2001 Toyota RAV4

FALL '08 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 BEGAN STALLING UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE CHANGING GEARS BETWEEN 2 AND 3 RPMS. SUDDEN JERKS AND HALTS OCCUR AFTER COMING TO COMPLETE STOPS AND ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO GO. DIAGNOSTIC TEST CLAIMS SOLENOIDS BUT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SUGGESTS REPLACING ECM AND/OR TRANSMISSION. AN EXPENSE OF ABOUT $4500 WITHOUT GUARANTEE OF FIXING THE PROBLEM. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING IN HIGHWAY, KEEPING UP WITH TRAFFIC PACE SUDDENLY HALTS AND LOOSES POWER. *TR

JANUARY 2008 I HAD THE ECM REPROGRAMMED BY TOYOTA AFTER RECEIVING A LETTER TO COME IN FOR THIS. ON JUNE 3, 2008, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN STUTTER FOLLOWED BY A LOUD NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK THE VEHICLE STUTTERED AND FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. IT WOULD HESITATE ON ACCELERATION. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICING AND TOOK THE CARE IN. THE ADVISOR TOLD ME TO REPLACE THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION. THE SERVICE CODE INDICATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE TOYOTA TECH SERVICE BULLETIN (TC002-06) FROM 3//3/06 INDICATED THAT IMPROVEMENTS HAD BEEN MADE TO THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF THE ECM AND TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM, R&R ECM WHICH WAS NOT DONE IN THE RECALL. *TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 BEGAN ACTING UP AND WOULD NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY. IT WOULD SHIFT VERY HARD, AND WOULD OFTEN HESITATE BEFORE SHIFTING INTO GEAR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. THE SHOP RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AND ECM MONITOR TO CORRECT THE ISSUE, AS THEY WERE VERY AWARE OF THE ISSUE WITH THE RAV4'S AND ALSO BECAUSE METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN THE TRANSMISSION PAN. TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, AND CONTINUES TO TRY AND AVOID THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES WITH THESE VEHICLES. IN MARCH 2006, TOYOTA SENT DEALERS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WARNING THEM THAT SOME CONSUMERS MIGHT COMPLAIN ABOUT HARSH SHIFTING. IT SAID IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE TO THE COMPUTER ?MANUFACTURING PROCESS TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS CONDITION OCCURRING.? IT THEN TOLD THE DEALERS TO REPLACE THE MODULE AND IF THAT DID NOT WORK TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. BUT CONSUMERS OWNING THE VEHICLES WERE NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. TOYOTA ALSO REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING IS THE VEHICLES MILEAGE IS OVER THE 80,000 WARRANTY PERIOD, AND LUCKY FOR THEM, MOST VEHICLES DO NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES UNTIL THEY ARE OUT OF THE WARRANTY PERIOD. *TR

2001 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE/HARSH SHIFTING. MANUFACTURER DEFECT IN ECU IS WELL KNOWN BUT TOYOTA WILL NOT REPLACE DEFECTIVE ITEM. ANYONE DRIVING THIS MODEL IS IN A "TICKING TIME BOMB" FOR TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IF IT HAPPENS AT SPEED, THERE WILL BE DEATH/INJURY INCURRED. INFORMATION WAS IN N.Y. TIMES ON 8/26/2009 ARTICLE. I AM THE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE NHTSA LIST OF COMPLAINTS/CONCERNS ABOUT THIS WELL KNOWN DEFECT. REQUEST AGENCY PRESSURE TOYOTA TO RECALL/REPLACE ECU/ECM/TRANSMISSION AS NEEDED ON EVERY OPERATIONAL RAV4 IN THE 2001-2003 RANGE. TOYOTA ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TC002-06 ON MARCH 3, 2006 ADVISING SERVICE MANAGERS TO REPLACE ECM/TRANSMISSIONS.. "ONLY IF CUSTOMER COMPLAINS" THIS IS A DEVIOUS WAY OF AVOIDING AN OUTRIGHT NOTIFICATION/RECALL AND I REQUEST YOUR GOOD AGENCY HELP OWNERS LIKE ME WHO ARE ENDANGERING THEIR FAMILIES/THEM SELVES & THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON OUR ROADS. I AM A LICENSED DRIVING INSTRUCTOR IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT AND WILL MAKE EVERYONE I KNOW AWARE OF THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH A TOYOTA PRODUCT. YOUR ASSISTANCE IS APPRECIATED. *TR

