2002 Toyota RAV4 Complaint Log

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED HIS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AND HAD DIFFICULTY STOPPING THE VEHICLE, BECAUSE THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK. THE INCIDENT ONLY OCCURRED ONCE TO DATE. IN AUGUST 2008 THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR A HARSH SHIFTING WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED. THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS GIVEN A COPY OF A TSB THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION WHICH STATED IF THE HARSH SHIFTING PERSISTS AFTER THE ECM REPLACEMENT, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY MAY ALSO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. UPDATED 04/29/10. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE WAS DEFECTIVE AND EVENTUALLY REPLACED. HOWEVER THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE NEW COMPUTER IS ALSO DEFECTIVE IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALLS. UPDATED 05/04/10. *JB

2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 2 WHEEL DRIVE, DRIVEN FOR 2 YEARS BY MY WIFE, LAST WEEK STARTED SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO 3RD. ALSO IT SLIPS NOW. *TR

AS I PULLED OUT INTO TRAFFIC THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HESITATED AND WOULD SHIFT INTO GEAR. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA ON DIXIE HIGHWAY, LOUISVILLE, KY WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND TOOK IT FOR EVERY SERVICE. THEY PUT SOME TYPE OF FLUID SAID THAT THIS MAY FIX THE PROBLEM. I WENT TO GET IT AND ONCE AGAIN WOULD NOT RUN. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE TRANSMISSION AND THAT I PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE BACK TO SEE THEM. THEY QUOTED ME A PRICE OF $4,000 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FIXED. *TR

I BOUGHT MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 NEW AT TOYOTA OF HOLLYWOOD, FL IN 2002. MY WIFE HAS BEEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND I HAVE PERFORMED ALL SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE CAR HAS ONLY 55K MILES ON IT. RECENTLY THE CAR HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING HESITATION WHEN SHIFTING. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER "UNDER WARRANTY". THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE 2 YEARS AGO WHEN THE TSB WAS FIRST PUT OUT. THE TSB WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FROM APPEARING. NOW THE DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THAT IT DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY MUST REPLACE THE SOLENOIDS BUT THE ARE NOT SURE IF THAT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. HAD THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER 2 YEARS AGO, WE WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM NOW. THE CAR ONLY HAS 55K MILES. THE TRANSMISSION ON A TOYOTA SHOULD NOT FAIL IN 55K MILES. THAT'S THE REASON I BOUGHT A TOYOTA. THIS IS WELL KNOW ISSUE. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AR WRITING ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET EVERY DAY. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE LINKS. HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0C4213/0 HTTP://RAV4WORLD.COM/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=15515 TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION UNDER WARRANTY FOR FREE SINCE I WOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM NOW IF THE DEALERSHIP HAD PERFORMED THE WORK THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE. *TR

2002 RAV 4 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ECM/TRANSMISSION ISSUE!!: THE PROBLEMS STARTED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNING ON AND OFF ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO. WE GOT A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA TO HAVE THE ECM REPROGRAMMED AND WENT TO FULFILL THE RECALL. THE LIGHT THEN CAME ON AGAIN ABOUT A MONTH LATER. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT COULD BE A GAS CAP ISSUE, SO WE MADE SURE WE TIGHTENED THE GAS CAP AND THAT TURNED THE LIGHT OFF FOR ABOUT A MONTH BUT THEN IT CAME BACK ON AGAIN. IT WASN'T UNTIL RECENTLY THAT WE HAD THE FIRST SIGNS OF A SHIFTING PROBLEM. ALL IN THE SAME DAY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO MAKE NOISES AND SHIFT ROUGH BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS (ITS AN AUTO TRANS). .ONCE WE GOT THE CAR GOING FORWARD, WE WORKED OUR WAY BACK HOME, AND THAT WAS IT FOR THE CAR. I FOUND THE WEBSITE OF WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM AND HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 RECALL FOR THE ECM (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE ----THE BRAIN---)IS LEADING TO THE PROBLEM OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ISSUE THAT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IS NOT ADDRESSING. WE HOPE THAT BY FILING THE COMPLAINT, AND BRINGING THIS WEBSITE TO YOU, YOU CAN BRING THIS TO CORPORATE TOYOTA'S ATTENTION TO HAVE THEM FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND OTHER CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS ON THE WEBSITE REFERENCED REGARDING THIS ISSUE. MY 2002 RAV 4 WAS BOUGHT NEW AND ONLY HAS 46K MILES IN IT TO HAVE SUCH A GRAND PROBLEM. I BELIEVE TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT DOES NOT WANT TO COMPLETELY FIX THE ECM ISSUE. (THEY ONLY RE-FLASH IT WHEN POSSIBLY THE CAR NEEDS A "NEW" ONE). PLEASE HELP! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE CONTACT APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE GAINED POWER. IN ADDITION, THE GEARS SHIFTED ROUGHLY AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS JERKING AND VIBRATING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. THE VEHICLE REPAIR WAS COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 78,846. UPDATED 09/24/08. *LJ UPDATED 09/26/08. *JB

