Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

MY CAR STARTED ACTING UP IN MARCH 2008. I HAD MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT IN APRIL AND GOT THE CAR BACK STILL ACTING UP! I AM TRYING TO GO BY THE DEALERSHIP WHO SOLD IT TO ME AND GET THEIR MECHANIC TO LOOK AT IT AND HE IS TOO BUSY WHEN IT IS MESSING UP. IT ONLY DOES IT SOMETIMES NOW BUT IT SEEMS TO GET MORE FREQUENT. THE TSB I READ MENTIONED THE ECM AND THE TRANSMISSION GOING BAD SO IS THAT MY NEXT COSTLY EXPENSE? *TR

MY TOYOTA RAV IV WAS RECALLED TO HAVE THE ECM REPROGRAMMED. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA TO HAVE IT REPROGRAMMED, THE PROBLEMS WHERE FIXED FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS BUT THEN THEY CAME BACK. THE CAR DOES NOT RESPOND FOR A WHILE WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR, THEN IT JUMPS MAKING A LOUD NOISE AND RESTARTS RUNNING IN 2ND GEAR. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, SPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE CARS BEHIND, I ALMOST WAS HIT BY CARS GOING BEHIND ME AT LEAST TWICE. I TOOK IT TO AAMCO, AND THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION IS OK, IT IS JUST A COMPUTER PROBLEM. TOYOTA SHOULD FIX THE ENTIRE PROBLEM WITH THE ECM. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE REPLACED THEIR TRANSMISSION JUST FOR THE PROBLEM TO REOCCUR, OTHERS HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER AT THEIR OWN COST. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS MODEL OWNERS, THERE ARE MANY BLOGS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. *TR

NEAR ACCIDENT DUE TO ERRATIC SHIFTING PROBLEM OF RAV4 2002. APPARENTLY RELATED TO THE ECM. THE VEHICLE HAS A VERY SLUGGISH START FROM A STANDSTILL AS IF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS ON. ATTEMPTING TO TURN ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE AND ALMOST HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. VEHICLE ALSO SHIFTS ERRATICALLY WHEN DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. TOYOTA DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AWARE OF THIS VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED. *TR

