2002 Toyota RAV4 POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD REPEATEDLY SLIP OUT OF GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THEY FURTHER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS COMMON WITH HIS YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL VEHICLE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RESURFACED AND THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER MECHANICALLY FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD COST $4,000 TO REPLACE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 126,605. UPDATED 6/8/09 *CN UPDATED 06/11/09.*JB

1. TOYOTA 2002 RAV 4 STARTING JERKING UNCONTROLLABLY AT 80,300 MILES WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT AROUND 60 MPH. 2. TOOK IT IN THE NEXT DAY AND TOYOTA DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS AN ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAILURE WHICH WAS MAKING THE TRANSMISSION JERK. 3. THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND STUCK US WITH THE BILL SINCE OUR CAR WAS 300 MILES OVER WARRANTY ALTHOUGH WE HAD BROUGHT IT IN 4 TIMES PRIOR FOR ENGINE CONTROL MODULE PROBLEMS. *TR

2002 TOYOTA RAV4 - ECM/TRANSMISSION FAILURE - AT 125,000 MILES, DRIVING LAST WEEK, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED BUCKING. CAR SLOWED WITHOUT CAUSE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, AND I HAD TO PULL OFF ROAD IN ADVERSE CONDITIONS. DRIVING TO DEALER, THEN DRIVING TO TRANSMISSION SHOP WRECKED TRANSMISSION. AFTER PAYING $2700.00 TO GET TRANSMISSION FIXED, FOUND OUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IS REALLY A ECM FAILURE PROBLEM. FOUND 1000'S OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS. CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SVC., AND TOYOTA IS NOT RECOGNIZING AS A RECALL PROBLEM. I AM UNEMPLOYED AND THIS COST IS OVERWHELMING, AND SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

AROUND THE 1ST OF JULY MY TOYOTA RAV 4 STARTING JERKING AND REFUSED TO GO INTO SECOND GEAR. THE RAV 4 HAS HAD ALL OF THE REGULAR REQUIRED MAINTENANCE AND SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ECM WERE GOING OUT. I HAD MY 16 YEAR OLD GRANDSON IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I DID NOT REALIZED THAT TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR AROUND 3 YEARS UNTIL I STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE TOYOTA COMPANY IMMEDIATELY. I AM JUST NOW LEARNING THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED TOYOTA CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THE SAME ISSUE BUT OF COURSE THE TOYOTA COMPANY WILL NOT REMEDY THE SITUATION. IF MY GRANDSON AND I HAD BEEN ON A BUSY HIGHWAY I DO FEEL THE OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE DEVASTATING. *TR

TOYOTA RAV 4 2002. A MONTH AGO, MY CAR STARTED JERKING AND BUCKING AND STALLING MID INTERSECTION. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER FOR SERVICING. THE SERVICE DEPT. COULD NOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM SO THEY CHANGED TRANSMISSION FLUID (CHARGE ALMOST $200.00) AND SENT ME ON MY WAY WITH NOTICE THAT IF THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON I SHOULD RETURN. TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY APPROACHING A DOUBLE MERGE DRIVING 60 MPH WHEN MY CAR SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR CAUSING ME TO LURCH AND LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE WHILE ONE TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK WAS MERGING TO MY RIGHT AND ANOTHER DIRECTLY BEHIND ME CAUSING TRUCK BEHIND ME TO LAY ON BRAKES AND VEER OFF THE ROAD...I MANAGED TO GET MYSELF OFF THE ROAD...NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED BUT THE THREAT TO MY LIFE WAS SERIOUS. I DID INVESTIGATION ON LINE CARCOMPLANTS.COM AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED TO ALL DEALERS IN 2006. I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF DEFECT THEREFORE WAS ENDANGERING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY EVERY TIME I DROVE THE CAR WITHOUT ANY KNOWLEDGE. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND PAID $150.00 FOR DIAGNOSTIC: FAULTY ECM (SEE CARCOMPLAINTS.COM). QUOTED A COST OF REPLACEMENT AT ($1,200.00) THAT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT THEY WOULD NOT KNOW CONDITION OF TRANSMISSION UNTIL AFTER THEY REPLACED THE ECM. I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS ANSWER AND FELT I MIGHT HAVE BETTER SERVICE WITH ORIGINAL DEALER SO I PAID FOR CAR TO BE TOWED ($100.00) AND RENTED A CAR. ORIGINAL DEALER DETERMINED ECM NEEDS REPLACEMENT NO GUARANTEE THAT TRANSMISSION WOULD BE OKAY. I ASKED THAT DEALER SPEAK ON MY BEHALF TO TOYOTA TO SEE IF THEY WERE WILLING TO SHARE SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY AND COST OF REPLACEMENT OF FAULTY ECM. TOYOTA REFUSED. AFTER BEING WITHOUT FAMILY'S ONLY CAR FOR 2 WEEKS,PAYING FOR RENTAL (OVER $200.00) THE ECM WAS REPLACED ($1,000.00) CAR SEEMED TO BE OKAY FOR ONE WEEK. 4 DAYS AGO ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. RETURNING TO YET ANOTHER DEALER TOMORROW. DO YOU VALUE MY SAFETY? *TR

THERE EXISTS A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF ECM FAILURE IN THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 VEHICLES THAT IS CAUSING SHIFTING PROBLEMS IN THE TRANSMISSION. THIS DEFECTED PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AS NEEDING REPLACEMENT (NOT JUST "REPROGRAMMING" AS TOYOTA HAS TRIED TO DO). WHEN I BEGAN EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 ON APRIL 17, 2009, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR, MY CAR WOULD NOT GO. IT EVENTUALLY VERY SLOWLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE BUT EVERY TIME I HAD TO STOP AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, IT WOULD BARELY GO AGAIN. I WAS TERRIFIED THAT I WAS GOING TO GET HIT EVERY TIME I HAD TO CROSS OVER A STREET WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION...SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ONE OF THESE DAYS BECAUSE THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN THIS BEGINS TO HAPPEN - THE CAR JUST WON'T GO AT TAKEOFF. MANY OF US WHO OWN THE 2002 RAV4 HAVE WASTED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON MISDIAGNOSIS OF THIS PROBLEM...I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSHED, I HAD A TOP ENGINE CLEANING TO REMOVE BUILDUP IN THE THROTTLE, I WAS EVEN TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY CAR MAT WAS GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE ACCELERATOR AND THAT WAS ADDING TO THE PROBLEM. ONLY AFTER NONE OF THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM DID THEY COME BACK AND FINALLY SAY THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE RUINED. THIS REPAIR IS GOING TO COST ME $1300.00 BECAUSE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 80,000 MILES AND MY VEHICLE IS AT 84,000 MILES. I AM GOING TO FIX THIS CAR SO THAT I CAN TRADE IT IN (THE DEALERSHIP EVEN SUGGESTED THAT I TRADE IT- THEY MUST KNOW HOW SERIOUS THIS IS). I CAN'T TAKE THE RISK THAT THIS VEHICLE WILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE EVEN AFTER THE ECM IS REPLACED BECAUSE I'VE READ THAT THE NEW ECM MAY NOT COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY WITH THE OLD TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A DEVASTATING LOSS FOR THOSE OF US WHO BOUGHT OUR VEHICLES BASED IN LARGE PART ON THE TOYOTA REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITY. *TR

CAR SHUTTERED AND STOPPED ROLLING IN AN INTERSECTION, THEN ABRUPTLY WENT INTO GEAR AGAIN WITH A LURCH. TRANSMISSION SHOP REPLACED VALVE ASSEMBLY. PROBLEM RETURNED AND CAR WAS RETURNED TO SHOP. NEW VALVE ASSEMBLY INSTALLED, PROBLEM CAME BACK. RETURNED TO SHOP, TRANSMISSION REMOVED, REPLACED, 3 TIMES. SEALS REPLACED. SAME PROBLEM.ECM WAS SUSPECT. CAR WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, WAS TOLD ECM WAS FINE, ECM WAS RE-PROGRAMMED AND WE WERE CHARGED $275.00. PROBLEM CONTINUED. LONG STORY SHORT-ECM WAS REPLACED, PROGRAMMED, AND PAID ANOTHER $1200. WORKS FINE. TOYOTA OWES ME BIG TIME. THEY KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM, AND IGNORE. I HAVE OWNED 5 TOYOTAS IN MY LIFE, AND HAVE AN FJ CRUISER AS WELL. WILL NOT CONSIDER TOYOTA IN THE FUTURE UNLESS THEY ADMIT THE PROBLEM, AND ASSIST IN REPAIRS. *TR

APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO I BEGAN NOTICING HESITATION, JERKING, AND SLIPPING COMING FROM WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE PROBLEM CONTINUED, I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL BIG TEN TIRES TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A DEFECTIVE ENGINE MOUNT. THAT DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I REALIZED THEN IT WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THAT SOLD ME THE VEHICLE,AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, BUT THEY TOLD ME TO LIVE WITH IT BECAUSE IT WAS INTERMITTENT! THEY DID NOT TELL ME IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT AT LEAST HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF 2001-2003 RAV 4 OWNERS ARE HAVING AS WE SPEAK, NAMELY, A DEFECTIVE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (SEE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE DATED 8/26/09). THE DEFECTIVELY DESIGNED ECM IS SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGES TO THE TRANSMISSION. THIS CAUSES THE TRANSMISSION TO MALFUNCTION. THIS PRESENTS TWO PROBLEMS: OVER TIME IT DESTROYS THE TRANSMISSION AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. ON TWO OCCASIONS I PULLED OUT IN TRAFFIC AND THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY (WITHOUT WARNING) REFUSED TO SHIFT FROM FIRST TO SECOND. THIS HESITATION ALMOST CAUSED OTHER VEHICLES TO HIT ME. IT FINALLY "JERKED" INTO GEAR AND I WAS ABLE TO AVOID THE COLLISIONS. HAD IT NOT DONE SO, I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST AS EARLY AS 2006 WHEN IT ISSUED A TSB TO IT DEALERS PERTAINING TO THIS EXACT PROBLEM. I AM GOING TO BE HONEST. I ALSO THINK IT IS A TRAVESTY THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT BEEN FORCED TO MAKE A RECALL. TO CONCLUDE THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE IS FLAT OUT WRONG. JUST BECAUSE IT DOES NOT OCCUR ON THE "OPEN HIGHWAY" IS, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, LUDICROUS. I CAN BE JUST AS SERIOUSLY INJURED IF MY CAR IS HIT BY SOMEONE GOING 40 MPH BECAUSE I CAN'T GET OUT OF THEIR WAY. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. PLEASE DO THE RIGHT THING AND MAKE TOYOTA FIX THIS PROBLEM DO NOT LET THIS BECOME ANOTHER PINTO GAS TANK CASE. THANK YOU. *TR

MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 HAS BEEN INTERMITTENTLY NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR. IT BALKS AND CLUNKS, AND EVENTUALLY SHIFTS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW IF THE CAR WILL BE ABLE TO ACCELERATE TO THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC OR NOT. IT IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE AT STOP LIGHTS, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT ACROSS THE INTERSECTION BEFORE THE LIGHT CHANGES OR NOT. THIS STARTED IN JANUARY 2009, BUT WAS NOT CONSISTENT. IN JULY, IT FINALLY CREATED A "CHECK ENGINE" CONDITION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPUTABLE MECHANIC, AND HE CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND REPLACED SOLENOIDS, WHICH THE ENGINE CODE SUGGESTED. I THEN TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED THE ECM, AT A COST OF $1500. THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM, AND THEY SAY I NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION FOR $3500. TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SINCE 2006, AND AT THAT TIME ISSUED A BULLETIN. HOWEVER, I FEEL THEY SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUES AND THE COST INVOLVED. *TR