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND WAS SCARED THAT I WAS GOING TO LOSE MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY AND BE STUCK ON THE ROAD OR REAR-ENDED DUE TO IT HESITATING BADLY BETWEEN GEARS. IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY I WAS THROWN OFF BY WHAT I SHOULD DO BUT I DID MANAGE TO MAKE IT HOME THEN I PARKED IT UNTIL I COULD GET IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. *TR

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ERRATICALLY AND COMPLETELY LOSES POWER AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I WAS COMING OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND SLOWED DOWN FOR MY EXIT WHEN IT LOST ALL POWER . WHEN I GOT POWER AGAIN IT BEGAN JERKING AND SHIFTING ON IT'S OWN. IT WAS REALLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THERE WERE MANY VEHICLES BEHIND ME THAT HAD TO BASICALLY STOP ON THE EXIT OF THE FREEWAY. PLEASE HELP US RAV4 DRIVERS GET A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM FROM TOYOTA. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON - SLIPPAGE OF TRANSMISSION. EVALUATED BY DEALER AND INFORMED THAT IT WAS THE ECM/TRANSMISSION. ECM WAS ADJUSTED AND FAILED TO ALTER PROBLEM. RECOMMENDATION REPLACEMENT OF ECU/ECU. *TR

1. DRIVING THE CAR, AS NORMAL, I CAME TO A RED LIGHT. WHEN I BEGAN ACCELERATING AND THE CAR WENT TO SHIFT GEARS IT HAD TROUBLE FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. IT QUICKLY GOT PROGRESSIVELY WORSE FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND FROM 2ND TO 3RD. WHEN I FINALLY MADE IT HOME I DECIDED TO TRY AND FIND A MECHANIC RIGHT AWAY. WHEN DRIVING IT I FELT THE CAR HAD SHUT OFF 1ST GEAR AND STARTED RIGHT INTO 2ND GEAR SHIFTING TO 3RD OK BUT THEN WOULDN'T SHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR. THEN AFTER NOT FINDING A MECHANIC OPEN ON JULY 4TH I WAS DRIVING HOME AND 1ST GEAR WAS BACK BUT HAVING A REAL HARD TIME CHANGING INTO 2ND AND 3RD BUT SMOOTH IN 4TH GEAR. I'VE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND A WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. THIS WEBSITE SHOWS MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND FOR MANY ON THIS SITE THE FAULTY COMPUTER HAS DESTROYED THEIR TRANSMISSIONS AND FORCED THEM TO NOT ONLY GET A NEW TRANSMISSION BUT A NEW ECM AS WELL. THIS FAULTY ECM IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. AS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ALSO HAVE A BAD TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE ECM, LIKE MYSELF, I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE THAT AT NO COST AS WELL. AGAIN, THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT WITH THE ECM THAT CAUSES TRANSMISSION DAMAGE AND SHOULD NOT BE A CONSUMER ISSUE. TOYOTA EVEN DID A RECALL ON THE 2001-2003 RAV4 BECAUSE OF THE ECM AND THEY WOULD REPROGRAM THE ECM TO TRY AND SOLVE THE ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY FOR MYSELF AND MANY OTHERS THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM AND STILL HAVE TO GET A NEW ECM. *TR