I BOUGHT IN 2002 A TOYOTA RAV 4 BRAND NEW, I HAVE BEEN THE SOLE OWNER, JUST ABOUT 3 TO 4 WEEKS AGO (MAY 2008) AND WITH 87,000 MILES IT STARTED TO HAUL WHILE DRIVING, I TOOK IT TO A CERTIFIED TOYOTA MECHANIC WHO RAN A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC GIVING A SIGNAL THAT THE TRANSMISSION COULD BE DAMAGE, WHEN HE TOOK IT APART THE TRANSMISSION FILTER WAS FILLED WITH METAL PARTICLES AND WHEN HE DISMANTLE IT THE PLANETARIUM WAS BROKEN. I WAS IN SHOCK TO FIND OUT THAT A 6 YEAR OLD CAR AND SPECIALLY A TOYOTA COULD HAVE A BAD TRANSMISSION, THE MECHANIC SPOKE TO TOYOTA TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY WARRANTY AND THEY TOLD HIM THE CAR WAS COVERED UP TO 80,000 AND SINCE MINE WAS 87,000 IT IS NOT UNDER THE WARRANTY AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY WELL OVER $2,000.00 UNBELIEVABLE, COULD YOU TELL ME IF THERE IS ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HAVE TOYOTA COVER FOR THE DAMAGE BECAUSE I DEFINITELY BELIEVE IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 L; AUTO TRANSMISSION; ODI 82,200 MILES. THE CAR BEGAN HAVING HARD SHIFTING PROBLEM. SHIFTS ERRATICALLY FROM 1ST TO 2ND, SLUGGISH FROM START. I FEEL IT'S BECOME VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR DIDN'T WANT TO ACCELERATED, AND THEN WOULD SHIFT VERY HARD. SO I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD NEED AT THE LEAST A NEW ECM, AND POSSIBLY EVEN A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE COST FOR THE ECM $1300, AND PERHAPS THE TRANSMISSION $4000. THAT'S $5,300!!!! HOW COULD I EVEN FIND THAT KINDA MONEY. I AM JUST A STUDENT WHO TRIES TO MAKE IT THROUGH DAY BY DAY, SUPPORTING MYSELF THROUGH SCHOOL WHILE WORKING FULL-TIME. I CAN BARELY PAY MY RENTS OR EVEN TUITION. AND I AM SOLELY DEEPENING ON MY CAR TO MAKE IT TO WORK AND SCHOOL; WITHOUT IT I WOULD BE IN A BIG MESS. CERTAINLY, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FIX IT AND I REALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO. IF TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, THEY SHOULD REPAIR OR RECALL ALL ECM'S BEFORE MORE PEOPLE END UP SPENDING THIS KIND OF MONEY. I'D LIKE TO ALSO REFER TO MY OTHER FOLLOWING RAV4 DRIVERS LIKE ME WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE LINK BELOW. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OF MY RV4 FAILED AT 111,649 MILEAGE. HOWEVER, THE MILEAGE IS THE PROBLEM, AAMCO TECHNICIAN REPORTED THAT THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES ; LEXUS EX 300, LEXUS RX300, RV4, TOYOTA CAMRY AND TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ARE ALL EQUIPPED WITH BAD TRANSMISSIONS U140F AND U140E. THOSE TRANSMISSIONS ARE MADE FOR FAILURE. TOYOTA COMPANY IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY TO EITHER REPAIR IT OR REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS. IT COST ME 2,760.58 DOLLARS TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT. ALSO WITHIN TWO MONTHS, THE COMPUTER ENGINE FAILED AND WAS REPLACED FOR 1,403.53 DOLLARS. ONCE AGAIN, THAT WAS ANOTHER MATTER TOYOTA HAD TO BE ACCOUNTABLE. THE SAME MODEL HAD A RECALL IN MARCH 2007 AND NOTHING WAS DONE. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE FROM A STOP CREATING A POTENTIAL HAZARD. BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER WHO CLAIMED NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH CAR, CHANGED TRANSMISSION OIL AS PART OF 75,000 MAINTENANCE. NEXT DAY CAR BROKE DOWN COMPLETELY WITH MY SIX YEAR OLD GRANDSON IN CAR. DEALER SAID I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR $4000. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I STARTED READING ON-LINE COMPLAINTS THAT I LEARNED THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2002 RAV-4 AND CAN BE FIXED WITH A NEW ECM FOR $$1,200. THEY DO HOWEVER HAVE A TECHNICAL BULLETIN THAT ADDRESSED THE TRANSMISSION HESITATION TO THE FAULTY ECM? *TR

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4, I HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT BECAUSE FROM WHAT I HAVE READ TOYOTA FOUND THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ECM. BUT THERE WAS NEVER A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THE WARRANTY WAS FOR 80,000 MINE WHEN AT 88,000. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT BUT THE VEHICLE IS EXHIBITING THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE ECM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND CAN DAMAGE A NEW TRANSMISSION IF NOT DONE. NO NOTICE FROM TOYOTA ABOUT THIS I HAD TO FIND THIS OUT ON THE WEB. I ALSO LEARNED THAT THE ECM COST $1200 AND TOYOTA IS NOT OFFERING ANY DISCOUNTS EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM AND DAMAGES THAT MAY OCCUR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA RAV4. ON MARCH 17, 2008, WHILE COASTING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD UNDERGONE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE BEFORE THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE WEATHER WAS DRY ON THE DAY OF THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED BACK TO THE CONTACT; HOWEVER, IT HAD TO BE TAKEN BACK TO THE SHOP DUE TO RIDING ROUGHLY WHEN PLACED INTO OVERDRIVE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS LOCKING EVERYTIME THE TRANSMISSION WAS PLACED INTO OVERDRIVE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND THE CONTACT WAS NOT CITED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 17,690 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,687. UPDATED 5/13/08 *CN THE DEALER DETERMINED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE OVERDIRVE. UPDATED