Transmission problems
 

So for as long as I've had my FRS (1.5 year) the transmission has never felt right. Its always felt very stiff and clunky even compared to the numerous manual transmission trucks I've owned over the years. About 3 months ago they replaced the throw out bearing because of a persistent squeak when stepping on the clutch. Ever since then, shifting has felt even stiffer, and I basically have to force it into gear when downshifting from third to second. Sometimes it just doesn't want to go into gear.

The car is currently at the dealership and according to the guy I spoke to on the phone, they "adjusted the linkage."

Also in the past two weeks the car has developed a loud clacking noise coming from the rear of the car in first gear, second gear, and reverse. The mechanic that came along for the drive claims that every FRS makes this noise and that its a normal noise caused by the driveshaft. If its normal why did it only start after 1.5 years of ownership.

I'm having a hard time separating fact from fiction and cant help but feel like the dealership is being lazy and/or negligent. I cant help but feel like a worn out throw-out bearing followed by continued transmission issues is indicative of transmission problems that "adjusting the linkage" just wont address. I also have a hard time believing that this new noise is normal.

The car is completely stock and never tracked. Anyone have any experience with these issues? From searching the forums I've noticed that the stiff transmission is somewhat common but that a lot of the threads regarding it are from when the car was first released. Curious if there hass been any resolution to the issue or new developments.

Do you guys think it would be worth it to bring the car to an independent transmission specialist to see if they can diagnose the problems with this car?

First off, find a better dealer, second it seems that possibly your clutch isn't completely disengaging or the pilot bearing is no bueno. Do you have difficulty going into first from a dead stop?

Thanks for the response. About a quarter of the time it is difficult to go into first at a dead stop, like the lockout is still engaged.

I agree with @Ozzman, I'd get a second opinion, either from another dealer or an independant transmission specialist.

It sounds to me like something in your car's driveline just ain't right.....:(

In addition, if the "clutch adjustment" at the dealer doesn't fix it, I'd recommend that you go to a dealer and drive another MT FR-S for a comparison.

I hope you get it sorted out.


humfrz

Thanks humfrz. I ended up getting a call from the dealership to let me know that my car is fixed and done. I made the mechanic take me on a drive to prove it, and immediately after pulling out of the dealership he couldn't get the car into second gear. So we sat in the middle of the intersection for 30 seconds at a dead stop while he tried to get the car into gear. Also before pulling out, we both heard the clacking noise coming from the rear of the car and he admitted that his FRS makes that noise too and he cant figure out why (on the phone they told me that they couldn't hear the noise and that I must be imagining it).

Despite all that, the mechanic told me that "these cars just needs to be driven harder and that you sometimes have to jam it into gear" and that I should take the car home with me and see how it does. I eventually got him to admit that something is wrong with the transmission but he would have been more than happy to send me home with it busted. Needless to say, I left the car with them.

Does anyone have any idea why they would be so unwilling to repair an obviously faulty vehicle? At what point does one escalate this to Toyota of America and would that even make a difference?

Dang.. Very sorry. 2nd gear for me has only been tough when cold for me but I give it time to warm and it shift okay

I have similar symptoms with mine as well. Feels like you have to force it into gear and at a certain pressure point it just "pops" into gear, usually with a sound or you can feel it in the shifter. Pretty much only from first to second and second to third, haven't really have any problems above that. Could that be due to the car being moving at a good speed and there being a issue with the synchros or some jazz at lower speeds/rpms/gears..?

a really simple test to rule out the clutch dragging is:

Rack up the rear, put it in gear, push in the clutch to the floor, start the car, wait a few seconds.

Do the rear wheels start turning?
If so you might have a clutch that is dragging.
Air in the clutch MC system could do that.

I've seen many people describe these same issues numerous times on this forum and it seems that most of them had their entire transmission replaced under powertrain warranty. Have you pushed for that?

If they are unwilling or blaming the problem on something else, call Toyota up. I did and I got my issue resolved in 2 days. Once Toyota jumps in the dealers get their act straight. Present a strong case to the case manager that is assigned to you at Toyota.

These issues must be reported to Toyota so they know what problems these cars have and secondly, how the dealerships are dealing with it. If you refer to your warranty manual, you can call Toyota if the dealership is not cooperating in fixing a vehicle under warranty