Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR 2002 RAV4 LAST WEEK, SHE PULLED AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN AND OUR 2002 RAV4 STARTED JERKING AND THEN SLOWED TO A SUDDEN STOP RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. AFTER A "SCARY MOMENT", IT STARTED DRIVING NORMALLY AGAIN. WE TOOK THE CAR TO OUR MECHANIC THE NEXT DAY TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED, IT WAS ABOUT DUE . WE WERE TOLD THE TRANSMISSION IS PROBABLY "SHOT". WHILE SHOPPING ON-LINE FOR A REPLACEMENT, I CAME ACROSS NUMEROUS WEB SITES WITH HUNDREDS OF RAV4 CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS! TURNS OUT HE PROBLEMS WERE IDENTIFIED, BY TOYOTA THEMSELVES A FEW YEARS AGO, AS A MALFUNCTIONING ECM (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE) CAUSING THE FAILURES OF THE TRANSMISSIONS WITHIN 50 MILES OF DRIVING. TOYOTA NOTIFIED THEIR SERVICE TECHS, BUT DID NOT NOTIFY IT'S CUSTOMERS OF THIS PROBLEM. WE MAINTAIN OUR VEHICLES ROUTINELY AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE RAV. BUT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. A CAR STALLING IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF NOT DEADLY. TOYOTA MOTORS HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE FOR YEARS, AND THEY HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM THEIR CUSTOMERS OF SUCH DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AND TO REPAIR AND/OR REPLACE ANY MALFUNCTIONING PARTS IN THEIR CUSTOMERS CARS THAT COULD CAUSE SUCH A SITUATION. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I PURCHASED MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 FROM MY DEALER, RICH TOYOTA OF HUNTINGTON, WV IN SPRING 2002'IT WAS HIS DEMO CAR, VIN#[XXX] ; MODEL #4416A. AT 107,00 MILES, OUT OF THE CLEAR-BLUE, THE RAV4 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS, THEN WENT OUT, BUT THEN SHIFTING BECAME ERRATIC. I HAVE SERVICED THIS VEHICLE FAITHFULLY SINCE I PURCHASED IT AND EXPECTED TO GET ANOTHER 100,000 MORE MILES, BUT, MY DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT HAS BEEN SERVICED SINCE PURCHASE, SAID IT WAS GOING TO COST OVER $1,200 FOR THE ECC/ECM (ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTER/ENGINE CONTROL MODULE), AND EVEN IF I REPLACE JUST THE ECC/ECM, IT STILL MAY NOT WORK WITH THE OLD TRANSMISSION, SO IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT I REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION TOO FOR ANOTHER $3,500 BECAUSE THE DEFECTIVE ECC MAY HAVE DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION. THEY ALSO SUGGESTED REPLACEMENT OF THE AIR-FUEL SENSOR FOR A TOTAL OF $5,189.00 IN REPAIRS BEFORE TAXES. I HAD NEVER REALIZED THAT THERE WERE EVER ANY SERIOUS PROBLEMS LIKE THIS WITH THE TOYOTA PRODUCT LINE UNTIL I WENT ONLINE TO RESEARCH THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. WHAT AN EYE-OPENER!!! THERE WERE MANY, MANY PROBLEMS DOCUMENTED WITH MANY OF TOYOTA'S PRODUCTS! CONSIDERING THAT THIS RAV4 WAS A $22,000 VEHICLE WHEN I PURCHASED IT, DOESN'T IT SEEM STRANGE THAT AFTER JUST 6 YEARS IT IS INOPERABLE AND EVEN DANGEROUS! AFTER E-MAILING AND SENDING A LETTER TO TOYOTA USA IN TORRENCE CALIFORNIA ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I CALLED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-331-4331 AND TALKED WITH A REAL PERSON. PLUS, I HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED A CASE NUMBER, WHICH GOES INTO THEIR DATABASE AND LOGS THE ISSUE SHOULD THEY HAVE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO WARRANT A RECALL OR OTHER REMEDY. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AND DEFECTIVE ECU AT A COST OF ABOUT $4,500. AFTER RESEARCHING YOUR COMPLAINT FILES ON THIS RAV4 ISSUE, WHY HASN'T NHTSA DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT WITH TOYOTA!!!!???? *TR

