2002 Toyota RAV4

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.

AROUND THE 1ST OF JULY MY TOYOTA RAV 4 STARTING JERKING AND REFUSED TO GO INTO SECOND GEAR. THE RAV 4 HAS HAD ALL OF THE REGULAR REQUIRED MAINTENANCE AND SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ECM WERE GOING OUT. I HAD MY 16 YEAR OLD GRANDSON IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I DID NOT REALIZED THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR AROUND 3 YEARS UNTIL I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE TOYOTA COMPANY IMMEDIATELY. I AM JUST NOW LEARNING THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED TOYOTA CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE SAME ISSUE BUT OF COURSE THE TOYOTA COMPANY WILL NOT REMEDY THE SITUATION. IF MY GRANDSON AND I HAD BEEN ON A BUSY HIGHWAY I DO FEEL THE OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE DEVASTATING. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. ON AUGUST 22ND, 2009 I NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, IT WOULD TAKE A WHILE FOR THE CAR TO ACCELERATE AND PICK UP SPEED. ONCE IT DID GET MOVING, THE CAR WOULD JERK FORWARD AND EVENTUALLY PICK UP SPEED. EVERYTIME I WOULD COME TO A STOPLIGHT, I WOULD BE DEATHLY AFRAID THAT MY CAR WOULDN'T START UP AGAIN AND THAT I WOULD BE HIT FROM BEHIND. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, IT WOULD SLOW DOWN ALL OF A SUDDEN AND THEN JERK VIOLENTLY FORWARD. THIS HAPPENED EVERYTIME I DROVE. ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT IT WAS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE AND RECOMMENDED A SHOP. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE TRANSMISSION SHOP GETTING REBUILT AT A COST OF $3,000+ I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT MY CAR AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION BUT WOULD SEND IT TO BE REMANUFACTURED AT A COST OF NO LESS THAN $5,000. FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE WEB INDICATES THAT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH 2002 RAV4 OWNERS AND THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN OF THIS FOR A WHILE BUT DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. APPARENTLY THE ISSUES IS WITH A FAULTY ECM THAT CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION ISSUES. UNFORTUNATELY, BY THE TIME THE TRANSMISSION GOES OUT, MOST OF THE CARS ARE OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND THE COST IS LEFT UP TO THE CONSUMER. MY FEAR IS THAT EVEN WITH THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED, IF THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE ECM, IT IS GOING TO RE-OCCUR AND I AM GOING TO INCUR ANOTHER STAGGERING REPAIR BILL. I CALLED TOYOTA'S CORPORATE NUMBER AND SPOKE TO A CUSTOMER CARE REP WHO ADVISED ME THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS AT THE TIME ON THIS MODEL YEAR AND THAT I COULD NOT SPEAK TO HIS MANAGER AS THEY DO NOT TALK TO CONSUMERS. I WANT TOYOTA TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ISSUE. HAD THEY NOTIFIED THEIR BUYERS TO REPLACE THEIR ECM'S AHEAD OF TIME, THIS WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THESE COSTLY REPAIRS DOWN THE LINE. *TR

THE CAR JUST BEGAN JERKING AFTER I PUT GAS IN ONE DAY. I WAITED A WEEK TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY, BUT IT GOT WORSE. THE DAY I BROUGHT IT TO THE SHOP, THE CAR WOULD BARELY DRIVE. IT WOULD HESITATE SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO 2ND GEAR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH ONLY 150 MILES BEFORE THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY EXPIRED. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE ECU AND IT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME THEY HEARD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP FIXED IT AND I ONLY HAD TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE. HOWEVER, THIS PROBLEM MASKED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE O2 SENSOR, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AFTER 2 DAYS. SO I BROUGHT IT BACK AND THE DEALERSHIP FIXED IT UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH IT HAD ALREADY EXPIRED. *TR

AS I PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HESITATED AND WOULD SHIFT INTO GEAR. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA ON DIXIE HIGHWAY, LOUISVILLE, KY WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND TOOK IT FOR EVERY SERVICE. THEY PUT SOME TYPE OF FLUID SAID THAT THIS MAY FIX THE PROBLEM. I WENT TO GET IT AND ONCE AGAIN WOULD NOT RUN. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE TRANSMISSION AND THAT I PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE BACK TO SEE THEM. THEY QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $4,000 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FIXED. *TR

I AM HAVING SHIFTING PROBLEM OF THE TRANSMISSION ON MY TOYOTA RAV4 L 2002 WHILE DRIVING. WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD,THE TRANNY BEGAN SLIPPING,HESITATINGAND JERKING. I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IT REPAIRED YET. I AM CONCERNING SOMEDAY SOMEONE WILL HIT BEHIND ME DURING DRIVING DUE TO SHIFTING PROBLEM THAT I CAN'T KEEP ON SPEED LIMITED. I GET ONLINE WWW.CARSCOMPLAINTS.COM AND DID SOME RESEARCH. I FOUND OUT MOST OF THE TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS DESCRIBING SAME SHIFTING PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTED ENGINE CONTROL MODULE THAT CAN DAMAGE THE TRANNY. *TR

