2002 Toyota RAV4

TOYOTA RAV 4 2002. A MONTH AGO, MY CAR STARTED JERKING AND BUCKING AND STALLING MID INTERSECTION. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER FOR SERVICING. THE SERVICE DEPT. COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM SO THEY CHANGED TRANSMISSION FLUID (CHARGE ALMOST $200.00) AND SENT ME ON MY WAY WITH NOTICE THAT IF THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON I SHOULD RETURN. TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY APPROACHING A DOUBLE MERGE DRIVING 60 MPH WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR CAUSING ME TO LURCH AND LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE WHILE ONE TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK WAS MERGING TO MY RIGHT AND ANOTHER DIRECTLY BEHIND ME CAUSING TRUCK BEHIND ME TO LAY ON BRAKES AND VEER OFF THE ROAD...I MANAGED TO GET MYSELF OFF THE ROAD...NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED BUT THE THREAT TO MY LIFE WAS SERIOUS. I DID INVESTIGATION ON LINE CARCOMPLANTS.COM AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED TO ALL DEALERS IN 2006. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF DEFECT THEREFORE WAS ENDANGERING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY EVERY TIME I DROVE THE CAR WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND PAID $150.00 FOR DIAGNOSTIC: FAULTY ECM (SEE CARCOMPLAINTS.COM). QUOTED A COST OF REPLACEMENT AT ($1,200.00) THAT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT THEY WOULD NOT KNOW CONDITION OF TRANSMISSION UNTIL AFTER THEY REPLACED THE ECM. I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS ANSWER AND FELT I MIGHT HAVE BETTER SERVICE WITH ORIGINAL DEALER SO I PAID FOR CAR TO BE TOWED ($100.00) AND RENTED A CAR. ORIGINAL DEALER DETERMINED ECM NEEDS REPLACEMENT NO GUARANTEE THAT TRANSMISSION WOULD BE OKAY. I ASKED THAT DEALER SPEAK ON MY BEHALF TO TOYOTA TO SEE IF THEY WERE WILLING TO SHARE SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY AND COST OF REPLACEMENT OF FAULTY ECM. TOYOTA REFUSED. AFTER BEING WITHOUT FAMILY'S ONLY CAR FOR 2 WEEKS,PAYING FOR RENTAL (OVER $200.00) THE ECM WAS REPLACED ($1,000.00) CAR SEEMED TO BE OKAY FOR ONE WEEK. 4 DAYS AGO ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. RETURNING TO YET ANOTHER DEALER TOMORROW. DO YOU VALUE MY SAFETY? *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS DEFECTIVE ECU WHICH HAS IN TURN FRIED TRANSMISSION...MY WIFE NOTICED PROBLEMS WHEN THE SHIFTING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON A MERGE AND WAS ALMOST RUN OVER BY A SEMI-TRUCK. WE THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO TOLD US THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOT ON SO THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE AND ADVISED US TO DRAIN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. 2 WEEKS LATER, MY WIFE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE TRANSMISSION SPONTANEOUSLY SHIFTED INTO LOW GEAR CAUSING HER TO SWERVE OFF ROAD. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE NEED TO REPLACE THE ECU AND TRANSMISSION AT $5,000. I HAVE GONE ONLINE AND READ THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR OVER 2 YEARS AND WILL NOT ISSUE RECALL AS NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED...THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE MY WIFE WAS ALMOST KILLED!!! PLEASE ADDRESS WITH TOYOTA!! *TR UPDATED 03/22/10.*JB

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 BEGAN JERKING AND STALLING. CAR WOULDN'T ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. WAS TURNING LEFT INTO TRAFFIC WHEN THIS FIRST OCCURRED AND ONCOMING TRAFFIC HAD TO STOP. WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR INTERSECTION FOR FIVE MINUTES, UNTIL AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DID THE CAR BEGIN TO CRAWL IN A JERKY MOTION. DROVE 2 MILES WITH THE JERKING AND STALLING ON STOP AND WITH NO ACCELERATION. LITERALLY ROLLED INTO LOCAL MECHANIC'S SHOP. FOUND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAS TOTALLY FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACED. THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM INDICATIONS, NO WARNING LIGHTS, ENGINE LIGHTS OR AN OTHER PREVIOUS PROBLEMS. THE CAR HAS ONLY 65,000 MILES ON IT. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED AND DISHEARTEN AT THE RESPONSE FROM THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER. THE 2002 RAV4 TRANSMISSION REPORT IN CONSUMER REPORTS STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB. MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN THE CAR STALLED IN THE INTERSECTION. I THANK GOD SHE WASN'T HURT. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO HAVE THESE AUTOMOBILES RECALLED? A SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH? *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 FWD AUTOTRANSMISSION WITH LESS THAN 52000 MILES. NO ENGINE LIGHTS EVER APPEARED TO ALERT ME OF PROBLEM. FIRST SIGN WAS WHILE DRIVING 65MPH ON INTERSTATE 80 HEADING TO ERIE, PA FROM YOUNGSTOWN, OH. CAR TAKEN IN TO NEAREST TRANSMISSION SHOP, AAMCO WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT CLUTCHES WERE COMPLETELY DAMAGED/BURNT AND NEEDED TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT AT A COST OF $3000. NOW BEING TOLD THAT THE ECM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF VOLTAGE PROBLEMS AND GEARS STILL MISSING WITH REBUILT TRANS. REPLACEMENT ECM COVERED UNDER TOYOTA'S TSB TC002-06 IF UNDER 8 YEARS/80,000 BUT LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP STATING THAT CURRENT PART NUMBER IS THE REPLACEMENT PART. I CONTACTED MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BACK HOME WHO DID A REPROGRAMMING RECALL BUT DID NOT REPLACE ECM. REPROGRAMMING / RECODING / FLASHING ECM WAS NOT THE PROCEDURE TO RESOLVE ON ABOVE TSB AND I BELIEVE THE DEALERSHIP BACK HOME SIMPLY RELABELED ECM WITH NEW PART NUMBER SINCE THEY CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS NOT REPLACED WITH NEW ECM. A NEW ECM WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE FROM HAPPENING. AAMCO DEALERSHIP FIGHTING TO GET ME AN ECM COVERED UNDER THE TC002-06 TSB. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS AND NO END IN SIGHT. CANNOT TAKE VEHICLE BACK HOME EVEN WITH REBUILT TRANS BECAUSE IT IS NOT ROADWORTHY WITHOUT ECM AND TESTING. NEED TO RENT VEHICLE TO GET MYSELF BACK HOME UNTIL CONTACTED BY AAMCO REGARDING RESOLUTION. *TR

