2002 Toyota RAV4

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4, WHICH I BOUGHT 2.5 YEARS AGO. I RECENTLY HAD TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REBUILT AND CLUTCH REPLACED AFTER IT SUDDENLY BEGAN SLIPPING GEARS. I HAD NO PRIOR WARNING LIGHT ALERTING ME THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM OCCURRING WITH MY CARS ENGINE. THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP HAD DONE EXTENSIVE REPAIR AND ULTIMATELY HAD TO KEEP MY CAR FOR THREE WEEKS TRYING TO DETERMINE WHY IT STILL WOULDN'T RUN PROPERLY. IT WAS FINALLY TAKEN TO FREEMAN TOYOTA IN PETALUMA CA TO HAVE THE COMPUTER "FLASHED". MY MECHANIC WAS TOLD THE COMPUTER WAS DEAD AND WOULD NEED REPLACING FOR JUST OVER $1,000.00. I HAD ALREADY BEEN QUOTED $3,300.00 FOR PRIOR REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH. HAD I BEEN ALERTED BY AN A WARNING THAT THE ENGINE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS, I COULD HAVE AVOIDED NEEDING TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT TOYOTA HAD A "DEALER" RECALL FOR THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE FREEMAN TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS DENIED THIS. I AM OUT $4,300.00 AND AM A SINGLE MOM WITH MS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES HAVE MADE A NOISE WHEN APPLIED SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE SPEED VARIES WHENEVER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED HE FAILURE SEVERAL TIMES AND THERE WAS NEVER A RESOLUTION. THE CONTACT HAS SERVICE RECORDS FOR THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE. THE VEHICLE HAD 112 MILES AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 63,530. THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES CONTINUE TO SQUEAK. UPDATED 04/30/10

ENGINE SEIZE AT 162K MILES. THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE. OIL CHANGES EVERY 3-5K MILES. APPARENTLY OIL PUMP WENT OUT AND TOOK THE ENGINE WITH IT. OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE IT HAD 7 MILES ON IT. IT LEFT ME STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. PUT IN REMAN. JASPER ENGINE. AFTER ABOUT $7,000.00 THE ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. THE MECHANIC SAID I COULD TAKE IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY'D "FLASH" IT TO GET IT TO GO OFF, BUT IT WOULD COST ME A FEW HUNDRED. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON SINCE ABOUT 28K MILES. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR THAT AND THEY JUST UNDO THE BATTERY AND PUT IT BACK ON. THAT "RESETS" IT. WITHIN 100 MILES IT GOES BACK ON. I JUST LEAVE IT AND IF THE CAR BLOWS UP I'LL LEAVE IT WHERE IT DIES THIS TIME. I PAID 28K FOR THE CAR IN 2002, 8 YRS AGO. 28K+7K(ENGINE)=$35,000.00 $35,000.00/8(YRS)=4375(PER YEAR TO OWN.MINIMUM) 4375.00/12(MOS)=364.58 PER MONTH. VERY EXPENSIVE TO OWN AND REGULAR MAINTENANCE ISN'T EVEN INCLUDED..... TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TRANSMISSION STICKS FROM 1ST TO 2ND. HAS DONE IT SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2002. TOOK TO DEALER WAY BACK THEN THEY TOLD ME I HAD "SPECIAL TRANSMISSION FLUID AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT FIXED". I NEVER HAD IT FIXED AND IT STILL STICKS. TAKES ABOUT 1/4 MILE TO SHIFT. PURCHASED FROM KISSIMMEE TOYOTA WHICH IS NOW TOYOTA OF ORLANDO(?) ADDING COMPLAINT FOR ENGINE SEIZE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WOULD SHIFT DOWN A GEAR CAUSING THE CAR TO SUDDENLY REDUCE SPEED. THIS OCCURRED A NUMBER OF TIMES AND UPON BRINGING IT TO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER FOR THE VEHICLE. BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (APPROX. 90,000 MILES) THE REPAIR IS NOT COVERED, HOWEVER, IF I HAD LET THE PROBLEM CONTINUE WITHOUT REPAIR I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING SO WE DECIDED TO ADD SOME ATF. THAT SEEMED TO WORK FOR A DAY BUT THE SHIFTS BECAME HARDER AFTER THAT. AT TIMES THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY AND WOULD BOG DOWN. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STARTED GIVING US THE RUNAROUND. THEY SAID THE TRANNY NEEDS FIXING (THE CAR WAS SOMETHING LIKE 500 MILES OUT OF THE WARRANTY), THEN THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL REPLACE THE COMPUTER TO SEE IF THAT FIXES THE PROBLEM. IT DIDN'T, SINCE AS WE ALL KNOW THE ORIGINAL COMPUTER HAS ALREADY CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO BREAK AND THE NEW ONE WOULD NOT HELP. AT THIS POINT I STARTED RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM AND FOUND MANY MORE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. I CALLED TOYOTA TO COMPLAIN AND THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING EVEN THOUGH: A) THE CAR WAS JUST OUT OF THE WARRANTY, B) THEY PROVIDED A TSB TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH IGNORED IT AND DID NOT DO THE UPDATE TO THE COMPUTER BEFORE THE PROBLEM SHOWED UP, C) ALL MAINTENANCE WORK WAS DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. IN THE END WE PAID TO GET THE TRANSMISSION FIXED OUT OF POCKET WHICH WAS NOT CHEAP. *TR