THIS "CERTIFIED, PRE-OWNED" VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED HESITATING AND HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST REPAIR, TRANSMISSION FLUSHING, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IT IS NOW IN THE SHOP WITH A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST FOR A "CHECK ENGINE" CODE FOR SOLENOID/TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, CODE 1760 AND/OR 770 - NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE FIRST MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS "BURNT." THERE ARE AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM, THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. I HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS CAR FOR 20,000 MILES AND OWE ALOT OF MONEY ON IT. ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ, PEOPLE ARE LOSING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, OUT-OF-POCKET TRYING TO FIX THEIR VEHICLES. I AM NEXT. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE ONTO THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WON'T KICK IN. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CLOSE CALL ACCIDENTS. *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON CONTINUOUSLY. AT STOP SIGNS AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS THE VEHICLE BEGINS JERKING AND HESITATING WHEN YOU PUSH ON THE ACCELERATION PEDDLE. WHEN YOU PRESS DOWN ON THE ACCELERATION TO GO FORWARD THAT IS WHEN THE HESITATION AND JERKING BEGIN. ONCE THE VEHICLE TAKES OFF IT CONTINUES TO JERK. WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN YOU HAVE PASSENGERS AND SMALL CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE JERKING PULLS YOUR NECK FORWARD ABRUPTLY. THE DIAGNOSTIC SAID THAT IT IS THE COMPUTER WHICH COST ROUGHLY BETWEEN $800.00 TO $1200.00. SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM TO TOYOTA BUT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR THIS PARTICULAR COMPUTER PART ON THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. *TR

IN THE PAST FEW YEARS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND MY LOCAL DEALER WOULD FIX SOMETHING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM TWICE. THE 3RD TIME TOYOTA HAD A RECALL ON THE COMPUTER AND REPROGRAMMED THE ECU. NOW THE 4TH TIME THE CAR WOULD NOT GO WHEN PUSHING THE PEDAL OR IT WOULD STOP IN TRAFFIC WITH THE HOPES OF NOT GETTING INTO A WRECK. BARELY MADE IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHO SAID IT HAD A BAD MAIN COMPUTER FAILURE AND THE "SHIFT SOLENOID B" WAS BAD. ALL THIS WITH ONLY 83K MILES. THIS SEEMS SOMEWHAT VERY LOW TO BE HAVING THIS KIND OF A PROBLEM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA, GAVE THEM THE INFO AND THEY INVESTIGATED AND SAID IT WAS WAY OUT OF WARRANTY SO THE CASE IS "CLOSED". THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS TO BE $4998 BUT WITH THE DEALER GIVING ME A "ONE TIME GOOD WILL 50% SPLIT AND A SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNT", IT HAD A FINAL PRICE OF $3,725.63. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR. THE VEHICLE JERKED AND THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE COMPUTER FAILURE, WHICH ALSO CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THE COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION ARE CURRENTLY BEING REPLACED AT THE COST OF $4,600. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 95,000.

MY CAR STARTED SHIFTING HARD ON 6-20-2008 ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ON 6-24-08 AND WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION, $3,542.00 SO I CAME HOME GOT ONLINE TO SEE WHAT IT MIGHT COST ELSE WHERE. AND I CAME ACROSS A SITE FOR COMPLAINT FOR THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE, SO I CHECKED IT OUT. I FOUND 56 COMPLAINTS THAT WERE JUST LIKE MINE. I PRINTED OUT THIS INFORMATION AND CALLED AN 800 TOYOTA NUMBER. THEY SAID THE ECM HAD BEEN RECALLED. SO I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER TODAY AND THEY ADJUSTED THE ECM. CAR HAS SAME PROBLEM, ACTUALLY RUNS A LITTLE ROUGHER, ANYWAY I ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER IF HE HAD ANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM AND HE INDICATED THAT THIS WAS NOT NEWS TO HIM. HE THEN SUGGESTED I HAVE BOTH TRANSMISSION AND ECM REPLACED $5,000. SO NOW I AM COMPLAINING TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE. TOYOTA KNOWINGLY SELLS THESE CARS WITH PROBLEMS AND EXPECTS US (THE CONSUMER) TO SUCK IT UP AND THAT'S JUST PLAIN WRONG! *TR

