2001 Toyota RAV4

I BOUGHT A TOYOTA RAV4 TWO WEEKS AGO, AND SAW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, BUT ASSUMED THAT TOYOTA WOULD REPLACE IT IF MINE NEEDED REPLACED. MY VEHICLE'S ECM HAD BEEN REPROGRAMMED, SO I ASSUMED IT WOULD BE FINE. I WAS WRONG. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, MY VEHICLE STARTED SHIFTING HARSHLY, AND I HAD TO CRAWL ALONG A BUSY EXPRESSWAY WITH MY FOUR-WAY LIGHTS ON WITH CARS FLYING PAST ME. AND I HAD TO LIMP THROUGH INTERSECTIONS, THEN IMMEDIATELY STOP MY CAR FROM LURCHING FORWARD -- WHAT IF A PERSON HAD BEEN WALKING ACROSS THE INTERSECTION?? TOYOTA SAYS MY VEHICLE'S TOO OLD TO BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL TO REPLACE THE ECM. ABSOLUTELY APPALLING. IF THEIR FIRST RECALL OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T WORK, OWNERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A HUGE MISTAKE TOYOTA MADE. IT IS ONLY FAIR THAT THIS IS COVERED FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR. IT IS NOT FAIR FOR PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO HAVE TO BUY A USED CAR. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HASN'T BEEN INVESTIGATED YET. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE SEEING AS THE CAR CRAWLS THROUGH BUSY INTERSECTIONS AND SOMEONE COULD EASILY HIT YOU. OR YOU COULD BE TRYING TO MERGE ONTO A HIGHWAY AND THE CAR COULD REFUSE TO ACCELERATE AND A CAR COULD HIT YOU THEN. OR IF IT'S A SNOWY OR ICY DAY AND YOU TRY TO CLIMB A HILL, YOU COULD EASILY NOT MAKE IT UP THE HILL AND ROLL BACKWARDS INTO THE CAR BEHIND YOU. OR THE TRANSMISSION COULD GO OUT ALTOGETHER SUDDENLY, SEEING AS THIS IS A KNOWN RISK WHEN THE CAR STARTS SHIFTING HARSHLY. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO DIE OR BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BEFORE THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE FOR THIS HUGE PROBLEM. IT IS ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN INJURED OR ANYONE ELSE AROUND ME. *TR

WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL ON AN INCLINE MY RAV4 ACCELERATES OUT OF CONTROL SO I HAVE TO APPLY THE BRAKE TO GET IT OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL. I HAD THIS ON 2 RAV4S, BOTH 2001, ONE WAS 4WD AND THE OTHER 2WD. TOYOTA TRIED TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST VEHICLE BY SENDING IT HOME WITH A TECH WHO DROVE TO MODESTO. THEY COULD NOT REPEAT IT...ON MY CURRENT CAR IT DOES THE SAME AND TOYOTAS BEST ANSWER WAS NOT TO USE CRUISE CONTROL AFTER HE ASKED WHY I WAS USING IT ANYWAYS. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE ECUS IN THESE CARS AND BEFORE BUYING IT, SENT THE PRIVATE DEALER TO TOYOTA TO REMEDY THIS. NOW I FIND OUT THEY ONLY FLASHED THE ECU UNDER THE RECALL WHICH THEY NEW DIDN'T FIX ANYTHING. NOW 2 YEARS LATER I FACE THE HARSH SHIFTING CONDITION....ALL ON ME. IM LUCKY NOT TO HAVE BEEN HURT BY EITHER OF THESE ISSUES NOT ADDRESSED PROPERLY BY TOYOTA, AND THANK GOD MY 9 YEAR OLD WASN'T WITH ME WHEN THE CAR STOPPED SHIFTING PROPERLY. *TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THAT WAS COVERED IN TOYOTA'S EXTENDED WARRANTY AND RECALL FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL. ACCORDING TO A JULY 10, 2010 ARTICLE ONLINE AT THECARCONNECTION.COM IT IS AN ISSUE WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE. THE ISSUE, WHICH AFFECTS AROUND 235,500 VEHICLES, CAN LEAD TO A DAMAGED, ROUGH-SHIFTING TRANSMISSION. WHILE THE RAV4 FOR THOSE MODEL YEARS WAS ORIGINALLY COVERED FOR FIVE YEARS OR 60,000 MILES ON POWER TRAIN COMPONENTS, TOYOTA IS EXTENDING COVERAGE TO TEN YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. THE AUTO MAKER IS ALSO OFFERING TO REIMBURSE CURRENT OR FORMER OWNERS FOR REPAIRS ALREADY MADE. FOR ME, THE PROBLEM DID NOT APPEAR UNTIL NEAR THE VERY END OF THE COVERAGE DATE. IT WAS MIS-DIAGNOSED AND WHEN PROBLEM WAS FINALLY IDENTIFIED, I WAS TOLD IT WAS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY WINDOW AND TOYOTA WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR. THIS ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN TO TOYOTA AND WIDELY DOCUMENTED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT PICKING UP SPEED AS QUICKLY. UPDATED 11/10/14

