2003 TOYOTA RAV4

A bad engine control module. Upon further research appears to be a very common malfunction for the rav4 for early 2000s.

DIAGNOSED AS SOLENOID BURNOUT-TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS

Long story short, Bought the car \"as is\" from a Toyota dealership in October 2017, did not know of the transmission/ecm problem until November 2017 (yes that fast). Got a diagnostic test, the code said the transmission needed to be replaced. We are now in January 2018, I got the transmission replaced for 2,714 right? Okay, today January 16th 2018, I picked up my car, drove it around, brought it right back within 45 minutes. My car was still doing a hard shift. I got in the car with the mechanic to drive up the highway, he felt the shift immediately and informed me he was the one that put the part in. Okay, at this point we had to leave because all the managers were in a meeting. I get a call around 3:30pm saying that the ECM is not a problem and they quoted me a price! I Just spent 5,000 so far buying the car and 2,700 dollars to fix the car. She told me that an ECM would cost from 1,500 dollars to 2,000 to replace, are you serious right now? Of course the warranty that Toyota \"extended\" is no longer in affect, so all of this money has to come out of pocket. To say I haven\'t had my car or driven my car for long at all I have experienced a nightmare. I am a senior in college now, I only bought this car because my other vehicle was totaled by a driver who ran a stop sign and State Farm awarded me only 2,800 for my previous car. This is a nightmare, no one but God will help you in the end this is sad and ridiculous. It\'s not right to get over on people in this way.

Faulty ECM cause transmission to not shift properly. When it did shift made a loud noise and shook the vehicle.

Vehicle was jerking and sluggish pulling out. Transmission wasn\'t down shifting after slowing do at stop signs and red lights. Tried to pull out on the highway and nearly got hit. Transmission re built in March 2017$ 1704.74. Drove fine for about 36 miles. Then started acting up again. Called Toyota They informed me that my vehicle was in a recall but my vehicle miss it due to the 10 years or 150,00 mile recall. My low mileage driven vehicle miss the recall by the years no mileage. I then called Toyota service repair in Morristown Tennessee. They look at and replace an EC Module. on June 7th 2017. $1,358.17. I drove it home when they released it to me. It drove and switch gears great. after 2 days it started the same issue again. I call Toyota in Morristown again and took my vehicle back to them. They did a check and call me this morning 6/14/2017 and informed me I need a new transmission costing 2954.00. Toyota Corporation will provide no help in this matter or the EC module.

So Mike 2003 RAV4 has a shifting problem from second to Third and sometimes from first to second it rubs to a high RPM and jerks into gear and has no response to throttle

The ECM was not working and caused damage to the transmission. Harsh shifting conditions.

After having diagnostic tests done, I had an oxygen sensor replaced on the car. Was still having issues and had another test done, which also read a problem with another O2sensor, so I had that one replaced,as well as the spark plugs. The car was having trouble with shifting,as well as acceleration problems.When the plugs were replaced, the mechanic reset the codes, and the car ran like brand new for about 2 hours, at which time it started doing the same thing as before the codes were reset. Took it back and explained the problem, they thought it might be the transmission. After another diagnostic, it showed up as being in the transmission,but when looking up the cost for the part, the bulletin popped up about the problems with the ECM in the 2001-2003 model Rav4\'s. I have had the car since 2006, at which time the title was transferred to me, and after speaking to Toyota, to find out why this problem wasn\'t a recall, or why they didn\'t inform the customer about the problems, got the typical run around until I told them I had filed complaints with CAS and NHTSA. They then \"located\" records indicating a letter had been sent, TO THE ORIGINAL OWNER, in 2010 concerning the problem. So much for that. On the way home a week ago, I was nearly rear-ended by the driver behind me when the transmission slipped from 3rd into 1st, and slowed to a crawl. If I had been informed of the problem, the repairs would have been covered under the Federal emissions warranty. How convenient for Toyota that I wasn\'t!

Faulty ECM & Transmission 2/14/2016 – harsh shifting, sluggish, almost stopping in traffic – very terrifying – issue Toyota has know about for years

The ECM ruined my Transmission.

2003 Rav 4 ECM Warning issued by Toyota in 2006. Extened warranty 10 years/150,000 miles – my car is now 13 years old and 95,000 miles – Toyota will not honor the replacement of the ECM. I almost got killed when the car hesitated and would not engage in gear.

ECM failed causing transmission slow shift problem.

My 2003 Rav 4 module and transmission failed at 83559 miles, which is low miles for a Toyota. Toyota Motor Corp lost a class action law suit, and agreed to be responsible for replacement of transmission and module replacement of the 2001 to 2003 model year rav’s 4 that failed within 150,000 mile usage or 10 year use.

My car had only 83,559 miles at the time of failure due to the faulty original module that caused this transmission problem.

In November 2006 Toyota issued a technical bulletin # 1046 with reference to 2001-2003 Toyota Rav4 transmission: u14OF, U241E. Subject:2-3 blind up/harsh 2-3 PO755, Burnt (C2, Clutch, Harsh rev. Engagement, wrong gear starts….saying that the faulty PCM in the Toyoa Rav4’s can cause the transmission problem that my car experienced……….(I have a copy of the document for reference, if necessary)

The problem with the Transmission in my RAV4 with only 83559 miles was due to durability; and that Toyota sold the car with a faulty module, did not replace it when they admitted to the problem and needs to be responsible for any and all costs incurred.

The car jerks when I try to accelerate. Toyota reccommends that I replace the ECM and because my car has 101,000 and is more than 10 years old I am not qualified to receive the warranty enhancement program (Customer Support Program). I just bought my car 3 weeks ago. This should be an ongoing warranty offerredto all 2003 Rav 4 owners. The out of pocket cost for ECM is $1590.00 and $3750.00 for the transmission.

See failures

The transmission in the Toyota Rav4 has been recalled, but my vehicle is not on the recall list because it received a new ECM unit (a cheap unsubstantial fix) in 2012. I just bought the vehicle at the end of March 2015 and it has so many problems. It is at a Toyota dealership now for a new transmission that will cost 4000. I would like Toyota to pay for it as a new ECM unit, applied too late, is not adequate to fix a failed transmission.

I have a 2003 Toyota Rav4! On July 21, 2015 the vehicle started harsh jerking with slow performance when I came to a stop or red light! Toyota had a Customer Support Program that would have replace the ECM and Transmission free for vehicles that was in the program! Toyota didn’t send me a letter stating that I had a malfunction ECM and that a Customer Support Program would replace my ECM! When I found out about the program, Toyota told me that the Customer Support Program had expired for my vehicle! I was informed that the program was for 10 years or 150,000.00 miles whichever came first! I was informed that my vehicle was expired because my 10 years was in 2013! I informed Toyota that I never received a letter from them stating that my ECM would be replaced free under the Customer Support Program! So, now I’m facing $5,551.60 plus tax to get my vehicle fixed! I’m on a fixed income of Social Security monthly and I don’t have the funds to repair my vehicle! They didn’t send me a letter stating I had a malfunction ECM and it would be replaced! I have been living at this address for 30 years and I haven’t received anything from them!!!!

The ECM makes a transmission failure

I purchased my 2003 Toyota 3003 Rav4 in 2012, not knowing about the transmission issues. The extended warranty has already expired. In mid 2013, I began to experience the problems of harsh shifting, and loss of power. I call toyota after reading of the Customer service assistance program. They advised me to take my car for diagnostic at any of their dealership and if diagnosed of computer or transmission problem, than I could be qualified for their assistance program. I immediately took my car to a Toyota dealership in Bloomington, Minnesota and paid the amount of $112.49 for diagnostic and was presented a proforma with of $1,414.26 for the computer controls and other problems associated.
I than call Toyota customer service to inform them of the diagnostic result, only to be told that I am no longer qualified for the assistance in less than 10 days of our previous discussion.
I am therefore seeking legal redress for the repair of my car and the reimbursement of my $112.49 diagnostic fee.

Experienced issues with shifting and engine revving. Was told that I need a new ECM. My quick action of taking it in for repairs saved the transmission.

2003 RAV4 transmission broke exactly as described in numerous reports:
http://www.toyotaproblems.com/trends/rav4-transmission/
http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1047201_transmission-woes-prompt-warranty-extension-on-toyota-rav4-models
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/toyota-extends-warranty-on-troubled-2001-3-rav4/
http://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/open-lawsuit-settlements/2302-toyota-rav-4-transmission-class-action-lawsuit-settlement/
10/8/14 @ 90,000 mileage for repair cost of $5000 which Toyota will pay NONE of

ECM AND TRANSMISSION ARE FAILING. I BOUGHT USED FROM DEALER. OF COURSE HE DID NOT LET ME KNOW ABOUT THESE ISSUES. THE PAINT HAS BEEN OXIDIZED FOR MANY YEARS – WAY TOO EARLY FOR PAINT TO GO BAD.

The ECM on my 2003 Toyota RAV4 has failed and had to be repaired and now I am afraid that it has damaged my transmission as well and that might have to be replaced. I have contacted Toyota and they tell me that there has been no recall on my VIN number. I know that is wrong because my repair shop has a bulletin with a recall for the ECM on my make and model and I know that Toyota extended the original as well to 10 yrs/150,000 mi. I am outside the years but WELL under the mileage and I want compensation. This is Toyota’s fault by their own admission and I want this rectified.

Computer burned out transmission, purchase Rav 2009 please help, what is my recourse, Rav was my dream car .Just bought mobile home in senior park, don’t have extra money for this. I only put 13,553 miles on since ownership 5years. Nancy Brissette

Check engine light came on in April 2010; Mechanicsville, Va. Toyota Dealership said that it was probably a computer error or a catalytic converter issue. They tried to get the check engine light to go off but to no avail. Said it probably was nothing to worry about unless it was the catalytic converter but would cost about $1000.00 to get to take everything apart. They said car was safe and probably just a malfunction with the check engine light as it came on intermittently; I was charged $95.00 for their “diagnosis.” I continued to drive the car and did not notice any significant issues with the car at the time. When I moved to Charlotte, N.C. in June 2012, the check engine light was on all the time but I still did not think anything was wrong. While visiting in Georgia in July of 2013, however, something felt weird with the way the car shifted and accelerated. I stopped at Riverside Toyota in Rome; they replaced brakes, oil, and battery but did not address the check engine light. I thought all those things would help with the driving performance of the car. When I returned to Charlotte, I continued to feel that something was not right with my car but not being mechanically minded, I thought that since I had had it serviced in Georgia, it would be fine. I did have the computer sensor replaced on 8/19/2013 and the check engine light finally went off. I thought everything was okay but my car continued to feel rough when driving. The increasing inability to shift smoothly, a weak acceleration, and a jolting sensation when stopping plus very strange noises when I stopped became alarming to me. I then took the vehicle to Scott Clark Toyota in Charlotte, N.C. on Dec. 26, 2013 because I was afraid to drive the car at this point. They “diagnosed” the car with a malfunctioned ECM unit as well as a malfunctioning transmission. The cost estimate to repair was quoted at $5,303.99; the charge for the diagnosis was $97.82. How is it that 3 Toyota Dealerships, despite having Technical Service Bulletins (by March 2006) about the malfunctioning ECM were fine with never revealing the truth about those “check engine” alerts, thereby jeopardizing the safety of a human beings, plus having the audacity to charge for a bogus diagnosis when they
had prior knowledge of the true problem with the ECM. I’d also like to know why the general public does not fully know about such deceit visited upon loyal consumers (I’ve been driving Toyotas for 20 years) ? I have not had my car repaired yet as it is cost prohibitive right now; I am sickened by the greed and cover-up by Toyota. Please tell me how your organization can help with this “Toyotagate”. How can you both warn and inform consumers with 2001, 2002, and 2003 Rav 4 abut these safety issues. How can you
help to expedite a Class Action suit for those of us who have been cheated by Toyota? Thank you. Virginia Morrow
year

JERKY ACCELERATION, STOPPING AND STARTING WHEN TRANSMISSION CHANGES GEARS – USUALLY FROM FIRST TO SECOND. CAR HAS ALMOST 95,000 MILES ON IT. TOYOTA DIAGNOSED IT AS EITHER A ECU OR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED YET AS TOTAL COST WILL BE OVER $5,000, WHICH IS NOT DO-ABLE RIGHT NOW. SO IN THE MEANTIME, I’M STUCK DRIVING A CAR THAT COULD BE INVOLVED IN SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF CAR STALLS WHEN DRIVING.

I was backing up my 2003 RAV 4 and switching to Drive when engine speed began racing in Reverse and the car went down backwards over a 12 foot high 70 degree embankment into woods. All the time down I could hear the engine racing. The car came to a rest on flat ground facing a tree about 4 feet ahead. I had a second to think that I was lucky it seemed to have stopped and not hit the tree when suddenly the car surged forward into the tree. The engine continued to race pinning the front end into the tree. I could only stop it by turning off the ignition key.

I AM VERY DISGRUNTLED WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WAS EXPERIENCING HARSH SHIFTING DUE TO A TSB (TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN) ON THE RAV4. EVIDENTIALLY THE COMPUTER BREAKS AT AN AVERAGE 94,000 MILES. THEY OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THIS ISSUE AT 150,000 MILES OR 10 YEARS. OF COURSE I MISSED THE DEADLINE BY 3 DAYS BECAUSE IT SAT AT THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO BUSY TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT! I’VE CALLED NUMEROUS MANAGERS/ CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS ECT AND I GOT NOWHERE! THEY TOLD ME IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS NOT A ‘LOYAL’ CUSTOMER TO THEIR DEALERSHIPS. UM I BOUGHT A CAR FROM YOUR DEALERSHIP AND HAD SOME MAINTENANCE ISSUES DONE BUT I CAN’T AFFORD YOUR OUTRAGEOUS PRICES!

THEREFORE, I WILL NEVER BUY A TOYOTA EVER AGAIN, EVER REFER ANYONE AND WILL TELL ALL MY FRIENDS ABOUT THIS HORRIFIC EXPERIENCE!

I have taken my vehicle in about 4 times now and they are not able to detect what it is – at first they said it was the emission control and they changed that, the vehicle has become so bad that it stopped in the middle of a very heavy intersection and i almost had a fatal accident.

Transmission ? Will hardly accelerate. Currently at dealership who is claiming this is not a widespread problem .

I have not had my vehicle in for repair but will be contacting a transmission place tomorrow. Suddenly and without warning, my Toyota RAV4 experienced sluggishness. My 17 year old son was driving, attempted to make a right hand turn into traffic with plenty of time to make it but when he stepped on the accelerator the transmission started slipping and the car did not move as expected. This nearly caused an accident but the other driver was able to stop in time. We were at camp which is approximately 1 1/2 hours from home. The entire drive home the transmission would shift hard, become sluggish or rev up without warning. When I got home I did a search of transmission issues with the 2003 Toyota RAV4 and that is when I saw that this is an issue. I have never received any kind of notification from Toyota regarding this issue and I am the only person who has owned this car since 2003. My complaint is simply this. If there is an issue with a vehicle, in which safety is an issue, the owner of the vehicle should be notified. My 17 year old son was lucky that an alert driver was able to stop without incident but someone may not be as lucky in the future.

My transmission that decided not to shift and almost caused an accident. My husband had his foot to the floor and it was not responding and then it proceeded to engage and a violent jolt and loud noise was experienced. After taking it to the repair shop we had to pay the almost $1,400 repair bill which caused me great hardship. I am angry that Toyota has a settlement out there but it only covers up to 150,000 miles or 10 years. That is not fair it just shows that they are going to get away with not paying for people who will experience this in the future as I have. It is a safety issue and if Toyota can not see this or the courts they should experience it first hand and then decide if it is not a safety issue. There should not be a time frame or mileage limit. They know they have a problem and they are choosing to ignore it.

On July 30, 2011 the engine light of my RAV 4 came on. We knew there was something wrong so we took it immediately to Toyota. We soon discovered our 2003 Toyota RAV 4 vehicle has a faulty ECM, which destroyed the transmission. We have serviced our RAV 4 and we have followed the manufacturer’s recommendations. This is an outrage. I will never buy a vehicle from Toyota again. There are many consumers with the same vehicle and the same problem. Toyota needs to take responsibility. In 2008 I was involved in an auto accident, as listed above in the vehicle involvement questionnaire, because my RAV 4 suddenly stopped in traffic. I had it towed and taken to Toyota in Santa Fe, NM. They said everything was fine. I want as many people to know about this because consumers have a right to know. This is a serious safety issue.

My transaxle failed after exhibiting strange sounds. A class action lawsuit in 2010 had extended warranty for ECM and Transaxle my 2003 RAV4 with this diagnosis. Since my repair was done by private repair shop, I submitted a refund request under the new warranty, page 2, in the section section entitled: “What if you have previously paid for the repair of your vehicle for this specific condition as it applies to your 2001 through 2003 model year RAV4?” The warranty then states: “If you have previously paid for the replacement of the Engine Control module and/or the automatic transaxle for this specific condition on your vehicle (VIN noted above), during the applicable period, please mail a copy of your repair order which includes the reason for the repair/replacement, proof of payment, and proof of ownership to the following address for reimbursement consideration…” I did this. The warranty clearly states it covers the ECM or Transaxle. My transaxle went and my ECM needed to be reflashed, but Toyota refused the claim saying the ECM had to replaced first. This is contrary to the statements in the warranty. Toyota refused my claim in a capricious interpretation of the written warranty.

My 2003 Toyota Rav4 began acting weird around 2010 my engine began slipping when i would drive. A couple of days after new year of 2011 my transmission went out when i was driving home and it just completely stopped letting me reverse; whenever i tried to reverse it would not budge it was as if i had it in neutral and my RPMs would rev my engine.

January 11, 2011. I purchased a new, automatic-transmission-equipped, 2003 Toyota RAV4 in March, 2003, from a nearby Toyota dealer. In September, 2004, I took it to that dealer and asked them to check out the "harsh" shifting problem I had observed. Their response was: "No problem found with trans." I reported the same trouble in several subsequent visits to that dealership, but their response was always the same: "No problem found with trans." The "harsh" shifting problem has continually grown worse over time, but so far it has not prevented the car from being driven, although it remains a safety issue. In the second half of 2010, I received a letter from Toyota advising me that the company would, under an extended warranty program designed to correct the "harsh" shifting problem, repair a 2003 RAV4’s trans-axle at no cost to the owner within ten years of purchase or 150,000 miles. At the time I received Toyota’s extended warranty letter, my RAV4 had about 182,000 miles on it because my round trip to work is about 90 miles each day and the RAV4 has been my work vehicle since I bought it. Today, I contacted Toyota by phone (800-331-4331, options 4,6) to request that the company include my RAV4 in their trans-axle extended warranty repair program since I have documents indicating my RAV4’s trans-axle problem dating back to 2004. I also FAXed them (310-381-4486, include a reference case number) the repair sheet documenting the September, 2004, visit to the dealer about the trans-axle problem. Their response was that since my car’s mileage exceeds their extended warranty limits, they will not include it in the extended warranty repair program. I asked them to waive the mileage limit since I can document that I have been having the problem from early on, but they refused to grant a waiver.

I started having the jerking and lunging problem on in July 2010. The check engine light came on and I took it to a mechanic for diagnostics. He said he couldn’t fix the problem and I would have to take it to the dealer. As a result of his diagnostic test the check engine light went off even though the problem persisted. I joined a RAV4World forum and another member told me about technical service bulletin TC002-06. I called University Motors (UM) in Morgantown WV where I purchased the car new in 2003 and they told me I should have received a letter from Toyota referring to this bulletin. I had not received the letter and UM told me it would only apply to my car if the check engine light was on. So I drove the car another day and the light came on and drove it straight to UM. They had my car for 12 days when I finally got it back and they said they replaced the ECM. It was working fine until March 26 2011 when I was stopped at a light as I tried to accelerate it started hesitating and lost power completely and I had to back off the road into a parking spot. I thought it could be dirt in the fuel filter so put in fuel injector cleaner and a new air filter–neither made a difference. I drove the car from that spot to UM (around 17 miles) and it completely shut off 5 times before I got there. Needless to say this was a very dangerous situation and I was lucky I didn’t get rear-ended or worse. Now UM says they have to replace the transmission at the cost of at least $3600. I told them that is unacceptable as I believe the faulty ECM unit is what caused the transmission damage in the first place (if indeed it is the transmission and not just another faulty ECM). The refused to think it might be a faulty ECM and wouldn’t consider replacing it again. I do not think the car will be safe even if I spend the $3600 to get the remanufactured transmission installed. I bought a Toyota because of their reputation for safety–isn’t it ironic? I think Toyota should stand behind their product and recall the vehicles affected by the bad ECM.

I am writing to file a complaint for my 2003 Toyota RAV4. I have experience unexpected shifting from the transmission causing the vehicle to jerk in forward/backward motion. The Jerkiness is not settle but harsh and I have come to several close calls for a major accident. The vehicle seems to be experiencing an ECM/Transmission malfunctioning. After investigating this issue, I have found many more complaints regarding this malfunctioning in edmunds.com in their customer review section. I am a college student and bought a Toyota because of its high quality reputation but my thoughts have change completely about Toyota Motor Company. This dangerous manufacture defect has to be fixed before more people get hurt.

The vehicle would bang into gear when shifted to Reverse or Drive; it took quite sometime for it to change gears from 2nd to 3rd and so on; sometimes when pressing on the gas, the vehicle would just roll, then take-off.  Lia Toyota replaced the ECM and road tested the vehicle…the transmission no longer bangs and "sort of" shifts smoothly while driving. (hard to confirm with the severe cold weather lately). They/ Lia Toyota stated, "the transmission is fine, it was the engine computer and catalytic converters". They both were replaced. 
I read the article in the NY Times regarding the Toyota’s, and the woes of others discussing the ECM and transmission problems.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/toyotas-reaction-to-transmission-woes-draws-customers-ire/?scp=1&sq=transmission%20woes%20for%20rav4&st=cse
I’m clueless about the repair of vehicles, but I am not fully convinced that I don’t have a transmission problem.  

