2003 Toyota RAV4

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 RAV4, ENTERING A HIGHWAY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO ENGAGE IMMEDIATELY WHEN I ACCELERATED. IT HESITATED FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN FINALLY LURCHED FORWARD. I WAS VERY NEARLY STRUCK BY A VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE AS EXPECTED. NOW THE RAV FREQUENTLY BEHAVES ODDLY WHEN SHIFTING, SOMETIMES REFUSING TO UPSHIFT, SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTING AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES. THE DEALER ADVISES THE PROBLEM IS LIKELY A DEFECT IN THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) AS COVERED IN A TSB. FROM RESEARCH RECENTLY I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS ECM DEFECT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM BEGINNING IN 2006. I AM AMAZED THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL TO REPAIR THIS VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. NOW IT APPEARS I WILL BE ON THE HOOK FOR A VERY EXPENSIVE ECM REPLACEMENT. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE RELIGIOUSLY TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALER REGULARLY FOR MAINTENANCE, THEY NEVER ONCE MENTIONED THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. YET WHEN I DISCUSSED THIS BEHAVIOR WITH ONE OF THE DEALER'S SERVICE ADVISORS YESTERDAY, HE SEEMED QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THIS ISSUE. PLEASE CALL FOR A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TWICE, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,597.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD SPORADICALLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO STATED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000. *TR

TOYOTA HAS KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT ITS ECM UNIT WOULD ULTIMATELY FAIL. THIS FAILURE HAS CAUSED TRANSMISSIONS TO FAIL AS WELL. PULLING OUT INTO A BUSY INTERSECTION IN 3 RD GEAR, AS THEY ARE PRONE TO DO COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THESE. MY VEHICLE IS EXACTLY 3 MONTHS TOO OLD TO BE REPAIRED UNDER THEIR WARRANTY. *TR

HI I OWN A TOYOTA RAV4 2003 SINCE 2009 THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I AM ASKING THE NHTSA TO ORDER A RECALL TO HAVE TOYOTA FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR OFTEN DOES NOT ACCELERATE AS IT SHOULD. WHEN HEADED UP AND ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE CAR SPUTTERS BEFORE JERKING INTO GEAR AND ACCELERATING. AND THEN ABOUT 5-8 SECONDS LATER THE CAR WOULD JOLT INTO GEAR. ALSO, WHEN ALREADY MOVING AND GOING UP EVEN A SLIGHT HILL, WHEN I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR TO MAINTAIN SPEED, THE CAR SPUTTERS AS IT SHIFTS FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR BEFORE JERKING INTO THIRD GEAR. THROUGH THE INTERNET,I ALMOST GOT HIT A FEW TIMES. I LEARNED THAT THE ECM IS A COMPUTER (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE) THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION AND OTHER COMPONENTS, THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ECM MANUFACTURING DEFECT ON 2001 TO 2003 RAV4S NOW I HAVE TO SPEND LOTS OF MONEY THAT IT WASN'T IN MY BUDGET,..THE TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, WHY THEY NEVER HAD A RECALL? CAN SOMEONE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? *TR

MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED OUR 2003 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN JUNE 2003. THE CAR NOW HAS 103,000 MILES ON IT. IT RECENTLY BEGAN TO HAVE A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. ASIDE FROM THE ISSUE OF FAIRNESS TO THE CUSTOMER, THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I AM ASKING THE NHTSA TO ORDER A RECALL TO HAVE TOYOTA FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR OFTEN DOES NOT ACCELERATE AS IT SHOULD. WHEN HEADED UP EVEN A SLIGHT HILL AND ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE CAR SPUTTERS BEFORE JERKING INTO GEAR AND ACCELERATING. I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN IN THAT SITUATION AND ALMOST GOT BROADSIDED WHEN MY CAR SPUTTERED AND AN ONCOMING CAR BARELY SLOWED DOWN IN TIME TO AVOID HITTING ME. ALSO, WHEN ALREADY MOVING AND GOING UP EVEN A SLIGHT HILL, WHEN I PRESS THE ACCELERATOR TO MAINTAIN SPEED, THE CAR SPUTTERS AS IT SHIFTS FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR BEFORE JERKING INTO THIRD GEAR. THE TOYOTA DEALER TO WHOM I TOOK THE CAR SAID THE PROBLEM IS THE ECM AND THE COST TO REPAIR IT IS ABOUT $1,000. THROUGH THE INTERNET, I LEARNED THAT THE ECM IS A COMPUTER (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE) THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION AND OTHER COMPONENTS, THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ECM MANUFACTURING DEFECT ON 2001 TO 2003 RAV4S SINCE AT LEAST 2006, THAT TOYOTA HAS ISSUED SERVICE BULLETINS TO ITS DEALERS ON HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AND THAT TOYOTA HAS EVEN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES TO COVER THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE NHTSA WEBSITE SHOWS OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE LIKE ME WHERE THE PROBLEM SURFACED JUST AFTER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD ENDED. TO REITERATE, THIS IS A KNOWN WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH 2001 TO 2003 RAV4S, IT IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, IT AFFECTS THE CAR?S ABILITY TO ACCELERATE PROPERLY WHEN NEEDED, AND AS SUCH IT REPRESENTS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE RECALL THESE RAV4S BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS KILLED! *TR

EXPERIENCE A HARD SHIFT JERKING MOTION WHEN DRIVING MY CAR AND ALMOST GOT HIT TWICE DUE TO THE CAR JERKING AND IMMEDIATELY SLOWING DOWN. I TOOK IT IN TO KENDALL TOYOTA OF ANCHORAGE RIGHT AWAY AND THEN READ ONLINE THAT THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND ENHANCED WARRANTY OF 2001-2003 TOYOTAS BECAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION OF THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION. THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE! TOYOTA KENDALL SAID IT WOULD BE $6,000 TO REPLACE BOTH THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION AND THAT TOYOTA WOULD ONLY PAY HALF BECAUSE THE CAR WAS 10 YEARS OLD. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 60,000 MILES ON IT AND THE ENHANCED WARRANTY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TWICE DUE TO COMPLAINTS WITH THE COURT. I DID NOT GET MY CAR FIXED BECAUSE I COULD NOT AFFORD IT AND I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD PAY THE FULL 6K TO FIX IT. I'M AMAZED AT HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE AND TOYOTA FIRST ISSUED A RECALL AND WAS SUED IN COURT BECAUSE THEY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SERIOUS MALFUNCTION OF THEIR VEHICLES. *TR

INSPECT AND REPLACE WATER PUMP AND SERPENTINE BELT ON FEB 2009, ENGINE ISSUE AGAIN FEB 2012 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON/FLASHING - ESTIMATE $955.98+TAX - FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT $69.95+TAX TECH ROAD TESTED AND FOUND FRONT SWAY BAR END LINKS ARE WORN/LOOSE $435.82+TAX (REPAIRS COMPLETED) FEB 2012 BRAKE NOISE ~|~CUSTOMER STATES NOISE WHEN BRAKING ~|~FRONT AND REAR BRAKE INSPECTION DONE AT THIS TIME ~|~INSPECTION ONLY NO CONCERNS FOUND AT THIS TIME (ANOTHER MECHANIC REPLACED ENTIRE FRONT BRAKES SHORTLY AFTER AS THEY WERE FOUND HIGHLY DAMAGED) TRANSMISSION SERVICE ~|~CUSTOMER REQUESTS TRANSMISSION SERVICE W/DIFFERENTIALS ~|~MAINTENANCE ~|~DRAINED AND REFILLED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID W/TRANSFER CASE AND DIFFERENTIALS AS NEEDED (LESS THAN YEAR LATER HAD TRANS FLUID AGAIN REPLACED AS CONTINUED ISSUES) NOW IS SEEMINGLY WORSE AND MORE OFTEN. STEP ON GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS THEN JERKS FORWARD, LOUD THUNKING SOUND, EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AS UNKNOWN WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. HAVE NOT BEEN USING VEHICLE VERY MUCH BECAUSE OF IT. IF THIS ISSUE WAS KNOWN ABOUT IN 2006 WHY WAS THIS NEVER REPAIRED BEFORE I EVEN BOUGHT IT OR NOTIFY ME OF WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS? *TR

