2002 Toyota RAV4

OUT OF THE BLUE WHILE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, MY CAR STARTED SHAKING, JERKING, SLAMMING INTO GEAR, NOT ACCELERATING, AND AT TIMES IT FELT LIKE THE BRAKE WAS BEING APPLIED WHEN I STEPPED THE GAS. WHEN I FIRST TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP A DAY AFTER THIS HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE DURING A TEST DRIVE. LITERALLY MINUTES AFTER PICKING MY CAR UP AND DRIVING OFF THE DEALERSHIP LOT, IT STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. THIS TIME IT WAS MUCH WORSE AND I WAS AFRAID AS THE PERSON BEHIND ME ALMOST REAR-ENDED ME. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TELL ME I EITHER NEED A NEW ECM OR A NEW TRANSMISSION. BUT AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET, IT IS A HUGE ISSUE THAT IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 OWNERS. AND WE AS THE OWNERS ARE AT THE MERCY OF THE UNKNOWN - THIS HAPPENS OUT OF NO WHERE AND IS HORRIBLY UNSAFE AND YET TOYOTA TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRYING TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE SHE ENCOUNTERED EXTREME DIFFICULTY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 71,300.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 DOWN THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE RPM'S OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN ESCALATING FAR BEYOND WHERE THEY NORMALLY WOULD. AFTER TESTING THE VEHICLE AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS, I DETERMINED THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM FOURTH TO FIFTH GEAR. TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY TRANSMISSION. WHAT'S WRONG IS THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. HE CONTACTED A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER TO SEE IF HE COULD SOURCE THE PART AND DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN FAILURE AND WE NEEDED TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. WE DID SO, WHERE WE WERE TOLD BECAUSE WE PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN MAY OF 2002 (TEN YEARS, FIVE MONTHS AGO) THAT THEY WERE REFUSING TO REPAIR THE CAR'S ECM AS IT FELL OUTSIDE OF THEIR 'ADJUSTED' WARRANTY PERIOD. I CONTACTED TOYOTA'S CORPORATE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE, WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT YES, TOYOTA KNOWS THAT THE PART IS GOING TO FAIL. THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO COVER MORE OF THE CARS THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED. HOWEVER, SINCE I PURCHASED MY CAR FIVE MONTHS LONGER THAN THEIR ARBITRARY TEN YEAR COVERAGE PERIOD REGARDLESS OF THE FACT THAT THE MILEAGE OF THE CAR FALLS FAR BELOW THE LISTED COVERAGE THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE DEALERSHIP QUOTED $1400 FOR THE ECM REPAIR AND ANOTHER $4800 FOR THE TRANSMISSION - SAYING THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED, EVEN THOUGH THEY HADN'T INSPECTED IT (I ASKED!!) AND I HAD ALREADY HAD AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC CHECK IT OUT AND SAID THAT IT WAS FINE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS OKAY FOR TOYOTA TO SELL MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CARS WITH KNOWN SAFETY DEFECTS AND SAY THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR - KNOWING THAT IF THE REPAIR ISN'T MADE, THAT PEOPLE WILL BE KILLED DRIVING THESE CARS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED ABNORMALLY WHILE DRIVING AND WOULD LOSE ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,600. UPDATED 10/11/12*LJ

WE HAD JUST LEFT A PARKING LOT IN OUR 2002 RAV 4 AND AS WE CAME UP TO SPEED THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO JERK AND TRY TO SHIFT INTO DIFFERENT GEARS. I ALL OF A SUDDEN HAD NO POWER AND A TRUCK COMING DOWN THE ROAD ALMOST HIT US. AS I DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR REVVED UP AND ALL OF A SUDDEN ENGAGED AND SPUN OUT. VERY SCARY AND WE WERE LUCKY!. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS BEEN SLUGGISH SINCE DAY 1, ABOUT 2004. THIS PAST WEEKEND IT WAS MORE SLUGGISH THAN USUAL, AFTER TAKE-OFF. I DROVE IT A FEW MORE TIMES AND AFTER EVERY DRIVE, THE TRANSMISSION WOULDN'T SHIFT EASILY, AND WHEN IT DID SHIFT IT WAS VERY HARD. ALMOST A WHIPLASH HARD. IT IS GETTING WORSE, AND THIS IS ONLY THE 3RD DAY. I CALLED THE NATIONAL TOYOTA NUMBER, BECAUSE I FOUND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY POLICY BULLETIN ON-LINE, BUT I AM 9 MONTHS OVER THE 10 YEAR LIMIT, AND EVEN THOUGH IT DOES NOT SAY 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST, I WAS TOLD THAT THE WHICHEVER COMES FIRST IS AN AUTOMATIC...HMM SHOULD BE IN WRITING THAT WAY. AND I CALLED MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING. I CALLED THE LOCAL TOYOTA CUSTOMER LINE, BUT WAS PUT THROUGH TO VOICE MAIL. REALLY 9 MONTHS...MY CAR HAS 130,000 MILES. I NEED HELP! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HARSH SHIFTING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THERE WOULD BE AN INCREASE IN THE ENGINE RPMS BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ECM WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID NEEDED TO BE DRAINED AND REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 122,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO SHIFT GEARS. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND OR SHIFT GEARS. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHERE THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WAS FOUND DEFECTIVE. IN ORDER TO REPAIR, THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE; HOWEVER NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 35,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE HARD SHIFTED INDEPENDENTLY INTO A DIFFERENT GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE TRANSMISSION NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER OFFERED TO COVER THE COST OF FIFTY PERCENT OF THE REPAIRS COSTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED.THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 118,000.