Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

THE ECM COMPUTER ON MY 2001 RAV4 IS FAILING, CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION TO STALL DURING AUTOMATIC SHIFT CHANGE. THIS OCCURS EACH TIME YOU START IN 1ST, MOVING TO SECOND GEAR AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. THIS LASTS SEVERAL SECONDS AND CAN REPEAT IN SECOND GEAR. TRAFFIC BEHIND YOU CAN EASILY RUN INTO YOU AND IF YOU ARE ENTERING A FREEWAY, YOU CAN BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY TRANSMISSION FAILING OR STALLING AS A RESULT. TOYOTA ISSUED A TSB IN 2006 TO DEALERS YET DID NOT NOTIFY OWNERS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND AN IMMEDIATE RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. MY MECHANIC AND ONE DEALER I TALKED TO INDICATE THAT THE ECM COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION NEED TO BE REPLACED AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF $5000. MY MECHANIC INDICATED HE HAS SEEN OVER 100 VEHICLES ON THIS AT HIS BUSINESS ALONE. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. SINCE MY VEHICLE IS OVER 8 YRS OLD AND 115K MILEAGE, THERE IS NO EXTENDED WARRANTY. WHY DID TOYOTA NOTIFY ITS DEALERS IN MARCH 2006 OF THE PROBLEM AND NOT NOTIFY THE CUSTOMERS. WHY HAVE YOU NOT ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE BY ASKING TOYOTA TO ISSUE A RECALL TO CORRECT THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. IF THE COMPUTER FAILS COMPLETELY, THE CAR WILL MORE THAN LIKELY STOP IN TRAFFIC. MY MECHANIC INDICATES THAT A NEW COMPUTER MUST BE PUT IN AND THE TRANSMISSION MUST BE RE BUILT. THIS STARTED ON FRIDAY, SEPT 18TH, ABOUT 4PM AS I WAS DRIVING HOME ON THE FREEWAY. I HAD THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY CHECKED AND THIS WAS THE DETERMINATION. I HAVE PARKED THE CAR SINCE AND CANNOT DRIVE IT UNTIL REPAIRED. PLEASE ADVISE ON THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. THANK YOU. *TR

MY TOYOTA RAV4 2003 HAD THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THAT I KNOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED COMPLAINTS ABOUT. TOYOTA NEVER RECALLED OR INFORMED ANY OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES AND NOW WHAT I'M READING HAS HAPPENED TO MY CAR. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND TOYOTA SHOULD BE MADE TO NOTIFY ALL OWNERS. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR STARTED TO NOT ACCELERATE AND BUCK FORWARD. I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT, ALMOST REAR ENDED BECAUSE THE CAR WAS NOT ACCELERATING. WE TOOK IT TO OUR MECHANIC AND WERE TOLD WE NEEDED A TRANSMISSION, HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND THEN IT WAS DOING THE SAME THING. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION THE MECHANIC FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS THE ECM AND THAT WAS REPLACED AND NOW IS FINE. TOYOTA SHOULD BE NOTIFYING ALL CUSTOMERS, IF YOU WERE ON THE HIGHWAY YOU WOULD BE KILLED IF THIS STARTED TO ACT UP!!! THEY SHOULD BE MADE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST EVERYONE HAS ENCOUNTERED. IF NOTIFIED I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THIS AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE ONLY HAD TO PAY FOR THE ECM. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FOR OVER 3 WEEKS. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. *TR

A SAFETY PROBLEM OCCURRED ON OUR 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY STOPPED ENGAGED THE GEARS CORRECTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AND OR TRYING TO TURN WHEN ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS APPROACHING AND NOT KNOWING IF OR WHEN THE CAR WOULD MOVE OR ENGAGE GEARS WAS FRIGHTENING. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED OVERNIGHT. WITH 47,717 MILES ON THE CAR, THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS BECAUSE TOYOTA HAS PUT A FAULTY COMPUTER INTO THE 2002 RAV4 THAT MAKES THE PARTS INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION PREMATURELY FAIL. TOYOTA WILL NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OR ISSUE A RECALL. PERHAPS TOYOTA WILL WHEN SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED? TOYOTA CLAIMS THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER BUT TOYOTA REPLACED THE COMPUTER WHEN THE CAR WAS TAKEN THERE BY THE TRANSMISSION MECHANIC. WHY WOULD TOYOTA REPLACE THE COMPUTER IF THERE WAS NO PROBLEM? PLEASE HAVE TOYOTA RECALL THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE THEM BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NEEDED REPAIRS SO THAT THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 WILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE! THANK YOU! *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 UTILITY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY THE VEHICLE WOULD DOWN SHIFT. AS A CONSEQUENCE HIS RISK FOR VEHICLE CRASH WAS INCREASED. HE HAS TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MULTIPLE DEALERS, IN WHICH THE TECHNICIAN HAVE REPROGRAMMED THE ECU, REPLACED THE COMPUTER MODULE AND TRANSMISSION. NONE OF THE REPAIRS HAVE REMEDIED THE FAILURE. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS ONLY OFFERED A $300.00 DISCOUNT TOWARD FUTURE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,473. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,426. BL

