"Filings" ruined my transmission, how did they get there?

Question

My Toyota 4Runner has 120K miles on it. I get is serviced fairly regularly. It was running fine two weeks ago when I took it to the dealer for a 60K mile service interval, which included "replace transmission fluid" among other things. Oh, by the way, since this was a dealer recommended and provided service, the total bill was $550.
The car had been running fine during the two weeks since the service. Then, last night, I noticed it was sometimes making a funny sound, which sounded like it was maybe coming from the front drive train. It only made the sound occassionaly. I called the dealership, but they said they were in the process of closing for the day. I was driving home on the highway; everything seemed fine and I did not hear the sound.
Then, the AT Fluid Light came on. After a minute, it went off. Then, I noticed I was slowing down and the engine was revving.
So, I had to pull over and get the car towed. I had the car towed to an entirely different Toyota Dealership

Sorry, maybe too long winded with the first part there. So, the Toyota Dealer looked at it today and told me the transmission had "Fillings" in it and was shot. Need a new transmission.
Question is - Do I have a claim against the original Toyota dealer? If the fluid was replaced two weeks ago, how are there now suddenly "Fillings" in the transmission?

PS> The last time I had a 60K interval service at this same Toyota Dealer, I also got stranded about a week after the service. Turned out, when the replaced the timing belt, they neglected to properly tighten the crank shaft. So, they had to yank the motor out and fix it at their own expense. Point is, in my book, they already have a bad track record for quality, and now I am faced with needing a new transmission.

Hi Squiggy - I spoke to the Service Manager today and he said the mechanic had left already, so, other than him saying "there were filings" in the transmission, he was not able to give me any more detail. He did say he would speak to the mechanic on Monday, so hopefully I'll have a clearer picture of the true "root cause" of my transmission problems.

Answer 1

The "Filings" to which you refer didn't just magically appear. They are (or were) part of internal components of your transmission. Most small metal chips and/or filings found in the pan were once bearings or gearsets. The filings are not the cause of failure, they are merely the result of the component that failed.

A VERY small amount of metal DUST in the pan is not uncommon. That's why there is usually a magnet in the pan. Any more than a very small amount of dust or pieces bigger than a grain of sand (or so) might indicate a problem.

Answer 2

Your situation sounds incredibly suspicious in terms of what the first dealer did.

Unfortunately, to prove anything would require that you have the transmission disassembled, the "filings" isolated and a failure analysis done to determine where the filings came from within the transmission.

I mean a THOROUGH failure analysis that leaves no parts un-inspected. Also, this process should probably be continuously witnessed by an impartial third party who would be willing to testify in court. (i.e. two mechanics would be great, but the other person can be any honest layman with good vision).

Then, if there is absolutely no sign of where the filings came from in the transmission, the only other place they could have come from was someone putting them in there. This is where the problem comes in, proving that someone else, say, a malicious person (neighbor, family member, or even yourself) didn't put them in there.

In the end, your best bet might be to just take the altruistic path and report them to the Bureau of Automotive Repair and/or the Better Business Bureau. At least that way, if others have complained, or will compain in the future, they can possibly do an investigation (where the transmission will be verified clean going in, and contaminated coming out).

Good luck!

Answer 3

Changing the oil on a transmission that has had some hard use or hard wear can 'break' loose the filings that have settled from the wear and wash them through the transmission and cause it to fail.

The way dealers suck it out and dont take the pan off can also stir up filings that have settled in the transmission pan. I change my own fluids for that reason and wash anything out of the pan that is there when I change it. It also lets me find signs of an upcoming failure.

Answer 4

I don't think they forgot the fluid if you were running for 2 weeks, you would of had a problem sooner. It is possible that if you have never serviced the transmission that you would have metal shavings inside. I would contact the dealer who did the work and give them a chance to correct the problem. If you just had it serviced there they should have noticed the metal, and if there was none when they did the service it is reasonable to assume that they maty have done something wrong during the service. but you should still give them a chance to correct the problem.

Answer 5

If your vehicle is still under Warranty and the dealership also usually guarantess their work or at least customer satisfaction, first speak with the service dept. manager if they won't help you contact the the toyota warranty parts and service from their main consumer care number or help line. Keep complaining and make a big stink about it escpecially in front of the sales department. You will get results that way, trust me on that.

Answer 6

it sound like they forgot to put trans fluid in it but sometime with high milage that happends you take the metal out of the fluid and when you replace it some times they will slip