Bulletins

BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN
0080508/01/200510016636U140f transmission solenoid identification. *tt09/26/2005
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
SB-0156-10 REV 206/22/201010037585Toyota: there may be a harsh shift condition or a malfunction light on with five possible trouble codes stored. 2001-2003 rav4. *rm05/26/2011
SB-0156-10 REV 206/22/201010037585Ready05/26/2011
POL-10-0307/09/201010034508Toyota: customer support program (csp ztl) warranty enhancement for specific malfunction indicator light (mil) on diagnostic code and/or harsh shift of automatic transaxles on certain model year vehicles. *pe11/22/2010
TSB-0156-1006/22/201010034126Toyota: harsh shift and/or mil on dtc p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758 and/or p1760. some vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition and/or mil on with dtc stored. (drive type(s)-2wd, 4wd; transmission(s)10/18/2010
TC-10-03407/08/201010034070Toyota: specific malfunction indicator light on and/or harsh shift of automatic transaxle on certain rav4 vehicles. had received reports that certain vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition and/or10/15/2010
0050408/26/200410009397Proper identification of the 5 solenoids used in the u240e/u241e automatic transaxles. *tt09/29/2004
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)
0020603/03/20060020610019667Harsh shift and/or m.i.l. on dtc p0750, p0755, p0758, and/or p1760. *tt04/17/2006

Consumer Complaints

Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
11/01/2012930001
 My car started to shift gears erratically and uncontrollably. i found out that toyota has a technical service bulletin on this problem for 2001 - 2003 rav4 cars and have extended the warranty to 150,000 miles. when i contacted toyota they said my vin# is not included even though my date of manufacture and symptoms are the same. my mechanic says this is the same problem as other rav4s. toyota refuses to explain why they exclude certain vin#s and i think they simply trying to reduce their financial exposure. need your help to deal with toyota. i have always followed up with factory commended serviced, mainly through toyota. the vin# for my car is [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
11/01/201293000
 My car started to shift gears erratically and uncontrollably. i found out that toyota has a technical service bulletin on this problem for 2001 - 2003 rav4 cars and have extended the warranty to 150,000 miles. when i contacted toyota they said my vin# is not included even though my date of manufacture and symptoms are the same. my mechanic says this is the same problem as other rav4s. toyota refuses to explain why they exclude certain vin#s and i think they simply trying to reduce their financial exposure. need your help to deal with toyota. i have always followed up with factory commended serviced, mainly through toyota. the vin# for my car is jtegh20v620059809
12/06/20121400021
 This past summer the 2002 rav 4 started giving indications that something might not be right. the car had always gotten its required mileage maintenance which was also due at the time. so those things were done. however, over the last three weeks the following started: --the engine light came on, then off; --there was hesitation when accelerating/ a harsh jerk and shift when changing gears --the vehicle would sometimes slip back into neutral and stall while driving three independent toyota-certified technicians diagnosed that there is a problem with the transmission, so we took it to darcars toyota where the car was purchased. the technician there confirmed the diagnosis but said we needed to contact the warranty enhancement department. after placing me on hold for about 5 minutes, she told me that the car had exceeded the time for the warranty by about 3 months and therefore nothing could be done. is toyota willing to jeopardize the long-term customer loyalty and more importantly, the safety of their customers, just because the car chose to display its problems 3 months later? *tr
12/06/2012140002
 This past summer the 2002 rav 4 started giving indications that something might not be right. the car had always gotten its required mileage maintenance which was also due at the time. so those things were done. however, over the last three weeks the following started: --the engine light came on, then off; --there was hesitation when accelerating/ a harsh jerk and shift when changing gears --the vehicle would sometimes slip back into neutral and stall while driving three independent toyota-certified technicians diagnosed that there is a problem with the transmission, so we took it to darcars toyota where the car was purchased. the technician there confirmed the diagnosis but said we needed to contact the warranty enhancement department. after placing me on hold for about 5 minutes, she told me that the car had exceeded the time for the warranty by about 3 months and therefore nothing could be done. is toyota willing to jeopardize the long-term customer loyalty and more importantly, the safety of their customers, just because the car chose to display its problems 3 months later?
11/01/20121650001
 Out of the blue while in rush hour traffic, my car started shaking, jerking, slamming into gear, not accelerating, and at times it felt like the brake was being applied when i stepped the gas. when i first took it to the dealership a day after this happened the first time, they could not find anything because they could not duplicate the issue during a test drive. literally minutes after picking my car up and driving off the dealership lot, it started happening again in stop-and-go traffic. this time it was much worse and i was afraid as the person behind me almost rear-ended me. i took it back to the dealership and they tell me i either need a new ecm or a new transmission. but after researching this on the internet, it is a huge issue that is happening to a lot of 2002 toyota rav4 owners. and we as the owners are at the mercy of the unknown - this happens out of no where and is horribly unsafe and yet toyota takes no responsibility. *tr
10/20/201271300
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while trying to shift into reverse she encountered extreme difficulty. the contact was able to shift into drive and the vehicle was able to be driven to a private mechanic where it was determined that the transmission failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure and current mileages were 71,300. kmj
10/20/201271300
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated while trying to shift into reverse she encountered extreme difficulty. the contact was able to shift into drive. the vehicle was able to be driven to a private mechanic where it was found that the transmission had failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure and current mileages were 71,300. mh
10/24/2012125000
 I was driving my 2002 toyota rav4 down the interstate when the check engine light came on at the same time that the rpm's of the vehicle began escalating far beyond where they normally would. after testing the vehicle at different speeds, i determined that the car would not shift from fourth to fifth gear. took it to my local mechanic, who determined that there is nothing wrong with my transmission. what's wrong is that the electronic control module (ecm) that controls the transmission had failed. he contacted a local toyota dealer to see if he could source the part and discovered that it was a known failure and we needed to take the car to the dealership. we did so, where we were told because we purchased the car new in may of 2002 (ten years, five months ago) that they were refusing to repair the car's ecm as it fell outside of their 'adjusted' warranty period. i contacted toyota's corporate customer assistance, where i was told that yes, toyota knows that the part is going to fail. they extended the warranty to cover more of the cars that would be affected. however, since i purchased my car five months longer than their arbitrary ten year coverage period regardless of the fact that the mileage of the car falls far below the listed coverage that they are not going to do anything to repair my vehicle. not only that, but the dealership quoted $1400 for the ecm repair and another $4800 for the transmission - saying that the transmission had to be replaced, even though they hadn't inspected it (i asked!!) and i had already had an independent mechanic check it out and said that it was fine. i do not understand how it is okay for toyota to sell millions of people cars with known safety defects and say that they are not responsible for the repair - knowing that if the repair isn't made, that people will be killed driving these cars.
09/19/2012100600
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked abnormally while driving and would lose acceleration. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the electronic control module (ecm). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and denied any assistance with the repairs. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,600.
09/19/2012100600
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle jerked abnormally while driving and would lose acceleration. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the electronic control module (ecm). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and denied any assistance with the repairs. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 100,600. kmj
09/19/2012100600
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle jerk while driving and lose acceleration the vehicle was taken to the dealer performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the electronic control module. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and they advised that the ecm recall had expired and denied assistance with the repair. the vehicle was not repaired the failure and current mileage was 100,600. li
08/30/2012880001
 Dangerous transmission problems occurred in this car. the car would stall before going into second gear. once it occurred as i was in an intersection. there are low miles on this so there should not be a need for repair or replacement at this time. *tr
08/07/20121000001
 We had just left a parking lot in our 2002 rav 4 and as we came up to speed the transmission began to jerk and try to shift into different gears. i all of a sudden had no power and a truck coming down the road almost hit us. as i depressed the accelerator the car revved up and all of a sudden engaged and spun out. very scary and we were lucky!. *tr
07/27/20121250001
 My 2002 toyota rav4 has been sluggish since day 1, about 2004. this past weekend it was more sluggish than usual, after take-off. i drove it a few more times and after every drive, the transmission wouldn't shift easily, and when it did shift it was very hard. almost a whiplash hard. it is getting worse, and this is only the 3rd day. i called the national toyota number, because i found the extended warranty policy bulletin on-line, but i am 9 months over the 10 year limit, and even though it does not say 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, i was told that the whichever comes first is an automatic...hmm should be in writing that way. and i called my local dealership, they told me the same thing. i called the local toyota customer line, but was put through to voice mail. really 9 months...my car has 130,000 miles. i need help! *tr
07/27/2012125000
 My 2002 toyota rav4 has been sluggish since day 1, about 2004. this past weekend it was more sluggish than usual, after take-off. i drove it a few more times and after every drive, the transmission wouldn't shift easily, and when it did shift it was very hard. almost a whiplast hard. it is getting worse, and this is only the 3rd day. i called the national toyaota number, because i found the extended warranty policy bulletin on-line, but i am 9 months over the 10 year limit, and even though it does not say 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, i was told that the whichever comes first is an automatic...hmm should be in writing that way. and i called my local dealership, they told me the same thing. i called the local toyota customer line, but was put through to voice mail. really 9 months...my car has 130,000 miles. i need help
07/14/2012122000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced harsh shifting. the contact also stated that when attempting to accelerate, there would be an increase in the engine rpms but the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the ecm would need to be replaced. the contact was also informed that the transmission fluid needed to be drained and replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000.
07/14/2012122000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced harsh shifting. the contact also stated that when attempting to accelerate, there would be an increase in the engine rpms but the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the ecm would need to be replaced. the contact was also informed that the transmission fluid needed to be drained and replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000. sm.
07/14/2012122000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that her vehicle experienced harsh shifting and when attempting to accelerate the vehicle would idle high but it would not accelerate. the vehicle was was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and was informed the ecm would need to be replaced as well as the transmission fluid being drained and replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000. dt
06/06/201235000
 Tl* the contact owns 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to shift gears. the contact attempted to accelerate, but the vehicle failed to respond or shift gears. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the electronic control module was found defective. in order to repair, the electronic control module would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware; however no assistance was provided. the failure and current mileages were 35,000.
06/06/201235000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to shift gears. the contact attempted to accelerate, but the vehicle failed to respond or shift gears. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the electronic control module was found defective. in order to repair, the electronic control module would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware; however no assistance was provided. the failure and current mileages were 35,000. sm.
06/06/201235000
 Tl-the contact owns 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to shift gears. the contact attempted to accelerate vehicle, but vehicle failed to respond and shift gears. the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, were the electronic control module was found defective. in order to repair, the electronic control module would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware; however no assistance was provided. the current and failure mileage was 35,000. yn
09/11/2011
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle hard shifted independently into a different gear without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as the transmission needing to be replaced. the dealer offered to cover the cost of fifty percent of the repairs costs. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted.the failure mileage was not available and the current mileage was 118,000. kmj
09/11/2011118000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated while driving 55 mph the vehicle hard shifted to a different gear. no warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they diagnose the vehicle, and the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact stated that the dealer stated that the warrant would not cover the repair of the vehicle but they would cover half of the repairs. the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacture has not be contacted.the failure mileage was not available and the current mileage was 118,000.jp
11/30/2011148231
 Very unsafe transmision toyota 2002 rav 4 shakes doesnt go into gear.called toyota will pay only if one of three codes come up on dealer only test charged 140 rip off.dealer says transmission bad but no code.toyota will not cover .dealer and toyota act like they never heard of this until you let them know you read about it.problem shifting out of the blue.
06/13/2011155475
 I was going north on molly lane and going to turn right on us hwy 92 going east. i pulled into oncoming traffic when my car stalled and it acted like the transmission slipped. i was almost rear ended. i drove and picked up a pizza on townlake parkway and the same thing happened when i pulled out of papa johns. i knew there was a bad problem at that point. i was going to drive it home and have it towed to toyota. upon turning onto the entrance ramp it stalled again and had no power. the cars behind me were blowing their horns. at the top of the ramp it revved and then surged. i drove it home and had it towed. toyota says that the ecm is bad and needs to be replaced and then they can check the transmission. i looked on the internet and found there have been numerous problems with the 2001 - 2003 rav4's. this is a definite safety risk and toyota should be made to do a recall to fix the ecm boards.
12/17/2009101830
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the transmission has been having problems shifting. all of the gears were affected whether the vehicle was accelerating or slowing down. the dealer stated that there was no problem in december, but now the dealer is saying that the electronic control unit and the transmission need to be replaced. the failure mileage was 101830 and the current mileage was 105000.rl
06/08/201047680
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving up hill at approximately 30mph the vehicle lost power. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the manufacturer took a report 1006100118 and will not assist with the repair, because the vehicle is out of warranty. the failure and the current mileage was 47,680. li
03/02/2010870001
 I own a toyota rav4 2002.....it has been known by toyota that this model has had problems with its ecu.....which makes the car shift at the wrong revstimes, at times at traffic lights or merging into highways the car completely looses power, sometimes at traffic lights it completely stalls leaving you completely vulnerable to other cars....it sometimes to revs to over 4000 revs and then suddenly engages into gear, which results in unintended acceleration. this might cause serious problems especially in congested traffic. i took the car to the toyota dealer in acton, ma they told me i had to pay 4500 dollars to fix their own design flaw, which popestrous. there are soo many blogs that complain about this, type rav4 transmission problem on google. you are bound to find thousands of blogs complaining about this. i'd like to think that this government does indeed take care of its people looking out for them and fighting for them in battles they can not win alone. all i ask for is for toyota to be held responsible for their own flaws. they have put millions of people in serious risk, this is not something that should be overlooked, especially after discovery of their faulty acceleration pedals. this is what you get for trying to cut cost and then making the consumers pay for this mistake. its high time toyota came clean about their shady designs. everyone and i mean everyone should boycott toyota products until they once again become the trustworthy and reliable company it once was -do not buy the coffin car. *tr
01/01/20021001
 Transmission sticks from 1st to 2nd. has done it since i bought it new in 2002. took to dealer way back then they told me i had special transmission fluid and i would have to pay to get it fixed. i never had it fixed and it still sticks. takes about 1/4 mile to shift. purchased from kissimmee toyota which is now toyota of orlando(?) adding complaint for engine seize. *tr
02/15/2010522001
 Very suddenly my transmission felt like it would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear. it would free spin, then force into gear. toyota replaced ecm, apparently the problem referred to in a 2006 tsb. unknown if my transmission was damaged. *tr
01/16/2010860001
 My 2002 toyota rav4 transmission is jerking at low speeds. it seemed that the automatic transmission was not working properly. the jerks would be particularly strong when going up or downhill. after releasing the brake pedal during a complete stop, the car does not roll forward normally either. *tr
11/21/2009910001
 Car jerks; hesitates; does not go into gear properly; revs loudly but starts like it's being moved off in third gear. told it's the computer that is bad but if it does not get fixed after replacement of the computer, it could be the transmission. i am ordering a replacement computer but cannot afford to do it via the dealer because the initial cost is $1300. problem is similar to many listed on various websites - spoke to toyota 800-number: they can only take the complaint and give a reference number but nobody will contact me. no suggestion of a recall despite hundreds of complaints about cars with exact problems. i'm frustrated because there is no consideration of a discount being offered, knowing that so many cars have had this exact problem. i feel the cars should be recalled and toyota should offer a good-faith discount, even if it's not the full amount being refunded because cars are over the 80,000 mile threshold, for such safety concerns as this. *tr
10/10/20091590001
 This complaint is regarding the 2002 toyota rav4 about a year ago i noticed that the vehicle was stopping and having problems changing shifts. i researched and found a lot of people saying that it was the computer of the engine which was messing up my transmission. i went ahead and paid around $2000.00 to have the computer changed. the dealership told me that the old computer which was put at the factory had damaged my transmission. it ran well for a while but a couple of weeks back i was turning left and the vehicle unexpectedly stopped i was scared out of my mind because there were cars coming at a high speed i pushed the gas about 3 times for it to jerk into gear. a lot of other incidents like that have happened with this vehicle where the engine just wont react and place me in dangerous situation. now its even worst where it is really staining itself to at least get to 40mph i'm going to once again have to take it to a shop to get fixed or maybe trade it in all together, because it's a danger to me and my family. *tr
10/30/2009999351
 In 2004 we purchased a 2002 rav4 toyota after checking with consumer reports. the car has not turned over 100,000 miles and the transmission and the computer went out. the charge for replacing both was $3708. research shows that the computer/transmission problem for 2001 to 2003 toyotas is growing. we are retired living on social security and did not have this kind of money for this problem. there should have been a recall or some type of adjustment by toyota for the computer/transmission problems. *tr
10/01/2009598971
 Our ecm, engine control module, is faulty and has been sending our transmission the wrong signals and telling the transmission to shift at the wrong intervals. this caused our transmission to hard shift and mis-shift between 1 and 2, and 2 and 3. as a result, my wife and i almost got into a accident because our suv would not move until it finally went into gear. *tr
10/05/20091051321
 Problem with my toyota rav4's electronically controlled transmission. the computer was recalled in 2007 for reprogramming. now it has failed, and the transmission potentially along with it. toyota claims no responsibility for it, even though it was recalled and i had the reprogramming done, because i am not under warranty. scary to be driving and have the car shift automatically down to first gear and not shift back. i'm a single mother driving two small children around - seriously scary. *tr
10/01/2009840001
 All of the sudden, my transmission started acting funny. the gears shifted really hard and it started slipping. i almost had an accident because the slipping kept me in an intersection for too long. *tr it appears the problem is not uncommon: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/toyotas-reaction-to-transmission-woes-draws-customers-ire/ i called you yesterday, and was told to call toyota. indeed, they sent me to a dealer who told me that i needed to spend $1546 to replace a computer in charge of the transmission. once that was replaced, they could tell me if the transmission has other problems. a google search suggests this is a common problem that was recognized previously. please hurry with this investigation, as someone may get killed if you go too slow. these computers need to be recalled and replaced. i am respectfully asking you to do your job, and keep americans safe by recalling these cars for repair of this transmission problem. *tr
10/01/2002869371
 Toyota rav4 my transmission slips and jerks. i was just at a light, and it didn't work properly. i almost got hit. i am now scared to drive it. *tr
