Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY DAUGHTER'S 2001 TOYATA RAV STARTED SLIPPING TWO WEEKS AGO. MY DAUGHTER STILL IS A COLLEGE STUDENT AND STILL RESIDES AT HOME COMMUTING TO SCHOOL (15 MILES ONE WAY) EVERYDAY. I AM A MECHANICAL ENGINEER AND HAVE RELIGIOUSLY MAINTAINED ALL OUR VEHICLES AND KNOW THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT GIVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH JUST OVER 100,000 MILES. I HAVE DRIVEN ALL MY VEHICLES WAY PAST OVER 160K MILES AND NEVER HAVE HAD ANY PROBLEMS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE ALOT OF COMPLAINTS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA SHOULD BE MADE TO RECALL AND FIX THE PROBLEMS. *TR

I ALSO HAD TO SHELL OUT $3000 TO REPLACE A FAULTY ECM FOR THE TOYOTA RAV4 2001. THE CAR HAD LOW MILEAGE AND JUST PAST THE 7 YEAR WARRANTY. THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING AND THE CAR ALMOST DIED ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP. I FOUND THOUSANDS OF REPORTED CASES OF PEOPLE SHARING THE SAME GRIEF AND APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM WITH THE ECM EXTENDS TO 2002-2003 RAV4 AND COROLLAS AS WELL. TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY HAD A RECALL THE PATCH THE ECM AT 2006. BUT THE PATCH DOES NOT WORK AND PERHAPS A SMALL BANDAGE TO MASK THE REAL PROBLEM. AND TOYOTA BANKED ON THE FACT THAT CAR WILL EXCEED THE WARRANTY SO THEY BLOW ALL OF US OFF AND MAKE US PAY FOR THE PART OR DUMP THE CAR. I BROUGHT THIS UP WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND ALSO WITH TOYOTA HEADQUARTER AND THEY VEHEMENTLY DENIED THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM AND REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR FREE OR TO DO A RECALL. BUT JUST DOING A CASUAL SEARCH THIS PROBLEM IS THE HIGHEST REPORTED PROBLEM WITH ANY TOYOTAS AND THIS PROBLEM SPANS TO EU AND AUSTRALIA AS WELL. THE ONLY REASON WHY THIS IS NOT PUBLICIZE IS BECAUSE LUCKILY NO ONE DIED, OR WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT. BUT THE RAV4 CAN EASILY STALLED ON THE FREEWAY AND CAUSING ANOTHER CAR TO SLAM INTO THE RAV4. TOYOTA HAS A HISTORY OF LYING TO THE PUBLIC. FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS, THEIR CARS ALL HAD SOME TYPE OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. IT'S NOT JUST THE ACCELERATOR OR BRAKE ISSUE, IT'S ELECTRICAL. THEY HAVE A POOR DESIGN THAT KILLS. I HOPE THIS LETTER CAN PROMPT ANOTHER INVESTIGATION INTO OTHER MODELS OF TOYOTA THAT HAD SUFFERED WITH OTHER ISSUES IN THE LAST DECADE. *TR

AROUND 12/1/2009, I NOTICED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO HAVE PROBLEMS SHIFTING, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN YOU WOULD THINK THAT THE CAR WOULD SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, IT WOULD NOT, OR WHEN YOU WERE AT A STOP LIGHT AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS AS IF THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL SO STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING BUT CAUSE A LOUD "REVVING" SOUND. IN MOST CASES WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, IT DID GET INTO GEAR AND THE CAR DID ACCELERATE HOWEVER WHEN THIS HAPPENED, THE CAR WOULD JERK SHARPLY. WITHIN A FEW DAYS THE PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING ALOT (AT EVERY STOP, EVERY TIME THE CAR NEEDED TO SHIFT BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR OR 2ND AND 3RD) SO I STOPPED DRIVING IT SINCE I DID NOT FEEL IT WAS SAFE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE CAR WAS MOVING IN TRAFFIC BUT THEN WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND GO THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND SPOKE TO MY MECHANIC AND WE AGREED THE CAR SEEMED TO BE EXHIBITING PROBLEMS DESCRIBED IN A TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN TC002-06 (A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE). AS MY CAR HAD JUST OVER 100000 MILES, TOYOTA REFUSED TO CONSIDER THIS AS COVERED BY WARRANTY SO I HAD TO PAY TO GET IT DONE (ENDED UP GOING TO A PRIVATE SHOP). CAR IS BETTER NOW, THOUGH IT MAY ALSO NEED GET THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AS THERE ARE STILL SOME ISSUES WHEN THE CAR SHIFTS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR OR 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. *TR