The transmission in my RAV4 literally overnight started slipping. I was running errands and had stopped at a traffic light but when the light changed and I accelerated the engince revved but the vehichle barely moved at all. I was almost rear ended several times before I could get home and then get it back to the dealer. I took the vehichle to my local dealer and was told the Engine Control Unit/Module needed to be replaced. At the sum of $1,331.00. At home, I researched the web only to find out this has been an ongoing major issue that Toyota is not wanting to deal with or make good on for the last few years. Anyone who thinks this isn’t a safety issue has never been in a stalled vehicle in the middle of a busy intersection.

the required scheduled maintenance for oil change is faulty. When followed it produces sludge or gel causing major engine damage.(Its the same problem I had with my 1998 Toyota Sienna van )

Once I arrived to a stop sign, my transmission begin to slip/fail. I could not accelarate. The day that this happened, Twice I was almost rear ended. I refused to take the highway, fearing that it may cause an accident due to the lack of acceleration. This is a serious saftey issue. I have since then taken the car off the road until the true issue can be acknowledged and fixed by a Toyota dealer. They claim to have no knowledge of this being an issue, even though after personal research on line I have noted that it is.

My 2003 RAV4, suddenly began having intermittent transmission problems – the transmission sticks in first gear then bangs into second; jerking sporadically – not moving, then lunging forward. It is dangerous.
August 1, 2010 Addendum: Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t wait for Toyota to do the right thing because the car was unsafe to drive (I couldn’t put my wife or daughter at risk) and I couldn’t afford the $4400 that the dealer wanted to repair it, so I was forced to use it as a trade for the downpayment for a new Mazda. Do you know that I never would have believed how much it bothered me that I had to sell the car? Every time I see a RAV4 that looks like the one I have I get sad and angry. I told someone that it was like putting down a dog. Especially since the dealer told me that most-likely they were selling it to a chop shop because it had 100,000.
Thanks for you concern. Have a great day!
Eric

I traded my 1999 Rav4, which I bought new, for the 2003 Rav4 with appr.33000 miles on it. I had bought 3 other cars from Hoover Toyota so I believed them when they said it was a local trade in. I took the car back to Hoover for all maintenance. The engine light came on nine months after my purchase, I took it back, they replaced the thermostat, but did not mention the fact that I needed an oil change. Any way to make a long story short, I have put appr. 21000 miles on the car, the oil light came on , Hoover Toyota says I have sludge and need a new engine @ $7000, which is almost what the car is worth. They have offered me $1000 for my Rav4 and $1000 from the Toyota Corp. $2000 for my 2003 Rav4 with 54000 miles on it. I thought I wouldn’t have to buy a car for many years. Any suggestions?

All of the sudden my car started shifting bad, it would stay in first gear for a while then pop hard into second OR even worse it would stop/slow way down while driving, kind of like the emergency brake was pulled hard, then it would lunge forward fast. This is a huge safety issue I was almost rear-ended twice, and came close to hitting a car in front of me when it lunged forward. I did a lot of research on this only to find that numerous people have the same issue. There needs to be a RECALL and refunds to everyone with a RAV4. I went to the dealer they would not take ANY responsiblity for the default in the computer system or the damage that the fautly computer system did to the transmission. This is a huge safety issue Toyota needs to own up to.

S10 appropriate handling-letter to the secretary from re toyota problems *tgw 2003 toyota rav4. the consumer stated when plugged into the electric charging system, the vehicle rolled away. the consumer stated it can happen if the gear is inadvertently shifted out of park and into neutral if the vehicle is parked on a slight slope. *jb

S10 appropriate handling re sudden unintended acceleration incident fm owner of a 2003 toyota rav4. *kb the consumer stated on 3 separate occasions, when she tried to change lanes to get in front of another vehicle, it would not accelerate. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated nothing was wrong. after the third occurrence, the consumer went back to the dealer and they kept the vehicle. upon inspection, the dealer discovered the sensor in the gas tank was not functioning properly and had to be replaced. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle hard shifted and would not accelerate. the vehicle was diagnosed as needing a new transmission. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 119,000.

March the vehicle started jerking and was no pulling out correctly at stop sign and red lights. the transmission wouldn't down shift so you were trying to pull out in 3rd or 4th gear. it felt like you were pulling a house. i was pulling out onto a highway and the vehicle would hardly go... it caused three vehicles to bow up and stop in the middle of the highway because my vehicle was out in the roadway moving at less than 1 mile per hour. i never pulled out on to the highway after that. i always pull out onto the should of the road in case the vehicle done that again. so the transmission was rebuilt march 2017. after about 36 miles was driven on it started acting up again. i puled out fine on the shoulder of the highway as eased over into the south bound lane when the vehicle changed to first it felt like someone hit me in the rear-end of the vehicle. i looked to make surer. then it switched to 2nd gear and jerked me do hard that i pulled over turning the vehicle off and having it towed to the transmission shop. so, back to get the transmission looked at i have a one year warranty on the transmission. they took it apart and looked at it again. they said there wasn't anything wrong with the transmission it was the ec module. so it stayed parked until i could save some money to get that fixed. took it to toyota june 7th 2017 they replaced the ec module and i took it home the following wednesday. it drove fine all the way home. the next day it started doing the exact same thing again. so i took it back to the toyota dealership that repaired the ec module. no they tell me that the transmission is bad and i need a new one. $2958.00 plus tax. toyota corporation will not help you out on the fix. due to the recall being 10 years or 150,000 mile. my vehicle was a low mileage vehicle with 105,894 on it and i miss the recall because of the mileage.

2003 rav 4 85,401 miles. the transmission began to miss shift, engine would speed up and there would be a loss of power. from a stopped position the engine would rev and not shift into gear. toyota tech advises that the vehicle requires new computer and transmission , a $6,000 expense. mind you that this vehicle is 13 years old but has only 85,000 original miles and has been maintained. toyota advises no warranty effect for the vehicle. the vehicle was being driven on a main highway ( sunrise highway long island) when malfunction occurred.

Harsh shifting, jumping from gear-to-gear, sluggish acceleration and transmission/electronic control module failure. called toyota regarding the extended warrenty. they refused to honor the extended warranty despite not providing notice to the correct address.

We were on a family vacation on labor day weekend, when we merged on the freeway and my toyota rav 4 would not shift over. we almost were hit by oncoming cars from the freeway. i swerved to avoid a crash and crashed into the ditch. i checked on line to get toyota phone number when i noticed there was a recall and extended warranty on this part on toyota rav 4 2001 2002 and 2003. i purchased the car in oct 2010 from dealership carmax, they told me they were not aware of the problem. if i was aware i would have taken it to get it fixed. this is a safety issue with this problem. i might have lost my family and myself. i contacted toyota, they stated to me they had contacted you guys and it's not under a safety issue on these cars, it was a problematic issues. my question to you is somebody has to die first to be considered safety? toyota will not honor any repairs because it's passed the 10 year and 150 thousand mile mark. are you kidding me? ! my car acted up at 163 miles, so my family and any other rav4 are not safe do to a expired extension? ! that is not good. i'm very upset about this situation. my priority is my family like every ones else's family. the gov should make it a lifetime extended warranty so if we didn't hear about it after the fact, it should be honored and have toyota and gov fixed this issue. thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the contact attempted to accelerate again and the vehicle responded very slowly to approximately 15 mph. the vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine control unit failed or there was possible transmission failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 74,650.

While driving my vehicles rpms cut out and the throttle would not respond it started to slow down and then died in the middle of the hwy in lawton oklahoma. it took me 2 and a half hours to get the vehicle home in ryan oklahoma because i had to constantly put the vehicle in neutral all while coasting and let it die then turn it off and try several times to get the vehicle to stay started and even then it would only review to 2000 rpms and die. i had to guide it to the side of the hwy several times and let it set for 20 to 30 minutes before it would drive at around 60 mph for only 2 to 3 minutes. i was almost hit several times because of how the throttle would not respond while the rpms cut out and the vehicle would not get up and go.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the transmission failed. the vehicle was taken to be diagnosed and the technician informed that the ecm needed to be repaired. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 92,000.

While driving engine light started blinking, the vehicle lost power. and smelled bad odor. my first complaint was filed with nhtsa in 2012, and i took my vehicle to maplewood toyota, mn 55109, in 2012 and they did not fix it. it is serious issue of safety with the engine / transmission

While driving engine light started blinking, the vehicle lost power and smelled bad odor. my first complaint was filed with nhtsa in 2012, and i took my vehicle to maplewood toyoa, mn 55109, in 2012 and they did not fix it. it is serious issue of safety with the engine / transmission

I was driving my 2003 toyota rav4 and attempted to merge into another lane when i experienced a very hard shift from the transmission causing the vehicle to stall with a reving engine noise and avoided being rear ended by a truck. i purchased my rav4 brand new in 2003 to accomodate my disability needs and only have 82,000 miles.i checked with my mechanic today and he looked up the toyota recall on these rav4 transmission failures and not once did toyota inform me about the recall. how is disabled individual on fixed income to afford $3000.00 for a transmission on a well maintained toyota with only 82,000 miles. i wish toyota would show some empathy to accommodate an individual whose sole purpose of a brand new rav4 would fulfill his daily physical challenges in life and now left with a toyota with 82,000 miles in need of a transmission. this rav4 is no longer safe to be driven given its nature of safety concerns.

My rave4 starting having problem with shifting about 5 years ago but we park it because my mom passed away and i received her car, but i want to get it fix and have been driving it again with only shift problems in first gear!

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the seat shoulder strap started to shred and progressively worsened. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was invalid. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

What i have a 2003 rav4 that doesn't shift properly as a slow acceleration and between first and second it'll slip and rev high on the rpm then talk into gear and same between 2nd and 3rd and 3rd to drive

I drive and the sleep while i’m driving and the can not change correctly the gear. *tr

This car has been maintained and preserved and only 84000 miles on it. and the car wont shift. it jolts me or revs extremely high and also almost caused me an accident as it almost shut down on power while making a left turn in intersection. the check engine light comes on and off. it's only while going from 2nd to 3rd or shifting down from 2 to 1st. i had my mechanic look at it and he said it's a common issue with the ecu to take it to dealership to replace for free and they want to charge me 150 just to examine it.

My transmission started raving up and shifting all crazy and taken to scan to show a shift selinoid b took to tranny shop who says it's computer and see several post about this happening to others. i am a grandma and i can't even drive him around don't feel safe. it was driving during this time in the city streets

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. on several occasions, while driving, the vehicle failed to shift into gear correctly. the contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to shift into third gear. the rpms would rev; however, the vehicle would lose forward momentum. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. the vin was not available. *dt *dl *js

I just bought a one owner used 2003 rava4 with only 58,000 miles on it right before christmas. i have driven it for almost 4months now and about 6 weeks ago it started shifting hard going into 2nd gear, sometimes it jumps/bounces. i looked it up and am seeing that alot of people have had the some problem and they are saying it's the emc. wondering if anyone was able to get any help at all out toyota. i do not know if the previous owner's where ever made aware of the situation & have no way to contact them. think it's pretty crazy to have to pay a bunch of money when there is such low milage would think toyota would fix it.

Takata recall transmission slips when put in gear and when accerating

Ecm failed. original owner, vehicle has 50,991 mi. on it . 16 years old. toyota aware of problem-- extended warranty to 10 yrs./150000. mi. called toyota customer. service, stated that i'm out of luck. original part clearly defective. consideration should be extended because of extremely low mileage. cost will be $2000.00 or more. vehicle was moving when experienced uncontrolled shifting in transmission. clearly a safety issue.

My wife had an accident on the highway oct /16/2018 a chevy van severely crash into the rear of my 2003 rav4 ,and none of the airbags deployed .shouldn't the airbags have deployed?what should i do?

Takata recall" i was driving on a city street on my way home late afternoon...auto started to jerk and felt like something was pulling at it...it slowed up then jerked again...it continued on...i was driving at 45 speed limit...as i was turning the shifting was sounding like it was sticking...i parked it at home and next morning i had it checked and diagnosed as solenoid problem causing transmission burnout...also toyota revealed problems with the ecm and transmission failure

My rav4 has been shifting hard making me feel unsafe as well as putting me in dangerous situations on highways and freeways and in town. now has been in the shop for past 3wks now leaving me stranded while they replaced the ecm and and replaced transmission with refurbished one and they have been dealing with sha ings in transmission among other things and it's gunna cost over $5700.00 possibly more that i can't afford. it's still not fixed yet and still. i don't have extended warranty cuz i can't afford it.. and also my seat belt has been fraying away to where i don't feel safe with that neither.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving various speeds, it became difficult to shift gears and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed. the vehicle was repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the failure mileage was approximately 187,000.

Takata recall

Long story short, bought the car "as is" from a toyota dealership in october 2017, did not know of the transmission/ecm problem until november 2017 (yes that fast). got a diagnostic test, the code said the transmission needed to be replaced. we are now in january 2018, i got the transmission replaced for 2,714 right? okay, today january 16th 2018, i picked up my car, drove it around, brought it right back within 45 minutes. my car was still doing a hard shift. i got in the car with the mechanic to drive up the highway, he felt the shift immediately and informed me he was the one that put the part in. okay, at this point we had to leave because all the managers were in a meeting. i get a call around 3:30pm saying that the ecm is not a problem and they quoted me a price! i just spent 5,000 so far buying the car and 2,700 dollars to fix the car. she told me that an ecm would cost from 1,500 dollars to 2,000 to replace, are you serious right now? of course the warranty that toyota "extended" is no longer in affect, so all of this money has to come out of pocket. to say i haven't had my car or driven my car for long at all i have experienced a nightmare. i am a senior in college now, i only bought this car because my other vehicle was totaled by a driver who ran a stop sign and state farm awarded me only 2,800 for my previous car. this is a nightmare, no one but god will help you in the end this is sad and ridiculous. it's not right to get over on people in this way.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the vehicle began to experience a harsh shift while the vehicle began to reduce in speed. the contact stated that a burning odor was present. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the automatic transaxle failed and the transmission would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

The transmission acted up. it would work well, then it was like if it was in the wrong gear.

My 2003 rav 4 starting shifting gears erratically, starting in 3rd intead of 1st gear, very sluggish to get moving after stopping. toyota issued a warning regarding a faulty ecm in this model and extended the warranty to 10 years/150000miles. unfortuantetly my car is 13 years old and 95,000 miles and toyota would not fix. on the way to the dealership to have this fixed my car was turning left into 2 lanes of traffic and stalled and would not go into gear, a car nearly t-boned me but he was able to swerve into another lane. i could have been killed because of this problem. toyota needs to take responsibility for this issue and correct all cars on the road today.

Ecm failed causing harsh shift transmission problem while driving in lower gears

Had this car for only 10 months (my daughter worked 2 jobs to buy it) and it started clunking when it was put into reverse and then not shifting properly while driving. took it in and it was the computer, and it would be minimum of $1000 to fix it. it has 170,000 miles which for a toyota is not a lot. can't believe this was never a recall and it is now past the warrenty. i love my toyotas but this is not ok that they won't own up and pay to fix it!!!!

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 30 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle jerked. as a result, the vehicle became stuck in second and third gear. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was undetermined; however, the technician discovered that the computer damaged the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Transmission slipping when shifting from first to second gear

My toyota 2003 rav 4 began having transmiision shifting problems. at times when in motion this vehicle would not continue driving for a few seconds. it also happened on the highway and put us in a very scary and dangerous situation. i took it to my mechanic. he researched and diagnosed the situation. after running a diagnostic, he found error code po750. he had to replace the engine control module which controlled the transmission.. he also found bulletins sent out by toyota that this was an issue, but no recalls were found. i had to pay $2091.63 to fix this problem. i have the receipt.

Since last summer of 2015, my driver side seatbelt has been fraying. the fray is over a foot long and a 1/2" inch of seatbelt is frayed. i will attempt to send pics along with this form. it is a habit with me to always wear my seatbelt, and of all the other vehicles i have own this is the first time i've had a problem like this. i do hope that even though this may be an unusual issue, i trust you will consider this a serious problem and one that should be dealt with promptly, for it does cause me to have safety concerns each time i drive with this frayed seatbelt on. i thank you for your immediate attention on this matter. safety is top priority with me, as i am sure it is with you as well. again, thank you for your time and prompt attention. fyi: if my 2 pictures just so happen to not be with this form, please contact me by e-mail and i will try to sent them to you again. thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving on city streets when the car violently jerked and speeded up. i was in fear of being in an accident and feared for my safety. i immediately took action to repair this car that was in mint condition to this point. the 2003 rav 4 module and transmission failed at 83559 miles, which is low mileage for a toyota. toyota motor corp lost a class action law suit, and agreed to be responsible for replacement of transmission and module replacement of the 2001 to 2003 model year rav's 4 that failed within 150,000 mile usage or 10 year use. my car had only 83,559 miles at the time of failure due to the faulty original module that caused this transmission problem. in november 2006 toyota issued a technical bulletin # 1046 with reference to 2001-2003 toyota rav4 transmission: u14of, u241e. subject:2-3 blind up/harsh 2-3 po755, burnt (c2, clutch, harsh rev. engagement, wrong gear starts....saying that the faulty pcm in the toyoa rav4's can cause the transmission problem that my car experienced..........(i have a copy of the document for reference, if necessary) the problem with the transmission in my rav4 with only 83559 miles was a durability issue; toyota sold the car with a faulty module, did not replace it when they admitted to the problem and the company needs to be responsible for any and all costs incurred.

The car jerks when i try to accelerate. toyota reccommends that i replace the ecm and because my car has 101,000 and is more than 10 years old i am not covered under the warranty enhancement program (customer support program). i just bought my car 3 weeks ago. this should be an ongoing warranty offerred to all 2003 rav 4 owners. the out of pocket cost for ecm is $1590.00 and $3750.00 for the transmission. this is a safety issue where the transmission can lock and drive a car off the side of the road. toyota is aware of the defected ecms and the damaging affects it has on the transmission.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving various speeds, the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate and the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission/transaxles experienced a harsh shift failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 95,225.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the driver side seat belt was frayed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 167,000.

The transmission started shifting erratically and it wouldn't accelerate. i took it toyota and they told me i had to replace the ecm and then if that didn't resolve the issue i would have to replace the transmission. found out toyota had faulty ecm's in some rav4s. replacing the ecm & the transmission if its damaged costs $4,000.00 or more. unfortunately i didn't buy the vehicle until after the warranty extension period had passed & this vehicle was never repaired.

Electric control module (ecm) is bad, causing harsh shifting, failure to accelerate correctly, and rpm's to jump. this is a known problem with this model and should have been recalled. this vehicle only has 112,000 miles on it. the part is $800+ or $1100 from dealer.

The transmission started shifting erratically at times. after doing some checking online, i discovered that toyota had put faulty ecm's in some rav 4s. the ecm controls the shifting of the transmission. you have to replace the ecm & the transmission if its damaged at a cost of $4,000.00 or more. toyota knew about this & extended the warranties on these vehicles 10 years. unfortunatley we didn't buy the vehicle until after the warranty time period had passed & this vehicle was never repaired. i called toyota to see if they would still stand behind it but they would not. now i have to pay for their faulty junk. don't think i'll be buying another toyota again.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly stop accelerating. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the ecm unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 162,000.

My vehicle began to "buck" and then shortly thereafter the check engine light came on. i initially took it to the closest mechanic and was told i needed a new transmission and that they couldn't replace it. told them to take it to krause toyota. was then told by krause it needed a new ecm but they were too busy and couldn't look at the vehicle for 2 weeks since i wasn't a "regular" customer. i then took the car to bennett toyota - class outfit. they replaced the ecm immediately - which wasn't cheap. cost me $1200. i have since heard that there was a recall on the ecm on my year rav4 which i wasn't ever notified of. i feel toyota should pick up this tab. i have low mileage for a 2003 car, and have always maintained it properly.

While driving the highway in my rav4, it randomly bogs down or stalls out completely. you have to steer over to the side of the highway because it loses power and the gauges go whacky on you. sometimes it shuts off and sometimes it just loses power and when you put it in park and shut it off, it will eventually "go again". you can be driving 55 one second and it stalls out to 3 mph the next second without any indication that it is going to happen. toyota said they could replace the ecm if it was before 150,000 miles, which it was not. they told me they won't do anything after 150,000 miles, not even meet me half way to pay to replace it. its an obvious problem if they sent a letter out. i've had it to three repair (including a toyota dealer) shops and none of their 'computer checks' show anything is wrong with the car. how do you fix something if you don't know what is wrong with it? they have done tune ups, replaced the oxygen sensor and minor adjustments to no help. i've spent over $1,000 in repairs for "nothing" -or maybe this is it. i drive 2-lane highways and it is going to strand me someplace, if i don't get rear-ended by a semi-truck before that happens. i am afraid to drive it and i am afraid to let my teenagers drive it. the car is still in beautiful shape, has been garaged most of its life, has had regular oil changes, etc. and basically its worthless to me. i can't sell it outright with this problem that no one can find because i couldn't handle if someone got hurt, and i can't afford to replace it. i bought a toyota because of their long life (everyone told me they will last 300,00 miles) but they have very much disappointed me in their customer service. what is it going to take, someone to get killed for them to realize that they have a known problem? why won't they fix it after 150,000 miles? it doesn't make any sense.

I have a 2003 toyota rav4! on july 21, 2015 my vehicle started harsh jerking and slow performance when coming from a stop and red light! i accelerated the pedal to the floor and the vehicle still were performing slow! i could have got hit since it wouldn't move any faster! on july 22, 2015 i drove my vehicle to loving lincoln-mercury. they perform a test and told me that the ecm needed to be replaced! the service manager told me that toyota had a customer support program to replace the malfunction ecm! i contacted the toyota customer assistance center and informed them the problems i was experiencing with my vehicle! i was informed that the customer support program that was replacing the ecm and transmission for free had expired on my vehicle! i was informed that the customer support program was for the first 10 years or 150,000.00 miles whichever came first! i was informed that my vehicle expired in 2013! i asked the toyota customer assistance center why i didn't receive a letter stating that the ecm and possible transmission need to be replace in my vehicle and i was told that they would check to see if a letter had been mailed! i have been living at my address for 30 years and i haven't received anything informing me about replacing anything on my vehicle! now i'm facing $5,551.60 plus tax to replace the ecm and transmission on my vehicle! i'm on a fixed income of social security monthly and i can't have my vehicle repaired because of this expense! they didn't mail me a letter stating i need to replace the ecm and possible transmission under this free program for the customer support program! i'm informing you about this situation with toyota because this is a safety problem! anyone who has a toyota rav4 and it's doing harsh jerking with slow performance can certainly get hit which can caused a bad accident!!!!!

