Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

A NORMAL DRIVING DAY FOR OUR 2002 TOYOTA RAV4, MAYBE 30 MILES OF ERRANDS. THE CAR WAS RUNNING FINE IN THE MORNING BUT WE WERE BARELY ABLE TO LIMP IT HOME BY THAT SAME AFTERNOON. OUR MECHANIC SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT, WHICH I FOUND HARD TO BELIEVE, SINCE THE CAR WAS ASYMPTOMATIC THAT MORNING. THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST SAID THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS PROBLEM MANY TIME BEFORE AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE ISSUE WAS. THE COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (PART # 89661-42820) CAN MALFUNCTION WITHOUT WARNING AND IN THE PROCESS DESTROY THE TRANSMISSION. HE HAD RECEIVED TSB# TC002-06 FROM TOYOTA DETAILING THE ISSUE, AND HAS REBUILT SEVERAL TRANSMISSION FOR THE SAME REASON. WE WERE STRONGLY ADVISED TO REPLACE THE ECM, A $1300 PART, OR OUR NEW TRANSMISSION WOULD LAST FOR ABOUT 30-50 MILES BEFORE COMING APART AGAIN. AFTER REBUILDING THE 2ND AND 3RD CLUTCHES AND REPLACING THE ECM, OUR BILL CAME TO ABOUT $3500. I REPORTED ALL OF THIS TO TOYOTA AND AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS TIME AND MUCH NEGOTIATION, THEY OFFERED ME A $1500 CUSTOMER RETENTION INCENTIVE, GOOD IF I BUY A NEW OR CERTIFIED USED TOYOTA IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS. THE ENTIRE PROCESS HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED WITH TOYOTA NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS UNDER FILE #0906113635. *TR

2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WITH NO WARNING OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, CAR BEGAN BUCKING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS - BUT THEN SMOOTHED OUT IN THE HIGHER GEARS AND ALSO AS THE CAR WARMED UP. NO OTHER CARS AROUND SO NO DANGER TO MYSELF OR OTHERS. THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED FLUID, SO I TRIED THAT. SEEMED TO IMPROVE SOMEWHAT FOR TWO DAYS - THEN THE SLIPPING BECAME VERY BAD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THAT SAME AFTERNOON I BROUGHT CAR INTO MY MECHANIC, WHOSE COMPUTER DIAGNOSED A DEFECTIVE SOLONOID. AFTER REPLACEMENT ($117), TRANSMISSION WAS STILL SLIPPING. FOUND A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY DIAGNOSED A FAULTY ECM. COST FOR REPLACEMENT: $1450. DON'T KNOW AT THIS TIME WHETHER OR NOT TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN IRREPARABLY DAMAGED. COST TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION: $3500. *TR

I BOUGHT A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 IN NOV 2001. SOMETIME IN NOV 2009, I WAS DRIVING ON I-25 SOUTHBOUND WHEN SUDDENLY THE TOYOTA DOWN SHIFTED GEARS AND SLOWED DOWN FROM ABOUT 65 MPHTO 45 MPH. AS I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL, IT BEGAN TO UPSHIFT AND GAIN SPEED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS BEGINNING TO ACT UP AT LOWER SPEEDS ABOUT ONCE A WEEK AT TIMES MORE OFTEN. THE TOYOTA HAD ABOUT 86,000 MILES. AFTER DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT 35,000 MILES ON SOME TOYOTA. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REPORTED THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT OWN UP TO IT. GOOGLE SEARCH REPORTS REPORTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO NHTSA AND SUGGESTED OTHERS TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. ONE REPORTED THAT HIS WIFE WAS ALMOST KILLED BY THE HIGHWAY INSTANT SPEED REDUCTION. *TR

2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO FAULTY PCM- TECHNICAL BULLETIN #1046. TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCED BIND UP AND HARSH SHIFTING JANUARY 2010. VEHICLE TRANSMISSION STARTED BINDING UP, CAR WOULD NOT RUN PROPERLY. TOWED TO TRANSMISSION SHOP. ENTIRE TRANSMISSION AND FAULTY PCM HAD TO BE REPLACED AT COST OF $4600.00. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF ISSUE, RELEASED A TSB REGARDING REPAIR ISSUES. TSB IS LIMITED TO 8 YEARS OR 80,000 MILES. TOYOTA AND DEALER HAVE REFUSED TO HELP IN ANY WAY. *TR

TOYOTA RAV4 WITH ONLY 80,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS AND HERE IS YET ANOTHER. TOTALLY RIDICULOUS THAT TOYOTA WON'T STAND BEHIND THIS KNOWN ISSUE. ALL I CAN SAY IS WHERE DO I SIGN ON THE LAWSUIT? QUOTED OVER 3,000 TO REPLACE AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I'M SURE I SPEAK FOR ALL OF US WHEN I SAY, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW. CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION CAUSING A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. HE STATED THAT HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO BE REPAIRED IN DECEMBER OF 2008 AND WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. A LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION BUT HE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE THE FAILURE CODE FOR THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE COMPUTER ECM FAILED AND WAS CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWN SHIFT AND FAIL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPUTER ECM AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE CODE WAS CORRECTED. THE TOTAL REPAIR COST WAS $4,400. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY WOULD NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC, 6-CYLINDER 2007 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED AWD, THAT SUFFERS FROM THROTTLE/TRANSMISSION LAG OF 1-2 SECONDS. I EXPERIENCE IT MOST COMMONLY WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC OR CHANGING LANES, WHEN I DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR TO SPEED UP, THERE IS AN UNCOMFORTABLY LONG DELAY BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION CHANGES GEARS. THE RESULT IS I AM LEFT HANGING OUT IN A LANE WITH NO POWER OR SPEED. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION OR THROTTLE FINALLY KICKS IN, THE CAR LURCHES VIOLENTLY, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO LOSE CONTROL. I AND MANY OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION. BY THE WAY, I ALSO OWN A 2008 HONDA ACCORD AUTOMATIC AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN THE HONDA. I WOULD LIKE THIS TO BE LOOKED AT AND FIXED. *TR

HOW MANY TIMES DOES A PERSON HAVE TO FILE A COMPLAINT?? MY 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 HAS A MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS!! IT WASN'T UNTIL I PULLED OUT ON A HIGHWAY AND MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE (AND JUST MISSED GETTING PLOWED INTO BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE) THAT I DISCOVERED THERE WAS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE WITH MY CAR!! I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST THAT INFORMED ME ABOUT A BULLETIN THAT WAS SENT OUT IN 2006 ABOUT A DEFECT IN THE COMPUTER COMPONENT THAT OPERATES THE TRANSMISSION!! WHAT GOOD IS A BULLETIN IF THE CONSUMER KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT IT?? OH THATS RIGHT...IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY FOR TOYOTA TO GET OFF CHEAP!! A RECALL WOULD HAVE COST THEM MILLIONS!! I DID GET THE COMPONENT REPLACED (SINCE I ONLY HAVE 79,100 MILES ON MY CAR) AT NO CHARGE. HOWEVER, THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT!! TOYOTA DESERVES EVERYTHING THEY GET RIGHT NOW!! THEY ARE DISHONEST AND COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE CONSUMER!!!!! *TR