2002 Toyota RAV4

I PURCHASE MY VEHICLE A 2002 RAV4, AUTOMATIC, NEW. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. APPROXIMATELY IN MARCH OF 2010 MY VEHICLE STARTING JERKING, I LOOK AT MY GAS GAUGE AND THOUGHT I MUST BE LOWER ON GAS THEN THE GAUGE IS SHOWING. I GOT GAS AND THE PROBLEM STOPPED. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM. I GOT GAS AND THE SITUATION STOPPED. SPORADICALLY, IN THE 2 WEEK TIME FRAME MY VEHICLE SEEMED TO LOSE POWER. I DID TAKE MY CAR INTO MY MECHANIC AND HE HAD THE CAR AND DID TEST DRIVES WITH NO PROBLEMS. AGAIN, IN APRIL THE PROBLEM AROSE AGAIN AND THE CAR WHEN TO MY MECHANIC AND AGAIN THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. ON APRIL 22, 2010 UPON LEAVING WORK I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND THERE WAS A HORRIBLE JERKING, SHAKING AND AT TIMES SEEMED TO HAVE NO POWER I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME (1 MILE AWAY) WITH THE TIRES BARELY ROLLING DOWN THE ROAD. IMMEDIATELY, THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND AS WE WERE DOING A TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE BEGAN THE JERKING, SHAKING AND LOST POWER, THE CAR WAS NOT OPERABLE ANY LONGER. THE DIAGNOSIS: TRANSMISSION BURNT AND NEW ECM (MY THIRD IN THIS VEHICLE). THE VEHICLES ENGINE CHECK LIGHT NEVER CAME ON OR ANY OTHER SENSORS IN THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE ECM WAS TESTED IT DID NOT DISPLAY ANY CODES OR PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND WAS ADVISED I NEEDED TO BRING IT IN FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT. I EXPLAINED TO THEM IT DOES NOT RUN AND NOT GOING ANYWHERE AND WOULD THESE (I WOULD HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED WITH AN EXPENSE OF ANYWHERE FROM $250 TO $300.00, A HOURS DRIVE AWAY) EXPENSES BE COVERED. RESPONSE "WARRANTY EXPIRED 60 DAYS AGO." AFTER MANY DAYS OF AN AGONIZING DECISION, I ADVISED MY MECHANIC TO GO AHEAD AND FIX THE CAR AT THE TUNE OF $3500.00, REPLACING THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE IS STILL BEING REPAIRED AND I WILL HAVE IT BACK NEXT WEEK. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOPPED POSITION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE TO GAIN SPEED AND WOULD SUDDENLY JERK FORWARD WHEN DRIVING OVER 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 87,000.

MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE LIGHT WENT OFF A FEW DAYS LATER, BUT MY HUSBAND TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. THE MECHANIC SAID THE ECU (COMPUTER) FAILED. A FEW DAYS LATER THE CAR HAD PROBLEMS SHIFTING, AND IT STARTED BUCKING ON THE HIGHWAY. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, AND CAME TO FIND OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THERE WAS A TOYOTA INTERNAL MEMO WRITTEN IN 2006 ADMITTING THE DEFECT. MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW. THE CAR HAS ONLY 60,000. MILES ON IT. WE CALLED TOYOTA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD HONOR THE WARRANTY (WE ARE THREE MONTHS OVER THE WARRANTY) AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID NO, AND TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS GAVE US A CASE NUMBER, AND REFERRED US BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. WE HAVE BEEN LOYAL TOYOTA CUSTOMERS. WE ALSO BOUGHT A 2007 TOYOTA SIENNA. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT A COMPANY IS PUTTING ITS CUSTOMERS AT RISK WITH A DEFECTIVE PART, AND THEN HIDING IT FROM THE VEHICLE OWNER. WE NEVER RECEIVED A MEMO ABOUT THE DANGER OF THIS VEHICLE. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO BE KILLED IN ORDER FOR OUR GOVERNMENT TO GET INVOLVED? TOYOTA SHOULD BE ORDERED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PARTS THAT IT WILLFULLY SOLD TO ITS CUSTOMERS AND THEN TRIED TO COVER IT UP! *TR