WEEK OF 2/23/10 SNOW DAY DRIVING HOME AND MY VEHICLE STARTED HAVING SHIFTING PROBLEMS WITH OUT WARNING. THE NEXT DAY THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE UN NOTICEABLE. WEEK OF 3/1/10 ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK THE PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN WITH OUT WARNING. THIS TIME IT WAS SEVERE SHIFTING PROBLEMS. I DROVE IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS IS TURNING OUT TO BE A SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLAR PROBLEM. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND THAT HUNDREDS OF TOYOTA CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I FOUND THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROBLEM FOR YEARS BUT ONLY COVERS IT IF FOUND UNDER THE WARRANTY PERIOD IF THE PROBLEM PRESENTS ITSELF. BUT AFTER THAT TOYOTA PLACE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN ON THEIR CUSTOMERS FOR THE KNOWN PROBLEMS FOUND BETWEEN THE ECM AND THE TRANSMISSION. MILEAGE ON DAY OF INCIDENT IS APROX 97,000 MILES. IT SEEMS LIKE TOYOTA'S UNSAID MOTTO IS LETS SELL VEHICLES WITH KNOWN DEFECTS, DON'T TELL OUT CUSTOMERS, AND DO NOTING FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS BUYING A ROCK SOLID CAR BECAUSE IT WAS TOYOTA. WITH ME HAVING TO BARE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF A KNOWN PROBLEM TELLS ME THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT AND WILL NOT BACK THEIR PRODUCTS.. *TR UPDATED IVOQ 11/12/10

HELLO, MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2001 TOYOTA RAV 4 IN 2003. IT SERVED US WELL UNTIL ABOUT A MONTH AGO, WHEN AT 93,500 MILES IT BEGAN TO HAVE SHIFTING PROBLEMS. WHEN THE CAR WAS COLD, I WOULD STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR WOULD CRAWL ALONG; THEN IT WOULD BEGIN TO SLIP, AS IF I HAD HIT A PATCH OF ICE--THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. AND I HEARD A LOUD AND OMINOUS CLANKING NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR AS I CRAWLED ALONG. AS THE ENGINE WARMED UP, THE PROBLEM SUBSIDED SO I HEADED HOME. AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE CAR STALLED MOMENTARILY. THANKFULLY, NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED, THOUGH I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR-ENDED. AFTER MANY HOURS SPENT WITH MY MECHANIC, OUR SELLING TOYOTA DEALER, AND A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ECU MODULE IN THE RAV WAS GOING BAD AND THAT IS WHAT WRECKED OUR TRANSMISSION. WE NEEDED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AND A NEW ECU MODULE. GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WORK: A WHOPPING $4500! I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND READ THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM; THAT IN 2006 TOYOTA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TO ITS DEALERS, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH ECUS IN RAVS MODEL YEAR 2001-2003. BUT THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES WERE NEVER NOTIFIED, LEADING TO A BURN-OUT OF RAV TRANSMISSIONS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST TOYOTA TO GET THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS. I CALLED TOYOTA; THEY POLITELY BUT FIRMLY REFUSED TO PAY FOR ANY OF THE WORK, SIMPLY CLAIMING THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THEN I SPOKE WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP--SAME ANSWER. THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF MONEY AND INCONVENIENCE; THESE VEHICLES ARE DANGEROUS AND I BELIEVE IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INTO AN ACCIDENT AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS THAT TOYOTA INSTALLED IN ITS VEHICLES. PLEASE PRESSURE TOYOTA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM IT HAS CREATED! THANK YOU. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4, WHICH I BOUGHT 2.5 YEARS AGO. I RECENTLY HAD TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT AND CLUTCH REPLACED AFTER IT SUDDENLY BEGAN SLIPPING GEARS. I HAD NO PRIOR WARNING LIGHT ALERTING ME THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM OCCURRING WITH MY CARS ENGINE. THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP HAD DONE EXTENSIVE REPAIR AND ULTIMATELY HAD TO KEEP MY CAR FOR THREE WEEKS TRYING TO DETERMINE WHY IT STILL WOULDN'T RUN PROPERLY. IT WAS FINALLY TAKEN TO FREEMAN TOYOTA IN PETALUMA CA TO HAVE THE COMPUTER "FLASHED". MY MECHANIC WAS TOLD THE COMPUTER WAS DEAD AND WOULD NEED REPLACING FOR JUST OVER $1,000.00. I HAD ALREADY BEEN QUOTED $3,300.00 FOR PRIOR REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH. HAD I BEEN ALERTED BY AN A WARNING THAT THE ENGINE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS, I