2002 TOYOTA RAV4

A lady was talking on her cellphone and ran a stop sign and I T-Boned her large SUV. The lady was ticketed for running the stop sign. None of my airbags deployed in my vehicle when I was forced to hit the lady that ran the stop sign. All of her airbags deployed, but none of mine did. I was trapped in my vehicle because of the impact and the front of my vehicle was pushed backward which would not allow my front doors to open. My vehicle caught on fire and the fire department extinguished the flames and was able to get me out of my vehicle. I incurred injuries to my chest, right leg, forehead and my left hand. I would not have been injured if my airbags had deployed as they should have. Please advise. Thank you.

I am at 200,000 miles and my car is shifting rough and not engaging. I am thinking this is an ECM problem that has been on going with this car type and model

auto transmisson slips and clunks in reverse i am the original owner only have 76,000 on it out of the clear blue it started jerking in gear almost got hit by a logging truck will not buy another toyoto

The problem is the ECM which has been reported to cause premature transmission failure due to improper electrical signals being sent from the ECM to the Transmission for shift points. This results in hard shifting which in turn causes premature transmission failure at the cost of 3000.00 Toyota Motor Corp in 2011 issued a Technical Service Bulletin for the ECM on all 2001-2003 Toyota Rav4’s which would be covered by a Federal Emissions Warranty for up to ten years or 80,000 miles. Palm Springs Toyota failed to inform my 74 year old mother of this issue however did notice thousands of other needed repairs for which she has receipts for totalling upwards of 3 thousand dollars.

The ECM which controls the transmission failed.

Vehicle is slamming into gear which is causing stress on transmission. I was told the solenoids were possible cause but could not determine if that is all as it could be further damaged. I have read on line that a class action law suit was filed in 2012 which covered costs of anyone whom paid to have this problem fixed. Toyota has agreed there was a problem but never issued notice to all 2002 rav 4 customers. I ask why? This should be a safety recall if your driving and slamming harshly into gear. Not only does it distract your driving but also can be scary when you get jerked in your seat.

Transmission slips between gear 3 and 4

The transmission started to act funny, not shifting, shifting hard. I was told that it needed solenoids, then that it needed a new transmission. After he checked the transmission he said it is the computer causing it to shift improperly.

Purchased the 2002 Toyota RAV4 for $6000 from a ‘reputable’ mechanic. His nephew owned it. Mechanic did all the work on it while it was owned by nephew. Nephew owned it for 2 years. I purchased it in May 2014. February 2015 the transmission went out. Through much research and digging found a recall on it. Toyota stated they fixed it in 2006. Further investigation showed that 2001 – 2003 RAV4’s are a pieces of junk. Apparently this car was taken in from the previous owner to have the ‘shifting issues’ looked at in March 2012. Said nephew owned it at that time. Noone can tell me the mechanic and the nephew didn’t know there was going to be problems with the transmission. February 16, 2015 the car just stopped in the middle of the road. Had towed to my mechanic, we will call him Chad. Chad said it was the transmission and he could take the tranny out and send it out to his transmission guy. Gave me an estimate for $ 3800. I was sick. Called the previous owner, he ‘oh, I’m sorry’.
Fast forward to today, April 27, 2015. The car has been at the mechanics all for 2 months. Transmission has been rebuilt. Had to reprogram the ECM. I gone through 3 ECM’s and the transmission is still slipping between 2nd & 3rd gears. Chad and the tranny guy tells me it is the computer. Computer company says it is the tranny. So my car just sits at my mechanics shop. It can run but if I run it I risk ruining the transmission and it not being covered under warranty. Up until this point I have forked out $4100 for the repairs. (Doesn’t include the loan I had to take out for the car). Today I am going to take the car in and demand it gets fixed by this next weekend and if it doesn’t I’m afraid I’m going to have to take them to small claims court to get my money back so I can have it repaired properly. The two people I am doing business with are small business owners and I don’t want to take them to court but they are pretty much forcing my hand. Sick about this situation.

2002 Toyota Rav4, 4×2 automatic transmission. 6/2015: car started with a whining sound followed by a check engine light. Error code discovered by mechanic (not a transmission specialist) pointed to the control module. Next day, car started to lose power and slipped out of gear. I was presented with a 4700.00 estimate to rebuild the transmission and install a new ECU (computer control module). I purchased the car used, nothing in the carfax indicated a problem; I have put about 19000 miles (currently just short of 140K miles)on the car in less than one year. I contacted Toyota corporate office and was told that they are aware of the problem and that my car was out of warranty and they would take no financial responsibility.

There was a class action lawsuit agains Toyota for this ECM failure. We bought the vehicle not knowing about this. My daughter was driving it at the time of failure and she is 7 months pregnant. Could have been a disaster for all. Toyota needs to paid for this.

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND SLAMMING INTO GEAR. VEHICLE SHUDDERS LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STOP RUNNING, THEN RPM’S JUMPED UP TO ABOUT 4,000 AND JOLTS, SLAMS INTO GEAR. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, WENT TO SEEK REPAIR SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. ESTIMATED COST $2000

My Rav4 started having issue with the transmission. I brought it to a Toyota dealer in Escanaba, Michigan and they told me I needed a transmission and a brain and the cost was over $4,000. I could not afford at the time so I waited a short time before I could get a loan to repair. After it was repaired, it started acting up again and I brought it back to the dealer in Escanaba and they told me it was the motor this time and I had done something. It wasn’t the motor. When the transmission was installed, they broke the flywheel, bent the crankshaft and the transmission pump was welded to the transmission. The dealer repaired for free this time. Now, the transmission is leaking in two different areas.
I have had months without a vehicle and lots of expenses incurred. I am very disappointed in my Rav4 and the dealership in Escanaba.

I have read many complaints about harsh shifting on the 2001-2003 RAV4 models. I have nearly been t-boned a few times now due to acceleration not happening or sudden jerks at a stop light. It’s a faulty computer part which conveniently is out of warranty before I even got the vehicle from the dealership. The extended warranty isn’t enough, it’s 10 years or 150,000 miles but its a defective part so no matter what everyone will experience this problem eventually due to the part being faulty.

The dreaded 2001-2003 Toyota well known ECM safety defect began causing the transmission to shift harshly, and start in high gear instead of first gear, especially dangerous when pulling out in traffic. Sometimes it would cause the transmission to slip, causing high rpms. If not fixed the ECM failure will eventually destroy the transmission. Toyota increased the warranty as a result of a class action suit to 10 yrs or 150,000 miles instead of having a recall. I was over the years and under the mileage, so Toyota did not cover the costs for repair of this known defect. ECM replaced, problem fixed.

Our 2002 RAV 4 was brought new from our local Toyota Dealer. We took it to the service department for all of the oil changes, routine maintenance and for any problems (we only experienced minor problems). We were very happy with the RAV and its dependability until two weeks ago. I literally drove the car one day and the next day there were major, but sporadic accelertion issues, that ended up with the RAV needing to be towed. The car started fine that morning but about 10 minutes into the drive I tried to accelerate as I was merging onto a small but busy highway when the car would not shift into the next higher gear. I pressed harder down on the gas peddle and didn’t move. The next thing the car shifted into the higher gear while I had my foot on the gas. A few minutes later I was stopped at a red light. I was the first in line and when the light turned GREEN, I wasn’t able to accelerate. The car was totally unpredictable and ended up being towed to the service department belonging to the dealership we brought the RAV from. We just had it in for service no more than 1 week prior to this happening. The technician reported the transmission and ECU was the problem. I questioned the technician and the service manager and their response was: "It’s a fluke". I then asked an acquaintenance who is a mechanic. He called a transmission specialist to check if the estimated price of $5100.00 was an accurate estimate. It was, and he informed us of some RAV 4’s are having problems with their transmissions. I searched online and found there are a large number of complaints for 2002 RAV4s having the identical problem. Our neighbor who also has a 2002 RAV 4 had the same proplem. Unfortunately, he spent the $5100.00 and has had nothing but trouble since. He did tell me that the 2002 RAV 4 has the same ECU that a certain year of Camrys had. The Camrys were recalled, but not the RAVs. I am extremely dissapointed in the Toyota Company and the service department at the dealership. With everything that has been going on with Toyotas this year, one would hope they would have come forth with the problem. Is the problem being ignored because no one has been injured or killed as a result? What about near misses? I am very interested in a class action.

Took to Toyota dealership when i was advised ecm was bad and they recalled them my rav4 shifting harsh in first gear,they replaced ecm but my transmission is still messed up contacted toyota corp office was told i could take to toyota dealership for dignostic at my expense Tuesday morning the lady was real rude and would not hear of toyota being at fault.

The ECU module malfunctioned causing the transmission to shift erratically

The transmission ECM failed on my 2002 Toyota Rav4. I had received the class action information a year or so back, but as my car’s ECM had not failed there was nothing I could do about it. I purchased my car new from Toyota in May of 2002. Since it was ten years/five months ago, Toyota refuses to fix/replace the ECM – even though my car’s mileage is well below their ‘adjusted’ warranty. Instead, they are estimating that the total cost of the repair will be $5800 – which is $200 less than the car’s total value. I contacted Toyota’s corporate customer service and was informed that Toyota will not be able to do anything to fix this glaring safety issue on my car because it falls five months outside of their warranty period – that they had to adjust because the massive amount of transmission ECM failures. Oh, and I wasn’t able to list above but I’ve had the catalytic converter replaced twice, both of which before 80k miles.

I have 2002 RAV4 with automatic transmiision.I was very happy and satisfied with my truck till few days back I felt that its running little heavily and then suddenly it start to have harsh and jerky shifting.I thought It might be due for transmiision oil change so I get it changed and even then it did not worked out,I searched on the internet and found out that this is the common problem with RAV4,I came to know that in States Toyota extended the warranty on all RAV4 with the same kind of issue which might me ECM or transmission replacement.I went to Toyota dealer which is Granville Toyota at Fraser Street Vancouver BC they diagnose the problem with same issue. But they refused me to cover my truck under extended warranty as that of States.Then, I called Toyota Canada and to my surprise they did not even give any
attention,the guy sitting there was rude and did not have any knowledge of the issue.I am a big fan of Toyota,but not anymore,the way they treated me is not but I expected.I request you guys to please let me know where should I go for this problem because it has to be covered under warranty since its manufacturing flaw from Toyota and if I get it repaired on my own its beyond my pocket.Please let me know what should I do and where should I have to go.
Thanks.
Mileage….110k
Year……….2002
Problem…..Transmission harsh/jerky

Was driving on the freeway when my oil light turned on and seconds later white smoke started coming out of the engine. Had car towed to dealership. After looking at the car the dealership determine that the radiator had cracked due to the sludge in the engine. Said I would need to replace the entire engine. Told them I had a 100,000 mile 5 year warranty. My car had about 85,000 miles on it at the time. Toyota dealership said that they doubted that the warranty people would cover that and they rarely saw people get coverage for sludge in the engine. Reported to warranty people and they told me that my car was “very poorly maintained” and because I did not change oil or maintain my car they would not cover. I told them that I had changed my oil several times since I owned the car. They said I need all receipts. I had a few receipts but not all. Took my car to a private shop and got rebuilt engine. Still have not been able to get car out because I am finacially strapped. It costs 3500.00. Toyota said I would have to pay 8000.00 for a new engine and 5000.00 for a used engine. Had to rent car that has cost me 1100.00. Must take car back because I cannot afford it. Won’t have transportation. I am disappointed because one of the reasons I bought a Toyota was because of its reputation for manufacturing dependable, long lasting cars. I am a single mother and have so much on my plate to worry about broken down cars.

I took the car to get the transmission rebuilt locally where I live in Cottonwood, AZ at Reese and Sons Automotive. It was incapable of driving to Tim’s Toyota in Prescott, AZ as the transmission had failed and was leaking. I had to do this because due to Toyota’s lack of support, there are no new transmissions available for it. After waiting three weeks and having the transmission shipped from a company called All Trans in Phoenix, AZ to a bigger company in California, the transmission has self destructed again. The repair company has determined that this issue is due to bad computer codes or a faulty ECU (computer) which has already been replaced by Toyota dealers twice. Looks like I am headed back to the Toyota dealer to get them to make this right again.

Engine seized due to oil sludge

Vehicle began shifting hard at low gears, and accelerating very sluggishly at low speed. Occurred without warning. Posed a danger of being struck in intersections due to sluggish start at stop signs, stoplights, turns. "Check engine" light appeared as well. Brought to local Toyota dealer for repair. They stated the transmission needed replacement, and work was done. After repair, shift problem and "check engine" light persisted. At this point I became aware of many complaints about this problem with this vehicle. I also found the Toyota Technical Service Bulletin #TC0002-06, which described my problem exactly. TSB directed ECM be replaced, but local dealer didn’t do this, because Toyota had previously reprogrammed my ECM per a 2007 owner letter campaign. So the dealer skipped replacing the ECM and replaced the transmission. After the problem reappeared, they secured a "one time good will warranty" from Toyota to replace the ECM at no charge for part or labor. Still, I ended up with a $4126 bill for the replacement of my transmission. Toyota seems to have acknowledged a problem with the ECM back in 2006 when they issued the TSB, and they further acknowledged fault when they now replaced my ECM. I believe that, if Toyota had issued a recall or extended the warranty on the ECM back in 2006, I probably wouldn’t have been stuck having to pay $4126 today to replace the transmission.
August 30, 2010 Addendum: I received today the check from Toyota to reimburse me for my transmission replacement. They paid me the full amount that I submitted for: $4152.50. Thank you once again for your work on this issue. I hope that all the other people who had this problem will be duly reimbursed as well.
 
Best,
 
David Smith

TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND DID NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY

transmission is slipping due to faulty design in ECM . Dangerous situation because it happened while drivng with no warning. Service engine light did NOT come on prior too transmission slipping. Dealer told me cost would be $1100.00 with NO GUARANTY this would solve the problem. HA?? I contacted toyota and they told me there have been a lot of these same complaints with this particular year, make, and model, but sorry we cant help you..HA? This needs to be brought to the attention to all owners of this particular vehicle to prevent any unfortunate accidents that should occur when they could have been prevented. I will never buy another toyota after the way they are handling this situation. This is about safety, not money. I have 2 young children who travel in that car every day. Fortunately this happened while traveling at low rate of speed with little traffic. The next person may not be so lucky.. Thank you for your time

The transmission suddenly slipped and wouldn’t accelerate in the middle of an intersection – that was the first sign of trouble. It continued to fail at acceleration and it would jump and pull . I took it in to a repair shop and was told I only had 3rd gear left and that the transmission had failed as a result of faulty signals sent out by a faulty engine control module. The transmission had to be repaired and the ECM replaced, otherwise I was told it would happen again because the ECM was defective. It is my understanding that Toyota has been aware of the defective engine control module and has done nothing to notify owners of this problem and the resulting hazards. My husband and I had to spend $3715.30 for all of these repairs on a vehicle with only 87280 miles. This vehicle has been regularly serviced and inspected. I feel other owners of these vehicles should be notified and warned of the danger of driving until these repairs are made.

The transmission on my RAV 4 went out while driving home from the store. The car would almost come to a complete stop before abruptly shifting into 2nd gear. This almost resulted in 2 rearend collisions. I took it to the garage that we use for car repair (Western Hlls Bear Allignment and Tire, Cincinnati). They diagnosed the transmission problem and then sent it to a transmission specialist (Collins Transmission, Cincinnati). A new transmission was installed and there was still a big problem. They began to investigate and found that there was a problem with the Engine control module that caused the failure of the transmission. This is a known problem to Toyota and they have not notified the consumers. I spent $4000 getting this repaired. I contacted Toyota Customer Experience and was told that there was nothing that could be done because the car and the transmission was well out of warranty. I have been a very loyal Toyota customer, having owned 4 Toyotas. I feel very strongly that Toyota needs to acknowledge the problem and make good on the customer’s expenses, since it is a faulty ECM – not the customer’s fault. I will never buy another Toyota again. I appreciate any help in this matter. Elise Hochhausler
September 27, 2010 Addendum: I just received my check from Toyota to reimburse me for the transmission/ECU work today.  They paid the entire bill.  It took about 8 weeks.
Thanks for the notification – it was a godsend.  Keep up the good work – America needs your organization.Thanks again,
Elise Hochhausler

The car started to loose acceleration. It felt like a transmission issue. When I looked on-line I saw a similar problem with RAV4’s at the same mileage. Bad computer or bad transmission. Toyota feels losing acceleration when crossing a major highway is not a problem. I am totally disillusioned with Toyota’s response and lack of care regarding this serious issue

The car started to loose acceleration, especially starting from Stop light. It felt like a transmission issue. When I looked on-line I saw a similar problem with RAV4’s at the same mileage. Bad computer or bad transmission. Took the Vehicle to Toyota dealer (44 Auto Center Drive, Tustin – (714) 832-3111). They kept the vehicle for the whole day and finally could not replicate the problem. Don’t know how to get the problem accepted by them. Looks like a deliberate attempt to deny. Took the vehicle to a third party shop, they confirmed that it is ECM problem, and only Toyota can help.
I finally got rid of hte pain in the butt . . .

Oil sludge/gelling which was about to lead to engine failure.

November 20, 2009 To Toyota Headquarters, I just want to take a few minutes to tell you some of my thoughts about my experience with Toyota. In 2002 I purchased a brand new Toyota RAV4. I have had pretty good experience with this car, except for having to put new brake pads and brake rotors on it every three years. I can understand new brake pads, but having to replace the brake rotors every three years is not realistic. Something is either wrong with the design or you have poor quality materials. But that is not what I want to talk about today. Recently I found out (after having my transmission just about blow up and nearly getting killed because my cars transmission would not function while I was crossing traffic) that there was service bulletin (TC002-06) that states that there is a known problem with the Electronic Control Module (ECM) with this vehicle. The warranty will cover the replacement of the ECM provided the customer has it addressed prior to 80,000 miles or 8 years whichever comes first. I have a defective EMC in my car and that is why I am having problems with my vehicles transmission. Unfortunately Toyota has hidden this information from me and I was not aware of it until I had problems and my car had 92,000 miles on it. Toyota conveniently held this information from me and other owners of RAV4’s and as a result has cost me and others much money and grief and luckily, as far as I know, has not cost any lives….yet! This is a serious issue. A car should not produce a situation where it fails to function in the middle of traffic. This ECM cost approximately $1,200 to replace (customers cost, the cost to Toyota is probably much less than this). But it does not end there. There is a high probability that this defective ECM may have damaged my transmission (so I am told by two Toyota service departments). The cost for replacement is ~$4,500. I went to two dealers, including the original dealer from whom I purchased my RAV4, and I was told that none of this be covered under the warranty. I would also have to pay a service fee just for them to look at my car so that they can tell me if the ECM in my car is one of the ones that is listed in the service bulletin. I did not have to pay $100 for that information, I just took a flash light and a mirror and looked at the side of my ECM and could see that the model number to my ECM matched one of the defective units listed in the bulletin. I have since found a better solution to this problem and have not and will not spend what little money that I have dealing with a company who does not care about my safety and well being. I have solved my ECM problem, although I still do not know if I will ultimately have a transmission problem due to the severe pounding that my transmission took. I was thinking of purchasing another new Toyota for my wife and also trading in my RAV4 for a new RAV4 for myself. However, after my experience with this Toyota car and the poor service to address a very important and potentially dangerous failure, I am very frustrated and disappointed. There are other car manufactures out there and I will shop around for a company that has better service and is thinking of safety. I will be sending this e-mail to the dealer from whom I purchased this vehicle and also to other organizations who may be interested in my experience with my 2002 Toyota RAV4. I have already filed a complaint with “The Center for Auto Safety” and with the “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration”. Others will also be sent as I discover more sources to post my experience. Sincerely, Philip Wheeler

My vehicle only has 66,000+ miles on it and has a Kelly Blue Book estimate of $7,300.00 with a repair cost of $3,500.00 for a bad transmission. I have a Toyota dealership telling me that it is not the computer, although Toyota would cover the cost of the computer, but it is my transmission that is bad and this is all based on computer generated testing. I took the vehicle to a very reputable family owned business that specializes in transmissions and they tell me it is the computer. Now I am stuck between a rock and a hard place with what will ultimately end up being approximately a $5,000.00 repair all out of my pocket since the manufacturer will not honor the warranty on the computer unless determined by an authorized Toyota Dealer which by the way, is telling me it is not the computer. According to the "Generic Repair Shop", as the Toyota Garage referred to them, a transmission must be told by the computer what to do in order to work properly, so this repair shop could not believe it when I told them that they said the computer was fine. One cannot work without the other and the repair shop I went to said that it would be crazy to tear out a transmission, put in a new (not really, would be refurbished) one to find that it to would not work properly. Therefore, having to replace yet another transmission. I purchased my Rav4 8 years ago brand new. This vehicle only had one owner, me. I only have 66,000+ miles on it and it is totally worthless to me. I am a single parent who for the first time in my life was able to purchase a new vehicle and I truly believed that my purchase was a good one. Toyota’s biggest sales pitch is how their products are made to last. So long that you can pass your vehicle down to your grandchild. Mine didn’t last longer than 8 years of my life. I googled this issue online and there are very many other people out there who have experienced this same exact issue. Bottom line here is that Toyota knows that there has been a serious transmission issue with the RAV4 and have done nothing to make it right with the consumer. I told the Toyota dealership that this was my first Toyota and it will definitely be my last. My hope is that something will be done to compensate all of the grief stickened consumers, but by the time that happens, I will no longer be a Toyota owner.

My transmission suddenly conked out in July 2009 and I was nearly rear-ended twice. Had it "diagnosed" by my local mechanic, who referred me to a top-notch local transmission repair garage, who confirmed that I needed a new transmission. New transmission was installed and paid for and within days conked out again. The local transmission shop took the car back, took the new transmission apart, replaced a solenoid, and offered me the use of a car — all at no cost to me. The car then acted up again, so I called the shop, who then found out that the cause of the problem was a defective E.C.M. I then took the car to a Toyota dealership to have the E.C.M. replaced. Because I had less than 80K miles on the car, the E.C.M. was replaced at no cost. The transmission hesistated this morning so I’m taking it in for a computer diagnostic read tomorrow. To recap the sequence: transmission failed, transmission replaced and paid for, transmission failed, transmission taken apart at no cost, transmission still not right, found out about defective E.C.M., had E.C.M. replaced at no cost — but the new transmission was used prior to the replacement of the E.C.M. Turns out that Toyota has known since before March 2006 that the defective E.C.M.s eat up transmissions, but it only notified Toyota dealers, not owners. It’s an incredible safety hazard and I’m thankful that mine occured just days prior to a long car trip — I could have been killed if the car’s sudden inability to accelerate had happened on the highway. That’s the safety side of it. And then there’s the financial part. Not only could the transmission work have been avoided, who pays if it turns out that my new transmission was damaged because it was put in before the new E.C.M. was installed? And then there’s the not-so-small incidentals, such as the air fare I had to purchase since my car was in the shop (I had to get to my mother’s to meet with her oncologist and take care of other health-related issues). But the safety threat is, in my opinion, the most important issue here. Someone shouldn’t have to be injured or killed before a recall on the E.C.M.s is issued.

My 2002 Toyota Rav4 began having problems shifting in April 2010. It was intermittent, and wasn’t cause for concern until my check engine light came on in May 2010. The symptoms of the problem with my vehicle are that it stalls, hesitates, and has a stop / go (Jerking) type of action while driving it. At that time, I took it to a service technician at my local Toyota dealer where I purchased both of my Toyotas. They told me that the ECM had to be replaced and would cost around 1,300 dollars. Mind you, I had to pay 75 dollars for the diagnostic check. The following week, I took my Rav4 to a local Transmission shop, had it diagnosed for a second opinion and he confirmed that the ECM unit was bad and needed to be replaced, which cost me yet, another 75 dollars for the diagnosis. He also instructed me not to continue to drive the car because it could possibly harm the Transmission. Since doing so, I have been down to one car for far too long because I simply don’t have the money to have it repaired. As a result of this problem, my wife has lost her job. After doing some research online, I found out that Toyota has known about this problem since 2006. It is a serious safety issue when entering traffic, or trying to move from a stop light or stop sign, as you don’t know when the car is going to shift into gear or not. Toyota has not issued a recall, nor has not done anything to resolve the issue. I am disgusted that in 2006 Toyota realized there was an issue with the ECM, which could ruin 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 and causes considerable danger with jerking and shifting problems. According to Internet research, this problem generally starts around 90,000 miles and causes considerable danger with jerking and shifting problems. To me, it looks as though they swept a safety and financial issue under the carpet knowing that customers would have to eventually foot the bill for shoddy quality and unethical behavior. The most frustrating part about this issue is that the defect often does not rear its ugly head until owners are out of warranty and basically screwed.
Addendum September 28, 2010:  After the misunderstanding of my dealership not knowing about the agreement, I called Toyota USA and they handled it all for me. My vehicle was indeed repaired and is working fine. There was no need for reimbursement because they replaced the ECM unit. Thank you for getting back with me to find out what happened.
I also want to thank you for letting me know about the repair situation. It’s great to know that there is a company out there making sure automakers keep vehicles safe.
Regards,
Demetrius

My 2002 Toyota RAV4 automatic is having serious transmission problems. It intermittently does not find the second gear, and when it does, lurches forward if the accelerator is applied. This is very dangerous, because prior to it slipping out of gear, it starts out slow, and you must apply the accelerator more than usual to get moving. It has also lost the gear while at high speeds, a potential nightmare for someone that doesn’t know how to react properly. After researching my issue, (and having the transmission flushed and filters replaced) I feel like I have no recourse. Toyota initiated a recall to re-flash the control module in 2007, which I had done. They never informed me that there was an actual error in the performance of the module, just something about it eliminate a problem of the check engine light coming on around 60k. My module tests out fine today, yet it apparently ruined my transmission, and now I have learned some individuals have replaced the control module, and some the entire transmission, only to be revisited by the same problems. My car currently has 111,000 miles on it, and the repairs will cost more than the value of the auto. How can I sell this vehicle with a clear conscience knowing all of this? Please consider this for recall, Toyota withheld information from its customers when initiating this recall in 2007 (the flash reset), and caused many of us danger and great expense as a result. Thank you very much, Brenda King

Like so many others here, the ECM on my RAV4 fried the transmission, nearly killing me in the process as this occurred with no warning on a busy road. Local dealer has been of no help whatsoever; national customer service for Toyota denies ever hearing about this issue (same answer they’ve given everyone else on this forum), and I have now been without a car for a month. This is a known defect with these cars and Toyota recalled them in 2006 to fix. I took mine in then and had it done but it did not prevent this overwhelming problem from occurring. I had hoped to settle this with a person who had some common sense and a conscience, but since that’s not happening I feel I have no recourse other than to create as much bad FACTUAL publicity as possible, with the assistance of an attorney. What Toyota has done here is WRONG. These cars are lemons. Be careful if you have one because your life is in danger.

In 2003 we bought a brand new 2002 Toyota Rav4. In 2007, the engine seized up at 56,000 miles. we took it to Toyota and they told us it would cost $7,000 because they needed to replace the engine. After gathering all our maintanence history and much dileberation Toyota agreed to replace the engine but we had to pay for the labor ($2500); We agreed. After they did the work, we heard a soft constant beating sound coming from the engine. When we took it back, we were told that sound was normal when a new engine is installed and it will go away — It didn’t. 18 months and 10,000 miles later, the engine died again. Baffled at how two seperate engines can die we took it to our personal mechanic. He explained to us that the engine was never replaced, but rebuilt. We took it back to the dealership and they refused to help us. So did Toyota Corp. They have a settlement for defective engines for the same generation engines (1997-2002) for almost every model. Except the Rav4.

I purchased this vehicle in 2002 and have provided proper maintenance care for it since then. The car now has 120,000 miles and this past week I began to have transmission problems, particularly as I entered a highway. The car hesitates and does not pick up speed. It also doesnot shift properly when in lower gears. I contacted Toyota and was given a whole lot of excuses but was told the vehicle is no longer under warranty. I took the vehicle to my mechanic and was told that the vehicle needs a new transmission at the cost of $4,000 dollars plus. Are there any protections for this type of highway robbery from this company?

As I was merging south on freeway I-5 in Weed, CA, into the fast lane, my car began jerking and bucking at a critical time, as there were about 8 cars and trucks all bunched up. I quickly pulled to the right and barely avoided a collision. After that, the car intermittently shifted improperly – would not shift, delayed shift or hard shift. I took it to my repair shop immediately after that trip, but they were unable to read any problem on the computer. He investigated and found out that this has been a problem with this model. I picked it up 5.15.2010 after he replaced the computer after it was repaired in Minnesota. I am unsure if transmission damage has occurred.

2002 Toyota RAV4 has defective ECU which has in turn fried transmission…My wife noticed problems shifting automatic transmission on merge and was almost run over by a semi-truck…We then took into dealer who told us engine light was not on so they could not diagnose and advised us to drain transmission fluid…2 weeks later, my wife was on highway and transmission spontaneously shifted into low gear causing her to swirve off road…We have been told that we need to replace ECU and transmission $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 (Online there are hundreds of people this has happened to)…THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE MY WIFE WAS ALMOST KILLED!!! PLEASE ADDRESS WITH TOYOTA!!

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. i have taken my car to the dealer for the changes of oil and filter. twice they suggested a wynns system engine cleaning which we paid for. the last one was done on april 2005. last october 7, 2005 i was driving my car on the expressway and all of a sudden the oil light lit up and the car stopped. the car was towed from the highway to our house and the next day was towed to the dealer adriel toyota in rio grande, puerto rico. about two hours later they called me and stated that the motor stalled and the warranty was not going to pay since i had not taken the car to them for the last oil change. i reminded them that just nine months earlier a wynns motor engine cleaning had be done by them and that it was impossible for the motor of the car to have sludge if they had done the job correctly. the toyota company of puerto rico called to tell me the same thing. i made a complaint at the consumers affairs in puerto , i am waiting for a decision. today i showed the pictures to an automotive expert who states that the motor have not had any oil changes and the worst was that there was no way that the engine had be cleaned. the dealers states that they have not had any motor sludging on any rav 4 in puerto rico but consumer report states that toyota has this problem most commonly with camry's . today i found out that rav 4 have the same engine camry's have. am i supposed to be punished for whatever problem toyotas engines have?

S10 appropriate handling re toyota vehicles sudden unintended acceleration fwd fm owner of a 2002 rav4, 2002 corolla and a 2007 toyota prius *tgw the consumer was informed that none of the 2002 vehicles were included in the recall. the consumer stated her other two vehicles, which are much newer were not recalled either and could potentially accelerate and cause injury or death. the consumer also addressed questions in her complaint. *jb updated 05/24/10

2002 toyota rav. consumer writes in regards to transmission problems. *ld *js

Takata recall. i was driving my toyota rav4 suv in june and i was hit head-on by a lady talking on her cell phone. none of the airbags in my 2002 toyota rav4 deployed which caused me to be injured. my head hit the windshield, my knee hit something which cut it, my chest hit the steering column where one of the air bags should have deployed and i had two damaged ribs and also i had internal injuries along with damage to my left hand. my wife and i were wearing our seatbelts and my wife only incurred bruises to her right arm. we could not get out of my vehicle because the impact had pushed the front of my toyota rav4 suv back which blocked my front doors. my vehicle was on fire and we could not get out. someone called the fires department, ambulance, and a wrecker. the firemen had to force the front doors open to get us out. the police, the firemen, and the ambulance personnel asked why my airbags did not deploy and i told that i do not know. they said that i probably had defective takata airbags in my vehicle. my vehicle was totaled and i spent time in the hospital and i have not fully recovered yet. i would like to know if the nhtsa has inspected toyota rav4 suvs for defective airbags that have failed to deploy during a head-on collision. my toyota rav4 suv had only 33,000 miles on it and it was in mint condition. i think that the nhtsa should go back and inspect earlier models of toyota rav4 suvs for defective air bags. my wife and i could have been killed because of the failure of the takata airbags failing to deploy. we were driving on a highway and i was going 45 miles per hour. everyone that knows about my accident has said that i had defective takata airbags in my 2002 toyota rav4 suv. please for my sake and for the sake of other people who own and drive a 2002 toyota rav4 suv please check into why my airbags failed. *tr ...updated 03/29/17 *bf updated 9/5/18*jb

Faulty ecu computers causeing variations in speed and problems with hard shifting, damageing transmissons, causeing vehicles to fail while driving while in motion vehicle will not shift correctly. my vehicle stopped in an intersection and i was nearly hit by another vehicle while attempting to accelerate the vehicle would not shift into gear while turning left. i felt i could have been killed by on comming traffic with no ability to control my vehicle. toyota dealer and mechanic told me this is a well know defect and problem know to toyota with rav 4 2001-2003. also, 02 sessors go bad early leading to hazardous emissions to public and this burns out catalitic converters which can also cause harmful emissions. rav 4 2001 to 2003 have been identified as having faulty ecu's, auto transmissions and 02 sensor deficits and should be recalled by toyota to protect the public from accidents related to poor shifting, unsafe speed control and harmful emissions to the public. i notified toyota and they said they would do nothing because they offered an extended warnety but that expired after 10 years and they never notified me of any problems to look out for with the transmission. i feel these vehicles may be a danger to the public due to built in engineering defects that affect speed control and emissions. they also lead to very costly repairs for the customers.

Takata recall! march 28, 2017 [xxx] [xxx] telephone: [xxx] email: [xxx] my airbags failed to deploy! dear sir: i would like to say that in june 2015 was driving my 2002 toyota rav4 suv and i hit by another vehicle that had run a stop sign and the driver veered into my lane and hit me. i was stuck in my vehicle because the impact of the collision had pushed the front of my vehicle back and the front doors would not open and people standing around said that the car was on fire. when the police came, the fire department and the ambulance personnel tried to pry open the front doors and finally after the fire was put out the fire i was able to get out of the car. the air bags on my 2002 toyota rav4 suv failed to deploy and i suffered injuries to my head, neck, chest, stomach and left hand. all of the people from the police department, fire department, and the ambulance personnel all asked the same question: why did your airbags fail to deploy. i told them that i did not know. my 2002 toyota rav4 suv was totaled and i ended up in the hospital for several injuries. the vehicle that hit me was driven by a lady who was talking on her cell phone and did not see the red stop light until it was too late and she rammed into me going 45 mph. the vehicle that hit my vehicle, all of their airbags deployed and the lady driving had no injuries. i am still receiving care for my injuries. my vehicle was totaled. my chest hit the steering wheel with such force that it left the imprint of the toyota emblem on my chest (this is where the driver’s airbag is supposed to deploy from). i sustained injuries to my head, neck, and left hand and to my stomach area. please advise thank you. [xxx] *dl information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).”*jb

Mpg isn't as rated. rated 25 city/30 hwy. im getting 18 city/22 hwy. iv had it checked at the toyota rav4 2002 dealer and they found nothing wrong. i've replaced all o2 sensors, spark plugs, air filter. the car runs perfect but the mileage sucks!! there mist be a fix for this issue. i've seen that there several other rav4 owners having the same problems. yet there many that get the rated mpg.

