2001 Toyota RAV4

MY SPOUSE HAS A TOYOTA RAV4, 2001 AND IT EXPERIENCED MAJOR STALLING PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING, ALMOST LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS GOING OUT. WE TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE TEAM IN BERKELEY, CA THREE TIMES FOR A POTENTIAL FIX. FIRST IT WAS THE ENGINE CONTROL MONITOR (ECM AT $1,040), THEN IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AT $266, THEN IT WAS A BEND PIPE/TUBE LEADING TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE'RE STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM ONE MONTH LATER. *TR

MY TOYOTA RAV4 2001 MODEL, 125000 MILES ON IT. I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, WHEN TURNED GREEN TRIED TO MOVE , BUT THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. IT JUST DID A LITTLE, THEN I SOME HOW PARKED IN THE ROAD SIDE. TOOK IT TO DIFFERENT GARAGES, MIENEKE SAID 6000 DOLLAR REPAIR ON THE TRANSMISSION, ANOTHER SAID 4800 DOLLAR FOR REFURBISHED TRANSMISSION, AAMCO DID A TRANSMISSION REPAIR FOR 2800 DOLLAR.... ALL THESE PLACES THEY ARE NOT SURE WHETHER IT IS TRANSMISSION OR ECM PROBLEM. I JUST CHOOSE TO GET IT DONE WITH THE CHEAPEST ONE. I FEEL LIKE IT IS A PROBLEM WITH ECM AND THE TRANSMISSION OF TOYOTA. BEING A CUSTOMER I HAVE NO WAY KNOWING WHO SAYS THE RIGHT THING? NOW I HEAR THAT TOYOTA RAV 4 HAS DEFECTIVE ECM THAT CAN CAUSE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS? NOW I AM WORRIED IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE THAT CAR ANY FURTHER? *TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4, 98,000 MILES, HAS A PROBLEM. TRANSMISSION SHIFT AROUND 30MILES AND ENGAGING SHIFT 2ND TO 3RD, RPM GAUGE JUMPING UP 5,000~6,000 RPM ON EVERY DRIVING AND FINALLY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME UP. DEALER SHIP SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NEEDED REPROGRAM ECM. AFTER FIXED IT HAPPENED AGAIN THEY SAID IT NEEDS NEW ECM AND REPROGRAM. AND HAD SAME PROBLEM. NOW THEY SAY IT NEEDS TRANSMISSION REBUILD TOO. THEY ALREADY KNEW THESE PROBLEM THROUGH THEIR BULLETIN SOME YEARS AGO AND DIDN'T NOTICED OWNERS. IT WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IF SHIFT WAS CHANGED WHEN RPM GAUGE JUMPED UP. IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. ALSO I READ SOME ARTICLE FOR CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED FOR THIS. *TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 WAS JERKING FORWARD WHILE DRIVING CAUSING ME TO ALMOST CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT WHILE MY 3 YEAR OLD WAS IN THE CAR. THE CAR WOULD DO THIS INTERMITTENTLY THEN IT BECAME WORSE. I WAS VERY SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO BORROW MONEY SO I COULD TAKE THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR COSTING ME APPROX. 1800.00 TO REPLACE THE ECM. *TR

2001 TOYOTA RAV4 BEGAN SHIFTING VERY JERKY WHILE ON WAY HOME FROM STORE. VERY SCARY. WOULD LUNGE AND JERK TO START OUT BUT AFTER 2ND OR 3RD GEAR WAS OKAY. WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HIS TRANSMISSION SERVICER HAD A MUCH BETTER PRICE. THE TRANSMISSION CO REPORTED BACK TO ME THAT I NEEDED A NEW COMPUTER AS WELL AS A REBUILT TRANSMISSION ($2700) AND THAT THIS (FAULTY COMPUTER) WAS A CONDITION TOYOTA WAS FULLY AWARE OF. APPARENTLY THE COMPUTER FOR THIS YEAR/MODEL WAS KNOWN TO BE FAULTY AND IN THIS CASE WAS TELLING THE TRANSMISSION TO ACCESS 2 GEARS AT THE SAME TIME (ACCORDING TO THEM). REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS AND THE WOMAN SAID I WAS OUT OF LUCK BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I WAS NEVER MADE AWARE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER, EVEN THOUGH I HAD CALLED TOYOTA SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE OF AN ENGINE LIGHT THAT KEPT COMING ON. *TR

DURING A TRIP TO THE LOS ANGELES AREA FROM OUR HOME IN FREMONT, CA. OUR 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 REFUSED TO ENTER 1ST GEAR, THEN WOULD SLAM INTO GEAR SUDDENLY, CAUSING A BUCKING EFFECT. AFTER ABOUT 2 HOURS AND SOME ATTEMPTS AT ADDING TRANS FLUID IT STARTED RUNNING OK. TWO DAYS LATER ON THE FREEWAY HOME IT SUDDENLY STARTED IN AGAIN, LEAVING US WITH NO POWER TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC UNTIL IT SLAMMED INTO GEAR AGAIN. WE MADE IT BACK HOME BY REMAINING ON THE FREEWAY AND NOT STOPPING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS RUINED AND NEEDED REPLACING. HE SHOWED ME THE CHIPPED-UP GEARS ON THE UNIT. AFTER REPAIRING THE TRANSMISSION I DROVE IT FOR A DAY AND A HALF AND THE SLIPPING AND BUCKING STARTED IN AGAIN. I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED IT TO THE SHOP AND THEY SPENT A LOT OF TIME CHECKING IT BECAUSE IT WAS WORKING JUST FINE FOR THEM. COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC CAME OUT NORMAL. I TOLD THEM TO KEEP IT AND DRIVE IT FOR A DAY. SURE ENOUGH IT WENT BAD AFTER ABOUT 5 HOURS. AFTER HAVING THE ACTUATORS REPLACED THEY RETURNED THE CAR TO ME. IT LASTED 1 DAY. AT THAT TIME I CHECKED ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ECM. I PRINTED IT AND GAVE IT TO MY MECHANIC. THEY REPLACED THE ECM WITH A NEW ONE ($1200) SINCE NO REBUILDER WOULD RE-PROGRAM THE OLD ONE BECAUSE OF THE RECURRING PROBLEMS WITH IT. THE CAR NOW RUNS FINE BUT ONLY AFTER ABOUT $4000 BECAUSE OF A FAULTY ECM THAT NO ONE SEEMS TO WANT TO ADMIT IS THE REAL PROBLEM.