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT INTERMITTENTLY THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR AND THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNINGS. AS A CONSEQUENCE, HER RISK FOR A VEHICLE CRASH WAS INCREASED. AN AUTHORIZED TECHNICIAN ADVISED HER THAT THERE WAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE TRANSMISSION. SINCE THE CONTACT WAS INELIGIBLE FOR A FREE REMEDY, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 91,000.

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4. ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO, THE CAR BEGIN SHIFTING HARD INTO REVERSE AND SECOND GEAR. AT SOME TIMES THE SHIFTING WOULD STALL, I.E. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO SECOND GEAR RIGHT AWAY AND WHEN IT WOULD, IT WOULD SHIFT HARD. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND LEARNED ABOUT THE ECM/ECU PROBLEM THAT IS CAUSING 01-04 TOYOTA RAV 4S TO HAVE TROUBLE WITH SHIFTING. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA AND THEY FOLLOWED THE PROCEDURES ON THEIR SERVICE BULLETIN. THEY TESTED THE ECM AND SAID IT WAS FINE AND TOLD ME I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR $4,100. I TOOK THE CAR TO A TRANSMISSION CARE CENTER. I HAD THE SOLENOID B REPLACED FOR $560 BECAUSE THIS WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THE CAR STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AFTER THE SOLENOID WAS REPLACED, SO I HAD THE TRANSMISSION OVERHAULED FOR A TOTAL OF $3,100. THE TECH STATED THERE WAS ABOUT 200,000 MILES WORTH OF WEAR ON THE TRANSMISSION, THE CAR ITSELF ONLY HAS 90,000. THERE WERE VARIOUS PIECES THAT WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY DUE TO WEAR ON THE TRANSMISSION; THESE WERE REPLACED. THE CAR IS STILL HAVING DIFFICULTY SHIFTING-THE SAME PROBLEMS ARE OCCURRING. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE ECM/ECU MALFUNCTIONING. MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM, WHERE THEY ARE TOLD THE ECM/ECU IS FINE, HAVE THEIR TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND THEN THE CAR STILL MALFUNCTIONS AND THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE ECM/ECU REPLACED. *TR

2001 TOYOTA RAV4 4WD CAR HAS NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN THE TRANSMISSION STARTED ACTING UP. IT IS VERY INTERMITTENT. WHEN STARTING FROM A STOPPED POSITION OR GETTING ONTO A FREEWAY THE CAR WILL LOOSE ITS POWER. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS, JERKS, AND ENGINE SPEEDS UP WITHOUT CAR PROPERLY ACCELERATING. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE YOU CANNOT MERGE WITH TRAFFIC, CAN?T GET OUT OF THE WAY OF OTHER VEHICLES ONCE THE CAR ENTERS AN INTERSECTION, OR COULD GET REAR ENDED BY OTHER VEHICLES. I CAN DRIVE THE CAR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS WITHOUT THE PROBLEM SHOWING UP. HAD IT IN TO MY MECHANIC TWICE AND THEY CAN?T REPRODUCE IT TO FIX IT. NO PROBLEMS SHOW UP ON THE COMPUTER CHECK. WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN IT MIGHT ONLY HAPPEN ONCE WHEN STARTING OUT FROM A STOP AND THEN BE FINE FOR MANY DAYS OR MILES. I CANNOT MAKE IT DO IT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET I HAVE LEARNED IT IS A DEFECTIVE DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE ECM MODULE THAT CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION. TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN DATED MARCH 6, 2006. THEY HAVE NOT NOTIFIED OWNERS OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA RAV 4 WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR AND HESITATED AND THE CAR SPUTTERED LOSING SPEED AND NEARLY CAUSING ME TO BE REAR ENDED BY A TRACTOR TRAILER. I AM BEING TOLD THAT IT IS A ECM MODULE CONTROL PROBLEM THAT YOU MAY BE AWARE OF. I SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE AT TOYOTA AND THE TOLD BASICALLY "TO BAD FOR ME". I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION. *TR