I bought my friends 2002 toyota rav 4 and from the time i bought it back in march have been having problems with the the transmission. when i go to pull out into traffic it has no power and pulls out toooo slow and bucks! i have to wait till there is no traffic to safely pull out! i read where there was a recall on this problem and it was extended to 10 years or 150,000 miles. the vehicle had 136,000 miles on it! i think this was happening to her before she sold it to me and she was going to trade it in but decided to sell it private! don't know if she ever got the recall letter or not but i'm sure she would have had it repaired if she did. anyway i am on a limited income and can't afford the part it says it needs and think that since toyota had a mileage of up to 150,000 they should have to fix it! i did pay 700 dollars to have 2 of the solenoids replaced but that didn't fix the problem! the vehicle has been well taken care of as far as changing the oil and upkeep but am really upset! i actually bought the car for my son to take his driving test in but he can't even drive it with this happening! my concern is i think toyota should have to fix all recalls if it is under the milage and they knew there was a problem! any help would be appreciated! thank-you

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle independently shifted into second gear and lunged forward. the vehicle came to a complete stop on the side of the road. the vehicle was driven home. the following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module failed; however the class action settlement ended in 2012. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 53,612. updated 04/25/17 lj *cn

Tsb = tc002-06. known ecm issues caused transmission to shift incorrectly and ruined transmission. ecm has to be replace and transmission rebuilt. searching online, this appears to be a very common problem for my generation rav4. if a faulty product causes so many people to risk driving safely and be out several thousand dollars, there should be a recall placed to fix the issue. thousands of people affected. https://mbeach1b.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/tc002-061.pdf http://www.toyotaproblems.com/trends/rav4-transmission/

Check engine light constantly comes on, but after checking, no issues are tound

I was driving my rav4 down my road when i suddenly lost control of the accelerator with my foot on the brake not touching the gas pedal at all my vehicle continued speeding up. i had my emergency brake locked which slowed me down but couldn't stop me. i placed the vehicle in neutral and the car came to a stop but the rpms went up to 9000rpm's immediately so i turned the car off in hopes something would reset. when i turned the car back on the problem continued until i was able to stop in my driveway. both my kids were in the car and i nearly crashed into an intersection which is why i am reporting this. i have always liked and maintained my car otherwise. *tr

Takata recall: me and my wife were involved in a car accident in june, 2015. a lady talking on her cell phone lost control of her suv and hit my toyota rav4 suv head-on. none of the airbags in my vehicle deployed. as a result, i sustained several injuries to my head, neck, right knee and left arm and hand. the impact was so hard that the front of my vehicle was pushed backward which blocked the two front doors from opening. my vehicle was on fire and someone called the police, the fired department, and an ambulance. the fire department put the fire out in my vehicle and had to pry the two front doors open to get me and my wife out of my vehicle. everyone that came to my rescue, the fire department, the police, and the ambulance personnel all asked the same question, why did your airbags work. i told them that i did not know. every one of the rescue people said that i probably had takata airbags which had failed to deploy because due to the temperature changes in west virginia are either very hot or very cold. if the airbags would have worked in my toyota rav4 suv. then my wife and i would not have been injured. as the result of the wreck, my toyota rav4 sub was totaled. the airbags in the other suv that hit us head on deployed like they were supposed to and protected the lady driving her suv. i would like for your agency to find out why my takata airbags did not deploy. i am very certain that there a lot of other toyota rav4 suvs on the road that have defective takata airbags. i was driving on a city street, going the speed limit of 40 mph and the lady who hit us head on was driving much faster. the impact was like hitting a stone wall. please advise. thank you. *tr

Erratic shifting especially at low speeds. problem is intermittent. car may lock in high gear (4 speed automatic) or seem to be stuck in 2 gears at once and refuse to move at all. can bang harshly when shifting. locked up at a busy intersection nearly causing an accident. at other times it works perfectly. has not occurred at highway speeds, although the problem just began a few days ago. before that there was no hint of a problem.

Vehicle stalls and jerks constantly while driving; unable to accelerate after stoplight. very unpredictable.this is due to defective ecm which toyota has been aware of but refuses to list as a recall.i purchased the used car 1 month ago --- had no idea it had this serious, dangerous problem. took it to toyota dealer which is saying it will cost $5k to fix !! car only has 77k miles.

2002 rav4 ecu shifting problem (dtc code p0755). the car jitters when switching from gear 1 to 2 as well on reverse. it also jitters when it drives on low gear. there is an well known problem with rav4 2001-2003 but toyota has failed to recall it, despite being a safety hazard as it has caused accidents and bodily injury. it has the high likelihood to destroy the transmission.

The past couple weeks my car had been laghing more an more when at complete stop. this past week it has been the worst. whenever i try to accelerate from.a complete stop my car with lag and jerk like it is trying to shift into gear but cant. when i took it in to a transmission specialist they said it was my ecm and that this year specifically has had problems recorded fron others with the same issues with the emc. one incident i had specificaly was when inwas trying to go up a mountain to get to work my rpms were spiking as my rav was trying to shift gears to get up the mountain and my car staller out. i had no clue it died untill i was driving down the mountain and turning my steering wheel became a struggle. i had to put on my e break just to stop and try and turn it on to shift into neutral so i could get down the mountain. i have had serveral cases when i have almost been re ended because of the jerking has been so rough.

Power steering stopped while driving. vehicle had to be manually steered to local mechanic for diagnosis. shop stated they hadn't seen power steering spewing from power steering fluid well upon removal of lid while vehicle was on.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving low speeds, the vehicle was abnormally loud while idling and the check engine indicator illuminated. the contact mentioned that the vehicle unintentionally accelerated on occasion. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 91,789.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle felt as if it switched gears independently. the contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the transmission failed to engage and the vehicle did not proceed forward. the contact depressed the accelerator pedal several times before the transmission finally engaged and the vehicle operated normally. the contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. the failure recurred. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000. *tt *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. after starting the engine, the vehicle would not properly accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to fred anderson toyota (9101 glenwood avenue, raleigh, nc) where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module and transmission were faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. the failure mileage was 91,000. *tt consumer stated transmission failed while in traffic, car was able to accelerate properly and was longer shifting gears.*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4 equipped with cooper futura scrambler c14l tires, size: p215/70/r16 (na). while driving 70 mph, the rear passenger and rear driver side tires blew out without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact?s residence. an independent mechanic was made aware of the failure, but no diagnostic test was performed. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the tires were not replaced. the approximate vehicle failure mileage was 169,000. the tire failure mileage was 123,000.

The car make noise,by the transmission area and the 3 gear not working when the car is already hot. i think my car still under garanty is only 128,000 miles.

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was involved in a multiple vehicle crash. while driving 65 mph, the contact crashed into the front and rear driver side of another vehicle. the contact's air bags were the only ones not to deploy. the contact sustained a broken finger, multiple bumps, and bruises all over the body. medical attention was not received. a police report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

I never received a notice or letter from toyota about extending the warranty to the transmission for the rav4 sent to owners. i even went to the toyota dealer in rapid city for car maintenance and they never told me about this issue. i donated the car to my daughter who lives in seattle and she is having problem with the car transmission. the toyota dealer in seattle wants to charge $4500 for fixing it. what do i or my daughter do? i was never informed about this extended warranty. please let me know. thank you

I was involved in a head-on collision in june 2016 with another vehicle that had veered into my lane and my vehicle was totaled and me and my spouse sustained injuries. none of the airbags in my vehicle deployed like they were supposed to. all of the airbags in the vehicle that hit us head on were deployed, protecting the driver. however, my airbags failed to deploy which caused me and my spouse to have several injuries involving me being admitted to that hospital.my vehicle was traveling at 45 mph and the vehicle that hit us head-on was going much faster. if my airbags would have deployed like they were supposed to then my spouse and i would not have been injured like we were. there has to be a reason that my airbags did not deploy.

Takata recall. i had a head on collision last june, 2015 and my air bags did not deploy which caused me extensive injuries and my vehicle was totaled. i had to be taken to the hospital and remained a patient. none of my airbags deployed. if any of the airbags would have deployed then i probably would not have severely injured.

I was driving my toyota and my wife was a passenger. all of a sudden, a lady ran a stop sign and swerved and hit us head-on. we could not get out of my vehicle, the doors were jammed and the vehicle was on fire. the fire dept. and police came and quickly put the fire out and pried the front doors open. none of the airbags in my vehicle deployed. i incurred severe injuries to my head, chest, neck and left arm. my toyota was totaled and the other driver was cited for the wreck. i have been in and out of the hospital several times since the wreck happened and if my airbags would have deployed, i might not have been so severely injured. my toyota was totaled and the other driver was cited for the wreck. i would like to know why none of the airbags deployed in my vehicle. i probably have takata airbags in my 2002 toyota rav4 which did not work.

Federal emissions warranty for the ecm on 2001-2003 toyota rav4's palm springs toyota failed to notify or advise that this much needed repair needed to be done, however did notify and repair thousands of dollars of other repairs in the open available and allotted time frame that this ecm should have been replaced.

Takata recall: i was involved in a head-on collision while i was driving my toyota rav4 2002 suv and i was driving at 45mph at the time. the other vehicle ran out of her lane and hit me head-on. the airbags in my toyota did not work which caused me and my wife to sustained several injuries. the other vehicle that hit me head-on, the air bags worked. i would like for your agency to investigate and to find out why my takata air bags did not work. my vehicle had only 33,000 miles on it and it looked brand new. mt toyota was totaled and i had to spend a few days in the hospital from my injuries. can the nhtsa perform an investigation into why my air bags did not work? it is my understanding that the air bags are supposed to work if you are in a head on collision going twenty mph. is it possible that the nhtsa has overlooked the possibility that some of the takata airbags do not work and has caused many accidents that they are not aware of. please advise.

Rav4 check engine light on so had a diagnostic test done. codes indicate there may a problem with catalytic converter. my vehicle only has 107k miles. i am the original owner and have maintained all service recommendations. mechanic indicated i should have received a campaign notice for this problem. now looking at a repair bill of approx. $2k. toyota should be responsible for fixing this. i have had the same address for years.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving at 55 mph and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated independently. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

The ecm which controls the transmission failed.

This car is a very dangerous death trap and lemon because the transmission doesn't work properly even though my used rav4 only has 75k miles on it. what a black eye on toyota and the nhtsa for not recalling this mess of a car! this is a travesty...we bought a toyota for $8200 because we thought toyota was a good car...now with only 75k miles but 13 yrs old it is a total dangerous lemon....why won't you force toyota to do a mandatory recall before people are killed in this death trap? not right, please act....

Car went into neutral while negotiating an intersection on several occations. has bucked stalled pulling into traffic, and failed to shift while passing, im told its a know problem with ecu, but toyota cut a deal and did not have to notify owners! bought this car new now there telling me 6000 to 9000$

I purchased the rav in 2007 with less than 50,000 miles. soon after the purchase the check engine light would come on and off. when i took the vehicle multiple times to be serviced the engine light would not be on and the dealer service department did not check for codes because dealer policy is if engine light was not on, codes would not be check. this vehicle was subject to a 2007 recall on ecu and the ecu was reset per recall instructions per the toyota dealership. since that time i have had to replace multiple components with the most recent repair of $3,600 for a rebuilt transmission. i believe that if computer would have been checked back in 2007 these repairs (replacement of multiple solenoid, oxygen sensors and valve switch) would not have not taken, including the recent failure and replaced of the transmission and i would not be in this situation now. per multiple toyota service department staff, i was told this model has a history of ecu problems causing transmission failures. resetting the ecu only masked or put a band aide on this transmission problem.

I am requesting that dot nhtsa recall the ecm in all 2002 toyota rav4s. when i contacted toyota after a badly designed and manufactured ecm in our rav4 failed and also destroyed our transmission, i was told that they knew the part was bad, but they had been allowed to avoid a recall by offering a short term consumer support program (csp 01-03my rav4 transaxle ecm)--and that program is over. they offered no help, only an empty apology. toyota made a bad part that cost my family over $3500 for parts and repairs—and deborah a. houston of the toyota motor sales executive office very clearly admitted that to me; yet because there was no recall, toyota doesn’t have to compensate us for the work. they made a bad part, yet they were rewarded for it when we had to buy a new ecm before we could have the transmission rebuilt. we never received a letter about the consumer support program, and toyota also admitted that many people didn’t due to address issues, etc. hundreds of 2002 rav4 owners have reported this issue, and as difficult as it is to figure out how to file a complaint for most of us, probability says that many more of the cars have been fixed or junked without the issues reported. a quick internet search yields numerous complaints. it should be cut and dry: make a bad part--pay for the repairs. there is a difference between a worn out part and shoddy design and manufacturing. the transmission shop owner who repaired our car said that he'd been brought several rav4s from 2002 with the same issue. that’s several in one, small town. it is not too late to recall the 2002 toyota rav4 ecm. the people still needing these cars for transportation are the people who can’t afford $3500 plus repairs.

My 2002 toyota rav 4 is an automatic transmission and it doesn't shift easily. i always thought it was because it was a 4 cylinder, but recently it has gotten a lot worse. what it's doing now is a magnification of what it has been doing for a long time, struggling to shift from the lower gear to a higher gear. i called my dealership where i bought the car new in 2002 and they said that my car has a 'warranty enhancement' notice on it, and that it needs a new ecu, but that i was supposed to have done this within 10 years from my purchase date. a new york times article from july 13, 2010 addresses this issue and toyota's warranty extension, and pointed out that toyota notified dealerships. however, it appears that you have to be a customer of your dealership to have to have found out about the ecu, and i am not because i don't live near the dealership. the service department told me that i fall outside the 10 year warranty and would have to pay $1200-1600 to replace the ecu. toyota motor corp told me the same thing when i called. it seems patently unfair that toyota would only inform me that my car has a problem that needs to be fixed by them if i'm a customer of their service station at my dealership! i'm just guessing that if they call it a 'warranty enhancement' instead of a recall, they're not obligated to notify people who don't frequent their service stations. because of the shifting problem my car seems very unsafe. i have had to park it. when i save enough money for another car, you can bet it won't be a toyota!

When traveling the transmission is slamming into gear. in 2012 there was a class action law suit. the law suit was won and rav 4 owners whom filed were reimbursed for cost of fixing. toyota also agree to extend warranty on transmission. toyota failed to inform owners of toyota rav 4 of this problem. i have not owned this rav 4 for long but feel it should have been recalled. please advise if we can extend class action law suit or add this to the recall list as it should have been. thank you *tr

This vehicle does not shift its gear. it runs only in first gear. there are no reverse either. it is hard to control in road.

On june 25, 2015, i was driving my neighbor to pick up his vehicle at a garage. a lady went through a stop sign and hit me head on.i incurred several injuries to my left hand, stomach, chest, head, neck and my neighbor sustained injuries to his two arms. we could not get out of my vehicle because the impact was so hard that my front two doors were damaged to the point that they would not open. my airbags did not deploy however the lady who hit me head on, her airbags did deploy. if my air bags had of worked like they were supposed to then me and my neighbor would not have been injured. we were wearing our seat belts and the impact was like hitting a stone wall with great force. everyone at the accident scene wanted to know why my airbags did not work.they should have worked if they were ever going to, but they did not. my vehicle ended up being totaled and i am still getting treatments for my injuries. i have been in the hospital several times from the injuries that i sustained because my airbags did not deploy. i would like an investigation into why my airbags did not work when i had a head on collision. thank you. *tr

I was driving my 2002 toyota rav4. suv on june 26, 2015. a lady talking on her cell phone went through a stop sign and hit my car head on. me and my passenger sustained several injuries. my vehicle caught on fire and we could not get out of the car (the doors were jambed) finally with some help we were able to get out of my vehicle. i hurt my head, chest, stomach, right leg cut, right knee joint damaged and left arm and hand seriously injured. everyone ( the police, firemen, witnesses,wrecker truck people and the toyota garage that my vehicle was taken to wanted to know why my airbags did not deploy when the vehicle hit me. the ladies air bags did deploy and she was not injured. however, my airbags did not deploy which caused me to seriously injured. i am still receiving medical treatment for my injuries and my vehicle was totaled. even the mechanics at the toyota collision center where my vehicle was towed to said that my air bags should have deployed and because they failed to deploy allowed me to be seriously injured. i would like for you agency to perform an investigation on why my airbags failed to deploy which caused me to be injured. if the airbags failed to deploy in my toyota rav4 suv then i am sure that there other toyota rav4-suv's with defective airbags. please advise. thank you.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving at approximately 40 mph, another vehicle crashed head on into the contact's vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact and the passenger sustained arm and hand injuries and lacerations that required medical attention. the vehicle sustained extensive front end damage. a police report was filed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

I was driving down a street in charleston, wv and a lady went through a red light and she hit my toyota rav4 suv. head on and the air bags in my 2002 toyota rav4 suv, did not employ, but the airbags in the other vehicle did. as a result of the air bags in my vehicle failing to employ caused me and my wife injuries.i really believe that all of the air bags in any toyota made vehicles are either defective or will not employ as a result of a head on accident. my wife and i had to have medical care as a result of my 2002 toyota rav4 suv failing to employ on impact in a head one collision at speeds in excess of forty miles per hour. i would like for your agency to investigate as to why my air bags failed to employ during a head on accident. if the air bags in my 2002 toyota rav4 suv would have worked then me and my wife would not have been injured. i believe whole heatedly that toyota knew about all of the defective air bags in its manufactured vehicles and they also knew about some of the air bags not employing on other models of their vehicles, like mine. please investigate and keep me advised. thank you. *tr

I was driving down tennessee street when a lady ran through a stop sign and hit us head-on. my air bags not did deploy which caused me and my wife injuries. the other vehicle that hit my toyota 2002 rav4 suv. air bags did deploy on impact, where my airbags did not deploy. if my air bags would have deployed like they were supposed to, then me and my wife would not have sustained injuries. for all intent and purposes, i personally believe that toyota is aware that all of their airbags are either defective or will not work at all. the police, the wrecker driver, the witnesses, the garage where my vehicle was towed to all asked the same question: how come your airbags did not deploy. they all said that if they would have deployed then me and my wife would not have been injured.i would like for your office to have an investigation of why my airbags did not deploy which did cause me and my wife injuries. in a head on collision, one would expect the air bags to work, but mine did not causes me and my wife injuries. thank you. *tr

2002 toyota rav 4 engine control module/transmission failed on 82,264 miles, erratic driving, very dangerous to drive. toyota is aware of this problem but not doing any thing to resolve. spent almost $1000 to replace the ecu alone, may need complete transmission replacement.

I purchased the 2002 toyota rav4 new from the dealership. one day while i was on my way to work i almost wrecked because the drive belt got hung up on something and it chewed up my drive belt. also, i started noticing every time that i wanted to speed up my rav4 would hesitate and not go in gear. if it did go in gear it made a noise like a grinding type of noise. i called the toyota dealership and they did nothing. i called the toyota motor usa and told them about my problem and i was told that toyota does not manufacture any defective vehicles and they refused to do anything. the i read where there had been a recall on all 2001, 2002 and 2003 rav4 toyota vehicles because of faulty transmissions. i then sent a letter to toyota motor corporation usa and again they refused to do anything. the rav4 has been parked in my garage and it has only 35,000 miles on it and everyone in my family is afraid to drive it. i thought that when a car manufacturer has a recall that the manufacturer has a responsibility to fix the defect. in my case toyota has refused to do anything. can you agency ask toyota why they have never offered to do anything for a legitimate recall which involes the problems that i am having. thank you.

The car recently starts hesitate and suddenly slow down sometimes when i push the gas gear from stop (not always). the mechanic said the transmission may need to be checked. from the internet, i learned that this particular car is known to have the transmission defect (rav4 2001-2003 with automatic transmission).

Purchased the 2002 toyota rav4 for $6000 from a 'reputable' mechanic. his nephew owned it. mechanic did all the work on it while it was owned by nephew. nephew owned it for 2 years. i purchased it in may 2014. february 2015 the transmission went out. through much research & digging found a recall on it. toyota stated they fixed it in 2007. further investigation show 2001 - 2003 rav4's are a pieces of junk. this car was taken in from the previous owner to have the 'shifting issues' looked at in march 2012. said nephew owned it at that time. noone can tell me the mechanic & the nephew didn't know there was going to be problems with the transmission. february 16, 2015 the car stopped in the middle of the road. had towed to my mechanic, we will call him [xxx]. [xxx] said it was the transmission, he could take the tranny out & send it to his transmission guy for repairs. total estimate: $ 3800. called the previous owner, he 'oh, i'm sorry'. fast forward to today, april 27, 2015. the car has been at the mechanics for 2 1/2 months. transmission has been rebuilt. had to reprogram the ecm. have gone through 3 ecm's, the transmission is still slipping between 2nd & 3rd gears. [xxx] & the tranny guy tells me it is the computer. computer company says it is the tranny. so my car just sits at my mechanics shop. it can run but if i run it i risk ruining the transmission & it not being covered under warranty. up until this point i have forked out $4100 for the repairs. (doesn't include the loan i had to take out for the car). today i am going to take the car in & demand it gets fixed by this weekend, if it doesn't i'm going to have to take them to small claims court to get my money back so i can have it repaired properly. the two people i am doing business with are small business owners. i don't want to take them to court but they are forcing my hand. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Transmission slips between gear 3 and 4. *tr

Computer fails. *tr

My rav4 started having issue with the transmission. i brought it to a toyota dealer in escanaba, michigan and they told me i needed a transmission and a brain and the cost was over $4,000. i could not afford at the time so i waited a short time before i could get a loan to repair. after it was repaired, it started acting up again and i brought it back to the dealer in escanaba and they told me it was the motor this time and i had done something. it wasn't the motor. when the transmission was installed, they broke the flywheel, bent the crankshaft and the transmission pump was welded to the transmission. the dealer repaired for free this time. now, the transmission is leaking in two different areas. i have had months without a vehicle and lots of expenses incurred. i am very disappointed in my rav4 and the dealership in escanaba. *tr

Car seemed to struggle getting to 1st gear then lurched into 4th gear. struggled to get it driven to the dealership. ended up being a failure of electronic control module (ecm), failed code po 755. this was covered under a warranty enhancement of a nhtsa id#10037585 known problem that expired after 10 years from purchase or 150,000 miles. i purchased the car new in 2003 from the same dealership that did the repair. toyota corporate office would not offer any help in fixing this known malfunction problem even though my mileage was less than 43,000 miles. i feel a known safety issue should be addressed in some way by toyota beyond their stringent time limits. 1-9-2015 cost to replace ecm...$1,435....with no guarantees it did not ruin the transmission. *tr

Ecm malfunction. *tr

My daughter purchased a used 2002 rav4 as her first car in 2010. it had engine and transmission problems within months of purchasing. she also had transmission issues where it would not go into gear or it would act sluggish while driving on the california freeways. it was very dangerous, especially for a young driver. we learned of the class action suit for this issue and got on board with it. unfortunately we lost, as we knew we would, since toyota does not want to stand behind its warranties or technical service bulletins. we paid for a transmission replacement so she could safely drive this vehicle and the tsb clearly states that any prior out-of-pocket repairs related to this issue would be reimbursed. even though we eventually had the ecm and transmission replaced at their expense, she was to be reimbursed for the prior work done but was not. we will never purchase another toyota product. too many recalls and issues. and they do. not. honor. their. agreements. i know we aren't the only ones....there are legions of dissatisfied consumers. something this dangerous should be addressed. never had these problems with ford or pontiac vehicles. *tr

My mother had the engine control module fixed june of 2013. she had to pay for this repair herself because toyota refused to fix it, even though they sent letters out to people saying that they would cover the cost to repair this known issue. after 1900.00 later, she paid for it. a year later i own this same vehicle and the same thing has gone bad. its just out of the warranty. i almost got hit due to the car stalling when i pulled out at an intersection. this is a known problem, and it was paid for by another family member. yet it has the same issue. toyota needs to fix this problem. horrible costumer service. *tr

Re: 2002 rav4 suv transmission ecm/atm repairs. dear sir: i am sending you this letter to explain what my situation is. i just found out that toyota motor sales usa is having a recall on 2001, 2002 and 2003 toyota rav4 suv?s for transmission problems. i have tried for years to get toyota to fix my transmission. however, toyota has totally ignored me. i had to pay for a used transmission out of my pocket because toyota told me that they do not manufacture any defective automobiles. i just sent the below letter to the toyota motor sales usa asking that they reimburse me for the cost of the bad transmission and the labor costs and i received a letter this week stating that they are not going to do anything about reimbursing me anything. they are totally ignoring their own recall notice at my expense. when i first purchased my 2002 rav4 new from the bert wolfe toyota dealership in charleston, west virginia, i have had nothing but trouble with the rav4. the first month that i owned the rav4 suv i almost wrecked because the drive belt was chewed up and of course this affected my steering capability and i almost went over an embankment. ever since i purchased my 2002 rav4 suv i have felt that there were several things wrong with the new 2002 rav4 because sometimes when i would try to speed up or to attempt to get on an interstate my transmission would not shift. if it would shift then it would make a grinding noise and make my rav4 suv. shake. a lot of times, i would have to just pull off of the road because i could not go anywhere and if i had not gotten off the road then i would have caused a wreck or maybe killed someone. *tr

I purchased my 2002 toyota rav4 suv in august of 2002. ever since i bought the rav4 something has been wrong with it. the first 3-months that i had the rav4 the drive belt was chewed up and almost caused me to wreck. the transmission started making funny noises like a grinding sound and the transmission would not shift. sometimes i would just have to pull off of the road because the rav4 transmission would not shift. i called and talked with the dealership and they said that nothing was wrong with my rav4. i finally just parked it because my wife would not drive it and i would not drive it. toyota would not fix my vehicle nor would the dealership. my brother-in-law said that he would try to find a used transmission and put it in my new rav4 suv. the used transmission was purchased at a car parts and salvage place for $1,700.00 and my brother-in-law put the used transmission into my new toyota rav4 suv. i have contacted toyota motor corporation several times and they said that they are not going to do anything about paying me for the used transmission that i had to purchase. can you see if toyota will listen to you about my complaint? than k you. *tr

The ecm malfunction. *tr

My wife was driving to a doctor's appointment and, while on the "on ramp" to the interstate, the car would not shift from 2nd to third gear (it's an automatic trans). with the engine revving she looked down to check to assure it was in drive about the time it lurched into 3rd, then soon lurched into 4th. coming home she shifted between drive and neutral to try to maintain a safe speed, save the transmission and engine, while allowing her to get home. the dealership quoted $989 to replace the ecm (computer), but couldn't assure the transmission wouldn't later need to be replaced. toyota corporate was not helpful. i had records from the previous car owner that toyota issued an extended warranty to replace the ecm for 10 years or 150,000 miles as a result of a class action suit, "if they felt it was warranted." i also had documentation that the ecm was "reprogrammed" at 72k miles. my contention was the ecm should've been replaced, not reprogrammed, but was told that the reprogramming was done to correct a different problem. i asked if i could speak to someone else at corporate and was told everyone would give me the same response since it is their company position. the internet is full of owners who replaced the transmission first, only to find the ecm caused the newer transmission to fail also, or owners who replaced the ecm only to find that the transmission also needed replacement. it is obvious that toyota is aware of the problem. i believe they have failed to adequately protect owners by creating a recall to allow owners to get this fixed prior to scary and potentially dangerous shifting problems. the internet is also full of people who claim to want to enter another class action suit, but i am hoping toyota appreciates their customers enough that law suits wouldn't be required to get them to do the right thing. but, i'm losing hope. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact indicated that the vehicle failed to shift to reverse. the contact had to make several attempts and was able to change gears. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who diagnosed that the ecm and the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 216,000.

Going from a very slow speed or from stop it has a hard time getting out of first and or second. i will jerk or shift very harshly. sometimes it feels like i've been rearended. as it's picking up speed in the 15-25 mph range it will start to slow on it's own when i'm still giving it gas. it feels like there's a rubberband in the trransmission stretching and as it gets tight it's slowing down then it will just release and then comes the harsh or violent shift. if i can catch it at the right time and let off the gas, that will most of the time negate the harshness. it is probably not safe to be driving it but i do not have a choice at this point. toyota told me it may need a new chip at about $900 and if that doesn't work, it wil need a new transmission!! i'll just be as careful as i can and not pull out in front of traffic.

I purchased a 2002 toyota rav4. suv. and within the first six months of owning it, my drive belt broke and almost caused me to wreck and hit three other vehicles. i had my new car towed back to the dealership where i had purchased the vehicle and they told me that the drive belt was not covered under my warranty.a few months later i noticed that my transmission was making a weird grinding sound and was hard to shift. sometimes the car would not shift and it would come to a complete stop and this almost caused me to wreck via hitting other vehicles or other vehicles hitting me. i took it to my dealership and told them that they had sold me a lemon and i wanted to know if they would give me another rav4, that is dependable. they told me no. i let the rav 4 sit in my garage for two years and my brother-in-law said that if he could find a used transmission from a wrecked vehicle then he would install it in my rav 4. he found a transmission and i had to pay in cash $1,300.00 for the transmission and i gave him $400.00 to install the transmission. recently i found out that toyota has recalled 2001, 2002 and 2003 toyota rav4 suv's for transmission problems. i contacted the toyota sales usa about their recalls of my vehicle and they told me that they were not going to do anything for me. i feel that toyota should reimburse me for the cost of buying a used transmission and for paying to have the transmission put in my rav4suv. please advise. *js

Transmission partially and also completely slips in reverse. ecm and transmission replaced for same issue in 2010. contacted toyota - customer service refused to acknowledge problem despite being given information on their class action settlement that was granted final approval on january 6, 2012. i feel this is a public safety issue if the manufacturer (toyota) is not following their agreement (milligan v. toyota motor sales u.s.a., inc.). we were never notified by toyota of the issue. *tr

Transmission slips in reverse - brought to dealership - ecm and transmission replaced - spent $4,997.42 to replace. investigation done now on recurrence showed this to be a known issue and toyota was supposed to notify us (we were never notified), and reimburse. they now refuse to reimburse nor acknowledge this problem is known. july 2014 same issue -but worse recurring with replacement ecm and transmission from dealer. toyota refuses to acknowledge problem when contacted. concern this is appearing very common in internet searches that this is a known public safety issue. *tr

I purchased my toyota rav4 in august, 2002. eleven months later while driving by the state capital i was going to make a left hand turn and when i did, i almost hit three parked cars because the main drive belt had broken. this drive belt controls about everything to do with steering, air conditioning and etc. i had to have my car towed back to the dealership where i had purchased the vehicle. i had to pay for the labor and new belt because i was told by the dealership that my warranty did not cover this. then i started having problems with the rav4 transmission. it started to make a growling sounds and would not shift gears correctly. some times i had to completely stop, because the transmission was not working. this almost caused other cars to hit me or me to hit other cars. i made several attempts to get the dealership to fix my transmission and they would not.i called toyota motors corp. usa and tried to explain my problems with the toyota people. they totally blew me off and they have done nothing to fix my transmission problems. i quit driving the rav4 for three years because it was untrustworthy and toyota would not fix the transmission. my brother-in-law said that he could probably find a used transmission from a vehicle parts place and that he would install it for me at no charge. i ended up paying $1200.00 for a used transmission that was from a wrecked 2005 toyota rav4. after the transmission was put in i have had no problem with the used transmission. i understand that there is a lawsuit against toyota over transmission problems in their 2001, 2002 and 2003 rav4 suv's. i feel that toyota should reimburse me for the out of pocket expenses that i have incurred. *tr

I was beginning to pull onto the interstate highway 75 in venice, florida, when the car started bucking uncontrollably and i could not get up to speed to merge into traffic. it then jerked into gear and i went on. it seemed to have a problem shifting into 3rd gear. it seemed to happen when pulling away from a stop light as well. i took it to a transmission shop, who put his computer diagnostic on it. he said the computer was not showing as bad, so he rebuilt the transmission. i got the car back and it started doing the exact same thing! i took it back, he rebuilt it again, still with no bad computer codes showing. still not functioning correctly, even though he had replaced the burned 3rd gear. i paid $2200 for this. now it needs a $950 computer! it is a 2002 and i read online that these vehicles had a transmission issue and owners were reimbursed for this. mine did not act up until this point. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/toyota-extends-warranty-on-troubled-2001-3-rav4/. i am a single father raising a young daughter. i need this car to take my daughter to school safely and to get to my job. how can i get reimbursed for this problem? i love my rav4 and want to keep it. i bought the toyota because everyone says they will run forever, but i can't afford issues like this. i take good care of this car. i have had jeeps and other cars up to 300,000 miles and never had transmission issues. thank you so much. *tr

Several times during the week of june 2, 2014, my check engine light went on and off periodically. i had my mechanic check the codes, but she found nothing wrong. on june 13, 2014 i was driving n. on highway 101 near redwood city, ca. it was about 6p.m. in good weather; i was in stop-and-go commute traffic. i had slowed to a stop in the far left lane,of 5 lanes, due to slow traffic. when traffic began to move again, i accelerated and the transmission seemed to be "slipping"; i revved the engine,but there was no power going to the wheels. there were many cars behind me blowing their horns. then the car began to "clank" and "chug" and it sounded like the transmission was grinding. i turned on my emergency flasher lights and pulled very slowly over to the shoulder across 5 lanes of traffic! i had several near accidents, but i made it to the shoulder! the car would only go very slowly, but the loud noises stopped, so i pulled off the freeway at the nearest exit (which was very close) . i would have stayed on the shoulder if the car was still "clanking" from the transmission area, but the noise had subsided. i felt that there was a serious mechanical (transmission) problem with my car. i called my daughter and asked her to drive to my location. i was going to call for a tow truck when she arrived. she arrived in about 45 minutes. i restarted the car and put it into "drive" and accelerated gently. the car sounder perfectly normal, and accelerated at a normal speed with plenty of power. we decided to try to slowly drive the car home if it continued to drive normally. we got home fine, but just as i was pulling into my parking lot, the car made loud noises again and lurched a few times as i pulled in the driveway. i had the car towed to the nearest toyota dealer the next day. that's when i began to discover all the problems rav 4's had had with class action's&ecm failures. *js

Defective engine control module (ecm). as a result of sending the wrong signal to the transmission, it got ruined and the transmission had to be rebuilt. if there was a recall on the ecm for the 2002 toyota rav4, i was not aware of it, or i still did not owned the vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav 4. the contact stated the vehicle suddendly accelerated independently and immediately the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician made the contact aware of an unknown manufacturer recall related to the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 84,000 and the current mileage was 84,329.

