Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 TOYOTA RAV4 WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES FROM ABOUT 25 MPH TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC AT A LIGHT. AS I APPLIED THE BRAKE THE ENGINE ACCELERATED AND I HAD TO STAND HARD ON THE BRAKE TO KEEP FROM HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE ENGINE SPEED CAME BACK TO NORMAL. AT THAT TIME I DOUBLE CHECKED MY FOOT POSITION ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND AM CONFIDENT THAT I WAS IN NO WAY CONTACTING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. *JB

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE BROKEN WHILE SELECTING TO PARK, THIS VEHICLE COULD ROLL FORWARD OR BACKWARD UPON RELEASING THE BRAKE. IF IN CASE THE CABLE BROKEN WITHOUT KNOWING WHILE CRUISING I HAVE NO OPTION TO DOWNSHIFT IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ON A DOWNHILL ROAD OR BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. I'VE REPLACED THE PART AT A COST OF $196.00 + LABOR. *NM

2001 RAV4 MANUAL TRANSMISSION - THE GEAR SHIFT STARTED MOVING BACK AND FORTH IN THE 5TH GEAR POSITION WHEN PRESSURE WAS APPLIED/RELEASED FROM THE GAS PEDAL. WENT TO BALISE TOYOTA IN WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL BEHAVIOR (EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE CAR FOR 5 YEARS AND IT JUST STARTED HAPPENING. ABOUT A WEEK LATER, THE CAR STARTED "POPPING" OUT OF 5TH GEAR. BALISE THEN ADMITTED THAT THIS WAS NOT NORMAL AND "REPAIRED" THE PROBLEM (THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM TOYOTA OUT ABOUT THE PROBLEM). WHEN I GOT THE CAR BACK, THE GEARSHIFT DID NOT MOVE WHEN IN 5TH GEAR. IT IS NOW DECEMBER AND THE GEARSHIFT IS ONCE AGAIN MOVING BACK AND FORTH IN 5TH GEAR AND BALISE TOYOTA IS TELLING ME IT IS NORMAL AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM WHILE THE CAR IS STILL UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET WHO HAVE REPORTED THIS SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM AS HAVING A CAR DROP OUT OF GEAR IS A SAFETY HAZARD, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN IT WOULD BE MOST APT TO HAPPEN. *NM

I HAVE THE 2006 TOYOTA RAV4 BASE MODEL WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS VERY SLUGGISH TO RESPOND TO BRAKING, SUCH THAT THE ENGINE SOMETIMES CONTINUES TO REV FORWARD FOR A SECOND OR TWO EVEN AFTER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. THIS LEADS TO EXCESSIVE BRAKING DISTANCES. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS THE CAUSE OF AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT THAT WE SUFFERED ON 8/5/06. IN DENSE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, I WAS ABOUT 20 FEET BEHIND AN OLDER TOYOTA PATHFINDER AND HAD JUST ACCELERATED FROM ABOUT 15 MPH TO ABOUT 25 MPH, AS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE VEHICLES WAS GROWING. THEN THE PATHFINDER IN FRONT OF ME SUDDENLY SLAMMED ON HIS/HER BRAKES BECAUSE ANOTHER VEHICLE SWERVED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF IT. I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES TOO, BUT THE RAV4 DID NOT IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO SLOW. INSTEAD, I COULD FEEL THE ENGINE STILL PUSHING THE CAR FORWARD. THE RAV4 FINALLY DID BEGIN TO SLOW DOWN RIGHT ABOUT THE SAME TIME THE PATHFINDER CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. AS A RESULT, WE HIT THE NOW-STATIONARY PATHFINDER IN FRONT OF US AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 5 MPH. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT, BUT THE FRONT END OF THE RAV4 WAS MASHED IN. I HAVE DRIVEN DOZENS OF DIFFERENT VEHICLES OVER NEARLY 20 YEARS OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE, AND I THINK EVERY OTHER ONE WOULD HAVE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WELL BEFORE THE POINT OF IMPACT (AS DID THE PATHFINDER IN FRONT OF ME, DESPITE A VEHICLE CUTTING DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF IT). THIS LEADS ME TO SUSPECT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE RAV4 TRANSMISSION. THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD IMMEDIATELY DISENGAGE FROM DRIVE WHENEVER THE BRAKE IS DEPRESSED, BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE A DANGEROUS TIME LAG. WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED, THEY ROAD-TESTED AND EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. THEY CLAIMED WHAT I EXPERIENCED WAS THE VEHICLE DOWN-SHIFTING, WHICH RESULTS IN HIGHER RPMS BUT LESS FORWARD MOTION. I DON'T BUY IT. I HAVE TRIED JAMMING ON THE BRAKES TO CAUSE SUCH DOWNSHIFTING AND IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. *JB

MY WIFE'S 2003 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS 85000 MILES. SEVERAL WEEKS AGO IT STARTED SHIFTING POORLY AND EVENTUALLY WOULD NOT MOVE EASILY FROM REST. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WERE TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. WE COULD NOT BELIEVE THIS AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL COTTMAN TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR REPAIR. AFTER 2 WEEKS AND THE REPLACEMENT OF MANY INTERNAL PARTS, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL, WE PAID $4000 FOR OUR CAR AND DROVE IT AWAY. WITHIN 100 MILES THE SAME SYMPTOMS RETURNED. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE COTTMAN TRANSMISSION SHOP AND WERE TOLD THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND THEY WANTED ANOTHER $1100 TO REPLACE IT. WHETHER COTTMAN TRANSMISSION IS BEING HONEST OR NOT REMAINS TO BE SEEN BUT WE FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS MATTER. SO FAR TOYOTA USA HAS BEEN UNHELPFUL OR UNRESPONSIVE. I DISCOVERED A TSB (TC002-06) THAT DISCUSSES THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. THE TSB STATES THAT IT IS PART OF THE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM AND THAT REPLACEMENT WILL BE COVERED BY WARRANTY UP UNTIL 96 MONTHS OR 80000 MILES. LEAVES US OUT BUT OTHERS MAY BE INTERESTED. *JB

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THERE IS A SEVERE HESITATION WHEN PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THIS IS MOST NOTABLE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP OR A NEAR STOP. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE A/C BEING ON OR IN MY HEAD, BUT I HAVE RULED OUT THE A/C, AND SOMETIMES IT WILL WORK WONDERFULLY ONE NIGHT AND THE NEXT MORNING, THE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS VERY SLUGGISH. SOMETIMES SEEMS TO BOG DOWN IF YOU GIVE IT MORE GAS AND THEN YOU HAVE TO EASE WAY BACK ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ONCE IT GETS GOING. *NM