Transmission Solenoid problems of the 2002 Toyota Camry

Harsh/hard/delayed shifting between 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th (overdrive) on 1mz-fe v6 engine due to faulty engine control module failing to regulate transmission solenoids properly. This issue occured on the ecm on rav4 (same year, 2002) and resulted in settlement in which Toyota agreed to repair all.

At about 105,000 miles on my 2002 Camry v6, the car experienced hesitating driving while driven at speeds above 40 mph when removing slightly the foot from the throttle pedal. The car is bucking backward and forward for indefinite time until the throttle pedal is fully depressed or fully pressed. This is an unsafe situation since on the highway the speed cannot be decreased or increased any time. Notified dealer and told that this cannot be identified since there is no error code generated (no check engine light on). Replaced all spark plugs at 108,000 miles on Aug 24, 2007. Problem not solved. Spouse noticed increased bucking while driving down hill. Went back to the dealer. Performed test drive with technician in the car and the diagnose system hooked to the car's computer. Detected some misfires on cylinders 5 and 6. Replaced solenoid ignition packs for cylinder 5 & 6 and test drove again. Problem not solved. Technician concluded that fuel injectors are clogged. Performed fuel injectors purge (cleaning). Problem not solved. Technician recommended to replace all fuel injectors and solenoid ignition packs. Car was maintained properly during the ownership. Oil & filter changed every 3000 miles, replaced air filter every 30,000 miles, replaced timing belt and belt tensioners at 87,000 miles, replaced water pump at 87,000 miles, flushed transmission fluid at 87,000 miles. From reading various customers complaints, it appears to be a transmission problem but dealer did not mention anything about it.

Just after the warranty expired (5 years, 4 months) the ?check engine? light came up with the generic p0770 code of what seems to be a frequent transmission/solenoid failure problem for few Toyota models. I contacted Toyota canada for support in this matter to only experience more disappointment. After being assured that a response to my request would not take longer than seven to ten business days, I had to follow up with customer service on few occasions, by e-mail and phone, until finally receiving a response after six weeks ? a negative one. My current disappointment is not so much due to the fact that Toyota took such a long time to reply, but to the inflexibility proven by those who analyzed and ?solved? my case. Also, they seem to send "canned messages". But, to be more specific, here are the quick facts about my car as also presented in my correspondence with the customer service: 1. The solenoid failure was first reported at 43,000 km (25,000 miles) when the car was 4 years old, well under warranty. At that time instead of dealing with the root of the problem, a transmission flush was performed and the code reset. But the code reappeared when the car was five years and four months old, and only 67,000 km (40,000 miles). Just 4 months out of the official warranty. 2. The problem my car has is common for Toyota cars. Although the p0770 code I got is a generic code, a google search returns only Toyota reported issues in the first 40 results. My Camry has transmission u140e which is shared with other Toyota cars. Lexus rx300 (using u140e) has a service bulletin (1999-2002): proper identification of the 5 solenoids used in the u140e/u140f transmissions (NHTSA item number: 10009396) there are also numerous TSB for solenoid problems with the following Toyota cars: tundra, highlander, matrix, Camry, Lexus rx300, sienna. They seemed to be plagued by this problem. Even sienna 2004 (5 years later after the first TSB in 1999) still has that problem.