I am not car savy or mechanically inclined, however i think that I may have a problem with my 09 corrola. When I drive it at 65-75 mph it seems to run at very high rpm, about 4000. is this normal and if not is it a sign of bad things to come?
Well, I haven’t driven a small 4 cylinder car for many years, but at 65 to 75 I would think you should run about 2000 to 2500 rpms. Are you driving it in 3rd gear?
Get on a nice long stretch of road with a speed limit of at least 55 and accelerate quickly. Count the number of shifts the transmission makes as you get to 65 MPH. It should make 4. The final gear is the overdrive. If it doesn’t get into overdrive, you have a problem. Check to see if the OD light is on, or the OD-off switch is on. If both are OK, you need to see the dealer.
Automatic or manual transmission?
Since it is a 2009 model it should be under warranty, so you should be able to take it to the dealer and tell them you think you may have a problem. They will not be interested in you telling them what you think the problem is and how to fix it, but rather your part in the program is to bring it in and explain why you are bring it in " When I drive it at 65-75 mph it seems to run at very high rpm, about 4000." Their job is to figure out if that is normal and if not why it does it and how to fix it.
If both are OK, you need to see the dealer.
And if either or both are not OK you need to see the dealer.
4000 RPM is way to high for these speeds. The transmission is not shifting into high gear. What position do you put the shift lever in? Has someone accidentally pushed the “OD off” button?
I am in agreement:
4k on the tachometer is WAY too high.
The OP most likely has not put the transmission into its Overdrive position.
While a transmission defect in a 2009 Corolla (or even a corrola) is not impossible, it is very unlikely, and this is more likely to be driver error.
Time to read the section of the Owner’s Manual regarding the transmission’s shift pattern and the use of Overdrive!
My civic at 65 mph runs something just above 3,000. At 75 you should be in the 3,500 to 3,700 range. It seems like your transmission is not shifting into overdrive.
Toyota’s have a “button” on the shifter that is easy to engage. If you hit it without knowing it a “light” that says “OD” will light on the dashboard. Check your owner’s manual about the location of the OD button and the OD dash light.
Since it is an '09 I’m sure your dealer can help you out.
It could be only 3 upshits as well. Depending on which model of Corrola she has, both 4 and 5 speed automatics are availible.
I would agree with the other posts to make certain that the selector is in the overdrive range. Last fall I had a Honda Civic Hybrid checked out to me from the institution where I teach. All was fine on the way to the conference. However, when we left, the vehicle seemed really noisy. I looked at the tachometer and it was running over 4000 rpm. I had put the car in 3rd instead of overdrive.
why fool around here, take it to the dealer it is UNDER WARRANTEE
Of course it is under warranty, and of course, the OP can take the car back to the dealership.
However, if the OP first takes a few minutes to read the Owner’s Manual in order to learn about Overdrive usage and also to find out (perhaps for the first time) what each position on the shift quadrant means, I don’t think that this qualifies as “fooling around”. Reading the Owner’s Manual is done by far too few car owners, and a very large percentage of the “problems” that people post in this forum could have been resolved quickly and easily by simply reading the manual.
If, after a few minutes of reading the manual the OP does not find a solution to the problem, then by all means the car should be taken back to the dealership for examination. However, that should not be the first step.