I was driving to work on monday morning, june 1, 2014, when the engine shut off in the middle of an intersection. there was no warning, no hesitation, no noise. i had pressed down on the gas pedal to cross the intersection and midway through the engine died. i was able to coast across and pull over to the side of the road. i waited a few minutes, restarted the car, and was able to finish my route to work. i took the car to a certified mechanic who inspected it thoroughly but found no problems and was unable to replicate the problem. he cleaned the throttle which he said was dirty. it's been 2 days and while the engine hasn't stalled again, there's some occasional hesitation - which i've never encountered before. it was running perfectly before it stalled in the intersection. i'm now afraid to drive it but it's my only transportation. the car has been serviced according to schedule, oil changes every 3k miles, toyota replaced ecm in june 2013; water pump, alternator,and 02 sensors have been replaced. i've read a lot of complaints on the internet about this problem and unsuccessful and expensive attempts to try to correct it.

Harsh shifting, jumping from gear-to-gear, sluggish acceleration and ultimately transmission failure

The ecm is making a transmission failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving at 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated when depressing the accelerator pedal and the check engine warning light illuminated. the failure occurred multiple times .the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ecm needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 82,000.

On the subject date i was pulling into a parking spot, with cars on both sides of me. there was a curb and an island, with a tree in it, in front of me. my foot was on the brake; i brought the car to a stop and was about to put it into park when the car unexpectedly accelerated, jumped the curb and hit the tree. there were no injuries to the passengers but there was extensive damage to my car. i have filed a claim with the toyota company holding them responsible for this unexpected acceleration based on previous incidents with this same year and model car. i am seeking, at the very least, repair of my car. based on the previous history of this particular make, model and year car, i feel that it is important to bring this matter to the attention of the national highway traffic safety administration. i would appreciate any assistance which the nhtsa can give me regarding how to proceed with this matter. the vehicle is presently being examined by representatives of the toyota company. thank you in advance for any assistance and advice which you can give me in this matter. *tr

Bought car used and didn't notice the shift problem til later.shifts hard from 2 to 3rd gear. many people have issue with this mostly being the ecm going bad then destroying the transmission. both are expensive fixes and both are dangerous leading to accidents. *tr

The car was shifting very harshly and with a very strong shaking like a shimmy. i called the toyota dealers repair shop and it was decided to have the car towed in for repairs rather than continue driving. the technician said i needed a new transmission ecu and possible a new transmission. ecu cost $1300.00 and transmission, if needed, is $4,000.00.no one told me that toyota paid to have these fixed by extending the warranty several years ago in california. that warranty has now elapsed yet my car has less than 60,000 miles on it. *tr

I pulled onto the highway, and pushed the accelerator down to get into traffic, and the vehicle failed to accelerate instantly as it always had done. the transmission slipped, slowly getting into gear, and then only gradually caught, causing me to almost get hit in the interim by at least one car and a tractor trailer. told by my mechanic that this was unusual for toyota transmissions, he said i should go online and see if there were any recalls for this type of problem. sure enough, toyota had, under duress of a law suit, acknowledged the problem, and had issued an expansion of the warranty on this exact problem to 10 years or 150,000 miles. on the online description of the transmission/emc problem, it was stated that the problem usually started around 80,000 miles, which is what my 2003 rav 4 has on it. after first calling toyota headquarters (torrance, ca) to get them to include my car under that extension, they said that it was too late and there was nothing they could do. i then sent them a registered letter begging them to help me, as the car was essentially a death trap with the slippage into the first two gears, and they responded with a letter telling me to call them back. this was fruitless, as the reiterated exactly what the first customer service rep told me. i asked them to put it in writing that they would not stand behind their product failure, which the rep said he would do. i have heard nothing from them since that call last week. i told him i did not get anything from their company telling me, the owner, that this problem in the power train existed, and that it was unfair that because i babied the car over the years i have owned it, the 80,000 miles just occurred recently, past the 2013 date that was in the new warranty extension. in other words, a problem that was known by toyota to manifest itself around 80,000 miles penalized me in this case. *tr

Experiencing abnormal behavior when shifting gears (auto trans). transmission was shifting oddly - harsh shift condition . it was not a frequent problem and no engine light and i took it to the local mechanic and he connected to his computer and could not find any error codes. the problem happens every time i move from a stop. found out that toyota put out a technical service bulletin in early 2006 after defects started surfacing stating to replace the car's computer ecm/ecu and possibly the transmission.. the company did not inform owners about this defect which is now surfacing and did not recall due to cost of replacing the ecu and transmission it destroys. the defective ecu burns up the clutch and other parts in the transmission

Car sitting in my driveway. took emergency brake off, stepped on brake, put car in reverse. car gave a violent jerk backwards. backed out of driveway, put car in drive and stepped on accelerator. car jerked forward a little, engine revved up, slow acceleration after pressing on accelerator. had to put more pressure on accelerator to gain adequate speed to pull forward. stopped at stop sign, tried to accelerate, car jerked forward a little, engine revved up, but there was little to no acceleration after pressing the accelerator. more pressure on accelerator resulted in an adequate speed to pull forward. same series of events after stopping and/or slowing down while driving. same hard jerk when putting car in reverse for any reason followed by forward jerk, engine rev and slow acceleration when putting car in drive. took vehicle to toyota service on 11-26-14. problem with ecm (electronic control module). module had to be replaced. the transmission was not replaced. cost to me was $1590.63, including tax. due to my in service date, toyota customer service advised my car was out of the extended warranty. toyota customer service advised me the very best they could do was to offer me $500 towards a new toyota, but not towards repair. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the transmission failed to shift from second to third gear and started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 98,000.

I purchased a 2003 toyota rav4 from the toyota dealership that only had 13 miles on it in august 2003. in august of 2014, i started having trouble with the automatic transmission shifting harsh when changing. the car would strain to change gears, then all of a sudden it would jerk into gear. no lights came on at all. i took it to the toyota dealership to have the problem inspected and they told me about an extended warranty of 10 years or 150,000 miles. this was the first that i had heard about this warranty. toyota never contacted me to let me know about the warranty. after inspecting my rav4, they told me that i needed to replace the ecm and if that didn't solve the problem, i would need a transmission. i feel like toyota should have informed me of the problem sooner. (before all that time had gone by.) i was very disappointed with the outcome. i see from this website that i am not the only one with this same problem and feel that toyota should be held responsible for the repair. *tr

Last week, on the freeway entrance the car would not accelerate, then "bucked" and "raced". i nearly got rear-ended by the car behind me - a frightening experience. then, driving city streets - to the mechanic - the same experience - stalled then raced ahead. after replacing the transmission fluid and filter ($400), the problem continues and the mechanic advised replacing the ecm ($928.46 plus labor). this is a serious financial strain on me. i take my car in for service every 5k miles and it is way below the extended warranty mileage of 150k, however, it is now 11 years old. i never, ever, received any recall notice from toyota! i strongly believe that toyota should reimburse me for these repairs since they have been and are well aware of the safety issue the failed ecm causes. *tr

Part 3 of 3the salesman encouraged my parents to keep it because they wouldn't get much of a trade in, so i had my rav towed to my house. i called the sm of love lexus to inform him of my problem, to see if there was any recourse from him and to also express that i was completely unsatisfied.i reminded him that i had requested that they test drive on the four lane so they could understand my complaint of the hesitation of going in gear.he stated on the phone he did not recall, however they did drive it on the back lot. i asked him can you obtain a speed of 55mph in your lot, his response was ?no?. at that point i decided i would not be dealing with that service department any longer.in 2/2014 i began investigating how to get rid of my rav and stumbled upon the class action lawsuit that was described above.i have only received 50% of the benefits awarded to me by the extended warranty and i don?t understand why i would not have been informed of the whole thing.i didn't get a notice from the corporation of this problem, love lexus also failed to disclose my rights to having my transmission replaced along with the ecm under this extended warranty. *tr

Part 2 of 3 this was at my cost and at that time i expressed my concern that it was an older car and with all these problems occurring, what was his opinion on trading. he didn't show any real interest but did state some have had great longevity and others not so much. after leaving that visit my car still did not shift properly and was still harsh in reverse.within a month or so my check engine light came back on again. while i was extremely reluctant to take it back to love lexus i did. i expressed my complaint once again about it not being quite right and requested they take it out on the four lane so that it could be driven up past 55mph. he diagnostics ran again and informed me that my fuel cap wasn'€™t on tight enough. i left embarrassed; however, my car still was not driving right.i continued to drive this car with the same issues for the next year and in october 2013 my check engine light came back on. i took my car to a & e service center.they checked my transmission fluid and stated in smelled burnt, their diagnostics stated it was my transmission and the only thing they could recommend in lieu of replacing my transmission was to flush it and replace the filter and fluid. they stated that with the amount of metal shavings they found which they showed me, this was the equivalent of putting a bandaid on a broken bone.this only lasted about a month and on 11-12-13 i had it towed to aamco. the estimate was $2767.19. due to me being in a financial hardship my parents gave me their 2002 4-runner and purchased a new car for themselves.we originally was trading the rav. . *tr

Primary complaint: purposeful deception regarding full benefits of extended warranty of ecm and/or transmission replacement under class action milligan vtoyota.the events leading to my transmission issues began in 7/ 2012. i had problem getting out of my parents steep driveway so i took it to the garage that had been changing my oil in sissonville wv. upon diagnostics they reported to me a solenoid code which indicated a possible transmission issue. i was referred to aamco transmissions, however the check engine light had been reset and they were unable to get any codes. after being told it could possibly be something with my exhaust as well, i was referred to quality exhausts but was unable to be seen. then proceeded barker€™s in dunbar. after test driving and evaluating he stated i had broken motor mounts. i made an appointment 7/18/12. when the technician placed my car on the rack he stated he was not sure what was wrong but it was not motor mounts and with the symptoms it was having i should have my transmission looked at. i had it towed to love lexus in saint albans.there i was told my ecm was in need of replacement.he explained it was under warranty. i was caught off guard due the age of the vehicle. he went on to say the ravs have had some problems with these computers and an extended warranty was placed and applied to them.the harsh shifting had not been completely resolved. in 9/12 my check engine light came back on.i took it back to love lexus and explained the condition as stated above.i asked if they would please test drive it to make sure they understood my complaint.after the diagnostics were complete i was told a fuel sensor had gone bad and was in need of replacement. part 1 of 2 *tr

Harsh shifting; automatic shifting erratic; lurching, especially when starting from stop. local garage says transmission is shot and requires replacement ($3100).

This letter is in reference to an issue, namely, harsh shift condition, on our 2003 toyota rav4, the vehicle presently shows approximately 119, 600 miles. according to toyota warranty policy bulletin no. pol 10-03, dated 07/09/10, page 1, toyota has received reports that certain 2001 through 2003 model year rav4 vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition if this condition occurs, the check engine light may illuminate and/or the vehicle may begin to shift harshly. this warranty is being offered for 10 years or 150,000 miles please verify vin applicability for this csp by performing a vin inquiry before completing the repair. on page 2 we checked the applicable vin ranges and observed that our vehicle was included in this customer support program (csp).our respectful request is that toyota honor the warranty enhancement for our rav4. based on a telephone call to toyota motor sales customer experience center in torrance ca, the company rep. said toyota would not honor the extended warranty. i believe that the part (ecm) was defective and should be replaced under extended warranty because the vehicle is under 150,00 miles but just over the ten year limit. thank you. *tr

On 9/30/2014 was trying to pull out of a parking lot to turn left and my car would not accelerate. i almost got hit by approaching cars that i would have ordinarily had plenty of time to clear. i was able to steer into the left turn lane and stop to avoid collision but had trouble after that picking up enough speed to get to the right lane. i took my car in immediately for inspection and it was noted that the transmission and ecm needed replaced. i have since found information on a recall i never received for defective ecm's that cause transmission failure. apparently a 10 year or 150,000 extended warranty was issued in 2010, but i was also never informed of that. my mileage qualifies but i bought my car in dec 2002 so i am past the time limit. since repairs exceed the blue book value of my car, it has no trade in value. this was an unsafe situation (that could have been worse on the freeway)' and an unfair outcome for me financially. *tr

This is a general concern question re the ethics of the toyota corporation. i have had continuous trouble with engine lights coming on with the result being o2 sensor problems. this continued to happen with approximately 8 changes (i have the majority of the records. in 2010, i received notice of problems with "harsh shifting". i called toyota to inquire about this, and i was assured i was not having a problem or i "would know it". at this same time, i was having yet another engine light problem with o2 sensor codes and brought my car in.. the o2 sensor replacements went on continuously for quite some time without any explanation of the cause...even to the point that they were sending the sensor in to the "main office". unfortunately, last week my car totally failed, and they are now telling me it is failure of the ecm and/or the transmission as well! i recently reviewed complaints about the ecm and that toyota actually extended the warranty because of the numerous complaints. it was then i learned that the o2 sensors have a definite impact on the ecm, etc. at no time whatsoever did they ever check this or inform me. that these may be related,so i am wondering if they "put off" checking this possibility until my car passed the 10yr/150,000 mile extension of the warranty on this component so that i would then not be eligible??? *tr

I'm the owner of a 2003 rav4, purchased from a toyota dealer in 2011. last week, i experienced a time lapse of my car shifting into first gear, in my opinion, a safety hazard. this morning i took the car to a mechanic and began searching the web for any recalls for a 2003 rav4, there are none. however, on this site, i discovered that i am one of many who have this complaint, and that we ,the consumer, all share the same results from toyota. you missed the deadline. it was on this nhtsa.gov website that i learned of a class action lawsuit about the ecm defect with my rav4 (see www.rv4ecmsettlement.com), the letter was supposedly sent to all who own a 2003 rav4. i never received this letter. nor did i receive any type of notification from toyota re: an extended warranty,or for that matter any type of time sensitive dates to capture any type of recovery from toyota. toyota claims they work with a company who gathers owners information from the dmv. toyota calls this issue with the transmission not shifting properly into gear, a "customer malfunction support program"...and the catch is that you only have 10 years from the date of first use to notify them of your "malfunction"...my car missed the deadline by 6 months and again, let me reiterate that i was never notified by anyone about this issue, nor is this issue termed a recall item. my question is why not? why is this not a recall, when this situation is clearly a safety issue. if you are in a car that will not move into first gear, and then the car unexpectedly jerks into acceleration, is that not a safety concern?? toyota's term "harsh shift of auto trans axle" " my complaint and opinion is that toyota has been deceptive with their consumers. and these attorneys? why did i not hear from them?? and furthermore, will i hear back from the nhtsa ??? how can the consumer make a deadline, if they are not notified???

Vehicle driven by elderly widowed mother (josephine beasley, age 70) no more than 6,200 miles per year and began experiencing harsh shift in transmission in march 2014. aamco informed us that a malfunctioning electronic computer module (ecm) caused the damage to transmission. aamco technician notified us that the ecm repair claims are covered under a toyota settlement agreement (www.rav4ecmsettlement.com). repair cost for transmission $2,890 and ecm part $1,227.91 paid for out of pocket. the rav4 was purchased from carmax on april 18, 2009; elderly mother does not have access or understanding of internet. she did not realize that she had to register the vehicle with toyota in order to receive recall notices or any other important information pertaining to her vehicle from the manufacturer. contacted toyota customer service and they refused to reimburse the cost of repair as the vehicle exceeded the 10 year in service warranty period even though it is within 150,000 miles limit. when she drove the vehicle off the carmax lot it had 44,213 miles on odometer and on august 7, 2014, odometer reading is 75,374. sad that the elderly are being taken advantage of because of their lack of technical knowledge. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle made a loud noise and the came to a sudden halt. the contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle he noticed that the k-frame and the control arm was fractured due to corrosion. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the k-frame and control arm needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 97,000.

The vehicle with 71,000 miles and perfect service record had a engine failure, without warning, while driving on the highway. the oil pressure light came on and before i had time to pull over to the shoulder to inspect the engine started knocking badly. i barely made it to the shoulder before the vehicle stalled. after having it towed to the dealership, they came out with the diagnose that the "engine threw a rod" for no apparent reason. there was sufficient engine oil and last oil change was done 4500 miles before. basically, engine at this point is beyond repair and has to be replaced. beside the financial lose, now i extremely concern about the safety and reliability of the vehicle and more importantly the engine or any other part that caused the engine to fail. the fact that i had 10 years old boy in the car with me who thought that we were going to die that day and crying hysterically make it all the more bothersome. when i called toyota headquarter to report the problem, they basically dismissed me as routine problem and not toyota's problem. they seem disinterested to find out why engine with so few miles got busted for no reason and perfect maintenance record. i am concerned about the reliability and safety of the engine in the vehicle (1az-fe). i hope govt investigate this case and i am willing to participate in whichever way i can to make it safe for my fellow riders. *tr

My 2003 rav4 developed a very harsh shift taking off between first and 2nd gear. i took it to our local toyota dealer (berglund oak ridge toyota> lynchburg, va) and they confirmed a diagnosed stored trouble code p0755-shift "b" malfunction. they quoted about $4700.00 to replace the ecm and put in a rebuilt transmission. no financial help from the dealer, even though they were aware this has been a major problem for the 2001-2003 rav4's. toyota extended the warranty a few years ago to 10 years or 150,000 miles, which ever came first. i purchased the vehicle less than a year ago, not aware that this was a documented and expected problem with this vehicle. the dealer suggested i contact customer experience at 1-800-331-4331 and ask them to consider covering all or part of the cost. the vehicle has a value of $7500.00 per kbb. i called and got case # 1403130959. i spoke to rashine . it took a few days but they got back to me and said because it exceeded the 10 year window (2003-2013) they would not cover any of the costs. i pleaded that i have well under the 150,000 mile mark and that they readily say 80% of all toyota's are on the road for 20 years. this has another 10 years to go. they know this is and has been a factory design fault per all the recorded problems. i don't feel i should have to pay $4700.00 in repairs for their design failure. in their 1.2 billion $ recent settlement,they said" putting customers first", "want to earn our trust", "serve customers" "take responsibilities seriously". wow, what a lie and let down. how can they get away with this? it has happened to countless 1000's of people. toyota should be required to make this a recall and fix for 0$. this car is unsafe to drive as is and will stall in traffic and cause accidents. thank you for listening. please help me and hold toyota responsible for a terrible design flaw. *tr

Ecm fail. heading north on highway 53 and made a turn to go south on highway 53 car seem to apply brakes and gears was hunting which gear to go in all the time i giving it gas to get out of the way of on coming cars,, made it home, next day drove car and as i made a right turn same thing again went back home and call toyota dealer they said it sound like the tranmission was failing, got on the internet and found that the ecm had fail on the car, i call toyota and they said it would cost $1400 and that toyota would not pay or discount any of it even they had know about the fail of the unit since the beginning, i pull the ecm unit myself sent it to be repair got it back and reinstall it and car would not crank had it tow to toyota dealer and they said a wire had to be replace, after picking the car up it run good but front power door locks does not work and the security system does not work, i can live without those 2 system for now since i don:t want to put any more money into the car right now. i think toyota should have replace this since they knew it was going to fail at some time with the 2003 rav4 but no they would not do anything about it, no help form them. no more toyotas for me or my family, i am going back to a honda for sure. total cost to me was $833.05 not counting without the car for 2 weeks.

I was stopped at a red light for several minutes and upon acceleration my vehicle was extremely sluggish. after a few seconds it seemed to "jump" into gear. i also noticed that when i was slowing down it would almost do the same thing, being sluggish. fortunately there were no accidents involving my vehicle, but i took it to toyota and they said the computer needed to be replaced. i was not aware of any recall of the vehicle until i looked online and saw several thousand of them had been recalled.

2003 toyota rav 4. consumer writes in regards to transmission failure. *smd the consumer stated on may 14, 2013, the vehicle did not respond, when she applied the accelerator pedal. when she attempted to shift gears, a loud noise emitted from the vehicle, and the check engine light illuminated. the consumer was informed, the vehicle needed a transmission computer.

While driving approximately 0 - 5 mph, transmission failed. the failure recurred several times and check engine light came on. the vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission computer would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 74500. *tr

My 2003 toyota rav4 had a faulty ecm affecting the transmission and had to be replaced. this was causing the transmission to shift very erratically and could have caused an accident/injury. toyota knew about this faulty part and there was not a public recall; they replaced parts as they failed and extended that warranty because of a class action lawsuit. now the warranty is 10 yrs/150,000. so i am outside of the warranty by maybe a year and not even close to the mileage. i contacted toyota to inform them that my ecm had failed hoping they would at least apologize (reimbursement would be welcome too) but the lady i talked to said there was no recall related to my vin number, which i know to be a lie! toyota put out a faulty part and must be made to replace any that fail no matter the mileage or length of time! this faulty part has also damaged some transmissions and they must be made to replace/reimburse for those as well. my ecm has been replaced and i am not sure but am afraid i am one of the ones with a damaged transmission. please help! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when the accelerator pedal was engaged and the vehicle stalled intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the ecm failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I was driving my 2003 rav4, entering a highway when the transmission failed to engage immediately when i accelerated. it hesitated for a few seconds then finally lurched forward. i was very nearly struck by a vehicle on the highway because i was unable to accelerate as expected. now the rav frequently behaves oddly when shifting, sometimes refusing to upshift, suddenly downshifting at inappropriate times. the dealer advises the problem is likely a defect in the electronic control module (ecm) as covered in a tsb. from research recently i have learned that this ecm defect was a known problem beginning in 2006. i am amazed there has been no recall to repair this very serious safety issue. now it appears i will be on the hook for a very expensive ecm replacement. even though i have religiously taken this vehicle to a toyota dealer regularly for maintenance, they never once mentioned this known problem. yet when i discussed this behavior with one of the dealer's service advisors yesterday, he seemed quite familiar with this issue. please call for a recall on this issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, transmission failed. the failure recurred several times and without warning. the vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic twice, who diagnosed that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 67,597.