MY TOYOTA RAV 4 (2001) SUDDENLY STARTED SLIDING, JERKING, MOTOR RACING IN MAY OF 2009. IT HAD JUST PASSED THE 80,000 MI MARK, AND THE SHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION NEARLY STOPPED. I HAD BOUGHT IT USED, AND WHEN WE CHECKED WITH THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP, FOUND THAT THE 2006 BULLETIN ON THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ECU WHICH CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION HAD RESULTED IN THE ECU BEING 'FLASHED'. SO IT HAD THE WORK DONE WHICH WOULD SUPPOSEDLY FIX THE PROBLEM. IT IS LUCKY THAT IT HAPPENED ON A STREET AND NOT ON A FREEWAY, WHICH WOULD MOST LIKELY HAVE RESULTED IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. TOYOTA WAS PHONED, A COMPLAINT WAS MADE. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. AT MY OWN EXPENSE, I HAD THE ECU REBUILT; THE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION WAS THERE, BUT THE REBUILDING OF THE ECU ENABLED ME TO DRIVE THE CAR. I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL LAST. *TR

COST OF REPAIR: 2684.47 & CAR WAS AT DEALERSHIP FOR APP. 1 MONTH TOTAL. MY RAV4 STARTED OCCASIONALLY SHIFTING HARD AND WOULD NOT GO INTO THE NEXT GEAR. WHEN IT FINALLY WENT INTO THE NEXT GEAR IT FELT LIKE A SUDDEN JUMP. THE ENGINE WOULD REV AND THE RPMS WOULD INCREASE WHILE THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL. IT REACHED A POINT WHERE IT WOULD NOT GO INTO THE NEXT GEAR AT ALL. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I SPOKE WITH SERVICE ADVISOR ,HE SAID THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. A SERVICE BULLETIN (TC002-06 89661-42650) INSTRUCTED IN CASES SUCH AS MINE THE ECM WAS TO BE REPLACED. AND HE ALSO STRONGLY ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID NEEDED TO BE FLUSHED, ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT SHOW ANY NEED TO BE, BUT HE AND THE MASTER MECHANIC FELT IT WOULD BE NEEDED. THE ORIGINAL QUOTE FOR THE ABOVE WAS OVER $1500. WHEN I COMPLAINED THAT I DIDN?T FEEL IT WAS RIGHT THAT I SHOULD PAY WHEN IT WAS A KNOWN BAD ECM THE PRICE DROPPED FOR ?CUSTOMER LOYALTY, BLAH, BLAH?. THEY FELT THEY DID ME A FAVOR AND ONLY CHARGED ME $740.47 . TWO DAYS AFTER I GOT IT OUT OF THE SHOP IT DID THE SAME EXACT THING. I HAD BEEN VERY DISGUSTED WITH THE SERVICE I RECEIVED, THE NOT RETURNING OF PHONE CALLS, ETC. THE LAST PLACE I WANTED TO GO WAS BACK TO THE DEALER. ON OR ABOUT MAY 2, 2008 I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT HAD BEGUN TO FLICKER. THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THEY SAID THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON DUE TO OIL GELATION AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I WENT FOR A RIDE WITH SERVICE ADVISOR TOM DRUZYNSKI AND WE QUICKLY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE ORIGINAL PROBLEM. I WAS THEN TOLD THE TRANSAXLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE ENGINE REBUILT. SERVICE ADV TOLD ME REPAIRS WOULD COST $7000. I UNSUCCESSFULLY COMPLAINED TO CORPORATE TOYOTA 2 TIMES. REPAIR COST WENT FROM 7000 TO 1800.THE A/C HASN'T WORKED SINCE. *TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV 4 STARTED EXPERIENCING HARD SHIFTING LATE LAST YEAR. THE SHIFTS BECAME HARDER EARLY THIS YEAR PARTICULARLY BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR. I'VE NEVER HAD ANY SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE AND AT THAT TIME I HAD PROBABLY 78000 MILES. WHEN THE HARD SHIFTING OCCURRED, MY VEHICLE WOULD ALMOST STALL COMPLETELY WHILE DRIVING. I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED A KNOWN TRANSMISSION TROUBLE "SUPPOSEDLY" SOLVED BY REPROGRAMMING MY ECM CARD(WHICH I HAD DONE). THIS HOWEVER DID NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEM. ACCORDING TO OTHER'S WHO HAD THE SAME THING DONE, THE TRANSMISSION WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE FAULTY PROGRAMMING HAS ALREADY DAMAGED MY EXISTING TRANSMISSION. I AM STILL DRIVING MY RAV4 WAITING FOR IT TO COMPLETELY FAIL. TOYOTA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. I BOUGHT A TOYOTA AT A HIGHER PRICE POINT, FOR IT'S RELIABILITY! THE 1ST MAJOR REPAIR MADE ON MY VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE THE TRANSMISSION. *TR