2002 Toyota RAV4

SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE WEEK OF JUNE 2, 2014, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY. I HAD MY MECHANIC CHECK THE CODES, BUT SHE FOUND NOTHING WRONG. ON JUNE 13, 2014 I WAS DRIVING N. ON HIGHWAY 101 NEAR REDWOOD CITY, CA. IT WAS ABOUT 6P.M. IN GOOD WEATHER; I WAS IN STOP-AND-GO COMMUTE TRAFFIC. I HAD SLOWED TO A STOP IN THE FAR LEFT LANE,OF 5 LANES, DUE TO SLOW TRAFFIC. WHEN TRAFFIC BEGAN TO MOVE AGAIN, I ACCELERATED AND THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO BE "SLIPPING"; I REVVED THE ENGINE,BUT THERE WAS NO POWER GOING TO THE WHEELS. THERE WERE MANY CARS BEHIND ME BLOWING THEIR HORNS. THEN THE CAR BEGAN TO "CLANK" AND "CHUG" AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS GRINDING. I TURNED ON MY EMERGENCY FLASHER LIGHTS AND PULLED VERY SLOWLY OVER TO THE SHOULDER ACROSS 5 LANES OF TRAFFIC! I HAD SEVERAL NEAR ACCIDENTS, BUT I MADE IT TO THE SHOULDER! THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO VERY SLOWLY, BUT THE LOUD NOISES STOPPED, SO I PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AT THE NEAREST EXIT (WHICH WAS VERY CLOSE) . I WOULD HAVE STAYED ON THE SHOULDER IF THE CAR WAS STILL "CLANKING" FROM THE TRANSMISSION AREA, BUT THE NOISE HAD SUBSIDED. I FELT THAT THERE WAS A SERIOUS MECHANICAL (TRANSMISSION) PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. I CALLED MY DAUGHTER AND ASKED HER TO DRIVE TO MY LOCATION. I WAS GOING TO CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK WHEN SHE ARRIVED. SHE ARRIVED IN ABOUT 45 MINUTES. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND PUT IT INTO "DRIVE" AND ACCELERATED GENTLY. THE CAR SOUNDER PERFECTLY NORMAL, AND ACCELERATED AT A NORMAL SPEED WITH PLENTY OF POWER. WE DECIDED TO TRY TO SLOWLY DRIVE THE CAR HOME IF IT CONTINUED TO DRIVE NORMALLY. WE GOT HOME FINE, BUT JUST AS I WAS PULLING INTO MY PARKING LOT, THE CAR MADE LOUD NOISES AGAIN AND LURCHED A FEW TIMES AS I PULLED IN THE DRIVEWAY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER THE NEXT DAY. THAT'S WHEN I BEGAN TO DISCOVER ALL THE PROBLEMS RAV 4'S HAD HAD WITH CLASS ACTION'S&ECM FAILURES. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE SUDDENDLY ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND IMMEDIATELY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN MADE THE CONTACT AWARE OF AN UNKNOWN MANUFACTURER RECALL RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,329.

I WAS DRIVING WEST ON NORTHGATE WAY TOWARD MERIDIAN AVENUE. THE CAR (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS AND ALMOST STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION NEAR I5 NORTHBOUND ENTRANCE. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO MERIDIAN WAY AND TURN LEFT. I PULLED OVER TO THE CURB ON MERIDIAN WAY AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE HOME TO WALLINGFORD (3 MILES) BY PACING THE CAR SO THAT I DID NOT HAVE TO INTERACT WITH OTHER VEHICLES. (THIS OCCURRED EARLY ON A SUNDAY MORNING SO TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT.) I WAS BARELY ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR UP MY DRIVEWAY - SHIFTING CONTINUED TO BE A PROBLEM SO THAT THE CAR STALLED AND DID NOT RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR. TOYOTA HAS A DOCUMENT THAT DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER I CANNOT ACCESS ANY ASSISTANCE FROM TOYOTA BECAUSE THE CAR HAS BEEN IN SERVICE GREATER THAN 10 YEARS. THE EXPERIENCE WAS VERY FRIGHTENING. THE FAILURE IS EPISODIC AND UNPREDICTABLE. I FEEL TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE THE ECM IN ANY CAR THAT FAILS IN THIS MANNER. THERE ARE TECHNICAL SERVICE REPORTS ON THE WEBSITE. THE WARRANTY IS LIMITED TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST.

