Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

2003 TOYOTA RAV4. STARTED HAVING VAGUE PROBLEMS LAST YEAR WITH THE CAR NOT WANTING TO SHIFT AT THE APPROPRIATE TIMES. ON DEC 22, 2010 WE TOOK IT TO GREENTREE TOYOTA IN DANBURY CT AND THEY REPLACED AN ECU UNIT. IT SEEMED TO BE WORKING BETTER BUT NOT OPTIMAL. IT STARTED SHIFTING BAD AGAIN AND AT TIMES NOT WANTING TO SHIFT AT ALL SO WE RETURNED THE CAR TO MILTON RUBEN TOYOTA IN AUGUSTA GA ON 4/25/11. THESE SYMPTOMS ARE SPORADIC AND SOME DAYS IT RUNS BETTER THAN OTHERS. UPON DRIVING THE CAR THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOT ON AND THE CODES ARE FINE, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT THEY CAN NOT GET IT TO REPRODUCE ANY OF THE SYMPTOMS I AM COMPLAINING OF I.E. DIFFICULTY MERGING INTO TRAFFIC B/C IT WILL HARDLEY GO AT TIMES, UPON TAKING OFF ON AN INCLINE, AT TIMES, IT WILL NOT GO OVER 30 MPH WITH THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, AT TIMES IT WILL GO OVER 4.5 RPM BEFORE IT DECIDES TO SHIFT, I WILL NOT LET MY DAUGHTER DRIVE THIS CAR BECAUSE I AM AFRAID SHE WILL PULL OUT AND NOT BE ABLE TO GO IN TIME. THE SYMPTOMS ARE VERY OBVIOUS BUT I AM BEING TOLD THAT THEY DON'T SEE ANY SYMPTOMS AT ALL AND THE CAR IS RUNNING BEAUTIFULLY AND THAT THEY CAN NOT PUT FORTH A CLAIM TO TOYOTA FOR THIS ISSUE WITHOUT A SET CRITERIA. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING AND NOW I WILL HAVE TO PAY THEM MONEY TO TELL ME THAT THE CAR IS FINE WHEN IT IS NOT. I SO WISH I HAD NOT BOUGHT THIS TOYOTA AND WILL NEVER BUY A TOYOTA AGAIN. *TR

I OWN A REGULARLY SERVICED AND WELL MAINTAINED 108,000 MILE 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 WITH A TRANSMISSION CONCERN. CAR UPON ACCELERATION WILL NOT RESPOND, REVS, SLIPS AND LUNGES INTO GEAR. THIS OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. TWO INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS HAVE INSPECTED THIS VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE PROBLEM THEY DIAGNOSE IS A COMPUTER PROBLEM WHICH IS MALFUNCTIONING COMMUNICATION TO THE TRANSMISSION. THEY HAVE RECOMMENDED NOT REPAIRING THE TRANSMISSION BUT FOCUS ON THE CAR'S COMPUTER. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FINDS NO COMPUTER CODES ON THE DIAGNOSTIC CHECK TO INDICATE ANY PROBLEM WHATSOEVER WITH THIS VEHICLE. TOYOTA CASE MANAGER AND DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER STATES TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE WITH ALL THE SAFETY CONCERNS MENTIONED UNTIL A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT INDICATES A COMPUTER PROBLEM. TOYOTA SERVICEMAN RODE IN VEHICLE WITH THIS OWNER AND FELT THE ABOVE MENTIONED SAFETY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND REPORTED IT BACK TO THE MANAGER. NO REPAIR WORK WAS RECOMMENDED BECAUSE THE COMPUTER CODES DID NOT COMMUNICATE A PROBLEM. OTHER THAN THE SERVICE TECH WHO DROVE IN THIS VEHICLE AND FELT FIRST HAND THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND NOT RESPONDING, TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGES THERE IS A PROBLEM. THE COMPUTER COMMUNICATING INFORMATION TO THE TRANSMISSION ON MANY 2001 RAV4 VEHICLES HAVE PROVEN TO MALFUNCTION ACCORDING TO TOYOTA'S OWN SERVICE BULLETIN. ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH A MALFUNCTIONING COMPUTER HAS LED TO MANY TRANSMISSIONS BEING DAMAGED IN TOYOTA VEHICLES. I AM AT A LOSS AS TO WHAT TO DO. I AM ALSO VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA'S RUN AROUND AND THEIR DISMISSIVE ATTITUDE WHEN BRINGING A SAFETY CONCERN TO THEIR ATTENTION. *TR