THERE EXISTS A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF ECM FAILURE IN THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 VEHICLES THAT IS CAUSING SHIFTING PROBLEMS IN THE TRANSMISSION. THIS DEFECTED PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AS NEEDING REPLACEMENT (NOT JUST "REPROGRAMMING" AS TOYOTA HAS TRIED TO DO). WHEN I BEGAN EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 ON APRIL 17, 2009, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR, MY CAR WOULD NOT GO. IT EVENTUALLY VERY SLOWLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE BUT EVERY TIME I HAD TO STOP AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, IT WOULD BARELY GO AGAIN. I WAS TERRIFIED THAT I WAS GOING TO GET HIT EVERY TIME I HAD TO CROSS OVER A STREET WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION...SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ONE OF THESE DAYS BECAUSE THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN THIS BEGINS TO HAPPEN - THE CAR JUST WON'T GO AT TAKEOFF. MANY OF US WHO OWN THE 2002 RAV4 HAVE WASTED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON MISDIAGNOSIS OF THIS PROBLEM...I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSHED, I HAD A TOP ENGINE CLEANING TO REMOVE BUILDUP IN THE THROTTLE, I WAS EVEN TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY CAR MAT WAS GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE ACCELERATOR AND THAT WAS ADDING TO THE PROBLEM. ONLY AFTER NONE OF THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM DID THEY COME BACK AND FINALLY SAY THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE RUINED. THIS REPAIR IS GOING TO COST ME $1300.00 BECAUSE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 80,000 MILES AND MY VEHICLE IS AT 84,000 MILES. I AM GOING TO FIX THIS CAR SO THAT I CAN TRADE IT IN (THE DEALERSHIP EVEN SUGGESTED THAT I TRADE IT- THEY MUST KNOW HOW SERIOUS THIS IS). I CAN'T TAKE THE RISK THAT THIS VEHICLE WILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE EVEN AFTER THE ECM IS REPLACED BECAUSE I'VE READ THAT THE NEW ECM MAY NOT COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY WITH THE OLD TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A DEVASTATING LOSS FOR THOSE OF US WHO BOUGHT OUR VEHICLES BASED IN LARGE PART ON THE TOYOTA REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. ON APRIL 22, 2009, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE; HOWEVER, IT FAILED TO ENGAGE UNTIL IT REACHED 3000 RPMS. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED THE VEHICLE STALLED; ALTHOUGH, THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT IS AWARE OF THE SAFETY RISK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,000.

AUTO TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, WHERE THE CAR SHUDDERS AND SHIFTS VERY ABRUPTLY AND OFTEN SHIFTS VERY LATE POSING VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THIS PROBLEM CAME ON INSTANTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ANY FOREWARNING , SO AS I STARTED RESEARCHING IT, THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE AN ECU MALFUNCTION WHERE THE COMPUTER DOESN'T SEND THE RIGHT COMMANDS TO THE TRANSMISSION FOR WHEN TO SHIFT PROPERLY. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AND IT IS VERY UPSETTING THAT TOYOTA DIDN'T AT LEAST INFORM RAV4 OWNERS OF THIS ISSUE. I COULD HAVE REPLACED THE ECU AND WHICH IS AN EASY REPAIR COSTING ONLY ABOUT $1200 OR THERE IS ALSO A SHOP ONLINE THAT FIXES THE ECU FOR $400 BUT NOW I HAVE TO FIX THE ECU AND REPLACE A TRANSMISSION THANKS TO TOYOTA'S NEGLIGENCE NOW THE REPAIR BILL IS IN THE $4000-$6000 PRICE RANGE. MANY INDEPENDENT MECHANICS AREN'T AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAVE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THE ECU IS AT FAULT AND ENDED UP REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL FINALLY PINPOINTING THE PROBLEM AND REPLACING THE ECU ALSO. THE SAME NEARLY HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I TOOK IT TO BOTH OF MY MECHANICS AND THEY DIDN'T FORESEE THE ECU TO BE AT FAULT AND WANTED TO REPLACE ONLY THE TRANSMISSION. WE'VE OWNED THE CAR SINCE DAY 1 AND IT HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED IT'S SAD TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO IT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *TR