09/15/20091150001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with transmission/ecm problems. my issue is that there was a technical service bulletin sent out to all of toyota service departments it is as follows: technical service bulletin is: tc002-06, revised march 3, 2006: some 2001 ? 2003 model year rav4 vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition and/or m.i.l. ?on? with dtc p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758, and/or p1760 stored. improvements have been made to the engine control module (ecm) (sae term: powertrain control module/pcm) manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring. use the following procedure to repair the vehicle it goes on to say replace the ecm/ecu and possibly the transmission. my complaint is that toyota did not notify any consumer about this issue and now that many of us are just now having a problem with this and after researching it learning that we are not alone and it is happening with many of the same model car- mainly the 2002. i have contacted toyota corp. as well as the dealership where my car was purchased. i was told the cost to repair my car would be a costly $9,000.00. this is something that toyota intentionally kept from consumers to avoid costly repairs to themselves. had i been notified i would have had the ecu/ecm replace in 2006 while my car was still under warranty. there are 121 complaints to the national highway traffic safety administration. this just started with my car 3 weeks ago i was almost hit by another car because my car would not switch into gear once i reached about 20 mph and again at about 40 mph...the engine revved to about 6000 rpm's and just sat there if it were in neutral. i am very worried about the safety of driving this car. toyota needs to own up to this problem and issue a recall. i am very upset and feel i was not dealt a fair hand with this car - toyota would only repair this problem based on a customers specific complaint under 80k miles. *tr
07/01/20091040001
 Around the 1st of july my toyota rav 4 starting jerking and refused to go into second gear. the rav 4 has had all of the regular required maintenance and showed absolutely no signs of failure. the transmission and the ecm were going out. i had my 16 year old grandson in the car when this happened. i did not realized that toyota has been aware of this problem for around 3 years until i started doing some research. this is definitely a safety hazard and should have been addressed by the toyota company immediately. i am just now learning that there are several hundred toyota customers that have filed complaints concerning the same issue but of course the toyota company will not remedy the situation. if my grandson and i had been on a busy highway i do feel the outcome would have been much more devastating. *tr
01/14/2006673131
 I had a toyota rv4 2002, that was giving me transmission problems, the car star shaking in the middle of the freeway in various occasion, that really scared me, and my child, i had to paid 3462.52 dollars to have the transmission replaced, but that didn't fix the problem, and toyota replaced the ecm, another 1, 200 dollars. i'm very unhappy because later i found out, that toyota knew of this problem, but they didn't not notified the customer, i'm a single mother, and for me that was a lot of money to paid with my credit cards... *tr
07/01/20091437001
 My 2002 toyota rav4 is having a hard time shifting and sometimes it almost doesn't want to move with an a/c on... but when i turn off the a/c it runs fine... living in arizona we need as much a/c as we get... and toyota won't make any recall about this issue. hope you guys will be able to help us regarding this issue. *tr
06/26/20091000001
 Several years ago, toyota became aware of an issue with their engine control module that were used in 2001/2002 rav4 vehicles. a quick search of the internet uncovers hundreds of people now experiencing the ramifications. toyota issued a technical service bulletin to their dealerships while these cars were still young; however, failed in any way to make their loyal customers aware. the faulty engine control module generally lasts until consumers are just out of warranty, thus toyota refuses to take any responsibility at all. in my case (and as documented by many others), my bad ecm caused my car to jerk violently when trying to accelerate. it was also hazardous that often the car would not be able to pick up any speed at all and then when it did, it would once again jerk and accelerate all at once. in essence, the failure of the ecm causes the transmission to die. my rav4 finally died on june 26, 2009. the cost to replace the ecm and the transmission will be about $3700; however, many folks out on the consumer complaint websites have paid up to $5000. this safety issue is huge, as toyota knew about it long ago and with the huge cost of the repair, i'm certain that many people will drive their cars far too long with this defect. *tr
04/17/2009840001
 There exists a documented history of ecm failure in the 2002 toyota rav4 vehicles that is causing shifting problems in the transmission. this defected part needs to be recalled as needing replacement (not just reprogramming as toyota has tried to do). when i began experiencing these problems with my 2002 toyota rav4 on april 17, 2009, i was in the middle of traffic and no matter how hard i pressed on the accelerator, my car would not go. it eventually very slowly began to accelerate but every time i had to stop at a light or stop sign, it would barely go again. i was terrified that i was going to get hit every time i had to cross over a street with oncoming traffic. this is a dangerous situation...someone is going to get in a serious accident one of these days because there is no warning when this begins to happen - the car just won't go at takeoff. many of us who own the 2002 rav4 have wasted hundreds of dollars on misdiagnosis of this problem...i had the transmission fluid flushed, i had a top engine cleaning to remove buildup in the throttle, i was even told at the dealership that my car mat was getting in the way of the accelerator and that was adding to the problem. only after none of this fixed the problem did they come back and finally say that the ecm needed to be replaced or the transmission would be ruined. this repair is going to cost me $1300.00 because the warranty ran out at 80,000 miles and my vehicle is at 84,000 miles. i am going to fix this car so that i can trade it in (the dealership even suggested that i trade it- they must know how serious this is). i can't take the risk that this vehicle will be safe to drive even after the ecm is replaced because i've read that the new ecm may not communicate correctly with the old transmission. this is a devastating loss for those of us who bought our vehicles based in large part on the toyota reputation for reliability. *tr
04/10/2009950001
 My toyota rav4 2002 seems to have a transmission problem. i have noticed 2-3 times a difficulty in shifting from reverse to 1st gear. however, on the day of this incident, i was driving in traffic at about 20 mph. i tried to accelerate to keep up with traffic and my car would not- it started to shutter. i have read online that many others have this problem and it is a defect with toyota rav4s made in that year. i do not want to have to pay to have this fixed, and that was a dangerous situation to be in when i am in traffic. *tr
04/11/2009473091
 Toyota rav4 started slamming into gear. while driving i would have my foot down on accelerator and the vehicle wouldn't go into gear and when it finally did it would lurch forward while slamming in gear. i was told by my maintenance mechanic that there was a tbs on this very problem however when i took it to the dealership they told me 1st. someone already replace it (which wasn't the case then 2. it must have been caught at the factory. there are over 200 complaints regarding the very problem and toyota's irresponsible response to the problem. i have now been told that they will start with replacing the grounding wires and go from there. i have an extended warranty that expires in july 2009. this is a safety issue and i feel that toyota (based on all the complaints found) will continue to nickel and dime me with non-warranty charges and then when the real problem is addressed for the power train my vehicle will be out of warranty. i am the original owner and my vehicle only has 47,315 miles on it. the reference number for the tsb in this case is tc002-06 from 3-06/ the dealerships i spoke to were unaware of the tbs until i brought in a copy of it. the codes for this problem don't even show up. it is my understanding that nhtsa is looking for people who have had this problem to establish a need for an investigation. please consider me as one of those people. i truly feel this problem is not only a costly one but a extreme safety concern as you never know when this problem will happen. *tr
04/01/20091266051
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact noticed that the transmission would repeatedly slip out of gear without warning. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the on-board computer needed to be replaced because it was defective. they further stated that the failure was common with his year, make, and model vehicle. immediately after the repair, the failure resurfaced and the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. he took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that they would have to replace the transmission because the on-board computer mechanically failed. as a result, the transmission failed and would cost $4,000 to replace. the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure and current mileages were 126,605. updated 6/8/09 *cn updated 06/11/09.*jb
03/15/20091
 Toyota rav 4 4x4 has gear changing problems in first and second. i thought it was a solenoid then something with the transmission. did obd diagnostic check which showed solenoid but it was the computer or ecm. we replaced it with three used computers which evidently had same defect and in process of driving under these conditions the trans was ruined. you must stop driving car get brand new ecm computer of the new series because the serial number has changed three times until toyota fixed it finally. i had to repair trans, purchase a new computer all of which cost me $5,000.00. toyota never issued a public bulletin, the bulletin was only issued to car dealers while the general public was kept in the dark. *tr
12/13/2008680001
 Driving down the highway going 65 miles per hour and the engine just stopped, completely shut down. 2002 toyota rav 4. *tr
11/30/2008870001
 My 2002 rav4 transmission went bad (shifting improperly) over 100 complaints on line about same problem. there are no recall or extended warranties from toyota. *tr
10/10/2008900001
 Car had very sluggish acceleration onto highway after ecu failed and transmission is slow to get into gear. had to pull over to shoulder as the vehicle could not get up to interstate speed. *tr
09/16/2008715001
 2002 toyota rav4 transmission - transmission is not working properly in shifting. rough shifting from 2/3 gear. had to find information on federal 8year/80k mile mandated free reprogramming to try to fix this. but reading accounts this may not work and even then the transmission may be damaged already. there should be a recall regardless of miles driven as this is a constant problem on this year/model. thank goodness i was low mileage but this problem occurs regardless of mileage. this is a toyota defect in the transmission. *tr
08/24/200893000
 The 2002 toyota rav4 has a faulty ecm and has caused the transmission to go out. i almost had an accident the other day. toyota is aware of the problem but did not do a recall. here is a list of the same problem owners had: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr
08/07/2008979001
 Toyota rav4 2002, 98367 miles, taken to toyota dealer for recall on ecm reprogram, after done the recall by toyota dealer, transmission shifting very erratically. took car back to dealer and they said that transmission needs to be replaced. also it is dangerous to drive due to loss of transmission. *tr
08/02/2008650001
 I own a toyota 2002 rav4. it is experiencing major problems with the transmission. it jerks and hesitates and is extremely dangerous to drive as you never know if it is going to proceed forward or not. pulling out in an intersection is dangerous. *tr
07/18/2008460001
 2002 rav 4 automatic transmission ecm/transmission issue!!: the problems started with the check engine light turning on and off about 4 months ago. we got a recall notice from toyota to have the ecm reprogrammed and went to fulfill the recall. the light then came on again about a month later. we were told that it could be a gas cap issue, so we made sure we tightened the gas cap and that turned the light off for about a month but then it came back on again. it wasn't until recently that we had the first signs of a shifting problem. all in the same day, the transmission began to make noises and shift rough between 1st and 2nd gears (its an auto trans). .once we got the car going forward, we worked our way back home, and that was it for the car. i found the website of www.carcomplaints.com and have found several other customers with the same issue. the 2002 toyota rav4 recall for the ecm (electronic control module ----the brain---)is leading to the problem of the transmission shifting issue that the toyota dealership is not addressing. we hope that by filing the complaint, and bringing this website to you, you can bring this to corporate toyota's attention to have them fix the problem. please look into this and other customers complaints on the website referenced regarding this issue. my 2002 rav 4 was bought new and only has 46k miles in it to have such a grand problem. i believe toyota is aware of this issue but does not want to completely fix the ecm issue. (they only re-flash it when possibly the car needs a new one). please help! *tr
06/20/2008932151
 I started having issues with my car on 6-20-2008. i was driving my car & noticed that when i would accelerate it wasn't accelerating properly. then i noticed that as the car was shifting into 2nd gear it would stall & then suddenly shift really hard into 3rd gear. sometimes as i would accelerate the car would start shaking & then shift hard into 1st gear. this made me very nervous because i was unable to keep up with the flow of traffic & feared that the problem would create an accident. the problem seemed to happen intermittently, but it was happening more often than not. we looked at the transmission fluid thinking it might be something wrong with the transmission due to the way it was shifting. we checked the fluid & filled the fluid. my husband drove it a little & it didn't act up for him. so i thought the problem was fixed. well then i started driving it again & it continued to shift hard & not accelerate properly. i had my uncle look at it & he thought it sounded like the transmission was not engaging. so i finally took it to a toyota dealership to have them look at it. of course ($84 later) they couldn't get the problem to occur. i went to pick the car up the next day & they said they found a bulletin on 2001-2003 toyota rav4's that if there was a hard shifting that the ecm needed replacing. $1500 later the car is fixed. of course toyota does not cover the cost of the problem because it was only a bulletin & supposedly did not cause a safety issue & come to find out my manufacturers warranty is past & my extended warranty doesn't cover it either even though it's a major part that keeps the car running & functioning properly. i am extremely dissatisfied with the toyota service & their ways of handling problems that are not the consumers fault but toyota's manufacturing fault. *tr
06/16/20081
 Car not shifting into gear (slipping) and then banging and jerking into gear at first told by the dealer that i needed a new transmission. later after i saw the technical service bulletin and with many calls to toyota corporate they performed further test and determined that it was the ecm they are replacing it but only paying for half of the cost current mileage 89,000 they are saying it is out of warranty by 9,000 miles even though it was reprogrammed last year (april 07) at 72,000 miles i have noticed many complaints on the 2002 rav 4 and truly believe they should be forced to do a recall and pay the total amount. *tr
03/28/20081180001
 Ces light came on. trans started slipping. took to dealer. diagnosed known ecm problem. performed toyota recommended ecm update, but said trans would have to be rebuilt due to damaged already caused. had trans rebuilt. developed same slipping problem. said it would ruin trans again unless ecm was replaced. this is a toyota problem that they need to fix. *tr
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
06/01/2011104000
 My toyota 2002 rav 4 suddenly would not accelerate when more gas is given thereby being more dangerous on highway for possibly being hit by traffic behind. such a sudden change in shifting possibly transmission mal-functioning happens also while driving at a higher speed.
01/15/2011175000
 Several months ago my transmission began to slip and the check engine light came on. subsequently as i drove the car, it began to lurch and i lost control of it several times. i took the car to toyota dealer then and they could not identify the problem but suggested replacing the ecm unit as a possible fix. they suggested that perhaps the whole transmission needed to be replaced. i wanted a second opinion and took the car to a specialist. he could not find a problem either. after a search on the internet, i found that not only was this imminent problem well-documented, but toyota dealers had been made aware of it in 2006! t when i took the car back to toyota last week, they admitted that they had been informed, but could not repair the car free of charge as i have 180+k miles on it. had toyota notified me about the issue in 2006, i would have replaced the module then. now the car is completely undrivable and cannot even be sold.
04/25/2011122000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated the driver attempted to accelerate from a stop but the vehicle would not accelerate. the failure was not diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000.
01/15/2011175000
 Several months ago my transmission began to slip and the check engine light came on. subsequently as i drove the car, it began to lurch and i lost control of it several times. i took the car to toyota dealer then and they could not identify the problem but suggested replacing the ecm unit as a possible fix. they suggested that perhaps the whole transmission needed to be replaced. i wanted a second opinion and took the car to a specialist. he could not find a problem either. after a search on the internet, i found that not only was this imminent problem well-documented, but toyota dealers had been made aware of it in 2006! t when i took the car back to toyota last week, they admitted that they had been informed, but could not repair the car free of charge as i have 180+k miles on it. had toyota notified me about the issue in 2006, i would have replaced the module then. now the car is completely undrivable and cannot even be sold.
04/25/2011122000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated the driver attempted to accelerate from a stop but the vehicle would not accelerate. the failure was not diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000.
01/15/2011175000
 Several months ago my transmission began to slip and the check engine light came on. subsequently as i drove the car, it began to lurch and i lost control of it several times. i took the car to toyota dealer then and they could not identify the problem but suggested replacing the ecm unit as a possible fix. they suggested that perhaps the whole transmission needed to be replaced. i wanted a second opinion and took the car to a specialist. he could not find a problem either. after a search on the internet, i found that not only was this imminent problem well-documented, but toyota dealers had been made aware of it in 2006! t when i took the car back to toyota last week, they admitted that they had been informed, but could not repair the car free of charge as i have 180+k miles on it. had toyota notified me about the issue in 2006, i would have replaced the module then. now the car is completely undrivable and cannot even be sold.
04/25/2011122000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated the driver attempted to accelerate from a stop but the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed and was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 122,000. sm.
04/10/2011102000
 My 2002 toyota rav4 began shift erratically 2 days ago. not shifting to 2nd gear the finally jumping into gear. 102,000 miles. sounds like a common problem that toyota should own up to and make right. dealer is asking for $4000 to replace transmission.
01/12/201191620
 2002 toyota rav4. started a month ago harsh shifting from lowest gear to the next, hesitation then abrupt shifting or no shifting at all by transmission, either with or without overdrive applied. replaced oxygen sensors and ecm, okay for a week but back again. repeats the same problem from complete stop then slow accelaration, gear shifting is not timely and suddened unexpectedly creating a jerky motion.
02/18/201162500
 My toyota rav4, 2002, began shifting hard, clunking into gear, and accellerating prior to shifting on its own. i took the car to a toyota dealer who has told me that this issue is not covered for all vin numbers of rav4's sold. we shall see if he is correct as i told him that the article from the ny times sure looks like it covers all rav4's between 2001 and 2003.
01/12/201191620
 2002 toyota rav4. started a month ago harsh shifting from lowest gear to the next, hesitation then abrupt shifting or no shifting at all by transmission, either with or without overdrive applied. replaced oxygen sensors and ecm, okay for a week but back again. repeats the same problem from complete stop then slow accelaration, gear shifting is not timely and suddened unexpectedly creating a jerky motion.
02/18/201162500
 My toyota rav4, 2002, began shifting hard, clunking into gear, and accellerating prior to shifting on its own. i took the car to a toyota dealer who has told me that this issue is not covered for all vin numbers of rav4's sold. we shall see if he is correct as i told him that the article from the ny times sure looks like it covers all rav4's between 2001 and 2003.
01/12/201191620
 2002 toyota rav4. started a month ago harsh shifting from lowest gear to the next, hesitation then abrupt shifting or no shifting at all by transmission, either with or without overdrive applied. replaced oxygen sensors and ecm, okay for a week but back again. repeats the same problem from complete stop then slow accelaration, gear shifting is not timely and suddened unexpectedly creating a jerky motion.
02/18/201162500
 My toyota rav4, 2002, began shifting hard, clunking into gear, and accellerating prior to shifting on its own. i took the car to a toyota dealer who has told me that this issue is not covered for all vin numbers of rav4's sold. we shall see if he is correct as i told him that the article from the ny times sure looks like it covers all rav4's between 2001 and 2003.
01/30/2011113000
 The transmission of my 2002 toyota rav4 was damaged due to a failure of the eletronic control module. the issue was first discovered not by a check engine indicator light, but by nearing being smashed by on coming traffic when the car failed to shift as i was crossing an intersection. this is a serious safety issue. the failure in the transmission is sudden and i was extremely fortunate that it did not result in an accident. through research, i've come to learn that toyota has been aware of the issue since march 2006. i have not been informed of situation by toyota to date. i really feel a recall is in order. this is a very dangerous defect.
09/08/2010172000
 I was climbing a steep hill when my toyota rav4 just seemed to jump out of gear. i had to undertake special measures to turn around without engine power and coast down the hill. it was towed to a toyota dealer who told me the ecu had damaged the transmission. they advised me it was out of warranty and would cost $4500 to repair. i had it towed back home. i since found that many are experiencing this problem with the toyota rav4. someone needs to make toyota accountable for this obvious defect. so much for being a loyal toyota customer. help! please. its parked in my driveway.
01/08/2011129000
 During a snow storm, my vehicle's transmission started revving up to 5000 rpms without shifting into 3rd gear. i thought my tires were slipping because of the weather, but over the next 2 days as my car would heat up, it would continue. i had a repair shop look at it and they advised me to repair or replace the transmission. toyota suggested i bring it to a dealer. the dealer said that i need to have my transmission flushed and to replace the ecm/ecu - which costs $900 and there's no guarantee it'll fix my problem. i'm not receiving any assistance from toyota hq or the dealership as far as receiving a guarantee that this will fix my issue, and they won't provide information on what to do if the issue stiill persists.
09/08/2010172000
 I was climbing a steep hill when my toyota rav4 just seemed to jump out of gear. i had to undertake special measures to turn around without engine power and coast down the hill. it was towed to a toyota dealer who told me the ecu had damaged the transmission. they advised me it was out of warranty and would cost $4500 to repair. i had it towed back home. i since found that many are experiencing this problem with the toyota rav4. someone needs to make toyota accountable for this obvious defect. so much for being a loyal toyota customer. help! please. its parked in my driveway.
