2001 Toyota RAV4

AS DESCRIBED BY MANY OTHERS THAT OWN A TOYOTA RAV-4 (2001) , MY CAR EXPERIENCED MAJOR PROBLEMS SHIFTING. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS DESCRIBED IN A SERVICE BULLETIN RELEASED BY TOYOTA. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND DEMANDED THAT THEY REPLACE THE ECM INSTEAD OF SIMPLY RESETTING IT AS THEY WERE PLANNING ON DOING. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RETURNED TO DATE, BUT HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY OTHERS (ON VARIOUS WEBSITES), I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN TO MAKE THIS REQUEST. I WAS LUCKY THAT MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER THE SPECIFIED MILEAGE AND THAT THE COSTS WERE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. *TR

MY FIANCE WAS DRIVING MY RAV 4 THIS PAST SATURDAY. THE CAR HAS 4 COPPER DISCOVERER TIRES (DOT# UTDAC5T0704) THAT WERE PURCHASED IN EARLY 2006. THEY WERE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 70 MPH ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. ONE OF THE TIRES COMPLETELY CAME APART, LEAVING ONLY SOME RAGGED SIDEWALLS ON THE WHEEL. THERE WERE (MIRACULOUSLY) NO INJURIES AND HE WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR UNDER CONTROL AND OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA RAV 4 4WD 2001 MODEL. AT 47,000 MILES I HAD AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT DONE BY LYNCH TOYOTA UNDER WARRANTY. 25,000 MILES LATER VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A CRACKED FLEX PLATE. REPAIR WAS DONE BY AAMCO AND IN THEIR WRITTEN REPORT THEY STATE THAT DUE TO AN ALIGNMENT DOWEL THAT WAS CUT OFF WHEN LYNCH REPLACED THE ENGINE, THE ENGINE BECAME MISALIGNED AND THE FLEX PLATE CRACKED. IN ADDITION THE TORQUE CONVERTER ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE REPORTS WERE HANDED TO LYNCH AND THEIR SERVICE MANAGER DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND REPORTED THAT THE CRACKED FLEX PLATE WAS MORE THAN LIKELY DUE TO POOR MATERIALS. I STILL HAVE THE FLEX PLATE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A WAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED TO FIND OUT IF INDEED IT WAS MADE FROM POOR MATERIALS. AAMCO DON'T APPEAR TO BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE CASE. *TR

I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT OR INJURIES TO WHAT MY COMPLAINT IS ABOUT. I PERSONALLY THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I DRIVE A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 AND RECENTLY STARTED HAVING SHIFTING ISSUES. I STARTED TO RESEARCH THIS ISSUE AND CAME ACROSS THIS WEBSITE CALLED CARCOMPLAINTS.COM AND FOUND MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS BECAUSE THEY CAME OUT WITH A TSB IN 2006. WHEN YOU COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THEN GO TO DRIVE THE CAR FORWARD THE VEHICLE DOESN'T SHIFT PROPERLY THEREFORE COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF ON COMING TRAFFIC. PLEASE VISIT THIS WEBSITE AND SEE THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AND I LIKE MANY OTHERS FEEL THERE IS A DEFECTIVE ECM IN THESE VEHICLES SENDING FAULTY SIGNALS TO THE TRANSMISSION CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO NOT SHIFT PROPERLY AND COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE ACCIDENTS. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT THIS IS NOT HAPPENING ALL THE TIME, ITS SPORADIC AND EVEN THE DEALER IS HAVING DIFFICULTY DUPLICATING THE PROBLEM. I HOPE MORE PEOPLE MAKE COMPLAINTS AND I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING HOW MANY HAVE. THANKS! *TR

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING ON 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF COMPUTER TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. BULLETIN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO 80,000. CONSUMER NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM. COMPUTER WENT BAD AT 87,000 MILES. TOYOTA AND CONSUMER CURRENTLY GOING ROUND AND ROUND OVER WHETHER TOYOTA OR CONSUMER MUST PAY FOR COMPUTER REPLACEMENT. CONSUMER ALSO TOLD THAT TRANSMISSION MAY NOW NEED TO BE REPLACED. TOYOTA HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FROM RAV4 OWNERS AND IN MANY CASES THE SHIFT PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE COMPUTER FAILURE HAS RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO TRANSMISSION WHICH TOYOTA WILL NOT PAY FOR. *TR

FAILED ECM RESULTS IN THE CAR STARTING IN THE WRONG GEAR AND HESITATING WHEN SWITCHING GEARS. DRIVING THE CAR WITH THIS ECM FAILURE CAUSES VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION WITHIN LESS THAN 100 MILES OF DRIVING AND MAKES THE DRIVER UNABLE TO BE CONFIDENT THAT THEIR CAR WILL SHIFT INTO GEAR WHEN NECESSARY, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS ON LEFT TURNS IN HIGHLY TRAFFICKED AREAS. ONE DEALERSHIP (COBB COUNTY TOYOTA, KENNESAW, GA) REFUSED TO REPLACE THE ECM EVEN THOUGH A TSB ISSUED BY TOYOTA STATED IT SHOULD BE REPLACED WHEN THESE SYMPTOMS PERSISTED. TOYOTA USA REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION EVEN THOUGH THE SHIFTING PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE FAILING COMPUTER WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION. *CN

I WAS DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT, I WAS DRIVING A 2001 TOYOTA RAV 4. AI WAS IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE, A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF ME, I SWERVED TO THE RIGHT AND MISSED THE DEER, HOWEVER I HIT A GUARDRAIL ON THE RIGHT SIDE, OVERCOMPENCIATED ACROSS ROAD STRAIGHT UP A BANK, APPROX 20 FT. THE ACR TURNED TO THE RIGHT AND ROLLED OVER TWICE DOWN THE BANK. SINCE THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, I SUFFERED A DEEP LACERATION TO RIGHT SIDE OF HEAD AND THE GEAR SHIFT FRACTURED 4-7 RIBS. THERE WAS A POLICE OFFICER NEARBY WHO SAW THE WHOLE THING, HE STATED HE CLOCKED ME AT 35MPH, AND STATED ALSO IN THE POLICE REPORT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. IF YOU CAN HELP ME IN THIS MATTER I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL. RESPECTFULLY--BILLY JACK HARRELL *TR