2003 Toyota RAV4

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW THERE HAS BEEN A SQUEAKING/CRUNCHING NOISE IN THE DASHBOARD THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GET RID OF. MY MECHANIC HAS PUT PACKING BEHIND MY RADIO AND IN THE VICINITY AND FOR THE FIRST DAY THE NOISE IS GONE BUT IT ALWAYS RETURNS. IT IS HORRIBLE IN THE WINTER IN THE MIDWEST WHEN EVERYTHING IS COLD AND STIFF BUT GETS A LITTLE MORE TOLERABLE WHEN ITS HOT AND HUMID. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4- SEEMS TO BE EXACT SAME PROBLEM EVERYONE ELSE IS HAVING--NO PROBLEMS UNTIL EARLY THIS YEAR 2008, TRANSMISSION WAS SKIPPING GEAR 2 TO 3, TOOK TO MECHANIC THEN TO TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, WHERE THE SAME PROCEDURE OCCURRED. COMPUTER CHIP REPLACED, FEW DAYS LATER, SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. TRANSMISSION REPLACED AT 89,000 MILES, 3400 DOLLARS TOTAL. OTHERWISE, THE CAR IS GREAT. NO ACCIDENT, JUST TOO MUCH HASSLE, MONEY, AND SEVERAL STRESSFUL, SCARY RIDES HOME. *TR

MY 2003 TOYOTA RAV-4 WITH 103,000 MILES ON IT IS HAVING SEVERE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND WITHOUT LUNGING, CLUNKING, AND HESITATING TO THE POINT WHERE IT HARDLY MOVES. JUST HAD THE 90,000 MILE TUNE UP DONE AND THE DEALER COULD NOT ID THE PROBLEM. AFTER GETTING THE CAR HOME IT IS UNDRIVABLE-WE DID NOT THINK WE WOULD MAKE IT TO THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP. THEY TELL ME IT IS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM-VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. I HAVE READ THAT MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. IT IS DANGEROUS AND A CLEAR MANUF. DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. MY CAR IS NOW SITTING IN THE SHOP WITH NO HOPE OF A SOLUTION. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4, AT 86600 MILES IT APPEARED MY TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING, WHEN I WOULD PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ANYONE IT WAS STALL AND SLIP WHILE GOING INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION), THE DEALERSHIP (TOYOTA) SAID IT WAS INTERNAL IN THE TRANSMISSION SO I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION PLACE, THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. AFTER REVIEW THE COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS HAPPENING WITH TOYOTA'S 2001 THRU 2003 AND IT IS THE ECM THAT GOES BAD AND IF YOU DRIVE YOUR CAR IT WILL TARE UP THE TRANSMISSION. I WENT BACK TO TOYOTA AND SHOWED THEM THE BULLETIN PUT OUT BY TOYOTA AND AFTER SOME BACK AND FORTH WITH THEM THEY INSTALLED ME A NEW ECM, THIS WAS JUST 2 DAYS AGO, THEY ARE NOT SURE IF THIS WILL FIX THE PROBLEM OR NOT, BUT I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEONE GET KILLED, THIS IS A REAL EXPENSE TO THE CAR OWNERS. *TR

MY MOTHER WAS DRIVING BACK FROM HER SECOND HOME ON THE 60 FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED AND CAME UP UPON STOPPED TRAFFIC. SHE APPLIED HER BRAKES HARD BUT RAN INTO THE BACK OF ONE VEHICLE WHICH WAS PUSHED OUT OF THE LANE AND THEN MY MOTHER CONTINUED INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. IN NEITHER OF THE 2 SEPARATE COLLISIONS DID ANY OF THE AIRBAGS IN HER 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 DEPLOY. BECAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT SHE BROKE HER NECK BETWEEN C5 AND C6 IN HER SPINAL COLUMN AND HAS BEEN IN THE ICU UNIT OF THE LOCAL HOSPITAL EVER SINCE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE OIL INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE ENGINE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE LACK OF OIL IN THE ENGINE, ALTHOUGH OIL HAD BEEN PLACED IN THE VEHICLE A WEEK BEFORE. THE ENGINE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED IN JULY OF 2006 DUE TO THE SAME FAILURE. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000.