Toyota has known for years that its ecm unit would ultimately fail. this failure has caused transmissions to fail as well. pulling out into a busy intersection in 3 rd gear, as they are prone to do could cause an accident. toyota should recall these. my vehicle is exactly 3 months too old to be repaired under their warranty

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. in addition, the vehicle would sporadically accelerate without warning. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic, who stated the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. the failure mileage was 96,000. *tr

Hi i own a toyota rav4 2003 since 2009 this is a serious safety issue. i am asking the nhtsa to order a recall to have toyota fix this problem before someone gets killed or seriously injured. the problem is that the car often does not accelerate as it should. when headed up and accelerating from a stop, the car sputters before jerking into gear and accelerating. and then about 5-8 seconds later the car would jolt into gear. also, when already moving and going up even a slight hill, when i press the accelerator to maintain speed, the car sputters as it shifts from second to third gear before jerking into third gear. through the internet,i almost got hit a few times. i learned that the ecm is a computer (electronic control module) that controls the transmission and other components, that toyota has known about this ecm manufacturing defect on 2001 to 2003 rav4s now i have to spend lots of money that it wasnt in my buget,..the toyota knew about this problem, why they never had a recall? can someone do somthing about it?

My husband and i purchased our 2003 toyota rav4 with an automatic transmission in june 2003. the car now has 103,000 miles on it. it recently began to have a serious safety problem. aside from the issue of fairness to the customer, this is a serious safety issue. i am asking the nhtsa to order a recall to have toyota fix this problem before someone gets killed or seriously injured. the problem is that the car often does not accelerate as it should. when headed up even a slight hill and accelerating from a stop, the car sputters before jerking into gear and accelerating. i was making a left turn in that situation and almost got broadsided when my car sputtered and an oncoming car barely slowed down in time to avoid hitting me. also, when already moving and going up even a slight hill, when i press the accelerator to maintain speed, the car sputters as it shifts from second to third gear before jerking into third gear. the toyota dealer to whom i took the car said the problem is the ecm and the cost to repair it is about $1,000. through the internet, i learned that the ecm is a computer (electronic control module) that controls the transmission and other components, that toyota has known about this ecm manufacturing defect on 2001 to 2003 rav4s since at least 2006, that toyota has issued service bulletins to its dealers on how to fix the problem, and that toyota has even extended the warranty to 10 years or 100,000 miles to cover this manufacturing defect. the nhtsa website shows other complaints from people like me where the problem surfaced just after the extended warranty period ended. to reiterate, this is a known widespread problem with 2001 to 2003 rav4s, it is a manufacturing defect, it affects the car’s ability to accelerate properly when needed, and as such it represents a serious safety issue. please recall these rav4s before somebody gets killed!

Experience a hard shift jerking motion when driving my car and almost got hit twice due to the car jerking and immediately slowing down. i took it in to kendall toyota of anchorage right away and then read online that there was a class action lawsuit and enhanced warranty of 2001-2003 toyotas because of the malfunction of the ecm and transmission. this car is not safe to drive! toyota kendall said it would be $6,000 to replace both the ecm and transmission and that toyota would only pay half because the car was 10 years old. this car only has 60,000 miles on it and the enhanced warranty has been extended twice due to complaints with the court. i did not get my car fixed because i could not afford it and i think toyota should pay the full 6k to fix it. i'm amazed at how many other people have had this issue and toyota first issued a recall and was sued in court because they refused to acknowledge the serious malfunction of their vehicles. *tr

Inspect and replace water pump and serpentine belt on feb 2009, engine issue again feb 2012 check engine light is on/flashing - estimate $955.98+tax - four wheel alignment $69.95+tax tech road tested and found front sway bar end links are worn/loose $435.82+tax (repairs completed) feb 2012 brake noise ~|~customer states noise when braking ~|~front and rear brake inspection done at this time ~|~inspection only no concerns found at this time (another mechanic replaced entire front brakes shortly after as they were found highly damaged) transmission service ~|~customer requests transmission service w/differentials ~|~maintenance ~|~drained and refilled automatic transmission fluid w/transfer case and differentials as needed (less than year later had trans fluid again replaced as continued issues) now is seemingly worse and more often. step on gas and nothing happens for several seconds then jerks forward, loud thunking sound, extremely dangerous to drive as unknown when it will occur. have not been using vehicle very much because of it. if this issue was known about in 2006 why was this never repaired before i even bought it or notify me of when i took it in for services on several occasions? *tr

2003 rav4 with automatic transmission started having trouble accelerating from a stop. there seemed to be hardly any power when the gas pedal was pressed, and then about 5-8 seconds later the car would jolt into gear. this problem would happen also when increasing speed, or any time the gas pedal was pressed down. the car was taken to an auto shop where they said the transmission was broken and needed to be replaced. i am a very conservative driver (i never try to accelerate too quickly), and this trusty toyota hasn't ever had any engine problems... ever! there are less than 77,000 miles on the vehicle. *tr

I purchased the rav4 in late july, 2013. the rav4 had 78,000 miles on the odometer. i paid $9,000+ for the rav4. at 80,000 miles the automatic transmission began having shifting problems such as jerking between gears, very sluggish response during acceleration and horrendous gas mileage. i get about 8 miles per gallon. took it to the dealer, they ran diagnostics on my car and discovered that the problems fall "within the parameters" of the service bulletin no.: tc-10-034 except the "in service" date of my vehicle was march 8, 2003 thereby making me ineligible for the 10 year warranty by 4 months. this is ridiculous!!! this is a toyota screwup and has nothing to do with road conditions or owner neglect. i bought this car so my daughter can continue her daycare. she shuttles pre-school age children to various recreation facilities and my wife, who has terminal cancer, often accompanies her so she can spend as much quality time with her before the eventuality. now i'm reading that this particular rav4 problem can be extremely dangerous. if toyota "cares for it's customers", how can this be a service bulletin and not a recall. this defect should be addressed regardless of mileage or date of service. i just spent over $9,000 for a 10 year old car because it was a toyota. "it'll last forever". i called the toyota customer complaint phone number and all i got was contempt. her name was [xxx] and her argument was "toyota was very kind in extending the warranty for you", it's your fault for not reading it". yeah right, it's my fault for not following your screwups for the past ten years. i want my car fixed!! i can't afford $5,000 for a transmission, ecm and computer reboot. this is a toyota problem and i, the customer, demand to be heard. if toyota truly "cares for its customers", they have an obligation to do the right thing. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Basically toyota will not honor the replacement of my ecm because i notified them 10 after their "extension" had expired. i did not receive any notifications regarding this issue. i spent a week from mechanic to mechanic, getting estimates. finally someone told me about the recall and suggested i reach out to toyota. they refused to make an exception because the delivery date to the original owner was 8/31/2003. they even had the previous owner on their database. my daughter pleaded with the assistant to the ceo and she refused to even review this again with him. i was very disappointed with this decision and need guidance as to what is legal. the defective computer was installed by them and sold to the consumer with this problem. shouldn't they be responsible regardless of the timeframe they set on their own? it is absurd to have them admit it was part of the diagnostic codes that were their fault, but since i called a week later, they got off scott free. please let me know what my options are. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle was jerking violently as the check engine warning light illuminated. the check engine warning light would illuminate intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the computer and the power transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 93,900.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while traveling approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost acceleration power. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was determined that the ecm needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 55,000. the vin was not available.

Often (and unpredictably), vehicle does not accelerate from stop. it creeps forward as tack jumps, then with a loud "clunk" it jerks into 2nd (or 3rd) gear and suddenly leaps forward. check engine light goes on and off. took vehicle to toyota dealer more than once and told "no problem found." when this issue was finally demonstrated, the toyota dealership reported that solenoid b is faulty and entire transmission needs to be replaced starting at $4600. now i read that many owners of 2001-3 rav4s have exact problem caused by a faulty emc that should have been replaced when toyota originally admitted the problem in 2006. instead the damage to my vehicle has progressed to a repair 4 times that amount. i have found no reasonable repair rate so far. *tr

I started experiencing a transmission shifting problem on 7/2/13. it has been intermittent since that date. on 7/10/13 the problem became more pronounced and frequent. when proceeding forward from a stop the vehicle would start to advance, then shift out of gear. it has resulted in near miss rearend and side crashes. i made an appointment with my mechanic for 7/15/13. diagnostic testing showed the problem to be a faulty engine control computer. research turned up a toyota service bulletin (tsb 015610) describing the problem i was having. even though they were aware of a safety issue, they chose not to do repairs until the problem manifested itself. *tr

I was at a stop sign no gas, turned down hill in snow car accelerated going straight into downed tree. my vehicle is not on the recall list and has had sticking accelerator, rear end clunking noise and power steering has made it where i am afraid to drive vehicle. my service animal hit the windshield that shattered when vehicle accelerated and had to slam on brakes at another time. i've had other near misses and two left of center tickets with power steering issues. i have taken into toyota for steering and check engine light and they will not even write service ticket. they filled power steering fluid said no problem. they keep resetting check engine light stating its gas cap. this car is a lemon, transmission problems, electrical system, computer. this is the first new vehicle i ever bought and wish i would have stuck with used. *tr

The car would engage 2nd and 3rd gears at the same time causing temporary lock up of the rear wheels and loss of control. found out about a tsb and class action suite regarding this issue affecting the ecu while researching the problem. contacted toyota regarding the issue and they informed me that my 2003 rav4 was not covered because it had been put in service june of 2003. i am appalled this is not a recall as it is clearly a safety issue if loss of control of the vehicle is possible. this could be fatal if it were to happen to on a slippery road or going around a corner. *tr

On or about may 5, 2013 i noticed my car started to hard shift, though i was driving as usual. the problem happens off and on and is most noticeable when waiting at a stop sign, red light or drive thru at a restaurant. the shift jolt is most noticeable when needing to accelerate or shifting into drive--it doesn't happen when i go into reverse. the shift jolt sometimes is accompanied by a thud noise. on may 7, 2013 i contacted toyota headquarters and discuss this with a customer service representative at 1-800-331-4331. she transferred me to a rude and cantankerous woman who seemed to have heard the story before. she stated i need to go to a dealership and get a diagnostic, which costs $100 in my area. she then stated that if any of the following codes appear: codes:  p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758 or p0760 that i would need to replace ecm module first, if still problem the faulty module could've messed up the transmission. she conceded that toyota issued a bulletin to the dealerships and apparently it is a widespread problem. at some point i received a toyota internal case number. she said there was nothing she could do for me as i am not under warranty. i have 188,000+ miles on my car and apparently if it is not under 150,000 mile warranty. i take very good care of my car and it is not my fault the problem did not appear within a randomly selected mileage they chose. toyota admitted they knew of the problem and they are liable for any manufacturer's defect of the ecm/transmission. i request your assistance in getting my car repaired for free as it is toyota's faulty/defective part that is now causing my car problems. *tr the consumer stated after getting the repairs done, toyota refused to reimburse her for the repairs. they wouldn't even consider partial payment. even though, a customer service representative initially told her she would need to get the repairs done and ten toyota would reimburse her. updated 12/16/13

I purchased my veh in jan 2003.next day, i noticed my veh was not able to drive uphill. at 50k miles in 2010, i went to dealer with a recall letter. my complaint:cust having difficulty driving uphill-won't accel-get stuck at 45-50 mph. veh is shifting harsh & cust stated that she is having problems with trans.cust thinks that this is part of the ztl letter she got in mail. their response was:test drove veh & duplicated the lack of power found veh had 3 floor mats under the accel pedal not allowing full travel removed mats & veh ran & shifted fine. i left disappointed & they charged me. problem grew & my car started acting strange even though i was keeping up with maintanence. in march 2013, my car wouldn't even start & i thought it must be the battery, & got it towed & had battery replaced.when i was driving, it started shaking. it was strange but i didn't read into it until late april 2013, i was waiting for green light to make l turn & my car resisted & pulled back harshly. since then i was scared of driving my veh. one day it was fine mostly but another day similar issue, stopping & driving was scary & it couldn't go higher than 20 mph. the last time i drove, i could hardly put my car in the garage. i had it towed again to toyota for service. my car has 65k miles & they told me ecu has to be replaced & if doesn't work, i should pay for a new trans. i contacted manufacturer, they said they will pay for the ecu but not for transmission (if necessary) nor for labor cost. i'm frustrated with this issue, they should replace my trans even if new ecu makes it look like my car is repaired but i don't believe it. the defect shortened the transmission's life.i will never feel safe again in my car with the existing trans. the manufacturer should take full responsibility, pay for damages, not demand on warranty, inform customers & apologize for acting like nothing is wrong. *tr

2003 toyota rav 4. consumer writes in regards to transmission failure. *smd the consumer learned toyota knew there was an issue and extended the warranty on the transmission to 10 years/150,000 miles in 2006. the consumer had a 110,000 miles on his vehicle, but was five months over the extended warranty. the consumer stated it cost $800 plus tax, to locate the problem and would cost $4,000 to replace the transmission.

The vehicle jerks, misses gears. when trying to pull out..it doesn't move then suddenly takes off. i did some research and this seems to be a problem in 02/03 & 04 rav 4's also says the ecm is a problem. had the vehicle checked, replaced the filter & transmission fluid only to have it still acting the same way...we were told the transmission is shot. my research indicated toyota knows of the problem & extended the warranty to 10 years or 150,00 miles. when we contacted freedom toyota in hamburg, pa. (this is where we purchased the vehicle) the service department *chuckled* at us. told us, $91.00 just to pull it in there garage to look at it!how safe is it to drive if it jerks or just won't go? where is toyotas loyalty to it's customers if they *chuckle* at us ? needless to say we still owe money on this vehicle. *tr

We purchased our rav 4 as a certified used car from folwer toyota inc. 955 north interstate norman oklahoma january 2005. we were told the certified used car included a 160-point quality inspection, certifying the car is in good working order. the dealer never told us about the problem with the transmission computer and they never transferred the name of ownership to toyota, inc. in december of last year we began to experience problem with the transmission jerking forward and shifting hard between 1st and 2nd gear. it also shifted hard into reverse. we took it to our mechanic who suggested that we service the transmission and see if that might be the problem. the problem persisted and we called toyota and talked to a customer service agent that informed us that toyota had an extended warranty on the transmission and that the warranty for our car ran out december 31st 2012 and we would not qualify. we did not know anything about the transmission defective computer until we called toyota and after looking on the internet discovering that the extended warranty was the result of a class action suite. toyota knew about the problem with the transmission computer but failed to inform us about the extended warranty or the potential problem with the transmission. now we are told that to replace the computer is between $1500.00 and $1900.00 and if there has been damage to the transmission caused by the failure of the computer it will cost us $5000.00 to rebuild the transmission. we believe that toyota dealer that sold us the rav 4 should have ensured that our name and address was sent to toyota informing them of our purchase in case there was a recall or in this case an extended warranty covering a defective part. we also believe that toyota would not listen to our appeal because we called after the warranty time limit.

Trouble with harsh automatic transmission shifting - delays - clunks - noise. dealer says 99% sure trouble is ecm hence the ecm and transmission need replacement . toyota canada denies any knowledge of the goodwill warranty on the phone - even after checking with a manager. and says it is only a usa issue even thought the dealer readily acknowledges an wab #### service bulletin. the dealer says i will have to subpoena the service advisory through a lawyer to get the information that toyota canada says they do not seem to know about? (in 2013!!!) the dealer says i am 2 months past their secret deadline in the secret goodwill warranty so toyota denies responsibility. feels like very shoddy customer relations that i feel will cost toyota far more than their actual minuscule cost (<$200 their cost?) to replace with a proper ecu - engine control unit before the transmission is damaged beyond repair! they claim that they cannot test the ecu units and do not know which ones are bad until the customer (like me) comes in needing many thousands of dollars in repairs. ok go ahead and wait but at least warn the customer to watch for issues and have it checked if any issues arise right away. - not wash their hands after a secret time line passes how convenient for them! this is a ludicrous situation. less that 90,000 miles and toyota has the gall to tell me to pay them to fix a part they acknowledge is defective and then pay an extra lump of thousands of dollars for the transmission they themselves say is 99% certain to have been caused by the faulty ecu problem for good measure! have you no shame toyota canada, or is it too much fun rolling around in a pile of my money? - the canadian border should not be something a giant elephant of a company should be allowed to hide behind in my humble opinion. the way toyota canada is handling this issue is a major fail for toyota! *tr

Erratic transmission shifting. this was already complained about on 7/2010. toyota needs to honor what you told them to do. transmission/ecm. i want a refund for my out of pocket expense on this issue $995.98. extended warranty 10 years or 150,000 miles ..updated 01/17/2013 *bf

I backed up in reverse and then put 2003 rav 4 into drive expecting to go forward when motor began to race and car flew backward over 12-foot high embankment into woods while engine continued racing. car did not roll over but swung around 130 degrees in a flat area and came to a stop facing a tree 4 feet straight ahead. a second or two later the car then leaped forward into the tree with engine roaring, car continued to race at high rpms with front bumper wrapped around tree. the only way i could stop the high revs was to turn off the ignition. i injured my back. *tr

Tl* the owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the air filter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle had surpassed the statue of limitations. the failure mileage was 112,700.

The clips securing the electrical console on the driver's door gave way and fell into the door, for no apparent reason. now the console is loose and keeps riding up from it's position. i'm concerned this is going to cause an electrical shortage or will get wet when door or window is opened during rain, snow etc. i had someone look at it at a nearby toyota dealer and was told the whole electrical console on the driver's door needs to be replaced because it's one unit....no way to just replace the clips. the cost of the part alone was quoted as $514.00, with labor extra. if this was caused by negligence on my part i wouldn't mind, however i did nothing to it. i just heard a noise and something fell into the door, then saw what had happened. i feel this should be a recall so toyota absorbs the cost, not me. the vehicle had less than 98,000 miles on it when it happened and it has been well cared for. please let me know what, if anything, can be done for me. thank you for your time and consideration. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started to shake and stalled without any warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 157,000 and the current mileage was 167,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle did not shift properly. the contact also stated that there was an increams in the engine rpms and the vehicle would hesitate before accelerating. the contact spoke with a dealer and was informed that the engine control unit was failing and would cause the transmission to fail. the failure mileage was 210,000 and the current mileage was 215,000.

I own a 2003 toyota rav4. my car was running in good working order, with just over 99,000 miles on it. on may 2nd 2012, i experienced issues with the car's transmission and ecm. the car would rev when i pressed on the gas, but it would not move. also, when shifting gears, the car would slow to a brake and then there was be a bump or grinding in the gears before the car would proceed to move. this would put me in danger of a rear end collision because my car would suddenly brake without me pressing on the brakes to signal the driver behind me that i was going to slow down. i have learned that toyota is aware of this issue with many of its rav4's (2001-2003). is there any help on toyota's part to correct this issue that they know of without passing along the cost to the innocent customer? thank you for your time. *tr updated 06/22/2012 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, she noticed that the engine was overheating. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. the dealer stated that the head bolts would need replacing. the vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was contacted who stated that there was nothing they could do to assist with the defect. the failure mileage was 89,000 and the current mileage was 89,500. the vin was not available.

My 2003 toyota rav 4 started shifting poorly and inconsistently by not shifting to the next gear, slipping in between gears and slamming into gear. there are times when the transmission functions correctly and then there are days when it never does. i am scared to death to drive this car not knowing whether it will be a good day when my rav4 behaves as it should or if its going to leave transmission parts all over the road, get us in an accident or at the very least, leave us stranded. nerve racking and incredibly unsafe. *tr

My car lost power. i could not drive more than 10 miles an hour. intermittent loss of power happened several times last years and this years. just recently on 04/04/2012 at 4:55pm i was driving with my wife and her sister and i had to pull on shoulder and turned on hazard warning light and drive in lower gear ( 2nd gear ). *tr

Original owner of 2003 rav4. the vehicle was parked. when notified by college security that car had erupted into flames. car was totally consumed by fire and was wrecked at junkyard. the car had never been crashed, had all maintenance up to date and was in perfect shape. *tr

This sun visor drivers side will not stay up in the closed position, there is no adjustment which can be made to fix it. according to toyota dealer in newark de a new visor is needed. i understand from the dealer this is a very frequent and common problem, with many model years.' *tr

10/28/11 while driving approx 25-30 mph without applying the gas, the car began to accelerate unexpectedly i was able to get the car off the road braking was very difficult when the car was placed in park rpm revved to 4. my husband looked under the hood and the throttle was out a little and when he touched the area it snapped back. 10/29/11 driving at a low speed, approx 35-40 mph car began to accelerate unintentionally. i was able to get the car off the road with much difficulty and the car was again revving when placed in park. i lifted the hood and touched the area of the throttle. after waiting a few minutes the car started normally and i drove home cautiously. car taken to certified toyota garage for repairs. the check engine light was lit when taken and service was unable to find a problem and lubricated car and returned to us. 11/1/11 occurrence #3, i drove the car on the expressway without any problems then driving at approx 35 mph while driving around a curve, i could feel car accelerating unintentionally again. car was towed to dealership and service personal experienced car when started was revving without applying the gas. service found scratches in the cover for the cruise control and felt this caused the throttle to stick. hole was cut in the cover and car returned. 11/5/11 occurrence # 4, i was driving around a city circle at approx 25 mph the car again began to accelerate. i got off the road, car revved to a 5 when placed in park. car towed to dealership on flat bed. unintentional acceleration was experienced by the service department at the dealership again. car left for repairs. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission and computer were defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 170,000.

