Here's a teardown on a failed U151E automatic transaxle from a vehicle that got stuck in the snow.

Automatic transmissions work on the principle of planetary gearsets to achieve gear ratios. One of the three components of the gearset must be held stationary using friction clutches. The friction clutches are rings made of alternating metal and friction bands that lock up when hydraulic fluid pressure is applied.

When vehicle gets stuck in the snow, a typical driver's reaction is to rev the engine out to try and get the wheels some friction. This may cause the transmission's fluid to overheat, since the wheels turn at a very high speed in first gear, and a transmission cooler (if equipped) can not function when the vehicle is stationary. Furthermore, most drivers may also consistently rock the vehicle back and forth to free it from the snow. This cyclic loading on the clutches wear it down very fast as the fluid warms, and the friction clutch material can no longer hold the planetary gearset from rotating. The transmission is no longer able to power the vehicle since it cannot engage the correct drive ratio.

In this video a 2006 Toyota Camry 3.3L V6's U151E 5 speed automatic transmission is taken apart to explore the carnage of this failure. The vehicle had 360,000km on it. For the follow up related to this failure, please see these videos:

Blown transmission symptoms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP7hQ-D3LxE
Transmission replacement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7XB-W4mRE
Trying to save the transmission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnAkBqYpsLw

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