RECENTLY THE CHECK ENGINE DASHBOARD LIGHT ON OUR 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 CAME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTO PARTS STORE THAT OFFERED A FREE DIAGNOSTIC CHECK; IT INDICATED TROUBLESHOOTING CODE P0770; THE TECHNICIAN EXPLAINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION TRIES TO SIMULTANEOUSLY SHIFT INTO 2ND AND 3RD GEARS DUE TO FAULTY SIGNALS FROM THE ECM (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE) THAT REGULATES THE TRANSMISSION. THIS EXPLANATION SEEMED CONSISTENT WITH THE CARS BEHAVIOR (NOT CLIMBING EVEN A SMALL HILL AND HAVING TO RESTART IT) AND NUMEROUS ACCOUNTS WE'VE READ ONLINE THAT SUGGEST THE ECM DEFECT REMEDIED FOR A WHILE BY A RECALL IN 2007 AND EVIDENTLY A FEW YEARS AFTER THAT BY A CLASS ACTION SUIT NO LONGER IN EFFECT IS STILL AN ONGOING PROBLEM. WE TOWED THE RAV TO OUR CLOSEST AUTHORIZED TOYOTA REPAIR FACILITY, THEN EXPLICITLY ASKED IF THEY WOULD CHECK BOTH THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION. THE SERVICE REP GAVE A $4200 TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ESTIMATE, BUT MADE NO MENTION OF THE ECM MODULE, EVEN THOUGH I SPECIFICALLY ASKED ABOUT THIS. 1) TOYOTA SHOULD EXTEND THEIR RECALL ON THE ECM MODULES INDEFINITELY AND PAY FOR BOTH ECM AND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, SINCE THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN DEFECT AND A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. IF THE CIRCUITRY IN THE ECM WERE TO MALFUNCTION AT HIGH SPEEDS IT MIGHT CAUSE FATALITIES OR SERIOUS INJURIES. 2) THE SPECIFIC TOYOTA DEALER SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED THE ECM IN THEIR ESTIMATES AND MADE GREATER EFFORTS TO WORK WITH TOYOTA TO REMEDY THIS SPECIFIC SITUATION AND ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES IN GENERAL, FOR THE SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THIS DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT INTENTIONALLY DIVERTED ATTENTION FROM THE ECM DEFECT AND ITS LIABILITY TO AVOID THE EXPENSE AND COMPLICITY INVOLVED IN WHAT WOULD SEEM TO BE A LEGITIMATE ON-GOING SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

ECM WAS REPLACED IN 2007. NO PROBLEMS AT THAT TIME. IN MAY 2014 BRAKES PLUS MISDIAGNOSED PROBLEM AND FIXED ALMOST EVERYTHING POSSIBLE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER WENT ON UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE THE PROBLEM. TRANSMISSION STARTED ACTING UP AND WHEN I WENT TO PASS A PERSON ON A BICYCLE SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL. THEN IT JUMPED BACK AND FORTH LIKE TRYING TO GO FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER, WITH NOTHING HAPPENING. I COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY A TRUCK AT THIS POINT, BUT AVOIDED. TOOK THE RAV BACK TO BRAKES PLUS. THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. WOULD COST $4500-5000 REPAIR. THEY NEVER EVEN CHECKED THE DIAGNOSIS - WHICH WHEN WE TOOK TO AUTO ZONE (WHICH WILL READ THE PROBLEM AS ECM). THEN TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION IS "SMOKE." CALLED THE TOYOTA REP AND ONLY GOT A CASE NUMBER. OF COURSE THE CAR IS 13 YEARS OLD AND WE HAVE HAD IT 12. IT IS AT 175,000 MILES. WE CAN'T PUT ANOTHER $4,500 IN THIS CAR. THE ECM SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE OUT AGAIN. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT SHOULD HAVE GONE ON IN MAY FROM WHAT WE ASSESS CONSIDERING THE PROBLEMS WE EXPERIENCED AT THAT TIME. I WOULD NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO PURCHASE A 2001-2003 RAV4. I AM NOT SURE I'D EVERY PURCHASE ANOTHER TOYOTA. IT LOOKS LIKE TOYOTA HAS STUCK US WITH A NEARLY $5000 REPAIR IF WE WANT A NEW TRANS. AND WE JUST PUT $2,700 INTO IT IN MAY. *TR