This is my wife's primary mode of transportation, she was the one who first noticed the herky/jerky operation of the transmission when she attempted to place it in reverse to back up, she then notified me of the problem. i proceeded to test drive the vehicle the next day, when we were pulling into traffic from a parking lot, it suddenly shuddered between gears and finally settled into the proper gear after i let off of the accelerator. once we made it home after about 10 miles, we parked the car until i had a chance to drive it to toyota for an assessment. they drove it around and noticed the same herky/jerky operation, but stated to me that they couldn't do anything until they received a code from the computer stating either ecu or transmission trouble, after 2 or 3 days they were unable to retrieve any such code. *tr

The sun visor drops suddenly causing momentary loss of visual contact with the road ahead. *tr

Car will not moves very slowly when it stops and you try to accelerate, very dangerous! *tr

Pulling into parking space, vehicle suddenly accelerated. had i not already had my foot on brake pedal to stop, damage to other vehicle would have been much worse. witness' said vehicle lurched upward just before acceleration. i slammed it into park and cut engine to make it stop. afterwards, trying to get it home, when i took foot off gas pedal, the car would shutter and almost die, causing me to have to put it into neutral and rev engine to keep it from dying. *tr

2003 toyota rav4 - transmission slipping; ends up it is a computer (ecm) problem which is skipping 2nd gear and hesitating on acceleration and jerking into 3rd gear from 1st gear. *tr

My husband was driving to the grocery store when he heard a grinding noise. soon after, the check engine light went on. he immediately took our vehicle to the local toyota dealer. we soon discovered our 2003 toyota rav 4 has a defective ecm and the transmission has been severely damaged due to the ecm. it costs over $5,000 dollars to replace the ecm and the transmission. we are unable to drive the vehicle because we feel it is dangerous for ourselves and others. *tr

Vehicle started to begin takeoff really slow and hesitant, and then shift really hard with a jerking motion into second. not safe for taking off with traffic or crossing intersections. very scary to operate. could ruin transmission, shafts, and other parts. quote from dealership to replace ecm is around 1500+. then transmission around 3000+. i am currently dealing with toyota back and forth on getting repair approved. parts are available. all necessary calls have been done up the chain of command. they are not warranting this claim at this time. *kb

My car has a problem well known by manufacturers,as,harsh shift of automatictransaxles , or (ecm)code p0755.toyota sent service bulletins to dealers but i was never notified>now i have to repair my car at a cost of over $6000.toyota headquarters in california has refused to honour my repair,even though they honoured for california.reason being am out of warranty by the miles,which i have 175000,but im still in warranty by the years of 10 years.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving in rainy conditions at 35 mph, the brakes were applied and seized. as a result the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed head on into a tree. the airbags did not deploy during the crash. an authorized dealer was notified and stated that the airbag might not have deployed because the airbag sensors were located on the sides of the vehicle. the vehicle had not been repaired. a police report was filed. the failure and the current mileages were 50,000. the vin information was not available.

Hi about my 2003 toyota rav4, its seems to stall and shutting off the engine while driving. for exaple it happen more then 5 time on me this month7/1/2011, and almost getting bump in rear end. i took it to toyota dealer, and paying $100 for what they could find anything wrong. this model should be recall or accident will happen. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated the accelerator pedal became stuck intermittently while driving. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that all toyota vehicles accelerator pedals were sticking. the contact was also advised that accelerator pedal, engine control module and throttle body were defective. the failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 165,000.

I have 2003 rav4 with 70000 miles, all of sudden the gear started jump and jerk, i asked a dealer how to fix it, the dealer told me to pay $4000, this is very bad i hope there should be a recall because everybody with rav 4 has the same problem..this is so bad.. *tr

2003 toyota rav4. started having vague problems last year with the car not wanting to shift at the appropriate times. on dec 22, 2010 we took it to greentree toyota in danbury ct and they replaced an ecu unit. it seemed to be working better but not optimal. it started shifting bad again and at times not wanting to shift at all so we returned the car to milton ruben toyota in augusta ga on 4/25/11. these symptoms are sporadic and some days it runs better than others. upon driving the car they are telling me that because the check engine light is not on and the codes are fine, as well as the fact that they can not get it to reproduce any of the symptoms i am complaining of i.e. difficulty merging into traffic b/c it will hardley go at times, upon taking off on an incline, at times, it will not go over 30 mph with the gas pedal to the floor, at times it will go over 4.5 rpm before it decides to shift, i will not let my daughter drive this car because i am afraid she will pull out and not be able to go in time. the symptoms are very obvious but i am being told that they don't see any symptoms at all and the car is running beautifully and that they can not put forth a claim to toyota for this issue without a set criteria. this is so frustrating and now i will have to pay them money to tell me that the car is fine when it is not. i so wish i had not bought this toyota and will never buy a toyota again. *tr

Hi, i am writing to complain about my 2003 toyota rav-4. i have experience some troubles with what seems to be the ecm and transmission. i have been in extremely close calls for a major accident because of the transmission malfunctioning while accelerating. the ecm/transmission suddenly downshifts or accelerates out of sequence and it causes the entire vehicle to abruptly jerk in a forward/backward motion. the estimated cost for repairs is well above $4,000 dollars for what does not seem normal for a vehicle that only has 100k miles. in an economy like this, it is difficult for me to obtain that amount of money for repairs. i trusted toyota for its reliability but after this my thoughts have changed. i am extremely disappointed to be dealing with this frustrating issue. i have read many more complaints on this issue on edmunds.com under costumer reviews. i wish that toyota recalls this problem like they have for other models since this problem can be life threatening. *tr

The check engine light turned on. the car began hesitating upon acceleration. i took the car to auto zone so they could give me a quick diagnosis. they said one of the codes that came up had to do with the catalytic converter and that would be causing the stalling. i took my vehicle to one of the dmv's g2 repair stations and had the catalytic replaced and was informed that i had to take my car to toyota to have the ecm reflashed. the car worked fine for a few days and now the check engine light has turned back on and the car began to stall again. i was nearly in an accident due to the stalling. i have an appointment to have the ecm reflashed but the very rude service advisor at toyota let me know that might not fix the problem. he let me know that my previous repair station sent me there to cover themselves when in fact they sent me there due to toyota's service bulletin. i don't understand why i have to pay to have a faulty ecm reflashed. toyota should provide that services for free. i have since found out that a faulty ecm can ruin the transmission so i may have some costly repairs in the future due to a faulty part by toyota. toyota should replace the ecms on all 2001-2003 toyota rav4s since they know they are faulty and cover the cost of the transmission repair caused by their faulty ecm. toyota is being very underhanded by sending out the services bulletin to certain repair shops and not to actual toyota owners. they should be held liable. are they going to wait until someone dies? the unexpected stalling can cause a serious accident and toyota owners should be informed. if i had known this i would not have purchased a toyota for my teenager. the stalling almost caused an accident while i was driving but it would have definitely caused one for someone with less driving experience. it's a shame that toyota will not do anything until someone gets hurt.

In october, 2010 my 2003 rav4 started acting sluggish and shifting poorly. it would almost stall out in traffic and several times i was almost rear ended because the car would balk shifting from second to third gear. i took it to arlington toyota in palatine, illinois. they could find nothing wrong. in january, 2011 the problem got worse. the dealer reflashed the ecm module which controls the transmission. the problem got worse. they told me that i would need a new ecm .cost $1400. mileage out of warranty so it would not be covered. they contacted toyota regional who also said they would not cover it. i contacted toyota customer relations but they also said even though i had received a recall notice, they would not cover the cost. *tr

Check oil light came on and would go out, after checking the oil level all appear fine, the car would burn 1 quart every two months. after driving along the express way for 30 miles and using a two lane road for about 3 miles the check engine light and oil light all came on at a stop light and then the engine make noise and quit running, after towing the car to a auto repair shop we were told the car needed a new engine. the car is a rav 4 2003 with about 89,000 miles on it. *tr

I was recently warned that my 2003 toyota rav4 had many, many transmission complaints. not 2 days later, my rav began showing signs of transmission failure. i researched the issue on the internet to find that there were an unusually large number of owners with similar problems, but found no relief with toyota. after taking my vehicle to the dealer for analyzing, i was informed it needed a new transmission to the tune of almost $4,000. this is on a vehicle that has been driven by only me and had preventive maintenance done regularly. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 30 mph he engaged the accelerator pedal and it took a few seconds before the vehicle would accelerate. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who advised him that the transmission needed to be replaced and that the ecm card needed reprogramming. the failure started in june 2009. the vehicle was not repaired and the vehicle was not drivable. the failure and current mileages were 73,000. updated 2/28/11 *cn updated 03/07/11

Toyota rav4 2003, transmission issue, during driving, the car sometimes slowdown, in highway, during driving time, the car sudden slowdown, just like deep step on the brake pad. it is happen all the time during driving. *tr

While driving, my 2003 toyota rav4's engine light starts flickering. the car starts hesitating, even with applying more gas. the car then loses power and cuts out. the car will then restart, but continue to hesitate and cut out the issue has occurred 3 times over the past month. the dealer could not isolate the problem and simply recommended replacing the spark plugs. my wife happened to be driving the car on the interstate during rush hour yesterday with my two toddlers in the car when it cut out again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. while attempting to accelerate from a stop light the contact stated that the vehicle would not respond. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the computer needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages were 115000.

2003 toyota rav4 at 90,000 miles the vehicle showed signs of an issue with the transmission or computer that controls the transmission, symptoms include rough shifting and delayed engagement (3-9 seconds) of the drive train on acceleration. *tr

My wife's' 2003 toyota rav4 just started having transmission problems. we took it immediately to a repair shop. on the way there were serious problems with the transmission shifting which was particularly dangerous during the acceleration and deceleration in intersections. the dealer repair shop said the computer and transmission would need to be replaced. i called toyota customer service and they told me a service bulletins had gone out, but that our particular vin was not part of the bulletin, even though the problem is exactly the same as has been widely noted and recognized by toyota. *tr

My 2003 rav4 has always been very sluggish from a dead start and any kind of sudden acceleration but i knew that i would eventually reach the legal speed limit. driving 1 1/2 weeks ago, however, brought my attention to another, far more serious acceleration problem, far worse than just sluggishness. the suv was shifting out of gear automatically and i feared for my safety as i was in moving traffic and i was having trouble moving. i immediately decided to take it to the toyota dealer. luckily, the dealership was close to where i was. they kept my car from approx. 3:30 pm that friday until the following monday. at first, they thought it was the transmission and said they needed until monday to know for sure. i was told by the service rep. to not worry, that it may be far less expensive than i think. that monday, i got a call from the serviced rep that he had both good news and bad news. they found the problem - an ecu problem but that i was out of warranty and i would have to buy a new one. i told them to go ahead and install it as i couldn't see any alternative. the work was done and the final cost for the unit and labor was $1,300.00. i told the service rep that i felt shafted because the warranty expired after 80,000 and i had 84,000 miles at the time. further, i had the suv for just 7 years, not the limit of 8 years under the original warranty for the ecu. i went on the internet and discovered the ny times july, 2010 letter announcing many problems like mine with transmission damage as well and toyota would now cover it all. according to the letter, toyota had extended its warranty for the transmission to 150,000 miles and 10 years for the ecu ! i called the service rep and he said toyota headquarters rep was there and said i had no extended warranty. the service manager never returned my call. i finally called toyota headquarters and filed a complaint with them. i received a letter from a toyota manager offering me $1,000 to buy a new toyota vehicle. 11/03/10 *tr

Computer failed that led to transmission to fail. after fixing it still glitcheseses. it is ok one day and glitches another very unpredictable and transmission mechanic can not figure out the problem. computer was put in new and transmission was rebuilt cost about $ 4000. it is hard to effort this during these economic hardships. not to mention all this happened only on 88000 kms. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that he experienced transmission problems; the gears would slip at times. the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic who stated that the problem was most likely the engine control module; no codes were produced. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 89,800.

Toyota rav4 2003 has transmission problems. the mechanic said this is common with this car so i did some research and quickly found that many other people had the same problem. there is a problem with the computer asking the car to shift to first and second gear at the same time. this causes the car to slow down then rapidly accelerate. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 45 mph the contact noticed that the vehicle would occasionally surge forward without warning. the vehicle would also suddenly decrease in speed without the contact applying the brakes. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the computer system needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages were 160000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the vehicle began to hesitate and then rapidly accelerate after the vehicle came to a stop. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where he was informed that the ecu and transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 83,000. updated 11/05/10. *lj updated 02/03/11*lj updated 02/04/11*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. while traveling 10 mph, the contact attempted to accelerate yet the vehicle would not respond. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact had the transmission and engine control module was replaced, however the failure persisted. there were no prior warnings of the failure. the failure mileage was 126,000 and the current mileage was 146,000.

I was about to merge with traffic on a local highway when i stepped on the gas pedal and the car did not accelerate. it terrified me because there was a tractor trailer to my left that almost hit me. as i pressed harder on the pedal to accelerate the car, the engine made a loud revving sound, and the car started to jerk forward, in the sense that there seemed to be transmission slippage: sometimes the car accelerated harshly while at other times it was like it was on neutral. this occurred with no warning at all, as something like this had never happened before, nor was there any hint that something like this would happen. this transmission slippage occurs at low speed, right at those crucial moments when you need the car to accelerate because you are merging with traffic, or are crossing an intersection after having stopped at a light or stop sign. after searching online, i found many similar complaints. people reported that the problem was the engine control module (ecm), so i had that fixed, and now the car seems to be running fine. the worst thing is that online people discovered that toyota issued an internal memo in 2006 notifying dealers of this problem, but it did not notify the owner, let alone recall the cars and have the problem fixed. apparently, toyota did not feel the problem was serious enough, though i am convinced that it was only luck that i survived that day on the highway! *tr

My son was driving his car, a 2003 toyota rav4 -l when he experienced sudden unintended acceleration. there were no floor mats in the car at the time. he was able to get control of the car by slamming on the brakes and putting the car in neutral. the dealer was contacted and the car was scheduled to be brought in the next day after this event occurred. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. when the contact drove out of her driveway at a slow speed the vehicle started shaking. the dealer changed the oil, the fuel filter and the catalytic converter. the failure still persisted. the dealer later stated that the ecm needed to be replaced at her expense and that if the ecm did not correct the failure the transmission would have to be replaced for $5500.00. toyota was also contacted and stated that since the warranty was not valid they could not offer her any assistance. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was approximately 123,000. the current mileage is 124,600.

I own a 2003 toyota rav4 with only 63k miles on it. the transmission failed while my son was driving the car. we took it to a local transmission shop to have it fixed. the transmission shop had so many problems trying to install a rebuilt transmission that they contacted a toyota dealership. they were told that the year and model toyota i have was know to have a faulty computer that caused transmission failure. it was then towed to the dealership. they deemed the computer faulty and fixed the car free of charge. once the toyota dealership put in the new computer, the transmission still wouldn't work. it is back at the transmission shop. i have not had the car for over four weeks. i am now in the process of contacting toyota to get reimbursed for the cost of the rebuilt transmission. *tr

Transmission problem on a 2003 rav4 4 wheel drive. it started at 100,456 miles. never had problem with the car before. it started to occur once in a while in first gear, then the engine light came on, got it check. came up code po755. now is occurring more often. light goes off and after a couple of day goes on again. took it to toyota. they said it needs a remanufacture transmission and they need to change the ecm. cost 5,995 they told me i'm better off trading the car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 60 mph, there was resistance when he tried to accelerate and rpms increased instead of the vehicle responding to the accelerator pedal being engaged. the vehicle was then taken to the dealer who stated that the ecm needed to be replaced. no repairs were made when the complaint was filed. the failure and current mileages were 58000.

Car jerks, harsh shifting, stays stuck in gear, will not go back into first gear. have done oil change, transmission fluid flush, left and right 02 sensors, still shifting harsh conditions, feels very unsafe. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle lost power. when the contact shifted into reverse gear, the vehicle began to shake violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the electronic control module and the transmission had failed. the manufacturer stated that the warranty was no longer valid; therefore, they would not provide any assistance with the repair repair cost. the vin was not available. the failure and the current mileage was 86,000.

No warning when transmission slipped from stopped to first. would jerk then be fine. drove approximately 50 miles while this was happening with hazard lights on. took to a local transmission shop & was quoted $3,200 for a new transmission. no mention of the ecm being the cause or needing repaired. will have to trade in. failure 110,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving at speeds of 25 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate. the contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal and after twenty seconds of the vehicle maintaining 25 mph, it accelerated. the dealer advised the connection from the engine block to the body exhibited a broken electrical ground connection. the vehicle was repaired at no cost to the contact. the failure persisted. the dealer then advised the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair facility where the transmission was rebuilt. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage 68,000. updated 10/27/10. *lj

Car suddenly started having shifting problem, hesitates from a start, very jerky, then difficulty shifting into second gear. *tr

Rav4 transmission slips, jerks and slams into gear. very unsettling and unsafe. no "check" light. took it to the dealer and they gave a lame excuse about my husband driving it and confusing the computer. symptoms never stopped so i took it to a trusted independent shop and am having to pay $4000 for repairs. toyota should be held accountable, especially since they know about the problem and even issued a tsb on it. unfortunately, that only covers up to 80k miles. please lean on them to make this right! *tr

My toyota rav4 2003 has 85,200 miles and transmission is giving me a lot of problems. it's jerking the first and second speed and when i took the car to the dealer(findlay toyota) they told me there is no warranty so i have to spend $1,600 buying a new computer and if the problem persist i will have to spend money fixing the transmission. there is a bulletin from toyota about this fails(rav4 2001-2003) but was sent to dealers and no to owners. *tr

S10 appropriate handling-letter to the secretary from re toyota problems *tgw 2003 toyota rav4. the consumer stated when plugged into the electric charging system, the vehicle rolled away. the consumer stated it can happen if the gear is inadvertently shifted out of park and into neutral if the vehicle is parked on a slight slope. *jb

Was slightly skipping gears. was taken to dealership. was told that if it was the ecm, the engine light would have come on, it did not. was told that it was the transmission, hard to believe as there were no noise except the rpms. they recommend transmission replacement and transmission computer est. $5512,00 +tax. 2003 rav4 should of at least go beyond 10 years without any mayor repairs. i told them no. do not start work on it, i will pick it up this evening. about 4:45pm i arrived at the dealership to pick up the suv and noticed that it was much worst than when i dropped it off. luckily my wife was behind me to slow traffic in order for me to get our suv back in our garage before anything happens especially during traffic hours. the gears and the loud transmission shift could now be heard. that did not happen before then. going up hills now it took its time. have to put it reverse so that i can get it in straight into the garage and boom, then i heard like coil springs popping. i put it back on drive and was able to get into the garage. toyota knew about this problem a long time ago and failed to notify us. bennet toyota @2300 hanover avenue @ (610)437-6711, did not even want to talk to me. they must have done something to the transmission when i told them no. because now it is 99% failing compare to when i took it when i noticed the safety hazards/ and the noises when i shift gear from drive to reverse. now i hear big thumps when i shift and coils springing. the rav4 is automatic by the way. hope you can help with this. just remember, toyota new about this. p.s. almost hit a little girl on a bike the same day. *tr

My 2003 toyota rav4 is slipping, bucking, and dragging: transmission problems, just like all the rest! what more is there to say? besides the fact that i don't feel safe driving it with my 6 month old daughter in there, and i have no money to have it fixed! *tr

Driving my rav 4 2003 when all of a sudden it had no power struggled to shift it felt like i was riding a bull. it is very scary. when you have no power and need to accelerate at a light. please protect the people. force toyota to so a recall. this is a known issue. do not wait till someone gets hurt or killed. i am now having to replace a transmission and computer.$3300. my car is in the shop so i do not have the vin# plus when you take it to the repair shop they do not know what is wrong with it. it does not show on the computer that it is the transmission or the ecu. *tr

My 2003 rav4, suddenly began having intermittent transmission problems - the transmission sticks in first gear then bangs into second; jerking sporadically - not moving, then lunging forward. it is dangerous. my mechanic said that it was a common problem with my toyota and that the transmission would have to be replaced along with the computer that controls it. $3,500. my car has just over 100,000 miles. it is "young. i looked online and it turns out that the new york times did an article in august 2009. toyota knew about this since 2006. the article mentioned something about a "bulletin" that said they would repair the problem up to 80,000 miles and 8 years. i was never notified and now my car is under the years and over the miles. at carcomplaints.com i found a lot of others that have been through this. most of the mileage is over 80,000. i called toyota and they told me that because of my mileage...they can't help me. but, it was their defect. it should have been recalled. why wasn't i notified earlier so it could be replaced? they told me that there isn't a recall. is that because no one died because of it yet? *tr updated ivoq 10/01/10 the consumer was informed the transmission along with the ecm needed to be replaced. updated ivoq 10/08/10.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving at approximately 15 mph, the vehicle experienced trouble shifting from first to second gear and would abruptly jerk when doing so. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission and electronic control module (ecm) would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted intermittently. the failure and current mileages were 101,000.

Vehicle jerks, sometimes fails to accelerate or it will suddenly slow down while in motion and then suddenly surges forward. it is really a scary situation everytime it happens. *tr

Our 2003 toyota rav 4 has begun to have a very serious problem. when driving, the car will suddenly lurch forward or hesitate to accelerate. we immediately had this investigated, only to find out that the onboard computer needed replacing at a ridiculous dollar amount. this expensive repair has yet to be completed. meanwhile, we've had time to research the problem, only to find thousands of other toyota rav4 owners that have experienced the same dangerous lurching and hesitation of their vehicle. toyota says that our car is either too old or has too many miles on it. this car has been meticulously maintained, and now they say there is nothing they can do about this serious uncontrollable problem. we just felt you should be made aware of this dangerous situation. *tr

Engine light has been on for awhile. i spent 1400 to get it fixed last year so that i can pass emission but still failed and had to get a waiver. on december of 2009, a friend of mine and i was driving and it started to lose its power and started jerking. we immediately parked the car and turned it off. we waited a little while to see if we can get help somewhere but we were in a place where we can't get any cell signal so we decided to turn the car back on and at least try to drive to a place where we can get signal. car drove ok that day but since then had jerking or shifting problem several hours after first used in the day. i had the ecu changed this year and it cost 1500. it drives better now but now the problem starts during the first use of the car each day. it doesn't happen all the time but it is annoying and might damage my engine more than the old emu had damage it. also the seat belt on the passenger back seat during the use for the last couple of years(it didn't have much use before 2008) had started snagging to the point that it has unraveled. we found out that the metal loop that the seat belt goes though is very sharp and had caused the seat belt to get shredded. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that the check engine light had illuminated on the instrument panel and when accelerating, the vehicle would hesitate to increase in speed. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the independent mechanic replaced the engine control module sensors. the failure persisted. the dealer advised there was a technical service bulletin addressing the failure but were no recall for the failure and repairs would be at the owners expense. the failure mileage was approximately 94,000 and the current mileage was 96,400.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, the vehicle began to hesitate and the transmission failed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership to have the transmission replaced. while returning to pick up the vehicle from the dealership, the dealer stated that the computer that controlled the transmission also needed to be replaced; the computer was also replaced by the dealer. the contact did not feel that the transmission should have to be replaced after seven years. the failure mileage was 116,911.