TOYOTA ISSUED A SECRET BULLETIN ON 3/3/2006 (TC006-02), BUT FAILED TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF 2001-2003 RAV4 VEHICLES REGARDING THEIR HARD SHIFTING, ECM PROBLEMS, AND TRANSMISSION FAILURES. DESPITE MY REPORTING THIS PROBLEM WITHIN WARRANTY PERIOD AT 54,000 MILES IN 2006, AND AGAIN IN 2007, TOYOTA CLAIMED UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW CHARGING ME 1/2 THE COST OF A NEW TRANSMISSION AT APPROXIMATELY $2,000 INCLUDING THE COST OF FLUSHING THE OLD ONE AND DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 RAV4, THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SLIPPING, IT IS AN AUTOMATIC AND SOMETIMES IT WON'T CHANGE GEARS WHEN IT SHOULD, SO IT WON'T ACCELERATE AND WHEN IT FINALLY DOES SWITCH TO THE NEXT GEAR THE WHO CAR JERKS AND TAKES OFF VERY QUICKLY. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING FOR NO REASON I HAVE NOT HAD ANY SORT OF ACCIDENT WITH THE VEHICLE AND TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF IT. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY CAMPBELL MOTORS IN HERMISTON OR, THAT THE ONLY OPTION IS TO COMPLETELY REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR A COST OF $3900. I HAVE READ THAT IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE RAV4 AND FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION IT IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TRAFFIC TO HAVE A CAR THAT JERKS AROUND AND ACCELERATES/WON'T ACCELERATE IN AN UNPREDICTABLE MANNER. *TR

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA RAV 4, WITH A VIN THAT BEGINS WITH A 'J', BUT I HAVE EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS. THE MOTOR RACES AND I HAVE TO PRESS VERY FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING FORWARD. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT, AND THEY DID A THOROUGH CHECK AND COULD NEITHER DUPLICATE THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM NOR FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT THE SYSTEMS THAT THEY CHECKED. THAT WAS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO. I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THAT PROBLEM SINCE, BUT IT HAPPENED INFREQUENTLY BEFORE. I AM CONCERNED THAT IS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4, APPROX. TWO MONTHS AGO THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON IT. AS I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2001-2004 TOYOTA RAV 4'S. IT SEEMS MANY OF THE ABOVE NOTED YEAR RAV'S HAVE A FAULTY ECU IN THEM, THIS ECU TELLS THE TRANSMISSION TO DO THE WRONG THING, THEREFORE CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. I HAVE BEEN QUOTED A PRICE TO REPAIR MY RAV4 IT WILL COST ME WELL OVER $5,000.00, REALLY? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS NOT A RECALL SITUATION SINCE SO MANY RAV 4 OWNERS ARE SUFFERING FROM THE SAME SITUATION. I BELIEVE THE COMPANY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF ITS CUSTOMERS, AT LEAST THEY SHOULD HAVE WARNED US ABOUT THE FAULTY ECU. I HAD ALWAYS LOVED MY RAV4, I AM SO DISAPPOINTED IN THE TOYOTA CORPORATION. *TR

THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS A HARD SHIFT INTO REVERSE. LIKE A LURCH. ABOUT 2 DAYS LATER I NOTICED THE SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD WAS TAKING LONGER THAN IT SHOULD. ON ABOUT THE 4TH DAY, AT A LIGHT WHEN STOPPED, I HIT THE GAS AND DIDN'T MOVE. THERE WAS A NOTABLE HESITATION AND I NEARLY WAS REARENDED. FINALLY ON ABOUT THE 5TH DAY, I HAD THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND WAS CRAWLING ALONG THE ROAD BASICALLY. WE TURNED AROUND AND PARKED IT, AND IT HAS SAT EVER SINCE, FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT AND WE ONLY HALF OWN IT. *TR

PURCHASED 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 NEW FROM TOYOTA DEALER IN OCTOBER 2001. EXPERIENCED HARD SHIFTING SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN TRAVELING UPHILL AND A HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS SHIFTING FINE. NOW THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND POSSIBLY THE COMPLETE TRANSMISSION. TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB IN 2008 BUT I WAS NEVER INFORMED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE THE CAR CAN STOP AT ANY TIME. *TR