I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH MY CAR ON 6-20-2008. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR & NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE IT WASN'T ACCELERATING PROPERLY. THEN I NOTICED THAT AS THE CAR WAS SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR IT WOULD STALL & THEN SUDDENLY SHIFT REALLY HARD INTO 3RD GEAR. SOMETIMES AS I WOULD ACCELERATE THE CAR WOULD START SHAKING & THEN SHIFT HARD INTO 1ST GEAR. THIS MADE ME VERY NERVOUS BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC & FEARED THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD CREATE AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY, BUT IT WAS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. WE LOOKED AT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID THINKING IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE WAY IT WAS SHIFTING. WE CHECKED THE FLUID & FILLED THE FLUID. MY HUSBAND DROVE IT A LITTLE & IT DIDN'T ACT UP FOR HIM. SO I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WELL THEN I STARTED DRIVING IT AGAIN & IT CONTINUED TO SHIFT HARD & NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. I HAD MY UNCLE LOOK AT IT & HE THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ENGAGING. SO I FINALLY TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE ($84 LATER) THEY COULDN'T GET THE PROBLEM TO OCCUR. I WENT TO PICK THE CAR UP THE NEXT DAY & THEY SAID THEY FOUND A BULLETIN ON 2001-2003 TOYOTA RAV4'S THAT IF THERE WAS A HARD SHIFTING THAT THE ECM NEEDED REPLACING. $1500 LATER THE CAR IS FIXED. OF COURSE TOYOTA DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY A BULLETIN & SUPPOSEDLY DID NOT CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE & COME TO FIND OUT MY MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY IS PAST & MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER IT EITHER EVEN THOUGH IT'S A MAJOR PART THAT KEEPS THE CAR RUNNING & FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED WITH THE TOYOTA SERVICE & THEIR WAYS OF HANDLING PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT THE CONSUMERS FAULT BUT TOYOTA'S MANUFACTURING FAULT. *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 - TRANSMISSION PROBLEM - AAMCO SERVICE REP STATES COMPUTER PROBLEM AND TOTAL TRANS REBUILD COSTING ABOUT $4000. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA DEALER AND MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. *TR

CAR NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR (SLIPPING) AND THEN BANGING AND JERKING INTO GEAR AT FIRST TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. LATER AFTER I SAW THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND WITH MANY CALLS TO TOYOTA CORPORATE THEY PERFORMED FURTHER TEST AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE ECM THEY ARE REPLACING IT BUT ONLY PAYING FOR HALF OF THE COST CURRENT MILEAGE 89,000 THEY ARE SAYING IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 9,000 MILES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS REPROGRAMMED LAST YEAR (APRIL 07) AT 72,000 MILES I HAVE NOTICED MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE 2002 RAV 4 AND TRULY BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO DO A RECALL AND PAY THE TOTAL AMOUNT. *TR

I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAINT ON TOYOTA RAV4 2002. I ALMOST GOT KILL A COUPLE OF TIMES WHILE DRIVE THIS CAR. THE ECM MODULE FAILURE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, PLEASE STEP IN AND HAVE TOYOTA RECALL ON THE RAV4. THANK YOU! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE SPEED REDUCED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN JERKING AND HESITATING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAILED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 141,000.