01/08/2011129000
 During a snow storm, my vehicle's transmission started revving up to 5000 rpms without shifting into 3rd gear. i thought my tires were slipping because of the weather, but over the next 2 days as my car would heat up, it would continue. i had a repair shop look at it and they advised me to repair or replace the transmission. toyota suggested i bring it to a dealer. the dealer said that i need to have my transmission flushed and to replace the ecm/ecu - which costs $900 and there's no guarantee it'll fix my problem. i'm not receiving any assistance from toyota hq or the dealership as far as receiving a guarantee that this will fix my issue, and they won't provide information on what to do if the issue stiill persists.
09/08/2010172000
 I was climbing a steep hill when my toyota rav4 just seemed to jump out of gear. i had to undertake special measures to turn around without engine power and coast down the hill. it was towed to a toyota dealer who told me the ecu had damaged the transmission. they advised me it was out of warranty and would cost $4500 to repair. i had it towed back home. i since found that many are experiencing this problem with the toyota rav4. someone needs to make toyota accountable for this obvious defect. so much for being a loyal toyota customer. help! please. its parked in my driveway.
01/08/2011129000
 During a snow storm, my vehicle's transmission started revving up to 5000 rpms without shifting into 3rd gear. i thought my tires were slipping because of the weather, but over the next 2 days as my car would heat up, it would continue. i had a repair shop look at it and they advised me to repair or replace the transmission. toyota suggested i bring it to a dealer. the dealer said that i need to have my transmission flushed and to replace the ecm/ecu - which costs $900 and there's no guarantee it'll fix my problem. i'm not receiving any assistance from toyota hq or the dealership as far as receiving a guarantee that this will fix my issue, and they won't provide information on what to do if the issue stiill persists.
09/08/2010172000
 I was climbing a steep hill when my toyota rav4 just seemed to jump out of gear. i had to undertake special measures to turn around without engine power and coast down the hill. it was towed to a toyota dealer who told me the ecu had damaged the transmission. they advised me it was out of warranty and would cost $4500 to repair. i had it towed back home. i since found that many are experiencing this problem with the toyota rav4. someone needs to make toyota accountable for this obvious defect. so much for being a loyal toyota customer. help! please. its parked in my driveway.
01/08/2011129000
 During a snow storm, my vehicle's transmission started revving up to 5000 rpms without shifting into 3rd gear. i thought my tires were slipping because of the weather, but over the next 2 days as my car would heat up, it would continue. i had a repair shop look at it and they advised me to repair or replace the transmission. toyota suggested i bring it to a dealer. the dealer said that i need to have my transmission flushed and to replace the ecm/ecu - which costs $900 and there's no guarantee it'll fix my problem. i'm not receiving any assistance from toyota hq or the dealership as far as receiving a guarantee that this will fix my issue, and they won't provide information on what to do if the issue stiill persists.
12/24/2010104421
 Either the ecu or the transmission is not working rigjht. the automatic transmsission can usually change between 1st and 2nd gear but it usually cannot change between 2nd and 3rd. the engine usually revs as the transmission slips. if we ease up on the accelerator or sometimes we to pump it a little, then the transmission changes gears. there have been a few occasions where the engine revs and the transmission catches on its own but this is causes the car to accelerate when we do not expect it to. this just started happening recently. we had noticed for the past few months that the transmission would change a little harder than normal, but not the car is not driveabel due to safety reason.
12/10/201054000
 2002 toyota rav4. the transmission slips from 1st to 2nd gear uncontrolably and causes a sudden surge in the vehicle that makes driving it not only dangerous but a liability to me. toyota should be concerned with this, considering their recent problems with sudden acceleration and braking. the car was bought through a toyota dealership, which makes it all the worse because of the fact that they knowingly passed this car through their inspection process and did not do a damn thing. tell toyota to fix fthis problem for the safety of millions of people on the road.
05/22/201087000
 I have a 2002 rav4 i purchased used in may 2010 for $9,000. a few days after purchasing it, the transmission started slipping. almost had numerous accidents when needing to accelerate when pulling out into a busy road and the transmission failed to get out of 2nd gear into 3rd gear. had the transmission replaced/rebuilt for $3,500, the ecm flashed for $265, 3 new oxygen sensors put in for $900. now the car is still doing what it did even after all that money spent. looking up on the web, found many owners had the same problem and almost all had to replace the ecm. i am now trying to get an appointment with a toyota dealer to get this done. very disappointed in toyota.
12/01/200560000
 2002 toyota rav4 - while driving on the freeway, my car may automatically go from 60 to 40 mpr in matter of seconds. or my car will get stuck on 60mpr & violently jerk. twice have i taken it in for an ecm recall. my engine light has been on ever since 60,000 miles and now it's at 150,000. the extended warranty has been issued but my car is over the limit (154,000 miles). this extended warranty should have been issued years ago now it's too late. my car has had problems ever since my check engine light has turned on at 60k
02/11/200793000
 Ecm?transmission failure on my 2002 rav 4. i ended up cleaning out my savings over this car. after recent bulletin from toyota, i submitted necessary paper work for some reimbursement. i was told that i was not eligible because the car was made in puerto rico, not us!!!!!! i bought it used from a toyota dealer in va. why did toyota send me the notice?????
09/13/2010160000
 Our 2002 toyota rav-4 has about 120,000 miles on it. the transmission has begun to act up beginning about 2 weeks ago. it has gone from bad to worse, and in investigating solutions to the problem, we have been stunned to read about the many hundreds of complaints that toyota has received re: 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s, which were thought to be transmission issues exclusively, and turned out to be faulty ecms. this happens every time that we drive this car, and we now refuse to drive it on the highway because of our difficulty in getting it to accelerate without the rpms being so high that we know it's damaging the transmission/engine.
02/11/200793000
 Ecm?transmission failure on my 2002 rav 4. i ended up cleaning out my savings over this car. after recent bulletin from toyota, i submitted necessary paper work for some reimbursement. i was told that i was not eligible because the car was made in puerto rico, not us!!!!!! i bought it used from a toyota dealer in va. why did toyota send me the notice?????
09/13/2010160000
 Our 2002 toyota rav-4 has about 120,000 miles on it. the transmission has begun to act up beginning about 2 weeks ago. it has gone from bad to worse, and in investigating solutions to the problem, we have been stunned to read about the many hundreds of complaints that toyota has received re: 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s, which were thought to be transmission issues exclusively, and turned out to be faulty ecms. this happens every time that we drive this car, and we now refuse to drive it on the highway because of our difficulty in getting it to accelerate without the rpms being so high that we know it's damaging the transmission/engine.
02/11/200793000
 Ecm?transmission failure on my 2002 rav 4. i ended up cleaning out my savings over this car. after recent bulletin from toyota, i submitted necessary paper work for some reimbursement. i was told that i was not eligible because the car was made in puerto rico, not us!!!!!! i bought it used from a toyota dealer in va. why did toyota send me the notice?????
09/13/2010160000
 Our 2002 toyota rav-4 has about 120,000 miles on it. the transmission has begun to act up beginning about 2 weeks ago. it has gone from bad to worse, and in investigating solutions to the problem, we have been stunned to read about the many hundreds of complaints that toyota has received re: 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s, which were thought to be transmission issues exclusively, and turned out to be faulty ecms. this happens every time that we drive this car, and we now refuse to drive it on the highway because of our difficulty in getting it to accelerate without the rpms being so high that we know it's damaging the transmission/engine.
05/08/2009110029
 For a long time the check engine light kept turning on in my 2002 rav4. i went to a dealer immediately. he said that this only happened because i didn't screw the gas cap tightly enough. he manually turned off the light and i went on my way. the light kept coming on and i kept going back to the dealership who said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. then suddenly, in may of 2009, the car started jerking and shaking while i drove. at times it would stall almost to a stop and nothing i did, even applying the gas did much more than rev the engine. i ended up having to fork over more than $3k to get it fixed, but that wasn't the end of it. my check engine light light up again. i took it to a different shop, as i had moved across the country at the time. they ended up having to replace my 02 sensors, all 4 of them. that cost me another $500. i only found out later from a friend that toyota had sent out a recall on the ecu and transmissions for vehicles with less than 80k miles on it. mine was already over 100k and did not help me one bit. needless to say, i no longer have any confidence in this company. my family bought toyotas for years. i recently got a note explaining that they would pay for my repairs... now i'm scrambling to find the receipts and hope they will honor their promise. they cannot undo the potential danger their mistakes could have cost me and my passengers. there is not one note of apology in the recall either. i felt the need to file a complaint despite the recall because toyota should be made to fully reimburse their customers who have had to go through not only the headache of dealing with the mechanical problems, but also because of the other people and families this negligence may have physically hurt, or god forbid, killed. the fear and danger of driving this road hazard is also motivation enough to make sure as many complaints are heard and addressed.
08/16/201091781
 2002 rav4 automatic transmission hard shift into reverse and mis shift between gears.
07/12/2010129040
 I have been a loyal toyota owner with a 1995 camry and a 2002 toyota rav 4. i noticed the terrible jerking that started while driving the rav4 on my way to work. i could not even attempt to speed up when necessary and once i did, the car jerked so much, i had to pull over and eventually get the car towed to the mechanic. they stated that the transmission was the problem so we paid to replace it and resolve that issue. not even a week later, i had the same exact problems going home from work. i brought it back to the mechanic and now it's the ecm that needs to be replaced. i cannot afford to get it replaced since i just paid for the new transmission. the mechanic attempted to reset the ecm but that did not help at all. now we are down to the 95 camry and crossing our fingers that we don't have issues with our old reliable.
08/14/201074000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, approaching a stop sign. while accelerating from the complete stop the transmission failed to shift into the first gear. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated there was technical service bulletin, number 00504 related to the transmission failure. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 74,000. js
08/16/201091781
 2002 rav4 automatic transmission hard shift into reverse and mis shift between gears.
07/12/2010129040
 I have been a loyal toyota owner with a 1995 camry and a 2002 toyota rav 4. i noticed the terrible jerking that started while driving the rav4 on my way to work. i could not even attempt to speed up when necessary and once i did, the car jerked so much, i had to pull over and eventually get the car towed to the mechanic. they stated that the transmission was the problem so we paid to replace it and resolve that issue. not even a week later, i had the same exact problems going home from work. i brought it back to the mechanic and now it's the ecm that needs to be replaced. i cannot afford to get it replaced since i just paid for the new transmission. the mechanic attempted to reset the ecm but that did not help at all. now we are down to the 95 camry and crossing our fingers that we don't have issues with our old reliable.
08/14/201074000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, approaching a stop sign. while accelerating from the complete stop the transmission failed to shift into the first gear. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated there was technical service bulletin, number 00504 related to the transmission failure. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 74,000. js
08/16/201091781
 2002 rav4 automatic transmission hard shift into reverse and mis shift between gears.
07/12/2010129040
 I have been a loyal toyota owner with a 1995 camry and a 2002 toyota rav 4. i noticed the terrible jerking that started while driving the rav4 on my way to work. i could not even attempt to speed up when necessary and once i did, the car jerked so much, i had to pull over and eventually get the car towed to the mechanic. they stated that the transmission was the problem so we paid to replace it and resolve that issue. not even a week later, i had the same exact problems going home from work. i brought it back to the mechanic and now it's the ecm that needs to be replaced. i cannot afford to get it replaced since i just paid for the new transmission. the mechanic attempted to reset the ecm but that did not help at all. now we are down to the 95 camry and crossing our fingers that we don't have issues with our old reliable.
08/14/201074000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, approaching a stop sign. while accelerating from the complete stop the transmission failed to shift into the first gear. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated there was technical service bulletin, number 00504 related to the transmission failure. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 74,000. js
08/16/201091781
 2002 rav4 automatic transmission hard shift into reverse and mis shift between gears.
07/12/2010129040
 I have been a loyal toyota owner with a 1995 camry and a 2002 toyota rav 4. i noticed the terrible jerking that started while driving the rav4 on my way to work. i could not even attempt to speed up when necessary and once i did, the car jerked so much, i had to pull over and eventually get the car towed to the mechanic. they stated that the transmission was the problem so we paid to replace it and resolve that issue. not even a week later, i had the same exact problems going home from work. i brought it back to the mechanic and now it's the ecm that needs to be replaced. i cannot afford to get it replaced since i just paid for the new transmission. the mechanic attempted to reset the ecm but that did not help at all. now we are down to the 95 camry and crossing our fingers that we don't have issues with our old reliable.
08/14/201074000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, approaching a stop sign. while accelerating from the complete stop the transmission failed to shift into the first gear. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact stated there was technical service bulletin, number 00504 related to the transmission failure. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was approximately 74,000. js
06/29/201073000
 2002 toyota rav 4 having issues with the ecm in the transmission. my mechanic and sanport auto broken arrow, ok found the bulletin and advised me my car was within the 96 months 80, 000 miles. she even called the toyota dealership i purchased my car from and advised them of the issue. she spoke with kyle at jim norton toyota he said he was not aware of the bulletin so my mechanic made a copy and put it on my seat to have the car towed to the dealership. kyle said they would have their mechanics look at it and let me know. if someone could call jim norton toyota and lean and bit on them that would be great. he acted like he was not sure that was the issue but there is documentation all over the internet about the problem so i am not sure how they could not know about the issue. my mechanic at sanport auto said if i need any help to let her know. she said it is definitely the issue and they shoud fix it. thank goodness for good honest mechanics like sanport auto in broken arrow, ok. they did the right thing and will always get my business. let's hope jim norton does the right thing.
06/25/2010124000
 Toyota rav4 2002- 50mph on a road when an emergency vehicle had to go around me- after the vehicle passed, i attempted to accelerate and was unable to get into 3rd gear- cars were accelerating past me causing an immediate danger along with the car jerking and pulling- toyota issued a service bull. for this but will not replace faulty ecm- and now there is possible transmission damage- very dangerous as i would not be able to accelerate- this is a intermittant issue- multiple complaints on the internet- no recall as of yet-
06/26/2010118817
 2002 toyota rav4 transmission failure. this vehicle has been maintained excellently with all recommended services performed at toyota dealers or authorized facilities. in 2009, toyota sent a recall notice about a faulty ecm (electronic control module) and the vehicle was taken in and the ecm was reprogrammed. after this service, the car started shifting erratically and as of june 26, 2010, the transmission suddenly failed with 118,000 miles on the car. toyota knows that the ecm causes the transmission failure and is refusing to make this right. toyota needs to be held accountable and responsible for this lack of integrity and for putting consumers at risk of death or injury, due to transmission failures in 2002 rav4's, camry's and corollas. google this information to see that this is becoming more common with this model of car, now that they are reaching 100,000 miles.
12/10/200875000
 I was coming home and waiting for my garage door to open when my 2002 toyota rav4 suddenly accelerated (even though i quickly put my foot on the brake) and crashed through the bottom half of the garage door side-swiping another vehicle in the garage. i took the vehicle to a body shop to get fixed and also took it to a service shop, and neither place could find anything wrong with the car. since then, i have noticed on a few rare occasions that, upon shifting the car into reverse, there is a sudden jerking action. i am beginning to think that this all my be related to the ecm transmission module that i've been reading about lately.
06/13/201091500
 I have a 2002 toyota rav 4,started driving eractic,while foot on gas pedal,car would slow down,then speed up with banging sound.local toyota dealership says computer bad replacing it,which inclued a tow is$ 1,440.00 .car is 8 years old wth 91,000 miles.
05/17/201060450
 Tl- the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the transmission hesitates when trying to accelerate. the contact was traveling 40 mph and trying to merge onto the highway and when the contact tried to accelerate the vehicle hesitated and then started to slow down. a mechanic stated that he thought it was the transmission and once the toyota dealership tested the vehicle they stated it was the transmission as well. the mileage failure and current mileage was 60450.rl
05/30/2010112000
 The main computer in the transmission on my 2002 toyota rav4 malfunctioned causing my vehicle to begin shifting on its own while driving. the mechanic informed me that it was attempting to shift into reverse while driving. the first incident happened the last weekend in may, 2010. i have not been able to drive the car for 3 weeks now, it is currently waiting repair. total cost thus far $1,586.00 to replace the computer so that the computer can tell them what other damage has been done to the transmission. we have not been able to locate a functional used computer for repair.
06/05/2010115100
 +i have a 2002 rav4 which it almost had my family life taken. last weekend we were getting in the highway and the car didn't speed up a rollback manuever his way out luckily the driver acted quick at scene. my vehicle trasmission fail to proceed, it would'n speed up. we were like baits for the oncoming traffic not knowing if to get out of car or get hit. we were terrified so we all scream. later the transmission rep up. we pulled over to the side to relax. now i'm trying to figure out what happen, what went wrong? but now i now i know is the freaking car. my question is why toyota did not gave us a warning about the defects of the vehicle. i hope for others families not to go through this terrifying experience. please informs to others to take action with this vehicle or it may be to late. i do not know where to go or what to do now with this vehicle. i'm not driving it and putting my family at risk again!!!. be careful driving this vehicle. but please le me know what to do next. should i junked the car or go to the dealer and deal with them. i'm not going to give away to toher . that will be like given them a ticket to the cementery.
06/11/20100
 2002 toyota rav 4 electronic control unit has a maunfacturer's defect that cause the car's automatiic transmission to disintegrate with little or no warning
06/07/2010112000
 Toyota rav4 (2002) jerked uncontrollably into traffic while preparing to make a left turn onto a busy boulevard. cars screeched to a halt. could have been fatal. rav4 has faulty computer (ecm) that toyota did not recall and holds consumers responsible for replacing (appx$1400). faulty computer often destroys transmission also. i am facing $5500 in repairs and toyota has admitted that the car has a problem. this is totally unfair and people will lose their lives. i am lucky i didn't.
05/25/201061000
 On may 25th, my wife was merging into traffic on a local bypass (speed limit 55 mph). as she began to merge, our 2002 toyota rav4 hesitated and wouldn't shift into second gear. my wife had to swerve off the road to avoid being rear ended by traffic. i brought my car to the repair shop the next day and they flushed the transmission and added new fluid. they tested the car and it was ok so i picked it up and brought it home. by the next day the car was hesitating again so i brought it back to the shop and they took the car to the local toyota dealership to have them check the problem. i then received a call from my repair person stating that i needed a new transmission. the car is only 8 years old with 61,000 miles on it but all warrantees have expired. i then find out that toyota has known about the problem with 2002 rav4 transmissions but have never contacted the buyers or had a recall due to expense. now i'm stuck with a car that doesn't work or a repait bill for $5,000 plus. i bought a toyota because i thought that it was dependable. the dealership said that nothing can be done to repair it without cost to me since i have no more warrantee coverage. i'm now looking for a new car since i'm not putting $5,000 into an 8 year old one. do i have any legal alternatives since toyota knew about the problem but said nothing?
