2001 Toyota RAV4

ECM FAILED ON MY 2001 RAV4 AND TOYOTA REFUSED TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. WHEN IT FAILED IT PUT ME IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS WAS AFTER A RECALL ON THE ECM. SO I HAD ALREADY BROUGHT MY CAR INTO THE DEALER AND HAD THE ECM REPROGRAMMED. IF I HAD DIED IN AN ACCIDENT WOULD ANYONE HAVE CHECKED THE ECM TO SEE IT WAS NOT WORKING? I DEFINITELY COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ROAD DRIVING THESE CARS THAT COULD AT ANY MINUTE START ACTING ERRATICALLY. *TR

MARCH 2009 VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I TOOK VEHICLE TO AUTOZONE FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK. CHECK INDICATED THAT THE SHIFT SOLENOID WAS BAD. I TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA OF BEDFORD AND WAS TOLD I HAD TO GET ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC BECAUSE THEY DON'T TAKE DIAGNOSTIC FROM OTHER PLACES, SO THAT COST ME $100. AFTER THEIR DIAGNOSTIC CHECK WAS PERFORMED, THEY CLAIMED IT WAS JUST THE GAS CAP AND TURNED THE LIGHT OFF. WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS THE LIGHT CAN BACK ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. IN JUNE 2009, THE CAR STARTED HAVING SHIFTING DIFFICULTY, GETTING STUCK IN A GEAR THEN JERKING OUT OF IT. I TOOK IT TO A FOREIGN CAR SPECIALIST SHOP AND THEY CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, I DROVE IT FOR A FEW WEEKS AGAIN, THEN IT SHIFTED HARD WHILE DRIVING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I HAVE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY SOMETIMES WHEN THE CAR GETS STUCK IN A GEAR AND WON'T ACCELERATE!!! I READ COMPLAINTS EXACTLY LIKE MINE WITH THE 2001 TOYOTA RAV 4 AND CAN'T BELIEVE NOTHING IS BEING DONE. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND NOT A DRIVER ERROR, THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER ERROR. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE GETS KILLED BEFORE A RECALL CAN BE ORDERED. THIS A PART THAT SHOULD NEVER BE DEFECTIVE AND IF IT IS IT SHOULD BE FIXED WITHOUT QUESTION. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 (71K MILES) WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE BACKSEAT AND AS I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TO GET ONTO THE FREEWAY ONRAMP THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND THE CARS IN BACK OF ME ALMOST REARENDED ME. THE CARS BEHIND ME BEGIN HONKING AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO LUNGE, BUCK, AND HESITATE THE WHOLE WAY HOME(FORTUNATELY I WAS ONLY ONE EXIT AWAY); MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE VERY SHAKEN UP. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT IN TO MY MECHANIC, WHO DID A TRANSMISSION SERVICE. THE CAR DROVE FINE FOR A COUPLE DAYS THEN AGAIN OUT OF NOWHERE BEGAN HESITATING AND LUNGING/THUDDING. MY MECHANIC RECOMMENDED I TAKE IT TO AAMCO, WHO REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION FOR $3129. A FEW DAYS LATER, IT DISPLAYED THE SAME SYMPTOMS. AAMCO DROVE IT AROUND BUT SAID IT DROVE FINE AND GAVE IT BACK TO ME. A WEEK LATER, THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION AGAIN IN 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD GEARS, AND I TOOK IT BACK TO AAMCO. THEY OPENED THE TRANSMISSION UP AND SAID THE SAME PARTS THEY REPLACED ARE BAD AGAIN, AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR ANOTHER REBUILD PLUS A VALVE BODY AND ECM. I DON'T HAVE ADDITIONAL $ FOR THIS SO MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING (NOT IN RUNNING CONDITION) FOR 3 MONTHS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND THAT HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF 2001-2003 RAVS ARE HAVING SIMILAR TRANSMISSION/ECM FAILURES. THIS POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ALARMING DEFECT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SPORADICALLY STALL WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) WAS DAMAGED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 132,000.