WE BOUGHT THIS CAR OFF MY MOM (WHO WAS THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND HAS TAKEN IMMACULATE CARE OF IT!) JUST TWO MONTHS AGO! OUT OF NOWHERE THE CAR STARTED TO EXPERIENCE "HARD SHIFTING". BECAUSE IT COULDN'T SHIFT LIKE IT SHOULD, IT WAS A ROAD HAZARD/SAFETY ISSUE! WE TOOK IT INTO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT VERY DAY. THEY TOLD US IT WAS THE ECM AND MAYBE EVEN THE TRANSMISSION! THE APPROX. COST WOULD BE $1,100 TO REPLACE THE ECM, AND THOUSANDS MORE IF IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID THEY WOULD HAVE IT DONE BY TUESDAY (CHRISTMAS EVE.) I STARTED RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE THAT THIS CAR THAT HAD SUCH LOW MILES WOULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM. WELL, I FOUND OUT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH THE RAV4. TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT IT AND HAS NOT RECALLED THIS PART! THERE WAS EVEN A LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM, BUT THAT ONLY LED TO AN EXTENSION OF THE WARRANTY TO 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST! OUR CAR ONLY HAS 88,900 MILES BUT BECAUSE IT IS 11 YEARS OLD, IT WON'T BE COVERED BY A WARRANTY! WE ARE OUT $1,180 RIGHT AT CHRISTMAS TIME! AND THEY DID NOT GET THE CAR FIXED UNTIL DEC. 27TH! (KIND OF PUTS A DAMPER ON CHRISTMAS PLANS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR CAR!):( I CALLED TOYOTA IN HOPES THAT THEY WOULD HELP US BECAUSE THEY KNOW THIS PART IS FAULTY, BUT I WAS MET WITH AN UNSYMPATHETIC RESPONSE! BASICALLY, "ITS OUT OF WARRANTY SO IT WON'T BE COVERED!" TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL THIS PART, AND REIMBURSE THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD TO FIX IT, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT IS THEIR MORAL OBLIGATION TO DO SO, BUT ALSO BECAUSE SOMEONE COULD BE KILLED IF THEY DON'T! PLEASE RECALL THIS PART, BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, INSTEAD OF BEING WORRIED ABOUT YOUR BOTTOM LINE! THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAN MONEY, TOYOTA! AS MAD AS I AM ABOUT BEING OUT THE MONEY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM (THAT TOYOTA KNEW ABOUT) I AM GLAD THAT I AM ONLY OUT THE MONEY, RATHER THAN MOURNING THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE. *TR

WHEN I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40MPH THE CAR WOULD LURCH, NOT ALL THE TIME, BUT EVERY SO OFTEN. WHEN I WAS BACKING UP THE CAR WOULD MAKE A CLUNKING NOISE. I TOOK MY CAR TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED WITH MY MECHANIC, IT WAS REPAIRED BUT THE LOCAL BUT HE SAID THAT IF THE COMPUTER PART OF THE TRANSMISSION ISN'T DEALT WITH, IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WITH THE RECALL PAPERWORK THAT MY MECHANIC PRINTED OUT FOR ME AND THEY SAID THAT 10 YEARS HAVE PASSED AND THEY WOULDN'T HONOR THE RECALL. *TR

ATTEMPTING TO ENTER HIGHWAY, CAR LOST POWER, EVENTUALLY KICKED IN, IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER. THEY SERVICED FUEL INJECTION, FUEL SYSTEM, SPARK PLUGS. FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. 4 WEEKS FOLLOWING REPAIR, HESITATION HAPPENED AGAIN, THIS TIME CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, RETURNED TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION AND ECM UNIT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. GOING THROUGH ALL MY PREVIOUS SERVICE RECORDS, CAME ACROSS A SERVICE TICKET DATED 05/18/2012, SHOWING A SERVICE PERFORMED ON A FAULTY ECM UNIT. TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT NEVER INFORMED CONSUMERS THAT THE FAULTY UNITS COULD AFFECT THE TRANSMISSION, AND DRIVING ABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. I AM STUCK WITH A $5,000. REPAIR BILL, BUT I ALSO COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, HAD I BEEN MERGING ONTO A BUSIER HIGHWAY. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS FILED, BUT YET NO ACTION TAKEN BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION...WILL IT TAKE A LOSS OF LIFE, OR SERIOUS INJURY BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR FAILED TO RESPOND TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY DECELERATED WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS BEING DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM AND THE COMPUTER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) MALFUNCTIONING, CAUSING HARD SHIFT CONDITIONS, TRANSMISSION DAMAGE, POSSIBLE ACCIDENTS AND INJURY.THIS PROBLEM IS AFFECTING UP TO 235,500 TOYOTA RAV 4 MODELS BETWEEN 2001-2003. MY EXPERIENCE IS TYPICAL OF THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS THAT CAN BE SEEN POSTED HERE; HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML TOYOTA NEEDS TO ISSUE A COMPLETE RECALL ON THE DEFECTIVE ECM UNITS AND COMPENSATE FOR LOSSES INCURRED. *TR