I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH MY CAR ON 6-20-2008. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR & NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE IT WASN'T ACCELERATING PROPERLY. THEN I NOTICED THAT AS THE CAR WAS SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR IT WOULD STALL & THEN SUDDENLY SHIFT REALLY HARD INTO 3RD GEAR. SOMETIMES AS I WOULD ACCELERATE THE CAR WOULD START SHAKING & THEN SHIFT HARD INTO 1ST GEAR. THIS MADE ME VERY NERVOUS BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC & FEARED THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD CREATE AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY, BUT IT WAS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. WE LOOKED AT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID THINKING IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE WAY IT WAS SHIFTING. WE CHECKED THE FLUID & FILLED THE FLUID. MY HUSBAND DROVE IT A LITTLE & IT DIDN'T ACT UP FOR HIM. SO I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WELL THEN I STARTED DRIVING IT AGAIN & IT CONTINUED TO SHIFT HARD & NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. I HAD MY UNCLE LOOK AT IT & HE THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ENGAGING. SO I FINALLY TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE ($84 LATER) THEY COULDN'T GET THE PROBLEM TO OCCUR. I WENT TO PICK THE CAR UP THE NEXT DAY & THEY SAID THEY FOUND A BULLETIN ON 2001-2003 TOYOTA RAV4'S THAT IF THERE WAS A HARD SHIFTING THAT THE ECM NEEDED REPLACING. $1500 LATER THE CAR IS FIXED. OF COURSE TOYOTA DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY A BULLETIN & SUPPOSEDLY DID NOT CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE & COME TO FIND OUT MY MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY IS PAST & MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER IT EITHER EVEN THOUGH IT'S A MAJOR PART THAT KEEPS THE CAR RUNNING & FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED WITH THE TOYOTA SERVICE & THEIR WAYS OF HANDLING PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT THE CONSUMERS FAULT BUT TOYOTA'S MANUFACTURING FAULT. *TR

SUDDENLY, MY CAR STARTING SHIFTING VERY ROUGHLY INTO REVERSE. IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME I PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE. I WAS TOLD THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT WAS DEFECTIVE. THIS IS THE SAME ECM THAT HAD A FACTORY RECALL ISSUED THAT I HAD SERVICED LAST YEAR. *TR

I BROUGHT MY RAV BRAND NEW IN 2002. HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH IT UP UNTIL A FEW A YEAR AGO WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENT. EVERY TIME I WAS GOING TO TAKE THE VEHICLE INTO GET CHECKED IT WOULD GO OUT. WHEN I ARRIVED AT MY PRESENT DUTY STATION I WAS DEPLOYED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. WITHIN TWO MONTHS OF MY DEPLOYMENT MY WIFE TOLD ME THAT CAR WAS HAVING A HARD TIME MOVING AND COULD HEAR THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. SHE THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC AND THEY TOLD HER THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS BROKE AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. ONLY 52000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC ALSO TOLD MY WIFE THAT THERE COULD BE A TSB OUT ON THE VEHICLE PERTAINING TO THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE, PART THAT TELLS THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT GEARS, "ECM"AND THERE WAS SEVERAL THAT PERTAINED THE PROBLEM AND WHAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. BEING IN ITALY SHE CONTACTED THE STATES REP FOR TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T LOCATE OUR CAR BECAUSE WE BOUGHT IT FROM A LICENSED DEALER "AMERICAN SPEC VEHICLE" FROM GERMANY. SHE THEN CONTACT THE AGENCY THAT IS AUTHORIZED TO SELL "AMERICAN SPEC CARS" AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE FELL UNDER THE WARRANTY AND THAT THEY "AMERICAN TOYOTA" SHOULD PAY FOR IT BASED ON AN AMERICAN TSB. CALLED TOYOTA AGAIN AND NOTHING. WHEN I CAME HOME, WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND BECAUSE IT WAS AN AMERICAN TSB THEY WOULD CONSIDER THE REPLACEMENT. IN THE MEAN TIME THEY ASSURED US THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND BEING OUR ONLY VEHICLE MY WIFE WAS FORCED TO DRIVE IT. TOYOTA "ROME" OKED THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ECM, THE ACTUAL FAULT OF THE VEHICLE BUT HAS REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION THE RESULT OF THE FAULTY PART. NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS COMPLETELY SHOT AND LOOKING ON LINE THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN CONSUMERS ARE PAYING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OUT TO REPLACE A PRODUCT THAT IS THE RESULT OF TOYOTA'S ENGINEERING FLAWS. I PERSONALLY FEEL THAT THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE THE TRANSMISSION AND THE REPLACEMENT. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS REQUESTED. *TR