I OWN A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. I'VE BEEN THE SOLE OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND PURCHASED IT BAND NEW IN 2002 FROM A LOCAL HONOLULU TOYOTA DEALER. IN MID/LATE 2009, THE VEHICLE STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS: HARD SHIFTING IN LOWER GEARS 1, 2 & 3, HARD SHIFTING WHEN PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE SHAKING AND VIBRATING WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM THE STOPPED POSITION WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS SLOWLY PRESSED.. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT TOYOTA ISSUED MEMO OUTLINING THE PROBLEMS I DESCRIBED ABOVE POSSIBLY DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND/OR THE ECU (COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION). A TOYOTA SERVICING MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT MY 2002 RAV4 WAS NO LONGER UNDER DRIVETRAIN WARRANTY, SO REPAIR COST ARE MY RESPONSIBILITY. A QUICK WEB SEARCH OF "RAV4 TRANSMISSIONS" SHOWS THAT MANY OTHER RAV4 OWNERS SUFFER FROM SIMILAR PROBLEMS, RESULTING IN VERY HIGH REPAIR COSTS, ANYWHERE FROM $3,000 UP TO $8,000. THE VEHICLE STILL SUFFERS FROM THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROBLEMS, BUT DUE TO THE HIGH REPAIR ESTIMATES I AM UNABLE TO FIX THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN 35-45 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, PROCEEDING TO A TRAFFIC STOP SIGNAL. THE ENGINE REVED EXCESSIVELY HIGH. THE TRANSMISSION EXHIBITED A HARSH SHIFT AS A RESULT OF AN UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE IN OPERATION WITH CAUTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM). THE VEHICLE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. UPDATED 11/16/10. *LJ

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2002 TOYOTA RAV-4 WITH 60,000 MILES AND HAVE A TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I READ ONLINE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING ISSUE WITH 2001-2003 TOYOTA RAV-4S AND THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT IT SINCE 2006, YET THEY CONTINUE TO SELL THEM. MY ISSUE STARTED IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED GOING FROM 1ST TO 2ND SHIFT. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT JERKED AND MOVED FORWARD, SOMETIMES DOING THIS SEVERAL TIMES CONTINUOUSLY UNTIL REACHING ABOUT 35 MILES/HR. IT WAS HARD GOING UP HILL AND AT TIMES FELT UNSAFE WITH VEHICLES TRAVELING VERY CLOSE BEHIND ME. I BROUGHT IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE ECM SENSOR THAT WENT. THEY ALSO MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD SEEN THIS ISSUE WITH MANY OTHER RAV-4S AND TOYOTA ISSUED NO RECALL. SO THIS WAS FIXED AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS MY CAR WAS BAD AGAIN. I CONTACTED TOYOTA, AND THEY CHARGED ME AGAIN TO LOOK AT IT AND THEM TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WENT DUE TO THIS SENSOR ISSUE AND I NEEDED A NEW ONE. ALSO THAT ALTHOUGH IT WAS TOYOTA'S PROBLEM, THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE OVER $6000 AND WHEN CALLING OTHER TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS THEY WANTED ANYWHERE FROM 3000-5000. THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR NOT JUST MYSELF BUT I'M SURE MANY OTHER CONSUMERS WHO ARE LEFT FEELING UNSAFE DRIVING THESE VEHICLES AND WITHOUT THE CASH TO FIX IT. I HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT IN WEEKS, SINCE THE LAST TIME I DROVE IT I WAS PULLING OUT ONTO A BUSY STREET AND I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO MAKE IT ONTO THE ROAD BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY TURN MY CAR FELT AS IF IT WOULD STALL AND TOOK A WHILE BEFORE IT GOT INTO 2ND GEAR TO DRIVE OFF. IN THE MEANTIME A CAR THAT WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 30-40MILES/HR WAS COMING AT ME AND I BARELY MADE IT ONTO THE RODE AND DROVE OFF IN TIME. HAD THE CAR BEEN ANY CLOSER, AND HE WAS PRETTY FAR INITIALLY, HE MAY HAVE HIT ME. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE READ OF OTHERS FAILING ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. I HOPE THAT AN ACCIDENT OR EVEN DEATH DOESN'T RESULT. *TR