I was driving west on northgate way toward meridian avenue. the car (automatic transmission) failed to shift gears and almost stopped in the middle of the intersection near i5 northbound entrance. i continued to drive to meridian way and turn left. i pulled over to the curb on meridian way and turned the car off. i then restarted the car and drove home to wallingford (3 miles) by pacing the car so that i did not have to interact with other vehicles. (this occurred early on a sunday morning so traffic was light.) i was barely able to drive the car up my driveway - shifting continued to be a problem so that the car stalled and did not respond to the accelerator. toyota has a document that describes the problem. however i cannot access any assistance from toyota because the car has been in service greater than 10 years. the experience was very frightening. the failure is episodic and unpredictable. i feel toyota should replace the ecm in any car that fails in this manner. there are technical service reports on the website. the warranty is limited to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

When i went on merger ramp on highway .the car not accelerate enough or transmission not shift correctly. the car behind me hit my car. *js

We bought this car off my mom (who was the original owner and has taken immaculate care of it!) just two months ago! out of nowhere the car started to experience "hard shifting". because it couldn't shift like it should, it was a road hazard/safety issue! we took it into the toyota dealership that very day. they told us it was the ecm and maybe even the transmission! the approx. cost would be $1,100 to replace the ecm, and thousands more if it was the transmission. they said they would have it done by tuesday (christmas eve.) i started researching the problem because it didn't make sense that this car that had such low miles would have this problem. well, i found out this is a widespread problem with the rav4. toyota knows about it and has not recalled this part! there was even a lawsuit against them, but that only led to an extension of the warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first! our car only has 88,900 miles but because it is 11 years old, it won't be covered by a warranty! we are out $1,180 right at christmas time! and they did not get the car fixed until dec. 27th! (kind of puts a damper on christmas plans when you don't have your car!):( i called toyota in hopes that they would help us because they know this part is faulty, but i was met with an unsympathetic response! basically, "its out of warranty so it won't be covered!" toyota needs to recall this part, and reimburse those who have already had to fix it, not only because it is their moral obligation to do so, but also because someone could be killed if they don't! please recall this part, be decent human beings, instead of being worried about your bottom line! there are more important things than money, toyota! as mad as i am about being out the money to fix this problem (that toyota knew about) i am glad that i am only out the money, rather than mourning the loss of a loved one. *tr

When i was driving about 40mph the car would lurch, not all the time, but every so often. when i was backing up the car would make a clunking noise. i took my car to have the transmission repaired with my mechanic, it was repaired but the local but he said that if the computer part of the transmission isn't dealt with, it would happen again. i went to the toyota dealership with the recall paperwork that my mechanic printed out for me and they said that 10 years have passed and they wouldn't honor the recall. *tr

Attempting to enter highway, car lost power, eventually kicked in, immediately brought car to dealer. they serviced fuel injection, fuel system, spark plugs. found no problem with transmission. 4 weeks following repair, hesitation happened again, this time check engine light came on, returned to dealer and was told the transmission and ecm unit needed replacement. going through all my previous service records, came across a service ticket dated 05/18/2012, showing a service performed on a faulty ecm unit. toyota was aware of this problem, but never informed consumers that the faulty units could affect the transmission, and driving ability of the vehicle. i am stuck with a $5,000. repair bill, but i also could have been involved in an accident, had i been merging onto a busier highway. there have been many complaints filed, but yet no action taken by the national highway traffic administration...will it take a loss of life, or serious injury before action is taken? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the accelerator failed to respond to acceleration attempts. the contact also mentioned that the vehicle erroneously decelerated while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the transmission was causing the problem and the computer would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 82,000.

This is a well-known problem with the engine control module (ecm) malfunctioning, causing hard shift conditions, transmission damage, possible accidents and injury.this problem is affecting up to 235,500 toyota rav 4 models between 2001-2003. my experience is typical of the numerous complaints that can be seen posted here; http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml toyota needs to issue a complete recall on the defective ecm units and compensate for losses incurred. *tr

On september 9, 2013 while driving my rav 4 to work , i experienced a strange behavior , the car suddenly stopped moving and i had to press on gas several times and it would move as if like it is choked , in a minute everything went normal as it has always been, i was a little worried but then after driving about 2 miles and stopping at a stop light , this thing happens again and when i try to push on gas it started moving a little and then there is this "thud" sound as if something was holding wheels of my rav 4 from moving and then suddenly it let the wheels run. i took the car to toyota service center (toyota scion of concord) and been told that my car needs a ecm to begin with and that toyota has a tsb out there as well "extended warranty" which in my case is expired since my car is 2002 and the warranty is 10y/150 k miles , whichever is earlier. i am concerned as to why this discrepancy , toyota knows or had known over a period of time that their vehicle had an issue and they cant be putting life's of buyers at risk by not doing a recall of that . please i am requesting that some action needs to be taken on this and such continued acts of concealing information with owners / sub-owners of vehicles and that this condition leaves at lot of lives at risk besides financial loss. *tr

Original owner of 2002 toyota rav4 awd. was driving home from a friend's house and stopped off near my home for an errand. left the store, (car was running, family inside) and proceed to drive towards my house. the engine was running but the car was barely moving. the tach was at 4,000 and i was barely going 5 mph. suddenly and without warning the car raced forward at a high rate of speed. i slammed on the brakes to avoid a rear-end collision. after it was safe to move, i stepped on the gas again and the car sluggishly moved at about 5mph again. the whole ride home (less than 5 minutes) the car was either slow or fast without much pressure on the accelerator. upon arriving at home and trying to parallel park the car, i noticed that the transmission was sluggish and made loud noise when shifted into reverse. this wasn't normal and it troubled me. i looked up online the symptoms and saw the tsb and the class action lawsuit against toyota. i never received any information on this. this is my first time hearing about this. ok 10 years/150,000 miles from 1st drive. here's my problem - i bought the car in 11/2001 - i am over the years and under the mileage, so i don't qualify? the class action lawsuit was settled in jan/feb 2012. tell me what happens to the people who purchased their car before jan/fen 2002 - are the out of luck? i am no longer driving this car till this is fixed and safe. please nhtsa - make it a mandatory recall - over 250,000 suv's are affected. make it right - make it safe!! *tr

Today my toyota rav4 2002 began to have automatic transmission shifting issues. it has an excessive jerk when shifted from park to reverse, it is slow to shift from 1 to 2, and it jerks like i was rear ended when shifting to the next gear. i contacted my local toyota dealer and was told there are no outstanding recalls on my car, the ecm software was updated before i purchased it used. i asked if they had any issues with the transmission on this model and year and i was told "no". they recommended i bring it in for a diagnostic check for $104 just to check it out. afterwards i thought i would check the net. i found numerous threads regarding the 2001-3 ecm/transmission issue. it appears a number of owners have submitted complaints to nhtsa. please add me. they are ignoring this issue and pretending they do not know anything about it.

I just got a toyota rav 4 2002 auto and when driving with family the vehicle started to run sluggish, jerks when pressing gas, starts slow real slow after coming to a stop and this situation almost got us into an accident in us 81 near front royal virginia. additionally the check engine light came on. after taking vehicle to a mechanic it shows a code p0755 and reading about the problem is not a solenoid but it is ecm or ecu malfunction that the toyotas rav 2001-2003 are presenting which makes the car show a ghost code not a transmission code but rather a defective computer malfunction that cannot be repaired but replaced. toyota knows about this problem and i do not see toyota assumed responsibility and had passed the cost to vehicles owners and not a general recall to be fixed at manufacture expenses. please research and make this issue a immediate recall because it had caused accidents due to the malfunction. *tr

Transmission slipping, engine racing, hard shift with a loud noise. *tr

We were just informed from our local toyota dealership (gateway toyota in toms river, nj) that there is a known problem with the 2002 toyota rav 4 automatic transmissions (high failure rate) and we were just informed that our transmission needs to be replaced. i believe nhtsa needs to investigate toyota to see if a recall is in order. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that when shifting gears, there was a delay before the vehicle would engage, causing the vehicle to hesitate and lunge forward abnormally. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the ecm was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 80,600.

The dreaded 2001-2003 toyota well known ecm safety defect began causing the transmission to shift harshly, and start in high gear instead of first gear, especially dangerous when pulling out in traffic. sometimes it would cause the transmission to slip, causing high rpms. if not fixed the ecm failure will eventually destroy the transmission. toyota increased the warranty as a result of a class action suit to 10 yrs or 150,000 miles instead of having a recall. i was over the years and under the mileage, so toyota did not cover the costs for repair of this known defect.. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated and jerked while accelerating. the vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist where a diagnostic was performed that indicated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer advised the contact that the transmission replacement warranty was expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 67,950. updated 10/29/13*lj

While driving on hwy i85 at 70mph my toyota rav4 suddenly locked up and caused vehicle to skid off the road. thankfully, no one was injured, but car was towed to mechanic and estimated that the transmission transfer case may be cause...since then i have learned that toyota had a recall on their ecm for rav 4 cars 2001-2003 that resulted in transmission shifting problems yet i was never notified because my vin number was n/a indicating that my car would not experience any of the transmission shifting problems commonly associated with this recall. unfortunately, the transmission shifting and lock-up problems that i am having is directly related to the computer faulty design of toyota's ecm and yet they are not taking any moral or financial responsibility for my repairs. i'm filing this complaint because there has to be other toyota owners that were not informed about the ecm recall such as myself that also like me, could be driving along the road in a well maintained car and suddenly skid out of control perhaps next time causing a fatality that could be avoided! proper notification regardless of vin numbers so consumers can have cars inspected specifically for recall issues would have been the right thing to do and potentially offset the car repair issues i currently face. *tr

Trans began to race, while car was moving slowly. shifting became slow and loud. acted like it was stuck in the low gears and was having difficulty shifting from 1 to 2 to 3, etc. the trans was laboring to make the necessary shift from the low to the higher gears have not driven car since that date except for analysis, etc.. to date, the various experts (joke) ( toyota included ) say i need either the ecm, trans., or both the current price for repair is $6,775.00 + tax ( this was a special price that was quoted by a toyota dealer ) i have dealt with the car dealer,toyota(corp) sales managers, etc and, to a person, received their sympathy, but, no support whatsoever. how is it possible for this corp. to continue to refuse to correct an obvious fraud ( they new abt this problem since day one ) and continue to refuse to provide corrective steps? i bought this auto in aug of 2011 with 47,00 miles on it. i drove it for 4,400 miles when the trans. failed. now, having learned about the prob. with this model, how is it possible that this auto was sold without any of the problems ever being disclosed at the time of the sale ? as a matter of fact, it was stated that "this car will last me a lifetime, given its low mileage and pristine condition " i have learned that toyota issued a directive in 2001( ?) that extended the warranty to 10years or 150,000mls,, whichever comes first. i then found out that i was not entitled to any assistance as i was outside the 10 year period. how is it they can use this logic when they have acknowledged that a problem exists and one that will not go away or correct itself regardless of time or mileage? knowing the inherent problems with the auto, the manufacturer should be held accountable and correct all problems without any exclusions or fine print items. *tr

First the engine light came on then while trying to accelerate, the car hesitates and then shifts hard and jerks the car forward. the safety issue is that the car hesitates and acceleration is affected so it is unsafe to try to get on the highway with oncoming cars behind you. i talked to toyota about this issue but they stated my car was not covered by the recall of (harsh shift condition and/or malfunction indicator light). *tr

My wife drive a 2002 rav4 to work. on april 15 2013 while on her way to work like always she stopped at a red light . as the light turn green she pressed the gas the car started moving and suddenly lost acceleration, the driver behind her did not have time to reacted and rear ended them. my 2 year son and my wife shocked my son cried for a little bit and my wife had a sore back . an the beginning when she told me these i didn't think much of it . one week after the incident she told me the check engine light came on i told her maybe you didn't close the gas cap good when you put the gas if it still on i will get it check. sure enough the engine light went off on its on .shortly after she told me the car is not driving normal if we could swap cars. i drove her car for couple days and occasionally i start experiencing a low acceleration and sometimes a hard shift. took the car to the toyota dealership and was told that toyota has an open bulletin for the ecm witch control the gear of the transition but the bad news the said even do i had only 80100 miles they said the warranty is out by time. once i read about this problem on several forum i realize that was exactly what my wife try to explain me. i contacted toyota about what happen and told them about the accident they give me a case number and told me some one will contacted you with in 24 hours. *tr

In 2009, 2010, and 2011 my 2002 toyota rav4 exhibited sharp, rough shifting into and out of gear, often when on the freeway. the vehicle also had a check engine light that repeatedly came on. i was initially advised by a non-toyota repair shop that the issue was with the transmission and it had to be replaced. however, upon taking the car to a toyota dealership they stated the problem was with the ecm. in 2009 they re-programmed the ecm, in 2010 they re-programmed the ecm and in 2011 (after the extended warranty was issued by toyota corp) they replaced the ecm. they never did any service on the transmission. now in april 2013 just 17months after they replaced the ecm it happens again and they tell me i need a new transmission and i have to pay for it because it's out of the extended warranty. since the ecm was throwing the transmission in & out of gear for 3 years, isn't it obvious that the transmission was damaged by the ecm? it was even mentioned in the service bulletins that the ecm was possibly causing damage to the transmission and the dealerships may also have to replace the transmission at the same time the ecm was replaced. yet because they chose not to repair or replace the transmission on my car in 2011 while it was under warranty, i now have to pay for what should have been done in the first place. toyota has been aware of this problem since 2006 yet they never issued a recall or notified owners until a class action lawsuit was filed. toyota needs to satisfy their customers by issuing a recall and admitting that both the ecm and transmission need to be replaced on any 2001-2003 rav4 that experiences rough shifting, or shifting in & out of gear, or codes that reflect a problem with the ecm or transmission. this is dangerous for drivers and toyota is negligent in preventing injuries and deaths due to a known defect. *tr

About a week ago my car began having issues shifting gears. if i pulled into a turn lane i would slow and start creating a danger for both me and other drivers. i took my car to a transmission specialist, with over 30 years of experience. he let me know that 2002 rav4's have a recall on the computer that controls the transmission. he also said that in certain cases he knew toyota had replaced the transmission as well. i took it to the dealership where the computer was replaced and i was told that the transmission had an extended warranty of 10 years or 150,000 miles. my car was 19 months and 10,000 miles over the extended warranty. the transmission specialist let me know that the transmission was directly damaged by the computer. when i called the manufacturer they let me know that they didn't agree with the program, thought that it should have been a recall instead of extended warranty but there was nothing they could do for me. the manufacturer representative also let me know that there are others in my same situation. *tr

My check engine light came on in november. i had it checked out by numerous places. they all told me it was my oxygen sensor (bank 1 sensor 1), so i replaced that twice. my check engine light has still not shut off. i have been having to purchase gas daily and car is not running as well. *tr

My car started to shift gears erratically and uncontrollably. i found out that toyota has a technical service bulletin on this problem for 2001 - 2003 rav4 cars and have extended the warranty to 150,000 miles. when i contacted toyota they said my vin# is not included even though my date of manufacture and symptoms are the same. my mechanic says this is the same problem as other rav4s. toyota refuses to explain why they exclude certain vin#s and i think they simply trying to reduce their financial exposure. need your help to deal with toyota. i have always followed up with factory commended serviced, mainly through toyota. the vin# for my car is [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Returned car to dealer due to experiencing handling difficulty a few days after dealer performed four wheel alignment. i was informed that rear wheels were once again out of alignment due to being frozen with rust and both rear lower control arms and cam kit/plate needed replacement . my dealer tells me that since mine is an earlier model, it is not covered under a safety recall of later models experiencing the identical problem. the service person did say that they had recently performed this repair on a number of pre-2006 rav4 models. since this is a potentially dangerous condition, it seems to me that the "rear lower suspension arm "recall notice ought to be extended to include earlier year models. *tr

This past summer the 2002 rav 4 started giving indications that something might not be right. the car had always gotten its required mileage maintenance which was also due at the time. so those things were done. however, over the last three weeks the following started: --the engine light came on, then off; --there was hesitation when accelerating/ a harsh jerk and shift when changing gears --the vehicle would sometimes slip back into neutral and stall while driving three independent toyota-certified technicians diagnosed that there is a problem with the transmission, so we took it to darcars toyota where the car was purchased. the technician there confirmed the diagnosis but said we needed to contact the warranty enhancement department. after placing me on hold for about 5 minutes, she told me that the car had exceeded the time for the warranty by about 3 months and therefore nothing could be done. is toyota willing to jeopardize the long-term customer loyalty and more importantly, the safety of their customers, just because the car chose to display its problems 3 months later? *tr

On starting, the car the battery light came on and stayed on. a month or so later i noticed a clunking in the transmission as the automatic went to a higher gear. this problem still remains. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while trying to shift into reverse she encountered extreme difficulty. the contact was able to shift into drive and the vehicle was able to be driven to a private mechanic where it was determined that the transmission failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure and current mileages were 71,300.

Out of the blue while in rush hour traffic, my car started shaking, jerking, slamming into gear, not accelerating, and at times it felt like the brake was being applied when i stepped the gas. when i first took it to the dealership a day after this happened the first time, they could not find anything because they could not duplicate the issue during a test drive. literally minutes after picking my car up and driving off the dealership lot, it started happening again in stop-and-go traffic. this time it was much worse and i was afraid as the person behind me almost rear-ended me. i took it back to the dealership and they tell me i either need a new ecm or a new transmission. but after researching this on the internet, it is a huge issue that is happening to a lot of 2002 toyota rav4 owners. and we as the owners are at the mercy of the unknown - this happens out of no where and is horribly unsafe and yet toyota takes no responsibility. *tr

I was driving my 2002 toyota rav4 down the interstate when the check engine light came on at the same time that the rpm's of the vehicle began escalating far beyond where they normally would. after testing the vehicle at different speeds, i determined that the car would not shift from fourth to fifth gear. took it to my local mechanic, who determined that there is nothing wrong with my transmission. what's wrong is that the electronic control module (ecm) that controls the transmission had failed. he contacted a local toyota dealer to see if he could source the part and discovered that it was a known failure and we needed to take the car to the dealership. we did so, where we were told because we purchased the car new in may of 2002 (ten years, five months ago) that they were refusing to repair the car's ecm as it fell outside of their 'adjusted' warranty period. i contacted toyota's corporate customer assistance, where i was told that yes, toyota knows that the part is going to fail. they extended the warranty to cover more of the cars that would be affected. however, since i purchased my car five months longer than their arbitrary ten year coverage period regardless of the fact that the mileage of the car falls far below the listed coverage that they are not going to do anything to repair my vehicle. not only that, but the dealership quoted $1400 for the ecm repair and another $4800 for the transmission - saying that the transmission had to be replaced, even though they hadn't inspected it (i asked!!) and i had already had an independent mechanic check it out and said that it was fine. i do not understand how it is okay for toyota to sell millions of people cars with known safety defects and say that they are not responsible for the repair - knowing that if the repair isn't made, that people will be killed driving these cars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked abnormally while driving and would lose acceleration. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the electronic control module (ecm). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and denied any assistance with the repairs. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,600. updated 10/11/12*lj

Dangerous transmission problems occurred in this car. the car would stall before going into second gear. once it occurred as i was in an intersection. there are low miles on this so there should not be a need for repair or replacement at this time. *tr

We had just left a parking lot in our 2002 rav 4 and as we came up to speed the transmission began to jerk and try to shift into different gears. i all of a sudden had no power and a truck coming down the road almost hit us. as i depressed the accelerator the car revved up and all of a sudden engaged and spun out. very scary and we were lucky!. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 has been sluggish since day 1, about 2004. this past weekend it was more sluggish than usual, after take-off. i drove it a few more times and after every drive, the transmission wouldn't shift easily, and when it did shift it was very hard. almost a whiplash hard. it is getting worse, and this is only the 3rd day. i called the national toyota number, because i found the extended warranty policy bulletin on-line, but i am 9 months over the 10 year limit, and even though it does not say 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, i was told that the whichever comes first is an automatic...hmm should be in writing that way. and i called my local dealership, they told me the same thing. i called the local toyota customer line, but was put through to voice mail. really 9 months...my car has 130,000 miles. i need help! *tr

Tl* the contact owns 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to shift gears. the contact attempted to accelerate, but the vehicle failed to respond or shift gears. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the electronic control module was found defective. in order to repair, the electronic control module would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware; however no assistance was provided. the failure and current mileages were 35,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced harsh shifting. the contact also stated that when attempting to accelerate, there would be an increase in the engine rpms but the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the ecm would need to be replaced. the contact was also informed that the transmission fluid needed to be drained and replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000.

I have a 2002 toyota rav4. about a month ago it started intermittently skipping/jerking and being stuck in gear. i took it to two toyota dealerships, the first one informed me of a factory warranty extension for the ecu for my vehicle, but because the check engine light is not on they cannot get any codes, the second dealership told me the same thing as well as the toyota company. the warranty is for 10yrs or 100,000 miles whichever comes first. i have 70,000 miles and it will be 10yrs the 25th of this month. i have researched this problem online and have found that hundreds of people have the same problem with this vehicle. do i have any options to have this taken care of, asap because of the 10yr warranty that will no longer cover me for this? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle hard shifted independently into a different gear without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as the transmission needing to be replaced. the dealer offered to cover the cost of fifty percent of the repairs costs. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted.the failure mileage was not available and the current mileage was 118,000.

Front subframe rusted and rotted through. called toyota and filed a claim but no real help, as i was the only one to register with them. i find this hard to believe given the trouble they had with the tacoma frames. thought i would get at least another 10 years out of this car. currently at 191,000 miles and running strong no rust anywhere visible. *js

Harsh shifting and jerking, particularily 1st & 2nd gear slow to accelerate launching and bucking hard engagement when put in reverse revs up from 2 to 3 - 4 rpms. *tr

The 2002 toyota rav 4 transmission is now slipping & missing gears had some service on the transmission in 2011 october,but to do a full rebuild starts at $1700.then goes $$$up. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 55 mph, the contact heard a grinding sound coming from the front end of the vehicle followed by the vehicle stalling. the vehicle was towed to the contacts home and was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. the contact had previously taken the vehicle to the dealer for a similar failure where the technicians replaced the flywheel. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 128,000. updated 04/19/12*lj updated 04/25/12

Very unsafe transmission toyota 2002 rav 4 shakes doesn't go into gear.called toyota will pay only if one of three codes come up on dealer only test charged 140 rip off. dealer says transmission bad but no code. toyota will not cover . dealer and toyota act like they never heard of this until you let them know you read about it. problem shifting out of the blue. *tr

Toyota 2002 rav4, automatic transmission problem when switching into first / second gear, car will hiccup, and or not accelerate as expected. aamco transmission specialists confirmed defective ecm module failure, and require a full transmission rebuilt. toyota apparanty knows about this problem, and has issued service advisory, but no recall. problem can resurface any anytime, very high potential for accidents as car will fail to accelerate or just stall when entering intersections and or freeways.

While on an onramp, going into thick, fast traffic on the highway (95) our rav4 had what i guess is called a "harsh shift" and stalled in newton, ma. we think this is due to a faulty ecm or transmission (we already had the ecm replaced once, in pasadena, ca at the end of 2008, and it was like pulling teeth to get toyota to do it!) i can't believe the vehicle is experiencing the same problem, again!! someone could have been seriously injured! a quick search of the message boards (carcomplaints.com has 3 pages of complaints regarding this issue!) and a lovely new york times article written on july 13, 2010 by christopher jensen about toyota extending the warranty on the obviously faulty ecm's tells me this is a problem that needs to be addressed, sooner rather than later.

I was going north on molly lane and going to turn right on us hwy 92 going east. i pulled into oncoming traffic when my car stalled and it acted like the transmission slipped. i was almost rear ended. i drove and picked up a pizza on townlake parkway and the same thing happened when i pulled out of papa johns. i knew there was a bad problem at that point. i was going to drive it home and have it towed to toyota. upon turning onto the entrance ramp it stalled again and had no power. the cars behind me were blowing their horns. at the top of the ramp it revved and then surged. i drove it home and had it towed. toyota says that the ecm is bad and needs to be replaced and then they can check the transmission. i looked on the internet and found there have been numerous problems with the 2001 - 2003 rav4's. this is a definite safety risk and toyota should be made to do a recall to fix the ecm boards.

The ecm failed and caused damaged to the transmission (2nd gear specially). on the highway, the vehicle had decreased power; gears were slipping and the car were jerk from gear to gear. toyota apparently was aware of the malfunction because they extended their warranty to 10 years/150k miles. because of my mileage, i am not covered. if they knew there was a fault, why didn't they do recall and fix the problem?

I experienced sputtering and hesitation while driving my 2002 toyota rav4 a few weeks ago, the friday before memorial day. the car has around 72,800 miles on it. over the memorial day weekend the car was fine. the next week i experienced the same problem. once i stopped the car at a light and then accelerated, the car would lurch and sputter. i feared the car would shut off in traffic or i would not be able to keep up with the flow of traffic. i stopped driving it. two different mechanics (non-toyota) have told me i need a new transmission. i then took it to a toyota dealer after calling the national customer service number, mentioned in a new york times article from august 2009. there was a recall on the ecm which the dealer who i bought the car from was uncooperative in replacing. so far the car is still at a different toyota dealership undergoing "diagnosis". *tr

My toyota 2002 rav 4 suddenly would not accelerate when more gas is given thereby being more dangerous on highway for possibly being hit by traffic behind. such a sudden change in shifting possibly transmission mal-functioning happens also while driving at a higher speed. *tr

Several months ago my transmission began to slip and the check engine light came on. subsequently as i drove the car, it began to lurch and i lost control of it several times. i took the car to toyota dealer then and they could not identify the problem but suggested replacing the ecm unit as a "possible fix." they suggested that perhaps the whole transmission needed to be replaced. i wanted a second opinion and took the car to a specialist. he could not find a problem either. after a search on the internet, i found that not only was this imminent problem well-documented, but toyota dealers had been made aware of it in 2006! t when i took the car back to toyota last week, they admitted that they had been informed, but could not repair the car free of charge as i have 180+k miles on it. had toyota notified me about the issue in 2006, i would have replaced the module then. now the car is completely undrivable and cannot even be sold. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated the driver attempted to accelerate from a stop but the vehicle would not accelerate. the failure was not diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000.

My 2002 toyota rav4 began shift erratically 2 days ago. not shifting to 2nd gear the finally jumping into gear. 102,000 miles. sounds like a common problem that toyota should own up to and make right. dealer is asking for $4000 to replace transmission. *tr

My toyota rav4, 2002, began shifting hard, clunking into gear, and accelerating prior to shifting on its own. i took the car to a toyota dealer who has told me that this issue is not covered for all vin numbers of rav4's sold. we shall see if he is correct as i told him that the article from the ny times sure looks like it covers all rav4's between 2001 and 2003. *tr

2002 toyota rav4. started a month ago harsh shifting from lowest gear to the next, hesitation then abrupt shifting or no shifting at all by transmission, either with or without overdrive applied. replaced oxygen sensors and ecm, okay for a week but back again. repeats the same problem from complete stop then slow acceleration, gear shifting is not timely and sudden unexpectedly creating a jerky motion. *tr

The transmission of my 2002 toyota rav4 was damaged due to a failure of the eletronic control module. the issue was first discovered not by a check engine indicator light, but by nearing being smashed by on coming traffic when the car failed to shift as i was crossing an intersection. this is a serious safety issue. the failure in the transmission is sudden and i was extremely fortunate that it did not result in an accident. through research, i've come to learn that toyota has been aware of the issue since march 2006. i have not been informed of situation by toyota to date. i really feel a recall is in order. this is a very dangerous defect. *ln

During a snow storm, my vehicle's transmission started revving up to 5000 rpms without shifting into 3rd gear. i thought my tires were slipping because of the weather, but over the next 2 days as my car would heat up, it would continue. i had a repair shop look at it and they advised me to repair or replace the transmission. toyota suggested i bring it to a dealer. the dealer said that i need to have my transmission flushed and to replace the ecm/ecu - which costs $900 and there's no guarantee it'll fix my problem. i'm not receiving any assistance from toyota hq or the dealership as far as receiving a guarantee that this will fix my issue, and they won't provide information on what to do if the issue still persists. *tr

I was climbing a steep hill when my toyota rav4 just seemed to jump out of gear. i had to undertake special measures to turn around without engine power and coast down the hill. it was towed to a toyota dealer who told me the ecu had damaged the transmission. they advised me it was out of warranty and would cost $4500 to repair. i had it towed back home. i since found that many are experiencing this problem with the toyota rav4. someone needs to make toyota accountable for this obvious defect. so much for being a loyal toyota customer. help! please. its parked in my driveway. *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 damn thing. tell toyota to fix this problem for the safety of millions of people on the road. *tr

I have taken my 2002 rav4 to toyota on a few occasions. every time it has been an oxygen sensor or fuel sensor. we had these replaced and now toyota is telling us we need to replace the entire catalytic converter ($1000). the transmission, according to them, is not fully functional. *tr

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

Auto: 2002 toyota rav4 issue: ecu or ecm complaint: toyota refuses to repair any transmission damages associated with the faulty computer part. description: when pressing the gas while accelerating from a complete stop, the transmission will not shift properly. jerky movements in the lowest gears and reverse; sluggish when pedal fully pressed. current resolve: toyota will replace the ecm, though the part will take 2-3 weeks due to high demands. toyota will not repair any other transmission damages associated with the faulty part. *tr

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving the check engine light illuminated, and she was unable to shift gears. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the failure was within the electric control unit. the vehicle was taken to a foreign garage specialist who replaced the electronic control unit. the contact received a letter from the manufacturer concerning a warranty enhancement for the ecu failure, but the manufacturer denied reimbursement since the vehicle was over the 150,000 mile warranty enhancement program. the failure mileage was 172,000. the current mileage was 188,000. updated 03/07/11*lj updated 11/28/11 *cn

I have a toyota rav4 and its computer broke. we took it to manufacture and they said the computer is free to replace under warranty, however, they charge us repair cost around $700. is it legal to charge for the repair for anything under warranty? *tr

2002 toyota rav4 - while driving on the freeway, my car may automatically go from 60 to 40 mpr in matter of seconds. or my car will get stuck on 60mpr & violently jerk. twice have i taken it in for an ecm recall. my engine light has been on ever since 60,000 miles and now it's at 150,000. the extended warranty has been issued but my car is over the limit (154,000 miles). this extended warranty should have been issued "years ago" now it's too late. my car has had problems ever since my check engine light has turned on at 60k. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 i purchased used in may 2010 for $9,000. a few days after purchasing it, the transmission started slipping. almost had numerous accidents when needing to accelerate when pulling out into a busy road and the transmission failed to get out of 2nd gear into 3rd gear. had the transmission replaced/rebuilt for $3,500, the ecm flashed for $265, 3 new oxygen sensors put in for $900. now the car is still doing what it did even after all that money spent. looking up on the web, found many owners had the same problem and almost all had to replace the ecm. i am now trying to get an appointment with a toyota dealer to get this done. very disappointed in toyota. *tr

My wife was driving our rav 4 with my son aboard. the car began experiencing trouble accelerating, car would hesitate, then all of a sudden it would lurch forward. it was totally unsafe to drive at that point. i have learned that this is due to a faulty ecm which has caused this vehicle to be extremely unsafe. ii took the car to my mechanic and sure enough the car showed the p0755 obd ii code which indicates that the issue is with the ecm. f left unattended, the transmission will require replacement at a cost of $4000 - $5000. i talked to toyota about it and they said a repair was covered under a customer support warranty extension program (*case # 1010011845). however, now i talk to fitzgerald toyota in gaithersburg (judith) and they indicate that they haven't even heard of this program. *tr

2002 rav4 electronic control module malfunctions and causes vehicles not to be able to shift gears. my car wouldn't accelerate past 20 mph in a heavy traffic area. toyota has not reached out to rav4 owners to notify them of this problem. *tr

Our 2002 toyota rav-4 has about 120,000 miles on it. the transmission has begun to act up beginning about 2 weeks ago. it has gone from bad to worse, and in investigating solutions to the problem, we have been stunned to read about the many hundreds of complaints that toyota has received re: 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s, which were thought to be transmission issues exclusively, and turned out to be faulty ecms. this happens every time that we drive this car, and we now refuse to drive it on the highway because of our difficulty in getting it to accelerate without the rpms being so high that we know it's damaging the transmission/engine. *tr

Ecm/transmission failure on my 2002 rav 4. i ended up cleaning out my savings over this car. after recent bulletin from toyota, i submitted necessary paper work for some reimbursement. i was told that i was not eligible because the car was made in puerto rico, not us!!!!!! i bought it used from a toyota dealer in va. why did toyota send me the notice????? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving less then 5mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the dealer performed a diagnostic and advised that the engine control module would need replacing. the vehicle was repaired yet the failure recurred. there were additional repairs made to the throttle position sensor yet that did not remedy the failure. the dealer then advised that they were unable to diagnose the failure and advised they were unaware of how to correct the failure. there were no further repairs. the failure mileage was 87,178 and the current mileage was 88,515.

