2001 Toyota RAV4

SOMEWHERE AROUND THE LATER PART OF JUNE, 2009 MY CAR BEGAN HESITATING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEN WAS INFORMED THE IT WAS MY ECM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM FIXED SINCE IT WAS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM DURING PRODUCTION. THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO GET IT FIXED. MY VEHICLE HAS AROUND 97,000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS HAPPENING ON A REGULAR BASIS. SEVERAL TIMES MY FAMILY AND I WERE ENDANGERED BECAUSE SOMEONE ALMOST HIT MY VEHICLE FROM THE BACK BECAUSE OF THE HESITATION. AS OF TODAY, I HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT GETTING TOYOTA TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE IN GETTING THIS REPAIRS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD LOOSE ACCELERATION AND THE RPM SPIKED. WHENEVER THE CONSUMER STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING, DUE TO A PROBLEM STEMMING FROM THE ECM, WHICH WAS NOT READING PROPERLY WHICH WAS AFFECTING THE TRANSMISSION. UPDATED IVOQ. 08/07/09.*JB

ALL OF A SUDDEN OUT OF THE BLUE MY TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AND HARD SHIFTING. WE DROVE IT HOME TO PARK IT UNTIL WE COULD FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. $1000 LATER AND NO THANKS TO TOYOTA IT IS FIXED. IT WAS THE COMPUTER THAT NEEDED REPROGRAMMED. THANKFULLY THE TRANSMISSION WASN'T SHOT B/C WE DIDN'T DRIVE IT AFTER IT STARTED TO HARD SHIFT AND SLIP. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE US $5000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION. BUT WE FOUND SOMEONE TO HELP US WITH THE COMPUTER PROBLEM. *TR

OUR TOYOTA RAV 4 IS HAVING ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE IS A BUST. IT CONTROLS AMONG OTHER THINGS OUR TRANSMISSION, AND THE SHIFTING OF GEARS. THE ECM HAS PRETTY MUCH RUINED OUR TRANSMISSION. THERE HAS BEEN MANY RAV 4 OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. AND TOYOTA IS (WAS) A REPUTABLE COMPANY. ONE WOULD THINK THEY WOULD MAKE THIS RIGHT. OUR WARRANTY WAS UP LAST YEAR. AND THERE WAS RECALLS ON DIFFERENT COMPUTER THINGS FROM THEM BUT, THEY WILL NOT HELP US. AND WE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THIS. AND THIS IS OUR ONLY FAMILY CAR. ONE WE NEED TO HELP US GET TO WORK. ANY SUGGESTIONS? *TR

MY CAR IS TOYOTA RAV4 2001 2WD AUTOMATIC. RECENTLY, THE CAR ON ACCELERATION STARTED DOING HARD SHIFT. MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT IT. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2001/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML. WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM PRIVATE PARTY, I HAD ASKED TOYOTA OF KIRKLAND (WA) TO CHECK FOR ECU MODULE. I WAS TOLD IT IS THE RIGHT MODULE AND NOT THE RECALLED ONE. SO, I PURCHASED THIS CAR FROM THE PRIVATE PARTY. AFTER 9 MONTHS OF USING THIS CAR, I GET THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED. THE CAR JERKS WHEN ACCELERATING. SOMETIMES IT REFUSES TO ACCELERATE. TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE CAR BUT WHEN I PURCHASED IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. I THINK IT IS A FAULTY PART IN THE CAR. IF REPLACING ECU DOES NOT FIXES THE PROBLEM THEN WE HAVE TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION WHICH WILL COST ME ADDITIONAL $4000. TO REPLACE NEW ECU OR ECM, IT COSTS $1100+. PLEASE ASK TOYOTA TO RECALL THE RAV4S. THIS IS A BIG BLOW TO US IN THIS ECONOMY. *TR

