2003 Toyota RAV4

WAS SLIGHTLY SKIPPING GEARS. WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD THAT IF IT WAS THE ECM, THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD HAVE COME ON, IT DID NOT. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION, HARD TO BELIEVE AS THERE WERE NO NOISE EXCEPT THE RPMS. THEY RECOMMEND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AND TRANSMISSION COMPUTER EST. $5512,00 +TAX. 2003 RAV4 SHOULD OF AT LEAST GO BEYOND 10 YEARS WITHOUT ANY MAYOR REPAIRS. I TOLD THEM NO. DO NOT START WORK ON IT, I WILL PICK IT UP THIS EVENING. ABOUT 4:45PM I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP TO PICK UP THE SUV AND NOTICED THAT IT WAS MUCH WORST THAN WHEN I DROPPED IT OFF. LUCKILY MY WIFE WAS BEHIND ME TO SLOW TRAFFIC IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET OUR SUV BACK IN OUR GARAGE BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS ESPECIALLY DURING TRAFFIC HOURS. THE GEARS AND THE LOUD TRANSMISSION SHIFT COULD NOW BE HEARD. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN BEFORE THEN. GOING UP HILLS NOW IT TOOK ITS TIME. HAVE TO PUT IT REVERSE SO THAT I CAN GET IT IN STRAIGHT INTO THE GARAGE AND BOOM, THEN I HEARD LIKE COIL SPRINGS POPPING. I PUT IT BACK ON DRIVE AND WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE GARAGE. TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM A LONG TIME AGO AND FAILED TO NOTIFY US. BENNET TOYOTA @2300 HANOVER AVENUE @ (610)437-6711, DID NOT EVEN WANT TO TALK TO ME. THEY MUST HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO THE TRANSMISSION WHEN I TOLD THEM NO. BECAUSE NOW IT IS 99% FAILING COMPARE TO WHEN I TOOK IT WHEN I NOTICED THE SAFETY HAZARDS/ AND THE NOISES WHEN I SHIFT GEAR FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE. NOW I HEAR BIG THUMPS WHEN I SHIFT AND COILS SPRINGING. THE RAV4 IS AUTOMATIC BY THE WAY. HOPE YOU CAN HELP WITH THIS. JUST REMEMBER, TOYOTA NEW ABOUT THIS. P.S. ALMOST HIT A LITTLE GIRL ON A BIKE THE SAME DAY. *TR

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING-LETTER TO THE SECRETARY FROM RE TOYOTA PROBLEMS *TGW 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN PLUGGED INTO THE ELECTRIC CHARGING SYSTEM, THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY. THE CONSUMER STATED IT CAN HAPPEN IF THE GEAR IS INADVERTENTLY SHIFTED OUT OF PARK AND INTO NEUTRAL IF THE VEHICLE IS PARKED ON A SLIGHT SLOPE. *JB

MY TOYOTA RAV4 2003 HAS 85,200 MILES AND TRANSMISSION IS GIVING ME A LOT OF PROBLEMS. IT'S JERKING THE FIRST AND SECOND SPEED AND WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER(FINDLAY TOYOTA) THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NO WARRANTY SO I HAVE TO SPEND $1,600 BUYING A NEW COMPUTER AND IF THE PROBLEM PERSIST I WILL HAVE TO SPEND MONEY FIXING THE TRANSMISSION. THERE IS A BULLETIN FROM TOYOTA ABOUT THIS FAILS(RAV4 2001-2003) BUT WAS SENT TO DEALERS AND NO TO OWNERS. *TR

MY 2003 RAV4, SUDDENLY BEGAN HAVING INTERMITTENT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS - THE TRANSMISSION STICKS IN FIRST GEAR THEN BANGS INTO SECOND; JERKING SPORADICALLY - NOT MOVING, THEN LUNGING FORWARD. IT IS DANGEROUS. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY TOYOTA AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS IT. $3,500. MY CAR HAS JUST OVER 100,000 MILES. IT IS "YOUNG. I LOOKED ONLINE AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THE NEW YORK TIMES DID AN ARTICLE IN AUGUST 2009. TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THIS SINCE 2006. THE ARTICLE MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A "BULLETIN" THAT SAID THEY WOULD REPAIR THE PROBLEM UP TO 80,000 MILES AND 8 YEARS. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED AND NOW MY CAR IS UNDER THE YEARS AND OVER THE MILES. AT CARCOMPLAINTS.COM I FOUND A LOT OF OTHERS THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS. MOST OF THE MILEAGE IS OVER 80,000. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE OF MY MILEAGE...THEY CAN'T HELP ME. BUT, IT WAS THEIR DEFECT. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WHY WASN'T I NOTIFIED EARLIER SO IT COULD BE REPLACED? THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE ISN'T A RECALL. IS THAT BECAUSE NO ONE DIED BECAUSE OF IT YET? *TR UPDATED IVOQ 10/01/10 THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE TRANSMISSION ALONG WITH THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED IVOQ 10/08/10.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR AND WOULD ABRUPTLY JERK WHEN DOING SO. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE PERSISTED INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 101,000.

DRIVING MY RAV 4 2003 WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT HAD NO POWER STRUGGLED TO SHIFT IT FELT LIKE I WAS RIDING A BULL. IT IS VERY SCARY. WHEN YOU HAVE NO POWER AND NEED TO ACCELERATE AT A LIGHT. PLEASE PROTECT THE PEOPLE. FORCE TOYOTA TO SO A RECALL. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE. DO NOT WAIT TILL SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. I AM NOW HAVING TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION AND COMPUTER.$3300. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP SO I DO NOT HAVE THE VIN# PLUS WHEN YOU TAKE IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT. IT DOES NOT SHOW ON THE COMPUTER THAT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION OR THE ECU. *TR

OUR 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 HAS BEGUN TO HAVE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. WHEN DRIVING, THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY LURCH FORWARD OR HESITATE TO ACCELERATE. WE IMMEDIATELY HAD THIS INVESTIGATED, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE ONBOARD COMPUTER NEEDED REPLACING AT A RIDICULOUS DOLLAR AMOUNT. THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR HAS YET TO BE COMPLETED. MEANWHILE, WE'VE HAD TIME TO RESEARCH THE PROBLEM, ONLY TO FIND THOUSANDS OF OTHER TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME DANGEROUS LURCHING AND HESITATION OF THEIR VEHICLE. TOYOTA SAYS THAT OUR CAR IS EITHER TOO OLD OR HAS TOO MANY MILES ON IT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED, AND NOW THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT THIS SERIOUS UNCONTROLLABLE PROBLEM. WE JUST FELT YOU SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. *TR