2003 Toyota RAV4

THIS IS A GENERAL CONCERN QUESTION RE THE ETHICS OF THE TOYOTA CORPORATION. I HAVE HAD CONTINUOUS TROUBLE WITH ENGINE LIGHTS COMING ON WITH THE RESULT BEING O2 SENSOR PROBLEMS. THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN WITH APPROXIMATELY 8 CHANGES (I HAVE THE MAJORITY OF THE RECORDS. IN 2010, I RECEIVED NOTICE OF PROBLEMS WITH "HARSH SHIFTING". I CALLED TOYOTA TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS, AND I WAS ASSURED I WAS NOT HAVING A PROBLEM OR I "WOULD KNOW IT". AT THIS SAME TIME, I WAS HAVING YET ANOTHER ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM WITH O2 SENSOR CODES AND BROUGHT MY CAR IN.. THE O2 SENSOR REPLACEMENTS WENT ON CONTINUOUSLY FOR QUITE SOME TIME WITHOUT ANY EXPLANATION OF THE CAUSE...EVEN TO THE POINT THAT THEY WERE SENDING THE SENSOR IN TO THE "MAIN OFFICE". UNFORTUNATELY, LAST WEEK MY CAR TOTALLY FAILED, AND THEY ARE NOW TELLING ME IT IS FAILURE OF THE ECM AND/OR THE TRANSMISSION AS WELL! I RECENTLY REVIEWED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ECM AND THAT TOYOTA ACTUALLY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY BECAUSE OF THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. IT WAS THEN I LEARNED THAT THE O2 SENSORS HAVE A DEFINITE IMPACT ON THE ECM, ETC. AT NO TIME WHATSOEVER DID THEY EVER CHECK THIS OR INFORM ME. THAT THESE MAY BE RELATED,SO I AM WONDERING IF THEY "PUT OFF" CHECKING THIS POSSIBILITY UNTIL MY CAR PASSED THE 10YR/150,000 MILE EXTENSION OF THE WARRANTY ON THIS COMPONENT SO THAT I WOULD THEN NOT BE ELIGIBLE??? *TR

INSPECT AND REPLACE WATER PUMP AND SERPENTINE BELT ON FEB 2009, ENGINE ISSUE AGAIN FEB 2012 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON/FLASHING - ESTIMATE $955.98+TAX - FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT $69.95+TAX TECH ROAD TESTED AND FOUND FRONT SWAY BAR END LINKS ARE WORN/LOOSE $435.82+TAX (REPAIRS COMPLETED) FEB 2012 BRAKE NOISE ~|~CUSTOMER STATES NOISE WHEN BRAKING ~|~FRONT AND REAR BRAKE INSPECTION DONE AT THIS TIME ~|~INSPECTION ONLY NO CONCERNS FOUND AT THIS TIME (ANOTHER MECHANIC REPLACED ENTIRE FRONT BRAKES SHORTLY AFTER AS THEY WERE FOUND HIGHLY DAMAGED) TRANSMISSION SERVICE ~|~CUSTOMER REQUESTS TRANSMISSION SERVICE W/DIFFERENTIALS ~|~MAINTENANCE ~|~DRAINED AND REFILLED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID W/TRANSFER CASE AND DIFFERENTIALS AS NEEDED (LESS THAN YEAR LATER HAD TRANS FLUID AGAIN REPLACED AS CONTINUED ISSUES) NOW IS SEEMINGLY WORSE AND MORE OFTEN. STEP ON GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS THEN JERKS FORWARD, LOUD THUNKING SOUND, EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AS UNKNOWN WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. HAVE NOT BEEN USING VEHICLE VERY MUCH BECAUSE OF IT. IF THIS ISSUE WAS KNOWN ABOUT IN 2006 WHY WAS THIS NEVER REPAIRED BEFORE I EVEN BOUGHT IT OR NOTIFY ME OF WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT ALL TOYOTA VEHICLES ACCELERATOR PEDALS WERE STICKING. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT ACCELERATOR PEDAL, ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND THROTTLE BODY WERE DEFECTIVE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 165,000.

