Transmission Cooler & Factory Warranty

Would a transmission cooler void my regular & extended warranty on my 2021? I have about 3K miles on it right now and contemplating adding one.

Honestly I don't tow much but if I do I would like to be ready.

 

My same curious question. I went to Toyota thinking they would install the cooler and cover the warranty since it would be Toyota parts and install. Well Toyota says my 2020 has a cooler and what their referencing is when the transmission fluid is cooled through the radiator like all other automatic transmissions and not the external transmission cooler we all want. Toyota near me will only install what Toyota says in their computer and nothing else. So I didn't even get to that question with them. But they did tell me to have one installed myself. I just don't know who to trust to install it to not have Toyota not warranty the transmission if need be. O any help would be grateful. I know there is a lot of this on here referencing installs and part numbers.

 

Why would it void your warranty?

 

Technically it's an aftermarket part even if you use Toyota parts because it's not a factory installed item for your particular vin.

If a line bursts going to the cooler and blows your transmission up, not under warranty. If you didn't clean the lines out well before installing them and your transmission goes out, not under warranty. If they determine the fluid didn't get to a proper operating temp because of the cooler and damages your transmission, not under warranty. If the bolts come loose on the mount and the cooler lays back against your radiator and rubs a hole in it, not under warranty. Could keep playing out scenarios but you get the picture.

I'm sure someone will mention the magnuson moss act and how they have to prove it was the cooler's fault and that's fine but the burden of making them prove it is on you and more than likely your lawyer.

Is there any real risk of damage? Very minor unless you are just sloppy on install. But also, unless you tow heavy and a lot, I wouldn't worry about having one.

 

The question is not "why" but rather "would" it? I can think of millions of reason why Toyota may void it, from basics such as this is not a factory approved and installed part(s)? The "why" is a bit of a silly question if you ask me

 

Yeah I may just go this route and if I tow something as per specs and transmission blows, let them sort it out through the extended warranty, right?

 

That's my sentiment on it.

 

I emailed my service advisor 2x on this with something along the lines of, "Hey I plan on buying these factory Toyota parts for install on my '21. Will you install them or confirm if installed it won't void my 125k warranty?" Radio silence. When I asked them at the dealership at the next oil change I got, "Uhhh well that's a question for the service manager and he's not here". Goo luck getting an answer out of them. I was willing to pay the god awful shop rates at the dealership to have it covered under warranty and order the parts through their parts dept assuming they'd want the easy money. I'm more than capable of installing myself but I don't want a warranty hassle.

Living in FL I want to do as best I can to keep the temps down/extend longevity. That includes reducing the time between service intervals and installing stuff like a cooler. Hope you get a straight answer.

 

I would kill to know why they changed the cooler design after 2018. I know many will claim it was a cost cutting move (usually those who own pre-2019 trucks), and others might try to argue warming the fluid with coolant (2019+ design) to get the fluid up to temp sooner is actually better than a standalone cooler. I just want to know what the real motivation of the engineers was.

 

I think it was something to do with the HVAC system, they needed the room to enhance the AC system as per some new woke regulations? I might be wrong but I think that's what it was.

 

And as I have stated in other threads, the '19's are now 5 years old, and no tranny failures have been reported here due to the change. And there are several who tow regularly.

 

Yeap and that's a good reason to do nothing, good data and points Sir. Thanks

And nothing prevents you to be proactive and add more safety nets, but for us with extended warranty I don't think is worth messing with it. If it breaks, let the warranty take care of it....

 

Like anything else you do to your truck, just because you modify it, doesn't mean your warranty is void. If you put a transmission cooler on your truck and the output shaft starts leaking, there is very little concern that the dealer is going to say the cooler caused your issue. If you put your cooler on and now it shifts funny, they might snoop around a bit more.

Either way, a dealer can always nit pick something if they want to fight about it. Put the cooler on if you want. If you have an issue with the trans...take it off before you take the truck in...

 

Not only that think about the average Joe that is not on this site that bought the truck and tows God only knows with it without having a clue that the cooler was removed

 

I have the extended warranty and I’m not putting the transmission cooler on. By the time my warranty runs out I’ll be ready for a new truck. I am going to have them do a transmission service at 50k.

 

That's interesting, would've never guessed that.

 

Very true, but I don't think many modern automatic transmissions tend to fail in their first 5 years, and that goes for most any manufacturer, even moreso for a Toyota. My concern lies with possibility of failure 10, 15, 20 years down the road. I have a 1998 4runner and a 2003 Tacoma both with 200k+ miles (Tacoma is closing in on 300k), and they both have their original transmissions (and run perfectly).

Every 2nd gen (or 2.5 gen) Tundra I've seen with that kind of mileage has been a pre-2019 model with the standalone cooler (for obvious reasons, 2019+ models are just too new). While saying a 2019 has made it 5 years and not blown a tranny might be a nice vote of confidence to buy a domestic car manufacturer's product, I buy Toyota products because of much more impressive accomplishments than "5 years without a tranny blowing".

I may totally be proven wrong, and frankly hope I am, but just think the evidence really isn't in to say removal of the cooler will have zero adverse consequences down the road. Not trying to start any debate either.

 

I installed a cooler. All OEM parts except the cooler and line run into and from the cooler. If anything ever where to happen to my trans, all I have to do is return it to factory before going to the dealer. So, of you do that then no warranty issue. If you leave it on them you run the risk of the dealer charging for repairs. Now, the only warranty you will void is the trans, nothing else will be effected by the cooler warranty wise.