06/03/201099000
 Check engine light came on and transmission started to shift hard,going into reverse from park with a huge clunk.also slipping at times.when making a left/right turn from a road to another, car would sluggishly move-very dangerous. took it to a dealer and was told a new computer was needed to verify if the problem was ecu related or the tranny..i asked why a new computer wasn't available to test whether it was the computer or tranny.we don't stock computers. i was quoted $1200.00 for new ecu to see if it fixed the problem.if that didn't work then a new tranny for 4000.00 to 5000.00 would be required.this is a 2002 2wd with 99k miles worth about $5000.00(in great shape otherwise). also learned that the ecu tends to throw codes unrelated to the tranny issue.when i brought my rav4 in i told them about my issues with the tranny and that there was a tsb to install new software to try to fix the issue.i was then told no, you need to try a new ecu for $1200.00. why not throw a new ecu in to see if it fixes the problem? why don't they acknowledge a defect instead of easter egging at my expense? charge me $1200.00 for an ecu(or any part) that may or may not solve the issue is criminal and to hear that the ecu problem eats the tranny is also criminal quick to take your cash but to deny a very common part defect (ecu) that ultimately destroys another expensive needed component.this is a safety issue.i have made left/right turns and the transmission decides to buck/hesitate as oncoming traffic is expecting my vehicle to move appropriately.
03/26/200960000
 Toyota rav4 automatic transmission went crazy and car started lunging forward and then not going when it should. it caused a minor accident some time ago, but is very dangerous and unsafe and we have not felt safe enough to even keep the car on the road. if people are not as fortunate as us to have another vehicle or can not afford to get this problem fixed, it could very well cause a fatal accident. we are suprised that the transmission problems was not included in the recall buisness with them. ours only had 60000 miles when it happened to us and from what i read on the internet there is major cause for concern.
05/24/2010101620
 I have a 2002 toyota rav-4. i have taken proper car of the car, like oil changes, tune-ups, the whole nine yards. except recently the transmission in the car has failed. it just recently started happening and i don't understand how this issue has come about. i am almost at 102k miles on my car. i was almost hit by another suv due to the transmission failing. i have recently found articles by usa today and cbs5 stating how owners of toyota rav-4's 2001-2003 models have had transmission failures.
05/19/200288000
 Toyota rav4 2002 transmission failiure at 88,000 miles with a perfect maintenance. since two days ago a problem with the transmission began. i search in the internet and toyota knew the problem since 2006 without telling the owners, now to fix the transmission could cost around 5,000 and its supose to be the computer.
04/25/2010119000
 Automatic transmission on a 2002 toyota rav4 suv began slipping and shifting hard. took it to trusted garage and they determined that transmission had failed and was unsafe to drive. it had to be replaced. in researching the vehicle and the model's service history for recalls and service bulletins they determined that the transmission involved was only used for 16 months by toyota before it was replaced because of poor performance and safety issues. the ecm (engine control module) was found to be faulty and was causing the transmission failures. (toyota tsb tc002-06). toyota deemed not to alert vehicle owners of this condition or to offer any preventive action to be pursued to prevent the ultimate transmission failure resulting in replacement. warranty on replacement transmission not valid if the ecm unit is not also replaced. total cost = $5000. original warranty was extended to 96 months or 80000 miles. my vehicle has 119000 miles in 90 months of use. toyota dealer service department stated the vehicle parts were out of warranty.
04/19/200289900
 Starting the end of april 2010 my 2002 toyota rav4 starting giving me problems with shifting gears and when i pressed the accelerator it didn't want to move and really sluggish and would jerk. i was afraid that someone would rear end me. i kept up all my maintenance on the vehicle. i had a transmission service done march 2008. the dealer said i needed a new transmission. my car has 90,000 miles. i had another transmission service done, but it just got worse. i took it to another repair shop and they said there was a computer defect and the transmission needed to be replaced. my car is in the shop for repairs.
05/03/201091000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while entering a busy highway at speeds of less than 5 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle would not shift gears and within moments, the failure seemed to correct itself but became progressively worse as he continued to drive. the manufacturer advised the contact that there was a technical service bulletin that addressed the failure and would not provide any further assistance (nhtsa item number 10019667). the dealer had not yet been contacted nor had the vehicle been repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 91,000.
04/30/2010110000
 2002 t0yota rav 4 transmission slips and jerks at odd times. especially though, when trying to merge or pass in traffick.
01/03/2010147000
 2002 toyota rav4, while putting in drive the car stalls for a second then jerks into gear...i had ecm work done for 1300.00 dollars and the car still jerks into gear and sometimes there is no power...i am worried that my wife will be in traffice and the car will lose power causing a accident.
04/05/2010128000
 Have a 2002 toyota rav4 i was driving near home - began to accelerate on area highway and experienced a jolt or hard shift while the car was accelerating between approx. 25-30 mph. caused car to decelerate rapidly. consider myself blessed children were not in the car and no one was immediately behind me as would most likely have been been involved in a rear end crash. check engine light came on - immediately contacted mechanic who advised to take to toyota dealership due to a faulty ecm computer that controls the transmission. currently still sitting there waiting for response from toyota on how they will remedy.
04/21/20101092351
 While trying to merge on an interstate, the rav4 would not shift gears and would hang for a moment. emergency maneuvers had to be made to avoid getting rammed by a semi-truck. after pulling over and checking the car, although there was now a cel, it did not seem like anything was wrong until i shifted from park to drive. the transmission made a clunking noise. driving home, the car would not shift properly. without a properly shifting car, i had to get the vehicle towed to a shop. that is when my mechanic pulled up tsb number: tc002-06 from toyota which states the exact problem that i have. i have never received this tsb or any other notices from toyota about this problem. even though my 2002 rav4 is under the age limit for the warranty, i am over the mileage limit which means that toyota has denied my claim. it currently sits unfixed until i can come up with the money to get it repaired according to the tsb. *tr
04/18/2010900000
 When pulling into traffic transmission slipped and car stoped in middle of intersection.
04/18/201070000
 2002 toyota rav4 jerking and lunging into gear from a stop. car drops into neutral causing a sudden slow down and dangerous condition for cars behind me who have to stop suddenly for me. 70,000 miles, took into dealership this a.m. and was told they would try re-programming the computer and then if that did not work they would replase the computer for $1,100 and if that did not work they would replace the transmission for $3,000-$4,000. left dealership after re-programming the computewr and immediatly car started lunging into gear, shifting into neutral, thumping into gear and the engine light came back on.
03/24/201080000
 My car had a check engine light on, then it started jerking and was very hard to move after stops and in low speeds. had it diagnosed and was told to change two oxygen sensors. two oxygen sensors were changed but the jerking did not stop. i paid $853.00 for this service. the check engine light came back on after driving the car for only about 5 miles. took the car back to the shop and was told that two additional sensors needed to be changed. i paid additional $600 (discounted) for this repair and was told that the ecm on the car is bad and that it needs to be replaced because the vehicle was not shifting correctly in low gear. after i had spent over $1400 to fix the oxygen sensors, i was told to spend additional $5,000 to $6,000 to fix the ecm and the transmission. i called toyota and was told that the vehicle is out of warranty for both the transmission and the ecm. toyota knew about this problem but they did not recall the cars that are affected: 2001-2003 rav4. we don't want to wait till someone gets killed or hurt before we take action.
03/20/2010118000
 I had the same issue that was supposed to be fixed by toyota in 2007. it concerns technical service bulletin (tc002-06). after driving the car for thirty minutes, the car would then start to shift harshly/delayed shift causing a loss of acceleration. i had this service done in 2007 and then last month had to have the ecm replaced because of the same issue.
06/14/200997666
 While driving my 2002 toyota rav 4 with 97,000 miles, i experienced a sudden problem when shifting into 2nd gear. the car would stick and then suddenly accelerate as if the gear finally caught. after taking it to the mechanic i found out i not only needed to replace my transmission but also the ecm. this was a costly repair of over $3300 for a car that should have gone well over that mileage prior to needing a transmission change. also it took 2 emcs before we found one that could work. the car worked fine and then suddenly had this problem.
08/01/20082
 2002 toyota rav4 with unintended acceleration. *kb the consumer stated his daughter was driving the vehicle, and had difficulty stopping the vehicle, because the accelerator became stuck. the incident only occurred once to date. in august 2008 the vehicle was serviced for a harsh shifting within the transmission. a rebuilt transmission was installed. the consumer continued to experience problems with the transmission. *jb the consumer stated he was given a copy of a tsb that had been issued regarding the transmission which stated if the harsh shifting persists after the ecm replacement, the automatic transaxle assembly may also require replacement. updated 04/29/10. *jb the consumer stated the computer in the vehicle was defective and eventually replaced. however the consumer believed the new computer is also defective in light of the recent toyota recalls. updated 05/04/10. *jb
03/01/2010120000
 Rav 4 2002 owner. i started having trouble with shifting on my automatic transmission rav 4. when starting out to drive, it does not shift smoothly. it feels like the emergency break is on (it isn't) then it jumps or surges forward. finally, after a week or two of this the check engine light came on and the car will l not shift thru all the gears. i went online and found that thousands of other owners of rav 4's (2001 thru 2003, but apparently especially 2002) have described my exact experience. the part required costs $1,000 ( and this does not include labor!). then, once it is put in, you get to learn if your gear box has been destroyed! if so, another $5,000 to $7,000 repair! and toyota knew!!!!! this is outrageous!
04/02/2010103497
 I own a 2002 toyota rav4 which was bought new. it has 103k miles. in the first week of april, 2010, as i pulled out of my driveway to visit a friend, i noticed an abrupt occurence of transmission slippage from 1st -2nd gears. there was a feeling of downshifting that evened off at 3rd gear. this happened every time the car was accelerated after a stop, going up a hill. there was a clunk sound when the care was put in reverse. i did not know what was happening since this came about overnight. no warning lights have ever come on, even now. my boyfriend said it sounded like the transmission. i took the car to toyota dealership for diagnostics and was told that the transmission was failing and needed to be replaced for $5100. i am unemployed and there was no way i could come up with that amount of money. i am afraid to drive more than a few blocks, to my boyfriend's, as the car continues to have slippage. i can not accelerate fast enough after a stop, and other cars come bounding down on me, honking and switching lanes at the last minute. i took the car home, researched the internet, and found out about the numbers of complaints people have on this issue. then i find out about tc002-06, in which consumers were not made privy to. this is deliberate consumer fraud, costing trusting consumers to pay for defects the manufacturer was aware of, but refusing to acknowledge or correct their defect. this seems to me, just as illegal as insider trading, knowing something, making a profit, and not telling how they know.
03/09/200952000
 2002 toyota rav 4 transmission problems. purchased the vehicle used with 20,000 miles on it in sept. 2006. noticed sometimes a slippage but it did not occur regularly so i ignored it. went to get inspection the following year and the check engine light was on and was told there was a recall on the vehicle and i took it to toyota and they fixed the ecm or something to that effect because it was still under warranty. now the vehicle has been inoperable since march 2009 because i need a new transmission. i am still paying $380 a month plus insurance on this vehicle that i cannot drive and i see where hundreds of others have reported the very same complaint with the transmission in their 2002 toyota rav 4. why is toyota not liable for this defect? i need my vehicle fixed and i cannot afford to continue paying $500 a month for a car i cannot drive and definitely cannot have repaired at a cost of $5000!!! please help!
03/16/2010101000
 Having issues with toyota rav 4 gear shifting transmission issue vehicle diagnostics report indicates p0750 failure toyota release a tsb in march 06 and yet my dealer did nothing to replace the ecm even in my service done in 2008 i am now at 101k miles
03/29/201067000
 My 2002 toyota rav4 began suddenly jerking when i slowed down then would lag when i tried to accelerate. it had less than 67,000 miles on it. the local toyota dealer told me i would need to have the transmission replaced at the cost of $4800. i called toyota national customer service and asked for an extention of the warranty, having been told by the dealer that this problem was not covered by my warranty any longer. i got absolutely no help. i am astounded that at 67,000 miles this was not covered. i had to get rid of the car when i didn't want to and am asking for restitution.
09/15/2009145000
 In 2006 my transmission just disintergrated with 103000 miles, had it rebuilt the transmission shop said that the computer was not doing it's job than come to find out that toyota had a tsb on it and never notified anyone. now about in march of 2009 at about 145000 miles 2nd to 3rd gear started to slip again. now so this is my second time i'm having this problem it seems i can't get more than 100,000. sad these should last longer, at this rate $3500.00 each four years, someone is making $$$$$. thanks
03/18/2009770001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with only 77,000 miles. it was monday last week (march 15) when i noticed my car kind of lost it's accelerating power when i cruised up the coronado bridge (san diego, ca) but it was wednesday that same week when i experienced this slipping/ jerking/ harsh shifting movement of the transmission while accelerating even on a regular highway. i thought at first it was the engine but to find out that it was the transmission. i took the car to toyota that friday morning which they told me that they have to replace the computer and maybe the transmission but few days later i was told that the transmission was still good. (don't know how true that is and how thorough they've conducted their inspection). with this incident at 77,000 miles, toyota should extend the warranty coverage of their computer and transmissions given the fact that they had a tsb released march 2006 which i just found out researching for my car's possible defect. now i'm worried that since my transmission was already subjected to this harsh problem, it'll no longer last... and with just 6k miles warranty for the new computer, i'm not financially ready to buy another transmission or yet, another car. i've read so many complaints regarding computer problems with 01-03 rav4 (www.carcomplaints.com) that i am hoping nhtsa can come up with something demanding toyota to extend its warranty coverage for this specific problem. thank you. *tr
03/25/201085000
 My 2002 toyota rav4 had tc002-06 performed on it in january 2007. the recall was to address issues with the ecm and transmission shifting issues. my vehicle is out of warranty and has 85,000. i contacted toyota and they informed me that a logic update was performed to resolve this issue. from what i have read online, the ecm should have been replaced and not updated. i also found that the ecm carries an 80,000 mile warranty. the problem i am having is now the transmission has failed and i was informed that the problem was due to the ecm not being replaced. all major service work on this vehicle has been performed at a toyota dealership. the independent service agent has informed me that the transmission needs to be rebuilt and the ecm replaced at a total cost of over $4200. i contacted a toyota dealership and a rough estiamte for this repair is $5000-$6000. when i contacted toyota and asked about this tsb, they informed me that it is simply a manual addendum and nothing else. they refuse to help with this issue at all. it is serious because the vehicle begin to fail and would not accerlerate when i was trying to drive onto a major road from being stopped at a red light. i have researched this issue on the internet and i have found that many people have had this same issue around the same mileage with this model year vehicle. please help!
02/10/2010103000
 We have a 2002 toyota rav4 . the transmission started acting up due to the ecm valve not allowing gears to change . silpping gears & no power at take off from stops. it has 103000 miles on it.we bought this car used at a toyota dealership in 2004. we have not repaired it yet. it is to costly and the car isn't paid off yet. something needs to be done. car has been parked we are afraid to let our daughter drive it.
02/24/2010
 I have a 2002 rav 4 with 139k miles on it. lately my car has been having trouble shifting from first gear to second gear. i noticed it within the last two weeks of february. but there would be days when it would act normal and it was fine and some days it had its problems. within this past week it has become worse. now when my car comes to a complete stop and tries to shift it would hesitate, jerk, shift again and become almost idol and then go. this would make me not want to stop at all when driving because i don't know if it will just die on me. i would get really afraid if i would get rear ended for my car having trouble shifting. the problem is the transmission and the ecm. in order to fix the problem i have to get the transmission fixed which costs over $1,000 dollars. i did some research and noticed i am not the only one with this problem. i think that toyota should recall all 2002 rav 4 because of its faulty transmission and i shouldn't have to pay so much. i could've caused an accident with my car but that's not my fault and toyota already knows it's a problem but is not doing anything about it.
