2002 Toyota RAV4

I WAS GOING NORTH ON MOLLY LANE AND GOING TO TURN RIGHT ON US HWY 92 GOING EAST. I PULLED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN MY CAR STALLED AND IT ACTED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. I DROVE AND PICKED UP A PIZZA ON TOWNLAKE PARKWAY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHEN I PULLED OUT OF PAPA JOHNS. I KNEW THERE WAS A BAD PROBLEM AT THAT POINT. I WAS GOING TO DRIVE IT HOME AND HAVE IT TOWED TO TOYOTA. UPON TURNING ONTO THE ENTRANCE RAMP IT STALLED AGAIN AND HAD NO POWER. THE CARS BEHIND ME WERE BLOWING THEIR HORNS. AT THE TOP OF THE RAMP IT REVVED AND THEN SURGED. I DROVE IT HOME AND HAD IT TOWED. TOYOTA SAYS THAT THE ECM IS BAD AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THEN THEY CAN CHECK THE TRANSMISSION. I LOOKED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE 2001 - 2003 RAV4'S. THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY RISK AND TOYOTA SHOULD BE MADE TO DO A RECALL TO FIX THE ECM BOARDS.

I EXPERIENCED SPUTTERING AND HESITATION WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE FRIDAY BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY. THE CAR HAS AROUND 72,800 MILES ON IT. OVER THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND THE CAR WAS FINE. THE NEXT WEEK I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. ONCE I STOPPED THE CAR AT A LIGHT AND THEN ACCELERATED, THE CAR WOULD LURCH AND SPUTTER. I FEARED THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF IN TRAFFIC OR I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. I STOPPED DRIVING IT. TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS (NON-TOYOTA) HAVE TOLD ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I THEN TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AFTER CALLING THE NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER, MENTIONED IN A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE FROM AUGUST 2009. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE ECM WHICH THE DEALER WHO I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM WAS UNCOOPERATIVE IN REPLACING. SO FAR THE CAR IS STILL AT A DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP UNDERGOING "DIAGNOSIS". *TR

AUTO: 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 ISSUE: ECU OR ECM COMPLAINT: TOYOTA REFUSES TO REPAIR ANY TRANSMISSION DAMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAULTY COMPUTER PART. DESCRIPTION: WHEN PRESSING THE GAS WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP, THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. JERKY MOVEMENTS IN THE LOWEST GEARS AND REVERSE; SLUGGISH WHEN PEDAL FULLY PRESSED. CURRENT RESOLVE: TOYOTA WILL REPLACE THE ECM, THOUGH THE PART WILL TAKE 2-3 WEEKS DUE TO HIGH DEMANDS. TOYOTA WILL NOT REPAIR ANY OTHER TRANSMISSION DAMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAULTY PART. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 RAV4 I PURCHASED USED IN MAY 2010 FOR $9,000. A FEW DAYS AFTER PURCHASING IT, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. ALMOST HAD NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS WHEN NEEDING TO ACCELERATE WHEN PULLING OUT INTO A BUSY ROAD AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO GET OUT OF 2ND GEAR INTO 3RD GEAR. HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED/REBUILT FOR $3,500, THE ECM FLASHED FOR $265, 3 NEW OXYGEN SENSORS PUT IN FOR $900. NOW THE CAR IS STILL DOING WHAT IT DID EVEN AFTER ALL THAT MONEY SPENT. LOOKING UP ON THE WEB, FOUND MANY OWNERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND ALMOST ALL HAD TO REPLACE THE ECM. I AM NOW TRYING TO GET AN APPOINTMENT WITH A TOYOTA DEALER TO GET THIS DONE. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR RAV 4 WITH MY SON ABOARD. THE CAR BEGAN EXPERIENCING TROUBLE ACCELERATING, CAR WOULD HESITATE, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WOULD LURCH FORWARD. IT WAS TOTALLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT THAT POINT. I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY ECM WHICH HAS CAUSED THIS VEHICLE TO BE EXTREMELY UNSAFE. II TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND SURE ENOUGH THE CAR SHOWED THE P0755 OBD II CODE WHICH INDICATES THAT THE ISSUE IS WITH THE ECM. F LEFT UNATTENDED, THE TRANSMISSION WILL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT AT A COST OF $4000 - $5000. I TALKED TO TOYOTA ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID A REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER A CUSTOMER SUPPORT WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM (*CASE # 1010011845). HOWEVER, NOW I TALK TO FITZGERALD TOYOTA IN GAITHERSBURG (JUDITH) AND THEY INDICATE THAT THEY HAVEN'T EVEN HEARD OF THIS PROGRAM. *TR

ECM/TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON MY 2002 RAV 4. I ENDED UP CLEANING OUT MY SAVINGS OVER THIS CAR. AFTER RECENT BULLETIN FROM TOYOTA, I SUBMITTED NECESSARY PAPER WORK FOR SOME REIMBURSEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS NOT ELIGIBLE BECAUSE THE CAR WAS MADE IN PUERTO RICO, NOT US!!!!!! I BOUGHT IT USED FROM A TOYOTA DEALER IN VA. WHY DID TOYOTA SEND ME THE NOTICE????? *TR

MAY 19TH OF 2007, MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 4X4 WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS HIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOING 25-30 MPH. AFTER STRUCK, I APPLIED THE BRAKES TWICE, WHILE THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AT AN INCREASING HIGH SPEED, RESULTING IN HITTING A GLASS BUS STOP ENDING UP HITTING A BRICK SCHOOL. IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE ALTHOUGH I WAS UNABLE TO GO ANYWHERE. NO INJURIES REPORTED. *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV4. AFTER STOPPING AT AN INTERSECTION I TOOK OFF AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO BE IN HIGH GEAR, THEN IT JERKED AND THE ENGINE RACED AND THE TRANSMISSION DOWN SHIFTED. THIS HAPPENED TWO OTHER TIMES WITHIN 10 MILES. THE ECM UNIT HAD FAILED. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON-LINE AND FOUND THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS FIXED IN 2008 ON THIS VEHICLE BUT WE HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE SINCE MAY OF 2007 AND DID NOT HAVE ANY REPAIRS DONE. *TR

I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL TOYOTA OWNER WITH A 1995 CAMRY AND A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. I NOTICED THE TERRIBLE JERKING THAT STARTED WHILE DRIVING THE RAV4 ON MY WAY TO WORK. I COULD NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO SPEED UP WHEN NECESSARY AND ONCE I DID, THE CAR JERKED SO MUCH, I HAD TO PULL OVER AND EVENTUALLY GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. THEY STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE PROBLEM SO WE PAID TO REPLACE IT AND RESOLVE THAT ISSUE. NOT EVEN A WEEK LATER, I HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS GOING HOME FROM WORK. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND NOW IT'S THE ECM THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO GET IT REPLACED SINCE I JUST PAID FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION. THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO RESET THE ECM BUT THAT DID NOT HELP AT ALL. NOW WE ARE DOWN TO THE 95 CAMRY AND CROSSING OUR FINGERS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ISSUES WITH OUR "OLD RELIABLE". *TR