I purchased my toyota rav 4 2003 on october 2007 with about 58,000 miles. about 3 weeks ago my car started jerking while changing gears. i had my car parked and when i wanted to move it was making a weird noise and making a jump. at red lights or stop signs car would not move if i press the gas. noise began to be louder and when driving in highway it was not changing gears. car would not move at times even if it was on driving. problems became more severe. i took it to service and was informed that i need a new computer transmission and the cost will be around $1400+tax+part and labor. i had bought an extended warranty that is not covering any costs at all. i had never had a problem with the car for the past 3 years. *tr

I own a 2003 rav 4 purchased used two years ago this april 2010. the car has 80,188 miles the vin # is xxxxx my wife and i along with my 1 year old boy in the back seat (car seat) were driving into a parking lot of the local gym. when the car suddenly lunged forward almost causing her to run over a pedestrian. (i really mean run over, not just hit). i had a mechanic look at the car... he mentioned that this make and model are known for this issue... the engine control module (ecm) makes the car shift irregular in and out of 1st and 2nd gear ( my rav 4 is automatic). better said... when the car is put into drive the car actually starts moving in second gear... which makes it very sluggish.. when the driver presses the gas pedal to compensate, the car then unsuspectingly and suddenly downshifts into first gear causing the car to lunge forward out of control. this time we were very lucky that no one was injured but things could have easily been different... we haven't driven the car since. the repairs according to my mechanic can range from $1500 to $7000. changing the ecm may fix the issue but there now may be damage done to the transmission itself. we will not know till i have the ecm changed. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)*tr

2003 toyota rav4. consumer requests ramification to unsuccessful attempts to fix the manufacturer's defect in workmanship *tgw the consumer stated the check engine light illuminated. prior to the engine light illuminating, the consumer noticed the vehicle would stall as she applied the accelerator pedal after a red light and it would surge with force once it accelerated. the consumer was charged $664.87 for a sensor and v-ripped belt. on march 24, 2010, the check engine light illuminated again. upon researching on the internet, the consumer discovered a tsb for the pcm and ecm. the consumer also complained of a squeaking noise coming from the front of the vehicle at the slightest road bump and hearing a thump when turning the wheels to the far right. the consumer stated the dealer never mentioned the tsb's regarding the ecm/pcm. *jb

Driving on the highway my 2003 toyota rav4 transmission jerks and change gears for no reason all the time very dangerous! almost caused an accident has 91k miles not repaired yet (waiting to find more information about a recall for the problem) it is a common problem for this year rav4. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph when the accelerator pedal was engaged without a power response. the vehicle began to accelerate normally after a few moments; however, when the gear was shifted into another gear position the vehicle surged forward. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic which stated that the transmission required replacement. the contact had concern of the safety issue. the failure mileage was 132,000.

In september 2008, my rav4 suddenly began having shifting problems. i pulled out of a shopping center and in the middle of street the car would not accelerate. it was a very frightening experience as other vehicles ware approaching and as i pressed on the gas peddle nothing happened. the car just idled high then it jolted into gear. i took it to aamco the next day. after further investigation by aamco, they provided me with the tsb tc002-06 issued by toyota. aamco advised me that the transmission needed to be replaced before they could determine if it was in fact the computer system that caused the transmission failure, which it did need a new ecm computer as per tc002-06. also in feb 2009 i needed to replace the ecm coolant temp sensor. my rav4 at the time had 80,300 miles on it and the slone toyota that i purchased it from would not honor the 80/8 warranty. they did however give me 50/50 goodwill assistance (if you can even call it that since it still cost over $900 for the computers.) the new transmission cost $3,750 due to the malfunctioned computer. now in april 2010, 18 months and 16,000 miles later, i am going through this all over again. i was driving on the pa turnpike and all of a sudden my vehicle would not go over 60 mph and then it went to 40 mph. i could not get it accelerate. i had 3 children in the car and was very scary for us as other vehicles were quickly approaching behind us and i could not get the vehicle to drive. the location were i was driving did not have anywhere for me to pull over. again the car jolted into gear and the check engine light came on. once again my car is at the aamco. at this time we are unsure if the computer failed again or if there is an issue with the new transmission i had installed. regardless i need another transmission. i would like to know how toyota claimed in 2006 steps were taken to prevent this from happening again. once i receive a diagnosis for this latest incident i will post a complaint. *tr

2003 toyota rav4. consumer states unexpected acceleration. *tgw the consumer stated as she was pulling into a parking space slowly, with her foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward and hit a brick wall. the consumer was informed her vehicle was not included in the recall. no police report was taken. according to the mechanic, he believed the carpet became stuck under the pedal. *jb updated 06/02/10 *jb

On oct. 5, 2002, i bought a brand new 2003 toyota rav4 from star toyota of bayside inc. as of this writing, the automobiles mileage is only 15, 782 miles. on july 13, 2009 (8 ½ months ago), i had taken my 2003 toyota rav4 for service in regards to the lighting on the instrument panel check engine. additionally, i stated that prior to the engine light turning on, i had noticed that the car would stall as i hit the gas pedal after a red light, and that it would surge with force once it accelerated; it felt like a rear-ended collision. the vehicle only had 12,894 miles when the suv was taken in for a diagnostic test. i was charged $664.87 for a sensor and a v-ripped belt. last week, on mar. 24, 2010 at 15,757 miles, the service engine light came back on. this problem recurred for the 2nd time in just 8 ½ months of prior work rendered, and after only 2,863 miles. while researching the internet in regards to check engine light on 2003 toyota rav4, i stumbled upon hundreds of consumers complaints for the exact problems. i have been having trouble with harsh symptoms before the engine light and, unsafe and harsh driving conditions. as i continued my research efforts, i immediately linked into a few toyota tsbs concerning a defected ecm/pcm replacement procedure to the failing components as transmission control module & power train control module w/the diagnostic trouble codes. i have serviced the vehicle throughout the years, and never informed of any of the numerous toyota tsbs. it's dishonest, and lacks integrity not to formally inform the loyal consumers of the defection and the safety issues & transmission failure. in written format, i am justifiably and legitimately requesting proper and honest ramification to this unsuccessful attempts to fix the manufacturer's defection in workmanship of my 2003 rav4. the purchase of a new auto was to assure myself peace of mind of safety & quality. a letter will be mail out tomorrow to toyota customer service.*tr

Transmission unresponsive at times. hard shifting in reverse. hesitates at 1st gear...

My problem is with my 2003 toyota rav 4. recently i was driving and the vehicle started to have some problems. first, the vehicle would not accelerate as i would be entering traffic, for example, on highways. a number of times it would start accelerating and then slow down or lose acceleration, this caused many anxious moments as often a car/truck would be coming up behind me. i would try to accelerate and step on the gas and the car would not really move until all of a sudden the gears would shift and the car would jump forward and suddenly start moving. this was scary on a number of occasions, especially when i had my son in the car. also, the car would automatically shift gears, or drop gears while driving. i would be in traffic and we would be moving along when suddenly the car would jump into gear and literally jump forward sometimes propelling the car forward a little. also while driving, both local roads and on highways the car would drop gears and suddenly slow down and then shift back into gear. the car has 95000 miles on it. we were told by a mechanic (who is not fixing the car) that toyota had advised that there is a problem with a computer-the ecm- in the rav 4, that will cause the car to jump and shift gears and possibly ruin the transmission. we have recently been informed by toyota that the ecm needs to be replaced and that the transmission in damaged and also needs to be replaced. *dt

S10 appropriate handling re sudden unintended acceleration incident fm owner of a 2003 toyota rav4. *kb the consumer stated on 3 separate occasions, when she tried to change lanes to get in front of another vehicle, it would not accelerate. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated nothing was wrong. after the third occurrence, the consumer went back to the dealer and they kept the vehicle. upon inspection, the dealer discovered the sensor in the gas tank was not functioning properly and had to be replaced. *jb

I was driving my 2003 rav4 about 2 weeks ago when it refused to accelerate from a stop at a red light, i was in the middle of the intersection(coasting basically) with a line of unhappy traffic behind me before it slammed violently into high gear and almost caused me to crash into the overpass walls. it has since then been intermittent, being fine for a day or so then doing the same thing, in varying degrees of severity. the check engine light went on, and i made an appointment to bring it in to toyota for diagnostics. they quoted me $6800 to replace the ecm computer and the transmission. this vehicle has been regularly maintained and only has 119,000 miles. i have since found out that this is a very dangerous and common problem with this year of toyota that they have known about for a while now. i can't drive the car at all until the computer is replaced, and then it will need a transmission shortly afterward according to both toyota and the other rav4 owners in this situation. if the computer had been replaced prior to the problem demonstrating itself in the shifting difficulties, there would have been no damage to the transmission at all. i think that toyota is to blame for not advising rav4 drivers of this dangerous defect and the relatively cheap repair that could have saved me much time and money. i need a car to work, so i either pay toyota $6800 or buy a new car, and in this economy i don't know if i'll be able to get the financing to do either. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that the vehicle stalls while in park. also while driving 25mph the vehicle does not pick up speed. he took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer informed him that the transmission needs to be replaced. the contact notice numerous complaints regarding the transmission for this year make and model and make and feels the manufacturer should issue a recall. the failure mileage was 126,000.

In 2009, without notice my 2003 toyota rav 4 was "jerking and going". then it would barely move once stopped. then when it would move, it would drag. in august of 2009, the transmission was replaced by palmer's toyota superstore. this cost $1,721.93. *tr

Pulled up to an intersection on a highway where speed limit is 80 km/h. stopped. light goes green and i step on the gas only to have my vehicle lurch forward slowly and the car would jump in short spurts. i managed to pull off to the side as traffic came flying from behind. after a few minutes of sitting, i hit the gas again and got going like normal. parked the car for four hours and then headed back home. was making a turn at an intersection on the way home and problem happens again. can't get going and the car jumps like it's stuck between neutral and drive. i shift it into second gear and the problem goes away. i shift it back to drive with no problems. just as i drive up a hill close to my apartment, the problem happens again. this time i try shifting to both second and first gear but it makes no difference. i pull off to the side, shut off the car and wait five minutes. i start the car and it runs like normal. i make it back home and park the car on the street. it has been there ever since and i occasionally move it back and forth. with the research i have done, i have learned it is probably the ecm and it is a common problem among rav4's between 2001 and 2003. i refuse to drive it until it is fixed so as not to damage the transmission further. when the problem happened initially, it was dangerous because i was sitting in the middle of a speedy highway, unable to move. *tr

Transmission was burned up by a faulty ecm. *tr

After accelerating from a stop the vehicle hesitated and then sped up quickly and i almost hit another vehicle. it did that about 4-8 times before i did some research and found it was out of warranty and that toyota wouldn't fix it, according to my research and toyota's reluctancy to recall the vehicle. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the driver was traveling in a parking lot at about 8 mph. the driver stated that she engaged the brakes and her vehicle immediately accelerated up to 35 mph. the driver stated that she crashed into a guard rail, into an embankment, and into an office building. she has mailed a letter to the dealer and she has also called them. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 37,000.

1. jerking transmission at low speed 2. loss of power 3. dealer replaced ecm to transmission (warranty) in accordance with tsb. *tr

Acceleration increases while using brakes at low speeds. vehicle does not stop slow down when accelerator is not being applied. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. she noticed that when she stopped the gear will fail it will stay in drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the diagnosis indicated that the failure was caused by the electronic control unit. the dealer replaced the ecu and the failure was corrected. the failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 104,236. updated 03/30/10. *lj the consumer stated when she made a stop, the vehicle would not go into gear and the engine revved, then slipped into gear and lurched forward. the consumer was told it was a computer problem and sending faulty signals to the transmission. the consumer stated there have been no other problems since. updated 07/15/10*jb

When driving my 2003 toyota rav4, the transmission slipped at about 20mph. i was about to enter an interception, and a 18 wheel truck, started to make a turn in front of me. i was unable to proceed, and narrowly missed the truck hitting me head-on. competition toyota of middle iland, ny put a new ecm in for $1400, but the trans. continued to slip. i spent $5,700+ on a rebuilt transmission from jasper corp., but i was with-out a vehicle for 7 weeks. *tr

Driving on highway and had a runaway gas pedal acceleration of toyota rav4. the failure happened once and after braking and working with the cruise control lever, i was able to get it slowed down. i went from 70 mph to 87 mph in a split second as a result of the acceleration problem. i have called the local dealer and the dealer that we bought the toyota from and they are not offering concern or a solution. one dealer suggested we call the national headquarters of toyota, but after doing so, i had no way to leave a message. it was all preprogrammed to deal only with toyota's that were on the recall list. we don't feel real safe with our family car and felt the need to let someone know. we also want to let others beware of the problem with the 2003 model of toyota rav4. we now have a car that we do not trust is safe and nobody will do anything about it. *tr

Car wouldn't shift properly. toyota dealer said i needed a new transmission due to a problem with the solenoid. after internet searching the problem, i asked that the local repair shop replace the computer (much less costly) and the car started working again. an internal memo to dealers stated that this was a common problem on the make/model but the local dealer did not mention such a memo. i only found it after searching online. *tr

We have a 2003 toyota rav4 that obviously has a defective part and safety issues. we bought this vehicle for our teenage daughter approximately 1 1/2 yrs ago from a dealer and it had 74,000 miles. thankfully we did get a extended warranty, but not one that will cover this problem. this last november our daughter was driving the car and was stuck going up a hill as the car would not shift into the right gear. she was stranded on the mountain highway until we could come get her. thankfully she did get off the road, but it scared us to think that this car could of done this if she was at a high speed or couldn't have got off the road in the dark mountain terrain. we had the vehicle towed to a local shop and they concluded that it needed a new transmission. we had only put maybe 10,000 miles on it since purchase. the warranty covered the $4000 replacement cost of a new transmission. after picking up the vehicle it seemed to run ok but still had shifting problems at the speed of 20-30. a harsh jerking. our daughter was driving the car and again it stopped working in a business district. so back to the shop. well now we are stumped on what could be wrong. even had 2 sensors replaced and still the same problem. so we have a toyota, which we bought for our teenage daughters because of their reputation of being a great vehicle, but now worried what it will do as they are driving it. so the latest is i did some of my own research on this year vehicle. came across a website called rav4world. there are pages off complaints on transmission failures for rav4 2001-2003. i guess toyota didn't do a recall for a supposedly defective ecm that is the main computer in car and it is leading to transmission failure. toyota did put out an extended warranty on replacement which is 96months or 80,000 miles. our car is at 84k. the problem with this is how many people are driving this car and have no idea that this defective ecm is destroying the transmission??? also it is a safety issue! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact was driving 5 mph out of a parking space. the rpms rapidly began to increase. whenever shifting from second gear to third gear range there was a jerking sensation. the vehicle was able to continue in operation. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated that the failure could be possibly related to the electronic control module (ecu). the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction at this time. the failure mileage was 103,000.

Hello, i just recently submitted a complaint on the toyota rav4 that is having wide spread transmission problems due to a faulty ecm. i just spoke to the dealership and they are aware of it, but the consumers are not. it is only taken care of after the problem starts and if you take it to a toyota dealer who runs a service bulletin check. this is just not acceptable for all these people that are suffering the huge expense of this, and was not even aware of a problem with this cars main computer (ecm). i just hope i can help to make a difference for all of us. not a safety issue....bs! my teenage daughters are driving this car and i'm afraid of what would happen if this problem continues and the car stops working on the freeway or where ever it may happen. who is to say the new ecm is even good. please go to aboutautomobile.com on tc002-06 and see complaints. also just search tc002-06 rav4 to see how many people are having problems. thank you! *tr

Transmission on 2003 rav 4 (toyota) does not work properly it hesitates and does not move the auto when the accelerator is pressed it also jumps and shifts gears roughly when accelerating this could well lead to problems and possible crashes on freeway ramps and at stop lights and signs. *tr

I have a toyota rav4 2003. my car is running so weird and i am afraid that it will cause an accident and put my life at risk. i am driving on a freeway (65-70 mph ¿ 36miles everyday) a dangerous failure to speed up and suddenly slowing down and choking. we took my car at the dealer twice and tell them what happened. at first they told us the problem, that we need to replace/change/repair the air filter/air pilometer, we replaced it. but then same thing happened the next day (everyday), failure speed up and suddenly slowing down and chocking while i am driving¿. we brought it again at the dealer and they just told us that they already diagnosed it (twice) but their computer cannot locate the ¿code¿ thing from the computer, which tells them if the car has a problem or not. i asked them that if they diagnosed it how come they cannot locate the problem? the only answer they told me was ¿their computer is not giving them a code¿ and i told them if they are telling me that there is no problem in my car, the answer was ¿they are not sure¿. this is a really ¿serious and dangerous matter¿. ¿toyota is putting our lives at risk¿. are they going to find out what is the real problem of the car if they see us dead or if we got in accident??? toyota should have a full attention of this matter and give us a full warranty of fixing the problem for toyota rav4 2001-2003. we never want this happening to our car and we don¿t want to loose our lives because of these problems! *tr

2003 toyota rav 4 transmission failure due to faulty pcm- technical bulletin #1046. transmission experienced bind up and harsh shifting january 2010. vehicle transmission started binding up, car would not run properly. towed to transmission shop. entire transmission and faulty pcm had to be replaced at cost of $4600.00. toyota is aware of issue, released a tsb regarding repair issues. tsb is limited to 8 years or 80,000 miles. toyota and dealer have refused to help in any way. *tr

Toyota rav4 with only 80,000 miles, the transmission has failed. there are thousands of complaints and here is yet another. totally ridiculous that toyota won't stand behind this known issue. all i can say is where do i sign on the lawsuit? quoted over 3,000 to replace and that's not going to happen. i'm sure i speak for all of us when i say, there is something that needs to be done now. car would not accelerate in the middle of an intersection causing a major safety hazard. *tr

2003 toyota rav4. with no warning or check engine light, car began bucking between 1st and 2nd gears - but then smoothed out in the higher gears and also as the car warmed up. no other cars around so no danger to myself or others. thought the transmission needed fluid, so i tried that. seemed to improve somewhat for two days - then the slipping became very bad and the check engine light came on. that same afternoon i brought car into my mechanic, whose computer diagnosed a defective solonoid. after replacement ($117), transmission was still slipping. found a transmission shop and they diagnosed a faulty ecm. cost for replacement: $1450. don't know at this time whether or not transmission has been irreparably damaged. cost to replace transmission: $3500. *tr

Was involved in an accident with the toyota 2003 rav4 rolling over and none of the air bags had opened front or skirt above the head for roll over. *tr

2003 toyota rav4 with automatic transmission & 4wd. transmission will not allow proper acceleration from standing stop, rough shifting resulting in a "slam" into gear, hangs between gears when trying to shift. flush of fluid alleviated problem for 1 week (approx 200 miles 0 but it has returned. ecu error code: p0755. *tr

Around 12/1/2009, i noticed that the automatic transmission seemed to have problems shifting, for example when you would think that the car would shift from 1st to 2nd gear, it would not, or when you were at a stop light and tried to accelerate, car would not move. it was as if the car was in neutral so stepping on the accelerator did nothing but cause a loud "revving" sound. in most cases within a few seconds, it did get into gear and the car did accelerate however when this happened, the car would jerk sharply. within a few days the problem was occurring alot (at every stop, every time the car needed to shift between 1st and 2nd gear or 2nd and 3rd) so i stopped driving it since i did not feel it was safe, for example, when the car was moving in traffic but then would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear, i could not accelerate and go the posted speed limit. i researched the problem online and spoke to my mechanic and we agreed the car seemed to be exhibiting problems described in a toyota service bulletin tc002-06 (a problem with the engine control module). as my car had just over 100000 miles, toyota refused to consider this as covered by warranty so i had to pay to get it done (ended up going to a private shop). car is better now, though it may also need get the transmission rebuilt as there are still some issues when the car shifts from 1st to 2nd gear or 2nd to 3rd gear. *tr

I bought a used 2003 toyota rav4 in 2006. shortly after i purchased the vehicle i noticed it did not stop very easily when i was driving on even mildly slipper roads. it also makes a horrific chattering noise when i depress the brakes (only with slippery conditions). i contacted the toyota dealership back in 2006 or 2007 where i purchased the vehicle and was told this was normal and that was how the brakes were designed. this braking issue has continued. i have even checked in to buying new tires (last fall and again this winter) and the mechanic said my tires were fine. i have sort of learned to live with this braking issue by making sure whenever there is even a small amount of snow that i slow down by downshifting to 2nd or 1st rather than using the brakes. *tr

How many times does a person have to file a complaint?? my 2003 toyota rav 4 has a major transmission problem that toyota has known about for several years!! it wasn't until i pulled out on a highway and my vehicle would not move (and just missed getting plowed into by an oncoming vehicle) that i discovered there was a very serious issue with my car!! i took the vehicle to a transmission specialist that informed me about a bulletin that was sent out in 2006 about a defect in the computer component that operates the transmission!! what good is a bulletin if the consumer knows nothing about it?? oh thats right...it's just another way for toyota to get off cheap!! a recall would have cost them millions!! i did get the component replaced (since i only have 79,100 miles on my car) at no charge. however, the transmission is shot!! toyota deserves everything they get right now!! they are dishonest and could care less about the safety of the consumer!!!!! *tr

I own a 2003 toyota rav 4, approx. two months ago the transmission went out on it. as i have learned this is a common problem with 2001-2004 toyota rav 4's. it seems many of the above noted year rav's have a faulty ecu in them, this ecu tells the transmission to do the wrong thing, therefore causing the transmission to fail. i have been quoted a price to repair my rav4 it will cost me well over $5,000.00, really? i cannot believe this is not a recall situation since so many rav 4 owners are suffering from the same situation. i believe the company should take care of its customers, at least they should have warned us about the faulty ecu. i had always loved my rav4, i am so disappointed in the toyota corporation. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav-4. while driving at 20 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate on its own. the consumer was able to remove the floor mat thinking that was the problem, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. the consumers wife went up hill and the vehicle stopped accelerating. the consumer stated he drove up the same hill about an hour later, and the vehicle accelerated on its own. 3/12/2010 update*cw updated 06/28/10*jb

We recently encountered a problem with our 2003 toyota rav4 where the transmission intermittently seemed to slip when engaging first gear from a stopped position, shifted harshly between first and second gears, or at times seemed to slip between shifting from first and second gear. the result of the hesitation to shift gears represents a real safety issue in traffic, and we feared this issue would cause an accident. we immediately stopped driving the vehicle and took it to our local toyota dealership (apple valley toyota in martinsburg, wv) to look into the problem. we dropped off the vehicle overnight, and received a call from the dealership the next day informing us that we needed a new transmission (quoted $3800). researching this issue on the internet, we found the known issue with the ecm for this model year vehicle, and the fact that toyota has known about the issue since at least 2006- although they did not inform the owners of these vehicles, nor did the mechanics at the dealership seem to know that this was an issue- despite a 2006 tsb on the subject. unfortunately we did not find this out until after we had taken the vehicle to another shop and had the transmission rebuilt and the solenoid box replaced. now, after almost $4000, we are still experiencing the same issue with the transmission which has left the vehicle undrivable. we feel that toyota has a responsibility to their customers and that this is clearly a safety issue that warrants a recall. and that even if a recall is not ordered, they should have at least alerted their customers to this issue and prepared their dealerships on how to identify and resolve the issue correctly. please be proactive and investigate this issue before lives are lost. this problem makes operation of the vehicle unsafe! *tr

The first thing i noticed was a hard shift into reverse. like a lurch. about 2 days later i noticed the shift from 2nd to 3rd was taking longer than it should. on about the 4th day, at a light when stopped, i hit the gas and didn't move. there was a notable hesitation and i nearly was rearended. finally on about the 5th day, i had the pedal to the floor and was crawling along the road basically. we turned around and parked it, and it has sat ever since, for about 6 months now. we can't afford to fix it and we only half own it. *tr

My toyota rav4 automatic suddenly began to run roughly, and clunk when shifting. i attempted a left turn at a light into a parking lot to check the car when it hesitated for several seconds in the middle of the busy intersection. the oncoming traffic was alert enough to avoid me but it was close. i would not have attempted that turn if i had known the extent of the car's problem. i was able to get the car home and the hard shifting, hesitating and skipping gears continued. i researched the problem on the internet and found this to be a common problem with '01-03 rav4's. well known to the owners as well toyota since 2006. i bought the car new in '03 and this is the first i have heard of it. i had the ecm rebuilt-not by toyota-and the car seems to be running fine now. *tr

Ecm and transmission problem in 2003 toyota rav4 create a very dangerous condition - severe hesitation and delay/disruption in shifting when other vehicles are behind you or when you are trying to cross lanes of traffic in low gears. *tr

I had a 2003 toyota rav4. on april 24th 2009 i pulled out into traffic and my transmission made my car stall almost causing an accident. that was the first time that my transmission acted it up. the torque converter burned up in it. this is a very serious problem and many people have had the same issue. toyota needs to do something about. a company on ebay rebuilds the defective ecms told me that toyota has a real big problem on their hands and that they have rebuilt tons of the ecms. *tr the consumer stated she had to take the vehicle back 3 times, because the vehicle was not shifting properly. updated 03/24/10.*jb

2003 toyota rav4 automatic transmission jerking, stopping and going by itself. *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the computer module for the transmission failed. while driving approximately 45 mph. the vehicle began shaking excessively. there were no related recalls. the warranty expired at 80,000 miles; although, the failure and current mileage was 83,000 the manufacturer agreed to repair the vehicle.

Car has been revving at high rpm levels periodically. just recently the transmission went into low gear while driving on the highway. it was like the brakes were put on me, went from going 45 mph to 1 mph on a busy highway heading towards the off ramp. very scary. *tr

Upon a recent trip to tennessee, i started noticing the slipping of the transmission during accelerate . after taking the vehicle to a repair shop i was informed that toyota was aware of the problem and has no plans to help remedy the situation. when ever you try to accelerate it does not want to stay in gear leaving the driver in doubt of weather or not the car stay in gear. it seems the ecm module is defective and is not under any recall even though they are fully aware of it. *tr

Car was having trouble shifting. it felt like the emergency brake was on. i pulled out into traffic and the car would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear. i had to pull over. i called my mechanic who said it sounded like the transmission and recommended a transmission specialist. the transmission was rebuilt. they also replaced the computer. they told me the computer failure is what caused the transmission failure. the parts listed are the computer, converter, overhaul kit for awd, and transaxle oil filter. *tr

I have a 2003 toyota rav-4. the transmission started to slip, so i took it to the dealer and was told i would need a re-manufactured transmission. i went online to look up costs and saw a ton of complaints about the same problem. i am either going to have the transmission fixed or buy a new car because my car is worth the same as the fix. apparently from what i am reading it is a common problem with the engine control module and toyota has known about it for some time and has not issued a recall to fix it. *tr

Toyota issued a technical alert in 2006 for a defective engine control module in their 2201-2003 rav4's. the alert was only sent to the dealerships, not to the consumers. this defect slowly destroys the transmission and without warning your car stalls like your running out of gas. a recall should have been issued but toyota refuses. i never had the opportunity to fix the engine control module that costs $1300 now i have to replace that and my transmission for a total cost of $4400. please hold them accountable. *tr

2003 toyota rav was stop instead of accelerating on highway starting 12/17, brought to dealership on 12/22/09 and they changed spark plugs; brought back 12/29 they changed water pump and then test drove and called me to tell me it could be transmission but to replace the ecm first since they knew it could cause transmission problems. *tr

I have a 2003 toyota rav4 that i bought used and luckily have not had any problems with until now. 2 days before christmas i was in town running errands and had stopped at a traffic light. when the light changed and i pressed on the gas, the vehicles engine revved up but the truck hardly moved. then it jerked as if someone had rear ended me. i thought it was weird but went on. stopped at another light and same thing. only this time i was almost rear ended twice before i could get the vehicle to move. so i drove straight home and called the dealership. i took it in on christmas eve (almost getting rear ended at every intersection i went through between my house and the dealer ship 32 miles away) only to be told it was the engine control unit and would cost me $1350.00 to repair. since then i have gone online and realized that there are numerous others with the same complaint. how can there be a question as to whether this is a safety issue or not. any vehicle that stalls in the middle of an intersection is a safety hazard. my vehicle is readily available for nhtsa to test and determine this is a safety hazard. *tr

This is a well known safety hazard toyota will not acknowledge with 2001-04 rav4s. my well maintained 2003 rav4 with 135k miles suddenly hesitates/jerks on acceleration. never had issues with car until few days ago with mild hesitation intermittently. now car bucks violently, shakes, skips gears and lurches ahead when accelerating and before coming to full stop. car is at dealership and no defects found. they are now testing for engine control module failure at my request based on what i have learned from reading scores of similar complaints. part is estimated at $1500 but toyota will not cover as it has over 80000 miles - they knew of this defect since at least 2006 and issued a service bulletin but did not alert me and other owners to get this issue repaired. it is a serious safety hazard. *tr

Long hesitation in changing gears. jerking when accelerating. lack of acceleration. *tr

Tl*the contact 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that there was an excessive amount of rust and cracks on the rotors of the front left and right brakes. a local mechanic replaced the left and right front rotors. the contact confirmed the failure with an authorized dealer. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 64,000. updated 01/12/10 *bf the front rotors had separated at the hubs. updated 01/15/10.*jb

I bought a brandnew 2003 rav4 6 years ago and already have 95,000 miles on it. the transmission starts to slipped and drag a couple of days ago. it almost caused an accident on my way home because the transmission slowly shifts gear on 2nd and 3rd with a high idling. i have read some forums about the rav4 2001-2003 ecm issues. i would like to complaint that toyota would not do a recall to the faulty part that can cause death and serious accident while driving a rav4 (2001-2003) model with a defective ecm. there are over 488 complaints that i've read in one forum alone. i hope you will find a way to have toyota accountable for this ecm failure to my 2003 rav4 and hope to have them replace all the rav4 (2001-2003) ecm module free of charge. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. while driving 10 mph and making a left turn the vehicle would not accelerate when the pedal was engaged. the contact was unable to shift gears which caused a vehicle to crash into the rear end of the contacts vehicle. the dealer confirmed that they have had problems with the ecm on this year, make and model vehicle and that they will not help her with the repairs. they estimated repair cost was approximately $1227. there were no injuries. the failure has occurred and was reported to the dealer on two occasions. the failure mileage was 70000 and current mileage was 90,000.

My wife's 2003 toyota rav4 2 wheel drive transmission suddenly stopped driving in traffic while at a traffic light. it revved up but wouldn't move. then it finally took hold and drove off in a higher gear. then while driving on the road in traffic it did it again (very dangerous-she could of been hit from behind. apparently after reading up on it, toyota issued in march 06' a report to toyota service centers about their ecm causing this problem, but hasn't warned consumers, or done anything about it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. while entering a highway between 25-30 mph the transmission down-shifted and would not accelerate. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility. a mechanic was in the process of repairing the ecm. the current and failure mileages were 80,000.

I own a 2003 rav4, after 100k miles the car stalks and will not accelerate in traffic. had it checked by a mechanic and the ecm is bad. called toyota dealer about the ecm recall and they refused to cover for it since it's over the 80k miles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 30 mph the engine warning light will illuminated on the instrument control panel, and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility. the diagnostic test revealed code po755s (solenoid b fault). the mechanic could not interpret the error code. a technician from the dealer stated that the vehicle would have to be re-inspected in order to determine the cause of the failure. the current and failure mileages were 49,998.

Transmission problems on 2003 toyota rav 4. *tr

Toyota rav 4 automatic transmission suddenly failed. *tr

I own a 2003 rav 4 and recently within the last 4 days the car jerks and does not shift right between second and third and when in first going to second it has a short jerk to the shift. then the rpms rev up to 5 nearly getting me hit by a diesel on the freeway. i am aware this problem is happening for many people with this car and is a model defect toyota needs to own up to this problem and fix it. unfortunately for those who are not under warranty like myself it comes out of pocket how can you guys aka toyota feel right robbing people like this in a time like now. somebody needs to answer these complaints! *tr

My 2003 toyota rav 4 has had the transmission rebuilt twice, the computer replaced, and the solenoids replaced twice. my mechanic once thought the ignition switch was burning up the solenoids. i am at my wits end. i have had the vehicle in the shop six times between june 2009 and october 2009 for the same transmission problem. it shifts fine for about a week, and then the same thing: it becomes unreliable as to whether it will shift into 2nd or 3rd gear properly. it jerks, it slips, at other times it revs up to 4000 rpms before it goes into gear and then it lurches forward like a rocket. sometimes the rear wheels skip off the pavement. i haven't been involved in an accident yet, but it's a matter of time. i cannot merge into traffic like normal vehicles and i fear being rear-ended from a stopped position. i feel like putting a sign on the back of the vehicle explaining why i'm not moving. i just got the vehicle back from the transmission shop thursday. by friday, the transmission was already slipping again. i wanted to pull off the highway and cry. i paid $2400 to have the transmission rebuilt and fortunately, all of my return trips were covered by the transmission warranty. but i have also paid $1300 in rental vehicles for all the time the rav 4 was in the shop. i did find the toyota service bulletin, but the codes from my vehicle did not match the codes in the bulletin. toyota, please help us! we just want our cars fixed! what the heck is wrong with them? are they all lemons? my rav4 has 93,000 miles on it. i am the 2nd owner, it has a clean title, and was manufactured in japan. *tr

I am writing to let you know about my 2003 rav4 ecm/transmission problem. i brought our rav4 into our local toyota dealership two times earlier this year, complaining of a lurching issue. after my third attempt to bring it in at 68,827 miles, mind you i had the platinum warranty which covers up to 75,000 miles, on june 9, 2009. after only being gone for 20 minutes after dropping it off, i got a phone call stating that nothing was wrong, when clearly, in the tsb it states it would take atleast 30 min to detect. needless to say it was detected later that day. when the technician that fixed it, gave the car back to my wife, he told her that if this did not fix the problem then the transmission would need to be replaced. so far so good....until today, october 16. i took it in because it was having the same issues as before and slipping of the transmission. i brought it in and they finally came to that conclusion after having to take it out twice. when i left the last time, in june, they gave me the impression that anything that happens under this ecm chip would be covered under 80000 miles. i was at 79515 when i took it in. they informed me that the transmission was not covered by any warranty, including my platinum warranty that i had. i asked them if the ecm chip would have caused the damage, and atleast three assistant service managers told me that there was no relation between the chip and the transmission failure. upon further investigation, toyota stated in a nytimes article that the chip would cause transmission damage. needless to say i am expected to pay $3700 dollars for a new transmission that has failed due to the lack of attention in changing the ecm chip. yeah!!!! *tr

Toyota 2003 rav4 has a malfunctioning ecm. it has caused the car to speed up and slow down almost causing accidents 2 times while driving on the road. please take action. i have found that toyota knew about this defect in 2006 and will not fix the problem. i think that toyota should give a 100% refund to everyone who bought this car because they knew that this defect might kill people and they did nothing. so i have this car and i am afraid to let anyone drive it because they may not be able to control the speed. i hope that this can be taken care of soon because we need a car to drive that is safe. *tr

I own a rav4 toyota. last thursday my ar started having problems with the transmission, was rough shifting and stalling from in first and second. i took the vehicle in to the dealership, 45 km from home, crossing a major highway the vehicle "kangaroo jumped" over the intersection. the dealership had the vehicle for 3 hours and found nothing wrong with it so i returning home the problem started happening again. when i phoned the dealership back they said they had been calling me to say they had found information that there was a problem etc. and they had ordered the part which would take 2/3 days, then i will have to drive my vehicle back out there on a busy highway. i just wanted to add my concerns to the may you have received regarding the 2003 rav4. i feel that the rav4 should be recalled to correct the problem. on reading all the complaints on the e-mail i was surprised that the dealership were not aware of the problem and had to research it. *tr

No prior notice of any problems. all of a sudden vehicle will barely start from stopped position. i drive a 2003 toyota rav4. all indication is that the ecm is faulty causing the transmission not to shift correctly. pulling into or out of traffic with the said vehicle is extremely dangerous. *tr

I own a toyota rav 4 2003. in a matter of days, my car started slipping gears while accelerating. my car was unable to accelerate safely in 45 mph bumper to bumper traffic. i took my car into the dealer to find out that there is a faulty ecm that affects transmissions that toyota has known about. i think it is unethical practice for a car maker to know that there is a faulty design in a car that can affect something as an important and as expensive as a transmission. what would have happened if i was merging on to the highway, and it did not accelerate? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving in reverse, the vehicle began to hesitate. the contact lightly engaged the brake pedal and the vehicle continued to hesitate. the contact also applied pressure to the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated in reverse at a higher speed. the failure caused the contact to crash into a vehicle, a tree, and a pole which also caused the passenger side window to shatter. the shattered glass was lodged in the contact's nose and he was taken to the emergency room. the contact cannot confirm if the floor mats caused the failure to occur. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine if it was destroyed. the current and failure mileage were 73,000. updated 03/07/11*lj updated 11/17/11*cn

My 2003 toyota rav4 had a very harsh shift into reverse, hesitant shift or no shift into 1st. if it did shift into 1st, there was a ramp up in rpm to 4000+ and shaking to get from 2nd to 3rd. i took it to a certified mechanic who did a full diagnostic and informed me that there were no problem codes, however i should flush the tranny fluids to begin with. after a complete flush, the problems didn't go away so i did some research on rav4 transmission problems and discovered the ecm issue with my model. i had the ecm serviced and a vast majority of the issued were solved, however the faulty ecu had already done permanent damage to the transmission where it had a horrible shift from 2nd to 3rd (a horribly harsh shift into 3rd gear with rpm ramp up to 5000+ rps) requiring additional work from a certified mechanic to replace solenoids and transmission work. *tr

Toyota 2003 rav4- car started bucking when accelerating after traffic light. did not accelerate evenly into traffic. had to pull over and let cars pass. onboard computer (ecm) had failed and was not communicating with the transmission. toyota had not informed consumers of this known defect. *tr

My 2003 toyota rav4 sometimes stalls in traffic, due to what seems like the transmission slipping. the engine races for a while, then the transmission will catch and the car will surge forward. there is no pattern to when this happens. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that intermittently the transmission slipped out of gear and the engine stalled without any prior warnings. as a consequence, her risk for a vehicle crash was increased. an authorized technician advised her that there was a technical service bulletin for the transmission. since the contact was ineligible for a free remedy, the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage and current mileages were 91,000.

I have a 2003 toyota rav 4 that began shifting hard in the lower gears and the transmission was skipping. i took my vehicle to the shop that i normally use and was told that i would need to take it to the dealership since there was a bulletin out about a possible computer problem. a month before the problem, my car was serviced at my normal shop and a transmission flush was performed. i picked my car up from the shop and took it to the toyota dealership in duluth, ga the following morning for a diagnostic test. within 2 hours the dealership called me and told me that i would need a transmission flush but no computer problems were found. i was told various other recommendations that needed to be done as well, such as changing the belt, 90k service, and a few bulb replacements. i told the dealership that i had the transmission flushed a month prior and they said that the wrong fluid was probably used since i did not have it done at a dealer. i opted for only the transmission flush and bulb replacement at this time. a couple hours later, the dealership called me back and told me that i did need to have the computer replaced and possibly a new transmission. i was told that there was a bulletin out concerning the computer but i am over the warranty and the cost would be $1,286. i have done some research on the internet and found several other people that have had the same problem. had i known about the bulletin, i could have had the computer replaced while still under warranty. *tr

I have a 2003 toy rav 4 and the drivers side sun visor lost all of its elasticity and no longer stays in the up position. i was driving west on a busy highway around sun set when traffic came to an abrupt stop. my visor slammed down and i nearly hit the veh in front of me as i could not see. i have tried velcro of all kinds and glue. i have a friend with a 2003 rav 4 and the exact same thing has happened to her car. (will provide her info upon request). i tried complaining to toyota and they want to charge me 125.00 for a new visor when it is clearly defective. 2 rav 4's that i know of have faulty visors. i will keep taping it but i am afraid it is going to keep coming down at the most inappropriate times. can you please help me, as a consumer, find out if this should be recalled. thank you *tr

I became aware of your site after a reading a ny times article about rav4 transmission problems. hard shifting and lurching began in my 2003 rav 4 when it was at around 93,000 miles. when i took it in for service, my mechanic informed me that the computer code that was diagnosed indicated serious transmission problems. i researched it on the web and discovered that this was a problem for many rav owners. since it was out of warranty, i had the work done by a transmission specialist that my mechanic recommended. i paid $1100 for the new ecu and $2400 for a transmission rebuild. toyota has refused to compensate me for any of the repair work that was done. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact noticed that the vehicle skipped gears when she attempted to shift from 1 to 2 or 3 to 4. the gear slippage increased the risk of a vehicle crash. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and a technician concluded that there were no problems with the transmission. no repairs have been made. the current and failure mileages were 98800.

I have a 2003 toyota rav 4 with an automatic transmission. while driving on the highway the car slipped out of gear and hesitated and the car sputtered losing speed and nearly causing me to be rear ended by a tractor trailer. i am being told that it is a ecm module control problem that you may be aware of. i spoke to a representative at toyota and the told basically "to bad for me". i would like to file a formal complaint with your organization. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that when attempting to accelerate, the accelerator pedal resists application, which caused the vehicle to hesitate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and a technician concluded that the ecm needed to be replaced. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 142,700 and the current mileage was 142,882. updated 10/22/09 *bf

Transmission is hesitating, jerking, stalling, loss of power, and rpm's racing in lower gears of my 2003 rav4 - automatic transmission. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle would not shift into gear. after a couple of seconds, the vehicle returned to the correct gear, followed by a loud banging sound. the vehicle also jerked during this time. there were no failures or warning indicators prior to the failures. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the transmission was failing. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer confirmed that the transmission and tcm failed, and stated that the repair would cost $6,500. the manufacturer would not provide compensation because the vehicle was out of warranty. the contact was later informed that if she had the vehicle repaired at the cost of $6,500, the manufacturer would reimburse her in the amount of $2,500. the contact discovered a technical service bulletin for the failure with the transmission, which stated that a warranty was offered that would cover the emission failure of the transmission for up to 80,000 miles. the manufacturer stated that they will investigate and call the contact back. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 67,548 and current mileage was 68,270.

From a complete stop, harsh shift/jerk from park to reverse, hesitation and jerking changing gears, most times consistent during entire ride, then ok for a while after adding fluid or flushing tranny fluid. starts about 10-15 minutes into ride. started when getting off highway ramp during rush hour. came to a stop, and gears were not engaging properly on take off, lots of jerking. car shaking and felt like it was going to stall and would not switch gears without hitting gas pedal hard. car tested with 3 computers and no codes. transmission flushed 2x, pan dropped, no evidence of metal or gunk. after research found bulletins had been posted (by toyota) for these concerns several times. ecm/transmission will need to be replaced. cost will be between $3k-5k! *tr

I have a 2003 rav4 brought new at 0 miles with 92,000 miles never a problem or check engine light until may 31 09 on my way home from work the transmission did not want to engage properly. the car was taken to the dealers tech the next morning. they have always serviced this car they informed me that i needed a remanufactured 3122.24 trans and a 1145.89 ecu.i was never told that there was a problem with the ecu in this model or that a tsb had been issued. they was never a issue with the car before that one day yet these repairs are what i'm told i would have to pay for an issue that toyota as it turns out is well aware of to the point of making and upgrade for the ecu but are not recalling. this is a safety is your trans just goes in traffic. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began to drift uncontrollably toward the right. as an attempt to gain control of the vehicle, the contact depressed the brake pedal and turned the steering column. as a result, he crashed into a traffic dividing wall. upon further inspection, he noticed that the tie rod failed. a police report was filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to an authorized repair shop and the technician concluded that the tie rod fractured and caused the failure. the vehicle was completely destroyed. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure and current mileages were 40,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began to drift uncontrollably toward the right. as an attempt to gain control of the vehicle, the contact depressed the brake pedal and turned the steering column. as a result, he crashed into a traffic dividing wall. upon further inspection, he noticed that the tie rod failed. a police report was filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to an authorized repair shop and the technician concluded that the tie rod fractured and caused the failure. the vehicle was completely destroyed. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure and current mileages were 40,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact has experienced multiple failures with the vehicle ever since it was purchased. while driving at any speed, the transmission stalls and prevents the vehicle from accelerating. the computer was removed from the vehicle and sent to the manufacturer to be serviced. the vehicle is currently being repaired at the cost of $400. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 100 and current mileage was 111,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving between 20-30 mph, the vehicle began jerking, stalling, and slipping out of gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not make any repairs because the check engine light did not illuminate. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the spark plugs could be the cause of the failure. the spark plugs were changed at that time; however, the failure continued. the vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and the contact was informed that the transmission could be the cause of the failure. the filter and transmission fluid were changed, but the jerking worsened. the manufacturer stated that they never heard of a toyota vehicle having transmission issues. the vehicle was taken back to the transmission shop and they took apart and rebuilt the transmission. the failure recurred and the vehicle was towed back to the transmission shop. the contact discovered a tsb regarding the transmission (tc002-06), but the dealer never acknowledged a tsb for the transmission or ecm. the current and failure mileages were 68,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift into first or second gear, and the vehicle would jerk. the vehicle shifts from first to third gear without incident. in addition, the vehicle loses power and jerks when driving in reverse. the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the solenoid was diagnosed as the cause of the failure. the failures are identical to the ones mentioned in the service bulletin for the transmission control module. the dealer stated that the vehicle could not be repaired because it was not under warranty. the failure and current mileages were 85,000.

