2002 Toyota RAV4

MY MOTHER HAD THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FIXED JUNE OF 2013. SHE HAD TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR HERSELF BECAUSE TOYOTA REFUSED TO FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY SENT LETTERS OUT TO PEOPLE SAYING THAT THEY WOULD COVER THE COST TO REPAIR THIS KNOWN ISSUE. AFTER 1900.00 LATER, SHE PAID FOR IT. A YEAR LATER I OWN THIS SAME VEHICLE AND THE SAME THING HAS GONE BAD. ITS JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY. I ALMOST GOT HIT DUE TO THE CAR STALLING WHEN I PULLED OUT AT AN INTERSECTION. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, AND IT WAS PAID FOR BY ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER. YET IT HAS THE SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. HORRIBLE COSTUMER SERVICE. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. SUV. AND WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF OWNING IT, MY DRIVE BELT BROKE AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK AND HIT THREE OTHER VEHICLES. I HAD MY NEW CAR TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE DRIVE BELT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY.A FEW MONTHS LATER I NOTICED THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS MAKING A WEIRD GRINDING SOUND AND WAS HARD TO SHIFT. SOMETIMES THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT AND IT WOULD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THIS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK VIA HITTING OTHER VEHICLES OR OTHER VEHICLES HITTING ME. I TOOK IT TO MY DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM THAT THEY HAD SOLD ME A LEMON AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF THEY WOULD GIVE ME ANOTHER RAV4, THAT IS DEPENDABLE. THEY TOLD ME NO. I LET THE RAV 4 SIT IN MY GARAGE FOR TWO YEARS AND MY BROTHER-IN-LAW SAID THAT IF HE COULD FIND A USED TRANSMISSION FROM A WRECKED VEHICLE THEN HE WOULD INSTALL IT IN MY RAV 4. HE FOUND A TRANSMISSION AND I HAD TO PAY IN CASH $1,300.00 FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND I GAVE HIM $400.00 TO INSTALL THE TRANSMISSION. RECENTLY I FOUND OUT THAT TOYOTA HAS RECALLED 2001, 2002 AND 2003 TOYOTA RAV4 SUV'S FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA SALES USA ABOUT THEIR RECALLS OF MY VEHICLE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR THE COST OF BUYING A USED TRANSMISSION AND FOR PAYING TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION PUT IN MY RAV4SUV. PLEASE ADVISE. *JS

ATTEMPTING TO ENTER HIGHWAY, CAR LOST POWER, EVENTUALLY KICKED IN, IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER. THEY SERVICED FUEL INJECTION, FUEL SYSTEM, SPARK PLUGS. FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING REPAIR, HESITATION HAPPENED AGAIN, THIS TIME CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, RETURNED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION AND ECM UNIT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. GOING THROUGH ALL MY PREVIOUS SERVICE RECORDS, CAME ACROSS A SERVICE TICKET DATED 05/18/2012, SHOWING A SERVICE PERFORMED ON A FAULTY ECM UNIT. TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT NEVER INFORMED CONSUMERS THAT THE FAULTY UNITS COULD AFFECT THE TRANSMISSION, AND DRIVING ABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. I AM STUCK WITH A $5,000. REPAIR BILL, BUT I ALSO COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, HAD I BEEN MERGING ONTO A BUSIER HIGHWAY. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS FILED, BUT YET NO ACTION TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION...WILL IT TAKE A LOSS OF LIFE, OR SERIOUS INJURY BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN? *TR

ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2013 WHILE DRIVING MY RAV 4 TO WORK , I EXPERIENCED A STRANGE BEHAVIOR , THE CAR SUDDENLY STOPPED MOVING AND I HAD TO PRESS ON GAS SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WOULD MOVE AS IF LIKE IT IS CHOKED , IN A MINUTE EVERYTHING WENT NORMAL AS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED BUT THEN AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 2 MILES AND STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT , THIS THING HAPPENS AGAIN AND WHEN I TRY TO PUSH ON GAS IT STARTED MOVING A LITTLE AND THEN THERE IS THIS "THUD" SOUND AS IF SOMETHING WAS HOLDING WHEELS OF MY RAV 4 FROM MOVING AND THEN SUDDENLY IT LET THE WHEELS RUN. I TOOK THE CAR TO TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER (TOYOTA SCION OF CONCORD) AND BEEN TOLD THAT MY CAR NEEDS A ECM TO BEGIN WITH AND THAT TOYOTA HAS A TSB OUT THERE AS WELL "EXTENDED WARRANTY" WHICH IN MY CASE IS EXPIRED SINCE MY CAR IS 2002 AND THE WARRANTY IS 10Y/150 K MILES , WHICHEVER IS EARLIER. I AM CONCERNED AS TO WHY THIS DISCREPANCY , TOYOTA KNOWS OR HAD KNOWN OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THAT THEIR VEHICLE HAD AN ISSUE AND THEY CANT BE PUTTING LIFE'S OF BUYERS AT RISK BY NOT DOING A RECALL OF THAT . PLEASE I AM REQUESTING THAT SOME ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN ON THIS AND SUCH CONTINUED ACTS OF CONCEALING INFORMATION WITH OWNERS / SUB-OWNERS OF VEHICLES AND THAT THIS CONDITION LEAVES AT LOT OF LIVES AT RISK BESIDES FINANCIAL LOSS. *TR