I WAS DRIVING MY RAV4 ONE DAY AND IT STARTED TO JUMP AND WENT INTO A 'WRONG GEAR START.' IT WOULD START IN ABOUT 3RD GEAR AND JUMP INTO GEAR WHEN IT WOULD FINALLY CATCH UP. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. SURE ENOUGH, I HAD METAL IN MY PAN AND A BAD PLANETARY GEAR AND MY ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT. $3,300 LATER, THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. I TOOK IT BACK TO MY TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER, THE ECM TO BE EXACT. I HAD TAKEN MY CAR IN FOR A RECALL THAT HAD HAPPENED WITH THIS EXACT PART OF THE COMPUTER BRAIN AND THEY DID A RE-FLASH FOR FREE, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO FIX IT. NOW THAT IT IS CAUSING MORE PROBLEMS, TOYOTA REFUSES TO FIX IT FOR FREE, I GUESS THEY FELT THEY DID THEIR PART BY DOING THE 'RE-FLASH' WHICH DIDN'T DO JACK. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE IT WAS A TOYOTA AND I AM SO DISAPPOINTED. THE TRANSMISSION GOING OUT THAT EARLY WAS VERY POSSIBLY DUE TO THIS DEFECT. IF THEY FURTHER REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM, I AM TAKING THEM TO COURT. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS HAPPENING ON THIS MODEL. BE AWARE! *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 - TRANSMISSION JERKING SEVERELY. MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION JERKS WHEN FIRST ACCELERATING AS WELL AS WHILE DRIVING. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THEN VEHICLE. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4, THERE WAS A RECALL AND I HAD THE ECM RECALIBRATED. I UNDERSTAND THIS CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION. NOW I HAVE ECM AND TRANSMISSION FAILURE TO THE TUNE OF $4900. I HAVE GOGGLED THIS PROBLEM AND NOTE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER CONSUMERS WHO HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM - THE CAR STUTTERS ALMOST TO A STALL IN TRAFFIC, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP DX AS ECM FAILURE/TRANSMISSION FAILURE, NOT PREVENTABLE BY CONSUMER. OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE AT AUTOBEEF.COM. *TR

SLUGGISH TRANSMISSION WHEN ACCELERATING INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR AND TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RUNNING GREAT. ONE DAY 1ST & 2ND GEAR BEGAN TO SLIP. THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE THEN JUST STOP UNTIL 1ST GEAR CATCHES ABRUPTLY JOLT. THE TRANSMISSION IS AUTOMATIC. THE CAR HAS JUST OVER 87,000 MILES. AFTER RESEARCHING I SAW THERE WERE SEVERAL VEHICLES WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. TOYOTA DID PUT OUT AN ALERT STATING THAT THERE ARE COMPUTER PROBLEMS BUT THOSE FORMS WERE NOT SENT TO THE OWNERS ONLY TO THE SERVICE CENTERS. NOW I HAVE TO TAKE MY VEHICLE IN HAVE SOLENOIDS CHANGED AND POSSIBLY THE ENGINE COMPUTER. THESE ARE THE PROBLEMS LISTED IN THE ALERT SENT OUT. IF TOYOTA KNOWS 2002 RAV 4'S ARE HAVING THESE ISSUES WHY HAVE THERE BEEN NO RECALLS. I ALSO MUST SAY THAT IT IS UNJUST THAT WE AS CONSUMERS HAVE TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON PARTS AND LABOR FOR WHAT IT SEEMS TO BE MANUFACTURER DEFECTS. I'VE ADDED A LINK WHERE ONE CAN VIEW SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME DEFECT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE ECM IS DEFECTIVE AND THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT. OCCASIONALLY IT SHIFT BY ITSELF, HESITATION IN SHIFTING. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW RAV4 OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/. *TR

VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED HESITATING AND HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST REPAIR, TRANSMISSION FLUSHING, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. 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. OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE AT AUTOBEEF.COM. *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

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 30-40 MPH, THE OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE A PROBLEM. THE FAILURE PROGRESSED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. RECENTLY, THE "SERVICE ENGINE" WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DETECTED AN ENGINE OIL SLUDGE AND LOW OIL PRESSURE. ALSO, HE RECOMMENDED THE ENGINE BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR THE REPAIR; HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO TAKE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALER AND HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 33,000.

MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 STARTED HAVING SHIFTING PROBLEMS. IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY. I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST. WHY TAKE IT TO A DEALER, RIGHT? HE REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION TO THE TUNE OF $2500.00. HE TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE AND IT STILL WOULDN'T SHIFT. HE TALKED TO A SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT AN ISSUE WITH THE ECM HAVING BAD COMPUTER CODE AND THAT'S WHAT WAS TEARING UP TRANSMISSIONS. BUT SINCE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION PLACE, TOYOTA WILL NOT EVEN LISTEN TO MY COMPLAINT. *TR

PURCHASED USED 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 IN OCT 2004. BOTH VISORS WERE ALREADY SAGGING A BIT AND WERE A HAZARD TO DRIVING WITHIN 8 MONTHS. I PURCHASED THE REPLACEMENT VISORS FROM THE DEALER IN JULY 2005 FOR A TOTAL OF $131.27. THEY TOLD ME THE ORIGINAL OWNER MUST NOT HAVE BEEN CAREFUL AND I NEEDED TO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN USING THE VISORS. I TOOK THEIR WORD AND WAS GENTLE WHEN I PUT THE VISORS UP AND DOWN. LESS THAN 3 YEARS LATER AND I ALREADY NEED TO REPLACE THEM AGAIN!! I HAVE SMALL CHILDREN WHO ONLY SIT IN THE BACK SEAT, SO THE PASSENGER VISOR DOESN'T GET USED VERY OFTEN AND IT IS JUST AS BAD AS THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR THAT GETS USED EVERY DAY. I HAD MY LAST VEHICLE FOR 13 YEARS AND BOTH VISORS WERE STILL IN PERFECT CONDITION WHEN I TRADED THE VEHICLE IN FOR THIS ONE. BASED ON MY RESEARCH, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT TOYOTA MODELS. I CAN'T FIND ANY SOLUTIONS AND THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT ALL I CAN DO IS PURCHASE ANOTHER SET - WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT THEY WON'T BREAK AGAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE IDLING OR DRIVING AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD CONSISTENTLY FAIL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ECM AT THE COST OF $1,225.69, WITHOUT THE CONTACT'S APPROVAL. THE REPAIR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN HER EXTENDED WARRANTY. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, BUT THEY REFERRED HER BACK TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 89,000.

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 AM WRITING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A DEFECT IN THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 THAT I FEEL COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. I JUST FINISHED HAVING MY CAR REPAIRED, AND I KNOW THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, YET REFUSES TO RECALL THE MODEL. THE ECM IS DEFECTIVE, WHICH IS CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL OUT WHEN ACCELERATING AND THEN SHIFT VERY HARD. I MYSELF, WITH TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR, WENT TO PULL INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN MY RAV4 DECIDED TO PRESENT THIS PROBLEM. I WAS ALMOST HIT. UPON RESEARCHING THIS, I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET WITH THIS MAKE OF CAR, AND TOYOTA HAS EVEN PUT OUT A MECHANICS STATEMENT WHICH SHOWS THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. MY CONCERN: OTHERS WHO DO NOT KNOW THEY ARE DRIVING A TICKING TIME BOMB, AND PULL OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN THEIR TOYOTA DECIDES TO MALFUNCTION. JUST AS AN FYI--EVEN THOUGH TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS SITUATION, I HAD TO PAY $1300 FOR A NEW ECM, AND IF MY TRANSMISSION WAS ULTIMATELY DAMAGED WILL HAVE TO PAY TO REPAIR THAT AS WELL FOR A COST OF ANOTHER $3,600. *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

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

I RECENTLY HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ON MY CAR BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SHIFTING ERRATICALLY. AFTER THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED I STILL HAD THE PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN FROM TOYOTA TC002-6 WHICH SAID THAT A FAULTY ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) WILL CAUSE HARSH SHIFTING. TOYOTA DID NOT COMMUNICATE THIS PROBLEM TO ME BACK IN MARCH 2006. IF TOYOTA WOULD HAVE COMMUNICATED THIS DEFECT, I COULD HAVE HAD THE ECM CHECKED AND PROBABLY SAVED MY TRANSMISSION. *TR

