A comprehensive numerical model is developed to investigate the behavior of a tilted thrust washer bearing. The goal of this work is to investigate the physical phenomena that distress the bearing system. This work includes thermoelastic deformations, which have been neglected in previous studies. The thrust washer bearing is subjected to non-axisymmetric loads within the planetary gear sets of automatic transmissions and consists of flat-faced washers placed between an idle helical gear and an adjacent carrier face. Various coupled numerical schemes model sliding friction, boundary lubrication, asperity contact, thermo-mechanical deformation, thermoviscous effects, and full-film lubrication. The model provides predictions of frictional torque, bearing temperature, hydrodynamic lift, and other indicators of bearing performance. The numerical model and theoretical predictions confirm the experimental results, showing that the bearing under consideration is very susceptible to the mechanisms of thermoelastic instability (TEI) and thermoviscous distress (TVD).