, dirt roads, etc) a possible factor?

Hope things work out OK for you.

hobbit · 10-05-2009, 12:28 AM

Do we have any stats on failure rate for Classic owners who
switched to using ATF-WS early enough in the car's life?
.
_H*

10-04-2009, 02:12 PM	#1
CBS Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: La Mesa, CA Posts: 1 My Car: 2001 Prius Model: I Package: No Package Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Friends: 0	Transmission burned out at 77,000 on Gen1 The transmission on my 2001 Prius has burned out a 77,000 miles, and so is not under warranty. I've been told it will cost $5100 to replace. Has this happened to others? Any suggestions?

10-04-2009, 02:38 PM	#2
Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Green Valley, AZ Posts: 4,052 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 21 Thanked 212 Times in 183 Posts Friends: 44	Re: Transmission burned out at 77,000 on Gen1 Transaxle failure has happened to others. The $5K price seems right if you are having a new part installed at a Toyota dealer. You might call the Toyota Customer Experience Center to see whether they are willing to offer any financial assistance on the repair given your relatively low miles. An alternative is to find a salvage part (on eBay, for example) and locate an independent mechanic willing to learn how to install that for you. However there's some risk that the salvage part may have a limited life.

10-04-2009, 09:32 PM	#3
tochatihu Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kunming Yunnan China Posts: 2,411 My Car: 2001 Prius Model: Package: Pioneer #1 Thanks: 1 Thanked 38 Times in 38 Posts Friends: 14	Re: Transmission burned out at 77,000 on Gen1 Sorry CBS, first time poster with a big problem. Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market seems to be the most complete listing, and right now the used transaxle assy. are offered for $950 to $2550. The work would be generally similar to transmission replacement on other small, transverse-engine cars. It is definitely worth your effort to camp out at 800-331-4331 and see if they can be convinced to help with this. Good luck. Edit: for others, we hope this will convince you to change the transaxle fluid on an appropriate schedule. It may not prevent failures but there is really nothing else we can do to try to make this part of the machine happy. __________________ DAS Tochatihu, the Hopi hummingbird kachina Last edited by tochatihu; 10-04-2009 at 09:37 PM. Reason: Missed a chance to nag

10-04-2009, 10:09 PM	#4
Fstr911 Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 84 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Navigation Thanks: 20 Thanked 12 Times in 8 Posts Friends: 1	Re: Transmission burned out at 77,000 on Gen1 CBS, sorry to hear about the tranny matter. This sounds like something that shouldn't happen with a Toyota with so few miles. Is maint or use (mountain, dirt roads, etc) a possible factor? Hope things work out OK for you.

10-05-2009, 12:28 AM	#5
hobbit Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bahstahn Posts: 3,625 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 216 Times in 118 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Transmission burned out at 77,000 on Gen1 Do we have any stats on failure rate for Classic owners who switched to using ATF-WS early enough in the car's life? . _H*

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