WRITTEN IN EARLY MAY TO PLANETFEEDBACK.COM: MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2002 RAV4 NEW AT PENN TOYOTA IN GREENVALE, NY AND IT NOW HAS 97,981 MILES ON IT. IN LATE APRIL IT STARTED JERKING/JUMPING WHEN TRYING TO UPSHIFT AND WE BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE AT PENN TOYOTA. ONCE THERE THE SERVICE CENTER ADVISED US TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FLUIDS FLUSHED AND REFILLED, WHICH WE DID. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THEY WOULD DO AN UPDATE TO THE ECM, WHICH THEY ALSO DID. WHILE DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME (AFTER THE REPAIRS), THE CAR WAS JUMPING/JERKING WORSE THAN WHEN WE BROUGHT IT IN. WE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT IT BACK WHERE IT WAS RE-EVALUATED AND WE WERE NOW TOLD THAT ECM WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1589.00. MY WIFE AND I DID SOME RESEARCH AND ARE FINDING THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN SEVERAL OF THE SAME TYPE OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM AND TOYOTA ITSELF HAS EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS PRODUCT TO 96 MONTHS OR 80,000 MILES. WE FALL OUT OF THAT RANGE, BUT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THIS PRODUCT (WHICH IS WHY TOYOTA PUT OUT THE NOTICE AND EXTENDED THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY) AND WE WOULD LIKE FIXED AS "IN WARRANTY". THERE IS NO REASON FOR A CAR THAT HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED TO HAVE A FAILURE OF THIS KIND BEFORE 100,000 MILES. UPDATE (6/9/08): PENN TOYOTA HAS REPLACED THE ECM AS A "GOOD WILL" GESTURE BUT WE STILL ARE HAVING THE PROBLEM WITH JERKING/JUMPING BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS AS WELL AS WHEN GOING IN REVERSE. THEY HAVE SAID THAT WE COULD REPLACE THE FAULTY ECM PROBABLY CAUSED AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND WE SHOULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND HARNESS AS WELL. THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD BE UNABLE TO COVER THIS AS A "GOOD WILL" GESTURE BUT IT WOULD COST AN ESTIMATED $3800 FOR ME AND MY WIFE. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON; I WOULD CARRY IT TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY WOULD RE-SET. THIS HAPPENED MORE THAN TWICE. FINALLY, WHAT I THOUGHT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION BLEW, BUT FOUND OUT LATER THAT IS JUST SOUNDED AND REACTED AS IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. BUT WAS THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WHICH HAD FAILED. OF COURSE THE WARRANTY WAS OFF AND AFTER CONTACTING TOYOTA I GET NO ASSISTANCE. THIS IS SOME OF THE INFORMATION I FOUND OUT: ) THAT TOYOTA HQ HAS BEEN AWARE FOR AT LEAST A FEW (2,3?) YEARS THAT THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE ECM INSTALLED IN 2001/2002 TOYOTA RAV4?S > > 2) THAT THE DEFECT CAUSES PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION OR GEAR-CHANGING MECHANISM > > 3) THAT THE RESULTING TRANSMISSION OR GEAR-CHANGING PROBLEMS ARE NOT DUE TO ?NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR? OF THE VEHICLES. THEY ARE CAUSED DIRECTLY BY THE DEFECT IN THE ECM. > > 4) THAT THE RESULTING TRANSMISSION OR GEAR-CHANGING PROBLEMS HAVE CAUSED TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS TO SPEND SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF MONEY. (A CASUAL READ OF OWNER COMPLAINTS SUGGESTS MANY OF THEM HAVE SPENT ANYWHERE BETWEEN $3000 AND $5000). > > 5) THAT TOYOTA HAS FAILED TO COMPENSATE OWNERS FOR COSTS OF FIXING THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY A DEFECT THEY WERE AWARE OF. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION AND A ENGINE IN THIS CAR. *TR

