2001 Toyota RAV4

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 SHIFTS GEARS ERRATICALLY AND STALLS WHILE BEING DRIVEN. IT STARTED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE BY SUDDENLY SURGING WHILE I WAS DRIVING 70MPH. NOW IT OCCURS DAILY WHILE TRYING TO TAKE OFF FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR EVEN WHILE DRIVING SPEEDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED BUT THIS DID NOT ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM AND I'VE BEEN GETTING ESTIMATES IN REGARDS TO THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

THE COMPUTER IN MY RAV4 FAILED. IT WAS GIVING MY TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENT COMMANDS TO DRIVE IN THE WRONG GEAR. FOR EXAMPLE, MY MECHANIC SAID THERE WERE TIMES THE CAR WAS ESSENTIALLY IN 2 GEARS AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS NEARLY IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR BUCKED AND ALMOST STALLED AS I TRIED TO MOVE FORWARD FROM A STOP. ONCE IT STARTED HAPPENING I DROVE TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC I COULD FIND AND ONLY MADE RIGHT TURNS BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE CAR WOULD DO. IT BURNED UP THE TRANSMISSION AND I HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED. WHEN THE COMPUTER WAS RESET (AS WHEN THE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED) THE CAR WOULD DRIVE NORMALLY FOR A FEW MILES AND THEN THE ECM WOULD BEGIN GIVING THE WRONG COMMANDS AGAIN. THE MECHANIC HAD TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE NEARBY TOYOTA DEALER TO GET THE ECM REPAIRED AND HE GOT TO EXPERIENCE THE PROBLEM. HE SAID IT WAS A SCARY RIDE, WHICH IT WAS. WHEN I SPOKE WITH TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE THE REP DENIED THAT THE RAV4 HAS A HISTORY OF THIS PROBLEM. WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD RESEARCHED ON THE INTERNET AND HAD FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH MY PROBLEM HE STATED THAT ANYONE COULD CREATE FAKE INTERNET POSTINGS, INCLUDING MYSELF. PLEASE, PLEASE RESEARCH THIS. TOYOTA TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY AND I WORRY WHAT WILL HAPPEN. MY CAR HAS BEEN FIXED BUT I DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH WHAT I DID. I DON'T WANT SOMEONE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED BECAUSE THEIR CAR HAS THE SAME ISSUE MINE DID. IT COMES ON VERY SUDDENLY, IT IS NOT THE CASE OF A SMALL PROBLEM GRADUALLY BECOMING WORSE. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT I COULD MAKE A REPORT LIKE THIS I WOULD HAVE DONE SO SOONER. *TR

NOT EASY TO EXPLAIN, I HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM ON GOING MILDLY FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS BUT EVERY TIME I WOULD BRING IT IN NOBODY COULD SEE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM MOSTLY STARTING THE CAR AND THEN AFTER BRAKING IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE A CLOG. I WAS TOLD ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS THE CAT CONVERTER, HAD IT REPAIRED FOR $1000 AND IT DID NOT CURE THE PROBLEM. I JUST BROUGHT IT IN BECAUSE IT IS GETTING SO MUCH WORSE, I WAS TOLD IT WAS MY SPARK PLUGS AND CYLINDERS SO I HAD THAT REPAIRED AND AFTER DRIVING FOR 5 MINUTES EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WAS TOLD IT WAS THE COMPUTER AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR $1300 DOLLARS. (WAS TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM DID NOT SHOW BEFORE I HAD THE CYLINDERS REPAIRED.) I LIVE IN THE NORTHEAST AND AM TERRIFIED WHEN THE SNOW AND ICE BEGIN BECAUSE WHEN IN CLOGS OR BUCKS I AM OPEN TO LOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. ALSO WHEN THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL, THE VEHICLE WOULD LURCH FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. HOWEVER A MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WAS SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE COMPUTER MONITOR WAS REPAIRED .HOWEVER BECAUSE OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,500 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,700.

2001 RAV4 TRANSMISSION JUST FAILED TODAY. READ ANYTIMES ARTICLE ABOUT ECM PROBLEM. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA, I WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW THAT ECM PROBLEM WOULD CAUSE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED OR AT THE VERY LEAST NOTIFY OWNERS SO THAT WE COULD HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED BEFORE TRULY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS NEED TO BE MADE. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ISSUE I HAVE HAD WITH MY CAR THAT TOYOTA FAILED TO NOTIFY ME OF IN TIME TO CORRECT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN I STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT WHEN IT TURNED GREEN I TRIED TOACCELARATE BUT MY WAS STUCK AND THERE WAS A HEAVY TRAFFIC I TOOK THIS CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION PLACE I CHANGED IT BUT TWO DAY AFTER IT GAVE ME THE SAME PROBLEM ONLY THIS TIME ON THE HIGHWAY I STARTED LOOKING FOR ANSWER AND FOUND OUT THAT MOST OF THE 2001 RAV 4 ECU CAME OUT WITH A PROBLEM BUT NEVER GOT A RECALL NOW THE TOYOTA COMPANY ARE NOT TAKING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN HELP ME WITH THIS PRO THANK YOU THERE IS A WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN SEE ALL THE PEOPLE COMPLAINING BOUT THE SAME PROBLEM I HAD IT SEEMS THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT NEVER DID ANYTHING ABOUT ITHTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2001/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. *TR