2002 Toyota RAV4

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. ON MARCH 14, 2010, THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20-25 MPH WHEN SHE DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO REV. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. SHE NOTICED THE PROBLEM STARTED TO OCCUR ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS FOLLOWING THE INITIAL FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,747. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 73,800.

IN 2003 WE BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. IN 2007, THE ENGINE SEIZED UP AT 56,000 MILES. WE TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD US IT WOULD COST $7,000 BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. AFTER GATHERING ALL OUR MAINTENANCE HISTORY AND MUCH DELIBERATION TOYOTA AGREED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE BUT WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE LABOR ($2500); WE AGREED. AFTER THEY DID THE WORK, WE HEARD A SOFT CONSTANT BEATING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. WHEN WE TOOK IT BACK, WE WERE TOLD THAT SOUND WAS NORMAL WHEN A NEW ENGINE IS INSTALLED AND IT WILL GO AWAY -- IT DIDN'T. 18 MONTHS AND 10,000 MILES LATER, THE ENGINE DIED AGAIN. BAFFLED AT HOW TWO SEPARATE ENGINES CAN DIE WE TOOK IT TO OUR PERSONAL MECHANIC. HE EXPLAINED TO US THAT THE ENGINE WAS NEVER REPLACED, BUT REBUILT. WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REFUSED TO HELP US. SO DID TOYOTA CORP. THEY HAVE A SETTLEMENT FOR DEFECTIVE ENGINES FOR THE SAME GENERATION ENGINES (1997-2002) FOR ALMOST EVERY MODEL. EXCEPT THE RAV4. WHAT MAKES IT WORSE WAS I WAS TOLD I WAS GETTING A NEW ENGINE. AT THE SAME TIME MY PERSONAL MECHANIC HAD FOUND ME A USED ENGINE (12,000 MI) FOR 2300 INCLUDING INSTALLATION. HAD I KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO REBUILD IT, I WOULD HAVE WENT WITH THAT OPTION. SO THEY SCREWED ME OUT OF 2500, A CAR, AND A CHANCE AT ACTUALLY FIXING THE CAR. *TR

ENGINE SEIZE AT 162K MILES. THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE. OIL CHANGES EVERY 3-5K MILES. APPARENTLY OIL PUMP WENT OUT AND TOOK THE ENGINE WITH IT. OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE IT HAD 7 MILES ON IT. IT LEFT ME STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. PUT IN REMAN. JASPER ENGINE. AFTER ABOUT $7,000.00 THE ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. THE MECHANIC SAID I COULD TAKE IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY'D "FLASH" IT TO GET IT TO GO OFF, BUT IT WOULD COST ME A FEW HUNDRED. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON SINCE ABOUT 28K MILES. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR THAT AND THEY JUST UNDO THE BATTERY AND PUT IT BACK ON. THAT "RESETS" IT. WITHIN 100 MILES IT GOES BACK ON. I JUST LEAVE IT AND IF THE CAR BLOWS UP I'LL LEAVE IT WHERE IT DIES THIS TIME. I PAID 28K FOR THE CAR IN 2002, 8 YRS AGO. 28K+7K(ENGINE)=$35,000.00 $35,000.00/8(YRS)=4375(PER YEAR TO OWN.MINIMUM) 4375.00/12(MOS)=364.58 PER MONTH. VERY EXPENSIVE TO OWN AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE ISN'T EVEN INCLUDED..... TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 35-45 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, PROCEEDING TO A TRAFFIC STOP SIGNAL. THE ENGINE REVED EXCESSIVELY HIGH. THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBITED A HARSH SHIFT AS A RESULT OF AN UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE IN OPERATION WITH CAUTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM). THE VEHICLE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. UPDATED 11/16/10. *LJ

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 WITH 82K MILES ON IT. AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER, 2009, I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE AND IT BEGAN TO JERK VIOLENTLY WHEN I ACCELERATED BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS. I HAD DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING CONTROL AND AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT. SUBSEQUENTLY, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND LEARNED THAT I HAD A COMMON PROBLEM FOR 2002 RAV 4'S -- A FAULTY ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND LEARNED THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE ALSO HAD THIS PROBLEM IN 2001 AND 2002 RAV 4'S. TOYOTA IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. *TR

I HAVE A TOYOTA RAV4 2002. I AM NOW EXPERIENCING A NIGHTMARE. A FEW WEEKS AGO, MY CAR STARTED SHIFTING GEARS, SHAKING, AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I BROUGHT IT TO HYANNIS TOYOTA. THE CSR TOLD ME IT WAS A DEFECTIVE COMPUTER. THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY WOULD REPLACE IT. APPROX. 3 WEEKS LATER, MY CAR STARTED WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. SHAKING, MOVING INTO A DIFFERENT GEAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO HYANNIS TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD, "THIS IS NOT THE SAME PROBLEM." YOU NEED A NEW COIL. IT WILL COST YOU $250.00. ALSO, I HAD TO RENT A CAR. OF COURSE AT MY OWN EXPENSE. NOW, I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY. IF THE COMPUTER WAS DEFECTIVE, AND WAS REPLACED. WHY AM I STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM AN IDLE POSITION, THE VEHICLE BEGAN HESITATING AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE ALSO HESISTATED 30 TO 45 SECONDS WHEN SHIFTING INTO SECOND GEAR AND ENGAGING THE ACCELERATOR TO IT'S FULL CAPACITY. THE DEALER FLUSHED OUT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND REPLACED IT; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MECHANIC LATER STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT ASSUME THE REPAIR COSTS; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT STATED THAT SINCE THERE IS A DEFECT THE REPAIR SHOULD BE FREE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH THE VEHICLE DOWN-SHIFTED AND STALLED. THE CONTACT IS AWARE OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION TO CORRECT THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RESURFACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 74000. UPDATED 12/7/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TURN, THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED ERRATICALLY. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 12/08/09.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON; I WOULD CARRY IT TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY WOULD RE-SET. THIS HAPPENED MORE THAN TWICE. FINALLY, WHAT I THOUGHT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION BLEW, BUT FOUND OUT LATER THAT IS JUST SOUNDED AND REACTED AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. BUT WAS THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WHICH HAD FAILED. OF COURSE THE WARRANTY WAS OFF AND AFTER CONTACTING TOYOTA I GET NO ASSISTANCE. THIS IS SOME OF THE INFORMATION I FOUND OUT: ) THAT TOYOTA HQ HAS BEEN AWARE FOR AT LEAST A FEW (2,3?) YEARS THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE ECM INSTALLED IN 2001/2002 TOYOTA RAV4?S > > 2) THAT THE DEFECT CAUSES PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION OR GEAR-CHANGING MECHANISM > > 3) THAT THE RESULTING TRANSMISSION OR GEAR-CHANGING PROBLEMS ARE NOT DUE TO ?NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR? OF THE VEHICLES. THEY ARE CAUSED DIRECTLY BY THE DEFECT IN THE ECM. > > 4) THAT THE RESULTING TRANSMISSION OR GEAR-CHANGING PROBLEMS HAVE CAUSED TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS TO SPEND SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF MONEY. (A CASUAL READ OF OWNER COMPLAINTS SUGGESTS MANY OF THEM HAVE SPENT ANYWHERE BETWEEN $3000 AND $5000). > > 5) THAT TOYOTA HAS FAILED TO COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR COSTS OF FIXING THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY A DEFECT THEY WERE AWARE OF. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION AND A ENGINE IN THIS CAR. *TR