2003 Toyota RAV4

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. SHE NOTICED THAT WHEN SHE STOPPED THE GEAR WILL FAIL IT WILL STAY IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND THE DIAGNOSIS INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ECU AND THE FAILURE WAS CORRECTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 104,236. UPDATED 03/30/10. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE MADE A STOP, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR AND THE ENGINE REVVED, THEN SLIPPED INTO GEAR AND LURCHED FORWARD. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD IT WAS A COMPUTER PROBLEM AND SENDING FAULTY SIGNALS TO THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE HAVE BEEN NO OTHER PROBLEMS SINCE. UPDATED 07/15/10*JB

WHEN DRIVING MY 2003 TOYOTA RAV4, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AT ABOUT 20MPH. I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER AN INTERCEPTION, AND A 18 WHEEL TRUCK, STARTED TO MAKE A TURN IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS UNABLE TO PROCEED, AND NARROWLY MISSED THE TRUCK HITTING ME HEAD-ON. COMPETITION TOYOTA OF MIDDLE ILAND, NY PUT A NEW ECM IN FOR $1400, BUT THE TRANS. CONTINUED TO SLIP. I SPENT $5,700+ ON A REBUILT TRANSMISSION FROM JASPER CORP., BUT I WAS WITH-OUT A VEHICLE FOR 7 WEEKS. *TR

2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WITH NO WARNING OR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, CAR BEGAN BUCKING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS - BUT THEN SMOOTHED OUT IN THE HIGHER GEARS AND ALSO AS THE CAR WARMED UP. NO OTHER CARS AROUND SO NO DANGER TO MYSELF OR OTHERS. THOUGHT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED FLUID, SO I TRIED THAT. SEEMED TO IMPROVE SOMEWHAT FOR TWO DAYS - THEN THE SLIPPING BECAME VERY BAD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THAT SAME AFTERNOON I BROUGHT CAR INTO MY MECHANIC, WHOSE COMPUTER DIAGNOSED A DEFECTIVE SOLONOID. AFTER REPLACEMENT ($117), TRANSMISSION WAS STILL SLIPPING. FOUND A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY DIAGNOSED A FAULTY ECM. COST FOR REPLACEMENT: $1450. DON'T KNOW AT THIS TIME WHETHER OR NOT TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN IRREPARABLY DAMAGED. COST TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION: $3500. *TR

2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO FAULTY PCM- TECHNICAL BULLETIN #1046. TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCED BIND UP AND HARSH SHIFTING JANUARY 2010. VEHICLE TRANSMISSION STARTED BINDING UP, CAR WOULD NOT RUN PROPERLY. TOWED TO TRANSMISSION SHOP. ENTIRE TRANSMISSION AND FAULTY PCM HAD TO BE REPLACED AT COST OF $4600.00. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF ISSUE, RELEASED A TSB REGARDING REPAIR ISSUES. TSB IS LIMITED TO 8 YEARS OR 80,000 MILES. TOYOTA AND DEALER HAVE REFUSED TO HELP IN ANY WAY. *TR

TOYOTA RAV4 WITH ONLY 80,000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS AND HERE IS YET ANOTHER. TOTALLY RIDICULOUS THAT TOYOTA WON'T STAND BEHIND THIS KNOWN ISSUE. ALL I CAN SAY IS WHERE DO I SIGN ON THE LAWSUIT? QUOTED OVER 3,000 TO REPLACE AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I'M SURE I SPEAK FOR ALL OF US WHEN I SAY, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW. CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION CAUSING A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