CHECK OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULD GO OUT, AFTER CHECKING THE OIL LEVEL ALL APPEAR FINE, THE CAR WOULD BURN 1 QUART EVERY TWO MONTHS. AFTER DRIVING ALONG THE EXPRESS WAY FOR 30 MILES AND USING A TWO LANE ROAD FOR ABOUT 3 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND OIL LIGHT ALL CAME ON AT A STOP LIGHT AND THEN THE ENGINE MAKE NOISE AND QUIT RUNNING, AFTER TOWING THE CAR TO A AUTO REPAIR SHOP WE WERE TOLD THE CAR NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. THE CAR IS A RAV 4 2003 WITH ABOUT 89,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, MY 2003 TOYOTA RAV4'S ENGINE LIGHT STARTS FLICKERING. THE CAR STARTS HESITATING, EVEN WITH APPLYING MORE GAS. THE CAR THEN LOSES POWER AND CUTS OUT. THE CAR WILL THEN RESTART, BUT CONTINUE TO HESITATE AND CUT OUT THE ISSUE HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES OVER THE PAST MONTH. THE DEALER COULD NOT ISOLATE THE PROBLEM AND SIMPLY RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE SPARK PLUGS. MY WIFE HAPPENED TO BE DRIVING THE CAR ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR YESTERDAY WITH MY TWO TODDLERS IN THE CAR WHEN IT CUT OUT AGAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP LIGHT THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 115000.

MY 2003 RAV4 HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY SLUGGISH FROM A DEAD START AND ANY KIND OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION BUT I KNEW THAT I WOULD EVENTUALLY REACH THE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT. DRIVING 1 1/2 WEEKS AGO, HOWEVER, BROUGHT MY ATTENTION TO ANOTHER, FAR MORE SERIOUS ACCELERATION PROBLEM, FAR WORSE THAN JUST SLUGGISHNESS. THE SUV WAS SHIFTING OUT OF GEAR AUTOMATICALLY AND I FEARED FOR MY SAFETY AS I WAS IN MOVING TRAFFIC AND I WAS HAVING TROUBLE MOVING. I IMMEDIATELY DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. LUCKILY, THE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSE TO WHERE I WAS. THEY KEPT MY CAR FROM APPROX. 3:30 PM THAT FRIDAY UNTIL THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. AT FIRST, THEY THOUGHT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION AND SAID THEY NEEDED UNTIL MONDAY TO KNOW FOR SURE. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE REP. TO NOT WORRY, THAT IT MAY BE FAR LESS EXPENSIVE THAN I THINK. THAT MONDAY, I GOT A CALL FROM THE SERVICED REP THAT HE HAD BOTH GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS. THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM - AN ECU PROBLEM BUT THAT I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I WOULD HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE. I TOLD THEM TO GO AHEAD AND INSTALL IT AS I COULDN'T SEE ANY ALTERNATIVE. THE WORK WAS DONE AND THE FINAL COST FOR THE UNIT AND LABOR WAS $1,300.00. I TOLD THE SERVICE REP THAT I FELT SHAFTED BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AFTER 80,000 AND I HAD 84,000 MILES AT THE TIME. FURTHER, I HAD THE SUV FOR JUST 7 YEARS, NOT THE LIMIT OF 8 YEARS UNDER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY FOR THE ECU. I WENT ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THE NY TIMES JULY, 2010 LETTER ANNOUNCING MANY PROBLEMS LIKE MINE WITH TRANSMISSION DAMAGE AS WELL AND TOYOTA WOULD NOW COVER IT ALL. ACCORDING TO THE LETTER, TOYOTA HAD EXTENDED ITS WARRANTY FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO 150,000 MILES AND 10 YEARS FOR THE ECU ! I CALLED THE SERVICE REP AND HE SAID TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS REP WAS THERE AND SAID I HAD NO EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE SERVICE MANAGER NEVER RETURNED MY CALL. I FINALLY CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AND FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THEM. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A TOYOTA MANAGER OFFERING ME $1,000 TO BUY A NEW TOYOTA VEHICLE. 11/03/10 *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. WHILE TRAVELING 10 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE YET THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT HAD THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED, HOWEVER THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 146,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO REVERSE GEAR, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS NO LONGER VALID; THEREFORE, THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR REPAIR COST. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

TRANSMISSION PROBLEM ON A 2003 RAV4 4 WHEEL DRIVE. IT STARTED AT 100,456 MILES. NEVER HAD PROBLEM WITH THE CAR BEFORE. IT STARTED TO OCCUR ONCE IN A WHILE IN FIRST GEAR, THEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, GOT IT CHECK. CAME UP CODE PO755. NOW IS OCCURRING MORE OFTEN. LIGHT GOES OFF AND AFTER A COUPLE OF DAY GOES ON AGAIN. TOOK IT TO TOYOTA. THEY SAID IT NEEDS A REMANUFACTURE TRANSMISSION AND THEY NEED TO CHANGE THE ECM. COST 5,995 THEY TOLD ME I'M BETTER OFF TRADING THE CAR. *TR