2003 RAV4 WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED HAVING TROUBLE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THERE SEEMED TO BE HARDLY ANY POWER WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED, AND THEN ABOUT 5-8 SECONDS LATER THE CAR WOULD JOLT INTO GEAR. THIS PROBLEM WOULD HAPPEN ALSO WHEN INCREASING SPEED, OR ANY TIME THE GAS PEDAL WAS PRESSED DOWN. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO SHOP WHERE THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION WAS BROKEN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AM A VERY CONSERVATIVE DRIVER (I NEVER TRY TO ACCELERATE TOO QUICKLY), AND THIS TRUSTY TOYOTA HASN'T EVER HAD ANY ENGINE PROBLEMS... EVER! THERE ARE LESS THAN 77,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. *TR

I PURCHASED THE RAV4 IN LATE JULY, 2013. THE RAV4 HAD 78,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. I PAID $9,000+ FOR THE RAV4. AT 80,000 MILES THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BEGAN HAVING SHIFTING PROBLEMS SUCH AS JERKING BETWEEN GEARS, VERY SLUGGISH RESPONSE DURING ACCELERATION AND HORRENDOUS GAS MILEAGE. I GET ABOUT 8 MILES PER GALLON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS ON MY CAR AND DISCOVERED THAT THE PROBLEMS FALL "WITHIN THE PARAMETERS" OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN NO.: TC-10-034 EXCEPT THE "IN SERVICE" DATE OF MY VEHICLE WAS MARCH 8, 2003 THEREBY MAKING ME INELIGIBLE FOR THE 10 YEAR WARRANTY BY 4 MONTHS. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! THIS IS A TOYOTA SCREWUP AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ROAD CONDITIONS OR OWNER NEGLECT. I BOUGHT THIS CAR SO MY DAUGHTER CAN CONTINUE HER DAYCARE. SHE SHUTTLES PRE-SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN TO VARIOUS RECREATION FACILITIES AND MY WIFE, WHO HAS TERMINAL CANCER, OFTEN ACCOMPANIES HER SO SHE CAN SPEND AS MUCH QUALITY TIME WITH HER BEFORE THE EVENTUALITY. NOW I'M READING THAT THIS PARTICULAR RAV4 PROBLEM CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IF TOYOTA "CARES FOR IT'S CUSTOMERS", HOW CAN THIS BE A SERVICE BULLETIN AND NOT A RECALL. THIS DEFECT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE OR DATE OF SERVICE. I JUST SPENT OVER $9,000 FOR A 10 YEAR OLD CAR BECAUSE IT WAS A TOYOTA. "IT'LL LAST FOREVER". I CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER COMPLAINT PHONE NUMBER AND ALL I GOT WAS CONTEMPT. HER NAME WAS [XXX] AND HER ARGUMENT WAS "TOYOTA WAS VERY KIND IN EXTENDING THE WARRANTY FOR YOU", IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR NOT READING IT". YEAH RIGHT, IT'S MY FAULT FOR NOT FOLLOWING YOUR SCREWUPS FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS. I WANT MY CAR FIXED!! I CAN'T AFFORD $5,000 FOR A TRANSMISSION, ECM AND COMPUTER REBOOT. THIS IS A TOYOTA PROBLEM AND I, THE CUSTOMER, DEMAND TO BE HEARD. IF TOYOTA TRULY "CARES FOR ITS CUSTOMERS", THEY HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO DO THE RIGHT THING. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR