Toyota RAV4 transmission problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY WHILE THE GEARS WERE CHANGED AND THERE WAS TROUBLE ACCELERATING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS BLACK; THE FLUID WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,600.

EITHER THE ECU OR THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT WORKING RIGHT. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CAN USUALLY CHANGE BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR BUT IT USUALLY CANNOT CHANGE BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD. THE ENGINE USUALLY REVS AS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS. IF WE EASE UP ON THE ACCELERATOR OR SOMETIMES WE TO PUMP IT A LITTLE, THEN THE TRANSMISSION CHANGES GEARS. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW OCCASIONS WHERE THE ENGINE REVS AND THE TRANSMISSION CATCHES ON ITS OWN BUT THIS IS CAUSES THE CAR TO ACCELERATE WHEN WE DO NOT EXPECT IT TO. THIS JUST STARTED HAPPENING RECENTLY. WE HAD NOTICED FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD CHANGE A LITTLE HARDER THAN NORMAL, BUT NOT THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE DUE TO SAFETY REASON. *TR

I DROVE MY 2004 (6 1/2 YEAR OLD) RAV4 SPORT AWD TODAY AS USUAL TO WORK (16 MILES). IT HAS JUST SHORT OF 50,000 MILES ON IT AND IS READY FOR THE NEXT OIL CHANGE IN MORE THAN 1000 MILES. I HAVE DONE THE MAJORITY OF MAINTENANCE AT THE DEALERSHIP. I DROVE THE CAR FROM MY OFFICE AT 169 AND 62, ON 62 THEN NORTH ON I35W TO MINNEAPOLIS AND THEN ON I94E TO ST. PAUL. SOON AFTER I GOT ON I94 I NOTICED SUDDEN FAILURE TO ACCELERATE WITH A JERKING AND HIGH REVS (TO ABOUT 4500) WHEN GOING FROM 55 TO 60. THE GEARS DID NOT FULLY ENGAGE AND RUMBLED AND DID NOT CHANGE OR DRIVE FULLY IN ANY GEAR. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND STOPPED AT A SERVICE STATION (MIKE'S BP IN ST. PAUL DOWNTOWN) THAT HAD DONE AN OIL CHANGE ON MY CAR. THE SERVICE PERSON CHECKED MY TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SAID IT WAS "FILTHY" BUT FULL. HE SAID IT MAY NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I CHOSE TO CANCEL MY TRIP OUT OF STATE FOR WORK, AND DROVE DIRECTLY HOME AFTER SETTING UP WITH MY REGULAR MECHANIC FOR NEXT TUESDAY, THE EARLIEST OPEN APPOINTMENT. I WAS SURPRISED TO HAVE THIS ISSUE COME UP SO SUDDENLY AND IT IS A CLEAR DANGER SINCE I MOSTLY WOULD DRIVE ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC OR LONG DISTANCE FOR WORK AND IT COULD CAUSE A CRASH. I WILL NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THIS CAR HAD NO ISSUES AT ALL SO FAR - ONLY REPLACED THE WIPERS A YEAR AGO. I AM CONCERNED TO HAVE FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AS THE CAR DROVE SO UNPREDICTABLY AND MAKES STRANGE NOISES NOW IF IT IS SHIFTING. I HAVE A TOYOTA PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY GOOD UNTIL END OF JUNE 2011 AND I'LL WORK ON GETTING THIS COVERED. IT IS FRIGHTENING TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO MY VEHICLE AS I DEPEND ON MY CAR FOR WORK TRIPS AND FOR COMMUTING. I'M GLAD I HAVE THE WARRANTY AND WILL HAVE THE WORK DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM IF THAT IS POSSIBLE. MY CAR GOES THROUGH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY RUN CHECKS FOR ANY RECALLS EVERY TIME IT IS IN THE SHOP. THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING AT ALL ON THE VEHICLE THUS FAR. *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR UNCONTROLLABLY AND CAUSES A SUDDEN SURGE IN THE VEHICLE THAT MAKES DRIVING IT NOT ONLY DANGEROUS BUT A LIABILITY TO ME. TOYOTA SHOULD BE CONCERNED WITH THIS, CONSIDERING THEIR RECENT PROBLEMS WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND BRAKING. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT THROUGH A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE WORSE BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THEY KNOWINGLY PASSED THIS CAR THROUGH THEIR INSPECTION PROCESS AND DID NOT DO A [XXX] THING. TELL TOYOTA TO FIX THIS PROBLEM FOR THE SAFETY OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ON THE ROAD. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN MAKING AN ABNORMAL CLANKING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIANS PERFORMED A DIAGNOSIS BUT WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,900. UPDATED 2/23/11 *CN UPDATED 06/20/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE SHIFTED INTO DRIVE FROM PARK AND WHEN SHE REMOVED HER FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 23,789.

MY 2002 RAV 4 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT 96,000 MILES; WHEN THE CODE WAS CHECKED IT RELATED IT TO THE CATALYST SYSTEM, BUT I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE ECM HAD TO BE UPDATED AS PART OF A RECALL FOR MY VEHICLE AND I NEEDED TO TAKE IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER; DOING THIS WOULD CAUSE THE FAULTY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO BE RESET. THEY PERFORMED THE SERVICE, AND NOW 3 WEEKS LATER THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY POPS OUT OF 5TH GEAR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO DRAMATICALLY DECREASE UNPREDICTABLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DANGEROUS!!! ALTHOUGH AFTER LOOKING ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERING COUNTLESS OTHERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM, TOYOTA HAS NOT YET ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS; THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO ADDRESS THIS DANGEROUS AND COSTLY-TO-FIX PROBLEM. SUPPOSEDLY IN 2006 TOYOTA REALIZED THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE ECM, (WHICH COULD APPARENTLY DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION). INSTEAD OF LETTING CONSUMERS KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS THEY REALIZED, THEY SENT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO DEALERSHIPS AND SERVICE AREAS, BUT FAILED TO LET THEIR OWN CUSTOMERS KNOW. ACCORDING TO INTERNET RESEARCH, THIS PROBLEM GENERALLY STARTS AROUND 90,000 MILES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY TOYOTA RAV 4 BUILD SEP/2010, COMPLIANCE OCT 2010 AT 20KM PER HOUR, AUTOMATIC, I WAS BEGINNING TO BRAKE GENTLY AND MOVE INTO NEUTRAL WHEN THE ENGINE REV UP AT 8000 RPM. I COMPLETED THE MANEUVER TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL (WITHIN MILLISECONDS OF THE PROBLEM HAPPENING) AND AFTER WATCHING THE CLOCK SHOWING 8000 RPM FOR 1 SECOND I TURNED THE CAR OFF. I DID NOT SUFFER ANY INJURIES, BUT I HAVE BAD DREAMS ABOUT IT. MY WIFE WAS IN THE CAR AT THE TIME AND SHE ALSO WITNESSES THE EVENT. TOYOTA IS INVESTIGATING... *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH HE ENGAGED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND IT TOOK A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO ADVISED HIM THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THE ECM CARD NEEDED REPROGRAMMING. THE FAILURE STARTED IN JUNE 2009. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 73,000. UPDATED 2/28/11 *CN UPDATED 03/07/11