03/08/2010970001
 The automatic transmission in my 2002 toyota rav 4 failed suddenly and unexpectedly. engine power was lost as the vehicle's shifting became erratic; starting from stop in 3rd gear, then downshifting to second. merging with traffic difficult and dangerous at best. i took the car to a transmission shop. they diagnosed that the ecm caused the transmission to fail. their estimate to replace the computer and repair the transmission was over $4000. i have since found numerous similar complaints online from other toyota rav owners. and i found that toyota knew about this design flaw over 7 years ago, which i believe is a safety issue as well as a major consumer product issue. now out of warranty (97k miles) the costs to repair my car are almost equal to its value. i don't know at this date if i will fix it as loan payments remain. considering the number of similar complaints over toyota rav 4 transmission failures i wholeheartedly request your agency review this situation closely. i don't know where else to go for help. *tr
02/25/20101500001
 On february 25th 2010, while attempting to enter 105 freeway, my 2002 toyota rav4 refused to accelerate, almost resulting in my car been rear-ended. this progressed into erratic shifting. *tr
02/19/20101504001
 I am the original owner of a 2002 rav4 and have been taking it to toyota for service. as i was leaving work at 5pm one friday, my car would hard-shift into first and struggle even more to get to second, etc. i drove it straight to toyota carlsbad. they contacted me the following day after changing the transmission fluid. they said i needed a new transmission and computer. come to find out there had been a service bulletin in 2006 that only toyota knew about that recognized the potential for transmission problems. i was not informed of this when i had the transmission serviced by toyota in 2007. the total cost to me would be $4800 without tax, which i could not afford. since i needed my car for work and i take care of my elderly mother, i scrounged together the nearly $2000 for the computer replacement as well as the thermostat replacement (the idiot light code said it had a loose wire, and not total replacement!). i was told the transmission would definitely need to be replaced in a very short time, and they suggested i purchase another car very soon. the service bulletin should have been shared with me, the client. they knew about and kept the potential problem from me and now the problem is a costly one to repair. i would like toyota to replace the transmission for free and reimburse me for my costs to replace the computer. after researching this rav4 problem, i have learned that this has been a big and continuing problem for 2002 rav4 owners and should be investigated. i believe that the computer (or ecm) was the cause of this problem. i am hoping the transmission will not have to be replaced. i purchased this expensive (for me) toyota because it was said to last longer than other vehicles. i truly think this problem needs to be brought to the light and included in the federal investigation of toyota. *tr
02/26/20101140001
 Hesitation accelerating from stop. lack of power going up a steep incline. improper shifting from one gear to another.vehicle became undrivable 03/01/2010. pcm/ecm module defective- needs replacement at a cost of 1693.41. *tr
02/25/20101600001
 My wife was driving our 2002 rav4 last week, she pulled away from a stop sign and our 2002 rav4 started jerking and then slowed to a sudden stop right in the middle of the intersection. after a scary moment, it started driving normally again. we took the car to our mechanic the next day to have the transmission serviced, it was about due . we were told the transmission is probably shot. while shopping on-line for a replacement, i came across numerous web sites with hundreds of rav4 customers experiencing the same transmission problems! turns out he problems were identified, by toyota themselves a few years ago, as a malfunctioning ecm (electronic control module) causing the failures of the transmissions within 50 miles of driving. toyota notified their service techs, but did not notify it's customers of this problem. we maintain our vehicles routinely and have never had any problems with the rav. but this is a serious safety issue. a car stalling in the middle of an intersection is extremely dangerous if not deadly. toyota motors has known about this safety issue for years, and they have the responsibility to inform their customers of such dangerous situations and to repair and/or replace any malfunctioning parts in their customers cars that could cause such a situation. *tr
11/20/20081070001
 Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) i purchased my 2002 toyota rav4 from my dealer, rich toyota of huntington, wv in spring 2002
03/01/2010970001
 Week of 2/23/10 snow day driving home and my vehicle started having shifting problems with out warning. the next day the problem seemed to be un noticeable. week of 3/1/10 on my way home from work the problem started again with out warning. this time it was severe shifting problems. i drove it to a toyota dealership and was told i needed a new transmission. this is tuning out to be a several thousand dollar problem. i did research on line and found that hundreds of toyota customers have had the same problem. i found that toyota has known about the problem for years but only covers it if found under warranty period if the problem presents itself. but after that toyota place the financial burden on their customers for the known problems found between the ecm and the transmission. mileage on day of incident is aprox 97,000 miles. it seems like toyota's unsaid motto is lets sell vehicles with known defects, don't tell out customers, and do noting for our customers. to many people have the same problem around the same mileage. i was told that i was buying a rock solid car because it was toyota. with me having to bare the financial burden of a know problem tells me that toyota does not and will not back their products.. *tr
01/02/20101
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4. when going down hills the gears will downshift and the engine revs fast. now during normal driving, it gets stuck in 2nd gear then will bang into 3rd. i've also noticed sometimes when i try to pull onto a highway, there is no acceleration. *tr
02/04/20101200001
 I own a 2002 toyota rav4, which i bought 2.5 years ago. i recently had to have my transmission rebuilt and clutch replaced after it suddenly began slipping gears. i had no prior warning light alerting me that there was a problem occurring with my cars engine. the transmission repair shop had done extensive repair and ultimately had to keep my car for three weeks trying to determine why it still wouldn't run properly. it was finally taken to freeman toyota in petaluma ca to have the computer flashed. my mechanic was told the computer was dead and would need replacing for just over $1,000.00. i had already been quoted $3,300.00 for prior repairs to the transmission and clutch. had i been alerted by an a warning that the engine was having problems, i could have avoided needing to replace the transmission and clutch. i have since learned that toyota had a dealer recall for the 2002 toyota rav4. the freeman toyota dealership has denied this. i am out $4,300.00 and am a single mom with ms. *tr
03/01/2008900001
 While driving the car would shift down a gear causing the car to suddenly reduce speed. this occurred a number of times and upon bringing it to the dealer i was told there is a service bulletin to replace the computer for the vehicle. because the car was out of warranty (approx. 90,000 miles) the repair is not covered, however, if i had let the problem continue without repair i would need to replace the transmission completely. *tr
06/01/2009600001
 The transmission started slipping so we decided to add some atf. that seemed to work for a day but the shifts became harder after that. at times the car would not accelerate properly and would bog down. we took the car to the dealership and they started giving us the runaround. they said the tranny needs fixing (the car was something like 500 miles out of the warranty), then they said that they will replace the computer to see if that fixes the problem. it didn't, since as we all know the original computer has already caused the transmission to break and the new one would not help. at this point i started researching the problem and found many more people with the same issue on the internet. i called toyota to complain and they did not want to do anything even though: a) the car was just out of the warranty, b) they provided a tsb to the dealership which ignored it and did not do the update to the computer before the problem showed up, c) all maintenance work was done at the dealership. in the end we paid to get the transmission fixed out of pocket which was not cheap. *tr
09/01/2009310001
 I own a 2002 toyota rav4. i've been the sole owner of this vehicle and purchased it band new in 2002 from a local honolulu toyota dealer. in mid/late 2009, the vehicle started having transmission problems: hard shifting in lower gears 1, 2 & 3, hard shifting when placing the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle shaking and vibrating when slowing down and sudden acceleration from the stopped position when the gas pedal is slowly pressed.. i took the vehicle in to determine the problem. an independent mechanic informed me that toyota issued memo outlining the problems i described above possibly due to the transmission and/or the ecu (computer that controls the transmission). a toyota servicing mechanic informed me that my 2002 rav4 was no longer under drivetrain warranty, so repair cost are my responsibility. a quick web search of rav4 transmissions shows that many other rav4 owners suffer from similar problems, resulting in very high repair costs, anywhere from $3,000 up to $8,000. the vehicle still suffers from the above mentioned problems, but due to the high repair estimates i am unable to fix the vehicle. *tr
01/14/2010610001
 I am the owner of a 2002 toyota rav-4 with 60,000 miles and have a transmission issue. i read online that this has been a recurring issue with 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s and that toyota has known about it since 2006, yet they continue to sell them. my issue started in january of this year, when i noticed that the vehicle stalled going from 1st to 2nd shift. then all of a sudden it jerked and moved forward, sometimes doing this several times continuously until reaching about 35 miles/hr. it was hard going up hill and at times felt unsafe with vehicles traveling very close behind me. i brought it to the toyota dealership and they told me that it was the ecm sensor that went. they also mentioned that they had seen this issue with many other rav-4s and toyota issued no recall. so this was fixed and within a couple of days my car was bad again. i contacted toyota, and they charged me again to look at it and them told me that the transmission went due to this sensor issue and i needed a new one. also that although it was toyota's problem, they would not cover it. they wanted to charge over $6000 and when calling other transmission specialists they wanted anywhere from 3000-5000. this is a huge issue for not just myself but i'm sure many other consumers who are left feeling unsafe driving these vehicles and without the cash to fix it. i haven't driven it in weeks, since the last time i drove it i was pulling out onto a busy street and i had plenty of time to make it onto the road but in the middle of my turn my car felt as if it would stall and took a while before it got into 2nd gear to drive off. in the meantime a car that was driving at about 30-40miles/hr was coming at me and i barely made it onto the rode and drove off in time. had the car been any closer, and he was pretty far initially, he may have hit me. i don't feel safe driving this vehicle and have read of others failing on the freeway. this is not right. i hope that an accident or even death doesn't result. *tr
01/30/2010896001
 2002 rav4 faulty ecm damaged my transmission. i bought this car for my daughter for college and it ran fine for 3 years until now. the car started jerking (pulling) when accelerating the car. i did my research on the internet and found out about the problem with the ecm. i found hundreds of complaints from other rav4 with the same problem. i decided to call toyota and opened a case number. a week later i called them back and they told me that the warranty no longer cover this. i also found out that toyota never notified customers about this problem reported on bulletin tc002-06 dated 3/3/06. i received a recall for check engine light but never received a recall to replace the ecm. i took the car to the dealer and they said i have to replace both the ecm and the transmission and it will cost me about $3000, which i think this could have been prevented if toyota would have replaced the ecm earlier. *tr
04/15/20091250001
 Normal driving conditions. at every stop light, in drive, car would rev up as if in neutral, then slam into gear. dealership replaced ecm at cost of $1200 to me. *tr
10/15/20091410001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav 4 that is having acceleration shifting problems. reading online it is from a faulty ecu in the car which is causing the car to shift at improper times which is ruining the transmission. the problem comes and goes- when i bring it to toyota they claim nothing is wrong with the car. also looking on line there are many more people that have the same type of issue with their rav 4's as well. *tr
02/02/2010120001
 Pulling away from a stop, the transmission acted like it was slipping and would not speed up. i drove the vehicle 1 mile home, with similar slip/shift issues. in addition, when i shifted between drive and reverse in my driveway, the transmission has a hard clunk. i had the ecm refurbished at my own expense, and the problem appears to be mostly gone. i am still concerned about slightly erratic shifting between second and third, and am concerned that the transmission may have been damaged. if this problem would have occurred at highway speeds, which i drive routinely, there would be a safety issue at the 75mph speeds that are normal on i15. *tr
07/01/2009790001
 An investigation should be conducted into the transmission slippage problem of the toyota rav4 2002 and later models. mine rav4 had a problem with this issue and i reported to toyota company about the issue, but no recall has taken. i had done some research and found out that many owners of this type of vehicles have had the same problem. as i have experienced, the slippage can create a very dangerous situation while traveling on the road. i strongly recommend the nhtsa to look into this problem as well. *tr
12/01/2009913041
 Have a 2002 toyota rav4 that had transmission failure in late november/early december 2009. odometer at 91,304 miles. in traffic, car started bucking (lurching) forward without pressure on the gas pedal. took car for repair where it needed to have new computer installed and valve body transmission component replaced at cost of approximately $2000. *tr
11/15/20091100001
 Problems with shifting was doing it several times a week - jerked real hard when shifting & was slipping - was initially told it was the transmission and/or the ecm now they tell me the problem is supposedly the ecm. i have been without car now for several months. initially as i was told the transmission needed to be replaced & i don't have that kind of money. found another mechanic & have had several opinions. my mechanic has sent the ecm to a place in texas that can rebuild the ecm for about half the cost of a new one however now, they can't get parts for the last month to repair the ecm because of the recalls. this should also be a recall as there are over 200 complaints on my year, make & model for the same problems that i have experienced on just one website. i am so frustrated - where can i go to get help from toyota??? can you please look into the ecm & transmission on the 2002 toyota rav4? thank you for any help you can give. *tr
06/21/20091200001
 A normal driving day for our 2002 toyota rav4, maybe 30 miles of errands. the car was running fine in the morning but we were barely able to limp it home by that same afternoon. our mechanic said that the transmission was shot, which i found hard to believe, since the car was asymptomatic that morning. the transmission specialist said that he has seen this problem many time before and knew exactly what the issue was. the computer that controls the automatic transmission (part # 89661-42820) can malfunction without warning and in the process destroy the transmission. he had received tsb# tc002-06 from toyota detailing the issue, and has rebuilt several transmission for the same reason. we were strongly advised to replace the ecm, a $1300 part, or our new transmission would last for about 30-50 miles before coming apart again. after rebuilding the 2nd and 3rd clutches and replacing the ecm, our bill came to about $3500. i reported all of this to toyota and after several weeks time and much negotiation, they offered me a $1500 customer retention incentive, good if i buy a new or certified used toyota in the next 2 years. the entire process has been documented with toyota national headquarters under file #0906113635. *tr
10/24/2009860001
 I bought a 2002 toyota rav4 in nov 2001. sometime in nov 2009, i was driving on i-25 southbound when suddenly the toyota down shifted gears and slowed down from about 65 mphto 45 mph. as i pressed on the gas pedal, it began to upshift and gain speed. the transmission was beginning to act up at lower speeds about once a week at times more often. the toyota had about 86,000 miles. after doing a google search for 2002 toyota rav4 transmission problems, i discovered this problem began about 35,000 miles on some toyota. i called the toyota dealer service department and they were aware of the problem but reported that toyota would not own up to it. google search reports reported that the problem was reported to nhtsa and suggested others to report the problem. one reported that his wife was almost killed by the highway instant speed reduction. *tr
12/01/200774000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. he stated that he took the vehicle to the dealer for the catalytic converter to be repaired in december of 2008 and while driving 45 mph, the transmission failed. a local mechanic replaced the transmission but he continued to receive the failure code for the transmission. the dealer confirmed that the computer ecm failed and was causing the transmission to down shift and fail. the dealer replaced the computer ecm and the transmission failure code was corrected. the total repair cost was $4,400. he contacted the manufacturer and they would not offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage was 117,000.
01/30/2010540001
 Toyota issued a secret bulletin on 3/3/2006 (tc006-02), but failed to notify owners of 2001-2003 rav4 vehicles regarding their hard shifting, ecm problems, and transmission failures. despite my reporting this problem within warranty period at 54,000 miles in 2006, and again in 2007, toyota claimed unable to duplicate problem. they are now charging me 1/2 the cost of a new transmission at approximately $2,000 including the cost of flushing the old one and diagnosing the problem. *tr
02/01/2010799511
 Purchased 2002 toyota rav4 new from toyota dealer in october 2001. experienced hard shifting several years ago when traveling uphill and a highway speeds. told that the car was shifting fine. now the engine control module needs to be replaced and possibly the complete transmission. toyota issued a tsb in 2008 but i was never informed. this is a very dangerous situation since the car can stop at any time. *tr
01/10/2009800001
 Transmission shift erratically causing the car to buck. 2002 toyota rav4. *tr
01/06/201090000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while at a stop sign, upon accelerating the rpm's increased rapidly; yet, the vehicle did not move. the contact noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating up to its normal speed which forced the contact to drive the vehicle to his residence between 15 and 20 mph. the contact wanted a local mechanic to drain the transmission fluid to confirm if the fluid was the cause of the transmission not shifting gears. removing the transmission fluid did not remedy the failure. the mechanic informed the contact that the transmission was defective. the contact has not had the vehicle repaired at this time; therefore, she was unable to drive the vehicle. the failure mileage was 90,000.
01/22/2010700001
 One day out of the blue my truck had trouble accelerating each time i came to a stop, it then alternate between jerking forward and hesitating before it actually got going. i had to try not to hit anything in front of me and not get hit by the car behind me thinking i'm taking off. i was terrified merging onto the highway because it wouldn't accelerate and then did the hesitating and jerking thing. went straight to mechanic, diagnostics showed possible transmission issue. which would cost $4,200 new and about $3k used. did online research and found hundreds of same complaints and recommendations to replace ecm before it did ruin the transmission. i took the chance and replaced the ecm and truck is running fine now. i had called my toyota dealership who told me my warranty was up (5yrs/50k miles - and i am at 70k miles). could not get thru to toyota headquarters because of gas pedal recall. this is dangerous and research shows toyota knew of this problem since 2006 and has not done a recall. total cost: $1,300 for new ecm and $300 for car rental. *tr
12/31/2009550001
 My toyota 2002 rav4 with only 55,000 started having problems with transmission and i took it in as soon as problem started and was told at dealership i needed to replace the whole transmission and install a rebuilt. the repair cost $3400 and after a day of driving i had to take car back to dealer as it was still not running right and then i was told that the ecm needed replacing which they said they did at no cost to me which is very hard to believe. i am totally disgusted that after taking care of my car and at only 55,000 miles the transmission had to be replaced. another disturbing issue is that toyota issued a bulletin regarding this problem but the consumer is still stuck with the repair which is very costly. i also asked them to please return my old transmission and was told that i could not have it. if it was replaced and it is my property why could they not return the transmission to me so that i could be sure that it was replaced. when i took my car back as it was still not running right i was told that they could not figure out what the codes meant and why the car was not running and was told the harness needed to also be replaced and then they changed their story saying that the paint from the rebuilt transmission was too thick and that is why the cables were not making the connection. i took my car to a toyota dealer for service and these people clearly were giving me the run around. i called toyota corporation to file a complaint and they only gave me a 20% discount of $640 towards the !@#$% transmission which i still had to pay the dealer the full amount and i have to submit a whole bunch of paperwork so that i can get my discount. it seems toyota cars are not are good as they claim to be. *tr
01/06/2010736971
 Transmission failure/ecm failure on 2002 toyota rav 4, almost causing me to be in an accident. i had to spend over $4700 to have the transmission rebuilt and a new controller installed. toyota dealer told me they were not aware of any problems with the ecm causing transmission damage. then i research it on the internet to find multiple complaints. toyota should have warned owners of the problem and allow owners to change the ecm before ruining the transmission and almost having an accident. *tr
12/15/2009899781
 My toyota rav4 (2002) with less than 90,000 miles has been slipping and it has caused me to be in some pretty risky situations, such as nearly getting into a fatal car accident when stopping and trying to proceed again at stop lights and stop signs. apparently the ecm is causing damage to the transmission and instead of them trying to fix the problem as a company, they are recommending me to spend over 4,000 to fix a problem that they have fell to resolve. it has become a financial nightmare and i don't want to have to choose between my house and my car because i need both! *tr
01/09/2010795001
 Toyota 2002 rav4 transmission jerks, car doesn't run right, computer problem causes tranny failure. *tr
07/01/2009940001
 About a month after having my 90,000 tune up at my local toyota dealer, i noticed my transmission was slipping; from first to second and second to third. it started intermittently and then became more frequent to the point that i needed it to be inspected. on my way to the dealer my car stalled in the middle of an intersection; cars were honking and i was thankful no one rear-ended me since i was exiting off a ramp. at the dealer they said they could not duplicate my problem (don't know how they couldn't ;everyone driving in my car noticed!) and i drove it away without any problems for almost 2 weeks; the slipping started again. this time my check engine light came on. after taking it back for a second inspection they determined that my ecm needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,200. it has been almost 2 weeks and my car is working great after they replaced the ecm. what upsets me is the fact that toyota knew there was an issue with the ecms. back in 2006 i was notified by my dealership that my ecm needed to be reprogrammed. i had mine reprogrammed but it didn't help. i just hope that no one is injured as a result of these defective ecms. *tr
11/15/20091450001
 I have a 2002 rav4. about 2 months ago, i noticed that when i accelerated, my car hesitated and then jumped into gear. the problem worsened, and when i took it to be looked at, the mechanic informed me that the repairs to the damaged transmission would cost close to $4,000. after researching toyota rav 4 + transmissions, i quickly found many sites stating that many people are having this exact same problem with their toyota 2001 - 2004 rav 4 transmissions, and that the problems are due to a faulty computer that toyota has know about for years. *tr
12/15/2009904201
 Transmission has failed on my 2002 rav4. 2 mechanics and 1 transmission specialist state that it needs to be completely overhauled and ecm is bad also. car will not shift out of 2nd gear and hesitates. *tr
12/22/2009880001
 On the evening of december 21, 2009, i was driving our 2002 toyota rav4, exiting a major shopping center, in a long line of vehicles at a slow speed. suddenly the engine stalled (something that never happened before). i restarted the engine and moved a few car lengths, still in a long line of slow moving vehicles and the engine stalled again. i restarted the engine and was able to proceed home (about 10 miles) without further difficulty. the next day, december 22, 2009, my wife used the vehicle to do some shopping. during her trip she made 4 uneventful stops and restarts. at her 5th stop, at a traffic light at an intersection (on a very busy highway) she stopped for a red light. she then proceeded from the red light - but the engine stalled again. my wife was able to restart the engine, but as soon as the gear shift was put into drive, the engine stalled again. repeated attempts to restart the engine and move the car were unsuccessful. my wife was stuck in the middle of an intersection with trucks and cars passing around her with horns blowing. a passing motorist ultimately came to her assistance and pushed the vehicle out of the intersection to the shoulder of the highway out of potential danger. when i arrived at the location, i also could not drive the vehicle. the engine would start, but engaging any drive position (d, 2, 1, r) would cause the engine to shut down. the vehicle(with 88,000 miles) was towed to my repair shop. the shop diagnosed an ecm/transmission problem - and then transferred the vehicle to a transmission shop for further diagnosis and repair on december 23, 2009. *tr
12/21/20091160001