2002 toyota rav4. after stopping at an intersection i took off and the automatic transmission seemed to be in high gear, then it jerked and the engine raced and the transmission down shifted. this happened two other times within 10 miles. the ecm unit had failed. i researched this problem on-line and found that many other people had the same issue. toyota claims that this problem was fixed in 2008 on this vehicle but we have owned the vehicle since may of 2007 and did not have any repairs done. *tr

May 19th of 2007, my 2002 toyota rav 4 4x4 was in an accident. it was hit in the front passenger side doing 25-30 mph. after struck, i applied the brakes twice, while the car continued to accelerate at an increasing high speed, resulting in hitting a glass bus stop ending up hitting a brick school. it continued to accelerate although i was unable to go anywhere. no injuries reported. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while the contact was driving approximately between 30-40 mph, the oil pressure warning light illuminated intermittently. the failure would occur at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician was unable to locate a problem. the failure progressed over a period of time. recently, the "service engine" warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the technician detected an engine oil sludge and low oil pressure. also, he recommended the engine be replaced. the contact stated that the manufacturer should be liable for the repair; however, the manufacturer refused to take financial responsibility. the vehicle was at the dealer and had not been repaired. the contact planned to have the vehicle towed to his residence. the failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

2002 rav4 automatic transmission hard shift into reverse and mis shift between gears. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav 4 started having problems for about 2 weeks now. it only has about 50,000 miles and i am truly disappointed. it was running smoothly and all of a sudden it started making noise while i am driving. it feels like it is having difficulty and is experiencing harsh shifting to second gear. *tr

For a long time the check engine light kept turning on in my 2002 rav4. i went to a dealer immediately. he said that this only happened because i didn't screw the gas cap tightly enough. he manually turned off the light and i went on my way. the light kept coming on and i kept going back to the dealership who said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. then suddenly, in may of 2009, the car started jerking and shaking while i drove. at times it would stall almost to a stop and nothing i did, even applying the gas did much more than rev the engine. i ended up having to fork over more than $3k to get it fixed, but that wasn't the end of it. my check engine light up again. i took it to a different shop, as i had moved across the country at the time. they ended up having to replace my 02 sensors, all 4 of them. that cost me another $500. i only found out later from a friend that toyota had sent out a recall on the ecu and transmissions for vehicles with less than 80k miles on it. mine was already over 100k and did not help me one bit. needless to say, i no longer have any confidence in this company. my family bought toyotas for years. i recently got a note explaining that they would pay for my repairs... now i'm scrambling to find the receipts and hope they will honor their promise. they cannot undo the potential danger their mistakes could have cost me and my passengers. there is not one note of apology in the recall either. i felt the need to file a complaint despite the recall because toyota should be made to fully reimburse their customers who have had to go through not only the headache of dealing with the mechanical problems, but also because of the other people and families this negligence may have physically hurt, or god forbid, killed. the fear and danger of driving this road hazard is also motivation enough to make sure as many complaints are heard and addressed. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, approaching a stop sign. while accelerating from the complete stop the transmission failed to shift into the first gear. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated there was technical service bulletin, number 00504 related to the transmission failure. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

I have been a loyal toyota owner with a 1995 camry and a 2002 toyota rav 4. i noticed the terrible jerking that started while driving the rav4 on my way to work. i could not even attempt to speed up when necessary and once i did, the car jerked so much, i had to pull over and eventually get the car towed to the mechanic. they stated that the transmission was the problem so we paid to replace it and resolve that issue. not even a week later, i had the same exact problems going home from work. i brought it back to the mechanic and now it's the ecm that needs to be replaced. i cannot afford to get it replaced since i just paid for the new transmission. the mechanic attempted to reset the ecm but that did not help at all. now we are down to the 95 camry and crossing our fingers that we don't have issues with our "old reliable". *tr

Driving normally nearing a stop sign/light/potential need to stop. apply brakes, vehicle jerks. beginning to release brake and continue driving engine shuts off and all warning lights on panel light up. shift gear normally into park, start engine, it turns over, shift gear into drive and engine shuts off. try shifting into 2nd gear, 1st gear and engine shuts off. if car sits for a while (not able to determine that amount of time it varies) it may start. has happened at intersections and am placed in the center of an intersection trying to get started. this has occurred in rush hour traffic several times. have taken car to dealer where it is now for the fifth time. they placed a computer on the computer to get a reading and it did not display anything. i cannot afford to purchase a new car and cannot afford thousands in repair costs. *tr

I purchased my used 2002 toyota rav4 on 12/10/05 from south coast toyota of costa mesa. shortly after purchasing it, i received some kind of "adjustment notice" asking me to bring the car in, which i did. i asked what they needed to do to the car, they would not directly answer my question and said it "was nothing, just a minor adjustment." in september of 2008, shortly after my warranty had expired and my car was just over 83,000 miles, the transmission began slipping completely out of gear while i was driving it, and then it wouldn't shift into gear, and i would suddenly have no control over the car so i had to stop, and then try to get it in gear, or drive home in 1st. i had to drive from 1st gear or 4th. i was unable to drive it on the freeway to get to work, and had to stop driving it all together on the street. the dealer would not replace the transmission. the price he quoted me to "replace the transmission and ecu" was around $4,500. i was furious, as the reason i purchased toyotas was because they drove 200,000 miles as long as you properly maintained them, which i always did. i went and had to pay $2,593.00 at irvine transmission center in irvine, ca on 9/24/08. after replacing the transmission and test driving it, it was ready for pickup. when they got in the car to drive it up to me, suddenly the new transmission wouldn't shift. so, they researched the problem and told me the computer (ecu) apparently had to be replaced also, and they had discovered through online sites that toyota was having problems with this vehicle. the dealer charged me $500 to replace the ecu. the dealer sold me a rav4 they knew was having transmission and ecu failure. i wrote toyota a complaint. i believe i should be reimbursed the money i am out, and this car should be recalled with the hundreds of complaints, if not thousands, that have been reported. i request you take action! *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 began having problems shifting in april 2010. it was intermittent, and wasn¿t cause for concern until my check engine light came on in may 2010. the symptoms of the problem with my vehicle are that it stalls, hesitates, and has a stop / go (jerking) type of action while driving it. at that time, i took it to a service technician at my local toyota dealer where i purchased both of my toyotas. they told me that the ecm had to be replaced and would cost around 1,300 dollars. mind you, i had to pay 75 dollars for the diagnostic check. the following week, i took my rav4 to a local transmission shop, had it diagnosed for a second opinion and he confirmed that the ecm unit was bad and needed to be replaced, which cost me yet, another 75 dollars for the diagnosis. he also instructed me not to continue to drive the car because it could possibly harm the transmission. since doing so, i have been down to one car for two and a half months because i simply don¿t have the money to have it repaired. after doing some research online, i found out that toyota has known about this problem since 2006. it is a serious safety issue when entering traffic, or trying to move from a stop light or stop sign, as you don¿t know when the car is going to shift into gear or not. toyota has not issued a recall, nor has not done anything to resolve the issue. i am disgusted that in 2006 toyota realized there was an issue with the ecm, which could ruin 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 and causes considerable danger with jerking and shifting problems. according to internet research, this problem generally starts around 90,000 miles and causes considerable danger with jerking and shifting problems. *tr

Check engine light came on and transmission jammed. vehicle towed to nearest dealer. told it was ecm problem and repair cost was $1440.94. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the vehicle was intermittently experiencing trouble accelerating in which the vehicle would momentarily pause before shifting gears. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the transmission fluid and filter were replaced. the mechanic also advised having the electronic control module (ecm) replaced the failure continued to recur intermittently. the manufacturer was contacted but advised the vehicle was not under recall and would not provide any assistance. the ecm was not replaced. the failure mileage was 154,000 and the current mileage was 155,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph, approaching an intersection. the transmission began to hesitate in an intense jerking motion. the vehicle was taken to an auto transmission shop where the transmission was replaced with a rebuilt transmission. the identical failure occurred after the repair. the vehicle was taken back to the auto transmission shop where the technician replaced the electronic control module. the manufacturer offered a free remedy under the customer support program related to the electronic control module defect; however, the vin was excluded. the contact experienced the same failures that were mentioned in the program. the failure mileage was approximately 140,000. the vin was unavailable.

During acceleration toyota rav4 would shift hard, and slip between high and low gears rapidly cause car to buck and slow abruptly. issue began all at once and has continued. car is undrivable. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 w/5 speed standard transmission pops out of 5th gear at highway speed causing sudden deceleration and engine revving if using cruise control. if i am in heavy traffic the car behind me comes close to rear-ending me because my brake lights don't come on. this first happened in february 2006 with 60757 miles on the car. at 757 miles past the 60,000 mile warranty, our local toyota dealer refused to replace the transmission. but we were able to talk them into repairing it for free. in july 2010 at 123965 miles the same thing has happened again. at 65 mph on cruise control it popped out 5th gear and refused to go back in. again i suddenly lost speed but luckily was almost by myself on the highway. *tr

About three weeks ago my 2002 toyota rav 4 transmission/shifting between 1st and 2nd gears acted up. it wasn't a small, nagging issue that built up, it was pretty sudden. one week it was fine and then i had 2 small shifting incidents (shaking) in a 2 week period, and then the next week, after about 5-8 days of more local ¿stop and go¿ driving, my lower gear¿s shifting would not work properly - every shift from 1st to 2nd was delayed and harsh. my 2002 rav4 has 98k on it. i may need to get a new transmission and/or ecm and i don¿t think toyota will cover any of the costs of either. i have thought about trading it in so i wouldn¿t have to deal with these issues, but i do like my rav 4. i am hoping (after doing all the online research and making some official complaints to cr, bbb and other safety groups) that maybe toyota will provide (or be forced to provide) payments or coverage in some way for this serious safety issue (essentially "stalling" in the middle of intersections, when needing the acceleration from a stopped position.) when speaking with toyota service and having had them perform their $100 computer diagnostics (before the ¿check engine¿ light came on - the light has since come on and remains on- obviously i haven¿t driven it for a few weeks now) i was told that the transmission would "most likely¿ need to be replaced. i had only driven it for 3 weeks after first noticing the problem and really only 1 since the trouble was continuous and the engine light came on. i hope to fix the problem by either having the ecm rebuilt ($500) or purchasing a new one ($1000). hopefully, l didn't drive it too much before the ecm ruined my transmission ($5000). since the car is only worth about $6000 total anyway. *tr

I've had my '02 toyota rav4 since 2003 and a few days ago my car started hesitating and jerking out of the blue. after stopping at lights, i noticed that at first i had trouble accelerating, car would hesitate, then all of a sudden it would lurch forward jumping to 3000-4000 rpms. i was afraid that i would get rear-ended and then i almost slammed into the car in front of me. i am afraid to take my car on the highway with the slow accelerating and then sudden jerking and speed. i'm taking my car to the dealership tomorrow to get the ecm and transmission checked out given the toyota technical service bulletin that issued in 2006 involving faulty ecms (tc002-06). although my car is just experiencing the early stages of this malfunction, this is very unsafe and dangerous. toyota knows about it and should issue a recall. *tr

I have had my 2002 toyota rav4 since we purchased it from the dealer back in 2002. at about 90,000 miles my transmission had to be replaced. now at 202,000. miles my transmission needs to be worked on again. i feel that this problem needs to be addressed as its very dangerous to drive in the freeway and be exposed to your tires locking up. and/or your car not go in gear at a light exposing yourself and your children to an accident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that she had difficulty shifting gears. the vehicle would stay in third gear and the check engine light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the computer needed to be replaced so that they could determine whether the entire transmission needed to be replaced. the contact did not notify the manufacturer. the current mileage was 86,954. the failure mileage was 86,850.

Toyota rav4 2002- 50mph on a road when an emergency vehicle had to go around me- after the vehicle passed, i attempted to accelerate and was unable to get into 3rd gear- cars were accelerating past me causing an immediate danger along with the car jerking and pulling- toyota issued a "service bull." for this but will not replace faulty ecm- and now there is possible transmission damage- very dangerous as i would not be able to accelerate- this is a intermittent issue- multiple complaints on the internet- no recall as of yet-. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while the contact was driving approximately 55 mph, the transmission began to hesitate with an extremely slow delay in the power response. the contact was able to continue driving with caution. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for an appointment which was scheduled prior to the failure. the scheduled repairs were performed, that were not associated with the transmission failure. the transmission failure was not diagnosed and the technician advised the contact to continue driving the vehicle until the failure recurred. the contact was displeased with the response from the technician and was concerned about the potential safety hazard. the failure mileage was 75,000.

I recently had a failure of the control module (ecu), i was told by my mechanic that this problem came up frequently for rav 4s of years 2002 and 2003 and that toyota was aware of this issue since 2006 ¿ but never recalled the cars! after searching on the internet i noticed that there were hundreds of complaints regarding exactly the same issue and even a class action lawsuit for the same matter filed in 2009. the replacement cost me $758.50 to replace (with a refurbished one) and i had to rent a car during the replacement process ¿ which cost me $131.32 ¿ therefore a total of $889.82. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 started jerking and shaking,, then slowing down at 111k miles at in the middle of traffic concerned for safety, had to pull over and call for a tow truck to tow car home. i took the car to the dealership, but they said that it could be ecm, which is $1500, but no guarantees it would work. researched issue, and found out that this is known issue since 2006, but toyota didn't notify owners. *tr

Whiplash and cervical disc herniation due to negligence of toyota rav 4 2002 transmission and ecm problems. around 4/20/10 i took my toyota to this dealership due to ongoing jerking and forward thrust when starting from a stop position, also the engine light was on. they kept my toyota from 4/19/10 till 4/21/10. reset the engine stating that it is o2 sensor problem and replaced it. also diagnosed transmission problems but i was told by the dealership persona,l" i don't want to stamp your car as condemned, take it back and when problem gets worse bring it back" he did not warn me that if i did not get it corrected right away, i can be jeopardizing my safety and safety of people on the road. it is apparent from the paperwork they handed me that they had diagnosed a serious problem and should have corrected it right away. around middle of may the problems with the transmission got worse, on 2 occasions the car stalled completely while going at 30 mph and then severely thrust forward again. in another 3-4 days i started experiencing severe muscle spasms and headaches. since then i had been to er, received ct and mri showing disc prolapse and tear of my 2 vertebral discs. i have been receiving physical therapy, cervical traction, pain medication, cervical collar, and am scheduled to receive an epidural injection in 2 weeks. i have seen my pcp twice, a neurologist, 2 neuro surgeons and have received numerous medication, some with serious side effects and have detailed information about these visits. i am a physician and due to this problem have missed days at work jeopardizing my clinical care. yesterday almost got in an accident when my car slowed down instead of accelerating and i almost hit another car, this incident made me realize i can hurt other people if i continue to drive this car. i took it in to dealer today and they are going to run a diagnosis on it again, and it might cost me 6,000 dollars. please help.*tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 that is also experiencing the ecm problem. the engine revs and slips in and out of gear. it also lunges forward without warning. this is clearly a safety issue. it is criminal that this problem is not being addressed by toyota and that a safety recall has not been issued. *tr

2002 toyota rav 4 having issues with the ecm in the transmission. my mechanic and sanport auto broken arrow, ok found the bulletin and advised me my car was within the 96 months 80, 000 miles. she even called the toyota dealership i purchased my car from and advised them of the issue. she spoke with kyle at jim norton toyota he said he was not aware of the bulletin so my mechanic made a copy and put it on my seat to have the car towed to the dealership. kyle said they would have their mechanics look at it and let me know. if someone could call jim norton toyota and lean and bit on them that would be great. he acted like he was not sure that was the issue but there is documentation all over the internet about the problem so i am not sure how they could not know about the issue. my mechanic at sanport auto said if i need any help to let her know. she said it is definitely the issue and they should fix it. thank goodness for good honest mechanics like sanport auto in broken arrow, ok. they did the right thing and will always get my business. let's hope jim norton does the right thing. *tr

I was entering the highway and my car would not accelerate... was almost killed and had to drive in emergency land before building up speed..... the problem is the ecm in my 2002 toyota rav4 failed. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 which it almost had my family life taken. last weekend we were getting in the highway and the car didn't speed up a rollback maneuver his way out luckily the driver acted quick at scene. my vehicle transmission fail to proceed, it wouldn't speed up. we were like baits for the oncoming traffic not knowing if to get out of car or get hit. we were terrified so we all scream. later the transmission rep up. we pulled over to the side to relax. now i'm trying to figure out what happen, what went wrong? but now i now i know is the freaking car. my question is why toyota did not gave us a warning about the defects of the vehicle? i hope for others families not to go through this terrifying experience. please informs to others to take action with this vehicle or it may be to late. i do not know where to go or what to do now with this vehicle. i'm not driving it and putting my family at risk again!!!. be careful driving this vehicle. but please le me know what to do next. should i junked the car or go to the dealer and deal with them. i'm not going to give away to to her . that will be like given them a ticket to the cemetery. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4,started driving erratic,while foot on gas pedal,car would slow down,then speed up with banging sound. local toyota dealership says computer bad replacing it,which included a tow is$ 1,440.00 .car is 8 years old with 91,000 miles. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated while driving at 40 mph and attempting to accelerate onto the highway, the vehicle would not respond and began decelerating. the contact was advised by both an independent mechanic and an authorized dealer that the transmission was failing. the failure and current mileages were 60,450. updated 07/26/10. *lj updated 08/03/10*jb

2002 toyota rav 4 electronic control unit has a manufacturer's defect that cause the car's automatic transmission to disintegrate with little or no warning. *tr

I was coming home and waiting for my garage door to open when my 2002 toyota rav4 suddenly accelerated (even though i quickly put my foot on the brake) and crashed through the bottom half of the garage door side-swiping another vehicle in the garage. i took the vehicle to a body shop to get fixed and also took it to a service shop, and neither place could find anything wrong with the car. since then, i have noticed on a few rare occasions that, upon shifting the car into reverse, there is a sudden jerking action. i am beginning to think that this all my be related to the ecm transmission module that i've been reading about lately. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that she experienced problems shifting. all of the gears were affected whether the vehicle was accelerating or slowing down. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the electronic control unit and the transmission needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 101,830. the current mileage was approximately 105,000.

2002 toyota rav4 transmission failure. this vehicle has been maintained excellently with all recommended services performed at toyota dealers or authorized facilities. in 2009, toyota sent a recall notice about a "faulty ecm" (electronic control module) and the vehicle was taken in and the ecm was reprogrammed. after this service, the car started shifting erratically and as of june 26, 2010, the transmission suddenly failed with 118,000 miles on the car. toyota knows that the ecm causes the transmission failure and is refusing to make this right. toyota needs to be held accountable and responsible for this lack of integrity and for putting consumers at risk of death or injury, due to transmission failures in 2002 rav4's, camry's and corollas. google this information to see that this is becoming more common with this model of car, now that they are reaching 100,000 miles. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4 and am experiencing transmission problems. i understand that there are numerous toyota customers with the same problem. i also understand that toyota will do nothing to fix the problem and that writing you would be my best bet. the problem is caused by a faulty ecm (engine control module) and costs about $1200 to replace. driving the vehicle as is also hurts the transmission which can lead to an additional $4000 to fix. please let me know what or if anything can be done. thanks. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The main computer in the transmission on my 2002 toyota rav4 malfunctioned causing my vehicle to begin shifting on its own while driving. the mechanic informed me that it was attempting to shift into reverse while driving. the first incident happened the last weekend in may, 2010. i have not been able to drive the car for 3 weeks now, it is currently waiting repair. total cost thus far $1,586.00 to replace the computer so that the computer can tell them what other damage has been done to the transmission. we have not been able to locate a functional used computer for repair. *tr

On may 25th, my wife was merging into traffic on a local bypass (speed limit 55 mph). as she began to merge, our 2002 toyota rav4 hesitated and wouldn't shift into second gear. my wife had to swerve off the road to avoid being rear ended by traffic. i brought my car to the repair shop the next day and they flushed the transmission and added new fluid. they tested the car and it was ok so i picked it up and brought it home. by the next day the car was hesitating again so i brought it back to the shop and they took the car to the local toyota dealership to have them check the problem. i then received a call from my repair person stating that i needed a new transmission. the car is only 8 years old with 61,000 miles on it but all warranties have expired. i then find out that toyota has known about the problem with 2002 rav4 transmissions but have never contacted the buyers or had a recall due to expense. now i'm stuck with a car that doesn't work or a repair bill for $5,000 plus. i bought a toyota because i thought that it was dependable. the dealership said that nothing can be done to repair it without cost to me since i have no more warranty coverage. i'm now looking for a new car since i'm not putting $5,000 into an 8 year old one. do i have any legal alternatives since toyota knew about the problem but said nothing? *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav-4. i have taken proper car of the car, like oil changes, tune-ups, the whole nine yards. except recently the transmission in the car has failed. it just recently started happening and i don't understand how this issue has come about. i am almost at 102k miles on my car. i was almost hit by another suv due to the transmission failing. i have recently found articles by usa today and cbs5 stating how owners of toyota rav-4's 2001-2003 models have had transmission failures. *tr

Toyota rav4 (2002) jerked uncontrollably into traffic while preparing to make a left turn onto a busy boulevard. cars screeched to a halt. could have been fatal. rav4 has faulty computer (ecm) that toyota did not recall and holds consumers responsible for replacing (appx$1400). faulty computer often destroys transmission also. i am facing $5500 in repairs and toyota has admitted that the car has a problem. this is totally unfair and people will lose their lives. i am lucky i didn't. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving 30 mph up a hill, the vehicle lost power. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. report 1006100118 was filed with the manufacturer; however, they will not offer any assistance with the repairs since warranty has expired. the failure and the current mileages were 47,680.

2002 toyota rav4 all of a sudden wouldn't shift between 3rd and 4th gear. to ok in immediately into dealership to be checked. said it was the ecm. it was already taken in for recall and is another malfunction of same problem. if you drive it will ruin your transmission. i am very disappointed in the dealership as they only said to call toyota. i have done that and am waiting a response. there are many complaints on this and 220,000 toyota vehicle have issues. my car only has 56000 miles on it and should still be covered but they stop at 8 years. i am 25 days past warranty. due to them knowing and already recalling them they should be liable. *tr

Check engine light came on and transmission started to shift hard,going into reverse from park with a huge clunk. also, slipping at times. when making a left/right turn from a road to another, car would sluggishly move-very dangerous. took it to a dealer and was told a new computer was needed to verify if the problem was ecu related or the tranny..i asked why a new computer wasn't available to test whether it was the computer or tranny."we don't stock computers". i was quoted $1200.00 for "new" ecu to see if it fixed the problem. if that didn't work then a "new" tranny for 4000.00 to 5000.00 would be required. this is a 2002 2wd with 99k miles worth about $5000.00(in great shape otherwise). also learned that the ecu tends to throw codes unrelated to the tranny issue. when i brought my rav4 in i told them about my issues with the tranny and that there was a tsb to install new software to try to fix the issue. i was then told no, you need to try a new ecu for $1200.00. why not throw a "new" ecu in to see if it fixes the problem? why don't they acknowledge a defect instead of easter egging at my expense? charge me $1200.00 for an ecu(or any part) that may or may not solve the issue is criminal and to hear that the ecu problem eats the tranny is also criminal quick to take your cash but to deny a very common part defect (ecu) that ultimately destroys another expensive needed component. this is a safety issue. i have made left/right turns and the transmission decides to buck/hesitate as oncoming traffic is expecting my vehicle to move appropriately. *tr

Transmission slipping and slamming into gear. vehicle shudders like it was going to stop running, then rpm's jumped up to about 4,000 and slammo! slams into gear. almost got hit by a large truck behind me. check engine light doesn't come on . took it to dealership and they say without error codes they cannot diagnose the problem. had a recall on ecm a couple of yrs. ago. had it done(re-flashed) at dealership. no help from toyota. *tr

Toyota rav4 automatic transmission went crazy and car started lunging forward and then not going when it should. it caused a minor accident some time ago, but is very dangerous and unsafe and we have not felt safe enough to even keep the car on the road. if people are not as fortunate as us to have another vehicle or can not afford to get this problem fixed, it could very well cause a fatal accident. we are surprised that the transmission problems was not included in the recall business with them. ours only had 60,000 miles when it happened to us and from what i read on the internet there is major cause for concern. *tr

I purchase my vehicle a 2002 rav4, automatic, new. the vehicle has been well maintained. approximately in march of 2010 my vehicle starting jerking, i look at my gas gauge and thought i must be lower on gas then the gauge is showing. i got gas and the problem stopped. about 2 weeks later the same problem. i got gas and the situation stopped. sporadically, in the 2 week time frame my vehicle seemed to lose power. i did take my car into my mechanic and he had the car and did test drives with no problems. again, in april the problem arose again and the car when to my mechanic and again they could find no problem. on april 22, 2010 upon leaving work i started my vehicle and there was a horrible jerking, shaking and at times seemed to have no power i finally was able to make it home (1 mile away) with the tires barely rolling down the road. immediately, the next day i took it to my mechanic and as we were doing a test drive the vehicle began the jerking, shaking and lost power, the car was not operable any longer. the diagnosis: transmission burnt and new ecm (my third in this vehicle). the vehicles engine check light never came on or any other sensors in the vehicle. when the ecm was tested it did not display any codes or problems with the vehicle. i contacted the dealership and explained the situation and was advised i needed to bring it in for them to look at it. i explained to them it does not run and not going anywhere and would these (i would have had the vehicle towed with an expense of anywhere from $250 to $300.00, a hours drive away) expenses be covered. response "warranty expired 60 days ago." after many days of an agonizing decision, i advised my mechanic to go ahead and fix the car at the tune of $3500.00, replacing the ecm and transmission. the vehicle is still being repaired and i will have it back next week. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while attempting to accelerate from a stopped position, the contact noticed that the vehicle would hesitate to gain speed and would suddenly jerk forward when driving over 30 mph. the vehicle had not been inspected at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 87,000.

Automatic transmission on a 2002 toyota rav4 suv began slipping and shifting hard. took it to trusted garage and they determined that transmission had failed and was unsafe to drive. it had to be replaced. in researching the vehicle and the model's service history for recalls and service bulletins they determined that the transmission involved was only used for 16 months by toyota before it was replaced because of poor performance and safety issues. the ecm (engine control module) was found to be faulty and was causing the transmission failures. (toyota tsb tc002-06). toyota deemed not to alert vehicle owners of this condition or to offer any preventive action to be pursued to prevent the ultimate transmission failure resulting in replacement. warranty on replacement transmission not valid if the ecm unit is not also replaced. total cost = $5,000. original warranty was extended to 96 months or 80,000 miles. my vehicle has 119,000 miles in 90 months of use. toyota dealer service department stated the vehicle parts were out of warranty. *tr

S10 appropriate handling re toyota vehicles sudden unintended acceleration fwd fm owner of a 2002 rav4, 2002 corolla and a 2007 toyota prius *tgw the consumer was informed that none of the 2002 vehicles were included in the recall. the consumer stated her other two vehicles, which are much newer were not recalled either and could potentially accelerate and cause injury or death. the consumer also addressed questions in her complaint. *jb updated 05/24/10

Toyota rav4 2002 transmission failure at 88,000 miles with a perfect maintenance. since two days ago a problem with the transmission began. i search in the internet and toyota knew the problem since 2006 without telling the owners, now to fix the transmission could cost around 5,000 and its suppose to be the computer. *tr

The automatic transmission was shifting very hard from gear to gear and had problems starting in first gear from a stop. it looks like it is very common on 2001-2004 rav4's per complaints online. a service bulletin was put out by toyota in march of 2006 about the problem. the dealer is recommending replacement of the ecu. the bulletin proves toyota knew about the defective ecu. many people are being forced to buy a transmission also after the faulty ecu destroys theirs. this is a safety issue, such as driving onto a freeway and the transmission stalling when merging with traffic. *tr

Starting the end of april 2010 my 2002 toyota rav4 starting giving me problems with shifting gears and when i pressed the accelerator it didn't want to move and really sluggish and would jerk. i was afraid that someone would rear end me. i kept up all my maintenance on the vehicle. i had a transmission service done march 2008. the dealer said i needed a new transmission. my car has 90,000 miles. i had another transmission service done, but it just got worse. i took it to another repair shop and they said there was a computer defect and the transmission needed to be replaced. my car is in the shop for repairs. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 check engine light came on. the light went off a few days later, but my husband took it to a mechanic to have it looked at. the mechanic said the ecu (computer) failed. a few days later the car had problems shifting, and it started bucking on the highway. i did some research on the internet, and came to find out that this is a known defect with the 2002 toyota rav4. there was a toyota internal memo written in 2006 admitting the defect. my husband and i bought this car brand new. the car has only 60,000. miles on it. we called toyota to see if they would honor the warranty (we are three months over the warranty) and the dealership said no, and toyota headquarters gave us a case number, and referred us back to the dealership. we have been loyal toyota customers. we also bought a 2007 toyota sienna. it is unconscionable that a company is putting its customers at risk with a defective part, and then hiding it from the vehicle owner. we never received a memo about the danger of this vehicle. does someone have to be killed in order for our government to get involved? toyota should be ordered to replace the defective parts that it willfully sold to its customers and then tried to cover it up! *tr

2002 toyota rav4, while putting in drive the car stalls for a second then jerks into gear...i had ecm work done for 1300.00 dollars and the car still jerks into gear and sometimes there is no power...i am worried that my wife will be in traffic and the car will lose power causing an accident. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4's transmission is starting to fail to operate correctly. after coming to a complete stop, the car will not accelerate for several seconds even though i am pressing very hard on the accelerator. it just slowly moves during those seconds. this is very frightening when i attempt to merge with traffic after making a right turn. sometime it feels like the turn will not complete before on coming traffic approaches. my mechanic has told me that i need a new transmission that will cost $3500. *tr

While trying to merge on an interstate, the rav4 would not shift gears and would hang for a moment. emergency maneuvers had to be made to avoid getting rammed by a semi-truck. after pulling over and checking the car, although there was now a cel, it did not seem like anything was wrong until i shifted from park to drive. the transmission made a clunking noise. driving home, the car would not shift properly. without a properly shifting car, i had to get the vehicle towed to a shop. that is when my mechanic pulled up tsb number: tc002-06 from toyota which states the exact problem that i have. i have never received this tsb or any other notices from toyota about this problem. even though my 2002 rav4 is under the "age limit" for the warranty, i am over the mileage limit which means that toyota has denied my claim. it currently sits unfixed until i can come up with the money to get it repaired according to the tsb. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 jerking and lunging into gear from a stop. car drops into neutral causing a sudden slow down and dangerous condition for cars behind me who have to stop suddenly for me. 70,000 miles, took into dealership this a.m. and was told they would try re-programming the computer and then if that did not work they would replace the computer for $1,100 and if that did not work they would replace the transmission for $3,000-$4,000. left dealership after "re-programming" the computer and immediately car started lunging into gear, shifting into neutral, thumping into gear and the engine light came back on. *tr

My car had a check engine light on, then it started jerking and was very hard to move after stops and in low speeds. had it diagnosed and was told to change two oxygen sensors. two oxygen sensors were changed but the jerking did not stop. i paid $853.00 for this service. the check engine light came back on after driving the car for only about 5 miles. took the car back to the shop and was told that two additional sensors needed to be changed. i paid additional $600 (discounted) for this repair and was told that the ecm on the car is bad and that it needs to be replaced because the vehicle was not shifting correctly in low gear. after i had spent over $1400 to fix the oxygen sensors, i was told to spend additional $5,000 to $6,000 to fix the ecm and the transmission. i called toyota and was told that the vehicle is out of warranty for both the transmission and the ecm. toyota knew about this problem but they did not recall the cars that are affected: 2001-2003 rav4. we don't want to wait till someone gets killed or hurt before we take action. *tr

2002 toyota rav4: ecm computer problem causes the transmission to burn out. the ecm has a design blunder which causes it to lose its ability to control the solenoids. the transmission is damaged quite suddenly. *tr

When pulling into traffic transmission slipped and car stopped in middle of intersection. *tr

Have a 2002 toyota rav4 i was driving near home - began to accelerate on area highway and experienced a jolt or hard shift while the car was accelerating between approx. 25-30 mph. caused car to decelerate rapidly. consider myself blessed children were not in the car and no one was immediately behind me as would most likely have been involved in a rear end crash. check engine light came on - immediately contacted mechanic who advised to take to toyota dealership due to a faulty ecm computer that controls the transmission. currently still sitting there waiting for response from toyota on how they will remedy. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while entering a busy highway at speeds of less than 5 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle would not shift gears and within moments, the failure seemed to correct itself but became progressively worse as he continued to drive. the manufacturer advised the contact that there was a technical service bulletin that addressed the failure and would not provide any further assistance (nhtsa item number 10019667). the dealer had not yet been contacted nor had the vehicle been repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 91,000.

2002 toyota rav 4 transmission slips and jerks at odd times. especially though, when trying to merge or pass in traffic. *tr

The actuator in left & right front door for 2002 toyota rav4 not working. *tr

While driving my 2002 toyota rav 4 with 97,000 miles, i experienced a sudden problem when shifting into 2nd gear. the car would stick and then suddenly accelerate as if the gear finally caught. after taking it to the mechanic i found out i not only needed to replace my transmission but also the ecm. this was a costly repair of over $3300 for a car that should have gone well over that mileage prior to needing a transmission change. also it took 2 ecms before we found one that could work. the car worked fine and then suddenly had this problem. *tr

Rav 4 2002 owner. i started having trouble with shifting on my automatic transmission rav 4. when starting out to drive, it does not shift smoothly. it feels like the emergency break is on (it isn't) then it "jumps" or surges forward. finally, after a week or two of this the "check engine light" came on and the car will l not shift thru all the gears. i went online and found that thousands of other owners of rav 4's (2001 thru 2003, but apparently especially 2002) have described my exact experience. the part required costs $1,000 ( and this does not include labor!). then, once it is put in, you get to learn if your gear box has been destroyed! if so, another $5,000 to $7,000 repair! and toyota knew!!!!! this is outrageous! *tr

I had the same issue that was supposed to be fixed by toyota in 2007. it concerns technical service bulletin (tc002-06). after driving the car for thirty minutes, the car would then start to shift harshly/delayed shift causing a loss of acceleration. i had this service done in 2007 and then last month had to have the ecm replaced because of the same issue. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4 which was bought new. it has 103k miles. in the first week of april, 2010, as i pulled out of my driveway to visit a friend, i noticed an abrupt occurrence of transmission slippage from 1st -2nd gears. there was a feeling of downshifting that evened off at 3rd gear. this happened every time the car was accelerated after a stop, going up a hill. there was a clunk sound when the care was put in reverse. i did not know what was happening since this came about overnight. no warning lights have ever come on, even now. my boyfriend said it sounded like the transmission. i took the car to toyota dealership for diagnostics and was told that the transmission was failing and needed to be replaced for $5100. i am unemployed and there was no way i could come up with that amount of money. i am afraid to drive more than a few blocks, to my boyfriend's, as the car continues to have slippage. i can not accelerate fast enough after a stop, and other cars come bounding down on me, honking and switching lanes at the last minute. i took the car home, researched the internet, and found out about the numbers of complaints people have on this issue. then i find out about tc002-06, in which consumers were not made privy to. this is deliberate consumer fraud, costing trusting consumers to pay for defects the manufacturer was aware of, but refusing to acknowledge or correct their defect. this seems to me, just as illegal as insider trading, knowing something, making a profit, and not telling how they know. *tr

Having issues with toyota rav 4 gear shifting transmission issue vehicle diagnostics report indicates p0750 failure toyota release a tsb in march 06 and yet my dealer did nothing to replace the ecm even in my service done in 2008 i am now at 101k miles

I drive a 2002 toyota rav4 with 63k i bought it used 4 years ago with warranty i now have problems shifting from 1 to 2 gear took it to toyota dealer to have a diagnose, i had previosly took my car to a transmission specialist i was told to take to the dealer were it was purchased because the ecm had to be replaced/reset anyway i did a research and found that there was a extended warranty on the ecm for 96 months or 80k which ever comes first my extended warranty expired because warranty starts from original owner(date first use) to replace the ecm is going to cost me $1300 i think i shouldn't have to pay this amount due to toyota rav4 ecm problem back in 2006 i should still be eligible for ecm warranty since i purchased my car in feb. 2006. i hope the next step is not replacing the transmission. i am not satisfied with toyota cars or there services .