I BROUGHT MY RAV BRAND NEW IN 200. HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH IT UP UNTIL A FEW DAYS AGO. IT WAS RUNNING JUST FINE BUT THE NEXT DAY I NOTICED THAT IT WOULD JERK WHEN I SHIFTED IN/OUT OF REVERSE. NOT ONLY THAT BUT IT HAD TROUBLE ACCELERATING AND WOULD JERK FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. READ MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE VIA WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/TOYOTA/RAV4/2002/TRANSMISSION/PROBLEMS_SHIFTING.SHTML AND FOUND THAT I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS PROBLEM....THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.. I HAVE A FOUR YEAR OLD AND I AM SCARED OF DRIVING ANYWHERE BECAUSE IM SCARED OF PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC FOR THE FEAR THAT THE CAR WONT MOVE AND I MAY GET HIT.....THIS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED....*TR

CAR NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR (SLIPPING) AND THEN BANGING AND JERKING INTO GEAR AT FIRST TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. LATER AFTER I SAW THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND WITH MANY CALLS TO TOYOTA CORPORATE THEY PERFORMED FURTHER TEST AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS THE ECM THEY ARE REPLACING IT BUT ONLY PAYING FOR HALF OF THE COST CURRENT MILEAGE 89,000 THEY ARE SAYING IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 9,000 MILES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS REPROGRAMMED LAST YEAR (APRIL 07) AT 72,000 MILES I HAVE NOTICED MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE 2002 RAV 4 AND TRULY BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO DO A RECALL AND PAY THE TOTAL AMOUNT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR. THE VEHICLE JERKED AND THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE COMPUTER FAILURE, WHICH ALSO CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THE COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION ARE CURRENTLY BEING REPLACED AT THE COST OF $4,600. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 95,000.

IN THE PAST FEW YEARS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND MY LOCAL DEALER WOULD FIX SOMETHING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM TWICE. THE 3RD TIME TOYOTA HAD A RECALL ON THE COMPUTER AND REPROGRAMMED THE ECU. NOW THE 4TH TIME THE CAR WOULD NOT GO WHEN PUSHING THE PEDAL OR IT WOULD STOP IN TRAFFIC WITH THE HOPES OF NOT GETTING INTO A WRECK. BARELY MADE IT BACK TO THE DEALER WHO SAID IT HAD A BAD MAIN COMPUTER FAILURE AND THE "SHIFT SOLENOID B" WAS BAD. ALL THIS WITH ONLY 83K MILES. THIS SEEMS SOMEWHAT VERY LOW TO BE HAVING THIS KIND OF A PROBLEM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA, GAVE THEM THE INFO AND THEY INVESTIGATED AND SAID IT WAS WAY OUT OF WARRANTY SO THE CASE IS "CLOSED". THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS TO BE $4998 BUT WITH THE DEALER GIVING ME A "ONE TIME GOOD WILL 50% SPLIT AND A SENIOR CITIZENS DISCOUNT", IT HAD A FINAL PRICE OF $3,725.63. *TR