2001 Toyota RAV4

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN DETECTED THAT THE FRONT ENGINE CROSS MEMBER COMPLETELY RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. IN ADDITION, PICTURES WERE TAKEN OF THE DEFECTIVE COMPONENT AND FORWARDED TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED THAT THE VEHICLE NOT BE DRIVEN DUE TO SAFETY RISKS. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV 4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS WHILE DRIVING. ONCE SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO SHIFT, THE VEHICLE BEGAN JERKING ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE FAILURE WAS DIAGNOSED AS AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE WITHIN THE COMPUTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 158,000.

FAULTY SHIFTING IN 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 RELATED TO THE ECM CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN AND ALMOST COME TO A STOP WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OR PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC. ECM WAS REPLACED BUT THE FAULTY SHIFTING STILL OCCURS. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS MEANS THAT THE VEHICLE NOW NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. WHILE THE VEHICLE IS 10 YEARS OLD, IT HAS LESS THAN 130,000 MILES ON IT. THIS SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS ISSUE IS DUE TO THE ECM AND ITS POOR DESIGN DESPITE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY FOR EXACTLY THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE INTERNET FROM RAV4 OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

BEGINNING IN JAN. 2010 THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 SUDDENLY BEGAN SHIFTING ERRATICALLY. JUST AFTER ENTERING I-35 IT DOWNSHIFTED FROM OVERDRIVE TO I'M GUESSING SECOND GEAR. THIS SUDDEN DECELERATION NEARLY GOT ME REAR ENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK. IT ALSO DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION. I AM ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ECM THAT CAUSED IT MUST NOW BE REPLACED, @ A COST OF $4200. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY INOPERABLE AS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING IS SO ERRATIC YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL GO INTO GEAR AND IF IT DOES, WHAT GEAR AND IT SHIFTS SO ERRATICALLY IT'S LIKE RIDING A BUCKING HORSE. JUST GETTING IT THE THREE MILES TO THE SHOP WAS TAKING MY LIFE IN MY HANDS. THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. BEING OF LIMITED MEANS, I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE CAR YET. *TR

ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FIRST FAILED & WAS REPLACED 6/6/06. ECM REPLACED 2ND TIME UNDER OPEN RECALL 10/25/07. UNDER ENHANCED WARRANTY PROGRAM, ECM & TRANSMISSION REPLACED 3RD TIME AFTER 3 MONTH REPAIR TIME 12/21/10. VEHICLE TRAVELED 300 MILES WHEN ECM & TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN. VEHICLE RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP FOR 4TH REPAIR TO ECM & TRANSMISSION ON 12/21/10. TO DATE (2/22/11) VEHICLE IS STILL AT DEALERSHIP AWAITING PARTS TO REPAIR. VEHICLE HAS BEEN OUR OF SERVICE APPROACHING 5 MONTHS. WE HAVE NO CONFIDENCE TOYOTA CAN SUCCESSFULLY REPAIR VEHICLE. SAFETY ISSUE ARISES WHEN HARSH SHIFT CONDITION OCCURS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN AS IT SHIFTS FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR, CREATING POSSIBILITY OF REAR-END COLLISION.

2001 TOYOTA RAV4 TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING HARD AND INTO INAPPROPRIATE GEARS. WHILE ACCELERATING, THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING INTO A HIGHER GEAR AS IT NORMALLY DID. NOW IT HESITATES BETWEEN GEARS (NEUTRAL) AND THEN RANDOMLY SHIFTS INTO A LOWER OR HIGHER GEAR OFTEN JUMPING FROM GEAR TO GEAR UNTIL SETTLING INTO THE PROPER GEAR. THIS BEHAVIOR JUST BEGAN WITH 112K MILES. *TR

FRONT DISK BRAKE ROTOR BROKE WHERE IT MOUNTS TO STEEL WHEEL RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF BRAKING ACTION ON THAT WHEEL. UPON TAKING TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, FRONT DISK ROTOR WAS REMOVED AND SHOWED STRESS FRACTURES AND SEPARATION FROM ROTOR ASSEMBLY. THIS 2001 VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH STEEL WHEELS WHICH TOYOTA DID A RECALL ON IN 2000. THE FRONT DISK ROTORS WERE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAD NEVER BEEN MACHINED.

THE ECM IS TOYOTAS 2001-2003 RAV4 CAUSES ROUGH SHIFTING IN THE TRANSMISSION AND IT EVENTUALLY CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION TO STOP FUNCTIONING. THIS MEANS THE CAR CAN AND WILL COME TO AN ABRUPT HALT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY SEVERAL TIMES AND NOW THE TRANNY IS NO GOOD AT ALL. THIS IS ALL AFTER RECEIVING A FEW LETTERS FROM TOYOTA REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AND BRINGING IT IN FOR SERVICE ON THE ECM AFTER I'D ALREADY PAID $1400 TO TOYOTA FOR THE SAME SERVICE. THEY NEVER CHANGED ANYTHING , JUST "REPROGRAMMED " IT. NOW , EVEN WITH TOYOTA SAYING PUBLICLY THAT THEY WILL STAND BY THE VEHICLE ,AFTER CATCHING SO MUCH HEAT FROM THE PUBLIC , THEY STILL DENY ME COVERAGE AS WELL AS REIMBURSEMENT AND THEY EVEN CHARGED ME A STORAGE AND DIAGNOSTIC FEE! THIS ECM PROBLEM HAS BEEN A WELL KNOWN DEFECT SINCE 2006 AND TOYOTA WAS AND FULLY AWARE OF THE ISSUE. YOUR CAR SUDDENLY STOPPING ON THE HIGHWAY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST DANGERS ONE CAN FACE WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE.JUST TO BE CLEAR , THE FIRST TIME THE CAR STOPPED ON ME WAS IN 2006. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY ACTED AS IF I WAS OUT OF MY MIND. I PAID , THE $1400 TO THE DEALER FOR A NEW ECM. 2 WEEKS LATER THE CAR STOPPED AGAIN. THE SAID IT WAS MY FAULT. 6 WEEKS AFTER THAT , ( STILL IN 2006) TOYOTA SENT A SERVICE LETTER DESCRIBING THE EXACT PROBLEM I'D PAID FOR BUT I GOT NO REFUND. A MONTH LATER , YUP YOU GUESSED IT.I PAID AGAIN AND EVERYTHING WAS OK AT BEST UNTIL JANUARY 2009 WHEN IT STOPPED YET AGAIN. I CAN'T AFFORD TO KEEP SPENDING MONEY LIKE THIS FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS ENTIRELY TOYOTAS FAULT AND OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE. PLEASE PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. *TR