Around early march after several prior repairs from dec. 08-feb. 09 my toyota rav 4 starts driving really rough, won't accelerate, then lurches you forward, etc. huge safety issue. you go to accelerate and someone is behind you and you literally cannot get the car to go, then it finally shoots you forward. i immediately called the service advisor at the dealership, they thought it was a catalytic converter problem. i called to get an estimate and mad hatters had the best price. mad hatters did repair and cleared off codes and car drove fine for 48 hours. on way home from work that monday evening it drove the worst it ever has, wouldn't allow me to accelerate through an intersection, then shot me forward, the right side of the car started violently shaking. i almost got hit by another car waiting to turn after me and a woman behind me. i prayed i would make it home. called toyota took it back to mad hatters at their suggestion. mad hatters checked and indicated it was a transmission code. we called toyota to immediately tow it to the dealership. toyota called and indicate it is the emc and it needs to be replaced immediately, car is not safe to drive. $1300. i researched and there are hundreds of complaints about this problem as well as a old toyota service bulletin so they know this problem existed. two weeks later after i got the money together i was able to pick up my car. they replaced the computer module and the car seems to drive fine, although after picking it up i drove for 10 miles and now the engine light is on again. this is a huge problem and i pray it has not destroyed my transmission. thank god there were no accidents involved. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 10 mph on normal road conditions, the gear shifter failed to function properly. the warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and it was discovered that the main brain of the computerized system was the cause of the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were unavailable.

For a few months now the problem has progressively gotten worse. it is a constant issue. when in park or stopped the car idles high. when driving the car (automatic transmission) the shift of gears is not smooth, it is jumpy and jerky. also when switching to drive, reverse etc, its not a smooth transition. i feel like the transmission is not safe and could fail while im driving. my passengers often tell me i am a crazy driver as of late, because the car is jerking them around, although i haven't changed my way of driving. i have done some research online and feel that this is a common problem among 2003 toyota rav4's. *tr

Toyota rav4 2003, two weeks ago i notice a shifting problem with the car, more so from a stop and go motion. i took the car to transmission expert, he said the transmission oil filter needs changing. a day later i noticed the same problem, took the car back. they told me they could not duplicate the problem. a week later i noticed the same problem, i took it back. now they told me the toyota rav4 have a known issue with the computer, that may at this point contributed to problem with the transmission, and if i wanted to fix the problem, i need to replaced the transmission and computer, which can run to thousand of dollars, i don't have that kind of money at this time. my question is if toyota know this to be an issue why not recall the cars and fix the problem? i have gone to carcomplaint.com and read many other car owners with the same problems. those owners paid alot money up front to try to get the problem fix, unfortunately, their cars had high mileage, and out warranty. something needs to be done, i am for whatever actions needs to be taken against toyota to fix the problem. daniel *tr

Car does not proceed into drive after being at a stop. slow to turn corners - slow to move forward -nearly causing accidents. *tr

I own a 2003 toyota rav4, 138000 miles. i purchased this vehicle new in 2003. this car jerks, jumps gears, and suddenly slows which has caused me to come close to having an accident. now it won't go over 40 and it won't go in reverse. i called continental transmission and have been told they have repaired many toyota rav4's for this same problem and it is going to cost me approx $3500.00. it seems the defective ecu burns up the clutch and other parts of the transmission. also, when searching on line their are many complaints from other rav4 owners who are having the same issues so obviously it is not a random problem. this is a safety issue and one of these times someone is going to have a car accident and/or get hurt and hopefully not killed. toyota has known about this problem and has failed to do a recall. my husband has called toyota and they have refused to take any responsibility or help compensate in any way. we had believed in toyota for quality, after this i will not ever consider buying another toyota. with today's economy in such a financial disaster it is a shame they can get away with this. *tr

Toyota rav 4, 2003, failed to shift properly in lower gears leading to near rearenders. looked on a car complaint site and found numerous people with the same problem. the ecm needs to be reflashed at the service centers to prevent transmission failure. not listed as a recall but a technical problem. i am now having to have both the ecm replaced and the transmission rebuilt. 125000 miles which is better than most reported. everyone having trouble with toyota. seems to have cropped up in the 2002 models first. *tr

Sludge in toyota engine. *tr

Jerking and shifting to the wrong gear. dealer found out bad transmission . need to spend $5000. i'm surprise for toyota product. *tr

I have toyota rav 4 2003 and the transmission is damage. *tr

Instructions say a 12 yr. old or under should sit in the back seat due to the fact an airbag could kill the child. however, we are only 5 feet 2 inches which is the size of a 12 yr old. shouldn't our airbags be disconnected?? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. whenever the vehicle is at a complete stop, it lost power. if the air conditioning were to be on, the vehicle would not lose power. while driving when the vehicle changed gears there wasn't a smooth transition and the vehicle would jerk. he took the vehicle to aamco transmission and the mechanic stated that the vehicle has a worn clutch. also, the second and third gears failed. the contact was informed that the cause for the transmission failure was due to a faulty power train control module. the dealer stated that there was no recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. the dealer also stated that the vehicle would have to have less than 80,000 miles for the warranty to be in effect. the current mileage was 106,000 and failure mileage was 70,000.

I own a 2003 toyota rav 4, at 140,000 miles the check engine light came on. was told by toyota dealership, the car needed a new exhaust system. had repairs done, light came back on at 160,00 . dealer says needs need transmission. started doing more research and found this forum at www.carcomplains.com and discovered there are a lot of rav 4 owners that are having the same problem and toyota is ignoring our cry for help. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 55 mph, the transmission suddenly began to downshift and upshift on its own. the contact did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 130,000.

In october 2004, i purchased a 2002 toyota rav4 from modern toyota in winston-salem, north carolina on a six-year payment plan. i also purchased out what was left of the three-year warranty, and a one-year maintenance plan. i have continued to get oil changes and tune-ups at regular intervals. the car is at about 93,000 miles. on friday, july 18, i was driving to a doctor¿s appointment, and quite suddenly, it began shifting improperly. in the lower gears, it lurched and bucked as if it was having trouble catching. immediately, i drove to emporia motors, the local toyota service center. it was about 11 am. emporia motors was too busy to diagnose the problem by the end of the business day. the car was not drivable and they did not provide me with a loaner, so i had to do without a vehicle over the weekend. on monday, july 21at at 8:30 am, i was informed that the transaxle/transmission would need to be replaced. the part needed was estimated at $3,450.00. after running an internet search at www.carcomplaints.com, i found that there were 103 complaints about transmission problems on the 2002 rav4, most of which were focused on problems with shifting, often occurring when the vehicle¿s mileage reached the 90,000 mark. this is clearly not a random problem, the costs of those repairs to other consumers are comparable to mine, and yet, toyota has not taken any responsibility whatsoever for this problem. the vehicle is only six years old and i have not even finished paying it off, and now i¿ll have to make additional monthly payments for the transmission replacement. the high cost of this unexpected repair is a serious burden in these difficult economic times. i am extremely disappointed with the quality of this car. i live in a rural state and i need to know that my car is reliable and that its quality is backed by the manufacturer. *tr

Toyota rav-4 has serious transmission problems leading to failure of the transmission. will not shift from first gear to second in heavy traffic, at intersections etc. have come close to being hit by on coming traffic on two occasions. toyota will acknowledge this problem. *tr

I have a 2003 toyota rav 4. for several years now there has been a squeaking/crunching noise in the dashboard that no one has been able to get rid of. my mechanic has put packing behind my radio and in the vicinity and for the first day the noise is gone but it always returns. it is horrible in the winter in the midwest when everything is cold and stiff but gets a little more tolerable when its hot and humid. *tr

I have a 2003 toyota rav4- seems to be exact same problem everyone else is having--no problems until early this year 2008, transmission was skipping gear 2 to 3, took to mechanic then to transmission specialist, where the same procedure occurred. computer chip replaced, few days later, same problem occurred. transmission replaced at 89,000 miles, 3400 dollars total. otherwise, the car is great. no accident, just too much hassle, money, and several stressful, scary rides home. *tr

My 2003 toyota rav-4 with 103,000 miles on it is having severe transmission problems. the car will not shift from 1st to 2nd without lunging, clunking, and hesitating to the point where it hardly moves. just had the 90,000 mile tune up done and the dealer could not id the problem. after getting the car home it is undrivable-we did not think we would make it to the auto repair shop. they tell me it is a transmission problem-very expensive to fix. i have read that many others are having this same problem. it is dangerous and a clear manuf. defect that needs to be fixed. my car is now sitting in the shop with no hope of a solution. *tr

I have a 2003 toyota rav4, at 86600 miles it appeared my transmission was slipping, when i would pull out in front of anyone it was stall and slip while going into 1st and 2nd gear. (automatic transmission), the dealership (toyota) said it was internal in the transmission so i took it to a transmission place, they said they could not find anything wrong with it. after review the complaints on the internet it seems that this is happening with toyota's 2001 thru 2003 and it is the ecm that goes bad and if you drive your car it will tare up the transmission. i went back to toyota and showed them the bulletin put out by toyota and after some back and forth with them they installed me a new ecm, this was just 2 days ago, they are not sure if this will fix the problem or not, but i believe toyota should recall these vehicles before someone get killed, this is a real expense to the car owners. *tr

While driving my 2003 rav 4 the check oil engine light came on then engine started to make a clunking sound and stopped. the car has 86,000 miles it was towed to the shop where the mechanic says the engine is blown and it will cost about 8,000 dollars to replace. the engine would not start after this happened. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. over time, the seat belt buckle failed. the buckle does not latch when attempting to fasten the seat belt. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for repair. the vin, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 184,000.

My mother was driving back from her second home on the 60 freeway in southern california at normal highway speed and came up upon stopped traffic. she applied her brakes hard but ran into the back of one vehicle which was pushed out of the lane and then my mother continued into the back of another vehicle before coming to a stop. in neither of the 2 separate collisions did any of the airbags in her 2003 toyota rav 4 deploy. because of the accident she broke her neck between c5 and c6 in her spinal column and has been in the icu unit of the local hospital ever since. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 60 mph, the oil indicator light illuminated and the engine stalled. the vehicle would not restart and was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. the failure was due to the lack of oil in the engine, although oil had been placed in the vehicle a week before. the engine was previously replaced in july of 2006 due to the same failure. the vin, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. the failure mileage was 68,000 and current mileage was 92,000.

My toyota rav4 wd, 2003, transmission failed in a major intersection and again traveling up a hill. *jb

After sitting in garage for a few days, rav4 would not start. checked battery, but it was working. also tried to jump-start car, but this did not work. car was towed to dealer who determined that a computer failed.*ak

While driving the rav 4 on country roads, the car stalled at a stop. after multiple attempts, we were able to re-start the car and drive it home although it ran very rough. towed car to dealer who eventually determined it was caused by a intermittent ground-wire connection between computers. car had about 50,000 miles on it.*ak

The following are the events leading up to the failure of my '03 toyota rav4: - current mileage: 93k miles - after coming to a full stop at a street light i started to accelerate and noticed my car started to stall. i figured my foot may have slipped off the gas pedal and didn't think much of it. - later that week the stalling worsened and my car would then start to shutter uncontrollably. - this led me to take notice that the stalling/shuttering occurred after my car was warmed up and i had driven about 20 mins. - i brought my car to the toyota dealership where i purchased this car. - diagnostics tests were performed and i was told my transmission was the cause of the stalling/shuttering. - the technician recommended to replace the entire transmission because "toyota" recommends to do so instead of finding out what the true cause is. - they proceeded to tell me it would cost me $4,000 to replace which has led me to this point in posting this complaint. - i am not pleased with the service options i was given and was under the impression that toyota is a dependable car. i've only had this car for 3 years and am very disappointed. *jb

My wife's 2003 toyota rav4 has 85000 miles. several weeks ago it started shifting poorly and eventually would not move easily from rest. we took it to the dealer and were told that the transmission was bad. we could not believe this and took it to a local cottman transmission shop for repair. after 2 weeks and the replacement of many internal parts, mechanical and electrical, we paid $4000 for our car and drove it away. within 100 miles the same symptoms returned. we had it towed to the cottman transmission shop and were told that the engine control module was defective and they wanted another $1100 to replace it. whether cottman transmission is being honest or not remains to be seen but we feel that toyota should have some responsibility in this matter. so far toyota usa has been unhelpful or unresponsive. i discovered a tsb (tc002-06) that discusses the engine control module. the tsb states that it is part of the emission control system and that replacement will be covered by warranty up until 96 months or 80000 miles. leaves us out but others may be interested. *jb

I have a 2003 rava4. i use synthetic oil in it when i get my regular oil change. last week i was driving to the store and my check engine light and the oil light came on. i got an oil change around two months ago. i became very alarmed. i went back to my home and put more oil in the engine. i then went to the store now i am hearing a sound that sounds like the car is a bomb. i took it to the dealer. the mechanics says i have sludge. i can not understand this because i use synthetic oil. toyota dealer want me to purchase a new engine with labor it will cost me 8,000.00. i have 39,000 miles. should the dealer fix this for me because my engine is still under warranty? *jb

We have a toyota rav4 electric vehicle. car rolled away from charging station while plugged in - person in car shifted into 'neutral' by mistake. ripped out charging paddle down to the electrical wires - potential electrical hazard. could be avoided by a simple relay that will prevent people from shifting out of 'park' when car is plugged in. happens to many toyota electric vehicles - i don't know how many complaints have been filed. picture (jpeg) available if needed please do pass on this complaint to toyota. *jb

On tuesday, january 24, 2006 while driving from rhode island, the oil light came on - immediately i pulled over to the next exit to a gas station. i put one quart of oil in the engine because that is all it stated it needed. at which time the oil light went off. i continued to drive for approximately five minutes and the oil light came on - then the engine light came on. after a few minutes a clicking sound started - so immediately pulled over to the side of the road and turned the engine off. i tried to start the engine again - however it would not turn over. i immediately contacted aaa to have the car towed. the car was towed from rhode island to north cary auto. the mechanic tried started the car and immediately stated that the engine was no good. i asked him to check the car over to make sure this was the case. he stated that after checking the car - he didn't understand why the oil light came on because the car had plenty of oil. i immediately contacted ira toyota and the toyota corporate office at which time they informed me that the car needed to be brought in to a toyota dealer to take a look at it. on february 2 at approximately 3:45 p.m. i received a call from charlene to inform me that it would take $10,000 to repair the car because the engine was gone. she stated that a rod broke and went up into engine which caused it to shut down. i asked to speak to her manager, cathy kitik, who also informed me that there was "gunk" in the engine. at which time i informed her that it was sludge and it is known that toyota has had a problem with the v4 and v6 engines. she stated that it never occurred in the toyota rav 4. at which time i asked her "is it a toyota engine" and she confirmed that it was. she also confirmed that a rod broke and went into the engine which caused it to shut down. i informed her that i had receipts which showed the oil was changed appropriately. *nm

The consumer 2004 toyota rav4 burst into flames after having oil changed, destroying vehicle. *ts the consumer had several problems with the dealer's service prior to this fire. she contacted the dealer and the told the that it was not their problem. the consumer spoke to another dealer who indicated that several rav4's were catching on fir due to a faulty remote start and alarm, which the consumer had installed in her vehicle. the consumer request reimbursement for the damage. *nm

Dt: while driving 60 mph on the dry highway there were funny noises coming from front of the vehicle. left front drivers side tire blew out. consumer pulled to the side of the road. the sidewall blew out at 16,000 miles, there w 40,000 miles on the tires. there were no previous problems with these tires. consumer had to change tires. did not report to the dealer, but did report to dunlop manufacturer. dunlop said there was nothing they could do because it was a sidewall blowout and there was no warranty. dunlop, st20, grantrec 215/70/r16, dot# euyn2v94002. *jb

Had just got on the freeway a couple of miles ago, was going about 70 miles and hour and had the rear driver's side tire blowout in two locations along the sidewall. the tire is a bridgestone dueler h/t 687 (it wasn't listed as a model in the menu).

While driving at approximately 30 mph consumer's vehicle rear ended anothetr vehicle. upon impact, driver's side seat belt failed to restraint the driver, and the air bags failed to deploy. driver sustained injuries, and the vehicle was totaled. *ak

In the last week after some heavy rains in san diego, ca, i noticed that the front floor boards on both sides of my 2003 rav 4 were very wet. there wasn't any water on the ground, the seats nor were the windows or moon roof left open. when the car was going around a curve, there was a swooshing sound of running water somewhere under the dashboard (it sounded like). i purchased the vehicle in nov 2002 brand new with an extended warranty. i currently have 52,000 miles on the car. i have not had any previous problems. i called several toyota car dealerships about what it could possibly be and no one has ever seen this. i have never experienced this with any car whether old or new since 1966 nor have i heard of anyone having a problem like this. i took my car to the dealership where it was purchased and told that this was not covered by warranty. i stated this was not a normal problem of wear and tear, otherwise mechanics would be very familiar with this and be able to diagnose it without difficulty. i was told that my carpeting was totally ruined (its moldy) and all of it has to be replaced. i am asthmatic and very allergic to mold, therefore its a health hazard. since this was not caused by my negligence, nor is it a part that is expected to wear with normal use if ever, i do not feel that i should have to pay hundreds of dollars for parts and labor, even more so that the mechanics are having a difficult time finding the source. this part or parts are defective. the dealership stated that they will try to speak with the factory to get some assistance but at this point its unknown. there has been proper maintenance on the car as required and the car has not been in any accidents.*ak

When the consumer rear ended another vehicle at 25 mph the front air bag did not deploy, nor did the seat belt restrain the consumer. vehicle was towed. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak. vehicle was totaled. *ak

While driving 50 mph consumer's vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. driver sustained minor injuries, and was transported to a hospital. the vehicle was towed to dealer for inspection. *ak *nm

Owner of 2003 toyota rav4s, purchased as a new vehicle november 2003. in the past several months owner has experienced increasing medical problems ( respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurologic, etc.) and has received extensive and expensive medical testing without clear diagnosis. test have also been performed in the home which fail to suggest environmental cause within the house. owner has progressively associated issues of illness with driving this vehicle, even for short distances and short durations. although having only 17, 500 miles driven, the vehicle is basically now not useable. an independent evaluator has suggested that an odor is definitely being discharged from the heating and aari conditioning system, although they were not able to say what it might be. an authorized toyota dealer service department ran a few tests, indicated that they were unable to discern a problem, and has basically washed their hands of the problem. no specific incident date would be applicable, as the symptoms have accelerrated over time. other details to be provided as needed.*ak

While driving to san antonio on 11-26 2004 my toyota rav4 just lost power and shut off while in heavy traffic on i-37 i pulled over and it started right up.i've taken the vehicle in on three other occasions and have been told that nothing wrong could be found with the vehicle.on 11-28-04 about two blocks from my home on the return trip from san antonio it did it again once again i pulled over and it started right up. i feel that this could be very dangerous and life threatening and i don't think that the toyota company is taking this problem seriously.*ak

As my husband and i drove we smelled a strange odor we thought it was the air outside. my husband noticed there was smoke rising from the hood. he drove to the shoulder and got out of the vehicle. sparks began to appear and very quickly the entire car became engulfed. we were very luckily not to be injured. we lost a significant amount of our belongings. we were going away for the weekend to our home in pa. and were carrying clothing, luggage,etc. to store. *nm

I had my hand resting on the gear shift (automatic on the floor) and bumped it from drive into neutral. i did not push the button designed for shifting. i was stopped on a hill; when i took my foot off the brake to start, i drifted backward toward another car. *nm

Crunching noise in dash board although repaired 4 times by dealer noise is still evident. *ak

While coasting down a hill driver began to depress the brakes and there was no brake pressure. also, driver had difficulty with the vehicle down shifting at anytime. *ak

2003 toyota rav4, 5sp, 4wd. throttle body whine between 2700 and 3000 rpm. the noise is so annoying that you either need to turn the stereo up loud or wear ear plugs. toyota states there is no fix for this problem. *la *ph

While driving east at 75 mph, the right rear tire blewout, which caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. consumer made a 190' turn on the highway and stopped after hitting a guardrail. there were no serious injuries, and a ambulance came to the scene as well as the police. consumer believed that the tires were defective.*ak *ts

Toyota rav 4 drive belt pulleys were not installed correctly.*mr. while driving, the battery discharger light came on, and the vehicle lost all steering capability. it was discovered the belt tensioner and belt housing broke.*ts *jb

The vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, and the air bags failed to deploy. *jb

Consumer stated the vehicle that he purchased did not come equipped with cruise control, so the dealer offered to add it, it was soon discovered that the cruise control was faulty, when the cruise control is actuated to maintain a certain speed , in order to stay with the flow of traffic the vehicle accelerates 3-4 mph above the desired speed then drops back 3-4 mph below the desired speed, then slowly moves up to the desired speed, the second cruise control was installed and acted exactly as the first, in the end the consumer was informed that the universal cruise control was not compatible with the consumer's vehicle and if a unit became available the dealer would install the new unit.*jb

My toyota rav4 2003 had the same transmission problem that i know you have received complaints about. toyota never recalled or informed any owners of these vehicles and now what i'm reading has happened to my car. this is dangerous and toyota should be made to notify all owners. all of a sudden my car started to not accelerate and buck forward. i almost got into an accident, almost rear ended because the car was not accelerating. we took it to our mechanic and were told we needed a transmission, had the transmission replaced and then it was doing the same thing. upon further investigation the mechanic found out that it was the ecm and that was replaced and now is fine. toyota should be notifying all customers, if you were on the highway you would be killed if this started to act up!!! they should be made to be responsible for the cost everyone has encountered. if notified i would have been on the lookout for this and probably would have only had to pay for the ecm. i was without my car for over 3 weeks. this should be a safety recall. *tr