 One day, out of the blue, my 2002 toyota rav4 started having trouble getting full power in 1st gear, and often slipped when going from 1st to 2nd, and 2nd to 3rd. since this was so sudden, i often had trouble getting up to speed when pulling into traffic. there were no accidents, but a few close calls. i had the ecm (engine control module) replaced the next day because my mechanic said that this was a fairly common failure for the rav4, and toyota had put out a tsb for this problem. unfortunately, i was well past the mileage needed to get this done under warranty. *tr
12/17/20091010001
 No problems were apparent until overnight the transmission appeared to be slipping. independent mechanic cited failing transmission as probable issue. toyota dealership stated the ecm/ecu was failing. turns out ecm was defective in the model year of this vehicle. toyota' response was to reprogram/reflash defective ecm. this only postponedthe failure of the ecm. the defective ecm would send incorrect codes to the transmission stuttering or halting shifts thus leaving the vehicle effectively in neutral. this stuttering/slipping quickly destroys the transmission. the failure of the ecm would not allow the transmission to shift which put us in danger of being in a rear end collision while trying to get onto busy highways or stalling in an intersection. this occurred multiple times in the trip to the dealership alone (the vehicle went in the next open business day after the first occurrence). the failure occurred in the first three gears. this is a very serious safety issue which was given an ineffective solution. the dealership replaced the ecm at a significant cost to the consumer. when asked about the defective ecm, the service department stated the replacement of the ecm, although agreed to be defective, was the responsibility of the consumer and not toyota. *tr
12/06/20099800001
 Transmission failure. *tr
12/07/2009670001
 Check engine light came all of sudden while driving vehicle regular to work, when checked, the transmission sensor bad error came up, then drove vehicle back home.while driving back gear started slipping, could not able to pick up speed. later check engine light gone and vehicle started working fine. next day check engine light was again on. when took the vehicle to mechanic, transmission bad diagnostic came. costing more than 3500. it was hazardous drive while coming back home at a such low miles. *tr
11/01/20091100001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with 110,000 miles on it. the transmission has just failed. what a dangerous situation, doesn't want to go, so you take off from a stop sign & you're in the middle of traffic & there you sit trying to get the car to move. to correct the problem the transmission needs to be replaced & i don't have $5000 to repair this. it is my understanding that toyota was aware of this problem and has done nothing about it. nice *tr
11/05/20091500001
 In march 2006, toyota sent dealers a technical service bulletin 002-06warning them that some consumers might complain about harsh shifting. it said improvements were made to the computer ?manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring.? it then told the dealers to replace the module and if that did not work to replace the transmission. but consumers owning the vehicles were never notified about the problem. this is exactly what my car is doing, i was never informed of this defect when i bought my 2002 toyota rav4 used in nov 2007 from toyota of butte mt. and of course it isn't covered under any warranty or recall now - only up to 80,000 miles before the ecm starts to malfunction. i was quoted the fix to be around $900.00 and that's if it hasn't caused damage to my transmission by now. i'm a single working mom of 3 kids on a very limited income - i can't afford to have this fixed and now i'm without the only car my family has because driving it is an extreme safety hazard with it's current problems. as i pull out into traffic the car decides to not shift (as if it were in neutral) right in the path of oncoming traffic - nice job toyota. i think that this should be a covered recall on these vehicles before someone is killed!!!!!!!! *tr
07/10/2009799501
 Toyota 2002 rav4 problem with automatic transmission hesitating and jerking in low gears. problem started in july 2009 and within one week was occurring all the time. rav4 was well past its warranty of 50k or 5 years. ourisman chantilly virginia toyota dealer said it needed new transaxle for $5,500. miller toyota of manassas virginia replaced ecm module which was still under emissions warranty of 80k or 8 years. this has corrected the problems so far. *tr
11/17/2009486001
 While starting up from a red light, i felt the trans slip, then bang into 2nd gear. it would continue to buck and slip, than would catch and run smooth. i thought something had happened to the trans, although i only have approx 48,000 miles on the car. turned out to be a faulty ecm which toyota is apparently aware of and was replaced under warranty. i fell this could have potentially been dangerous and i very easily could have been in an accident, but did not really drive the car after the initial incident. *tr
09/15/2009930001
 After having problems with my transmission i found out that there was an electronic control module that was defective and caused damage to my transmission. toyota dealers in my area would not offer any help other than to say that it will cost me ~$5,000 for new emc and new transmission. from all of the complaints so far i would guess that toyota is making more money on replacing transmissions then they make on actually selling the car. the emc is a well know problem. now my wife and i are taking the bus to work because i do not have the money to fix this car as it is above the 80,000 mile warranty. it?s bad enough that we all have this problem, but it makes things worse to know that toyota intentionally left consumers in the dark about this underlining problem. they conveniently let people go on driving these cars with this potentially dangerous condition and hope that statistically most of us will drive past the 80,000 mile warranty limit?.which many of us had. i guess their statistics department made them some extra bonus money. well, i?m ticked off and no more toyota for me. i?m taking my business else ware and i am going to tell everyone that i can what i think of toyota. it?s too bad because i used to think that it was a good car manufacture. now i know that they do not care at all about us. they are too happy to take your money and let you drive a car that will eventually need huge repair costs, hopefully by them. *tr
11/13/2009962451
 Problem appeared without warning. the transmission became sluggish at low speeds and from a stop at stop signs and stop lights, creating a hazard of being hit by other vehicles in intersections. also a rough shift (automatic transmission) between first and second gears, resulting in same hazard as above. these problems match toyota's technical service bulletin tc0002-06, 3/3/2006. immediately took it to dealer shop, they replaced transmission. problem persisted!. shop replaced ecm, and problem fixed. toyota had implied a problem existed w/ ecm in the tsb back in 2006. they further admitted fault now by providing via the local dealer a one time good will warranty on the ecm. i believe that if toyota had recalled the ecms or extended the warranty back in 2006 and replaced mine at that time, i would not have had my transmission replaced for $4126 parts and labor. i assume dealer disposed of old ecm. *tr
10/15/2009390001
 2002 toyota rav4 shifting erratically and slipping while driving. began last month with only 39k miles on car. brought to dealer and they replaced ecm under warranty but refused to also replace transmission which had been damaged due to faulty ecm. (see tsb number:00206 nhtsa number:10019667). dealer returned vehicle. but transmission began to slip worse and worse each day right after. it was now extremely unsafe to drive. within 1 week the car would not accelerate over 20mph. multiple times we almost had accidents while pulling into traffic. car returned to dealer for $300k+ repair of transmission. this is a known problem since at least 2006 and toyota has failed to notify any customers. hundreds have complained of the problem but many unsafe cars remain on the road today as a result. see: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/jerking_and_hesitating.shtml. *tr
08/25/2009560001
 Re: 2002 toyota rav4 - at approximately 56,000 miles, this vehicle's transmission began erratic behavior, i.e, stalling in traffic, hesitating and unpredictable shifting. safety was a main concern as the vehicle was stalling during merging with fast-moving traffic. transmission failure was diagnosed by a technician and a factory rebuilt transmission was installed to correct the failure. the ecm was replaced as well. *tr
11/14/2009831721
 No warning whatsoever before failure as we tried to pull onto a 4 lane highway and car would not accelerate, made loud noises, jerked and seemed like it would just stop dead in its tracks. happened every time it had to shift from 1st to 2nd gear - at stop lights, driving thru town, etc. toyota is now at dealer trying to see what problem could be. *tr
11/09/2009918421
 My vehicle began to have trouble the night before the incident. traveling on the freeway i noticed rough shifting, a chug between 2nd and 3rd gear. i dismissed it until the next morning driving to work. that morning, loud clunk when i shifted to reverse, then in 1st gear there was slipping before it finally engaged. on the way to work the car would lurch ahead then stall in 1st 2nd and 3rd gear. barely made it to parking at work. after work, on the day of the incident i ventured on the roads again trying to make my way to toyota repair. i nearly stalled in the middle of at least 3 intersections and cars backed up behind me. i was leery about getting into the left hand turn lane. finally off the road, the car crept into the repair shop. the dealer service center replaced the trans ecu (description below): 89661-42812 computer, engine con they returned the old part to me with this part number: 89661-42810 this old part was identified as being defective and a service bulletin was sent out to service centers, but not to consumers. i believe the old part is a safety hazard and could lead to more serious incidents than mine. why aren't these defective parts being recalled? *tr
09/20/20091001021
 My 2002 toyota rav4 has 100,102 miles on it and started to have transmission problems, i.e. slowing down while driving posted speed, not moving after red light turns green and the vehicle seems to jump while just driving down the road. we called a reliable transmission repair place who informed us that toyota rav4s are notorious for this dangerous situation and it's not the transmission it's the computer. take it to the dealership. we took it to our local toyota dealer who replaced part number 89661-42822 computer, engine on september 28, 2009. this repair cost us$1,504.00. my vehicle seemed fine for a week and then intermittently started doing the same thing. i brought it back to the dealer (a-1 toyota in amity connecticut) on october 19, 2009 and left it overnight because it seems to happen first thing, on a cool engine and it didn't do it for them. they told us to keep a record of it, and when it starts to happen on a more frequent basis - when they can experience the problem, bring it back. i feel i'm driving an unsafe vehicle and that toyota needs to recognize this dangerous, common problem with their vehicles. *tr
11/06/20091210001
 Without warning, the transmission on my rav4 started shifting erratically and then it stopped altogether in the middle of heavy traffic! i almost had a serious accident. as it was all there was a minor ding. *tr
09/15/20091310001
 In mid september i started to notice my car really having trouble picking up speed especially when starting off after a complete stop. over the next few weeks the problem became much worse. the car would hesitate to change gears and when it did it would jerk really hard (it sounded like the bottom of the car was going to fall out). i felt like i was going to wreck several times because it would not pick up to speed and then all of a sudden it would jerk upto like 40mph. the problem happened consistently getting worse and worse everyday until i took it in for service. i took it in to have it looked at and the service man told me that the transmission needed to be rebuilt and that my car's computer needed to be replaced. after looking online i discovered that many other rav4 owners are experiencing the same issues. i just wonder how much toyota cares about their customers because they have been aware of the problem and have not told the consumer about it nor have they made a recall on the computers to help with the repairs. i ended up having to rebuild my transmission and replace my computer which ended up costing $5,000. *tr
10/10/2009960001
 Approximately 3 weeks ago i began noticing hesitation, jerking, and slipping coming from what i thought was the transmission. when the problem continued, i took it to a local big ten tires to see what they thought. they thought it was a defective engine mount. that did not remedy the problem. i realized then it was a transmission problem. i took it to the dealer that sold me the vehicle,and they confirmed that it was a transmission problem, but they told me to live with it because it was intermittent! they did not tell me it was the same problem that at least hundreds if not thousands of 2001-2003 rav 4 owners are having as we speak, namely, a defective engine control module (see new york times article dated 8/26/09). the defectively designed ecm is sending the wrong messages to the transmission. this causes the transmission to malfunction. this presents two problems: over time it destroys the transmission and more importantly, it is a safety hazard. on two occasions i pulled out in traffic and the transmission suddenly (without warning) refused to shift from first to second. this hesitation almost caused other vehicles to hit me. it finally jerked into gear and i was able to avoid the collisions. had it not done so, i could have been seriously injured. it is an absolute disgrace that toyota has known about this problem since at least as early as 2006 when it issued a tsb to it dealers pertaining to this exact problem. i am going to be honest. i also think it is a travesty that toyota has not been forced to make a recall. to conclude that this is not a safety issue is flat out wrong. just because it does not occur on the open highway is, with all due respect, ludicrous. i can be just as seriously injured if my car is hit by someone going 40 mph because i can't get out of their way. no parts have been replaced. please do the right thing and make toyota fix this problem do not let this become another pinto gas tank case. thank you. *tr
03/06/2008800001
 Same transmission problem as everyone else. transmission started to slip, stopped driving immediately and told the computer needed to be replace. furious at the fact that this is not a recall. there is no maintenance which as the owner i failed to do. this is a safety issue and i have sold my toyota with complete dissatisfaction at toyota's lack of response to this. if i did not stop driving immediately i'm told i would have ruined the transmission and it would have cost $4,00 instead of the $1,600. slipping gears while driving is a safety hazard. does someone need to get hurt before toyota does something? *tr
10/27/200775000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. when driving she experiences gear slippage in the transmission. this causes the vehicle to bounce and stall. the computer chip was replaced, but the failure has not been remedied. the failure mileage 75,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable.
09/25/2009872801
 There were no events leading up to failure. my transmission on my 2002 toyota rav4 started slipping and pulling out of the blue. it had 87,280 miles and had been regularly serviced and inspected. it failed to accelerate at intersections and on take off , making driving very dangerous. i took it in and was told by the repair shop the engine control module was defective and had caused the transmission to fail , leaving me driving with only 3rd gear. it is believed that the toyota was aware of the defective engine control module. my husband and i had to spend $3715.30 to repair the transmission and replace the defective ecm. this is a clear and present danger as there is no warning. failure could happen at any time and any place causing bodily harm to the driver , passengers, and other vehicles and occupants on the road. i feel a recall is needed and reimbursement of all repair costs should be made to victims of this negligence. *tr
10/19/20097690001
 2002 toyota rav4. car stalled on highway, barely made it up hills. drove two hours from home to a recruiting event. transmission shift solenoid needed to be replaced. car has 76,600 miles on it. slow shifting and sudden complete malfunction led to safety issues/serious potential for accidents. *tr
10/07/20091320001
 Transmission problems with 2002 rav4: the checking engine light on my car was on a week ago, then the next day, i put my car to koons toyota at tysons, virginia for checking the problem, also i requested 120,000 mile service. after service was completed by koons, i found that my car has the harsh shifting occurs, meaning that, at the low gear, when stepped on the gas pedal. my car hesitates to shift into the second gear. after push further on the gas pedal, my car jumped harshly into the second gear, rather than smooth driving as prior to the service. the next day, i brought my car back to koons to report the harsh shifting problem, they test drove my car and agreed that there is some jerking occurs at low gear. they recommended me to continuously drive the car, hoping that the car will adjust itself to the new software programming that they used. i continued drive for a week while carefully listen to my car: the hard shifting problem still exist. then last night, the check engine light was on again. i immediately brought my car to koons dealer at tysons to correct the problem. after checking it again, koons told me that the problem caused by the engine control module (e.c.m.) and recommended me that first to replace the e.c.m., and if that doesn't solve the hard shifting problem, second is to replace the transmission next. i think this problem definitely not cause by me, rather by koons and toyota manufacturer. now i do not know what to do. thank you for listening. *tr daniel bui
10/01/20091500001
 Apparently with all the chatter about toyota rav4s there is clearly an issue with the transmissions. mine as well has started to slip and buck in and out of 2nd gear. an investigation is definitely warranted and should lead to a recall by toyota. *tr
08/13/200982000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving between 45-50 mph the transmission exhibited gear shifting failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician concluded that the transmission had slipped gears,therefore the vehicle was repaired. after the repair the failure resurfaced. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and repaired. however none of the repairs have remedied the failures. the failure mileage was 82,000. the current mileage was 83,000.
10/27/200886936
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while the contact was attempting to accelerate she noticed that the vehicle suddenly lunged forward. the dealer stated that the transmission computer needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings, the current and failure mileages were 86936.
08/10/20091100001
 Transmission/ecm failure. transmission would flare while accelerating. when shifting while accelerating, transmission would not engage and power was not transmitted to wheels. engine would rev up for 5-10 seconds until transmission would violently engage in next gear. this was particularly dangerous while attempting to cross or merge with traffic, as the vehicle had no ability to accelerate during the event. symptoms quickly became very regular/repeatable. vehicle was repaired and the problem was identified as a faulty ecm module and damaged transmission. *tr
09/25/2009910001
 In the middle of a trip, after stopping, the transmission started jerking when switching gears. since then it has been an intermittent problem. sometimes it downshifts for no reason, sometimes it doesn't fully engage into first gear. sometimes it works fine. sometimes it has trouble accelerating going uphill, it will downshift and rev to redline and won't shift to the next gear. i took it to the dealer, and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong, that it worked for them. but then they also offered to replace my transmission. *tr
10/10/20091100001
 I have a 2002 rav4 all wheel drive automatic, and the transmission started acting up at 98,000 miles. the car would shudder at stops, sometimes lunging forward. i would hold up traffic as it continued shuddering until it would finally go into second. sometimes on the freeway it would slip out of gear and shudder as well. i would have to reduce speed until it would go into second. sometimes at intersections i would crawl across the street as i hoped that it would go into second before the light turned red! i took it into toyota oxnard ca. at 110,000 miles. the service manager told me that this model is notorious for transmission problems. i then said, and you sold me this car knowing this?! i purchased the used car from the same lot in april 2004. so the car was looked at, and the diagnosis was that it needed a new transmission. no mention of the computer problem. i was quoted $3800 to fix it. i took it to another transmission shop for a second opinion, as i could not afford $3800 to fix it. i was told that if i baby it that it may last awhile longer. at 203,000 miles it gave out. the car would no longer go into 2nd gear. i took it back to the transmission shop where i was told that the computer was also an issue, and he suggested to replace both. it is now fixed...$4800 later. i am currently unemployed and had to use all of my student loan money to pay for my car. *tr
10/06/20091250001
 The transmission started slipping and there was a lack of acceleration after coming to a complete stop. once the car would finally accelerate, it would bang into gear. the transmission issue is a know problem with the 2002 toyota rav4's and toyota is refusing to do anything about it if the car has over 80,000 miles on it. *tr
09/15/20091210001
 Erratic transmission operation, e.g. severe slipping and improper downshifting which causes rapid deceleration of the vehicle with no warning or indication to following drivers. according to the dealer, the transmission failure resulted from failure of the engine control unit (ecu). this car's ecu was recently reprogrammed by toyota in accordance with tsb eg010-02. this tsb addresses spurious catalytic converter error codes. *tr
10/02/2009945001
 2002 toyota rav4 with auto transmission, 94k miles; transmission is not shifting between 1st and 2nd gear in a safe manner. the rpms reach 4000 - 5000 before transmission shifts to 2nd gear. this is dangerous when merging on a highway ramp as the car is not shifting to reach higher speeds in order to merge safely. also, in stop and go traffic, car is not shifting into 2nd gear in a timely manner and could cause life threatening accidents due to rear-end collisions. *tr
10/02/20091090001
 Yesterday, 2002 toyota rav4 transmission began to slip and hesitate jeopardizing passenger safety. i understand toyota issued tsb 00206 but chose not to recall or otherwise inform customers. further i understand replacement ecm is over $1,000 and a transmission rebuild may cost nearly $4,500. toyota evidently is unwilling to correct or otherwise offer financial assistance to correct this dangerous defect. *tr
09/15/2009968551
 I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. after experiencing some problems with accelerating, the check engine light went on (the same evening that i experienced the acceleration problem). i took it into an auto center and they reported that it was code # p0755 - stored in system solenoid b malfunction. i was told that i would need to replace the ecm. they told me that toyota has been having alot of problems with this and that toyota said repairs would be covered under the federal emissions warranty of 80,000 miles or eight years from the time the vehicle was sold. unfortunately, my car has almost 97,000 miles on it so it was not covered. here is a link to an article concerning this issue: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/toyotas-reaction-to-transmission-woes-draws-customers-ire/?scp=1&sq=rav4%20owners%20fume%20over%20toyota%e2%80%99s%20handling%20of%20transmission%20glitch&st=cse. *tr
02/01/2009920001
 2002 toyota rav4 92,000 miles transmission went out. put over $3,400 into getting it repaired. probably will have to put another $1,000 to get computer replaced. still not working correctly. very disappointed in toyota for not offering any kind of fix to this solution. *tr
09/04/20091180001
 My 2002 toyota rav4 began intermittently bogging down and hard jerky shifting. i
09/18/20091510001
 Transmission started to roughly shift. almost lost power on freeway. this happened suddenly. no warning of transmission failure. was working perfectly earlier in the day. drove home in slow lane with hazards on. afraid engine would shut down on freeway. *tr
09/11/2009477171
 A safety problem occurred on our 2002 toyota rav4 when the transmission suddenly stopped engaged the gears correctly. this is a safety issue because when driving in traffic and or trying to turn when oncoming traffic was approaching and not knowing if or when the car would move or engage gears was frightening. this problem occurred overnight. with 47,717 miles on the car, the transmission had to be rebuilt. this problem occurs because toyota has put a faulty computer into the 2002 rav4 that makes the parts inside the transmission prematurely fail. toyota will not pay for the repairs or issue a recall. perhaps toyota will when someone is injured or killed? toyota claims there is not a problem with the computer but toyota replaced the computer when the car was taken there by the transmission mechanic. why would toyota replace the computer if there was no problem? please have toyota recall this vehicle and have them be responsible for the needed repairs so that the 2002 toyota rav4 will be safe to drive! thank you! *tr
08/15/2009890001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. about 1 month ago, the car begin shifting hard into reverse and second gear. at some times the shifting would stall, i.e. it would not shift into second gear right away and when it would, it would shift hard. i did research online and learned about the ecm/ecu problem that is causing 01-04 toyota rav 4s to have trouble with shifting. i took it to toyota and they followed the procedures on their service bulletin. they tested the ecm and said it was fine and told me i had to replace the transmission for $4,100. i took the car to a transmission care center. i had the solenoid b replaced for $560 because this was malfunctioning. the car still had the same problems after the solenoid was replaced, so i had the transmission overhauled for a total of $3,100. the tech stated there was about 200,000 miles worth of wear on the transmission, the car itself only has 90,000. there were various pieces that were not functioning properly due to wear on the transmission; these were replaced. the car is still having difficulty shifting-the same problems are occurring. i believe that it is the ecm/ecu malfunctioning. many other people have had this same problem, where they are told the ecm/ecu is fine, have their transmission replaced and then the car still malfunctions and they have to have the ecm/ecu replaced. *tr
07/08/2009712101
 Because there is problem with the computer sensor systems that causing it to stall. and toyota knows about this problem. i almost got rear-end twice. i had to have my transmission fixed at a cost of $3000 which could have been avoided with a recall was done. because the stalling out scared me so bad. i have it fix. *tr
07/23/200974000106/05/2006
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav 4. while driving 15 mph the vehicle down-shifted and stalled. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. a transmission specialist replaced the transmission to correct the failure; however, the failure resurfaced. the current and failure mileages were 74000. updated 12/7/09 *cn the consumer stated when she attempted to make a turn, the vehicle downshifted erratically. the consumer was informed the engine control module needed to be replaced. updated 12/08/09.