HOW MANY TIMES DOES A PERSON HAVE TO FILE A COMPLAINT?? MY 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 HAS A MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS!! IT WASN'T UNTIL I PULLED OUT ON A HIGHWAY AND MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE (AND JUST MISSED GETTING PLOWED INTO BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE) THAT I DISCOVERED THERE WAS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE WITH MY CAR!! I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST THAT INFORMED ME ABOUT A BULLETIN THAT WAS SENT OUT IN 2006 ABOUT A DEFECT IN THE COMPUTER COMPONENT THAT OPERATES THE TRANSMISSION!! WHAT GOOD IS A BULLETIN IF THE CONSUMER KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT IT?? OH THATS RIGHT...IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY FOR TOYOTA TO GET OFF CHEAP!! A RECALL WOULD HAVE COST THEM MILLIONS!! I DID GET THE COMPONENT REPLACED (SINCE I ONLY HAVE 79,100 MILES ON MY CAR) AT NO CHARGE. HOWEVER, THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT!! TOYOTA DESERVES EVERYTHING THEY GET RIGHT NOW!! THEY ARE DISHONEST AND COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE CONSUMER!!!!! *TR

AROUND 12/1/2009, I NOTICED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO HAVE PROBLEMS SHIFTING, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN YOU WOULD THINK THAT THE CAR WOULD SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, IT WOULD NOT, OR WHEN YOU WERE AT A STOP LIGHT AND TRIED TO ACCELERATE, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS AS IF THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL SO STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR DID NOTHING BUT CAUSE A LOUD "REVVING" SOUND. IN MOST CASES WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, IT DID GET INTO GEAR AND THE CAR DID ACCELERATE HOWEVER WHEN THIS HAPPENED, THE CAR WOULD JERK SHARPLY. WITHIN A FEW DAYS THE PROBLEM WAS OCCURRING ALOT (AT EVERY STOP, EVERY TIME THE CAR NEEDED TO SHIFT BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR OR 2ND AND 3RD) SO I STOPPED DRIVING IT SINCE I DID NOT FEEL IT WAS SAFE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE CAR WAS MOVING IN TRAFFIC BUT THEN WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND GO THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND SPOKE TO MY MECHANIC AND WE AGREED THE CAR SEEMED TO BE EXHIBITING PROBLEMS DESCRIBED IN A TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN TC002-06 (A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE). AS MY CAR HAD JUST OVER 100000 MILES, TOYOTA REFUSED TO CONSIDER THIS AS COVERED BY WARRANTY SO I HAD TO PAY TO GET IT DONE (ENDED UP GOING TO A PRIVATE SHOP). CAR IS BETTER NOW, THOUGH IT MAY ALSO NEED GET THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AS THERE ARE STILL SOME ISSUES WHEN THE CAR SHIFTS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR OR 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. *TR

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4, APPROX. TWO MONTHS AGO THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON IT. AS I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2001-2004 TOYOTA RAV 4'S. IT SEEMS MANY OF THE ABOVE NOTED YEAR RAV'S HAVE A FAULTY ECU IN THEM, THIS ECU TELLS THE TRANSMISSION TO DO THE WRONG THING, THEREFORE CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. I HAVE BEEN QUOTED A PRICE TO REPAIR MY RAV4 IT WILL COST ME WELL OVER $5,000.00, REALLY? I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS NOT A RECALL SITUATION SINCE SO MANY RAV 4 OWNERS ARE SUFFERING FROM THE SAME SITUATION. I BELIEVE THE COMPANY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF ITS CUSTOMERS, AT LEAST THEY SHOULD HAVE WARNED US ABOUT THE FAULTY ECU. I HAD ALWAYS LOVED MY RAV4, I AM SO DISAPPOINTED IN THE TOYOTA CORPORATION. *TR

THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS A HARD SHIFT INTO REVERSE. LIKE A LURCH. ABOUT 2 DAYS LATER I NOTICED THE SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD WAS TAKING LONGER THAN IT SHOULD. ON ABOUT THE 4TH DAY, AT A LIGHT WHEN STOPPED, I HIT THE GAS AND DIDN'T MOVE. THERE WAS A NOTABLE HESITATION AND I NEARLY WAS REARENDED. FINALLY ON ABOUT THE 5TH DAY, I HAD THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND WAS CRAWLING ALONG THE ROAD BASICALLY. WE TURNED AROUND AND PARKED IT, AND IT HAS SAT EVER SINCE, FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT AND WE ONLY HALF OWN IT. *TR