FIRST THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THEN WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE, THE CAR HESITATES AND THEN SHIFTS HARD AND JERKS THE CAR FORWARD. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT THE CAR HESITATES AND ACCELERATION IS AFFECTED SO IT IS UNSAFE TO TRY TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY WITH ONCOMING CARS BEHIND YOU. I TALKED TO TOYOTA ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT THEY STATED MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL OF (HARSH SHIFT CONDITION AND/OR MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT). *TR

IN 2009, 2010, AND 2011 MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 EXHIBITED SHARP, ROUGH SHIFTING INTO AND OUT OF GEAR, OFTEN WHEN ON THE FREEWAY. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT REPEATEDLY CAME ON. I WAS INITIALLY ADVISED BY A NON-TOYOTA REPAIR SHOP THAT THE ISSUE WAS WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, UPON TAKING THE CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THEY STATED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE ECM. IN 2009 THEY RE-PROGRAMMED THE ECM, IN 2010 THEY RE-PROGRAMMED THE ECM AND IN 2011 (AFTER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS ISSUED BY TOYOTA CORP) THEY REPLACED THE ECM. THEY NEVER DID ANY SERVICE ON THE TRANSMISSION. NOW IN APRIL 2013 JUST 17MONTHS AFTER THEY REPLACED THE ECM IT HAPPENS AGAIN AND THEY TELL ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE IT'S OUT OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. SINCE THE ECM WAS THROWING THE TRANSMISSION IN & OUT OF GEAR FOR 3 YEARS, ISN'T IT OBVIOUS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DAMAGED BY THE ECM? IT WAS EVEN MENTIONED IN THE SERVICE BULLETINS THAT THE ECM WAS POSSIBLY CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND THE DEALERSHIPS MAY ALSO HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT THE SAME TIME THE ECM WAS REPLACED. YET BECAUSE THEY CHOSE NOT TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ON MY CAR IN 2011 WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY, I NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE. TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2006 YET THEY NEVER ISSUED A RECALL OR NOTIFIED OWNERS UNTIL A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED. TOYOTA NEEDS TO SATISFY THEIR CUSTOMERS BY ISSUING A RECALL AND ADMITTING THAT BOTH THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION NEED TO BE REPLACED ON ANY 2001-2003 RAV4 THAT EXPERIENCES ROUGH SHIFTING, OR SHIFTING IN & OUT OF GEAR, OR CODES THAT REFLECT A PROBLEM WITH THE ECM OR TRANSMISSION. THIS IS DANGEROUS FOR DRIVERS AND TOYOTA IS NEGLIGENT IN PREVENTING INJURIES AND DEATHS DUE TO A KNOWN DEFECT. *TR

ABOUT A WEEK AGO MY CAR BEGAN HAVING ISSUES SHIFTING GEARS. IF I PULLED INTO A TURN LANE I WOULD SLOW AND START CREATING A DANGER FOR BOTH ME AND OTHER DRIVERS. I TOOK MY CAR TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. HE LET ME KNOW THAT 2002 RAV4'S HAVE A RECALL ON THE COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION. HE ALSO SAID THAT IN CERTAIN CASES HE KNEW TOYOTA HAD REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AS WELL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES. MY CAR WAS 19 MONTHS AND 10,000 MILES OVER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST LET ME KNOW THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DIRECTLY DAMAGED BY THE COMPUTER. WHEN I CALLED THE MANUFACTURER THEY LET ME KNOW THAT THEY DIDN'T AGREE WITH THE PROGRAM, THOUGHT THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL INSTEAD OF EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. THE MANUFACTURER REPRESENTATIVE ALSO LET ME KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHERS IN MY SAME SITUATION. *TR

THIS PAST SUMMER THE 2002 RAV 4 STARTED GIVING INDICATIONS THAT SOMETHING MIGHT NOT BE RIGHT. THE CAR HAD ALWAYS GOTTEN ITS REQUIRED MILEAGE MAINTENANCE WHICH WAS ALSO DUE AT THE TIME. SO THOSE THINGS WERE DONE. HOWEVER, OVER THE LAST THREE WEEKS THE FOLLOWING STARTED: --THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN OFF; --THERE WAS HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING/ A HARSH JERK AND SHIFT WHEN CHANGING GEARS --THE VEHICLE WOULD SOMETIMES SLIP BACK INTO NEUTRAL AND STALL WHILE DRIVING THREE INDEPENDENT TOYOTA-CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS DIAGNOSED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION, SO WE TOOK IT TO DARCARS TOYOTA WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. THE TECHNICIAN THERE CONFIRMED THE DIAGNOSIS BUT SAID WE NEEDED TO CONTACT THE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT DEPARTMENT. AFTER PLACING ME ON HOLD FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES, SHE TOLD ME THAT THE CAR HAD EXCEEDED THE TIME FOR THE WARRANTY BY ABOUT 3 MONTHS AND THEREFORE NOTHING COULD BE DONE. IS TOYOTA WILLING TO JEOPARDIZE THE LONG-TERM CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE SAFETY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS, JUST BECAUSE THE CAR CHOSE TO DISPLAY ITS PROBLEMS 3 MONTHS LATER? *TR