2002 Toyota RAV4

I BOUGHT MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 NEW AT TOYOTA OF HOLLYWOOD, FL IN 2002. MY WIFE HAS BEEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND I HAVE PERFORMED ALL SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE CAR HAS ONLY 55K MILES ON IT. RECENTLY THE CAR HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING HESITATION WHEN SHIFTING. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER "UNDER WARRANTY". THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE 2 YEARS AGO WHEN THE TSB WAS FIRST PUT OUT. THE TSB WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FROM APPEARING. NOW THE DEALERSHIP IS SAYING THAT IT DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM AND THAT THEY MUST REPLACE THE SOLENOIDS BUT THE ARE NOT SURE IF THAT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. HAD THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER 2 YEARS AGO, WE WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM NOW. THE CAR ONLY HAS 55K MILES. THE TRANSMISSION ON A TOYOTA SHOULD NOT FAIL IN 55K MILES. THAT'S THE REASON I BOUGHT A TOYOTA. THIS IS WELL KNOW ISSUE. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AR WRITING ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET EVERY DAY. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE LINKS. HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0C4213/0 HTTP://RAV4WORLD.COM/FORUMS/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=15515 TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION UNDER WARRANTY FOR FREE SINCE I WOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM NOW IF THE DEALERSHIP HAD PERFORMED THE WORK THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE. *TR

THIS "CERTIFIED, PRE-OWNED" VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED HESITATING AND HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR IN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE FIRST REPAIR, TRANSMISSION FLUSHING, DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IT IS NOW IN THE SHOP WITH A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST FOR A "CHECK ENGINE" CODE FOR SOLENOID/TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, CODE 1760 AND/OR 770 - NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE FIRST MECHANIC STATED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS "BURNT." THERE ARE AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM, THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. I HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS CAR FOR 20,000 MILES AND OWE ALOT OF MONEY ON IT. ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ, PEOPLE ARE LOSING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, OUT-OF-POCKET TRYING TO FIX THEIR VEHICLES. I AM NEXT. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE ONTO THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WON'T KICK IN. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CLOSE CALL ACCIDENTS. *TR

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS ERRATICALLY AND COMPLETELY LOSES POWER AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I WAS COMING OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND SLOWED DOWN FOR MY EXIT WHEN IT LOST ALL POWER . WHEN I GOT POWER AGAIN IT BEGAN JERKING AND SHIFTING ON IT'S OWN. IT WAS REALLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THERE WERE MANY VEHICLES BEHIND ME THAT HAD TO BASICALLY STOP ON THE EXIT OF THE FREEWAY. PLEASE HELP US RAV4 DRIVERS GET A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM FROM TOYOTA. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN MY TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND WAS SCARED THAT I WAS GOING TO LOSE MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY AND BE STUCK ON THE ROAD OR REAR-ENDED DUE TO IT HESITATING BADLY BETWEEN GEARS. IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY I WAS THROWN OFF BY WHAT I SHOULD DO BUT I DID MANAGE TO MAKE IT HOME THEN I PARKED IT UNTIL I COULD GET IT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND LOST POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE CONTACT APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NUMEROUS TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE GAINED POWER. IN ADDITION, THE GEARS SHIFTED ROUGHLY AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS JERKING AND VIBRATING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE. THE VEHICLE REPAIR WAS COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 78,846. UPDATED 09/24/08. *LJ UPDATED 09/26/08. *JB

2002 RAV 4 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ECM/TRANSMISSION ISSUE!!: THE PROBLEMS STARTED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNING ON AND OFF ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO. WE GOT A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA TO HAVE THE ECM REPROGRAMMED AND WENT TO FULFILL THE RECALL. THE LIGHT THEN CAME ON AGAIN ABOUT A MONTH LATER. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT COULD BE A GAS CAP ISSUE, SO WE MADE SURE WE TIGHTENED THE GAS CAP AND THAT TURNED THE LIGHT OFF FOR ABOUT A MONTH BUT THEN IT CAME BACK ON AGAIN. IT WASN'T UNTIL RECENTLY THAT WE HAD THE FIRST SIGNS OF A SHIFTING PROBLEM. ALL IN THE SAME DAY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO MAKE NOISES AND SHIFT ROUGH BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS (ITS AN AUTO TRANS). .ONCE WE GOT THE CAR GOING FORWARD, WE WORKED OUR WAY BACK HOME, AND THAT WAS IT FOR THE CAR. I FOUND THE WEBSITE OF WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM AND HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 RECALL FOR THE ECM (ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE ----THE BRAIN---)IS LEADING TO THE PROBLEM OF THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ISSUE THAT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IS NOT ADDRESSING. WE HOPE THAT BY FILING THE COMPLAINT, AND BRINGING THIS WEBSITE TO YOU, YOU CAN BRING THIS TO CORPORATE TOYOTA'S ATTENTION TO HAVE THEM FIX THE PROBLEM. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND OTHER CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS ON THE WEBSITE REFERENCED REGARDING THIS ISSUE. MY 2002 RAV 4 WAS BOUGHT NEW AND ONLY HAS 46K MILES IN IT TO HAVE SUCH A GRAND PROBLEM. I BELIEVE TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT DOES NOT WANT TO COMPLETELY FIX THE ECM ISSUE. (THEY ONLY RE-FLASH IT WHEN POSSIBLY THE CAR NEEDS A "NEW" ONE). PLEASE HELP! *TR

I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH MY CAR ON 6-20-2008. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR & NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE IT WASN'T ACCELERATING PROPERLY. THEN I NOTICED THAT AS THE CAR WAS SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR IT WOULD STALL & THEN SUDDENLY SHIFT REALLY HARD INTO 3RD GEAR. SOMETIMES AS I WOULD ACCELERATE THE CAR WOULD START SHAKING & THEN SHIFT HARD INTO 1ST GEAR. THIS MADE ME VERY NERVOUS BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC & FEARED THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD CREATE AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY, BUT IT WAS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. WE LOOKED AT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID THINKING IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE WAY IT WAS SHIFTING. WE CHECKED THE FLUID & FILLED THE FLUID. MY HUSBAND DROVE IT A LITTLE & IT DIDN'T ACT UP FOR HIM. SO I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WELL THEN I STARTED DRIVING IT AGAIN & IT CONTINUED TO SHIFT HARD & NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. I HAD MY UNCLE LOOK AT IT & HE THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ENGAGING. SO I FINALLY TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE ($84 LATER) THEY COULDN'T GET THE PROBLEM TO OCCUR. I WENT TO PICK THE CAR UP THE NEXT DAY & THEY SAID THEY FOUND A BULLETIN ON 2001-2003 TOYOTA RAV4'S THAT IF THERE WAS A HARD SHIFTING THAT THE ECM NEEDED REPLACING. $1500 LATER THE CAR IS FIXED. OF COURSE TOYOTA DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY A BULLETIN & SUPPOSEDLY DID NOT CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE & COME TO FIND OUT MY MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY IS PAST & MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER IT EITHER EVEN THOUGH IT'S A MAJOR PART THAT KEEPS THE CAR RUNNING & FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED WITH THE TOYOTA SERVICE & THEIR WAYS OF HANDLING PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT THE CONSUMERS FAULT BUT TOYOTA'S MANUFACTURING FAULT. *TR