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 SUV BEGAN SLIPPING AND SHIFTING HARD. TOOK IT TO TRUSTED GARAGE AND THEY DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. IN RESEARCHING THE VEHICLE AND THE MODEL'S SERVICE HISTORY FOR RECALLS AND SERVICE BULLETINS THEY DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION INVOLVED WAS ONLY USED FOR 16 MONTHS BY TOYOTA BEFORE IT WAS REPLACED BECAUSE OF POOR PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY ISSUES. THE ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MODULE) WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY AND WAS CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION FAILURES. (TOYOTA TSB TC002-06). TOYOTA DEEMED NOT TO ALERT VEHICLE OWNERS OF THIS CONDITION OR TO OFFER ANY PREVENTIVE ACTION TO BE PURSUED TO PREVENT THE ULTIMATE TRANSMISSION FAILURE RESULTING IN REPLACEMENT. WARRANTY ON REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION NOT VALID IF THE ECM UNIT IS NOT ALSO REPLACED. TOTAL COST = $5,000. ORIGINAL WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED TO 96 MONTHS OR 80,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE HAS 119,000 MILES IN 90 MONTHS OF USE. TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT STATED THE VEHICLE PARTS WERE OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

STARTING THE END OF APRIL 2010 MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 STARTING GIVING ME PROBLEMS WITH SHIFTING GEARS AND WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR IT DIDN'T WANT TO MOVE AND REALLY SLUGGISH AND WOULD JERK. I WAS AFRAID THAT SOMEONE WOULD REAR END ME. I KEPT UP ALL MY MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE. I HAD A TRANSMISSION SERVICE DONE MARCH 2008. THE DEALER SAID I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. MY CAR HAS 90,000 MILES. I HAD ANOTHER TRANSMISSION SERVICE DONE, BUT IT JUST GOT WORSE. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP AND THEY SAID THERE WAS A COMPUTER DEFECT AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS. *TR

S10 APPROPRIATE HANDLING RE TOYOTA VEHICLES SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FWD FM OWNER OF A 2002 RAV4, 2002 COROLLA AND A 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS *TGW THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT NONE OF THE 2002 VEHICLES WERE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED HER OTHER TWO VEHICLES, WHICH ARE MUCH NEWER WERE NOT RECALLED EITHER AND COULD POTENTIALLY ACCELERATE AND CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH. THE CONSUMER ALSO ADDRESSED QUESTIONS IN HER COMPLAINT. *JB UPDATED 05/24/10

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTING VERY HARD FROM GEAR TO GEAR AND HAD PROBLEMS STARTING IN FIRST GEAR FROM A STOP. IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS VERY COMMON ON 2001-2004 RAV4'S PER COMPLAINTS ONLINE. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS PUT OUT BY TOYOTA IN MARCH OF 2006 ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER IS RECOMMENDING REPLACEMENT OF THE ECU. THE BULLETIN PROVES TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THE DEFECTIVE ECU. MANY PEOPLE ARE BEING FORCED TO BUY A TRANSMISSION ALSO AFTER THE FAULTY ECU DESTROYS THEIRS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, SUCH AS DRIVING ONTO A FREEWAY AND THE TRANSMISSION STALLING WHEN MERGING WITH TRAFFIC. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE ENTERING A BUSY HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS AND WITHIN MOMENTS, THE FAILURE SEEMED TO CORRECT ITSELF BUT BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AS HE CONTINUED TO DRIVE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN THAT ADDRESSED THE FAILURE AND WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE (NHTSA ITEM NUMBER 10019667). THE DEALER HAD NOT YET BEEN CONTACTED NOR HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 91,000.