2003 Toyota RAV4

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. WHILE TRAVELING 10 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE YET THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT HAD THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 146,000.

I WAS ABOUT TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE. IT TERRIFIED ME BECAUSE THERE WAS A TRACTOR TRAILER TO MY LEFT THAT ALMOST HIT ME. AS I PRESSED HARDER ON THE PEDAL TO ACCELERATE THE CAR, THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD REVVING SOUND, AND THE CAR STARTED TO JERK FORWARD, IN THE SENSE THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE: SOMETIMES THE CAR ACCELERATED HARSHLY WHILE AT OTHER TIMES IT WAS LIKE IT WAS ON NEUTRAL. THIS OCCURRED WITH NO WARNING AT ALL, AS SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE, NOR WAS THERE ANY HINT THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN. THIS TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE OCCURS AT LOW SPEED, RIGHT AT THOSE CRUCIAL MOMENTS WHEN YOU NEED THE CAR TO ACCELERATE BECAUSE YOU ARE MERGING WITH TRAFFIC, OR ARE CROSSING AN INTERSECTION AFTER HAVING STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN. AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE, I FOUND MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. PEOPLE REPORTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM), SO I HAD THAT FIXED, AND NOW THE CAR SEEMS TO BE RUNNING FINE. THE WORST THING IS THAT ONLINE PEOPLE DISCOVERED THAT TOYOTA ISSUED AN INTERNAL MEMO IN 2006 NOTIFYING DEALERS OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT IT DID NOT NOTIFY THE OWNER, LET ALONE RECALL THE CARS AND HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. APPARENTLY, TOYOTA DID NOT FEEL THE PROBLEM WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH, THOUGH I AM CONVINCED THAT IT WAS ONLY LUCK THAT I SURVIVED THAT DAY ON THE HIGHWAY! *TR

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH ONLY 63K MILES ON IT. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR. WE TOOK IT TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP TO HAVE IT FIXED. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS TRYING TO INSTALL A REBUILT TRANSMISSION THAT THEY CONTACTED A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE YEAR AND MODEL TOYOTA I HAVE WAS KNOW TO HAVE A FAULTY COMPUTER THAT CAUSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IT WAS THEN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY DEEMED THE COMPUTER FAULTY AND FIXED THE CAR FREE OF CHARGE. ONCE THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP PUT IN THE NEW COMPUTER, THE TRANSMISSION STILL WOULDN'T WORK. IT IS BACK AT THE TRANSMISSION SHOP. I HAVE NOT HAD THE CAR FOR OVER FOUR WEEKS. I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING TOYOTA TO GET REIMBURSED FOR THE COST OF THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. WHEN THE CONTACT DROVE OUT OF HER DRIVEWAY AT A SLOW SPEED THE VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING. THE DEALER CHANGED THE OIL, THE FUEL FILTER AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTED. THE DEALER LATER STATED THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT HER EXPENSE AND THAT IF THE ECM DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED FOR $5500.00. TOYOTA WAS ALSO CONTACTED AND STATED THAT SINCE THE WARRANTY WAS NOT VALID THEY COULD NOT OFFER HER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 123,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 124,600.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO REVERSE GEAR, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS NO LONGER VALID; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR REPAIR COST. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

TRANSMISSION PROBLEM ON A 2003 RAV4 4 WHEEL DRIVE. IT STARTED AT 100,456 MILES. NEVER HAD PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BEFORE. IT STARTED TO OCCUR ONCE IN A WHILE IN FIRST GEAR, THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, GOT IT CHECK. CAME UP CODE PO755. NOW IS OCCURRING MORE OFTEN. LIGHT GOES OFF AND AFTER A COUPLE OF DAY GOES ON AGAIN. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA. THEY SAID IT NEEDS A REMANUFACTURE TRANSMISSION AND THEY NEED TO CHANGE THE ECM. COST 5,995 THEY TOLD ME I'M BETTER OFF TRADING THE CAR. *TR

NO WARNING WHEN TRANSMISSION SLIPPED FROM STOPPED TO FIRST. WOULD JERK THEN BE FINE. DROVE APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING WITH HAZARD LIGHTS ON. TOOK TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP & WAS QUOTED $3,200 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. NO MENTION OF THE ECM BEING THE CAUSE OR NEEDING REPAIRED. WILL HAVE TO TRADE IN. FAILURE 110,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND AFTER TWENTY SECONDS OF THE VEHICLE MAINTAINING 25 MPH, IT ACCELERATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONNECTION FROM THE ENGINE BLOCK TO THE BODY EXHIBITED A BROKEN ELECTRICAL GROUND CONNECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT NO COST TO THE CONTACT. THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE DEALER THEN ADVISED THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 68,000. UPDATED 10/27/10. *LJ