2003 Toyota RAV4

THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS A HARD SHIFT INTO REVERSE. LIKE A LURCH. ABOUT 2 DAYS LATER I NOTICED THE SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD WAS TAKING LONGER THAN IT SHOULD. ON ABOUT THE 4TH DAY, AT A LIGHT WHEN STOPPED, I HIT THE GAS AND DIDN'T MOVE. THERE WAS A NOTABLE HESITATION AND I NEARLY WAS REARENDED. FINALLY ON ABOUT THE 5TH DAY, I HAD THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND WAS CRAWLING ALONG THE ROAD BASICALLY. WE TURNED AROUND AND PARKED IT, AND IT HAS SAT EVER SINCE, FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT AND WE ONLY HALF OWN IT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV-4. WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE FLOOR MAT THINKING THAT WAS THE PROBLEM, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE CONSUMERS WIFE WENT UP HILL AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING. THE CONSUMER STATED HE DROVE UP THE SAME HILL ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. 3/12/2010 UPDATE*CW UPDATED 06/28/10*JB

WE RECENTLY ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM WITH OUR 2003 TOYOTA RAV4 WHERE THE TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY SEEMED TO SLIP WHEN ENGAGING FIRST GEAR FROM A STOPPED POSITION, SHIFTED HARSHLY BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS, OR AT TIMES SEEMED TO SLIP BETWEEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. THE RESULT OF THE HESITATION TO SHIFT GEARS REPRESENTS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE IN TRAFFIC, AND WE FEARED THIS ISSUE WOULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. WE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP (APPLE VALLEY TOYOTA IN MARTINSBURG, WV) TO LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM. WE DROPPED OFF THE VEHICLE OVERNIGHT, AND RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY INFORMING US THAT WE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION (QUOTED $3800). RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET, WE FOUND THE KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE ECM FOR THIS MODEL YEAR VEHICLE, AND THE FACT THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE ISSUE SINCE AT LEAST 2006- ALTHOUGH THEY DID NOT INFORM THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES, NOR DID THE MECHANICS AT THE DEALERSHIP SEEM TO KNOW THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE- DESPITE A 2006 TSB ON THE SUBJECT. UNFORTUNATELY WE DID NOT FIND THIS OUT UNTIL AFTER WE HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER SHOP AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AND THE SOLENOID BOX REPLACED. NOW, AFTER ALMOST $4000, WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHICH HAS LEFT THE VEHICLE UNDRIVABLE. WE FEEL THAT TOYOTA HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO THEIR CUSTOMERS AND THAT THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT WARRANTS A RECALL. AND THAT EVEN IF A RECALL IS NOT ORDERED, THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST ALERTED THEIR CUSTOMERS TO THIS ISSUE AND PREPARED THEIR DEALERSHIPS ON HOW TO IDENTIFY AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE CORRECTLY. PLEASE BE PROACTIVE AND INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST. THIS PROBLEM MAKES OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE UNSAFE! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COMPUTER MODULE FOR THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING EXCESSIVELY. THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 80,000 MILES; ALTHOUGH, THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,000 THE MANUFACTURER AGREED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE.

I HAD A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. ON APRIL 24TH 2009 I PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND MY TRANSMISSION MADE MY CAR STALL ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT MY TRANSMISSION ACTED IT UP. THE TORQUE CONVERTER BURNED UP IN IT. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT. A COMPANY ON EBAY REBUILDS THE DEFECTIVE ECMS TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA HAS A REAL BIG PROBLEM ON THEIR HANDS AND THAT THEY HAVE REBUILT TONS OF THE ECMS. *TR THE CONSUMER STATED SHE HAD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK 3 TIMES, BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. UPDATED 03/24/10.*JB

MY TOYOTA RAV4 AUTOMATIC SUDDENLY BEGAN TO RUN ROUGHLY, AND CLUNK WHEN SHIFTING. I ATTEMPTED A LEFT TURN AT A LIGHT INTO A PARKING LOT TO CHECK THE CAR WHEN IT HESITATED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUSY INTERSECTION. THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS ALERT ENOUGH TO AVOID ME BUT IT WAS CLOSE. I WOULD NOT HAVE ATTEMPTED THAT TURN IF I HAD KNOWN THE EXTENT OF THE CAR'S PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR HOME AND THE HARD SHIFTING, HESITATING AND SKIPPING GEARS CONTINUED. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH '01-03 RAV4'S. WELL KNOWN TO THE OWNERS AS WELL TOYOTA SINCE 2006. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN '03 AND THIS IS THE FIRST I HAVE HEARD OF IT. I HAD THE ECM REBUILT-NOT BY TOYOTA-AND THE CAR SEEMS TO BE RUNNING FINE NOW. *TR

CAR WAS HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING. IT FELT LIKE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ON. I PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. I HAD TO PULL OVER. I CALLED MY MECHANIC WHO SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION AND RECOMMENDED A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT. THEY ALSO REPLACED THE COMPUTER. THEY TOLD ME THE COMPUTER FAILURE IS WHAT CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE PARTS LISTED ARE THE COMPUTER, CONVERTER, OVERHAUL KIT FOR AWD, AND TRANSAXLE OIL FILTER. *TR