2002 Toyota RAV4

HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 I WAS DRIVING NEAR HOME - BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON AREA HIGHWAY AND EXPERIENCED A JOLT OR HARD SHIFT WHILE THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING BETWEEN APPROX. 25-30 MPH. CAUSED CAR TO DECELERATE RAPIDLY. CONSIDER MYSELF BLESSED CHILDREN WERE NOT IN THE CAR AND NO ONE WAS IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME AS WOULD MOST LIKELY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A REAR END CRASH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON - IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED MECHANIC WHO ADVISED TO TAKE TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP DUE TO A FAULTY ECM COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION. CURRENTLY STILL SITTING THERE WAITING FOR RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA ON HOW THEY WILL REMEDY. *TR

WHILE TRYING TO MERGE ON AN INTERSTATE, THE RAV4 WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS AND WOULD HANG FOR A MOMENT. EMERGENCY MANEUVERS HAD TO BE MADE TO AVOID GETTING RAMMED BY A SEMI-TRUCK. AFTER PULLING OVER AND CHECKING THE CAR, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NOW A CEL, IT DID NOT SEEM LIKE ANYTHING WAS WRONG UNTIL I SHIFTED FROM PARK TO DRIVE. THE TRANSMISSION MADE A CLUNKING NOISE. DRIVING HOME, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. WITHOUT A PROPERLY SHIFTING CAR, I HAD TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A SHOP. THAT IS WHEN MY MECHANIC PULLED UP TSB NUMBER: TC002-06 FROM TOYOTA WHICH STATES THE EXACT PROBLEM THAT I HAVE. I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED THIS TSB OR ANY OTHER NOTICES FROM TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. EVEN THOUGH MY 2002 RAV4 IS UNDER THE "AGE LIMIT" FOR THE WARRANTY, I AM OVER THE MILEAGE LIMIT WHICH MEANS THAT TOYOTA HAS DENIED MY CLAIM. IT CURRENTLY SITS UNFIXED UNTIL I CAN COME UP WITH THE MONEY TO GET IT REPAIRED ACCORDING TO THE TSB. *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 JERKING AND LUNGING INTO GEAR FROM A STOP. CAR DROPS INTO NEUTRAL CAUSING A SUDDEN SLOW DOWN AND DANGEROUS CONDITION FOR CARS BEHIND ME WHO HAVE TO STOP SUDDENLY FOR ME. 70,000 MILES, TOOK INTO DEALERSHIP THIS A.M. AND WAS TOLD THEY WOULD TRY RE-PROGRAMMING THE COMPUTER AND THEN IF THAT DID NOT WORK THEY WOULD REPLACE THE COMPUTER FOR $1,100 AND IF THAT DID NOT WORK THEY WOULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR $3,000-$4,000. LEFT DEALERSHIP AFTER "RE-PROGRAMMING" THE COMPUTER AND IMMEDIATELY CAR STARTED LUNGING INTO GEAR, SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL, THUMPING INTO GEAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4'S TRANSMISSION IS STARTING TO FAIL TO OPERATE CORRECTLY. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE FOR SEVERAL SECONDS EVEN THOUGH I AM PRESSING VERY HARD ON THE ACCELERATOR. IT JUST SLOWLY MOVES DURING THOSE SECONDS. THIS IS VERY FRIGHTENING WHEN I ATTEMPT TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC AFTER MAKING A RIGHT TURN. SOMETIME IT FEELS LIKE THE TURN WILL NOT COMPLETE BEFORE ON COMING TRAFFIC APPROACHES. MY MECHANIC HAS TOLD ME THAT I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION THAT WILL COST $3500. *TR

MY CAR HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, THEN IT STARTED JERKING AND WAS VERY HARD TO MOVE AFTER STOPS AND IN LOW SPEEDS. HAD IT DIAGNOSED AND WAS TOLD TO CHANGE TWO OXYGEN SENSORS. TWO OXYGEN SENSORS WERE CHANGED BUT THE JERKING DID NOT STOP. I PAID $853.00 FOR THIS SERVICE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR ONLY ABOUT 5 MILES. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT TWO ADDITIONAL SENSORS NEEDED TO BE CHANGED. I PAID ADDITIONAL $600 (DISCOUNTED) FOR THIS REPAIR AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ECM ON THE CAR IS BAD AND THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY IN LOW GEAR. AFTER I HAD SPENT OVER $1400 TO FIX THE OXYGEN SENSORS, I WAS TOLD TO SPEND ADDITIONAL $5,000 TO $6,000 TO FIX THE ECM AND THE TRANSMISSION. I CALLED TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY FOR BOTH THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ECM. TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT THEY DID NOT RECALL THE CARS THAT ARE AFFECTED: 2001-2003 RAV4. WE DON'T WANT TO WAIT TILL SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR HURT BEFORE WE TAKE ACTION. *TR

I HAD THE SAME ISSUE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED BY TOYOTA IN 2007. IT CONCERNS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TC002-06). AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR THIRTY MINUTES, THE CAR WOULD THEN START TO SHIFT HARSHLY/DELAYED SHIFT CAUSING A LOSS OF ACCELERATION. I HAD THIS SERVICE DONE IN 2007 AND THEN LAST MONTH HAD TO HAVE THE ECM REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE SAME ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 WITH 97,000 MILES, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN PROBLEM WHEN SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR. THE CAR WOULD STICK AND THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATE AS IF THE GEAR FINALLY CAUGHT. AFTER TAKING IT TO THE MECHANIC I FOUND OUT I NOT ONLY NEEDED TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION BUT ALSO THE ECM. THIS WAS A COSTLY REPAIR OF OVER $3300 FOR A CAR THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE WELL OVER THAT MILEAGE PRIOR TO NEEDING A TRANSMISSION CHANGE. ALSO IT TOOK 2 ECMS BEFORE WE FOUND ONE THAT COULD WORK. THE CAR WORKED FINE AND THEN SUDDENLY HAD THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED HIS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AND HAD DIFFICULTY STOPPING THE VEHICLE, BECAUSE THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STUCK. THE INCIDENT ONLY OCCURRED ONCE TO DATE. IN AUGUST 2008 THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR A HARSH SHIFTING WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED. THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS GIVEN A COPY OF A TSB THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION WHICH STATED IF THE HARSH SHIFTING PERSISTS AFTER THE ECM REPLACEMENT, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY MAY ALSO REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. UPDATED 04/29/10. *JB THE CONSUMER STATED THE COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE WAS DEFECTIVE AND EVENTUALLY REPLACED. HOWEVER THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE NEW COMPUTER IS ALSO DEFECTIVE IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALLS. UPDATED 05/04/10. *JB