2002 toyota rav 4 transmission problems. purchased the vehicle used with 20,000 miles on it in sept. 2006. noticed sometimes a slippage but it did not occur regularly so i ignored it. went to get inspection the following year and the check engine light was on and was told there was a recall on the vehicle and i took it to toyota and they fixed the ecm or something to that effect because it was still under warranty. now the vehicle has been inoperable since march 2009 because i need a new transmission. i am still paying $380 a month plus insurance on this vehicle that i cannot drive and i see where hundreds of others have reported the very same complaint with the transmission in their 2002 toyota rav 4. why is toyota not liable for this defect? i need my vehicle fixed and i cannot afford to continue paying $500 a month for a car i cannot drive and definitely cannot have repaired at a cost of $5000!!! please help! *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 automatic is having serious transmission problems. it intermittently does not find the second gear, and when it does, lurches forward if the accelerator is applied. this is very dangerous, because prior to it slipping out of gear, it starts out slow, and you must apply the accelerator more than usual to get moving. it has also lost the gear while at high speeds, a potential nightmare for someone that doesn't know how to react properly. after researching my issue, (and having the transmission flushed and filters replaced) i feel like i have no recourse. toyota initiated a recall to re-flash the control module in 2007, which i had done. they never informed me that there was an actual error in the performance of the module, just something about it eliminate a problem of the check engine light coming on around 60k. my module tests out fine today, yet it apparently ruined my transmission, and now i have learned some individuals have replaced the control module, and some the entire transmission, only to be revisited by the same problems. my car currently has 111,000 miles on it, and the repairs will cost more than the value of the auto. how can i sell this vehicle with a clear conscience knowing all of this? please consider this for recall, toyota withheld information from its customers when initiating this recall in 2007 (the flash reset), and caused many of us danger and great expense as a result. thank you very much, brenda king

In 2006 my transmission just disintergrated with 103000 miles, had it rebuilt the transmission shop said that the computer was not doing it's job than come to find out that toyota had a tsb on it and never notified anyone. now about in march of 2009 at about 145000 miles 2nd to 3rd gear started to slip again. now so this is my second time i'm having this problem it seems i can't get more than 100,000. sad these should last longer, at this rate $3500.00 each four years, someone is making $$$$$. thanks

My 2002 toyota rav4 began suddenly jerking when i slowed down then would lag when i tried to accelerate. it had less than 67,000 miles on it. the local toyota dealer told me i would need to have the transmission replaced at the cost of $4800. i called toyota national customer service and asked for an extention of the warranty, having been told by the dealer that this problem was not covered by my warranty any longer. i got absolutely no help. i am astounded that at 67,000 miles this was not covered. i had to get rid of the car when i didn't want to and am asking for restitution.

I have a 2002 toyota rave 4, i have even complained to the dealership where i bought the vehicle. i complained about it speeding out of control when i used the cruise control and it still does and i can reproduce it every time on the same road. i also had complained about steping on the breakes and the car not wanting to stop. dealership told me "it was in my head, and that they couldn't find anything wrong with it." i was actually in a car accident on my way into the dealership to have them check the same problem again. i reported it several times to them an i have had the car since 2005.

Harsh shifting from 1st - 3rd gear in automatic transmission

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. on march 14, 2010, the contact was driving at approximately 20-25 mph when she depressed the accelerator pedal and the engine suddenly began to rev. the vehicle would also not shift into gear. she noticed the problem started to occur on an intermittent basis following the initial failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where she was informed that the electronic control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired at that time. the failure mileage was 73,747. the current mileage was approximately 73,800.

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with only 77,000 miles. it was monday last week (march 15) when i noticed my car kind of lost it's accelerating power when i cruised up the coronado bridge (san diego, ca) but it was wednesday that same week when i experienced this slipping/ jerking/ harsh shifting movement of the transmission while accelerating even on a regular highway. i thought at first it was the engine but to find out that it was the transmission. i took the car to toyota that friday morning which they told me that they have to replace the computer and maybe the transmission but few days later i was told that the transmission was still good. (don't know how true that is and how thorough they've conducted their inspection). with this incident at 77,000 miles, toyota should extend the warranty coverage of their computer and transmissions given the fact that they had a tsb released march 2006 which i just found out researching for my car's possible defect. now i'm worried that since my transmission was already subjected to this harsh problem, it'll no longer last... and with just 6k miles warranty for the new computer, i'm not financially ready to buy another transmission or yet, another car. i've read so many complaints regarding computer problems with 01-03 rav4 (www.carcomplaints.com) that i am hoping nhtsa can come up with something demanding toyota to extend its warranty coverage for this specific problem. thank you. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 had tc002-06 performed on it in january 2007. the recall was to address issues with the ecm and transmission shifting issues. my vehicle is out of warranty and has 85,000. i contacted toyota and they informed me that a logic update was performed to resolve this issue. from what i have read online, the ecm should have been replaced and not updated. i also found that the ecm carries an 80,000 mile warranty. the problem i am having is now the transmission has failed and i was informed that the problem was due to the ecm not being replaced. all major service work on this vehicle has been performed at a toyota dealership. the independent service agent has informed me that the transmission needs to be rebuilt and the ecm replaced at a total cost of over $4200. i contacted a toyota dealership and a rough estiamte for this repair is $5000-$6000. when i contacted toyota and asked about this tsb, they informed me that it is simply a manual addendum and nothing else. they refuse to help with this issue at all. it is serious because the vehicle begin to fail and would not accerlerate when i was trying to drive onto a major road from being stopped at a red light. i have researched this issue on the internet and i have found that many people have had this same issue around the same mileage with this model year vehicle. please help!

The automatic transmission in my 2002 toyota rav 4 failed suddenly and unexpectedly. engine power was lost as the vehicle's shifting became erratic; starting from stop in 3rd gear, then downshifting to second. merging with traffic difficult and dangerous at best. i took the car to a transmission shop. they diagnosed that the ecm caused the transmission to fail. their estimate to replace the computer and repair the transmission was over $4000. i have since found numerous similar complaints online from other toyota rav owners. and i found that toyota knew about this design flaw over 7 years ago, which i believe is a safety issue as well as a major consumer product issue. now out of warranty (97k miles) the costs to repair my car are almost equal to its value. i don't know at this date if i will fix it as loan payments remain. considering the number of similar complaints over toyota rav 4 transmission failures i wholeheartedly request your agency review this situation closely. i don't know where else to go for help. *tr

I have a 2002 rav 4 with 139k miles on it. lately my car has been having trouble shifting from first gear to second gear. i noticed it within the last two weeks of february. but there would be days when it would act normal and it was fine and some days it had its problems. within this past week it has become worse. now when my car comes to a complete stop and tries to shift it would hesitate, jerk, shift again and become almost idol and then go. this would make me not want to stop at all when driving because i don't know if it will just die on me. i would get really afraid if i would get rear ended for my car having trouble shifting. the problem is the transmission and the ecm. in order to fix the problem i have to get the transmission fixed which costs over $1,000 dollars. i did some research and noticed i am not the only one with this problem. i think that toyota should recall all 2002 rav 4 because of its faulty transmission and i shouldn't have to pay so much. i could've caused an accident with my car but that's not my fault and toyota already knows it's a problem but is not doing anything about it. *tr

Have a 2002 toyota rav4 with a transmission problem related to the ecm. the vehicles transmission hesitates, makes noises, does not shift correctly. there is a toyota tech. service bull. (tc-002-06) issued in 2006. toyota never notified owners of this problem and therefore owners have driven past warranty time frames. (which is my case by 1 month) as there is only 73000 miles on the vehicle. toyota should of contacted owners once they knew there was a problem. *tr

We have a 2002 toyota rav4 . the transmission started acting up due to the ecm valve not allowing gears to change . slipping gears & no power at take off from stops. it has 103000 miles on it.we bought this car used at a toyota dealership in 2004. we have not repaired it yet. it is to costly and the car isn't paid off yet. something needs to be done. car has been parked we are afraid to let our daughter drive it. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 started hesitating on initial acceleration and bolting when the gear caught 2nd. was pulling out into intersection and nearly t-boned by ford expedition. brought to transmission specialist. no engine light, no code. read about potential ecm problem. brought to toyota and spent $1400.00 to replace ecm. *tr

I am the original owner of a 2002 rav4 and have been taking it to toyota for service. as i was leaving work at 5pm one friday, my car would hard-shift into first and struggle even more to get to second, etc. i drove it straight to toyota carlsbad. they contacted me the following day after changing the transmission fluid. they said i needed a new transmission and computer. come to find out there had been a service bulletin in 2006 that only toyota knew about that recognized the potential for transmission problems. i was not informed of this when i had the transmission serviced by toyota in 2007. the total cost to me would be $4800 without tax, which i could not afford. since i needed my car for work and i take care of my elderly mother, i scrounged together the nearly $2000 for the computer replacement as well as the thermostat replacement (the idiot light code said it had a loose wire, and not total replacement!). i was told the transmission would definitely need to be replaced in a very short time, and they suggested i purchase another car very soon. the service bulletin should have been shared with me, the client. they knew about and kept the potential problem from me and now the problem is a costly one to repair. i would like toyota to replace the transmission for free and reimburse me for my costs to replace the computer. after researching this rav4 problem, i have learned that this has been a big and continuing problem for 2002 rav4 owners and should be investigated. i believe that the computer (or ecm) was the cause of this problem. i am hoping the transmission will not have to be replaced. i purchased this expensive (for me) toyota because it was said to last longer than other vehicles. i truly think this problem needs to be brought to the light and included in the federal investigation of toyota. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 with unintended acceleration. *kb the consumer stated his daughter was driving the vehicle, and had difficulty stopping the vehicle, because the accelerator became stuck. the incident only occurred once to date. in august 2008 the vehicle was serviced for a harsh shifting within the transmission. a rebuilt transmission was installed. the consumer continued to experience problems with the transmission. *jb the consumer stated he was given a copy of a tsb that had been issued regarding the transmission which stated if the harsh shifting persists after the ecm replacement, the automatic transaxle assembly may also require replacement. updated 04/29/10. *jb the consumer stated the computer in the vehicle was defective and eventually replaced. however the consumer believed the new computer is also defective in light of the recent toyota recalls. updated 05/04/10. *jb

In the fall of 2008, the factory installed cruise control on my 2002 toyota rav 4 functions intermittently. it will work for a short period on any long trip then will cause vehicle to decelerate. sometimes cannot get it to work again. light will flash on and off on the dashboard. have taken it in to local toyota dealership who cannot get it to duplicate. the mechanic states everything is fine. due to semi-functional cruise, the mileage on a long distance trip has decreased from 30-32 mpg to 24-26mpg.reported this to toyota in 2009 and given a case # which i have misplaced. they did not appear to be concerned or admit they had a problem. extended warranty (to 100,000 miles) will not cover the repair. there is indeed an electrical issue going on, but no one seems to solve the problem or care. in searching i have found other people who have posted comments regarding the same issue without resolution. *tr

On february 25th 2010, while attempting to enter 105 freeway, my 2002 toyota rav4 refused to accelerate, almost resulting in my car been rear-ended. this progressed into erratic shifting. *tr

I own a toyota rav4 2002.....it has been known by toyota that this model has had problems with its ecu.....which makes the car shift at the wrong revs\times, at times at traffic lights or merging into highways the car completely looses power, sometimes at traffic lights it completely stalls leaving you completely vulnerable to other cars....it sometimes to revs to over 4000 revs and then suddenly engages into gear, which results in unintended acceleration. this might cause serious problems especially in congested traffic. i took the car to the toyota dealer in acton, ma they told me i had to pay 4500 dollars to fix their own design flaw, which popestrous. there are soo many blogs that complain about this, type "rav4 transmission problem" on google. you are bound to find thousands of blogs complaining about this. i'd like to think that this government does indeed take care of its people\ looking out for them and fighting for them in battles they can not win alone. all i ask for is for toyota to be held responsible for their own flaws. they have put millions of people in serious risk, this is not something that should be overlooked, especially after discovery of their faulty acceleration pedals. this is what you get for trying to cut cost and then making the consumers pay for this mistake. its high time toyota came clean about their shady designs. everyone and i mean everyone should boycott toyota products until they once again become the trustworthy and reliable company it once was -do not buy the coffin car. *tr

In 2003 we bought a brand new 2002 toyota rav4. in 2007, the engine seized up at 56,000 miles. we took it to toyota and they told us it would cost $7,000 because they needed to replace the engine. after gathering all our maintenance history and much deliberation toyota agreed to replace the engine but we had to pay for the labor ($2500); we agreed. after they did the work, we heard a soft constant beating sound coming from the engine. when we took it back, we were told that sound was normal when a new engine is installed and it will go away -- it didn't. 18 months and 10,000 miles later, the engine died again. baffled at how two separate engines can die we took it to our personal mechanic. he explained to us that the engine was never replaced, but rebuilt. we took it back to the dealership and they refused to help us. so did toyota corp. they have a settlement for defective engines for the same generation engines (1997-2002) for almost every model. except the rav4. what makes it worse was i was told i was getting a new engine. at the same time my personal mechanic had found me a used engine (12,000 mi) for 2300 including installation. had i knew they were going to rebuild it, i would have went with that option. so they screwed me out of 2500, a car, and a chance at actually fixing the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while sitting idle, he depressed the accelerator pedal when there was an atypical sudden increase in engine rpms of up to 4,000. the vehicle then attempted to stall without warning, however suddenly the vehicle shifted gears and abnormally accelerated. the contact continued to depress the brake pedal in an attempt to decrease vehicle speed. he was able to stop the vehicle and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they verified the electronic control module (ecm) was the cause of the unintended acceleration. the contact advised this was not the first time he encountered unintended acceleration in this vehicle. there were no repairs made to the vehicle. the failure mileage was 86,900 and the current was 87,000.

Hesitation accelerating from stop. lack of power going up a steep incline. improper shifting from one gear to another.vehicle became undrivable 03/01/2010. pcm/ecm module defective- needs replacement at a cost of 1693.41. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4, which i bought 2.5 years ago. i recently had to have my transmission rebuilt and clutch replaced after it suddenly began slipping gears. i had no prior warning light alerting me that there was a problem occurring with my cars engine. the transmission repair shop had done extensive repair and ultimately had to keep my car for three weeks trying to determine why it still wouldn't run properly. it was finally taken to freeman toyota in petaluma ca to have the computer "flashed". my mechanic was told the computer was dead and would need replacing for just over $1,000.00. i had already been quoted $3,300.00 for prior repairs to the transmission and clutch. had i been alerted by an a warning that the engine was having problems, i could have avoided needing to replace the transmission and clutch. i have since learned that toyota had a "dealer" recall for the 2002 toyota rav4. the freeman toyota dealership has denied this. i am out $4,300.00 and am a single mom with ms. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) i purchased my 2002 toyota rav4 from my dealer, rich toyota of huntington, wv in spring 2002¿it was his demo car, vin#[xxx] ; model #4416a. at 107,00 miles, out of the clear-blue, the rav4 check engine light came on for about two hours, then went out, but then shifting became erratic. i have serviced this vehicle faithfully since i purchased it and expected to get another 100,000 more miles, but, my dealership, where it has been serviced since purchase, said it was going to cost over $1,200 for the ecc/ecm (engine control computer/engine control module), and even if i replace just the ecc/ecm, it still may not work with the old transmission, so it was recommended that i replace the transmission too for another $3,500 because the defective ecc may have destroyed the transmission. they also suggested replacement of the air-fuel sensor for a total of $5,189.00 in repairs before taxes. i had never realized that there were ever any serious problems like this with the toyota product line until i went online to research this transmission problem. what an eye-opener!!! there were many, many problems documented with many of toyota's products! considering that this rav4 was a $22,000 vehicle when i purchased it, doesn't it seem strange that after just 6 years it is inoperable and even dangerous! after e-mailing and sending a letter to toyota usa in torrence california about this issue, i called the toyota customer assistance center at 1-800-331-4331 and talked with a real person. plus, i have been assigned a case number, which goes into their database and logs the issue should they have enough complaints to warrant a recall or other remedy. i have since replaced the transmission and defective ecu at a cost of about $4,500. after researching your complaint files on this rav4 issue, why hasn't nhtsa done something about it with toyota!!!!???? *tr

My wife was driving our 2002 rav4 last week, she pulled away from a stop sign and our 2002 rav4 started jerking and then slowed to a sudden stop right in the middle of the intersection. after a "scary moment", it started driving normally again. we took the car to our mechanic the next day to have the transmission serviced, it was about due . we were told the transmission is probably "shot". while shopping on-line for a replacement, i came across numerous web sites with hundreds of rav4 customers experiencing the same transmission problems! turns out he problems were identified, by toyota themselves a few years ago, as a malfunctioning ecm (electronic control module) causing the failures of the transmissions within 50 miles of driving. toyota notified their service techs, but did not notify it's customers of this problem. we maintain our vehicles routinely and have never had any problems with the rav. but this is a serious safety issue. a car stalling in the middle of an intersection is extremely dangerous if not deadly. toyota motors has known about this safety issue for years, and they have the responsibility to inform their customers of such dangerous situations and to repair and/or replace any malfunctioning parts in their customers cars that could cause such a situation. *tr

Week of 2/23/10 snow day driving home and my vehicle started having shifting problems with out warning. the next day the problem seemed to be un noticeable. week of 3/1/10 on my way home from work the problem started again with out warning. this time it was severe shifting problems. i drove it to a toyota dealership and was told i needed a new transmission. this is turning out to be a several thousand dollar problem. i did research online and found that hundreds of toyota customers have had the same problem. i found that toyota has known about the problem for years but only covers it if found under the warranty period if the problem presents itself. but after that toyota place the financial burden on their customers for the known problems found between the ecm and the transmission. mileage on day of incident is aprox 97,000 miles. it seems like toyota's unsaid motto is lets sell vehicles with known defects, don't tell out customers, and do noting for our customers. too many people have the same problem around the same mileage. i was told that i was buying a rock solid car because it was toyota. with me having to bare the financial burden of a known problem tells me that toyota does not and will not back their products.. *tr updated ivoq 11/12/10

Tl*the contact 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the brakes have made a noise when applied since the vehicle was purchased. the speed varies whenever the failure occurred. the dealer diagnosed he failure several times and there was never a resolution. the contact has service records for the brakes. the contact stated that the vehicle is not safe. the vehicle had 112 miles at the time of failure. the current mileage is 63,530. the consumer stated the brakes continue to squeak. updated 04/30/10

I have a 2002 toyota rav4. when going down hills the gears will downshift and the engine revs fast. now during normal driving, it gets stuck in 2nd gear then will bang into 3rd. i've also noticed sometimes when i try to pull onto a highway, there is no acceleration. *tr

I am the owner of a 2002 toyota rav-4 with 60,000 miles and have a transmission issue. i read online that this has been a recurring issue with 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s and that toyota has known about it since 2006, yet they continue to sell them. my issue started in january of this year, when i noticed that the vehicle stalled going from 1st to 2nd shift. then all of a sudden it jerked and moved forward, sometimes doing this several times continuously until reaching about 35 miles/hr. it was hard going up hill and at times felt unsafe with vehicles traveling very close behind me. i brought it to the toyota dealership and they told me that it was the ecm sensor that went. they also mentioned that they had seen this issue with many other rav-4s and toyota issued no recall. so this was fixed and within a couple of days my car was bad again. i contacted toyota, and they charged me again to look at it and them told me that the transmission went due to this sensor issue and i needed a new one. also that although it was toyota's problem, they would not cover it. they wanted to charge over $6000 and when calling other transmission specialists they wanted anywhere from 3000-5000. this is a huge issue for not just myself but i'm sure many other consumers who are left feeling unsafe driving these vehicles and without the cash to fix it. i haven't driven it in weeks, since the last time i drove it i was pulling out onto a busy street and i had plenty of time to make it onto the road but in the middle of my turn my car felt as if it would stall and took a while before it got into 2nd gear to drive off. in the meantime a car that was driving at about 30-40miles/hr was coming at me and i barely made it onto the rode and drove off in time. had the car been any closer, and he was pretty far initially, he may have hit me. i don't feel safe driving this vehicle and have read of others failing on the freeway. this is not right. i hope that an accident or even death doesn't result. *tr

While driving the car would shift down a gear causing the car to suddenly reduce speed. this occurred a number of times and upon bringing it to the dealer i was told there is a service bulletin to replace the computer for the vehicle. because the car was out of warranty (approx. 90,000 miles) the repair is not covered, however, if i had let the problem continue without repair i would need to replace the transmission completely. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately between 35-45 mph on normal road conditions, proceeding to a traffic stop signal. the engine reved excessively high. the transmission exhibited a harsh shift as a result of an unexpected acceleration. the driver was able to continue in operation with caution. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the failure was contributed to the engine control module (ecm). the vehicle vehicle has not been repaired at this time. the failure mileage was 104,000. updated 11/16/10. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the ecu board failed on the vehicle and that the dealer said that they were aware of the failure. the dealer stated that the ecu board normally failed at 75 miles on his year, make and model vehicle. after the ecu failed the vehicle began to lunge forward when it shifted. the failure mileage was 82,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. updated 05/10/10 *bf updated 05/11/10. *jb

Normal driving conditions. at every stop light, in drive, car would rev up as if in neutral, then slam into gear. dealership replaced ecm at cost of $1200 to me. *tr

The transmission started slipping so we decided to add some atf. that seemed to work for a day but the shifts became harder after that. at times the car would not accelerate properly and would bog down. we took the car to the dealership and they started giving us the runaround. they said the tranny needs fixing (the car was something like 500 miles out of the warranty), then they said that they will replace the computer to see if that fixes the problem. it didn't, since as we all know the original computer has already caused the transmission to break and the new one would not help. at this point i started researching the problem and found many more people with the same issue on the internet. i called toyota to complain and they did not want to do anything even though: a) the car was just out of the warranty, b) they provided a tsb to the dealership which ignored it and did not do the update to the computer before the problem showed up, c) all maintenance work was done at the dealership. in the end we paid to get the transmission fixed out of pocket which was not cheap. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4. i've been the sole owner of this vehicle and purchased it band new in 2002 from a local honolulu toyota dealer. in mid/late 2009, the vehicle started having transmission problems: hard shifting in lower gears 1, 2 & 3, hard shifting when placing the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle shaking and vibrating when slowing down and sudden acceleration from the stopped position when the gas pedal is slowly pressed.. i took the vehicle in to determine the problem. an independent mechanic informed me that toyota issued memo outlining the problems i described above possibly due to the transmission and/or the ecu (computer that controls the transmission). a toyota servicing mechanic informed me that my 2002 rav4 was no longer under drivetrain warranty, so repair cost are my responsibility. a quick web search of "rav4 transmissions" shows that many other rav4 owners suffer from similar problems, resulting in very high repair costs, anywhere from $3,000 up to $8,000. the vehicle still suffers from the above mentioned problems, but due to the high repair estimates i am unable to fix the vehicle. *tr

2002 rav4 faulty ecm damaged my transmission. i bought this car for my daughter for college and it ran fine for 3 years until now. the car started jerking (pulling) when accelerating the car. i did my research on the internet and found out about the problem with the ecm. i found hundreds of complaints from other rav4 with the same problem. i decided to call toyota and opened a case number. a week later i called them back and they told me that the warranty no longer cover this. i also found out that toyota never notified customers about this problem reported on bulletin tc002-06 dated 3/3/06. i received a recall for "check engine light" but never received a recall to replace the ecm. i took the car to the dealer and they said i have to replace both the ecm and the transmission and it will cost me about $3000, which i think this could have been prevented if toyota would have replaced the ecm earlier. *tr

Engine seize at 162k miles. this vehicle has had regular maintenance. oil changes every 3-5k miles. apparently oil pump went out and took the engine with it. owned this vehicle since it had 7 miles on it. it left me stranded in the middle of nowhere. put in reman. jasper engine. after about $7,000.00 the engine light is still on. the mechanic said i could take it to a toyota dealer and they'd "flash" it to get it to go off, but it would cost me a few hundred. the engine light has been on since about 28k miles. took it to the dealer for that and they just undo the battery and put it back on. that "resets" it. within 100 miles it goes back on. i just leave it and if the car blows up i'll leave it where it dies this time. i paid 28k for the car in 2002, 8 yrs ago. 28k+7k(engine)=$35,000.00 $35,000.00/8(yrs)=4375(per year to own.minimum) 4375.00/12(mos)=364.58 per month. very expensive to own and regular maintenance isn't even included..... too many people have had this problem. *tr

Transmission sticks from 1st to 2nd. has done it since i bought it new in 2002. took to dealer way back then they told me i had "special transmission fluid and i would have to pay to get it fixed". i never had it fixed and it still sticks. takes about 1/4 mile to shift. purchased from kissimmee toyota which is now toyota of orlando(?) adding complaint for engine seize. *tr

Very suddenly my transmission felt like it would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear. it would free spin, then force into gear. toyota replaced ecm, apparently the problem referred to in a 2006 tsb. unknown if my transmission was damaged. *tr

I bought a 2002 toyota rav4 in nov 2001. sometime in nov 2009, i was driving on i-25 southbound when suddenly the toyota down shifted gears and slowed down from about 65 mphto 45 mph. as i pressed on the gas pedal, it began to upshift and gain speed. the transmission was beginning to act up at lower speeds about once a week at times more often. the toyota had about 86,000 miles. after doing a google search for 2002 toyota rav4 transmission problems, i discovered this problem began about 35,000 miles on some toyota. i called the toyota dealer service department and they were aware of the problem but reported that toyota would not own up to it. google search reports reported that the problem was reported to nhtsa and suggested others to report the problem. one reported that his wife was almost killed by the highway instant speed reduction. *tr

After having an oxygen sensor replaced in the exhaust system of my 2002 toyota rav4 on 02/02/10, i noticed that my car began accelerating sluggishly. approximately 50 miles after the service was performed, i noticed my car jerked when shifting through gears 1-3 and the tachometer would rev to 3000 rpms. the car then ran fine for app. 4 days with no gear slippage. a week later the gears started slipping again without warning and the car seemed to have no power when the gas pedal was fully engaged during a right hand turn to merge with oncoming traffic. the car then bucked violently. this resulted with my passenger and i becoming anxious/scared because we didn't know if the traffic coming toward us would have hit us if we suddenly lost power. i immediately drove my car home where it has remained parked and set an appointment with a toyota dealer explaining the problems. according to similar stories from fellow rav4 owners, there is a problem with the electronic control module causing irreversible damage to the transmission. i am taking the car to the dealer to have it 'officially' diagnosed although it only codes to have the o2 sensor replaced, which i did. *tr

A normal driving day for our 2002 toyota rav4, maybe 30 miles of errands. the car was running fine in the morning but we were barely able to limp it home by that same afternoon. our mechanic said that the transmission was shot, which i found hard to believe, since the car was asymptomatic that morning. the transmission specialist said that he has seen this problem many time before and knew exactly what the issue was. the computer that controls the automatic transmission (part # 89661-42820) can malfunction without warning and in the process destroy the transmission. he had received tsb# tc002-06 from toyota detailing the issue, and has rebuilt several transmission for the same reason. we were strongly advised to replace the ecm, a $1300 part, or our new transmission would last for about 30-50 miles before coming apart again. after rebuilding the 2nd and 3rd clutches and replacing the ecm, our bill came to about $3500. i reported all of this to toyota and after several weeks time and much negotiation, they offered me a $1500 customer retention incentive, good if i buy a new or certified used toyota in the next 2 years. the entire process has been documented with toyota national headquarters under file #0906113635. *tr

Have a 2002 toyota rav4 that had transmission failure in late november/early december 2009. odometer at 91,304 miles. in traffic, car started bucking (lurching) forward without pressure on the gas pedal. took car for repair where it needed to have new computer installed and valve body transmission component replaced at cost of approximately $2000. *tr

Problems with shifting was doing it several times a week - jerked real hard when shifting & was slipping - was initially told it was the transmission and/or the ecm now they tell me the problem is supposedly the ecm. i have been without car now for several months. initially as i was told the transmission needed to be replaced & i don't have that kind of money. found another mechanic & have had several opinions. my mechanic has sent the ecm to a place in texas that can rebuild the ecm for about half the cost of a new one however now, they can't get parts for the last month to repair the ecm because of the recalls. this should also be a recall as there are over 200 complaints on my year, make & model for the same problems that i have experienced on just one website. i am so frustrated - where can i go to get help from toyota??? can you please look into the ecm & transmission on the 2002 toyota rav4? thank you for any help you can give. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4 that is having acceleration shifting problems. reading online it is from a faulty ecu in the car which is causing the car to shift at improper times which is ruining the transmission. the problem comes and goes- when i bring it to toyota they claim nothing is wrong with the car. also looking on line there are many more people that have the same type of issue with their rav 4's as well. *tr

Was driving in a 55 mile highway car felt like was driving through sludge. engine light came on. then car stared jerking got to side of road and had towed to toyota dealer ship said the transmission chip was bad cost around $1300.. and new transmission altogether would cost me $6000.*tr

An investigation should be conducted into the transmission slippage problem of the toyota rav4 2002 and later models. mine rav4 had a problem with this issue and i reported to toyota company about the issue, but no recall has taken. i had done some research and found out that many owners of this type of vehicles have had the same problem. as i have experienced, the slippage can create a very dangerous situation while traveling on the road. i strongly recommend the nhtsa to look into this problem as well. *tr

Pulling away from a stop, the transmission acted like it was slipping and would not speed up. i drove the vehicle 1 mile home, with similar slip/shift issues. in addition, when i shifted between drive and reverse in my driveway, the transmission has a hard clunk. i had the ecm refurbished at my own expense, and the problem appears to be mostly gone. i am still concerned about slightly erratic shifting between second and third, and am concerned that the transmission may have been damaged. if this problem would have occurred at highway speeds, which i drive routinely, there would be a safety issue at the 75mph speeds that are normal on i15. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. he stated that he took the vehicle to the dealer for the catalytic converter to be repaired in december of 2008 and while driving 45 mph, the transmission failed. a local mechanic replaced the transmission but he continued to receive the failure code for the transmission. the dealer confirmed that the computer ecm failed and was causing the transmission to down shift and fail. the dealer replaced the computer ecm and the transmission failure code was corrected. the total repair cost was $4,400. he contacted the manufacturer and they would not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage was 117,000.

Toyota issued a secret bulletin on 3/3/2006 (tc006-02), but failed to notify owners of 2001-2003 rav4 vehicles regarding their hard shifting, ecm problems, and transmission failures. despite my reporting this problem within warranty period at 54,000 miles in 2006, and again in 2007, toyota claimed unable to duplicate problem. they are now charging me 1/2 the cost of a new transmission at approximately $2,000 including the cost of flushing the old one and diagnosing the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while at a stop sign, upon accelerating the rpm's increased rapidly; yet, the vehicle did not move. the contact noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating up to its normal speed which forced the contact to drive the vehicle to his residence between 15 and 20 mph. the contact wanted a local mechanic to drain the transmission fluid to confirm if the fluid was the cause of the transmission not shifting gears. removing the transmission fluid did not remedy the failure. the mechanic informed the contact that the transmission was defective. the contact has not had the vehicle repaired at this time; therefore, she was unable to drive the vehicle. the failure mileage was 90,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving 25 mph on a local road the vehicle suddenly accelerated from 25 mph to 85 mph. she quickly made a left turn to avoid a collision and crashed into an island and a cement retaining wall. the insurance company didn't give her a report on what could have caused the failure to occur. the vehicle was destroyed. she broke her right ankle, and her lower back was injured. one of the passengers sustained a broken left hand and injuries to the neck. the other passenger received injuries to the neck. the police report information was not available. the vin was unavailable. the failure and the current mileages were 60,000.

