Making Ends Meet
An affordable, patented solution for a weak link in Toyota’s automatic transmissions.
Toyota’s drivetrains are famously long-lived, and countless older Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles are still providing reliable daily transportation without complaint. Unfortunately, and uncharacteristically for these trusty drivetrains, a single plastic part can leave millions of Toyota-designed automatics stranded.
Shops and vehicle owners noticed that the plastic ends on some automatic transmission shift cables would wear, split, or break apart entirely. On these vehicles, a bad shift cable end might cause the trans to shift abruptly or pop out of gear in the early stages of failure. And when the cable end finally quits? The transmission will refuse to change gears at all. To make the situation worse, dealerships could only order the cable end as part of a complete cable assembly. That means all the labor of swapping in a new cable, only to still have a (new) flimsy plastic cable end. There had to be a better solution. So we created one, and it worked so well that we were awarded a patent for the design.
Dorman’s 74021 OE FIX transmission shift cable repair kit is a patented fix for these vehicles that saves time and expense. We designed our stronger-than-stock steel cable end replacement to slip right onto the factory cable with minimal time and tools. Plus, our split collet design eliminates the need to purchase and install a full cable assembly that simply isn’t needed. Even better, this part is as easy to sell as it is to install. Just show your customer the shattered plastic cable end and our sturdy steel OE FIX replacement, and see which piece they’d prefer. And because the existing cable is retained, a 74021’s parts and labor costs should handily undercut a competing shop’s prices, winning the job with a superior repair.
Transmission Shift Cable Repair
74021: Lexus 2003-00, Scion 2006-04, Toyota 2010-97
Once locked into place, the OE FIX cable end performs the same job as the original, except it now boasts the durability to match the rest of the drivetrain. It’s a surefire way to help prevent a comeback, not to mention cheap insurance for aging Toyotas. 