HI, I AM WRITING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT MY 2003 TOYOTA RAV-4. I HAVE EXPERIENCE SOME TROUBLES WITH WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE ECM AND TRANSMISSION. I HAVE BEEN IN EXTREMELY CLOSE CALLS FOR A MAJOR ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONING WHILE ACCELERATING. THE ECM/TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTS OR ACCELERATES OUT OF SEQUENCE AND IT CAUSES THE ENTIRE VEHICLE TO ABRUPTLY JERK IN A FORWARD/BACKWARD MOTION. THE ESTIMATED COST FOR REPAIRS IS WELL ABOVE $4,000 DOLLARS FOR WHAT DOES NOT SEEM NORMAL FOR A VEHICLE THAT ONLY HAS 100K MILES. IN AN ECONOMY LIKE THIS, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO OBTAIN THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR REPAIRS. I TRUSTED TOYOTA FOR ITS RELIABILITY BUT AFTER THIS MY THOUGHTS HAVE CHANGED. I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED TO BE DEALING WITH THIS FRUSTRATING ISSUE. I HAVE READ MANY MORE COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE ON EDMUNDS.COM UNDER COSTUMER REVIEWS. I WISH THAT TOYOTA RECALLS THIS PROBLEM LIKE THEY HAVE FOR OTHER MODELS SINCE THIS PROBLEM CAN BE LIFE THREATENING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS WHEN HE REMOVED HIS FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL IN THE DRIVE POSITION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RESPONDED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,200.

FAULTY SHIFTING IN 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 RELATED TO THE ECM CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN AND ALMOST COME TO A STOP WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OR PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC. ECM WAS REPLACED BUT THE FAULTY SHIFTING STILL OCCURS. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP THIS MEANS THAT THE VEHICLE NOW NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. WHILE THE VEHICLE IS 10 YEARS OLD, IT HAS LESS THAN 130,000 MILES ON IT. THIS SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING. TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS ISSUE IS DUE TO THE ECM AND ITS POOR DESIGN DESPITE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY FOR EXACTLY THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE INTERNET FROM RAV4 OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND AFTER ABOUT 20 MILES THE CAR STARTED SHIFTING HARD AND FINALLY WOULDN'T GET IN GEAR. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) IS AT FAULT (ERROR P0766- SHIFT SOLENOID D STUCK). THEY REPLACED THE ECM BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. I SPOKE TO TOYOTA CORP BUT THEY TOLD ME THE PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFT SOLENOID IS A "WHOLLY" SEPARATE ISSUE. I TOLD THEM ABOUT THE 2001-2003 EXTENSION OF WARRANTY THAT TOYOTA DID THE RAV4 BUT THEY REFUSED TO COVER THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION CAN JUST DISENGAGE FROM THE MOTOR AND LEAVE YOU STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHEN YOU PULL OUT OF DRIVEWAY OR ON THE RAMP ENTERING A HIGHWAY. *TR

BEGINNING IN JAN. 2010 THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 SUDDENLY BEGAN SHIFTING ERRATICALLY. JUST AFTER ENTERING I-35 IT DOWNSHIFTED FROM OVERDRIVE TO I'M GUESSING SECOND GEAR. THIS SUDDEN DECELERATION NEARLY GOT ME REAR ENDED BY A SEMI TRUCK. IT ALSO DESTROYED THE TRANSMISSION. I AM ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ECM THAT CAUSED IT MUST NOW BE REPLACED, @ A COST OF $4200. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY INOPERABLE AS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING IS SO ERRATIC YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL GO INTO GEAR AND IF IT DOES, WHAT GEAR AND IT SHIFTS SO ERRATICALLY IT'S LIKE RIDING A BUCKING HORSE. JUST GETTING IT THE THREE MILES TO THE SHOP WAS TAKING MY LIFE IN MY HANDS. THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED, IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. BEING OF LIMITED MEANS, I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE CAR YET. *TR