 

I agree. I think Toyota tried to save money by removing the cooler. They also didn't install one on the 3rd gen. I think that will be a mistake down the road. I know that a cooler works, if it didn't then why would they exist at all then.

 

You can check your "thermal degradation estimate" that the truck calculates. For reference, i purchased my truck at 58k miles, installed a trans cooler around 59k miles. At 63k miles, my number was 3260, quite a bit lower than i expected.

 

It will void your warranty. I just bought a Genuine Cooling systems full kit, and im likely going to be selling it (its still brand new in the box) because theres a good chance im jumping into a Raptor in the next 6 months. DM me if you're interested. I think a trans cooler on a 19+ Tundra is a no brainer and if I was keeping the truck I would put the cooler on in a heartbeat. I put one on my 2007 FJ and my trans temps are at least 20% lower at all times. Long hill climbs used to jump my Fj temps to 215-220 (granted its a heavy built out fj with skids and big tires) and now the same climb up to one of my fav spots I don't hit 200. Worth every penny.

 

I would just make sure to do the transmission fluid change per owner's manual. I think it is 6 years or 60,000 miles. You shouldn't have any issues.

The car care nut, a Toyota master diagnostic tech that started his own youtube channel, went on in great detail about this in one of his videos. He says that Toyota Engineers saw that these transmissions run cool and after years of data saw the cooler wasn't needed. He even said if you install one, you have to put a thermostat in it to prevent the transmission from running too cold. They have this in the factory coolers from previous years.

 

I got a 2021 and I also have a 10 year 100K Toyota Factory Platinum warranty. I tow around 6K a few times a year. If the tranny blows its gonna be on them! will probably to a transmission service every 45-50K however.

 

I love his channel as well I don't recall seeing that video but no one actually knows why Toyota removed the cooler. The most realistic theory that I have heard though is due to The introduction of the new refrigerant in 2018 which caused people who had 2018s to complain that the air conditioning wasn't getting very cold. Air conditioning is something that people will complain about during the warranty period compared to a failing transmission due to overheating. So Toyota redesigned the air conditioning condenser and doing so they removed the section of the condenser that functioned as the transmission cooler which allowed the condenser to hold more refrigerant. Toyota knows that the transmission isn't going to fail from overheating during the warranty. It's much more likely that constant overheating will cook the fluid but the transmission will fail well outside the warranty. There have been people on here who have gotten the over temp warning and then change the fluid and the transmission will still function but no one knows what damage is actually done inside and as long as the transmission is still functioning Toyota's not going to have to pay out a warranty claim. Pretty much everyone that adds a cooler to a 2019+ uses the stock Toyota parts which includes the thermostat coming out of the transmission, It makes the installation very easy and allows it to function just as it would have before. These transmissions definitely do not run cold without a cooler which is why I added one to mine. It will regularly see temps 220-250 unloaded with just normal driving. Once a cooler is added the thermostat opens around 185 and will keep your temps under 200. Originally when I found out my 2019 didn't have a cooler I was in the camp of trust Toyota and just do more frequent fluid changes because I just didn't want to spend the money on the cooler kit. After monitoring my temps for a while I realized it made a lot more sense to just add the cooler and not have to worry since I plan to keep the truck hopefully forever. If you're someone who's going to trade the truck in after 5 years of ownership then I wouldn't really worry about it but that said I definitely wouldn't want to purchase a 2019+ used that hadn't had a cooler added due to the unknowns of longevity compared to the trucks with a cooler.

 

I think I will stick to my cooler and never see above 200* than believe the data from a multi-billion dollar company trying to save a buck. Car Care Nut should also have more common sense that to believe them also. I don't know much about temp related things when it comes to metal contact but I can assure you that the cooler you keep any mechanical system, the longer it will last. I can't believe that a trans getting 200 and over is normal with all the rubber seals, wires and fiber clutches but 200+ is close to overheating for an engine thats pretty much all metal. Make it make sense.

 

I'd like to see the video where Car Care Nut says that anyway, before I believe he even said it. Also, keep in mind he's still affiliated with Toyota, in a corporate agreement of sorts to get parts at their cost, and be able to do warranty work for them. Should he openly criticize their engineering, that may put that agreement in jeopardy.

 

Well, lots to take in. Besides the dealership I purchased it from provides life time warranty on their drivetrain when purchased plus my extended warranty. So, I guess ill wait. Even though I still want it. Maybe ill change my mind later. I don't even tow a lot a SxS now and then, nothing heavy. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

Looks like there is a bulletin T-SB-0087-21 related to a ECM/TCM Flash for transmission? That's the only thing I can imagine doing and not void the warranty.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/jus...-also-ran-the-trans-temp-flash-update.119017/

 

When the 3rd gen came out he did a video of it. You can tell he has to kiss Toyotas rearend. He was pointing out the changes from the 2nd gen and you can tell he was confused as to why would Toyota do what it did on certain aspects of the 3rd gen. You could also tell that he wanted to say what he wanted to say but it was a negative towards the 3rd gen. The term, Don't bite the hand that feeds you, comes to mind but also shows that people will sell their souls to the devil for money. This is why I take what a billionaire company says with a grain of salt. Some people think these companies care about customers, they don't.

 

All they care is $$$$ and I don't care how they spin it around. What is funny is when you die you can't take any of that with you....