Purchased 2002 toyota rav4 new from toyota dealer in october 2001. experienced hard shifting several years ago when traveling uphill and a highway speeds. told that the car was shifting fine. now the engine control module needs to be replaced and possibly the complete transmission. toyota issued a tsb in 2008 but i was never informed. this is a very dangerous situation since the car can stop at any time. *tr

One day out of the blue my truck had trouble accelerating each time i came to a stop, it then alternate between jerking forward and hesitating before it actually got going. i had to try not to hit anything in front of me and not get hit by the car behind me thinking i'm taking off. i was terrified merging onto the highway because it wouldn't accelerate and then did the hesitating and jerking thing. went straight to mechanic, diagnostics showed possible transmission issue. which would cost $4,200 new and about $3k used. did online research and found hundreds of same complaints and recommendations to replace ecm before it did ruin the transmission. i took the chance and replaced the ecm and truck is running fine now. i had called my toyota dealership who told me my warranty was up (5yrs/50k miles - and i am at 70k miles). could not get thru to toyota headquarters because of gas pedal recall. this is dangerous and research shows toyota knew of this problem since 2006 and has not done a recall. total cost: $1,300 for new ecm and $300 for car rental. *tr

Transmission shift erratically causing the car to buck. 2002 toyota rav4. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 transmission is jerking at low speeds. it seemed that the automatic transmission was not working properly. the jerks would be particularly strong when going up or downhill. after releasing the brake pedal during a complete stop, the car does not roll forward normally either. *tr

Transmission failure/ecm failure on 2002 toyota rav 4, almost causing me to be in an accident. i had to spend over $4700 to have the transmission rebuilt and a new controller installed. toyota dealer told me they were not aware of any problems with the ecm causing transmission damage. then i research it on the internet to find multiple complaints. toyota should have warned owners of the problem and allow owners to change the ecm before ruining the transmission and almost having an accident. *tr

My toyota 2002 rav4 with only 55,000 started having problems with transmission and i took it in as soon as problem started and was told at dealership i needed to replace the whole transmission and install a rebuilt. the repair cost $3400 and after a day of driving i had to take car back to dealer as it was still not running right and then i was told that the ecm needed replacing which they said they did at no cost to me which is very hard to believe. i am totally disgusted that after taking care of my car and at only 55,000 miles the transmission had to be replaced. another disturbing issue is that toyota issued a bulletin regarding this problem but the consumer is still stuck with the repair which is very costly. i also asked them to please return my old transmission and was told that i could not have it. if it was replaced and it is my property why could they not return the transmission to me so that i could be sure that it was replaced. when i took my car back as it was still not running right i was told that they could not figure out what the codes meant and why the car was not running and was told the harness needed to also be replaced and then they changed their story saying that the paint from the rebuilt transmission was too thick and that is why the cables were not making the connection. i took my car to a toyota dealer for service and these people clearly were giving me the run around. i called toyota corporation to file a complaint and they only gave me a 20% discount of $640 towards the !@#$% transmission which i still had to pay the dealer the full amount and i have to submit a whole bunch of paperwork so that i can get my discount. it seems toyota cars are not are good as they claim to be. *tr

My toyota rav4 (2002) with less than 90,000 miles has been slipping and it has caused me to be in some pretty risky situations, such as nearly getting into a fatal car accident when stopping and trying to proceed again at stop lights and stop signs. apparently the ecm is causing damage to the transmission and instead of them trying to fix the problem as a company, they are recommending me to spend over 4,000 to fix a problem that they have fell to resolve. it has become a financial nightmare and i don't want to have to choose between my house and my car because i need both! *tr

I have a 2002 rav4. about 2 months ago, i noticed that when i accelerated, my car hesitated and then jumped into gear. the problem worsened, and when i took it to be looked at, the mechanic informed me that the repairs to the damaged transmission would cost close to $4,000. after researching toyota rav 4 + transmissions, i quickly found many sites stating that many people are having this exact same problem with their toyota 2001 - 2004 rav 4 transmissions, and that the problems are due to a faulty computer that toyota has know about for years. *tr

Toyota 2002 rav4 transmission jerks, car doesn't run right, computer problem causes tranny failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while shifting the vehicle in drive the vehicle would not accelerate past 4 mph. then without warning the vehicle began to rapidly accelerate. eventually he was able to gain control of the vehicle. the vehicle was then taken to the toyota dealer and the technician stated that the computer was overriding the transmission. a new computer was installed in the vehicle. all the repairs have been done under the owners expense. the failure has been reported to the office of consumers affairs and to toyota. the failure mileage was 111000. the current mileage was 111400. updated 02/18/10. *lj updated 03/04/10. *lj

Transmission has failed on my 2002 rav4. 2 mechanics and 1 transmission specialist state that it needs to be completely overhauled and ecm is bad also. car will not shift out of 2nd gear and hesitates. *tr

No problems were apparent until overnight the transmission appeared to be slipping. independent mechanic cited failing transmission as probable issue. toyota dealership stated the ecm/ecu was failing. turns out ecm was defective in the model year of this vehicle. toyota' response was to "reprogram/reflash" defective ecm. this only postponedthe failure of the ecm. the defective ecm would send incorrect codes to the transmission stuttering or halting shifts thus leaving the vehicle effectively in neutral. this stuttering/slipping quickly destroys the transmission. the failure of the ecm would not allow the transmission to shift which put us in danger of being in a rear end collision while trying to get onto busy highways or stalling in an intersection. this occurred multiple times in the trip to the dealership alone (the vehicle went in the next open business day after the first occurrence). the failure occurred in the first three gears. this is a very serious safety issue which was given an ineffective solution. the dealership replaced the ecm at a significant cost to the consumer. when asked about the defective ecm, the service department stated the replacement of the ecm, although agreed to be defective, was the responsibility of the consumer and not toyota. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4 with 82k miles on it. at the beginning of november, 2009, i was driving my vehicle and it began to jerk violently when i accelerated between 1st and 2nd gears. i had difficulty maintaining control and avoided an accident. subsequently, i took the car to the dealer and learned that i had a common problem for 2002 rav 4's -- a faulty engine control module. i researched the problem and learned that many people have also had this problem in 2001 and 2002 rav 4's. toyota is not taking responsibility for this problem. this should be a recall item. *tr

One day, out of the blue, my 2002 toyota rav4 started having trouble getting full power in 1st gear, and often slipped when going from 1st to 2nd, and 2nd to 3rd. since this was so sudden, i often had trouble getting up to speed when pulling into traffic. there were no accidents, but a few close calls. i had the ecm (engine control module) replaced the next day because my mechanic said that this was a fairly common failure for the rav4, and toyota had put out a tsb for this problem. unfortunately, i was well past the mileage needed to get this done under warranty. *tr

About a month after having my 90,000 tune up at my local toyota dealer, i noticed my transmission was slipping; from first to second and second to third. it started intermittently and then became more frequent to the point that i needed it to be inspected. on my way to the dealer my car stalled in the middle of an intersection; cars were honking and i was thankful no one rear-ended me since i was exiting off a ramp. at the dealer they said they could not duplicate my problem (don't know how they couldn't ;everyone driving in my car noticed!) and i drove it away without any problems for almost 2 weeks; the slipping started again. this time my check engine light came on. after taking it back for a second inspection they determined that my ecm needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,200. it has been almost 2 weeks and my car is working great after they replaced the ecm. what upsets me is the fact that toyota knew there was an issue with the ecms. back in 2006 i was notified by my dealership that my ecm needed to be reprogrammed. i had mine reprogrammed but it didn't help. i just hope that no one is injured as a result of these defective ecms. *tr

On the evening of december 21, 2009, i was driving our 2002 toyota rav4, exiting a major shopping center, in a long line of vehicles at a slow speed. suddenly the engine stalled (something that never happened before). i restarted the engine and moved a few car lengths, still in a long line of slow moving vehicles and the engine stalled again. i restarted the engine and was able to proceed home (about 10 miles) without further difficulty. the next day, december 22, 2009, my wife used the vehicle to do some shopping. during her trip she made 4 uneventful stops and restarts. at her 5th stop, at a traffic light at an intersection (on a very busy highway) she stopped for a red light. she then proceeded from the red light - but the engine stalled again. my wife was able to restart the engine, but as soon as the gear shift was put into drive, the engine stalled again. repeated attempts to restart the engine and move the car were unsuccessful. my wife was stuck in the middle of an intersection with trucks and cars passing around her with horns blowing. a passing motorist ultimately came to her assistance and pushed the vehicle out of the intersection to the shoulder of the highway out of potential danger. when i arrived at the location, i also could not drive the vehicle. the engine would start, but engaging any drive position (d, 2, 1, r) would cause the engine to shut down. the vehicle(with 88,000 miles) was towed to my repair shop. the shop diagnosed an ecm/transmission problem - and then transferred the vehicle to a transmission shop for further diagnosis and repair on december 23, 2009. *tr

This complaint is regarding the 2002 toyota rav4 about a year ago i noticed that the vehicle was stopping and having problems changing shifts. i researched and found a lot of people saying that it was the computer of the engine which was messing up my transmission. i went ahead and paid around $2000.00 to have the computer changed. the dealership told me that the old computer which was put at the factory had damaged my transmission. it ran well for a while but a couple of weeks back i was turning left and the vehicle unexpectedly stopped i was scared out of my mind because there were cars coming at a high speed i pushed the gas about 3 times for it to jerk into gear. a lot of other incidents like that have happened with this vehicle where the engine just wont react and place me in dangerous situation. now its even worst where it is really staining itself to at least get to 40mph i'm going to once again have to take it to a shop to get fixed or maybe trade it in all together, because it's a danger to me and my family. *tr

In march 2006, toyota sent dealers a technical service bulletin 002-06warning them that some consumers might complain about harsh shifting. it said improvements were made to the computer ?manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring.? it then told the dealers to replace the module and if that did not work to replace the transmission. but consumers owning the vehicles were never notified about the problem. this is exactly what my car is doing, i was never informed of this defect when i bought my 2002 toyota rav4 used in nov 2007 from toyota of butte mt. and of course it isn't covered under any warranty or recall now - only up to 80,000 miles before the ecm starts to malfunction. i was quoted the fix to be around $900.00 and that's if it hasn't caused damage to my transmission by now. i'm a single working mom of 3 kids on a very limited income - i can't afford to have this fixed and now i'm without the only car my family has because driving it is an extreme safety hazard with it's current problems. as i pull out into traffic the car decides to not shift (as if it were in neutral) right in the path of oncoming traffic - nice job toyota. i think that this should be a covered recall on these vehicles before someone is killed!!!!!!!! *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with 110,000 miles on it. the transmission has just failed. what a dangerous situation, doesn't want to go, so you take off from a stop sign & you're in the middle of traffic & there you sit trying to get the car to move. to correct the problem the transmission needs to be replaced & i don't have $5000 to repair this. it is my understanding that toyota was aware of this problem and has done nothing about it. nice *tr

Check engine light came all of sudden while driving vehicle regular to work, when checked, the transmission sensor bad error came up, then drove vehicle back home.while driving back gear started slipping, could not able to pick up speed. later check engine light gone and vehicle started working fine. next day check engine light was again on. when took the vehicle to mechanic, transmission bad diagnostic came. costing more than 3500. it was hazardous drive while coming back home at a such low miles. *tr

2002 toyota, rav4, my check engine light came on, the car only has 50,000miles on it, i have just recently hearing about this same problem with many other toyota rav 4 owners. *tr

Toyota 2002 rav4 problem with automatic transmission hesitating and jerking in low gears. problem started in july 2009 and within one week was occurring all the time. rav4 was well past its warranty of 50k or 5 years. ourisman chantilly virginia toyota dealer said it needed new transaxle for $5,500. miller toyota of manassas virginia replaced ecm module which was still under emissions warranty of 80k or 8 years. this has corrected the problems so far. *tr

Transmission failure. *tr

Car jerks; hesitates; does not go into gear properly; revs loudly but starts like it's being moved off in third gear. told it's the computer that is bad but if it does not get fixed after replacement of the computer, it could be the transmission. i am ordering a replacement computer but cannot afford to do it via the dealer because the initial cost is $1300. problem is similar to many listed on various websites - spoke to toyota 800-number: they can only take the complaint and give a reference number but nobody will contact me. no suggestion of a recall despite hundreds of complaints about cars with exact problems. i'm frustrated because there is no consideration of a discount being offered, knowing that so many cars have had this exact problem. i feel the cars should be recalled and toyota should offer a good-faith discount, even if it's not the full amount being refunded because cars are over the 80,000 mile threshold, for such safety concerns as this. *tr

Without warning, the transmission on my rav4 started shifting erratically and then it stopped altogether in the middle of heavy traffic! i almost had a serious accident. as it was all there was a minor ding. *tr

Re: 2002 toyota rav4 - at approximately 56,000 miles, this vehicle's transmission began erratic behavior, i.e, stalling in traffic, hesitating and unpredictable shifting. safety was a main concern as the vehicle was stalling during merging with fast-moving traffic. transmission failure was diagnosed by a technician and a factory rebuilt transmission was installed to correct the failure. the ecm was replaced as well. *tr

While starting up from a red light, i felt the trans slip, then bang into 2nd gear. it would continue to buck and slip, than would catch and run smooth. i thought something had happened to the trans, although i only have approx 48,000 miles on the car. turned out to be a faulty ecm which toyota is apparently aware of and was replaced under warranty. i fell this could have potentially been dangerous and i very easily could have been in an accident, but did not really drive the car after the initial incident. *tr

No warning whatsoever before failure as we tried to pull onto a 4 lane highway and car would not accelerate, made loud noises, jerked and seemed like it would just stop dead in its tracks. happened every time it had to shift from 1st to 2nd gear - at stop lights, driving thru town, etc. toyota is now at dealer trying to see what problem could be. *tr

After having problems with my transmission i found out that there was an electronic control module that was defective and caused damage to my transmission. toyota dealers in my area would not offer any help other than to say that it will cost me ~$5,000 for new emc and new transmission. from all of the complaints so far i would guess that toyota is making more money on replacing transmissions then they make on actually selling the car. the emc is a well know problem. now my wife and i are taking the bus to work because i do not have the money to fix this car as it is above the 80,000 mile warranty. it?s bad enough that we all have this problem, but it makes things worse to know that toyota intentionally left consumers in the dark about this underlining problem. they conveniently let people go on driving these cars with this potentially dangerous condition and hope that statistically most of us will drive past the 80,000 mile warranty limit?.which many of us had. i guess their statistics department made them some extra bonus money. well, i?m ticked off and no more toyota for me. i?m taking my business else ware and i am going to tell everyone that i can what i think of toyota. it?s too bad because i used to think that it was a good car manufacture. now i know that they do not care at all about us. they are too happy to take your money and let you drive a car that will eventually need huge repair costs, hopefully by them. *tr

In mid september i started to notice my car really having trouble picking up speed especially when starting off after a complete stop. over the next few weeks the problem became much worse. the car would hesitate to change gears and when it did it would jerk really hard (it sounded like the bottom of the car was going to fall out). i felt like i was going to wreck several times because it would not pick up to speed and then all of a sudden it would jerk upto like 40mph. the problem happened consistently getting worse and worse everyday until i took it in for service. i took it in to have it looked at and the service man told me that the transmission needed to be rebuilt and that my car's computer needed to be replaced. after looking online i discovered that many other rav4 owners are experiencing the same issues. i just wonder how much toyota cares about their customers because they have been aware of the problem and have not told the consumer about it nor have they made a recall on the computers to help with the repairs. i ended up having to rebuild my transmission and replace my computer which ended up costing $5,000. *tr

I have a '02 toyota rav 4 whose k- frame, which supports the front wheels and steering mechanism, rusted completely in half, which caused me to run off the road when i braked suddenly and it cracked. the vehicle has 150k and i have always kept up the maintenance and had no idea the rust was that bad. toyota has not responded to my complaints, even though they are covering even older tacomas and tundras because of their rusting frames. i am very frustrated and disconcerted in toyota products ,especially since their latest ad campaign touts their longevity and dependability. thank you for attention to this matter, i'm sure that i'm not the only rav4 owner with this complaint. *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

Problem appeared without warning. the transmission became sluggish at low speeds and from a stop at stop signs and stop lights, creating a hazard of being hit by other vehicles in intersections. also a rough shift (automatic transmission) between first and second gears, resulting in same hazard as above. these problems match toyota's technical service bulletin tc0002-06, 3/3/2006. immediately took it to dealer shop, they replaced transmission. problem persisted!. shop replaced ecm, and problem fixed. toyota had implied a problem existed w/ ecm in the tsb back in 2006. they further admitted fault now by providing via the local dealer a "one time good will warranty" on the ecm. i believe that if toyota had recalled the ecms or extended the warranty back in 2006 and replaced mine at that time, i would not have had my transmission replaced for $4126 parts and labor. i assume dealer disposed of old ecm. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 shifting erratically and slipping while driving. began last month with only 39k miles on car. brought to dealer and they replaced ecm under warranty but refused to also replace transmission which had been damaged due to faulty ecm. (see tsb number:00206 nhtsa number:10019667). dealer returned vehicle. but transmission began to slip worse and worse each day right after. it was now extremely unsafe to drive. within 1 week the car would not accelerate over 20mph. multiple times we almost had accidents while pulling into traffic. car returned to dealer for $300k+ repair of transmission. this is a known problem since at least 2006 and toyota has failed to notify any customers. hundreds have complained of the problem but many unsafe cars remain on the road today as a result. see: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/jerking_and_hesitating.shtml. *tr

My vehicle began to have trouble the night before the incident. traveling on the freeway i noticed rough shifting, a chug between 2nd and 3rd gear. i dismissed it until the next morning driving to work. that morning, loud clunk when i shifted to reverse, then in 1st gear there was slipping before it finally engaged. on the way to work the car would lurch ahead then stall in 1st 2nd and 3rd gear. barely made it to parking at work. after work, on the day of the incident i ventured on the roads again trying to make my way to toyota repair. i nearly stalled in the middle of at least 3 intersections and cars backed up behind me. i was leery about getting into the left hand turn lane. finally off the road, the car crept into the repair shop. the dealer service center replaced the trans ecu (description below): 89661-42812 computer, engine con they returned the old part to me with this part number: 89661-42810 this old part was identified as being defective and a service bulletin was sent out to service centers, but not to consumers. i believe the old part is a safety hazard and could lead to more serious incidents than mine. why aren't these defective parts being recalled? *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 has 100,102 miles on it and started to have transmission problems, i.e. slowing down while driving posted speed, not moving after red light turns green and the vehicle seems to jump while just driving down the road. we called a reliable transmission repair place who informed us that "toyota rav4s are notorious for this dangerous situation and it's not the transmission it's the computer. take it to the dealership." we took it to our local toyota dealer who replaced part number 89661-42822 computer, engine on september 28, 2009. this repair cost us$1,504.00. my vehicle seemed fine for a week and then intermittently started doing the same thing. i brought it back to the dealer (a-1 toyota in amity connecticut) on october 19, 2009 and left it overnight because it seems to happen first thing, on a cool engine and it didn't do it for them. they told us to keep a record of it, and when it starts to happen on a more frequent basis - when they can experience the problem, bring it back. i feel i'm driving an unsafe vehicle and that toyota needs to recognize this dangerous, common problem with their vehicles. *tr

Transmission/ecm failure. transmission would "flare" while accelerating. when shifting while accelerating, transmission would not engage and power was not transmitted to wheels. engine would rev up for 5-10 seconds until transmission would violently engage in next gear. this was particularly dangerous while attempting to cross or merge with traffic, as the vehicle had no ability to accelerate during the event. symptoms quickly became very regular/repeatable. vehicle was repaired and the problem was identified as a faulty ecm module and damaged transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. when driving she experiences gear slippage in the transmission. this causes the vehicle to bounce and stall. the computer chip was replaced, but the failure has not been remedied. the failure mileage 75,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable.

2002 toyota rav4. car stalled on highway, barely made it up hills. drove two hours from home to a recruiting event. transmission shift solenoid needed to be replaced. car has 76,600 miles on it. slow shifting and sudden complete malfunction led to safety issues/serious potential for accidents. *tr

Apparently with all the chatter about toyota rav4s there is clearly an issue with the transmissions. mine as well has started to slip and buck in and out of 2nd gear. an investigation is definitely warranted and should lead to a recall by toyota. *tr

In the middle of a trip, after stopping, the transmission started jerking when switching gears. since then it has been an intermittent problem. sometimes it downshifts for no reason, sometimes it doesn't fully engage into first gear. sometimes it works fine. sometimes it has trouble accelerating going uphill, it will downshift and rev to redline and won't shift to the next gear. i took it to the dealer, and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong, that it worked for them. but then they also offered to replace my transmission. *tr

Transmission problems with 2002 rav4: the "checking" engine light on my car was on a week ago, then the next day, i put my car to koons toyota at tysons, virginia for checking the problem, also i requested 120,000 mile service. after service was completed by koons, i found that my car has the harsh shifting occurs, meaning that, at the low gear, when stepped on the gas pedal. my car hesitates to shift into the second gear. after push further on the gas pedal, my car jumped harshly into the second gear, rather than smooth driving as prior to the service. the next day, i brought my car back to koons to report the "harsh shifting" problem, they test drove my car and agreed that there is some jerking occurs at low gear. they recommended me to continuously drive the car, hoping that the car will adjust itself to the new software programming that they used. i continued drive for a week while carefully listen to my car: the "hard shifting" problem still exist. then last night, the "check engine" light was on again. i immediately brought my car to koons dealer at tysons to correct the problem. after checking it again, koons told me that the problem caused by the "engine control module" (e.c.m.) and recommended me that first to replace the e.c.m., and if that doesn't solve the hard shifting problem, second is to replace the transmission next. i think this problem definitely not cause by me, rather by koons and toyota manufacturer. now i do not know what to do. thank you for listening. *tr daniel bui

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving between 45-50 mph the transmission exhibited gear shifting failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician concluded that the transmission had slipped gears,therefore the vehicle was repaired. after the repair the failure resurfaced. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and repaired. however none of the repairs have remedied the failures. the failure mileage was 82,000. the current mileage was 83,000.

Same transmission problem as everyone else. transmission started to slip, stopped driving immediately and told the computer needed to be replace. furious at the fact that this is not a recall. there is no maintenance which as the owner i failed to do. this is a safety issue and i have sold my toyota with complete dissatisfaction at toyota's lack of response to this. if i did not stop driving immediately i'm told i would have ruined the transmission and it would have cost $4,00 instead of the $1,600. slipping gears while driving is a safety hazard. does someone need to get hurt before toyota does something? *tr

In 2004 we purchased a 2002 rav4 toyota after checking with consumer reports. the car has not turned over 100,000 miles and the transmission and the computer went out. the charge for replacing both was $3708. research shows that the computer/transmission problem for 2001 to 2003 toyotas is growing. we are retired living on social security and did not have this kind of money for this problem. there should have been a recall or some type of adjustment by toyota for the computer/transmission problems. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 had issues with the ecu (computer) which controls the gear shifting. the symptoms are stalling/pausing between 1st and 2nd and/or 2nd and 3rd gear. when it happens, pressing on the gas has no effect - car does not accelerate. occurs quite frequently after the problem surfaces. on 10/8, as i was taking a left turn onto a main road, i had a stall and could not accelerate. there was an oncoming car that had enough time to stop and did not hit me. i had my mother and 14 month old daughter in the back. i researched the issue online and found this same complaint for hundreds of rav4 owners. the ecu (computer) fails after significant mileage (i'm at 135k), causing the transmission to be affected. if the ecu repair does not solve the problem, the transmission needs to be rebuilt. i had the ecu re-built for $1,413 ($1200 for the part alone) and it seems to have fixed my issue. *tr

There were no events leading up to failure. my transmission on my 2002 toyota rav4 started slipping and pulling out of the blue. it had 87,280 miles and had been regularly serviced and inspected. it failed to accelerate at intersections and on take off , making driving very dangerous. i took it in and was told by the repair shop the engine control module was defective and had caused the transmission to fail , leaving me driving with only 3rd gear. it is believed that the toyota was aware of the defective engine control module. my husband and i had to spend $3715.30 to repair the transmission and replace the defective ecm. this is a clear and present danger as there is no warning. failure could happen at any time and any place causing bodily harm to the driver , passengers, and other vehicles and occupants on the road. i feel a recall is needed and reimbursement of all repair costs should be made to victims of this negligence. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while the contact was attempting to accelerate she noticed that the vehicle suddenly lunged forward. the dealer stated that the transmission computer needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings, the current and failure mileages were 86936.

I have a toyota rav4 2002. i am now experiencing a nightmare. a few weeks ago, my car started shifting gears, shaking, and the engine light went on. i brought it to hyannis toyota. the csr told me it was a defective computer. the car was under warranty and they would replace it. approx. 3 weeks later, my car started with the same problem. shaking, moving into a different gear and the engine light went on. i brought it back to hyannis toyota and was told, "this is not the same problem." you need a new coil. it will cost you $250.00. also, i had to rent a car. of course at my own expense. now, i do not know how to deal with this company. if the computer was defective, and was replaced. why am i still experiencing the same problems? *tr

Yesterday, 2002 toyota rav4 transmission began to slip and hesitate jeopardizing passenger safety. i understand toyota issued tsb 00206 but chose not to recall or otherwise inform customers. further i understand replacement ecm is over $1,000 and a transmission rebuild may cost nearly $4,500. toyota evidently is unwilling to correct or otherwise offer financial assistance to correct this dangerous defect. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. after experiencing some problems with accelerating, the check engine light went on (the same evening that i experienced the acceleration problem). i took it into an auto center and they reported that it was code # p0755 - stored in system solenoid b malfunction. i was told that i would need to replace the ecm. they told me that toyota has been having alot of problems with this and that toyota said repairs would be covered under the federal emissions warranty of 80,000 miles or eight years from the time the vehicle was sold. unfortunately, my car has almost 97,000 miles on it so it was not covered. here is a link to an article concerning this issue: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/toyotas-reaction-to-transmission-woes-draws-customers-ire/?scp=1&sq=rav4%20owners%20fume%20over%20toyota%e2%80%99s%20handling%20of%20transmission%20glitch&st=cse. *tr

Transmission started to "roughly" shift. almost lost power on freeway. this happened suddenly. no warning of transmission failure. was working perfectly earlier in the day. drove home in slow lane with hazards on. afraid engine would shut down on freeway. *tr

Erratic transmission operation, e.g. severe slipping and improper downshifting which causes rapid deceleration of the vehicle with no warning or indication to following drivers. according to the dealer, the transmission failure resulted from failure of the engine control unit (ecu). this car's ecu was recently reprogrammed by toyota in accordance with tsb eg010-02. this tsb addresses spurious catalytic converter error codes. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 all wheel drive automatic, and the transmission started acting up at 98,000 miles. the car would shudder at stops, sometimes lunging forward. i would hold up traffic as it continued shuddering until it would finally go into second. sometimes on the freeway it would slip out of gear and shudder as well. i would have to reduce speed until it would go into second. sometimes at intersections i would crawl across the street as i hoped that it would go into second before the light turned red! i took it into toyota oxnard ca. at 110,000 miles. the service manager told me that this model "is notorious for transmission problems." i then said, "and you sold me this car knowing this?!" i purchased the used car from the same lot in april 2004. so the car was looked at, and the diagnosis was that it needed a new transmission. no mention of the computer problem. i was quoted $3800 to fix it. i took it to another transmission shop for a second opinion, as i could not afford $3800 to fix it. i was told that if i "baby" it that it may last awhile longer. at 203,000 miles it gave out. the car would no longer go into 2nd gear. i took it back to the transmission shop where i was told that the computer was also an issue, and he suggested to replace both. it is now fixed...$4800 later. i am currently unemployed and had to use all of my student loan money to pay for my car. *tr

Toyota rav4 my transmission slips and jerks. i was just at a light, and it didn't work properly. i almost got hit. i am now scared to drive it. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 with auto transmission, 94k miles; transmission is not shifting between 1st and 2nd gear in a safe manner. the rpms reach 4000 - 5000 before transmission shifts to 2nd gear. this is dangerous when merging on a highway ramp as the car is not shifting to reach higher speeds in order to merge safely. also, in stop and go traffic, car is not shifting into 2nd gear in a timely manner and could cause life threatening accidents due to rear-end collisions. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with transmission/ecm problems. my issue is that there was a technical service bulletin sent out to all of toyota service departments it is as follows: technical service bulletin is: tc002-06, revised march 3, 2006: "some 2001 ? 2003 model year rav4 vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition and/or m.i.l. ?on? with dtc p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758, and/or p1760 stored. improvements have been made to the engine control module (ecm) (sae term: powertrain control module/pcm) manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring. use the following procedure to repair the vehicle" it goes on to say replace the ecm/ecu and possibly the transmission. my complaint is that toyota did not notify any consumer about this issue and now that many of us are just now having a problem with this and after researching it learning that we are not alone and it is happening with many of the same model car- mainly the 2002. i have contacted toyota corp. as well as the dealership where my car was purchased. i was told the cost to repair my car would be a costly $9,000.00. this is something that toyota intentionally kept from consumers to avoid costly repairs to themselves. had i been notified i would have had the ecu/ecm replace in 2006 while my car was still under warranty. there are 121 complaints to the national highway traffic safety administration. this just started with my car 3 weeks ago i was almost hit by another car because my car would not switch into gear once i reached about 20 mph and again at about 40 mph...the engine revved to about 6000 rpm's and just sat there if it were in neutral. i am very worried about the safety of driving this car. toyota needs to own up to this problem and issue a recall. i am very upset and feel i was not dealt a fair hand with this car - toyota would only repair this problem based on a customers specific complaint under 80k miles. *tr

All of the sudden, my transmission started acting funny. the gears shifted really hard and it started slipping. i almost had an accident because the slipping kept me in an intersection for too long. *tr it appears the problem is not uncommon: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/toyotas-reaction-to-transmission-woes-draws-customers-ire/ i called you yesterday, and was told to call toyota. indeed, they sent me to a dealer who told me that i needed to spend $1546 to replace a computer in charge of the transmission. once that was replaced, they could tell me if the transmission has other problems. a google search suggests this is a common problem that was recognized previously. please hurry with this investigation, as someone may get killed if you go too slow. these computers need to be recalled and replaced. i am respectfully asking you to do your job, and keep americans safe by recalling these cars for repair of this transmission problem. *tr

Problem with my toyota rav4's electronically controlled transmission. the computer was recalled in 2007 for reprogramming. now it has failed, and the transmission potentially along with it. toyota claims no responsibility for it, even though it was recalled and i had the reprogramming done, because i am not under warranty. scary to be driving and have the car shift automatically down to first gear and not shift back. i'm a single mother driving two small children around - seriously scary. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 began intermittently bogging down and hard jerky shifting. i¿m unable to accelerate when this happens and the car looses forward momentum. i encountered a close call when i attempted to pull out into traffic, the rav4 bogged down, would not accelerate and i narrowly missed being hit by oncoming traffic. fortunately i live in a low traffic area. my mechanic said the problem is the engine control module (ecm) and because of this faulty module there may be damage to the transmission. toyota would not offer any financial assistance to repair or replace the problem stating my rav4 is out of warranty by miles ( i have about 118,000 miles) and time. something should be done before someone gets hurt. *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

Our ecm, engine control module, is faulty and has been sending our transmission the wrong signals and telling the transmission to shift at the wrong intervals. this caused our transmission to hard shift and mis-shift between 1 and 2, and 2 and 3. as a result, my wife and i almost got into a accident because our suv would not move until it finally went into gear. *tr

The transmission started slipping and there was a lack of acceleration after coming to a complete stop. once the car would finally accelerate, it would bang into gear. the transmission issue is a know problem with the 2002 toyota rav4's and toyota is refusing to do anything about it if the car has over 80,000 miles on it. *tr

I have a 2002 rav 4 with 60k miles and the ecm is faulty and is causing my transmission to slip, flare up, and almost got me killed in car accident ad my vehicle would not move in traffic until it finally grabbed and went forward. now, i have to spend $4000 to have my transmission fixed at 60k miles. i am outraged that toyota has not recalled this faulty computer ecm. it's dangerous and defective and needs to be recalled. i will be contacting an attorney as 1000's of others are having the same problem and discuss a class action lawsuit. *tr

2002 rav4 that i will need to replace the transmission and ecm on - despite the fact that this is a known issue with these cars. repair cost $5,000. although there were no injuries associated with this there very well could have been, as transmission went out as i was merging onto a very busy interstate highway. these cars are a deathtrap and toyota needs to recall them and fix the problem. *tr

Purchased vehicle from daughter. had it for 2 years and once it hit 90,000 miles, started shifting into 3rd gear from stop position. after towing to toyota dealership, was told need new tranny $3290.27 and ecm $1211.13 . toyota has monopoly on ecm/programming and it must be changed with rebuilt/new tranny. went to website and it seems that this is standard for 2002 rav4's. manufacturer says not their problem, dealership doesn't care and won't help in any way! *tr

Check engine light kept coming on; i would carry it to toyota dealership and they would re-set. this happened more than twice. finally, what i thought and was told that the transmission blew, but found out later that is just sounded and reacted as if the transmission was gone. but was the engine control module which had failed. of course the warranty was off and after contacting toyota i get no assistance. this is some of the information i found out: ) that toyota hq has been aware for at least a few (2,3?) years that there was a defect in the design of the ecm installed in 2001/2002 toyota rav4?s > > 2) that the defect causes problems with transmission or gear-changing mechanism > > 3) that the resulting transmission or gear-changing problems are not due to ?normal wear and tear? of the vehicles. they are caused directly by the defect in the ecm. > > 4) that the resulting transmission or gear-changing problems have caused toyota rav4 owners to spend significant amounts of money. (a casual read of owner complaints suggests many of them have spent anywhere between $3000 and $5000). > > 5) that toyota has failed to compensate owners for costs of fixing the problems caused by a defect they were aware of. i have had to replace a transmission and a engine in this car. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 that started having shifting problems. when i would put the car into reverse it would jerk and jolt this is how it started. then about a week later it started doing this when the car shifted from 1st to second and so on. after about 3 weeks of this i took the car into the dealer and told them to please look at it. they called me later that day saying that they thought i needed new engine mounts. that they were causing car to jerk when it changed gears. he said that they needed to be ordered and that they needed the car overnight. so the next day got a call from the dealer saying that they drove the car some more and realized it was my transmission. that i needed to replace the transmission and the computer that controls it. this would cost me $5200.00. i called a very good friend of mine who has been a mechanic for 30 years and he called a friend of his who works parts at toyota. the person who works for toyota told my friend that they have been having these problems with the rav and that it is only the computer that needs replacement, not the transmission. so, he sold us the part and my friend the mechanic replaced the computer. now my car drives perfectly. so, i instead spent only $1100.00 as opposed to the $5200.00 that the toyota dealer wanted to charge me when it was not my transmission at all. i have all the paperwork from the dealer showing what they wanted me to replace and spend. i am very upset that an accredited toyota dealership was going to have me spend that much money on something when it was not the problem. i bought my car there and i have had it serviced there ever since- 7 years! *tr

Because there is problem with the computer sensor systems that causing it to stall. and toyota knows about this problem. i almost got rear-end twice. i had to have my transmission fixed at a cost of $3000 which could have been avoided with a recall was done. because the stalling out scared me so bad. i have it fix. *tr

The car just began jerking after i put gas in one day. i waited a week to see if the problem would go away, but it got worse. the day i brought it to the shop, the car would barely drive. it would hesitate shifting from first to 2nd gear and the check engine light came on. i brought the car back to the dealership with only 150 miles before the power train warranty expired. they told me it was the ecu and it wasn't the first time they heard about this problem. the dealership fixed it and i only had to pay a deductible. however, this problem masked that there was an issue with the o2 sensor, and the check engine light came on again after 2 days. so i brought it back and the dealership fixed it under the power train warranty even though it had already expired. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4. on august 22nd, 2009 i noticed that when i would come to a complete stop, it would take a while for the car to accelerate and pick up speed. once it did get moving, the car would jerk forward and eventually pick up speed. everytime i would come to a stoplight, i would be deathly afraid that my car wouldn't start up again and that i would be hit from behind. when driving on the highway, it would slow down all of a sudden and then jerk violently forward. this happened everytime i drove. on friday, august 28th i took the car to my mechanic and he said that it was a transmission issue and recommended a shop. my car is currently at the transmission shop getting rebuilt at a cost of $3,000+ i called the toyota dealership where i bought my car and they said they would not rebuild the transmission but would send it to be remanufactured at a cost of no less than $5,000. further research on the web indicates that this is a huge problem with 2002 rav4 owners and that toyota has known of this for a while but done nothing about it. apparently the issues is with a faulty ecm that causes the transmission issues. unfortunately, by the time the transmission goes out, most of the cars are out of the warranty period and the cost is left up to the consumer. my fear is that even with the transmission replaced, if the problem is with the ecm, it is going to re-occur and i am going to incur another staggering repair bill. i called toyota's corporate number and spoke to a customer care rep who advised me that there are no recalls at the time on this model year and that i could not speak to his manager as they do not talk to consumers. i want toyota to be held responsible for this issue. had they notified their buyers to replace their ecm's ahead of time, this would have prevented these costly repairs down the line. *tr

Ecm failed on 2002 toyota rav4 causing erratic auto transmission shifting and car speed to vary widely while in traffic. no 'check engine' light warning. toyota knows of the problem and did not provide any warning. i had to pay a repair bill of $5358.00 to replace the ecm and transmission. *tr

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav 4. while driving 15 mph the vehicle down-shifted and stalled. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. a transmission specialist replaced the transmission to correct the failure; however, the failure resurfaced. the current and failure mileages were 74000. updated 12/7/09 *cn the consumer stated when she attempted to make a turn, the vehicle downshifted erratically. the consumer was informed the engine control module needed to be replaced. updated 12/08/09.

I have a 2002 toyota rav4l. my problems started yesterday. the car is not shifting properly. it stalls as if the car were put into neutral at 20mph and again at about 40mph. i was almost hit by another car because my car would not move when the gas was pushed it just revved the engine. i am afraid to drive this car. i purchased it in dec of 2006 and am still paying for this car. from what i have read i have the same type issue as most others- the ecm. this is unsafe and toyota needs to fess up. they knew about this problem in early 2006 because a tsb was sent out to all toyota dealers. if we had been notified of this at the time of purchase or in 2006 the 2002 would have most likely still been under warranty. they kept it quiet until now and people are catching on. i have sent a complaint to the dealership where my car was purchased and am waiting to hear back what they intend to do in this case. i am willing to take it as far as i need to go to make them repair the car at no costs to me. from what i have read it would cost more to repair the car that what the value of the car actually is at this point. i am very disappointed and will never buy another toyota again because of the deception and the inconvenience and lack of concern of the safety of the consumer from toyota. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav 4. while accelerating from an idle position, the vehicle began hesitating and stalled. the vehicle also hesistated 30 to 45 seconds when shifting into second gear and engaging the accelerator to it's full capacity. the dealer flushed out the transmission fluid and replaced it; however, the failure recurred. the mechanic later stated that the electronic control module (ecm) was defective. the manufacturer will not assume the repair costs; however, the contact stated that since there is a defect the repair should be free. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 96,000.