ERRATIC SHIFTING ON MY WIFE'S 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 (140,000 MILES). COULD NOT ACCELERATE ALONG WITH RANDOM DOWNSHIFTS. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS ON BOTH SURFACE STREETS AND HIGHWAY DRIVING AS VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN NEEDED OR RADICALLY SLOW DOWN WHEN IT SPORADICALLY DROPPED INTO A LOWER GEAR. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ELK GOVE (CA) TOYOTA (EGT). THEY INDICATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS LOW ON FLUID (IT WAS NOT, I CHECKED) AND RECOMMENDED A FLUSH. THEY FLUSHED IT AND STATED IT WAS TESTED AND READY TO GO. PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED. EGT THEN STATED I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND POSSIBLY A NEW ECM. I CHOSE TO RESEARCH THE PROBLEM AND TOWED MY VEHICLE HOME. A QUICK SEARCH REVEALED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON RAV4 ECM PROBLEMS AND SEVERAL SECONDARY MARKETS REPAIRING THESE DEFECTIVE UNITS. SENT MY UNIT OUT AND HAD IT REPAIRED -PROBLEM SOLVED. IT APPEARS THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM WITH THE DEFECTIVE ECM. HAD I NOT RESEARCHED THIS, I WOULD PAID FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION AND ECM. IN DEFENSE OF EGT, THEY DID REIMBURSE ME FOR THE TRANSMISSION FLUSH, BUT THEY STILL INSISTED THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. PLEASE ADD MY COMPLAINT TO ANY OTHERS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING TOYOTA RAV4 ECM PROBLEMS, SO THAT TOYOTA MIGHT ADMIT THAT THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE UNITS. MY WIFE HAS ALWAYS SWORN BY TOYOTA PRODUCTS - THE RECENT SWEARING ASSOCIATED WITH TOYOTA IS NOT THE KIND A COMPANY WOULD COVET. *TR

TOYOTA RAV4 2001 - COMPUTER PROBLEMS & TOTAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM MY RAV4, 2001 MODEL INITIALLY STARTED GIVING "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" AND HAVING HARD TIME ACCELERATING FROM STOP SIGNAL. THE BBB APPROVED SERVICE CENTER CHECKED IT AND FOUND OUT THE ERROR CODE AS P0750 AND ADVISED THE REPLACEMENT/REBUILDING THE TRANSMISSION TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY CHARGED ME APPROX $3000 FOR THIS TRANSMISSION REBUILD WORK/FIXING THE ERROR CODE ISSUE. TWO DAYS AFTER, I GOT THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN AND WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE SAME SERVICE CENTER, I WAS TOLD THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM IS THE CULPRIT FOR CAUSING THE PROBLEM. NOW, BASED ON THE DETAILS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET (HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/MAIN_COMPUTER_AND_TRANSMISSION_FAILURE.SHTML), I UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS IS THE COMMON PROBLEM OF TOYOTA RAV4 CARS. WHEN I SPOKE TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE ON 800-331-4331 (CASE # 1006150572), THEY SAID THEY ARE HELPLESS. I AM INTERESTED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH CARSAFETY TO TAKE THIS UP WITH TOYOTA AS TO WHY THIS COMMON PROBLEM OF RAV4 IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED/RECALLED, THOUGH THERE ARE CUSTOMERS FACING SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. THE PROBLEM CAN EVEN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF THE LIVES. AS AN EXAMPLE, ON FREEWAY, WHILE GOING AT 60MPH, THE SPEED SUDDENLY FALLS DOWN TO 30 OR EVEN 20MPH AND CONTINUES LIKE THAT FOR FEW MINUTES BEFORE IT GOES AUTOMATICALLY TO HIGHER SPEED. THIS FAILURE OCCURS EVERY 10-15 MINUTES IF NOT EARLIER.. THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILD (INCLUDING THE SOLENOIDS, GEARTRAIN COMPONENTS, TORQUE CONVERTER ETC), THE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED WITH A TOTAL OF APPROX $4500, THOUGH THERE WERE NO DEATHS/INJURIES YET. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE TAKEN UP SERIOUSLY WITH TOYOTA AND NEEDS A QUICKER RESOLUTION. THANKS IN ADVANCE. *TR