Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS DEFECTIVE ECU WHICH HAS IN TURN FRIED TRANSMISSION...MY WIFE NOTICED PROBLEMS WHEN THE SHIFTING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON A MERGE AND WAS ALMOST RUN OVER BY A SEMI-TRUCK. WE THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO TOLD US THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS NOT ON SO THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE AND ADVISED US TO DRAIN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. 2 WEEKS LATER, MY WIFE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE TRANSMISSION SPONTANEOUSLY SHIFTED INTO LOW GEAR CAUSING HER TO SWERVE OFF ROAD. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WE NEED TO REPLACE THE ECU AND TRANSMISSION AT $5,000. I HAVE GONE ONLINE AND READ THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR OVER 2 YEARS AND WILL NOT ISSUE RECALL AS NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED...THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE MY WIFE WAS ALMOST KILLED!!! PLEASE ADDRESS WITH TOYOTA!! *TR UPDATED 03/22/10.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO FIRST OR SECOND GEAR, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK. THE VEHICLE SHIFTS FROM FIRST TO THIRD GEAR WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER AND JERKS WHEN DRIVING IN REVERSE. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE SOLENOID WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURES ARE IDENTICAL TO THE ONES MENTIONED IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 85,000.

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 BEGAN JERKING AND STALLING. CAR WOULDN'T ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. WAS TURNING LEFT INTO TRAFFIC WHEN THIS FIRST OCCURRED AND ONCOMING TRAFFIC HAD TO STOP. WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR INTERSECTION FOR FIVE MINUTES, UNTIL AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DID THE CAR BEGIN TO CRAWL IN A JERKY MOTION. DROVE 2 MILES WITH THE JERKING AND STALLING ON STOP AND WITH NO ACCELERATION. LITERALLY ROLLED INTO LOCAL MECHANIC'S SHOP. FOUND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAS TOTALLY FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACED. THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM INDICATIONS, NO WARNING LIGHTS, ENGINE LIGHTS OR AN OTHER PREVIOUS PROBLEMS. THE CAR HAS ONLY 65,000 MILES ON IT. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED AND DISHEARTEN AT THE RESPONSE FROM THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER. THE 2002 RAV4 TRANSMISSION REPORT IN CONSUMER REPORTS STICKS OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB. MY DAUGHTER WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN THE CAR STALLED IN THE INTERSECTION. I THANK GOD SHE WASN'T HURT. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO HAVE THESE AUTOMOBILES RECALLED? A SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH? *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 FWD AUTOTRANSMISSION WITH LESS THAN 52000 MILES. NO ENGINE LIGHTS EVER APPEARED TO ALERT ME OF PROBLEM. FIRST SIGN WAS WHILE DRIVING 65MPH ON INTERSTATE 80 HEADING TO ERIE, PA FROM YOUNGSTOWN, OH. CAR TAKEN IN TO NEAREST TRANSMISSION SHOP, AAMCO WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT CLUTCHES WERE COMPLETELY DAMAGED/BURNT AND NEEDED TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT AT A COST OF $3000. NOW BEING TOLD THAT THE ECM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF VOLTAGE PROBLEMS AND GEARS STILL MISSING WITH REBUILT TRANS. REPLACEMENT ECM COVERED UNDER TOYOTA'S TSB TC002-06 IF UNDER 8 YEARS/80,000 BUT LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP STATING THAT CURRENT PART NUMBER IS THE REPLACEMENT PART. I CONTACTED MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BACK HOME WHO DID A REPROGRAMMING RECALL BUT DID NOT REPLACE ECM. REPROGRAMMING / RECODING / FLASHING ECM WAS NOT THE PROCEDURE TO RESOLVE ON ABOVE TSB AND I BELIEVE THE DEALERSHIP BACK HOME SIMPLY RELABELED ECM WITH NEW PART NUMBER SINCE THEY CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS NOT REPLACED WITH NEW ECM. A NEW ECM WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE FROM HAPPENING. AAMCO DEALERSHIP FIGHTING TO GET ME AN ECM COVERED UNDER THE TC002-06 TSB. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS AND NO END IN SIGHT. CANNOT TAKE VEHICLE BACK HOME EVEN WITH REBUILT TRANS BECAUSE IT IS NOT ROADWORTHY WITHOUT ECM AND TESTING. NEED TO RENT VEHICLE TO GET MYSELF BACK HOME UNTIL CONTACTED BY AAMCO REGARDING RESOLUTION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20-30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN JERKING, STALLING, AND SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT MAKE ANY REPAIRS BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE SPARK PLUGS COULD BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE SPARK PLUGS WERE CHANGED AT THAT TIME; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION COULD BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FILTER AND TRANSMISSION FLUID WERE CHANGED, BUT THE JERKING WORSENED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY NEVER HEARD OF A TOYOTA VEHICLE HAVING TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY TOOK APART AND REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION. THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED A TSB REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION (TC002-06), BUT THE DEALER NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED A TSB FOR THE TRANSMISSION OR ECM. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 68,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. ON APRIL 22, 2009, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE; HOWEVER, IT FAILED TO ENGAGE UNTIL IT REACHED 3000 RPMS. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED THE VEHICLE STALLED; ALTHOUGH, THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT IS AWARE OF THE SAFETY RISK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,000.