I AM ONE OF THE MANY UNLUCKY PEOPLE WHO OWN A 2001 TOYOTA RAV-4 WHICH HAS HAD CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ISSUE FOR YEARS. AFTER BRINING TO TOYOTA MORE THAN ONCE TO HAVE THEM NOT BE ABLE TO TURN OFF I AM NOW FACING A FAILED TRANSMISSION- OVER $2,500 TO FIX. AS I SEE ALL THESE COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE FAULTY ECM AND TOYOTA'S LACK OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I AM DISGUSTED. SHAME ON TOYOTA AND AS A ONCE LOYAL OWNER I WILL NEVER BUY A TOYOTA AGAIN AND WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE. *TR

RAV4 DO NOT SHIFT GEAR. SOME TIMES IT WAS LIKE JERKED SHIFTING AND I SEARCHED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL PROBLEM REPORTED IN CARCOMPLAINTS.COM SITE. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. "I TOOK CAR TO A DEALER - LOMBARD TOYOTA, IL, AND TOLD ABOUT GEAR SHIFTING PROBLEM. AT FIRST THEY DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE KNOWN PROBLEM WITH RAV4. WHEN I SAID, I RESEARCHED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN INTERNET AND FOUND THAT RAV4 HAS A GEAR SHIFTING PROBLEM AND TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT IT, AND THERE IS A TSR-TECH SERVICE BULLETIN, AND IT NEEDS TO REPAIR FREE. THEY TOLD ME LET US TAKE A LOOK AT. AFTER HALF AN HOUR, THEY TOLD ME I AM LUCKY IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY 8YR/80000. I PURCHASED THIS ONE ON 2/??/2001. SO I AM LUCKILY COVERED. I DID A LITTLE ARGUED THAT EVEN IF I AM OUT OF WARRANTY, TOYOTA SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT IS A DEFECT. THEY DID NOT CARE MUCH. AND I DID NOT PRESS ON IT. SO HERE IS THE PROBLEM-ACCORDING TO TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN TC002-06 REVISED MODEL 2001-2003 RAV4 EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE MAY EXHIBIT A HARSH SHIFT AND/OR M.I.L "ON" DTC P0750, P0753, P0755, P0758, AND/OR P1760. IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) SAE TERM - POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE/PCM) MANUFACTURING PROCESS TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS CONDITION OCCURRING. USE THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THEY REPLACE A R&R ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. MY RAV4 DRIVES GOOD NOW. I STILL THINK MY RAV4 IS REALLY NOT SMOOTH. OR ATLEAST THAT IS THE WAY I FEEL. THIS IS IT FOR RIGHT NOW. IF ANYTHING COMES UP I WILL UPDATE LATER. *TR

MY 2001 RAV4 DEVELOPED A SHIFTING ISSUE, AND EVENTUALLY PRODUCED A CHECK ENGINE CODE, WHICH INDICATED AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP TELLS ME THAT I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AT THE COST OF $3200. THEY ALSO TELL ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 2001-2003 RAV4S, AND THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF IT. A TECHINICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WAS ISSUED IN 2006, INDICATING THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH SOME RAV4S, AND THAT THE ECM SHOULD BE REPLACED - IF NOT THE TRANSMISSION MAY BE RUINED. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF ANY POSSIBLE ISSUE, AND NOW MY VEHICLE IS RUINED. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR CORRECTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT I WAS UNAWARE THAT THERE WAS ANY ISSUE, AND UNTIL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I WAS UNAWARE THAT MY CAR MAY NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. *TR

ON NOVEMBER 8, WHILE TRAVELING TO WORCESTER TO SEE A FRIEND RECOVERING FROM A SERIOUS MEDICAL NEXT I CALLED TWO OF THE MAJOR TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS IN THE AREA; COTTMAN TRANSMISSION IN NORTHAMPTON AND THE TRANNY SHOP IN PALMER, WHERE BRIAN AND SCOTT TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA'S REPROGRAMMING DIDN'T WORK, AND THAT I'D NEED TO BUY A NEW MODULE OUT OF POCKET FOR $900-1100. THEY BOTH SAID THAT IF I CAUGHT IT EARLY, I WOULDN'T NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. IT SEEMS TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT UNWILLING TO PAY TO MAKE IT RIGHT. *TR