08/22/2009640001
 I own a 2002 toyota rav4. on august 22nd, 2009 i noticed that when i would come to a complete stop, it would take a while for the car to accelerate and pick up speed. once it did get moving, the car would jerk forward and eventually pick up speed. everytime i would come to a stoplight, i would be deathly afraid that my car wouldn't start up again and that i would be hit from behind. when driving on the highway, it would slow down all of a sudden and then jerk violently forward. this happened everytime i drove. on friday, august 28th i took the car to my mechanic and he said that it was a transmission issue and recommended a shop. my car is currently at the transmission shop getting rebuilt at a cost of $3,000+ i called the toyota dealership where i bought my car and they said they would not rebuild the transmission but would send it to be remanufactured at a cost of no less than $5,000. further research on the web indicates that this is a huge problem with 2002 rav4 owners and that toyota has known of this for a while but done nothing about it. apparently the issues is with a faulty ecm that causes the transmission issues. unfortunately, by the time the transmission goes out, most of the cars are out of the warranty period and the cost is left up to the consumer. my fear is that even with the transmission replaced, if the problem is with the ecm, it is going to re-occur and i am going to incur another staggering repair bill. i called toyota's corporate number and spoke to a customer care rep who advised me that there are no recalls at the time on this model year and that i could not speak to his manager as they do not talk to consumers. i want toyota to be held responsible for this issue. had they notified their buyers to replace their ecm's ahead of time, this would have prevented these costly repairs down the line. *tr
08/08/2009998351
 The car just began jerking after i put gas in one day. i waited a week to see if the problem would go away, but it got worse. the day i brought it to the shop, the car would barely drive. it would hesitate shifting from first to 2nd gear and the check engine light came on. i brought the car back to the dealership with only 150 miles before the power train warranty expired. they told me it was the ecu and it wasn't the first time they heard about this problem. the dealership fixed it and i only had to pay a deductible. however, this problem masked that there was an issue with the o2 sensor, and the check engine light came on again after 2 days. so i brought it back and the dealership fixed it under the power train warranty even though it had already expired. *tr
07/23/20081030001
 As i pulled out into traffic the transmission started slipping and my 2002 toyota rav4 hesitated and would shift into gear. i took it to toyota on dixie highway, louisville, ky where i had purchased the vehicle and took it for every service. they put some type of fluid said that this may fix the problem. i went to get it and once again would not run. they then told me that it was probably the transmission and that i probably would not be back to see them. they quoted me a price of $4,000 to have the transmission fixed. *tr
03/10/20091159361
 I am having shifting problem of the transmission on my toyota rav4 l 2002 while driving. when driving on the road,the tranny began slipping,hesitatingand jerking. i can't afford to get it repaired yet. i am concerning someday someone will hit behind me during driving due to shifting problem that i can't keep on speed limited. i get online www.carscomplaints.com and did some research. i found out most of the toyota rav4 owners describing same shifting problem because of the defected engine control module that can damage the tranny. *tr
06/03/2009833961
 During a recent rain i was transporting my grandkids from school when i noticed that my car seemed to slip and jolt forward each time i accelerated. each time the car would hesitate and the slipping and jolting was significant. i was afraid that my car would stall in traffic. i was very glad to get my grandkids home safely. i called the toyota dealer where the car was purchased and made an immediate appointment. i was told that my transmission had to be replaced as well as the ecu at a cost of over $6,000! i was very upset because my extended warranty had expired the year before and during the warranty period i had complained about transmission problems and the engine trouble light which kept coming on. each time they told me that either an adjustment was made to correct the problem or that they could not find anything wrong. i also called toyota headquarters and was told that there was nothing they could do for me. i was referred back to the local dealer who told me to call headquarters again. i felt like a ping-pong ball. in the end no one could or would help me. i ended up going to another toyota dealership to have just the ecu replaced at a cost of $1500. the car still jolts whenever i accelerate, however i am retired and cannot afford $4000 for a new transmission at this time. *tr
08/01/20091070001
 2002 rav4 that i will need to replace the transmission and ecm on - despite the fact that this is a known issue with these cars. repair cost $5,000. although there were no injuries associated with this there very well could have been, as transmission went out as i was merging onto a very busy interstate highway. these cars are a deathtrap and toyota needs to recall them and fix the problem. *tr
06/03/2009983711
 I have a 2002 rav4 that started having shifting problems. when i would put the car into reverse it would jerk and jolt this is how it started. then about a week later it started doing this when the car shifted from 1st to second and so on. after about 3 weeks of this i took the car into the dealer and told them to please look at it. they called me later that day saying that they thought i needed new engine mounts. that they were causing car to jerk when it changed gears. he said that they needed to be ordered and that they needed the car overnight. so the next day got a call from the dealer saying that they drove the car some more and realized it was my transmission. that i needed to replace the transmission and the computer that controls it. this would cost me $5200.00. i called a very good friend of mine who has been a mechanic for 30 years and he called a friend of his who works parts at toyota. the person who works for toyota told my friend that they have been having these problems with the rav and that it is only the computer that needs replacement, not the transmission. so, he sold us the part and my friend the mechanic replaced the computer. now my car drives perfectly. so, i instead spent only $1100.00 as opposed to the $5200.00 that the toyota dealer wanted to charge me when it was not my transmission at all. i have all the paperwork from the dealer showing what they wanted me to replace and spend. i am very upset that an accredited toyota dealership was going to have me spend that much money on something when it was not the problem. i bought my car there and i have had it serviced there ever since- 7 years! *tr
05/01/2009803001
 1. toyota 2002 rav 4 starting jerking uncontrollably at 80,300 miles while driving on highway at around 60 mph. 2. took it in the next day and toyota dealer stated that it was an engine control module failure which was making the transmission jerk. 3. they replaced the engine control module and stuck us with the bill since our car was 300 miles over warranty although we had brought it in 4 times prior for engine control module problems. *tr
01/15/2009909341
 Purchased vehicle from daughter. had it for 2 years and once it hit 90,000 miles, started shifting into 3rd gear from stop position. after towing to toyota dealership, was told need new tranny $3290.27 and ecm $1211.13 . toyota has monopoly on ecm/programming and it must be changed with rebuilt/new tranny. went to website and it seems that this is standard for 2002 rav4's. manufacturer says not their problem, dealership doesn't care and won't help in any way! *tr
04/01/20081
 Check engine light kept coming on; i would carry it to toyota dealership and they would re-set. this happened more than twice. finally, what i thought and was told that the transmission blew, but found out later that is just sounded and reacted as if the transmission was gone. but was the engine control module which had failed. of course the warranty was off and after contacting toyota i get no assistance. this is some of the information i found out: ) that toyota hq has been aware for at least a few (2,3?) years that there was a defect in the design of the ecm installed in 2001/2002 toyota rav4?s > > 2) that the defect causes problems with transmission or gear-changing mechanism > > 3) that the resulting transmission or gear-changing problems are not due to ?normal wear and tear? of the vehicles. they are caused directly by the defect in the ecm. > > 4) that the resulting transmission or gear-changing problems have caused toyota rav4 owners to spend significant amounts of money. (a casual read of owner complaints suggests many of them have spent anywhere between $3000 and $5000). > > 5) that toyota has failed to compensate owners for costs of fixing the problems caused by a defect they were aware of. i have had to replace a transmission and a engine in this car. *tr
08/15/2009650001
 Car jerks and loses acceleration, almost caused an accident as i was entering an intersection. *tr
08/14/20091150001
 2002 rav4 jerks at low speeds while automatic transmission is trying to shift gears. *tr
08/13/2009960001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4 in which i recently replaced the computer for the transmission. my car would not accelerate from a stoplight, then would jerk from 1st into 2nd gear--a definite safety issue when attempting to gain speed on a highway. after i replaced the computer, the car ran fine for about a month, and now the check engine light went back on and it is starting to jerk again and not accelerate properly. the transmission specialty shop to which i took the vehicle indicated that if the computer replacement, at a cost of about $1300, did not fix the problem, they might have to replace the transmission at a cost of about $4,000. i do not have $4,000 to replace the transmission. i hope with enough complaints about safety issues related to faulty transmissions, you can force toyota to recall their transmissions on these vehicles. *tr
05/09/20091150001
 2002 toyota rav4, 4wd,at transmission jerking and hashing, reporting code p0750, p0755... i called toyota dealer in portland, or and speak to master technician. i've been told by the master tech that rav4 2001-02 and 2003 rav4 needs a new updated ecm for about $800.00 + labor. he warned me that without replacing the new updated ecm, my rav4 transmission will be damage and it could cost about $5,500.00 parts + labor. toyota warranty only 8 yrs or 80k miles since this is their flaw software programming and why don't they do a recall campaign to eliminate the possible safety problem. instead they only notify their service center of their dealership. please help rav4 owners.... *tr
08/07/20091390001
 I have a 2002 rav4 and the transmission is slipping gears. the car stalls upon takeoff and it is very dangerous. i pulled out into traffic with my son in the car and the car wouldn't take off. we were almost hit in the side. *tr
08/04/20098500001
 After regular service, car began shifting poorly this week with just over 85k miles with no initial indication of problem including hard clunking/shifting in the lower gears.. i have had near rear-end accidents this week as a result of the intermittent behavior of the engine. after taking the vehicle to dealer whom diagnosed then un-diagnosed transmission/ecm failure have researched and found that there is a large community of users reporting this same issue. *tr
08/02/20091070001
 Sudden transmission failure in 2002 toyota rav4. this is a well known and well documented issue both with the thousands of consumers who have had it happen to and with the toyota company. toyota is refusing to be of any assistance whatsoever and this is known to be a $6,000 problem to repair. *tr
07/15/20091160001
 My 2002 toyota rav4 has been intermittently not shifting into gear. it balks and clunks, and eventually shifts. this is a safety issue when entering traffic, because you don't know if the car will be able to accelerate to the speed of traffic or not. it is also a safety issue at stop lights, because you don't know if you will be able to make it across the intersection before the light changes or not. this started in january 2009, but was not consistent. in july, it finally created a check engine condition. i took the vehicle to a reputable mechanic, and he changed the transmission fluid and replaced solenoids, which the engine code suggested. i then took it to a toyota dealer, and they replaced the ecm, at a cost of $1500. that did not solve the problem, and they say i need to replace the transmission for $3500. toyota has known about this problem since 2006, and at that time issued a bulletin. however, i feel they should have issued a recall due to the safety issues and the cost involved. *tr
07/15/20091030001
 Engine control module (ecm) incorrectly programmed by manufacturer leading to difficulty shifting between 1st and 2nd gears, hard shifts, jerking, misfiring, problems accelerating. can pose a definite danger to traffic due to failure to accelerate or shift as needed while driving. can also lead to severe transmission damage and possible failure if ecm problem is not caught and ecm replaced immediately. check engine light occasionally comes on and then goes off - registers a problem with solenoid a & b. toyota technical service bulletin tc002-06 details the problem and recommended repair, including replacement of ecm and possibly of transmission. after 3-4 weeks of hard shifting, problems accelerating and stuttering, diagnostics identified problem. vehicle is currently waiting for replacement ecm and possible transmission flush. *tr
07/09/2009797001
 There is a known problem with the ecm in 2002 toyota rav4s. this control unit causes the transmission to have problems shifting and can also lead to transmission failure. i state that the problem is known because toyota extended the warranty period for the ecm, but any damage done to the transmission by the malfunction of the ecm is the responsibility of the owner. this issue should be considered for recall because a failing transmission can lead to serious or even deadly problems. *tr
07/07/20091255001
 2002 toyota rav4 - ecm/transmission failure - at 125,000 miles, driving last week, automatic transmission started bucking. car slowed without cause in heavy traffic, and i had to pull off road in adverse conditions. driving to dealer, then driving to transmission shop wrecked transmission. after paying $2700.00 to get transmission fixed, found out the transmission problem is really a ecm failure problem. found 1000's of complaints online about this. called toyota customer svc., and toyota is not recognizing as a recall problem. i am unemployed and this cost is overwhelming, and should be a recall. *tr
07/01/2009910001
 In the beginning of june i noticed my rav4 would slightly pause when i pres the gas pedal and would jerk when it's suppose to automatically shift gears, my registration is due & of course i need a smog certificate. the transmission would slip only sometimes. i'm just guessing it's the transmission. not sure yet... of course my extra care expired 05/30/08 mileage 100,000 but my mileage is only 91,000. i figure this is going to cost me a load of money that i don't have and this car helps me get to work. with the economy being so bad this doesn't help out much at all it's always one thing after another especially when i thought i was buying a car that is actually worth it and i thought since i was buying it brand new i was making a good choice. my fiance and i were driving home and i was on the hwy 880 sb going about 65 mph my rpm seem a little high but i was on cruise control so i thought it was normal. when all of a sudden my engine light came on, than my car starting making a noise, than my oil light came on, battery light came on and something from underneath my car flew off and as i look in my rear mirror i saw pieces of an object went flying and i notice cars swerving to move from the flying objects that were burning and i was sooo scared as my fiance said to pull over slowly. i cut cars off and i couldn't press the gas pedal no longer the engine shut off and i stopped in the middle of the slow lane i called aaa and towed my car to my house and unfortunately i can't take it to the dealer/mechanic yet b/c i don't have that kind of money. i find it very strange that i had no warning lights before hand or no sensor. for example the oil light comes on when i need oil/change, etc. what type of paperwork do i need to send b/c i haven't took it to the shop yet and may i add that the lighter doesn't work. once i find out what the actually problem is than i will mail copies.i i truly believe it's a manufacturer problem. *tr
06/10/2009950001
 2002 rav4 with 95,000 miles and routine service. began jerking and hesitating when trying to accelerate, seems like shifting problems. three different shops - two dealerships - unable to determine exact problem. recommended flushing transmission fluids, replacing transmission, replacing solenoid - no one was able to guarantee these fixes would correct the problem. the internet is full of hundreds of similar problems. many people replaced transmission with no fix. the car is dangerous to drive because of stalling during acceleration. tsb #00206 issued in 2006 mentions replacing ecm. many people who have done this have had success. toyota should ensure all dealerships know about this problem and correct it before suggesting costly transmission replacements. *tr
06/16/20091830001
 The toyota rav4 (year 2002) indiscriminately speeds up and maxes out the rpms (6000) for not reason. i was going 65 and all of a sudden the rpms went up to 6000 from 3000 and the car sped up to 85 and then went into neutral with me touching any gears or any pedals. luckily i was allowing enough distance between me and the other vehicles to safely get it pulled off to the side. there would have been no way to control the vehicle to keep it from crashing into someone directly in front of me and both sides and the rear had vehicles in them. the ecm, transmission and vss (variable speed sensor) were replaced and the problem still occurs. toyota disavows any knowledge of these types of issues; however, there are hundreds of thousands of complaints for the same issues and millions of dollars being spent to solve them and it's not being solved. there are lives at stake here. toyota should be held accountable for these problems. the models effected are the toyota rav4's from 1999 to 2009. and it appears that it's still an issue and still being pushed under the rug so to speak. action or lives....that's what it all boils down to now. incident date is most current. numerous past dates. *tr
05/28/2009940001
 Coming from a full-stop, the car jerked when i stepped on the gas. rpm was increasing however the car was barely moving once it started moving it jerked a few more time. toyota did a recall previously on the ecu, it was reprogrammed however the same problem resurfaced and cause damage to the transmission. *tr
05/01/20091080001
 Toyota rav 4 2002. a month ago, my car started jerking and bucking and stalling mid intersection. i immediately took it to my local toyota dealer for servicing. the service dept. could not determine the problem so they changed transmission fluid (charge almost $200.00) and sent me on my way with notice that if the engine light came on i should return. two weeks later, i was driving on the highway approaching a double merge driving 60 mph when my car suddenly downshifted into first gear causing me to lurch and lose control of vehicle while one tractor trailer truck was merging to my right and another directly behind me causing truck behind me to lay on brakes and veer off the road...i managed to get myself off the road...no accident occurred but the threat to my life was serious. i did investigation on line carcomplants.com and found that there was a service bulletin issued to all dealers in 2006. i was never informed of defect therefore was endangering myself and my family every time i drove the car without any knowledge. i took the car to a different local toyota dealer and paid $150.00 for diagnostic: faulty ecm (see carcomplaints.com). quoted a cost of replacement at ($1,200.00) that might solve the problem but they would not know condition of transmission until after they replaced the ecm. i was uncomfortable with this answer and felt i might have better service with original dealer so i paid for car to be towed ($100.00) and rented a car. original dealer determined ecm needs replacement no guarantee that transmission would be okay. i asked that dealer speak on my behalf to toyota to see if they were willing to share some of the responsibility and cost of replacement of faulty ecm. toyota refused. after being without family's only car for 2 weeks,paying for rental (over $200.00) the ecm was replaced ($1,000.00) car seemed to be okay for one week. 4 days ago engine light came on again. returning to yet another dealer tomorrow. do you value my safety? *tr
05/25/2009960001
 My 2002 toyota rav4 start to have gear changing problems in first and/or second. i think toyota should do a recall on this make & model. *tr
05/05/20091090001
 2002 toyota rav4 has defective ecu which has in turn fried transmission...my wife noticed problems when the shifting automatic transmission on a merge and was almost run over by a semi-truck. we then took the vehicle to the dealer who told us the engine light was not on so they could not diagnose and advised us to drain the transmission fluid. 2 weeks later, my wife was on the highway and the transmission spontaneously shifted into low gear causing her to swerve off road. we have been told that we need to replace the ecu and transmission at $5,000. i have gone online and read that toyota has been aware of this problem for over 2 years and will not issue recall as not enough people have complained...this is a safety issue my wife was almost killed!!! please address with toyota!! *tr updated 03/22/10.*jb
05/10/2009650001
 2002 toyota rav4 began jerking and stalling. car wouldn't accelerate from a stop. was turning left into traffic when this first occurred and oncoming traffic had to stop. was stuck in the middle of a major intersection for five minutes, until after multiple attempts at pressing the accelerator pedal did the car begin to crawl in a jerky motion. drove 2 miles with the jerking and stalling on stop and with no acceleration. literally rolled into local mechanic's shop. found out that the transmission has totally failed and must be replaced. there were absolutely no problem indications, no warning lights, engine lights or an other previous problems. the car has only 65,000 miles on it. i am very disappointed and dishearten at the response from the toyota manufacturer. the 2002 rav4 transmission report in consumer reports sticks out like a sore thumb. my daughter was in the passenger seat when the car stalled in the intersection. i thank god she wasn't hurt. what will it take to have these automobiles recalled? a serious injury or death? *tr
04/22/2009510001
 Transmission failed on my 2002 toyota rav 4 fwd autotransmission with less than 52000 miles. no engine lights ever appeared to alert me of problem. first sign was while driving 65mph on interstate 80 heading to erie, pa from youngstown, oh. car taken in to nearest transmission shop, aamco where it was determined that clutches were completely damaged/burnt and needed to be completely rebuilt at a cost of $3000. now being told that the ecm needs to be replaced because of voltage problems and gears still missing with rebuilt trans. replacement ecm covered under toyota's tsb tc002-06 if under 8 years/80,000 but local toyota dealership stating that current part number is the replacement part. i contacted my toyota dealership back home who did a reprogramming recall but did not replace ecm. reprogramming / recoding / flashing ecm was not the procedure to resolve on above tsb and i believe the dealership back home simply relabeled ecm with new part number since they confirmed that it was not replaced with new ecm. a new ecm would have prevented the transmission failure from happening. aamco dealership fighting to get me an ecm covered under the tc002-06 tsb. vehicle has been in shop for almost 3 weeks and no end in sight. cannot take vehicle back home even with rebuilt trans because it is not roadworthy without ecm and testing. need to rent vehicle to get myself back home until contacted by aamco regarding resolution. *tr
04/23/2009947501
 Transmission began slipping while accelerating from stop. there were hard shifts when changing from 1st to 2nd and to 3rd gears. the next morning, there seemed to be no problem. this is unsafe since one can not depend upon the transmission / engine control module when pulling out into traffic. *tr
04/23/2009128000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. on april 22, 2009, the driver attempted to shift into drive; however, it failed to engage until it reached 3000 rpms. in addition, when the brakes were engaged the vehicle stalled; although, the failure occurred intermittently. a mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact is aware of the safety risk. the failure mileage was 128,000.