AUTO TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, WHERE THE CAR SHUDDERS AND SHIFTS VERY ABRUPTLY AND OFTEN SHIFTS VERY LATE POSING VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THIS PROBLEM CAME ON INSTANTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ANY FOREWARNING , SO AS I STARTED RESEARCHING IT, THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE AN ECU MALFUNCTION WHERE THE COMPUTER DOESN'T SEND THE RIGHT COMMANDS TO THE TRANSMISSION FOR WHEN TO SHIFT PROPERLY. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS AND IT IS VERY UPSETTING THAT TOYOTA DIDN'T AT LEAST INFORM RAV4 OWNERS OF THIS ISSUE. I COULD HAVE REPLACED THE ECU AND WHICH IS AN EASY REPAIR COSTING ONLY ABOUT $1200 OR THERE IS ALSO A SHOP ONLINE THAT FIXES THE ECU FOR $400 BUT NOW I HAVE TO FIX THE ECU AND REPLACE A TRANSMISSION THANKS TO TOYOTA'S NEGLIGENCE NOW THE REPAIR BILL IS IN THE $4000-$6000 PRICE RANGE. MANY INDEPENDENT MECHANICS AREN'T AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAVE REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION WITHOUT KNOWING THAT THE ECU IS AT FAULT AND ENDED UP REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL FINALLY PINPOINTING THE PROBLEM AND REPLACING THE ECU ALSO. THE SAME NEARLY HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I TOOK IT TO BOTH OF MY MECHANICS AND THEY DIDN'T FORESEE THE ECU TO BE AT FAULT AND WANTED TO REPLACE ONLY THE TRANSMISSION. WE'VE OWNED THE CAR SINCE DAY 1 AND IT HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED IT'S SAD TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO IT WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *TR

TOYOTA RAV4 STARTED SLAMMING INTO GEAR. WHILE DRIVING I WOULD HAVE MY FOOT DOWN ON ACCELERATOR AND THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR AND WHEN IT FINALLY DID IT WOULD LURCH FORWARD WHILE SLAMMING IN GEAR. I WAS TOLD BY MY MAINTENANCE MECHANIC THAT THERE WAS A TBS ON THIS VERY PROBLEM HOWEVER WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME 1ST. "SOMEONE ALREADY REPLACE IT (WHICH WASN'T THE CASE THEN 2. "IT MUST HAVE BEEN CAUGHT AT THE FACTORY". THERE ARE OVER 200 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE VERY PROBLEM AND TOYOTA'S IRRESPONSIBLE RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM. I HAVE NOW BEEN TOLD THAT THEY WILL "START WITH REPLACING THE GROUNDING WIRES" AND "GO FROM THERE". I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT EXPIRES IN JULY 2009. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I FEEL THAT TOYOTA (BASED ON ALL THE COMPLAINTS FOUND) WILL CONTINUE TO NICKEL AND DIME ME WITH NON-WARRANTY CHARGES AND THEN WHEN THE REAL PROBLEM IS ADDRESSED FOR THE POWER TRAIN MY VEHICLE WILL BE OUT OF WARRANTY. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 47,315 MILES ON IT. THE REFERENCE NUMBER FOR THE TSB IN THIS CASE IS TC002-06 FROM 3-06/ THE DEALERSHIPS I SPOKE TO WERE UNAWARE OF THE TBS UNTIL I BROUGHT IN A COPY OF IT. THE CODES FOR THIS PROBLEM DON'T EVEN SHOW UP. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT NHTSA IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM TO ESTABLISH A NEED FOR AN INVESTIGATION. PLEASE CONSIDER ME AS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. I TRULY FEEL THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ONLY A COSTLY ONE BUT A EXTREME SAFETY CONCERN AS YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THIS PROBLEM WILL HAPPEN. *TR