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

I had a toyota rv4 2002, that was giving me transmission problems, the car star shaking in the middle of the freeway in various occasion, that really scared me, and my child, i had to paid 3462.52 dollars to have the transmission replaced, but that didn't fix the problem, and toyota replaced the ecm, another 1, 200 dollars. i'm very unhappy because later i found out, that toyota knew of this problem, but they didn't not notified the customer, i'm a single mother, and for me that was a lot of money to paid with my credit cards... *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 has a known defect with the electronic control module which causes the transmission to go bad which results in the car hesitating and jerking which almost caused an accident. i had the car towed to toyota dealership and they refused to fix anything because they will only fix this faulty ecm if the car in under 80,000 miles, mine had 80,800. *tr

As i pulled out into traffic the transmission started slipping and my 2002 toyota rav4 hesitated and would shift into gear. i took it to toyota on dixie highway, louisville, ky where i had purchased the vehicle and took it for every service. they put some type of fluid said that this may fix the problem. i went to get it and once again would not run. they then told me that it was probably the transmission and that i probably would not be back to see them. they quoted me a price of $4,000 to have the transmission fixed. *tr

I am having shifting problem of the transmission on my toyota rav4 l 2002 while driving. when driving on the road,the tranny began slipping,hesitatingand jerking. i can't afford to get it repaired yet. i am concerning someday someone will hit behind me during driving due to shifting problem that i can't keep on speed limited. i get online www.carscomplaints.com and did some research. i found out most of the toyota rav4 owners describing same shifting problem because of the defected engine control module that can damage the tranny. *tr

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

Check engine light came on. took to toyota. they told me i needed a new ecm that there was a tsb on the make model and yr of my vehicle rav4 2002/i drove home and told my boyfriend that the ecm replacement is 1600 dollars. one week later i was driving to toyota to have fixed and my car would npt accelerate. it would stop and go and i barely made it through a very busy intersection.. i was at 83,000 miles and out of warranty when this happened. of course i had to absorb the cost.. *tr

During a recent rain i was transporting my grandkids from school when i noticed that my car seemed to slip and jolt forward each time i accelerated. each time the car would hesitate and the slipping and jolting was significant. i was afraid that my car would stall in traffic. i was very glad to get my grandkids home safely. i called the toyota dealer where the car was purchased and made an immediate appointment. i was told that my transmission had to be replaced as well as the ecu at a cost of over $6,000! i was very upset because my extended warranty had expired the year before and during the warranty period i had complained about transmission problems and the "engine" trouble light which kept coming on. each time they told me that either an adjustment was made to correct the problem or that they could not find anything wrong. i also called toyota headquarters and was told that there was nothing they could do for me. i was referred back to the local dealer who told me to call headquarters again. i felt like a ping-pong ball. in the end no one could or would help me. i ended up going to another toyota dealership to have just the ecu replaced at a cost of $1500. the car still jolts whenever i accelerate, however i am retired and cannot afford $4000 for a new transmission at this time. *tr

Sudden transmission failure in 2002 toyota rav4. this is a well known and well documented issue both with the thousands of consumers who have had it happen to and with the toyota company. toyota is refusing to be of any assistance whatsoever and this is known to be a $6,000 problem to repair. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 is having a hard time shifting and sometimes it almost doesn't want to move with an a/c on... but when i turn off the a/c it runs fine... living in arizona we need as much a/c as we get... and toyota won't make any recall about this issue. hope you guys will be able to help us regarding this issue. *tr

Ecm is faulty. causing vehicle to "misshift" from 1st to 2nd gear. the misshifting causes car to stall for a few seconds till shifting is completed, causing potential rear-end or side-hit(at intersections) accidents. have almost been hit twice. suggested by dealership to "reflash" ecma; completed; no change. now suggested to replace part (estimated cost of + labor) researched on internet, there are several web sites that have customers complaining to toyota with no solution (such as http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c40d0/573) contacted toyota and they offered no solution because a there wasn't a "special service campaign" aka recall. advised me to seek outside help. *tr

Car jerks and loses acceleration, almost caused an accident as i was entering an intersection. *tr

The car does not respond properly when attempting to accelerate. the car jerks/transmission jerks and remains at a slow speed, responding much later. this is dangerous when merging or simply driving on a highway. i bought this car for my teenage daughter from a major toyota dealer. when i test drove it, it seemed fine. the dealer apparently, did not know what was wrong. i took it to another toyota dealer who identified the problem. this car was apparently in excellent condition, obviously a falsehood. i have had the car checked over - this is the only problem - a deadly one. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 in which i recently replaced the computer for the transmission. my car would not accelerate from a stoplight, then would jerk from 1st into 2nd gear--a definite safety issue when attempting to gain speed on a highway. after i replaced the computer, the car ran fine for about a month, and now the "check engine" light went back on and it is starting to jerk again and not accelerate properly. the transmission specialty shop to which i took the vehicle indicated that if the computer replacement, at a cost of about $1300, did not fix the problem, they might have to replace the transmission at a cost of about $4,000. i do not have $4,000 to replace the transmission. i hope with enough complaints about safety issues related to faulty transmissions, you can force toyota to recall their transmissions on these vehicles. *tr

2002 toyota rav4, 4wd,at transmission jerking and hashing, reporting code p0750, p0755... i called toyota dealer in portland, or and speak to master technician. i've been told by the master tech that rav4 2001-02 and 2003 rav4 needs a new updated ecm for about $800.00 + labor. he warned me that without replacing the new updated ecm, my rav4 transmission will be damage and it could cost about $5,500.00 parts + labor. toyota warranty only 8 yrs or 80k miles since this is their flaw software programming and why don't they do a recall campaign to eliminate the possible safety problem. instead they only notify their service center of their dealership. please help rav4 owners.... *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 and the transmission is slipping gears. the car stalls upon takeoff and it is very dangerous. i pulled out into traffic with my son in the car and the car wouldn't take off. we were almost hit in the side. *tr

2002 rav4 jerks at low speeds while automatic transmission is trying to shift gears. *tr

After regular service, car began shifting poorly this week with just over 85k miles with no initial indication of problem including hard clunking/shifting in the lower gears.. i have had near rear-end accidents this week as a result of the intermittent behavior of the engine. after taking the vehicle to dealer whom diagnosed then un-diagnosed transmission/ecm failure have researched and found that there is a large community of users reporting this same issue. *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

After 30 mins of hwy/pkwy driving, the car shut off without warning while traveling approx 45 mph. no warning lights before incident and no previous issue at all. steering and brakes became sluggish, and we lacked basic accident avoidance measures. had we been traveling faster and/or in denser traffic the car would have presented a major obstacle to oncoming vehicles, placing both us and other drivers etc. in danger. the dealer could not duplicate the problem and so made no repair. the car shut off again in stop-and-go traffic 2 weeks later. the dealer eventually replaced a transmission chip. the car then ran with hesitations and some delay in shifting for some weeks. finally, at 60 mph in highway traffic the car started to jerk, fail, and buck. again the dealer could not duplicate the problem and refused to address it. we discovered through research on line that this model toyota rav4 2002 has a problem with its onboard computer or ecm, for which toyota extended its warranty. our car is within the warranty limits both as to years and mileage. toyota is supposed to replace the ecm in this model under this warranty. our dealer has refused to do so and has sent us back out on the road without any security against another full engine stop in highway traffic. *tr

I began noticing that my automatic 2002 rav 4 was jerking when shifting, would rev at high rpms before shifting and at times felt like it would not shift at all. like others, i did an internet search and found that it is a problem with the ecm that many others have experienced. my car has 119k miles on it and is out of warranty so i am evaluating my options on how to deal with this problem. the car is undrivable, as it is a safety risk when the car is unable to accelerate normally in stop and go traffic. it looks like this problem will cost about a thousand to get a new ecm, and much more if the damage it has done to the transmission now requires a transmission rebuild. *tr

Engine control module (ecm) incorrectly programmed by manufacturer leading to difficulty shifting between 1st and 2nd gears, hard shifts, jerking, misfiring, problems accelerating. can pose a definite danger to traffic due to failure to accelerate or shift as needed while driving. can also lead to severe transmission damage and possible failure if ecm problem is not caught and ecm replaced immediately. check engine light occasionally comes on and then goes off - registers a problem with solenoid a & b. toyota technical service bulletin tc002-06 details the problem and recommended repair, including replacement of ecm and possibly of transmission. after 3-4 weeks of hard shifting, problems accelerating and stuttering, diagnostics identified problem. vehicle is currently waiting for replacement ecm and possible transmission flush. *tr

Several years ago, toyota became aware of an issue with their engine control module that were used in 2001/2002 rav4 vehicles. a quick search of the internet uncovers hundreds of people now experiencing the ramifications. toyota issued a technical service bulletin to their dealerships while these cars were still young; however, failed in any way to make their loyal customers aware. the faulty engine control module generally lasts until consumers are just out of warranty, thus toyota refuses to take any responsibility at all. in my case (and as documented by many others), my bad ecm caused my car to jerk violently when trying to accelerate. it was also hazardous that often the car would not be able to pick up any speed at all and then when it did, it would once again jerk and accelerate all at once. in essence, the failure of the ecm causes the transmission to die. my rav4 finally died on june 26, 2009. the cost to replace the ecm and the transmission will be about $3700; however, many folks out on the consumer complaint websites have paid up to $5000. this safety issue is huge, as toyota knew about it long ago and with the huge cost of the repair, i'm certain that many people will drive their cars far too long with this defect. *tr

There is a known problem with the ecm in 2002 toyota rav4s. this control unit causes the transmission to have problems shifting and can also lead to transmission failure. i state that the problem is known because toyota extended the warranty period for the ecm, but any damage done to the transmission by the malfunction of the ecm is the responsibility of the owner. this issue should be considered for recall because a failing transmission can lead to serious or even deadly problems. *tr

Found fuel leaks on my 2002 toyota truck rav4. my car was towed in to toyota dealer. they fixed it and stated "secure the fitting" on the invoice. they charged me $ 62.50. i always sent to my car to the dealers for maintenance. ii do not perform any mechanical maintenance on my car. *tr

2002 rav4 with 95,000 miles and routine service. began jerking and hesitating when trying to accelerate, seems like shifting problems. three different shops - two dealerships - unable to determine exact problem. recommended flushing transmission fluids, replacing transmission, replacing solenoid - no one was able to guarantee these fixes would correct the problem. the internet is full of hundreds of similar problems. many people replaced transmission with no fix. the car is dangerous to drive because of stalling during acceleration. tsb #00206 issued in 2006 mentions replacing ecm. many people who have done this have had success. toyota should ensure all dealerships know about this problem and correct it before suggesting costly transmission replacements. *tr

The toyota rav4 (year 2002) indiscriminately speeds up and maxes out the rpms (6000) for not reason. i was going 65 and all of a sudden the rpms went up to 6000 from 3000 and the car sped up to 85 and then went into neutral with me touching any gears or any pedals. luckily i was allowing enough distance between me and the other vehicles to safely get it pulled off to the side. there would have been no way to control the vehicle to keep it from crashing into someone directly in front of me and both sides and the rear had vehicles in them. the ecm, transmission and vss (variable speed sensor) were replaced and the problem still occurs. toyota disavows any knowledge of these types of issues; however, there are hundreds of thousands of complaints for the same issues and millions of dollars being spent to solve them and it's not being solved. there are lives at stake here. toyota should be held accountable for these problems. the models effected are the toyota rav4's from 1999 to 2009. and it appears that it's still an issue and still being pushed under the rug so to speak. action or lives....that's what it all boils down to now. incident date is most current. numerous past dates. *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

In the beginning of june i noticed my rav4 would slightly pause when i pres the gas pedal and would jerk when it's suppose to automatically shift gears, my registration is due & of course i need a smog certificate. the "transmission would slip" only sometimes. i'm just guessing it's the transmission. not sure yet... of course my "extra care" expired 05/30/08 mileage 100,000 but my mileage is only 91,000. i figure this is going to cost me a load of money that i don't have and this car helps me get to work. with the economy being so bad this doesn't help out much at all it's always one thing after another especially when i thought i was buying a car that is actually worth it and i thought since i was buying it brand new i was making a good choice. my fiance and i were driving home and i was on the hwy 880 sb going about 65 mph my rpm seem a little high but i was on cruise control so i thought it was normal. when all of a sudden my engine light came on, than my car starting making a noise, than my oil light came on, battery light came on and something from underneath my car flew off and as i look in my rear mirror i saw pieces of an object went flying and i notice cars swerving to move from the flying objects that were burning and i was sooo scared as my fiance said to pull over slowly. i cut cars off and i couldn't press the gas pedal no longer the engine shut off and i stopped in the middle of the slow lane i called aaa and towed my car to my house and unfortunately i can't take it to the dealer/mechanic yet b/c i don't have that kind of money. i find it very strange that i had no warning lights before hand or no sensor. for example the oil light comes on when i need oil/change, etc. what type of paperwork do i need to send b/c i haven't took it to the shop yet and may i add that the lighter doesn't work. once i find out what the actually problem is than i will mail copies.i i truly believe it's a manufacturer problem. *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

I purchased a new 2002 toyota rav 4 in 2002. last year, a few years after the purchase date, toyota had a recall for the check engine light. i took it back to the dealer and the light was fixed. maybe a year or two after, the light began to come on and has stayed off and on for years. last year, my truck began to "hesitate" while driving and finally it began to stop all together. i took it to a transmission shop and an air conditioner belt was replaced and the agent told me that he could not find a problem with it. for a day or two, i had no problems with the truck. but shortly after, the problem came back and i was stuck without transportation. i was told it was a $2,500 computer engine problem. i do not have that kind of money. so, i had to rent a car. my insurance would not pay rentals. externally, it is a beautiful truck, even today. but, internally, it completely let me down. when i purchased my truck, i thought i was getting a dependable truck that would last for years after it was paid off. i paid off the car in january of this year and it is sitting in front of my house. how bad can this get? my truck has over 140,000 miles which according to my research, exceeds warranty dates. if the repair cost is high, i will have no other choice but to try to sell the truck. i went out and bought an american made used car the other day. it cannot compare with my toyota when it was in good condition. now i am back in debt again. this time i got a three year warranty. to make a long story short, i am so disappointed in the toyota rav4 trucks. according to the web, a lot of us are. *tr

Coming from a full-stop, the car jerked when i stepped on the gas. rpm was increasing however the car was barely moving once it started moving it jerked a few more time. toyota did a recall previously on the ecu, it was reprogrammed however the same problem resurfaced and cause damage to the transmission. *tr

At 84,000 miles the car started surging for no reason, stalling while moving on the highway, and stalling while approaching intersections. happened two to three times daily, causing a number near miss accidents, rear ends. took it to the dealer who replaced the computer. this was very dangerous and easily could have caused an accident. *tr the consumer stated he experienced sudden acceleration. updated 07/26/10.*jb

My 2002 toyota rav4 start to have gear changing problems in first and/or second. i think toyota should do a recall on this make & model. *tr

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

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

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

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

The computer was telling the transmission to shift to the wrong gears and caused the transmission to break down. :the car was towed to the mechanic and a new computer was installed, in addition to having to have the transmission rebuilt. *tr

My toyota rav4 2002 seems to have a transmission problem. i have noticed 2-3 times a difficulty in shifting from reverse to 1st gear. however, on the day of this incident, i was driving in traffic at about 20 mph. i tried to accelerate to keep up with traffic and my car would not- it started to shutter. i have read online that many others have this problem and it is a defect with toyota rav4s made in that year. i do not want to have to pay to have this fixed, and that was a dangerous situation to be in when i am in traffic. *tr

Transmission began slipping while accelerating from stop. there were hard shifts when changing from 1st to 2nd and to 3rd gears. the next morning, there seemed to be no problem. this is unsafe since one can not depend upon the transmission / engine control module when pulling out into traffic. *tr

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.

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

I have a toyota rav4 2002-in may 2006 i went to military training school, i got back oct 2006 while driving my engine failed on the hwy. i took it to toyota and they told me it was 420 miles over the warranty and it was not covered. i did all my required upkeep and maintenance and to my surprise it had oil sludge. he claims its from sitting but alot of vehicles sit and do not have problems especially military members that are deployed. i had to pay 3989.00 for a used engine. after researching and finding out 2001 -03 camry and lexus had the same problems and were recalled. i fought got and attorney and still no recall. i hope to have a civil lawsuit with toyota because of this but it never happened. march 2007 my transmission went out while on the hwy. i was driving and notice it kept jerking. then it would hesitate getting into gear and reverse. i took it to a toyota dealer and they told me my transmission is going out and it would cost 4980.00. ok let me break down the existing problems up until this point. the drivers door electric locking system went out it was repaired 4 times, the check engine light never goes off said its a electrical problem. the alarms comes on and will not go off even when door key or key pad is indicated. so i had to unhook. yesterday march 31st i was done with the rav 4. i have notice that more than 35 % of owners have this problems and toyota refuses to recall. *tr

The lock for my passenger door and drivers door is defected. with the passenger door, it will not lock or unlock using the key tag; the drivers door does the same, however once locked you can't unlock the door with the key. you have to get inside through another door and unlock it from within. *tr

I took my 2002 rav4 in for the recall two months later i have spent $380.00 at elmhurst toyota for flushing the transmission and cleaning the fuel injection system. $2,700 for a rebuilt transmission and i am still experiencing the same problem. car will not shift and gears. i call the toyota customer service and spoke to them about the issue and all i received was an apology. i agree with all of you toyota should upgrade this recall from placing a bandage on the festering ecm problem and just replace the ecm. this problem happen 60 days to the date after taking my rav4 in for the check engine light recall . *tr mary a. brown chicago, il

The car was running fine until one day when it started "bucking" and i experienced a significant loss of power accelerating. this occurred when i was making a left turn with oncoming traffic and resulted in the other car being forced to stop to let me pass. from a stop, car felt like it was starting in second or third gear instead of first gear. very dangerous! limped to local shop and car was diagnosed with bad solenoid in transmission. this was replaced, drove three miles home and the same problem occurred the next day. same code appeared during diagnosis and this indicated that the main computer (ecm) was defective. this will cost $1200 to replace. potential replacement of transmission may be needed as well at a cost of $3500. after a search on the internet i found that this problem had been experienced by hundreds of other rav owners. my car has 86k miles and was just over the 80k mile window for the manufacturer to pay for repairs. toyota has known about this problem since 2006, according to tsb issued. the car has been regularly serviced at the toyota dealership. *tr

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

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

Toyota rav 4 4x4 has gear changing problems in first and second. i thought it was a solenoid then something with the transmission. did obd diagnostic check which showed solenoid but it was the computer or ecm. we replaced it with three used computers which evidently had same defect and in process of driving under these conditions the trans was ruined. you must stop driving car get brand new ecm computer of the new series because the serial number has changed three times until toyota fixed it finally. i had to repair trans, purchase a new computer all of which cost me $5,000.00. toyota never issued a public bulletin, the bulletin was only issued to car dealers while the general public was kept in the dark. *tr

Driving my rav4 south on hamilton road, a busy thruway, while stopped at a light to turn left my tranny slips and hesitates so bad that as i pulled into the intersection in the way of oncoming cars my car couldn't get through the intersection safely. fortunately no crashes. maybe next time. *tr

Hard shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear of 2002 toyota rav 4 automatic transmission after 100,000 miles on odometer. *tr

2002 rav4: failed transmission due to defective ecm which toyota put out a technical service bulletin on but didn't recall. i was not notified of the service bulletin, so the problem was not prevented in time. *tr

In 2007 a recall 601 was issued by toyota for engine control modules in rav4s. i took my 2002 in & they recalibrated the module. i was told at the time it somehow affected the gear shift. 18 mos. later, feb. 2009, my transmission suddenly started slipping & jumping in & out of gear. i've owned toyotas for 30 years & this was most unusual. i took the car to s.f. toyota. they had a very hard time pinpointing the problem because it was sporadic. first they said solenoid, then they finally said replace the whole transmission for $4800. and that it was not connected to the engine control module. if it were, it would be covered by warranty, otherwise, not. i don't feel a transmission should suddenly go out after 78,000 with no warning. especially on a toyota. i almost had a very bad accident when my car slipped out of gear on the highway & wouldn't reengage. i think it's defective because there are numerous complaints on line for this year & model with the exact same problem. and i think toyota is ignoring the problem. *tr

My car started to rev without any forward gain in distance when i depressed the accelerator. i took it into the toyota dealership and was told the transmission fluids just needed to be flushed, but that there was no metal in it. two days later i took my car back in for the same revving and bucking problem. the team manager checked the transmission out again and. reassured me that all was fine and asked me to ride with him to prove it. the car did not buck. i was given a story about how the computer resets when the car is worked on, and that it was set for a more aggressive driver. today, i barely made it home from the mountains. my rav crawled over the pass and kept jerking from 30-60 rpms with noise but no acceleration gain. i cannot count on the car to take me to work until it is fixed properly. *tr

Driver side front door power lock fails to lock or unlock with auto lock button. has to be locked or unlocked by hand. passenger side front door lock also starting to fail. *tr

Harsh shift. *tr

Harsh shifting/slipping in automatic transaxle. no special events leading up to failure; just started in about 123,000 miles. problem now occurs every time i drive the vehicle. only an obd ii scan has been performed on the vehicle. *tr

Driving down the highway going 65 miles per hour and the engine just stopped, completely shut down. 2002 toyota rav 4. *tr

Started car 2 weeks ago (december 8th) drove for 10 minutes at slow speed under 30 mph. car started bucking and having trouble shifting. was almost rare ended due to lack of acceleration. rpm would increase but car would struggle shifting and accelerating. brought to transmission specialist. they thoroughly checked transmission and couldn't find a problem. drained fluid and replaced filter. cost $170. three days later started bucking again. trouble shifting. brought to different mechanic who states needs new transmission. requesting rebuilt from toyota. cost over $2000, car only has 94,000 miles on engine. toyota says that if it is over 60,000 miles it is not under warranty. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 transmission started jerking and could not pick up speed on highway. almost got into a major accident with my daughter (20 month old) on board. i looked online and there are numerous complaints of this make and model having major transmission problems. toyota need to fix this major safety problem and not stick the consumer with the bill (average fix $3,000 dollars fix per vehicle at best worth$7,000). *tr

2002 toyota rav4, 207,000 miles. auto transmission suddenly shifting hard from 2/3 gears, hard into reverse, slow to engage after full stops, jerks abruptly. contacted dealer/ toyota service center, will have them inspect the vehicle. well maintained, recently had routine service done by dealer, transmission flush. fluid levels all topped. *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

My 2002 rav4 transmission went bad (shifting improperly) over 100 complaints on line about same problem. there are no recall or extended warranties from toyota. *tr

I bought a toyota rav4 2002 at the dealer "toyota of alahambra" and i been having a problem to many times with the computer engine light come on. when i take the car to the dealer they told me that nothing was wrong. they turned off the light and said and said that everything was ok, this happened three times. recently i had problems again with the computer engine and they charged $1,200.00 dollars to fix it and they told me that was my fault that i was taking off in 2nd gear but i never use the 2nd gear. what i know this cars had problems with the engine computer. the name of the dealer is "toyota-scion of glendale" 1260 s. brand blvd. glendale, california 91204. as i know we have 170 complaints about this rav4 toyota cars. fortunately i have not any problem with death, or fire, or crash, but i am worry about this computer problems, when i am driving the car i am not comfortable driving any more, can you tell me that can i do about. thank you very much for your attention. *tr

I was driving my fathers 2002 toyota rav4 awd when the transmission suddenly shifted from 2nd to 1st gear and then the drive line locked-up causing the vehicle to stop suddenly. a car following me tried to stop but "tapped" my rear bumper. no damage to either vehicle. diagnosis of the problem was a bad vehicle computer and new transmission was needed. costs were $4500. *tr

Car began to slip out of second gear to first gear during acceleration. i took the car to a toyota dealership and they told me that the engine control module (ecm) was inoperative and that the transmission was damaged as a result. i was told that the extent of the damage to the transmission could not be determined until a new ecm was installed at a cost of $1500 but that the cost of the transmission could be between $3,000 to $5,500. i was informed by the dealer that the parts are out of warranty. *tr

Car had very sluggish acceleration onto highway after ecu failed and transmission is slow to get into gear. had to pull over to shoulder as the vehicle could not get up to interstate speed. *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

Our rav4 began to have problems shifting, and the check engine light was on. took to local dealer. first visit resulted in tune-up items. dealership treated it as an engine-related problem. check engine came back on again the same afternoon. on second visit, dealership kept car overnight to drive it while it was cold. we were told that we had a bad catalytic converter, and that this would have to be replaced before any further diagnosis could occur. the cc was only three years old, already having been replaced under warranty. they had already reprogrammed the ecm. per a toyota service campaign. after the cc replacement, car is still not shifting properly, and is getting worse. dealership advised us that we need an ecm replacement, at a cost of $1300. after the fact, we found toyota tsb tc002-06, which describes the exact issues our rav4 is having. toyota admits in the tsb that the ecm of the '01 through '03 rav4's can cause the harsh shifting that we are seeing, and that toyota made changes to the "manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring". the recommendation is the replacement of the ecm. it cannot be reprogrammed to eliminate this problem. the result of this ecm failure is that the car is no longer drivable, as the transmission does not shift properly at all, and it constantly looses tension on its clutch pack, resulting in loss of power to the road. the condition gets worse over a short time. in only two weeks, the car will not stay in any single gear when driving. a search of this issue on the internet found many other people having the same problem. often, the ecm failure causes physical transmission failure. the dealership will not stand behind their faulty diagnosis, nor will they make toyota honor the warranty, which is 80,000 miles or 8 years. we are under the years, but over by 8,000 miles. how can this not be treated as a safety issue? is it not serious enough when your car slips out of gear in traffic unexpectedly? *tr

Car began having shifting problems. i was told by a shop that the ecm is a known problem. it is a safety hazard since it often fails in intersections. *tr

I have a toyota rav 4 2002. it has 64,000 miles. it has had all it's recommended services, new tires and is clean. the transmission needs replacing and possibly the computer. toyota will not assume any responsibility for the transmission and it costs $3500.00 to replace the parts. on carcomplaints.com there are 120 complaints re the transmission and the 2002 rav4. people are talking about a law suit. they have said that i despite replacing the transmission it still needed repairs. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 transmission - transmission is not working properly in shifting. rough shifting from 2/3 gear. had to find information on federal 8year/80k mile mandated free reprogramming to try to fix this. but reading accounts this may not work and even then the transmission may be damaged already. there should be a recall regardless of miles driven as this is a constant problem on this year/model. thank goodness i was low mileage but this problem occurs regardless of mileage. this is a toyota defect in the transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while the vehicle was stopped, the contact began to remove her foot from the brake pedal and the vehicle suddenly jerked forward three times. while driving 15 mph, the vehicle jerked forward three times again while making a left turn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. there were no warnings prior to the failures. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 148,000.

The 2002 toyota rav4 has a faulty ecm and has caused the transmission to go out. i almost had an accident the other day. toyota is aware of the problem but did not do a recall. here is a list of the same problem owners had: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 just stops, it doesn't shift 2nd and 3rd gear , the engine light turns and some times it work correctly with no problem but in the middle of a drive the rav4 it just stop jerking almost to a dead stop. dealer said "you need a new transmission and it will cost you $4,989.00 dollars." *tr

Toyota rav4 2002, 98367 miles, taken to toyota dealer for recall on ecm reprogram, after done the recall by toyota dealer, transmission shifting very erratically. took car back to dealer and they said that transmission needs to be replaced. also it is dangerous to drive due to loss of transmission. *tr

Accelerating and shift failure in automatic transmission -toyota issued tsb on march 2006 to change ecm which controls shift sequencing. defective ecm could cause transmission failure. as a toyota owner i think this should be a recall item. my opinion is this is a safety issue. *tr

Air bag on my 2002 toyota rav 4 did not deploy when my vehicle rear ended a truck my speed was 40-45 mile per hour. toyota representative said the airbag was not designed to deploy unless i was in danger of serious injury. "a fractured sternum is not serious enough for it to deploy." *tr

Automatic transmission started thumping/jerking when shifting from park to drive or reverse, despite having foot on the brake. within a month, the transmission started slipping and would not shift from first gear. engine races at 4,000+ rmp and does not shift to other gears. *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

The check engine light comes on continuously. at stop signs and traffic lights the vehicle begins jerking and hesitating when you push on the acceleration peddle. when you press down on the acceleration to go forward that is when the hesitation and jerking begin. once the vehicle takes off it continues to jerk. which is dangerous when you have passengers and small children in the vehicle because the jerking pulls your neck forward abruptly. the diagnostic said that it is the computer which cost roughly between $800.00 to $1200.00. several complaints have been made regarding this problem to toyota but there have not been any recalls for this particular computer part on the 2002 toyota rav 4. *tr

Vehicle suddenly started hesitating and has difficulty shifting from 1st to 2nd gear in an automatic transmission. the first repair, transmission flushing, did not correct the problem. near accident due to erratic shifting problem of rav4 2002. apparently related to the ecm. the vehicle has a very sluggish start from a standstill as if the emergency brake is on. attempting to turn across oncoming traffic and vehicle would not move and almost hit by oncoming traffic. vehicle also shifts erratically when driving. very dangerous to drive. toyota does not appear to be aware of this very serious and dangerous problem that should be recalled before someone is injured. other complaints of the same nature at autobeef.com. *tr

2002 toyota rav 4 2 wheel drive, driven for 2 years by my wife, last week started shifting from first to 3rd. also it slips now. *tr

Check engine light came on - slippage of transmission. evaluated by dealer and informed that it was the ecm/transmission. ecm was adjusted and failed to alter problem. recommendation replacement of ecu/ecu. *tr

This "certified, pre-owned" vehicle suddenly started hesitating and has difficulty shifting from 1st to 2nd gear in an automatic transmission. the first repair, transmission flushing, did not correct the problem. it is now in the shop with a transmission specialist for a "check engine" code for solenoid/transmission problem, code 1760 and/or 770 - not covered under warranty. the first mechanic stated the transmission fluid was "burnt." there are an unbelievable amount of documented complaints about this same problem, there needs to be a recall. i have only owned this car for 20,000 miles and owe alot of money on it. according to the complaints i have read, people are losing thousands of dollars, out-of-pocket trying to fix their vehicles. i am next. it is extremely dangerous to attempt to accelerate onto the highway when the transmission won't kick in. i have had several close call accidents. *tr

I was driving on the freeway when my transmission started slipping. i was in heavy traffic and was scared that i was going to lose my automatic transmission completely and be stuck on the road or rear-ended due to it hesitating badly between gears. it happened so quickly i was thrown off by what i should do but i did manage to make it home then i parked it until i could get it to a local repair shop. *tr

Automatic transmission shifts erratically and completely loses power at any given time. i was coming off of the freeway and slowed down for my exit when it lost all power . when i got power again it began jerking and shifting on it's own. it was really a dangerous situation as there were many vehicles behind me that had to basically stop on the exit of the freeway. please help us rav4 drivers get a recall for this problem from toyota. *tr

I bought my 2002 toyota rav4 new at toyota of hollywood, fl in 2002. my wife has been driving the vehicle and i have performed all service at the dealership. the car has only 55k miles on it. recently the car has been experiencing hesitation when shifting. we took the vehicle to the dealership and they replaced the computer "under warranty". this is something that should have been done 2 years ago when the tsb was first put out. the tsb would have prevented this transmission problem from appearing. now the dealership is saying that it didn't fix the problem and that they must replace the solenoids but the are not sure if that will fix the problem. had they fixed the problem with the computer 2 years ago, we wouldn't have a problem now. the car only has 55k miles. the transmission on a toyota should not fail in 55k miles. that's the reason i bought a toyota. this is well know issue. thousands of people ar writing about this issue on the internet every day. these are just some of the links. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c4213/0 http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15515 toyota should replace the transmission under warranty for free since i wouldn't have this problem now if the dealership had performed the work that was supposed to be done. *tr

I drove my car saturday 8-1-08 and noticed that from park to reverse the car was shifting very hard. i had the tranny drained and filled and additive placed. the shifting was so violent that i called around and did internet research. after reading http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?s=eec4529e47f582cec0a62327b81dbe0c&showtopic=28020&pid=308037&st=450&#entry308037 it has become clear that a documented history of malfunction exists with this toytoa transmission. i have thus far had the drain and fill performed and am going to see a diagnostic test from the dealership. i am concerned for my safety. i worry that my car will have the shifting and jerking and failures during the travel, as is described elsewhere. because of my safety concerns and inability to pay for $4,000 in repairs, i intend to sell this vehicle and experience a hardship as a result. *tr

Actuator for driver side front door lock failed to work with in car electronic button .all other locks work correctly. *tr

My toyota rav4 2002, has only 50,000 miles on it. needs a new transmission. this has to be a defect !!! toyota refuses to recall, even though it's a huge problem. *tr

I own a toyota 2002 rav4. it is experiencing major problems with the transmission. it jerks and hesitates and is extremely dangerous to drive as you never know if it is going to proceed forward or not. pulling out in an intersection is dangerous. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled and lost power while attempting to make a left turn. the contact applied pressure to the accelerator pedal numerous times before the vehicle gained power. in addition, the gears shifted roughly and the automatic transmission was jerking and vibrating. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the engine control module. the vehicle repair was covered by the manufacturer warranty. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure and current mileages were 78,846. updated 09/24/08. *lj updated 09/26/08. *jb

I was driving my rav4 one day and it started to jump and went into a 'wrong gear start.' it would start in about 3rd gear and jump into gear when it would finally catch up. i took it to a mechanic and they said it was the transmission. sure enough, i had metal in my pan and a bad planetary gear and my entire transmission had to be rebuilt. $3,300 later, the problem persisted. i took it back to my transmission specialist and they said that it was a problem with the computer, the ecm to be exact. i had taken my car in for a recall that had happened with this exact part of the computer brain and they did a re-flash for free, which was supposed to fix it. now that it is causing more problems, toyota refuses to fix it for free, i guess they felt they did their part by doing the 're-flash' which didn't do jack. i bought this car because it was a toyota and i am so disappointed. the transmission going out that early was very possibly due to this defect. if they further refuse to fix the problem, i am taking them to court. there are many complaints of this happening on this model. be aware! *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

2002 rav 4 automatic transmission ecm/transmission issue!!: the problems started with the check engine light turning on and off about 4 months ago. we got a recall notice from toyota to have the ecm reprogrammed and went to fulfill the recall. the light then came on again about a month later. we were told that it could be a gas cap issue, so we made sure we tightened the gas cap and that turned the light off for about a month but then it came back on again. it wasn't until recently that we had the first signs of a shifting problem. all in the same day, the transmission began to make noises and shift rough between 1st and 2nd gears (its an auto trans). .once we got the car going forward, we worked our way back home, and that was it for the car. i found the website of www.carcomplaints.com and have found several other customers with the same issue. the 2002 toyota rav4 recall for the ecm (electronic control module ----the brain---)is leading to the problem of the transmission shifting issue that the toyota dealership is not addressing. we hope that by filing the complaint, and bringing this website to you, you can bring this to corporate toyota's attention to have them fix the problem. please look into this and other customers complaints on the website referenced regarding this issue. my 2002 rav 4 was bought new and only has 46k miles in it to have such a grand problem. i believe toyota is aware of this issue but does not want to completely fix the ecm issue. (they only re-flash it when possibly the car needs a "new" one). please help! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 55 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the speed reduced. the vehicle began jerking and hesitating without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the engine control module failed. the vehicle is currently being repaired. the failure and current mileages were 141,000.

