Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WOULD SHIFT DOWN A GEAR CAUSING THE CAR TO SUDDENLY REDUCE SPEED. THIS OCCURRED A NUMBER OF TIMES AND UPON BRINGING IT TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER FOR THE VEHICLE. BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (APPROX. 90,000 MILES) THE REPAIR IS NOT COVERED, HOWEVER, IF I HAD LET THE PROBLEM CONTINUE WITHOUT REPAIR I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING SO WE DECIDED TO ADD SOME ATF. THAT SEEMED TO WORK FOR A DAY BUT THE SHIFTS BECAME HARDER AFTER THAT. AT TIMES THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY AND WOULD BOG DOWN. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STARTED GIVING US THE RUNAROUND. THEY SAID THE TRANNY NEEDS FIXING (THE CAR WAS SOMETHING LIKE 500 MILES OUT OF THE WARRANTY), THEN THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL REPLACE THE COMPUTER TO SEE IF THAT FIXES THE PROBLEM. IT DIDN'T, SINCE AS WE ALL KNOW THE ORIGINAL COMPUTER HAS ALREADY CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO BREAK AND THE NEW ONE WOULD NOT HELP. AT THIS POINT I STARTED RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM AND FOUND MANY MORE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. I CALLED TOYOTA TO COMPLAIN AND THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING EVEN THOUGH: A) THE CAR WAS JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY, B) THEY PROVIDED A TSB TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH IGNORED IT AND DID NOT DO THE UPDATE TO THE COMPUTER BEFORE THE PROBLEM SHOWED UP, C) ALL MAINTENANCE WORK WAS DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. IN THE END WE PAID TO GET THE TRANSMISSION FIXED OUT OF POCKET WHICH WAS NOT CHEAP. *TR

CAR WOULDN'T SHIFT PROPERLY. TOYOTA DEALER SAID I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE SOLENOID. AFTER INTERNET SEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I ASKED THAT THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP REPLACE THE COMPUTER (MUCH LESS COSTLY) AND THE CAR STARTED WORKING AGAIN. AN INTERNAL MEMO TO DEALERS STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE MAKE/MODEL BUT THE LOCAL DEALER DID NOT MENTION SUCH A MEMO. I ONLY FOUND IT AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. THE RPMS RAPIDLY BEGAN TO INCREASE. WHENEVER SHIFTING FROM SECOND GEAR TO THIRD GEAR RANGE THERE WAS A JERKING SENSATION. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE IN OPERATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD BE POSSIBLY RELATED TO THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECU). THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN PULLING FROM A LIGHT AND TRYING TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, IT DID NOT RESPOND. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD AS IF SOMEONE HAD STOMPED ON THE GAS PEDAL. SHE NOTICED THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO THE FAILURE TO A SMALLER DEGREE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE CAUSE FOR FAILURE AND MOST LIKELY NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FILED A COMPLAINT WITH A REPRESENTATIVE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 92,000.

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED MAKING NOISES. IT CRACKED REAL LOUD ONE TIME AND I HAD NO POWER. WHEN I CAME TO A RED LIGHT AND TRIED TO GO AGAIN IT WOULDN'T TAKE OFF. TOOK ME 3 HRS TO DRIVE 55 MILES TO GET MY RAV HOME. CONTACTED A GARAGE THAT SPECIALIZES IN TRANSMISSION. WAS TOLD THEY JUST RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM TOYOTA THAT THE COMPUTER CHIP IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING BUT THAT I HAD TO MANY MILES TO QUALIFY. THE GARAGE PUT IN A NEW COMPUTER CHIP (RECOMMENDED BY TOYOTA) AND IT DIDN'T COMPLETELY TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM SO THEY ENDED UP PUTTING A WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSION IN TO THE PRICE OF $4611. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. I'VE BEEN THE SOLE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND PURCHASED IT BAND NEW IN 2002 FROM A LOCAL HONOLULU TOYOTA DEALER. IN MID/LATE 2009, THE VEHICLE STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS: HARD SHIFTING IN LOWER GEARS 1, 2 & 3, HARD SHIFTING WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE SHAKING AND VIBRATING WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM THE STOPPED POSITION WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS SLOWLY PRESSED.. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT TOYOTA ISSUED MEMO OUTLINING THE PROBLEMS I DESCRIBED ABOVE POSSIBLY DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND/OR THE ECU (COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION). A TOYOTA SERVICING MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT MY 2002 RAV4 WAS NO LONGER UNDER DRIVETRAIN WARRANTY, SO REPAIR COST ARE MY RESPONSIBILITY. A QUICK WEB SEARCH OF "RAV4 TRANSMISSIONS" SHOWS THAT MANY OTHER RAV4 OWNERS SUFFER FROM SIMILAR PROBLEMS, RESULTING IN VERY HIGH REPAIR COSTS, ANYWHERE FROM $3,000 UP TO $8,000. THE VEHICLE STILL SUFFERS FROM THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROBLEMS, BUT DUE TO THE HIGH REPAIR ESTIMATES I AM UNABLE TO FIX THE VEHICLE. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2002 TOYOTA RAV-4 WITH 60,000 MILES AND HAVE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I READ ONLINE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING ISSUE WITH 2001-2003 TOYOTA RAV-4S AND THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT IT SINCE 2006, YET THEY CONTINUE TO SELL THEM. MY ISSUE STARTED IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED GOING FROM 1ST TO 2ND SHIFT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT JERKED AND MOVED FORWARD, SOMETIMES DOING THIS SEVERAL TIMES CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL REACHING ABOUT 35 MILES/HR. IT WAS HARD GOING UP HILL AND AT TIMES FELT UNSAFE WITH VEHICLES TRAVELING VERY CLOSE BEHIND ME. I BROUGHT IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE ECM SENSOR THAT WENT. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD SEEN THIS ISSUE WITH MANY OTHER RAV-4S AND TOYOTA ISSUED NO RECALL. SO THIS WAS FIXED AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS MY CAR WAS BAD AGAIN. I CONTACTED TOYOTA, AND THEY CHARGED ME AGAIN TO LOOK AT IT AND THEM TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WENT DUE TO THIS SENSOR ISSUE AND I NEEDED A NEW ONE. ALSO THAT ALTHOUGH IT WAS TOYOTA'S PROBLEM, THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE OVER $6000 AND WHEN CALLING OTHER TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS THEY WANTED ANYWHERE FROM 3000-5000. THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR NOT JUST MYSELF BUT I'M SURE MANY OTHER CONSUMERS WHO ARE LEFT FEELING UNSAFE DRIVING THESE VEHICLES AND WITHOUT THE CASH TO FIX IT. I HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT IN WEEKS, SINCE THE LAST TIME I DROVE IT I WAS PULLING OUT ONTO A BUSY STREET AND I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO MAKE IT ONTO THE ROAD BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TURN MY CAR FELT AS IF IT WOULD STALL AND TOOK A WHILE BEFORE IT GOT INTO 2ND GEAR TO DRIVE OFF. IN THE MEANTIME A CAR THAT WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 30-40MILES/HR WAS COMING AT ME AND I BARELY MADE IT ONTO THE RODE AND DROVE OFF IN TIME. HAD THE CAR BEEN ANY CLOSER, AND HE WAS PRETTY FAR INITIALLY, HE MAY HAVE HIT ME. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE READ OF OTHERS FAILING ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I HOPE THAT AN ACCIDENT OR EVEN DEATH DOESN'T RESULT. *TR