COULD HAVE AVOIDED NEEDING TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT TOYOTA HAD A "DEALER" RECALL FOR THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE FREEMAN TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS DENIED THIS. I AM OUT $4,300.00 AND AM A SINGLE MOM WITH MS. *TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV-4 BEGAN HAVING GEAR SHIFT PROBLEMS ABOUT JANUARY 10, 2010. IT BUMPED, LURCHED, BURPED GOING INTO 2ND, 3RD AND 4TH GEARS. I TOOK IT TO MY REGULAR SERVICE DEALER AND THEY CHECKED IT OVER, THEY DRAINED AND REPLACED THE FLUID, PAN GASKET & FILTER. WHILE DRIVING IT HOME IT BEGAN THE GEAR PROBLEM AGAIN. I THEN TOOK IT TO A RECOMMENDED TRANSMISSION SHOP. THEY RECONDITIONED THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS OK FOR A FEW DAYS; TOOK IT BACK; MORE WORK DONE AS PART OF TRANSMISSION WARRANTY. STILL NOT FIXED. BIG PROBLEMS SHIFTING INTO SECOND AND THIRD GEARS MOST OF THE TIME. *TR

MY COMPLAINT IS ABOUT MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SHIFT AS IF IT WERE GOING TO STOP. IT STARTED TO JERK, SLOW DOWN SO MUCH UNTIL I THOUGHT THAT I WAS GOING TO GET HIT FROM BEHIND. I HAD TO PUT MY FLASHERS ON SO THE OTHER DRIVERS WOULD SLOW DOWN AND GO AROUND ME. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR ANYMORE. I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION CHECKED BUT NO ERROR CODE APPEARS. I WAS TOLD WITHOUT A CODE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG. THE TRANSMISSION WILL SHIFT O.K. FOR A WHILE AND THEN IT WILL START, JERKING, LOSING POWER, AND FAILING TO ACCELERATE. I AM AFRAID TO GO VERY FAR IN MY CAR FOR FEAR OF BEING STRANDED. I SEE THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME KIND OF PROBLEM WITH THEIR TOYOTA. PLEASE HELP! THANK YOU *TR

WE HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4 THAT OBVIOUSLY HAS A DEFECTIVE PART AND SAFETY ISSUES. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FOR OUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 YRS AGO FROM A DEALER AND IT HAD 74,000 MILES. THANKFULLY WE DID GET A EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT NOT ONE THAT WILL COVER THIS PROBLEM. THIS LAST NOVEMBER OUR DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND WAS STUCK GOING UP A HILL AS THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO THE RIGHT GEAR. SHE WAS STRANDED ON THE MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY UNTIL WE COULD COME GET HER. THANKFULLY SHE DID GET OFF THE ROAD, BUT IT SCARED US TO THINK THAT THIS CAR COULD OF DONE THIS IF SHE WAS AT A HIGH SPEED OR COULDN'T HAVE GOT OFF THE ROAD IN THE DARK MOUNTAIN TERRAIN. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A LOCAL SHOP AND THEY CONCLUDED THAT IT NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. WE HAD ONLY PUT MAYBE 10,000 MILES ON IT SINCE PURCHASE. THE WARRANTY COVERED THE $4000 REPLACEMENT COST OF A NEW TRANSMISSION. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE IT SEEMED TO RUN OK BUT STILL HAD SHIFTING PROBLEMS AT THE SPEED OF 20-30. A HARSH JERKING. OUR DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND AGAIN IT STOPPED WORKING IN A BUSINESS DISTRICT. SO BACK TO THE SHOP. WELL NOW WE ARE STUMPED ON WHAT COULD BE WRONG. EVEN HAD 2 SENSORS REPLACED AND STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. SO WE HAVE A TOYOTA, WHICH WE BOUGHT FOR OUR TEENAGE DAUGHTERS BECAUSE OF THEIR REPUTATION OF BEING A GREAT VEHICLE, BUT NOW WORRIED WHAT IT WILL DO AS THEY ARE DRIVING IT. SO THE LATEST IS I DID SOME OF MY OWN RESEARCH ON THIS YEAR VEHICLE. CAME ACROSS A WEBSITE CALLED RAV4WORLD. THERE ARE PAGES OFF COMPLAINTS ON TRANSMISSION FAILURES FOR RAV4 2001-2003. I GUESS TOYOTA DIDN'T DO A RECALL FOR A SUPPOSEDLY DEFECTIVE ECM THAT IS THE MAIN COMPUTER IN CAR AND IT IS LEADING TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. TOYOTA DID PUT OUT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON REPLACEMENT WHICH IS 96MONTHS OR 80,000 MILES. OUR CAR IS AT 84K. THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE DRIVING THIS CAR AND HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS DEFECTIVE ECM IS DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION??? ALSO IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE! *TR