Transmission failure transmission was rebuilt for the 3rd time and not completed and was never fixed. *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

1. driving the car, as normal, i came to a red light. when i began accelerating and the car went to shift gears it had trouble from 1st to 2nd gear. it quickly got progressively worse from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd. when i finally made it home i decided to try and find a mechanic right away. when driving it i felt the car had shut off 1st gear and started right into 2nd gear shifting to 3rd ok but then wouldn't shift into 4th gear. then after not finding a mechanic open on july 4th i was driving home and 1st gear was back but having a real hard time changing into 2nd and 3rd but smooth in 4th gear. i've researched this problem and found a website http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. this website shows many others with the same problem and for many on this site the faulty computer has destroyed their transmissions and forced them to not only get a new transmission but a new ecm as well. this faulty ecm is a manufacturers defect and should be replaced with no cost to the consumer. as for the people that also have a bad transmission due to the ecm, like myself, i believe toyota should replace that at no cost as well. again, this is a manufacturer defect with the ecm that causes transmission damage and should not be a consumer issue. toyota even did a recall on the 2001-2003 rav4 because of the ecm and they would reprogram the ecm to try and solve the issue. unfortunately for myself and many others this did not solve the problem and still have to get a new ecm. *tr

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

My car started shifting hard on 6-20-2008 on my way home from work. i took it to the dealer on 6-24-08 and was told i need a new transmission, $3,542.00 so i came home got online to see what it might cost else where. and i came across a site for complaint for this particular vehicle, so i checked it out. i found 56 complaints that were just like mine. i printed out this information and called an 800 toyota number. they said the ecm had been recalled. so i took the car back to the dealer today and they adjusted the ecm. car has same problem, actually runs a little rougher, anyway i asked the service manager if he had any other people with this problem and he indicated that this was not news to him. he then suggested i have both transmission and ecm replaced $5,000. so now i am complaining to anyone and everyone. toyota knowingly sells these cars with problems and expects us (the consumer) to suck it up and that's just plain wrong! *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.

Sluggish transmission when accelerating into 1st and 2nd gear and trouble shifting from 1st to 2nd. *tr

Written in early may to planetfeedback.com: my wife and i purchased a 2002 rav4 new at penn toyota in greenvale, ny and it now has 97,981 miles on it. in late april it started jerking/jumping when trying to upshift and we brought it in for service at penn toyota. once there the service center advised us to have the transmission fluids flushed and refilled, which we did. they also stated that they would do an update to the ecm, which they also did. while drive the vehicle home (after the repairs), the car was jumping/jerking worse than when we brought it in. we immediately brought it back where it was re-evaluated and we were now told that ecm would have to be replaced at a cost of $1589.00. my wife and i did some research and are finding that there are more than several of the same type of complaints about this particular problem and toyota itself has extended the warranty on this product to 96 months or 80,000 miles. we fall out of that range, but there is obviously a problem with this product (which is why toyota put out the notice and extended the original warranty) and we would like fixed as "in warranty". there is no reason for a car that has been well maintained to have a failure of this kind before 100,000 miles. update (6/9/08): penn toyota has replaced the ecm as a "good will" gesture but we still are having the problem with jerking/jumping between 2nd and 3rd gears as well as when going in reverse. they have said that we could replace the faulty ecm probably caused an issue with the transmission and we should replace the transmission and harness as well. they stated that they would be unable to cover this as a "good will" gesture but it would cost an estimated $3800 for me and my wife. *tr

2002 toyota rav 4 - transmission jerking severely. my automatic transmission jerks when first accelerating as well as while driving. from what i understand this is an ongoing problem with then vehicle. *tr

Transmission failure. the ecm is defective and the transmission doesn't shift. occasionally it shift by itself, hesitation in shifting. there are quite a few rav4 owners with the same problem http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/. *tr

I would like to file a complaint on toyota rav4 2002. i almost got kill a couple of times while drive this car. the ecm module failure. this is a safety issue, please step in and have toyota recall on the rav4. thank you! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while idling or driving at very low speeds, the vehicle would consistently fail. the dealer stated that the electronic control module needed to be reprogrammed. immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. the dealer replaced the ecm at the cost of $1,225.69, without the contact's approval. the repair was not included in her extended warranty. she called the manufacturer, but they referred her back to the dealer. the failure and current mileages were 89,000.

I own a 2002 toyota rav 4. the vehicle has been running great. one day 1st & 2nd gear began to slip. the car will accelerate then just stop until 1st gear catches abruptly jolt. the transmission is automatic. the car has just over 87,000 miles. after researching i saw there were several vehicles with the same exact problem. toyota did put out an alert stating that there are computer problems but those forms were not sent to the owners only to the service centers. now i have to take my vehicle in have solenoids changed and possibly the engine computer. these are the problems listed in the alert sent out. if toyota knows 2002 rav 4's are having these issues why have there been no recalls. i also must say that it is unjust that we as consumers have to spend thousands of dollars on parts and labor for what it seems to be manufacturer defects. i've added a link where one can view several other complaints on the same defect. thank you for your time. http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr

My car started acting up in march 2008. i had my transmission rebuilt in april and got the car back still acting up! i am trying to go by the dealership who sold it to me and get their mechanic to look at it and he is too busy when it is messing up. it only does it sometimes now but it seems to get more frequent. the tsb i read mentioned the ecm and the transmission going bad so is that my next costly expense? *tr

My 2002 toyota rav 4 started having shifting problems. it's out of warranty. i took it to an independent transmission specialist. why take it to a dealer, right? he rebuilt the transmission to the tune of $2500.00. he took it for a test drive and it still wouldn't shift. he talked to a service technician at toyota and was told that toyota knows about an issue with the ecm having bad computer code and that's what was tearing up transmissions. but since my car is out of warranty and i took it to an independent transmission place, toyota will not even listen to my complaint. *tr

Vehicle would hesitate from a stop creating a potential hazard. brought car to dealer who claimed nothing was wrong with car, changed transmission oil as part of 75,000 maintenance. next day car broke down completely with my six year old grandson in car. dealer said i needed a new transmission for $4000. it was not until i started reading on-line complaints that i learned that it is a common problem with 2002 rav-4 and can be fixed with a new ecm for $$1,200. they do however have a technical bulletin that addressed the transmission hesitation to the faulty ecm? *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4, there was a recall and i had the ecm recalibrated. i understand this controls the transmission. now i have ecm and transmission failure to the tune of $4900. i have goggled this problem and note there are a number of other consumers who have had the exact same problem - the car stutters almost to a stall in traffic, check engine light comes on and the toyota dealership dx as ecm failure/transmission failure, not preventable by consumer. other complaints of the same nature at autobeef.com. *tr

My toyota rav iv was recalled to have the ecm reprogrammed. i took it to toyota to have it reprogrammed, the problems where fixed for a couple of days but then they came back. the car does not respond for a while when shifting from first to second gear, then it jumps making a loud noise and restarts running in 2nd gear. the engine light came on. this is very dangerous, specially when there are cars behind, i almost was hit by cars going behind me at least twice. i took it to aamco, and they said the transmission is ok, it is just a computer problem. toyota should fix the entire problem with the ecm. a lot of people have replaced their transmission just for the problem to reoccur, others have had to replace the computer at their own cost. this seems to be a very common problem for this model owners, there are many blogs regarding this problem: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr

Ces light came on. trans started slipping. took to dealer. diagnosed known ecm problem. performed toyota recommended ecm update, but said trans would have to be rebuilt due to damaged already caused. had trans rebuilt. developed same slipping problem. said it would ruin trans again unless ecm was replaced. this is a toyota problem that they need to fix. *tr

Near accident due to erratic shifting problem of rav4 2002. apparently related to the ecm. the vehicle has a very sluggish start from a standstill as if the emergency brake is on. attempting to turn across oncoming traffic and vehicle would not move and almost hit by oncoming traffic. vehicle also shifts erratically when driving. very dangerous to drive. toyota does not appear to be aware of this very serious and dangerous problem that should be recalled before someone is injured. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 l; auto transmission; odi 82,200 miles. the car began having hard shifting problem. shifts erratically from 1st to 2nd, sluggish from start. i feel it's become very dangerous, especially when i am on the highway. the car didn't want to accelerated, and then would shift very hard. so i took my car to the toyota dealer and was told that it would need at the least a new ecm, and possibly even a new transmission. the cost for the ecm $1300, and perhaps the transmission $4000. that's $5,300!!!! how could i even find that kinda money. i am just a student who tries to make it through day by day, supporting myself through school while working full-time. i can barely pay my rents or even tuition. and i am solely deepening on my car to make it to work and school; without it i would be in a big mess. certainly, i wouldn't be able to fix it and i really had no idea what to do. if toyota knows about this problem, they should repair or recall all ecm's before more people end up spending this kind of money. i'd like to also refer to my other following rav4 drivers like me who have the same problem on the link below. http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr

I recently had to replace the transmission on my car because the car was shifting erratically. after the transmission was replaced i still had the problem and was told that there was a technical bulletin from toyota tc002-6 which said that a faulty engine control module (ecm) will cause harsh shifting. toyota did not communicate this problem to me back in march 2006. if toyota would have communicated this defect, i could have had the ecm checked and probably saved my transmission. *tr

Purchased used 2002 toyota rav4 in oct 2004. both visors were already sagging a bit and were a hazard to driving within 8 months. i purchased the replacement visors from the dealer in july 2005 for a total of $131.27. they told me the original owner must not have been careful and i needed to be very careful when using the visors. i took their word and was gentle when i put the visors up and down. less than 3 years later and i already need to replace them again!! i have small children who only sit in the back seat, so the passenger visor doesn't get used very often and it is just as bad as the driver's side visor that gets used every day. i had my last vehicle for 13 years and both visors were still in perfect condition when i traded the vehicle in for this one. based on my research, this is a known problem with several different toyota models. i can't find any solutions and the dealer has told me that all i can do is purchase another set - with no guarantee that they won't break again. *tr

I bought in 2002 a toyota rav 4 brand new, i have been the sole owner, just about 3 to 4 weeks ago (may 2008) and with 87,000 miles it started to haul while driving, i took it to a certified toyota mechanic who ran a computer diagnostic giving a signal that the transmission could be damage, when he took it apart the transmission filter was filled with metal particles and when he dismantle it the planetarium was broken. i was in shock to find out that a 6 year old car and specially a toyota could have a bad transmission, the mechanic spoke to toyota to see if there is any warranty and they told him the car was covered up to 80,000 and since mine was 87,000 it is not under the warranty and now i have to pay well over $2,000.00 unbelievable, could you tell me if there is anything i can do to have toyota cover for the damage because i definitely believe is a manufacturer defect. *tr

The automatic transmission of my rv4 failed at 111,649 mileage. however, the mileage is the problem, aamco technician reported that the following vehicles ; lexus ex 300, lexus rx300, rv4, toyota camry and toyota highlander are all equipped with bad transmissions u140f and u140e. those transmissions are made for failure. toyota company is aware of the problem but refused to take responsibility to either repair it or reimburse customers. it cost me 2,760.58 dollars to have my transmission rebuilt. also within two months, the computer engine failed and was replaced for 1,403.53 dollars. once again, that was another matter toyota had to be accountable. the same model had a recall in march 2007 and nothing was done. *tr

I am writing to complain about a defect in the 2002 toyota rav4 that i feel could be very dangerous. i just finished having my car repaired, and i know that toyota is aware of this problem, yet refuses to recall the model. the ecm is defective, which is causing the car to stall out when accelerating and then shift very hard. i myself, with two children in the car, went to pull into oncoming traffic when my rav4 decided to present this problem. i was almost hit. upon researching this, i have found numerous complaints on the internet with this make of car, and toyota has even put out a mechanics statement which shows they are aware of the problem. my concern: others who do not know they are driving a ticking time bomb, and pull out into oncoming traffic when their toyota decides to malfunction. just as an fyi--even though toyota is aware of this situation, i had to pay $1300 for a new ecm, and if my transmission was ultimately damaged will have to pay to repair that as well for a cost of another $3,600. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4, i had to have the transmission rebuilt because from what i have read toyota found there was a problem with the ecm. but there was never a recall for this problem and the warranty was for 80,000 mine when at 88,000. i had the transmission rebuilt but the vehicle is exhibiting the same problem. i have since learned that the ecm needs to be replaced and can damage a new transmission if not done. no notice from toyota about this i had to find this out on the web. i also learned that the ecm cost $1200 and toyota is not offering any discounts even though they knew of the potential problem and damages that may occur. *tr

Vehicle would hesitate from a stop creating a potential hazard. independent garage told us that it was a transmission issue. transmission was covered under our extended warranty so we took vehicle to toyota dealer. they advised us that issue was ecm (electronic control module) issue and not covered by the extended warranty. when i asked if toyota would cover i was advised that they would not as this issue was not subject to any recall? they did however have a technical bulletin that addressed the transmission hesitation to the faulty ecm? i replaced the ecm ($1612) and it appears that it corrected the problem. my research has shown that this problem is very common to the 2002 rav4 model only in the toyota family of suvs. is this a design defect? *tr

Car started to hesitate and jerk into 2nd gear when accelerating. this created dangerous situations at intersections , going around corners and trying to merge into traffic. check engine light came on. dealer said needed to replace an ecm module in the transmission hoping this will fix it (cost 1350) if it doesn't i will need a transmission (3500). found 38 similar complaints on exact same thing on internet. why aren't we made aware and why not a recall before someone gets killed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the vehicle was serviced for a recall regarding the engine light. a nhtsa campaign id number was not found. after the vehicle was retrieved from the dealer, the vehicle shook while driving between 2-50 mph. there were no prior failures or warning indicators. the dealer stated that the ecm needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 144,000 and current mileage was 144,411.

Transmission problems (shifting) with my 2002 toyota rav-4, although it has auto transmission it wont go into gear after a stop and i have safety concerns since i drive mostly on the freeway and for long distances and traffic is always and issue to and from work. *tr

Car tries to stalls. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving 2 mph in reverse and with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated. the contact applied more pressure to the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not stop. the vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle and was then towed to the dealer. a police report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the road conditions were dry. the current and failure mileages were 70,000. updated 3/5/08 *cn

Automatic transmission damaged because the ecm toyota installed in 2002 rav 4 had programming logic issues. *tr

My 2002 rav4 has been diagnosed as having engine oil sludge and needs total replacement. oil changes have been performed between 3,000 - 4,000 miles. *tr

Faulty engine control module. it has failed and caused transmission to fail as well. after $4k replacement transmission is shot again. transmission misses gears and has stalled in the middle of intersection. nothing was done to correct. dealership is stating to replace transmission first then come back to fix computer. for other complaints of similar nature see: www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifiting.shtml *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while stopped at a traffic light, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would not move. a few seconds later, the vehicle began to move. the vehicle shifted completely out of gear and then went shifted back on its own. the failure continued during the drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that there was a recall on the ecm and it was reprogrammed. the failure recurred the following day while driving 30 mph. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they rechecked the ecm. they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and he stated that the ecm was faulty, which caused the transmission to fail. the vehicle experienced the same failure when the contact retrieved it from the mechanic. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they discovered that the ecm was faulty and made the replacement. there is a tsb for the ecm. the current mileage was 61,800 and failure mileage was 61,059. updated 02-13-08 *bf updated 02/13/08 *tr

Hard shift prob from 2/3rd gear with toyota 2002 rav4 took car to dealer on 9-17-2007. recall for emission problem caused the engine light to come on. i described problem to the dealer and asked them to look at this problem. dealer said any other problems should show on computer. picked car up asked about shift prob. they said nothing came up on the computer diagnostic ( i later learned that they test drove the car and could not duplicate problem) and it sounded like it could be a transmission problem. they said to make an appointment to have the transmission looked at. i asked for cost and they said they had no idea it would depend on how long it took to find problem. i took car to transmission shop. they hooked car up to computer and said internal transmission failure and need transmission rebuilt. i had this repar done at cost of 2,639.81. called me after transmission was rebuilt there is a problem. they researched database and found that there was a bulletin put out by toyota on march 3, 2006. powertrain control module that causes a shift problem in 2001-2003 toyota rav4's. it explains the diagnostic and repair for this problem in detail and states that the ecm may need to be replaced. i am informed that in order for my transmission to work need to have ecm replaced. toyota knew about this problem when i took my car to them they could have fixed the problem then and saved me $2,639.81. i paid dealer to have the ecm replaced for $1003.81. part to me for a wholesale price. the car is now finally running fine. i was told that they do not search for bulletins on cars that are in for service. they said there are just too many of them for them to keep up with. i saw time it took for the tech to look up the bulletin on laptop info came up immediately. my research shows that other 2002 rav4's have same problem. i have failed ecm that was removed from car. *tr

Repeated problems with transmission, ecm that have cost in excess of $4000 and still the car is dangerous to drive. toyota refuses to acknowledge the fact that someone will soon be killed from this problem. when pulling into traffic and they should be accelerating, these cars stall. this is my second report and no one responds from here or from toyota!!! *tr

I started to have intermittent issues with my toyota 2002 rav4 transmission; concerning hard shifting and lose of power during acceleration. i have been informed by the dealer that i require a new transmission. after searching the internet (www.carcomplaints.com, www.tundrasolutions.com, & rav4world.com) i was able to find quite a few instances of people having the same issues with their 2002 rav4. each story ends up with the individuals paying an average of $4500 to have the transmission replaced then having to go back and have the ecu replaced ($1000). after all was said and done, the problems still existed. after speaking with toyota they feel there is no issue and do not plan on investigating the issue to determine if a recall is required. i just had my transmission replaced and the issue is still there. i am in the process with my local amoco transmission co. to resolve the problem. the problem can occur at anytime without notice during acceleration from a stopped condition or during normal driving causing the car abruptly slow down in traffic, which could put the driver in a life or death situation. *tr

This is my third toyota. i have never owned a toyota that smokes. i park my toyota rav 4 for a while, and crank it up it and smoke comes out of the exhaust. this problem started with only 61, 000 miles. i am totally dissatisfied with this toyota, and disgruntled with the poor quality of manufacturing of toyota's vehicles. unfortunately this will possibly be my last. *tr

Check engine light came on intermittently. dealer said nylon gear on camshaft had damaged teeth, allowing timing chain to jump back and forth, and thereby changing ignition timing. cost of repair was $1,600. *jb

During heavy rain storm passenger side wiper linkage/mechanism broke. luckily, this was while the blade was on the down stroke, otherwise it would have broken off the driver's side blade. was told entire mechanism had to be replaced, at a cost of about $450. *jb

2002 toyota rav4 transmission not shifting or shifting inappropriately nearly causing crashes as drivers pull into traffic or drive in traffic.

Ecu or engine computer unit. this computer is bad. when shifting .the automatic transmission in the computer does not know what gear to shift in. this is scary when in traffic. it would start in lets say 2nd gear then bang back to 1st gear. what a jolt for you and the driver behind you. *jb

Oil was changed regularly on the car. oil and engine light came on but mechanic could not find a problem and stated there was plenty of oil in the car. driving on the expressway. the engine, then oil lights came on, as i pulled over there was a loud noise, and every thing froze. i was told the engine had seized and it would have to be replaced (for $6000). *nm

November 17, 2006 - after being parked in my driveway for approximately 30 minutes the engine caught on fire. the rav4 engine compartment and entire interior was demolished, tires exploded, glass exploded over at least a 20 foot radius. two engine trucks and 10 responders later the fire was out. 63,000 miles, no prior problems, 50k maintenance completed by dealer jan 2006. vin has zeros and letter o which are indistinguishable. try both. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle was broadsided on the driver side. the side airbag did not deploy. minor injuries were sustained by the driver and a police report was taken. the vehicle was towed to a junk yard. the dealer was not alerted.

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer where the dealer encountered sludge in the entire engine. the dealer determined the sludge was from poor maintenance. the contact stated the vehicle was regularly maintained by service dealers. updated 9/22/2006 - *nm

Vehicle was plugged in to a charger, charging normally. driver returned to the car, and neglected to remove the charging cable. driver turned the key, and shifted from park to reverse. vehicle rolled away from the charging station and damaged the cable and the charging station, disabling the charging station until it could be repaired (at a cost of $1200 to $1500). vehicle should not be able to shift out of park when connected to a charging station. (date is approximate.) *nm

Car smokes early in the morning, i took car in before warranty expired but was told by dealer that there was nothing wrong with the car. at the beginning car would only smoke early in the mornings and not all the time. later as the car began to smoke more regularly the dealer refused to repair due to expiration of warranty. the car is now smoking drastically, i was told by the dealer that the smoking is a common situation (defect) with rav4's of 2002. i was also informed that other cars had been brought it and had been fixed because they were under warranty. *jb

The car suffered mechanical defect and the front end bar was broken, when front end bar broke it lost direction and hit another car in front. the highway patrol came to take the accident report. we were driving at 25mph on freeway number 405. i have called my auto insurance and i was given a case number. i have full cover. i am waiting for a response from my auto insurance to fix the car. i have contated toyota and i also have a case with them. the case number is 200603011457. i have toyota and the claims representative is christy. christy have said to wait at least 60 days. i can't wait 60 days. i need my car. the auto insurance has not given me a rental. i have complaint to the commissioner of auto insurance in california. they will conduct and investigation. the case number with my auto insurance is 10000148757. my auto insurance carrier is infinity. what i want is toyota to replace my car. the car is a total loss. i feel this broken bar should be recall.*ak

Was driving on the freeway when my oil light turned on an seconds later white smoke started coming out of the engine. had car towed to dealership. after looking at the car the dealership determine that the radiator had cracked due to the sludge in the engine. said i would need to replace the entire engine. told them i had a 100,000 mile 5 year warranty. my car had about 85,000 miles on it at the time. toyota dealership said that they doubted that the warranty people would cover that and they rarely saw people get coverage for sludge in the engine. reported to warranty people and they told me that my car was "very poorly maintained" and because i did not change oil or maintain my car they would not cover. i told them that i had changed my oil several times since i owned the car. they said i need all receipts. i had a few receipts but not all. took my car to a private shop and got rebuilt engine. still have not been able to get car out because i am financially strapped. it costs 3500.00. toyota said i would have to pay 8000.00 for a new engine and 5000.00 for a used engine. had to rent car that has cost me 1100.00. must take car back because i cannot afford it. won't have transportation. i am disappointed because one of the reasons i bought a toyota was because of its reputation for manufacturing dependable, long lasting cars. i am a single mother and have so much on my plate to worry about broken down cars. *nm

The bolts in the roof rack fall out. we have never used the roof rack. over the past 3 years, we have lost 4 bolts. fortunately, the loss of the bolt causes rattling. otherwise, over time, it could have fallen off! *nm

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. i have taken my car to the dealer for the changes of oil and filter. twice they suggested a wynns system engine cleaning which we paid for. the last one was done on april 2005. last october 7, 2005 i was driving my car on the expressway and all of a sudden the oil light lit up and the car stopped. the car was towed from the highway to our house and the next day was towed to the dealer adriel toyota in rio grande, puerto rico. about two hours later they called me and stated that the motor stalled and the warranty was not going to pay since i had not taken the car to them for the last oil change. i reminded them that just nine months earlier a wynns motor engine cleaning had be done by them and that it was impossible for the motor of the car to have sludge if they had done the job correctly. the toyota company of puerto rico called to tell me the same thing. i made a complaint at the consumers affairs in puerto , i am waiting for a decision. today i showed the pictures to an automotive expert who states that the motor have not had any oil changes and the worst was that there was no way that the engine had be cleaned. the dealers states that they have not had any motor sludging on any rav 4 in puerto rico but consumer report states that toyota has this problem most commonly with camry's . today i found out that rav 4 have the same engine camry's have. am i supposed to be punished for whatever problem toyotas engines have?

My 02 toyota rav4 check engine light comes on and i found out that my o2 sensors are reading below of what they're supposed to read. the o2 sensors are priced way to extreme, one of them is $400 and the other is $150 and there are 2 of each. i believe that they should be working right cause my car is less than 2 years old.*ak

Was in eight car chain reaction collision, where i was the 7th of 8 cars. therefore, i had severe front-end damage and even worse rear-end damage. i actually hit the car in front with my own force (2 on scale of 1-10) and then again when the car behind hit me. the second hit was 10 on a scale of 1-10. the cars where going over 20 mph (estimated) at time of accident.*ak front airbags did not deploy. according to the toyota manual they should deploy at 15mph or more, force is great enough, or when vehicle inside pressure change is great enough. (note: when the car was hit in the rear, the entire rear window schattered, thereby, causing great pressure change.) according to the body shop which gave estimate for repair the airbags should have deployed according to the front-end damage alone. (we have digital pictures of the vehicle and can send them.)

When shifting from drive to reverse and vice versa a clanging sound is heard from the front. i took car to dealer and was told front brake pads need replacing and rotors need to be resurfaced at a cost of $250.00.+ tax. car had only 10,250 miles. the problem is still present. i was finally told this is normal. problem was not there until the car reached 7500 and the first tire rotation was performed by the toyota dealer. *jb

On february 19, 2004, i took my 2002 toyota rav4 to the dealership for a problem that involved the vehicle unexpectedly surging forward. and failing to shift gears. i was told that the speed sensor was replaced and the vehicle was released to me. the problem continued that day and i returned the vehicle to the dealership on february 20, 2004. i was told that a part had to be ordered and that they would call me when the part was in. i was told that in the meantime, the vehicle was safe to drive. on february 23, 2004, my husband drove the vehicle and was stopped at an intersection when the vehicle surged forward into the intersection. we immediately phoned toyota, telling them that vehicle was not safe to drive and requested that they tow the vehicle to the dealership. the vehicle was towed and has been at the dealership since february 23, 2004. principle complaint: my vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surges or accelerates and fails to shift gears. *ak

Drivers side rear wheel has extreme toe-out. have observed this condition on all 2002 viewed,2wd and 4wd.causes extreme tire wear to inside tread.*ak

I drive a 2002 toyota rav4. i was stopped at a stop light and when the light turned green i went but unfortunately the woman in front of me (2000 dodge neon) didn't so i rear-ended her. her car was unscratched, my front bumper plate was smushed. as a result of this collision...i was, maybe, going 10 mph...my car has been in the shop for almost 3 weeks. apparently there are weak seals and connections in the rav, causing transmission fluid and oil leakage (as you can guess, 3 hours after the fender bender, when i went out to lunch, the car was smoking like crazy!). i don't think a 10 mph accident should cause that much damage. i can guarantee you i won't buy a rav4 again...what if it had been a real accident? would i be dead?

While stopping down a hill, the consumer noticed the brake pedal continued to travel to floorboard. dealer serviced vehicle and replaced the master cylinder. *ak *jb

The rear luggage cover does not stay up and numerous times it has slipped and hit me or one of my family on the head. this weekend, it slipped again and caused a cut on my head. i asked the dealer about a fix for this and he stated none noted and they have had similar complaints but no tsb or recalls issued. this luggage compartment cover is dangerous and needs to be re-designed. *la

When driving up a hill vehicle began to stall. *ak

On july 7, 2003 i was on my way to work when the battery discharge light came on and i had no steering capability. i was travelling about sixty miles per hour on the interstate. i almost hit the median divider before i could steer the vehicle to the side of the road. i called the dearlership and explained what had happened. they told me to have the vehicle towed in, they didn't even offer to have it towed. incidentally this is a new vehicle with less than 1100 miles on it and i had only driven the vehicle about one week before the above happened. the dealership kept my vehicle for two days and i went to get my rav4 and asked what had happened. the service manager said that the drive belt pulleys had not been properly installed on my new rav4 and that caused the drive belt to come off of the pulleys and broke the tensioner and the housing guide. i took the car home and the next morning, the new rav4 would not start. i jumped srtarted the rav4 from my wifes vehicle and let it run for about fifteen minutes thinking that the battery just needed a charge. my wife was going to use the neew rav4 vehicle that day to shop. she called me about mid-morning and informed me that the new rav4 vehicle would not start as she had gone to the mall. that evening my wife and i went to the mall and jum started the vehicle agin and i finally got it home and it is now in my garage, it just will not start. i called and talaked to the service director about all of the problems that i was having with my new rav4 suv. he equated my break-downs to going to the store and buying a box of four light bulbs and taking the light bulbs home and putting a new light bulb in a lamp that had a burned out light bulb and when the lamp is turned on then the new light bulb burns out. this really made me angry. i told him that there was big difference in a fifty cent light bulb and a $25,000.00 new vehicle with only 1100 miles on it. *ak

While driving the vehicle at 40mph, rear passenger tire with out blew out. toyota, tranpaths size# 21570r16-99s dot#- - - - - - - - - - - - - -dealer nothing we could do. *ak

2002 toyota rav4. the luggage cover has a rubber stop on each side to hold it up in order for the hooks that are install on the back of the seats to be used. in cold and hot weather, the rubber stops do not hold the cover up. in april 2002, the cover came down and hit me on the bridge of my nose so hard that i was almost knocked out. it was dark and freezing cold. i could have been killed, robber or attacked. if i had a child in my arms, i would have dropped it. toyota deems that there is no problem with the shield. i am proof that there is and asked them to place a recall on it but they refuse. *nlm

Vehicle accelerates on its own.

A "baffle" is installed into the oil filler cap beginning with the 2002 toyota's. while driving the "baffle" broke causing the timing chain and consequently the engine to fail. ts

When the brake was applied, the vehicle surged foward due to fuel throttle leakage. dealer notified. *jb

Defective tires, vehicle jack equipment. while driving one of the vehicle's tire exploded when it ran over an orange in the road. the consumer request reimbursement for the replacement tire and would like the remaining 4 tires replaced. the consumer retained the tire for inspection. while attempting to change the blown tire the consumer realized that the jack was not designed properly to replace the blown tire. with the jack properly placed and fully extended there was insufficient clearance to replace the blown tire. the consumer request that the jack be replaced. *nm

Vehicle accelerates on its own without pressing accelerater. vehicle was involved in two collisions because of this problem. please provide any further information.*jb....*ak

While traveling at 25 mph, vehicle was involved in a head on collision and airbags did not deploy. dealer notified. please provide additional information. ts

Consumer was in a accident and the air bags didn't deploy upon crash.consumer also that she was going 35 mphat the time of the accident. ph

The dashboard rattles when driving. took to dealer and the dealer has replaced the dashboard about four times. the dash is still rattling. please provide any further information. ts

When driving for more than 15 miles and stopping the vehicle shakes. took vehicle to dealer and they stated that it was normal for vehicle to shake. *ak consumer states that the engine is loud, when stopping, it feels like the brakes lock up and when the vehicle is turned off the power windows continue to work and the lights go on and off. *slc

While traveling 35 mph tires somehow got caught between pavement/grove on side of road. truck then pulled to right, and owner tried to maintain stability. truck went off the road, rolling over several times. seat belt became loose, and no air bag deployed. this is was a rental vehicle. please describe details. *ak

Steering column will steer to left and right, and the vehicle is uncontrollable in traffic. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Engine compartment caught on fire right after consumer parked vehicle. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

Takata recall: i was involved in a head-0n collision and my air bags did not deflate like they were supposed to. the other vehicle that hit me, their airbags deflated. i was going approximately 45 mph and the impact pushed everything back from the front end of my vehicle, which blocked the doors so that we could not get out of the vehicle. the accident was the other parties fault and she was cited for the accident. i received several injuries which resulted with me being in the hospital for several days. the police officers, the ambulance people and the fire department people all wondered why my airbags did not deploy when the accident happened. all of the professional people on the accident scene said that my airbags were probably made by takata and were defective. as the result of my airbags not deploying caused me to have extensive injuries and i am having to have physical therapy on my left arm and hand. i would like for the nhtsa to perform a check on the toyota rav4 2002 suv's to see if they also should have been included in the recall. as the result of the accident, my suv was totaled and it only had 33,000 miles on it.

2002 toyota rav4 92,000 miles transmission went out. put over $3,400 into getting it repaired. probably will have to put another $1,000 to get computer replaced. still not working correctly. very disappointed in toyota for not offering any kind of fix to this solution. *tr

2002 toyota rav 4 - transmission problem - aamco service rep states computer problem and total trans rebuild costing about $4000. i have contacted toyota dealer and making arrangements to have the vehicle towed to dealer. *tr

While driving a clicking noise came from front of the vehicle. the steering failed to turn properly, and the driver was unable to maintain control of the vehicle, and crashed into a concrete barrier. upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. the driver refused medical attention and went to the hospital on her own. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. *ak the consumer was in the passing lane going at a rate of 56-57 mph when the click was heard, the vehicle started to glide to the left, the consumer tried to gain control of the steering but the wheel continued to go around. there was no steering power. the consumer was informed that the rack an pinion snapped. *sc *jb

I had driven about 3 miles then got stuck in a traffic jam. at that time, i could smell something burning but i thought it was the car in front of me. finally, i got off that road and drove another 10 miles but i again noticed the burning smell. i checked the panel and the car was not running hot. next, a small curl of smoke came from under hood on passenger side. then suddenly smoke began billowing from under the hood and into the car through the vent. i lost steering and braking. i removed the key from the ignition, but the car continued moving forward. then the car abruptly stopped. flames engulfed the engine. the fire department came out and extinguished the fire but the car was totaled. *ak

By accident, i put my driver's side rear window approx. 1/2 way down . unknowingly, i left the window down. when i reached an approximate speed of 40miles per hour, a very severe noise and vibration occurred. it was so severe, i pulled over to check the vehicle. i thought a tire had blown. the vibration and noise is very intense. once the window is up, the noise and vibration stops. if a combination front/rear window down happens, it is not as noticable. i called toyota, and they said it was a design flaw. flaw or no, it is horrible. it could be tragic if a driver unaware pulls over quickly because they fear a tire is going to blow.at the minimum, i feel toyota should send owners a letter describing the problem s they will not be alarmed. i will not put my rear windows down, and that in itself is sad to spend 23 thousand dollars on a new vehicle and be limited in that respect. thanks for your attention to this matter. linda jones. *ak

When backing up, the vehicle either accelerated or the gas pedal got stuck. ts

Re: fuel throttle linkage failure: high idle speed; unpredictable idle speed oscillation / surges, unpredictable acceleration / deceleration (particularly when engine is cold). car will sometimes fail to decelerate after taking foot off gas when at low speeds (10-25 mph), for example, when turning a corner or driving down a residential street. this manual transmission car will sometimes drive/lurch forward on its own without pressing on the gas pedal when in 2nd or 3rd gear, once rpms drop to about 1500. told by the dealer and toyota that this is the result of a new emissions control computer, and that the car is operating as designed. re: structure - roof rack: piece of the covering to the roof rack fell off when driving down the freeway. could have been dangerous if there would have been a car driving behind me at the time.*ak