DURING A RECENT RAIN I WAS TRANSPORTING MY GRANDKIDS FROM SCHOOL WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY CAR SEEMED TO SLIP AND JOLT FORWARD EACH TIME I ACCELERATED. EACH TIME THE CAR WOULD HESITATE AND THE SLIPPING AND JOLTING WAS SIGNIFICANT. I WAS AFRAID THAT MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC. I WAS VERY GLAD TO GET MY GRANDKIDS HOME SAFELY. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND MADE AN IMMEDIATE APPOINTMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AS WELL AS THE ECU AT A COST OF OVER $6,000! I WAS VERY UPSET BECAUSE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED THE YEAR BEFORE AND DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND THE "ENGINE" TROUBLE LIGHT WHICH KEPT COMING ON. EACH TIME THEY TOLD ME THAT EITHER AN ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM OR THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I ALSO CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. I WAS REFERRED BACK TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO TOLD ME TO CALL HEADQUARTERS AGAIN. I FELT LIKE A PING-PONG BALL. IN THE END NO ONE COULD OR WOULD HELP ME. I ENDED UP GOING TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE JUST THE ECU REPLACED AT A COST OF $1500. THE CAR STILL JOLTS WHENEVER I ACCELERATE, HOWEVER I AM RETIRED AND CANNOT AFFORD $4000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION AT THIS TIME. *TR

2002 RAV4 THAT I WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND ECM ON - DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE CARS. REPAIR COST $5,000. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO INJURIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THERE VERY WELL COULD HAVE BEEN, AS TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AS I WAS MERGING ONTO A VERY BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THESE CARS ARE A DEATHTRAP AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL THEM AND FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 RAV4 THAT STARTED HAVING SHIFTING PROBLEMS. WHEN I WOULD PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE IT WOULD JERK AND JOLT THIS IS HOW IT STARTED. THEN ABOUT A WEEK LATER IT STARTED DOING THIS WHEN THE CAR SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO SECOND AND SO ON. AFTER ABOUT 3 WEEKS OF THIS I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM TO PLEASE LOOK AT IT. THEY CALLED ME LATER THAT DAY SAYING THAT THEY THOUGHT I NEEDED NEW ENGINE MOUNTS. THAT THEY WERE CAUSING CAR TO JERK WHEN IT CHANGED GEARS. HE SAID THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE ORDERED AND THAT THEY NEEDED THE CAR OVERNIGHT. SO THE NEXT DAY GOT A CALL FROM THE DEALER SAYING THAT THEY DROVE THE CAR SOME MORE AND REALIZED IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION. THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND THE COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS IT. THIS WOULD COST ME $5200.00. I CALLED A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE WHO HAS BEEN A MECHANIC FOR 30 YEARS AND HE CALLED A FRIEND OF HIS WHO WORKS PARTS AT TOYOTA. THE PERSON WHO WORKS FOR TOYOTA TOLD MY FRIEND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING THESE PROBLEMS WITH THE RAV AND THAT IT IS ONLY THE COMPUTER THAT NEEDS REPLACEMENT, NOT THE TRANSMISSION. SO, HE SOLD US THE PART AND MY FRIEND THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE COMPUTER. NOW MY CAR DRIVES PERFECTLY. SO, I INSTEAD SPENT ONLY $1100.00 AS OPPOSED TO THE $5200.00 THAT THE TOYOTA DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE ME WHEN IT WAS NOT MY TRANSMISSION AT ALL. I HAVE ALL THE PAPERWORK FROM THE DEALER SHOWING WHAT THEY WANTED ME TO REPLACE AND SPEND. I AM VERY UPSET THAT AN ACCREDITED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS GOING TO HAVE ME SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY ON SOMETHING WHEN IT WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. I BOUGHT MY CAR THERE AND I HAVE HAD IT SERVICED THERE EVER SINCE- 7 YEARS! *TR

I HAD A TOYOTA RV4 2002, THAT WAS GIVING ME TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, THE CAR STAR SHAKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY IN VARIOUS OCCASION, THAT REALLY SCARED ME, AND MY CHILD, I HAD TO PAID 3462.52 DOLLARS TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED, BUT THAT DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, AND TOYOTA REPLACED THE ECM, ANOTHER 1, 200 DOLLARS. I'M VERY UNHAPPY BECAUSE LATER I FOUND OUT, THAT TOYOTA KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT THEY DIDN'T NOT NOTIFIED THE CUSTOMER, I'M A SINGLE MOTHER, AND FOR ME THAT WAS A LOT OF MONEY TO PAID WITH MY CREDIT CARDS... *TR