IllustrationTHE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS A FAULTY ECM AND HAS CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO GO OUT. I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT THE OTHER DAY. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DID NOT DO A RECALL. HERE IS A LIST OF THE SAME PROBLEM OWNERS HAD: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. *TR
2002 Toyota RAV4
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most RAV4 years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Toyota RAV4 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 258.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAV4 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
140–25K
3425–50K
7550–75K
15475–100K
157100–150K
44150K+
478 reports with mileage · 49 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 376 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 92 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
36 crash reports15 fire reports26 injury reports
Power Train complaints
376 reportsTHE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON CONTINUOUSLY. AT STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS THE VEHICLE BEGINS JERKING AND HESITATING WHEN YOU PUSH ON THE ACCELERATION PEDDLE. WHEN YOU PRESS DOWN ON THE ACCELERATION TO GO FORWARD THAT IS WHEN THE HESITATION AND JERKING BEGIN. ONCE THE VEHICLE TAKES OFF IT CONTINUES TO JERK. WHICH IS DANGEROU…
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THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON CONTINUOUSLY. AT STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS THE VEHICLE BEGINS JERKING AND HESITATING WHEN YOU PUSH ON THE ACCELERATION PEDDLE. WHEN YOU PRESS DOWN ON THE ACCELERATION TO GO FORWARD THAT IS WHEN THE HESITATION AND JERKING BEGIN. ONCE THE VEHICLE TAKES OFF IT CONTINUES TO JERK. WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN YOU HAVE PASSENGERS AND SMALL CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE JERKING PULLS YOUR NECK FORWARD ABRUPTLY. THE DIAGNOSTIC SAID THAT IT IS THE COMPUTER WHICH COST ROUGHLY BETWEEN $800.00 TO $1200.00. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM TO TOYOTA BUT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR THIS PARTICULAR COMPUTER PART ON THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. *TR
2002 TOYOTA RAV4 JUST STOPS, IT DOESN'T SHIFT 2ND AND 3RD GEAR , THE ENGINE LIGHT TURNS AND SOME TIMES IT WORK CORRECTLY WITH NO PROBLEM BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A DRIVE THE RAV4 IT JUST STOP JERKING ALMOST TO A DEAD STOP. DEALER SAID "YOU NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND IT WILL COST YOU $4,989.00 DOLLARS." *TR
ACCELERATING AND SHIFT FAILURE IN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION -TOYOTA ISSUED TSB ON MARCH 2006 TO CHANGE ECM WHICH CONTROLS SHIFT SEQUENCING. DEFECTIVE ECM COULD CAUSE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. AS A TOYOTA OWNER I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. MY OPINION IS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, THE CONTACT BEGAN TO REMOVE HER FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JERKED FORWARD THREE TIMES. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD THREE TIMES AGAIN WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, THE CONTACT BEGAN TO REMOVE HER FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JERKED FORWARD THREE TIMES. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD THREE TIMES AGAIN WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE FAILURES. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 148,000.
TOYOTA RAV4 2002, 98367 MILES, TAKEN TO TOYOTA DEALER FOR RECALL ON ECM REPROGRAM, AFTER DONE THE RECALL BY TOYOTA DEALER, TRANSMISSION SHIFTING VERY ERRATICALLY. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ALSO IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE DUE TO LOSS OF TRANSMISSION. *TR
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON - SLIPPAGE OF TRANSMISSION. EVALUATED BY DEALER AND INFORMED THAT IT WAS THE ECM/TRANSMISSION. ECM WAS ADJUSTED AND FAILED TO ALTER PROBLEM. RECOMMENDATION REPLACEMENT OF ECU/ECU. *TR
VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED HESITATING AND HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST REPAIR, TRANSMISSION FLUSHING, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. NEAR ACCIDENT DUE TO ERRATIC SHIFTING PROBLEM OF RAV4 2002. APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE ECM. THE VEHICLE HAS A VERY SLUGGISH START FROM A STANDSTIL…
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VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED HESITATING AND HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST REPAIR, TRANSMISSION FLUSHING, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. NEAR ACCIDENT DUE TO ERRATIC SHIFTING PROBLEM OF RAV4 2002. APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE ECM. THE VEHICLE HAS A VERY SLUGGISH START FROM A STANDSTILL AS IF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS ON. ATTEMPTING TO TURN ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE AND ALMOST HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. VEHICLE ALSO SHIFTS ERRATICALLY WHEN DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. TOYOTA DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AWARE OF THIS VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED. OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE AT AUTOBEEF.COM. *TR
I OWN A TOYOTA 2002 RAV4. IT IS EXPERIENCING MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT JERKS AND HESITATES AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AS YOU NEVER KNOW IF IT IS GOING TO PROCEED FORWARD OR NOT. PULLING OUT IN AN INTERSECTION IS DANGEROUS. *TR
I DROVE MY CAR SATURDAY 8-1-08 AND NOTICED THAT FROM PARK TO REVERSE THE CAR WAS SHIFTING VERY HARD. I HAD THE TRANNY DRAINED AND FILLED AND ADDITIVE PLACED. THE SHIFTING WAS SO VIOLENT THAT I CALLED AROUND AND DID INTERNET RESEARCH. AFTER READING HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING…
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I DROVE MY CAR SATURDAY 8-1-08 AND NOTICED THAT FROM PARK TO REVERSE THE CAR WAS SHIFTING VERY HARD. I HAD THE TRANNY DRAINED AND FILLED AND ADDITIVE PLACED. THE SHIFTING WAS SO VIOLENT THAT I CALLED AROUND AND DID INTERNET RESEARCH. AFTER READING HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML AND HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP?S=EEC4529E47F582CEC0A62327B81DBE0C&SHOWTOPIC=28020&PID=308037&ST=450&#ENTRY308037 IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF MALFUNCTION EXISTS WITH THIS TOYTOA TRANSMISSION. I HAVE THUS FAR HAD THE DRAIN AND FILL PERFORMED AND AM GOING TO SEE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY. I WORRY THAT MY CAR WILL HAVE THE SHIFTING AND JERKING AND FAILURES DURING THE TRAVEL, AS IS DESCRIBED ELSEWHERE. BECAUSE OF MY SAFETY CONCERNS AND INABILITY TO PAY FOR $4,000 IN REPAIRS, I INTEND TO SELL THIS VEHICLE AND EXPERIENCE A HARDSHIP AS A RESULT. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.