2002 Toyota RAV4

I BOUGHT A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 IN NOV 2001. SOMETIME IN NOV 2009, I WAS DRIVING ON I-25 SOUTHBOUND WHEN SUDDENLY THE TOYOTA DOWN SHIFTED GEARS AND SLOWED DOWN FROM ABOUT 65 MPHTO 45 MPH. AS I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL, IT BEGAN TO UPSHIFT AND GAIN SPEED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS BEGINNING TO ACT UP AT LOWER SPEEDS ABOUT ONCE A WEEK AT TIMES MORE OFTEN. THE TOYOTA HAD ABOUT 86,000 MILES. AFTER DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT 35,000 MILES ON SOME TOYOTA. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REPORTED THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT OWN UP TO IT. GOOGLE SEARCH REPORTS REPORTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO NHTSA AND SUGGESTED OTHERS TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. ONE REPORTED THAT HIS WIFE WAS ALMOST KILLED BY THE HIGHWAY INSTANT SPEED REDUCTION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. HE STATED THAT HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO BE REPAIRED IN DECEMBER OF 2008 AND WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. A LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION BUT HE CONTINUED TO RECEIVE THE FAILURE CODE FOR THE TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE COMPUTER ECM FAILED AND WAS CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWN SHIFT AND FAIL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE COMPUTER ECM AND THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE CODE WAS CORRECTED. THE TOTAL REPAIR COST WAS $4,400. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY WOULD NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 117,000.

TOYOTA ISSUED A SECRET BULLETIN ON 3/3/2006 (TC006-02), BUT FAILED TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF 2001-2003 RAV4 VEHICLES REGARDING THEIR HARD SHIFTING, ECM PROBLEMS, AND TRANSMISSION FAILURES. DESPITE MY REPORTING THIS PROBLEM WITHIN WARRANTY PERIOD AT 54,000 MILES IN 2006, AND AGAIN IN 2007, TOYOTA CLAIMED UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW CHARGING ME 1/2 THE COST OF A NEW TRANSMISSION AT APPROXIMATELY $2,000 INCLUDING THE COST OF FLUSHING THE OLD ONE AND DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH ON A LOCAL ROAD THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FROM 25 MPH TO 85 MPH. SHE QUICKLY MADE A LEFT TURN TO AVOID A COLLISION AND CRASHED INTO AN ISLAND AND A CEMENT RETAINING WALL. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DIDN'T GIVE HER A REPORT ON WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. SHE BROKE HER RIGHT ANKLE, AND HER LOWER BACK WAS INJURED. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED A BROKEN LEFT HAND AND INJURIES TO THE NECK. THE OTHER PASSENGER RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE NECK. THE POLICE REPORT INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 60,000.

PURCHASED 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 NEW FROM TOYOTA DEALER IN OCTOBER 2001. EXPERIENCED HARD SHIFTING SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN TRAVELING UPHILL AND A HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS SHIFTING FINE. NOW THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND POSSIBLY THE COMPLETE TRANSMISSION. TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB IN 2008 BUT I WAS NEVER INFORMED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE THE CAR CAN STOP AT ANY TIME. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE AT A STOP SIGN, UPON ACCELERATING THE RPM'S INCREASED RAPIDLY; YET, THE VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ACCELERATING UP TO ITS NORMAL SPEED WHICH FORCED THE CONTACT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO HIS RESIDENCE BETWEEN 15 AND 20 MPH. THE CONTACT WANTED A LOCAL MECHANIC TO DRAIN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO CONFIRM IF THE FLUID WAS THE CAUSE OF THE TRANSMISSION NOT SHIFTING GEARS. REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CONTACT HAS NOT HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT THIS TIME; THEREFORE, SHE WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

ONE DAY OUT OF THE BLUE MY TRUCK HAD TROUBLE ACCELERATING EACH TIME I CAME TO A STOP, IT THEN ALTERNATE BETWEEN JERKING FORWARD AND HESITATING BEFORE IT ACTUALLY GOT GOING. I HAD TO TRY NOT TO HIT ANYTHING IN FRONT OF ME AND NOT GET HIT BY THE CAR BEHIND ME THINKING I'M TAKING OFF. I WAS TERRIFIED MERGING ONTO THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T ACCELERATE AND THEN DID THE HESITATING AND JERKING THING. WENT STRAIGHT TO MECHANIC, DIAGNOSTICS SHOWED POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION ISSUE. WHICH WOULD COST $4,200 NEW AND ABOUT $3K USED. DID ONLINE RESEARCH AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF SAME COMPLAINTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO REPLACE ECM BEFORE IT DID RUIN THE TRANSMISSION. I TOOK THE CHANCE AND REPLACED THE ECM AND TRUCK IS RUNNING FINE NOW. I HAD CALLED MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD ME MY WARRANTY WAS UP (5YRS/50K MILES - AND I AM AT 70K MILES). COULD NOT GET THRU TO TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS BECAUSE OF GAS PEDAL RECALL. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND RESEARCH SHOWS TOYOTA KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2006 AND HAS NOT DONE A RECALL. TOTAL COST: $1,300 FOR NEW ECM AND $300 FOR CAR RENTAL. *TR

MY TOYOTA 2002 RAV4 WITH ONLY 55,000 STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION AND I TOOK IT IN AS SOON AS PROBLEM STARTED AND WAS TOLD AT DEALERSHIP I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION AND INSTALL A REBUILT. THE REPAIR COST $3400 AND AFTER A DAY OF DRIVING I HAD TO TAKE CAR BACK TO DEALER AS IT WAS STILL NOT RUNNING RIGHT AND THEN I WAS TOLD THAT THE ECM NEEDED REPLACING WHICH THEY SAID THEY DID AT NO COST TO ME WHICH IS VERY HARD TO BELIEVE. I AM TOTALLY DISGUSTED THAT AFTER TAKING CARE OF MY CAR AND AT ONLY 55,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. ANOTHER DISTURBING ISSUE IS THAT TOYOTA ISSUED A BULLETIN REGARDING THIS PROBLEM BUT THE CONSUMER IS STILL STUCK WITH THE REPAIR WHICH IS VERY COSTLY. I ALSO ASKED THEM TO PLEASE RETURN MY OLD TRANSMISSION AND WAS TOLD THAT I COULD NOT HAVE IT. IF IT WAS REPLACED AND IT IS MY PROPERTY WHY COULD THEY NOT RETURN THE TRANSMISSION TO ME SO THAT I COULD BE SURE THAT IT WAS REPLACED. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR BACK AS IT WAS STILL NOT RUNNING RIGHT I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT THE CODES MEANT AND WHY THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING AND WAS TOLD THE HARNESS NEEDED TO ALSO BE REPLACED AND THEN THEY CHANGED THEIR STORY SAYING THAT THE PAINT FROM THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION WAS TOO THICK AND THAT IS WHY THE CABLES WERE NOT MAKING THE CONNECTION. I TOOK MY CAR TO A TOYOTA DEALER FOR SERVICE AND THESE PEOPLE CLEARLY WERE GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND. I CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATION TO FILE A COMPLAINT AND THEY ONLY GAVE ME A 20% DISCOUNT OF $640 TOWARDS THE !@#$% TRANSMISSION WHICH I STILL HAD TO PAY THE DEALER THE FULL AMOUNT AND I HAVE TO SUBMIT A WHOLE BUNCH OF PAPERWORK SO THAT I CAN GET MY DISCOUNT. IT SEEMS TOYOTA CARS ARE NOT ARE GOOD AS THEY CLAIM TO BE. *TR