CAR STARTED TO HESITATE AND JERK INTO 2ND GEAR WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS CREATED DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AT INTERSECTIONS , GOING AROUND CORNERS AND TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER SAID NEEDED TO REPLACE AN ECM MODULE IN THE TRANSMISSION HOPING THIS WILL FIX IT (COST 1350) IF IT DOESN'T I WILL NEED A TRANSMISSION (3500). FOUND 38 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON EXACT SAME THING ON INTERNET. WHY AREN'T WE MADE AWARE AND WHY NOT A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR

CES LIGHT CAME ON. TRANS STARTED SLIPPING. TOOK TO DEALER. DIAGNOSED KNOWN ECM PROBLEM. PERFORMED TOYOTA RECOMMENDED ECM UPDATE, BUT SAID TRANS WOULD HAVE TO BE REBUILT DUE TO DAMAGED ALREADY CAUSED. HAD TRANS REBUILT. DEVELOPED SAME SLIPPING PROBLEM. SAID IT WOULD RUIN TRANS AGAIN UNLESS ECM WAS REPLACED. THIS IS A TOYOTA PROBLEM THAT THEY NEED TO FIX. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE FROM A STOP CREATING A POTENTIAL HAZARD. INDEPENDENT GARAGE TOLD US THAT IT WAS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE. TRANSMISSION WAS COVERED UNDER OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY SO WE TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALER. THEY ADVISED US THAT ISSUE WAS ECM (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE) ISSUE AND NOT COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. WHEN I ASKED IF TOYOTA WOULD COVER I WAS ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD NOT AS THIS ISSUE WAS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY RECALL? THEY DID HOWEVER HAVE A TECHNICAL BULLETIN THAT ADDRESSED THE TRANSMISSION HESITATION TO THE FAULTY ECM? I REPLACED THE ECM ($1612) AND IT APPEARS THAT IT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. MY RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON TO THE 2002 RAV4 MODEL ONLY IN THE TOYOTA FAMILY OF SUVS. IS THIS A DESIGN DEFECT? *TR

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

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

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

2002 RAV4: FAILED TRANSMISSION DUE TO DEFECTIVE ECM WHICH TOYOTA PUT OUT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON BUT DIDN'T RECALL. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN, SO THE PROBLEM WAS NOT PREVENTED IN TIME. *TR

SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AS EVERYONE ELSE. TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP, STOPPED DRIVING IMMEDIATELY AND TOLD THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. FURIOUS AT THE FACT THAT THIS IS NOT A RECALL. THERE IS NO MAINTENANCE WHICH AS THE OWNER I FAILED TO DO. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I HAVE SOLD MY TOYOTA WITH COMPLETE DISSATISFACTION AT TOYOTA'S LACK OF RESPONSE TO THIS. IF I DID NOT STOP DRIVING IMMEDIATELY I'M TOLD I WOULD HAVE RUINED THE TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD HAVE COST $4,00 INSTEAD OF THE $1,600. SLIPPING GEARS WHILE DRIVING IS A SAFETY HAZARD. DOES SOMEONE NEED TO GET HURT BEFORE TOYOTA DOES SOMETHING? *TR

ECM IS FAULTY. CAUSING VEHICLE TO "MISSHIFT" FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE MISSHIFTING CAUSES CAR TO STALL FOR A FEW SECONDS TILL SHIFTING IS COMPLETED, CAUSING POTENTIAL REAR-END OR SIDE-HIT(AT INTERSECTIONS) ACCIDENTS. HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT TWICE. SUGGESTED BY DEALERSHIP TO "REFLASH" ECMA; COMPLETED; NO CHANGE. NOW SUGGESTED TO REPLACE PART (ESTIMATED COST OF + LABOR) RESEARCHED ON INTERNET, THERE ARE SEVERAL WEB SITES THAT HAVE CUSTOMERS COMPLAINING TO TOYOTA WITH NO SOLUTION (SUCH AS HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML AND HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0C40D0/573) CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY OFFERED NO SOLUTION BECAUSE A THERE WASN'T A "SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN" AKA RECALL. ADVISED ME TO SEEK OUTSIDE HELP. *TR

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

CAR TRIES TO STALLS. *TR