02/01/20091
 Auto transmission problem, where the car shudders and shifts very abruptly and often shifts very late posing very dangerous to drive. this problem came on instantaneously without any forewarning , so as i started researching it, the problem appears to be an ecu malfunction where the computer doesn't send the right commands to the transmission for when to shift properly. this can be very dangerous and it is very upsetting that toyota didn't at least inform rav4 owners of this issue. i could have replaced the ecu and which is an easy repair costing only about $1200 or there is also a shop online that fixes the ecu for $400 but now i have to fix the ecu and replace a transmission thanks to toyota's negligence now the repair bill is in the $4000-$6000 price range. many independent mechanics aren't aware of the issue and have replaced the transmission without knowing that the ecu is at fault and ended up replacing the transmission again and again until finally pinpointing the problem and replacing the ecu also. the same nearly happened to me when i took it to both of my mechanics and they didn't foresee the ecu to be at fault and wanted to replace only the transmission. we've owned the car since day 1 and it has been meticulously maintained it's sad to have this happen to it without any warning. *tr
04/13/20091020001
 The computer was telling the transmission to shift to the wrong gears and caused the transmission to break down. :the car was towed to the mechanic and a new computer was installed, in addition to having to have the transmission rebuilt. *tr
04/11/2009473091
 Toyota rav4 started slamming into gear. while driving i would have my foot down on accelerator and the vehicle wouldn't go into gear and when it finally did it would lurch forward while slamming in gear. i was told by my maintenance mechanic that there was a tbs on this very problem however when i took it to the dealership they told me 1st. someone already replace it (which wasn't the case then 2. it must have been caught at the factory. there are over 200 complaints regarding the very problem and toyota's irresponsible response to the problem. i have now been told that they will start with replacing the grounding wires and go from there. i have an extended warranty that expires in july 2009. this is a safety issue and i feel that toyota (based on all the complaints found) will continue to nickel and dime me with non-warranty charges and then when the real problem is addressed for the power train my vehicle will be out of warranty. i am the original owner and my vehicle only has 47,315 miles on it. the reference number for the tsb in this case is tc002-06 from 3-06/ the dealerships i spoke to were unaware of the tbs until i brought in a copy of it. the codes for this problem don't even show up. it is my understanding that nhtsa is looking for people who have had this problem to establish a need for an investigation. please consider me as one of those people. i truly feel this problem is not only a costly one but a extreme safety concern as you never know when this problem will happen. *tr
10/27/20071510001
 Car shuttered and stopped rolling in an intersection, then abruptly went into gear again with a lurch. transmission shop replaced valve assembly. problem returned and car was returned to shop. new valve assembly installed, problem came back. returned to shop, transmission removed, replaced, 3 times. seals replaced. same problem.ecm was suspect. car was taken to local toyota dealer, was told ecm was fine, ecm was re-programmed and we were charged $275.00. problem continued. long story short-ecm was replaced, programmed, and paid another $1200. works fine. toyota owes me big time. they know of this problem, and ignore. i have owned 5 toyotas in my life, and have an fj cruiser as well. will not consider toyota in the future unless they admit the problem, and assist in repairs. *tr
10/19/20071100001
 I have a toyota rav4 2002-in may 2006 i went to military training school, i got back oct 2006 while driving my engine failed on the hwy. i took it to toyota and they told me it was 420 miles over the warranty and it was not covered. i did all my required upkeep and maintenance and to my surprise it had oil sludge. he claims its from sitting but alot of vehicles sit and do not have problems especially military members that are deployed. i had to pay 3989.00 for a used engine. after researching and finding out 2001 -03 camry and lexus had the same problems and were recalled. i fought got and attorney and still no recall. i hope to have a civil lawsuit with toyota because of this but it never happened. march 2007 my transmission went out while on the hwy. i was driving and notice it kept jerking. then it would hesitate getting into gear and reverse. i took it to a toyota dealer and they told me my transmission is going out and it would cost 4980.00. ok let me break down the existing problems up until this point. the drivers door electric locking system went out it was repaired 4 times, the check engine light never goes off said its a electrical problem. the alarms comes on and will not go off even when door key or key pad is indicated. so i had to unhook. yesterday march 31st i was done with the rav 4. i have notice that more than 35 % of owners have this problems and toyota refuses to recall. *tr
03/20/2009940001
 I took my 2002 rav4 in for the recall two months later i have spent $380.00 at elmhurst toyota for flushing the transmission and cleaning the fuel injection system. $2,700 for a rebuilt transmission and i am still experiencing the same problem. car will not shift and gears. i call the toyota customer service and spoke to them about the issue and all i received was an apology. i agree with all of you toyota should upgrade this recall from placing a bandage on the festering ecm problem and just replace the ecm. this problem happen 60 days to the date after taking my rav4 in for the check engine light recall . *tr mary a. brown chicago, il
03/04/2009862001
 The car was running fine until one day when it started bucking and i experienced a significant loss of power accelerating. this occurred when i was making a left turn with oncoming traffic and resulted in the other car being forced to stop to let me pass. from a stop, car felt like it was starting in second or third gear instead of first gear. very dangerous! limped to local shop and car was diagnosed with bad solenoid in transmission. this was replaced, drove three miles home and the same problem occurred the next day. same code appeared during diagnosis and this indicated that the main computer (ecm) was defective. this will cost $1200 to replace. potential replacement of transmission may be needed as well at a cost of $3500. after a search on the internet i found that this problem had been experienced by hundreds of other rav owners. my car has 86k miles and was just over the 80k mile window for the manufacturer to pay for repairs. toyota has known about this problem since 2006, according to tsb issued. the car has been regularly serviced at the toyota dealership. *tr
03/15/20091277001
 Driving my rav4 south on hamilton road, a busy thruway, while stopped at a light to turn left my tranny slips and hesitates so bad that as i pulled into the intersection in the way of oncoming cars my car couldn't get through the intersection safely. fortunately no crashes. maybe next time. *tr
02/04/20091140001
 Hard shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear of 2002 toyota rav 4 automatic transmission after 100,000 miles on odometer. *tr
03/07/2008960001
 2002 rav4: failed transmission due to defective ecm which toyota put out a technical service bulletin on but didn't recall. i was not notified of the service bulletin, so the problem was not prevented in time. *tr
02/15/2009780001
 In 2007 a recall 601 was issued by toyota for engine control modules in rav4s. i took my 2002 in & they recalibrated the module. i was told at the time it somehow affected the gear shift. 18 mos. later, feb. 2009, my transmission suddenly started slipping & jumping in & out of gear. i've owned toyotas for 30 years & this was most unusual. i took the car to s.f. toyota. they had a very hard time pinpointing the problem because it was sporadic. first they said solenoid, then they finally said replace the whole transmission for $4800. and that it was not connected to the engine control module. if it were, it would be covered by warranty, otherwise, not. i don't feel a transmission should suddenly go out after 78,000 with no warning. especially on a toyota. i almost had a very bad accident when my car slipped out of gear on the highway & wouldn't reengage. i think it's defective because there are numerous complaints on line for this year & model with the exact same problem. and i think toyota is ignoring the problem. *tr
01/31/2009676961
 My car started to rev without any forward gain in distance when i depressed the accelerator. i took it into the toyota dealership and was told the transmission fluids just needed to be flushed, but that there was no metal in it. two days later i took my car back in for the same revving and bucking problem. the team manager checked the transmission out again and. reassured me that all was fine and asked me to ride with him to prove it. the car did not buck. i was given a story about how the computer resets when the car is worked on, and that it was set for a more aggressive driver. today, i barely made it home from the mountains. my rav crawled over the pass and kept jerking from 30-60 rpms with noise but no acceleration gain. i cannot count on the car to take me to work until it is fixed properly. *tr
01/02/20091110001
 Harsh shift. *tr
11/01/20081230001
 Harsh shifting/slipping in automatic transaxle. no special events leading up to failure; just started in about 123,000 miles. problem now occurs every time i drive the vehicle. only an obd ii scan has been performed on the vehicle. *tr
12/08/2008940001
 Started car 2 weeks ago (december 8th) drove for 10 minutes at slow speed under 30 mph. car started bucking and having trouble shifting. was almost rare ended due to lack of acceleration. rpm would increase but car would struggle shifting and accelerating. brought to transmission specialist. they thoroughly checked transmission and couldn't find a problem. drained fluid and replaced filter. cost $170. three days later started bucking again. trouble shifting. brought to different mechanic who states needs new transmission. requesting rebuilt from toyota. cost over $2000, car only has 94,000 miles on engine. toyota says that if it is over 60,000 miles it is not under warranty. *tr
12/01/2008403001
 I brought my rav brand new in 200. have had no problem with it up until a few days ago. it was running just fine but the next day i noticed that it would jerk when i shifted in/out of reverse. not only that but it had trouble accelerating and would jerk from 1st to 2nd gear. read multiple complaints on this issue via www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and found that i am not alone in this problem....this is unacceptable.. i have a four year old and i am scared of driving anywhere because im scared of pulling out in traffic for the fear that the car wont move and i may get hit.....this need to be addressed....*tr
11/23/20081180001
 2002 toyota rav4 transmission started jerking and could not pick up speed on highway. almost got into a major accident with my daughter (20 month old) on board. i looked online and there are numerous complaints of this make and model having major transmission problems. toyota need to fix this major safety problem and not stick the consumer with the bill (average fix $3,000 dollars fix per vehicle at best worth$7,000). *tr
11/21/20071
 2002 toyota rav4, 207,000 miles. auto transmission suddenly shifting hard from 2/3 gears, hard into reverse, slow to engage after full stops, jerks abruptly. contacted dealer/ toyota service center, will have them inspect the vehicle. well maintained, recently had routine service done by dealer, transmission flush. fluid levels all topped. *tr
10/15/2008900001
 I was driving my fathers 2002 toyota rav4 awd when the transmission suddenly shifted from 2nd to 1st gear and then the drive line locked-up causing the vehicle to stop suddenly. a car following me tried to stop but tapped my rear bumper. no damage to either vehicle. diagnosis of the problem was a bad vehicle computer and new transmission was needed. costs were $4500. *tr
10/09/2008970001
 Suddenly, my car starting shifting very roughly into reverse. it happens every time i put the car into reverse. i was told the ecm needed to be replaced because it was defective. this is the same ecm that had a factory recall issued that i had serviced last year. *tr
10/05/20071441001
 Car began to slip out of second gear to first gear during acceleration. i took the car to a toyota dealership and they told me that the engine control module (ecm) was inoperative and that the transmission was damaged as a result. i was told that the extent of the damage to the transmission could not be determined until a new ecm was installed at a cost of $1500 but that the cost of the transmission could be between $3,000 to $5,500. i was informed by the dealer that the parts are out of warranty. *tr
09/09/2008880001
 Our rav4 began to have problems shifting, and the check engine light was on. took to local dealer. first visit resulted in tune-up items. dealership treated it as an engine-related problem. check engine came back on again the same afternoon. on second visit, dealership kept car overnight to drive it while it was cold. we were told that we had a bad catalytic converter, and that this would have to be replaced before any further diagnosis could occur. the cc was only three years old, already having been replaced under warranty. they had already reprogrammed the ecm. per a toyota service campaign. after the cc replacement, car is still not shifting properly, and is getting worse. dealership advised us that we need an ecm replacement, at a cost of $1300. after the fact, we found toyota tsb tc002-06, which describes the exact issues our rav4 is having. toyota admits in the tsb that the ecm of the '01 through '03 rav4's can cause the harsh shifting that we are seeing, and that toyota made changes to the manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring. the recommendation is the replacement of the ecm. it cannot be reprogrammed to eliminate this problem. the result of this ecm failure is that the car is no longer drivable, as the transmission does not shift properly at all, and it constantly looses tension on its clutch pack, resulting in loss of power to the road. the condition gets worse over a short time. in only two weeks, the car will not stay in any single gear when driving. a search of this issue on the internet found many other people having the same problem. often, the ecm failure causes physical transmission failure. the dealership will not stand behind their faulty diagnosis, nor will they make toyota honor the warranty, which is 80,000 miles or 8 years. we are under the years, but over by 8,000 miles. how can this not be treated as a safety issue? is it not serious enough when your car slips out of gear in traffic unexpectedly? *tr
09/16/2008715001
 2002 toyota rav4 transmission - transmission is not working properly in shifting. rough shifting from 2/3 gear. had to find information on federal 8year/80k mile mandated free reprogramming to try to fix this. but reading accounts this may not work and even then the transmission may be damaged already. there should be a recall regardless of miles driven as this is a constant problem on this year/model. thank goodness i was low mileage but this problem occurs regardless of mileage. this is a toyota defect in the transmission. *tr
09/11/2008640001
 I have a toyota rav 4 2002. it has 64,000 miles. it has had all it's recommended services, new tires and is clean. the transmission needs replacing and possibly the computer. toyota will not assume any responsibility for the transmission and it costs $3500.00 to replace the parts. on carcomplaints.com there are 120 complaints re the transmission and the 2002 rav4. people are talking about a law suit. they have said that i despite replacing the transmission it still needed repairs. *tr
08/23/200883800
 Automatic transmission started thumping/jerking when shifting from park to drive or reverse, despite having foot on the brake. within a month, the transmission started slipping and would not shift from first gear. engine races at 4,000+ rmp and does not shift to other gears. *tr
08/29/2008520001
 I brought my rav brand new in 2002. have had no problem with it up until a few a year ago when the engine light came on intermittent. every time i was going to take the vehicle into get checked it would go out. when i arrived at my present duty station i was deployed almost immediately. within two months of my deployment my wife told me that car was having a hard time moving and could hear the transmission slipping. she then took the vehicle to the mechanic and they told her that the transmission was broke and needed to be repaired. only 52000 miles on the vehicle. the mechanic also told my wife that there could be a tsb out on the vehicle pertaining to the electronic control module, part that tells the transmission to shift gears, ecmand there was several that pertained the problem and what needed to be replaced. being in italy she contacted the states rep for toyota and was told that they couldn't locate our car because we bought it from a licensed dealer american spec vehicle from germany. she then contact the agency that is authorized to sell american spec cars and was informed that the vehicle fell under the warranty and that they american toyota should pay for it based on an american tsb. called toyota again and nothing. when i came home, we took the vehicle to local dealership and because it was an american tsb they would consider the replacement. in the mean time they assured us that the vehicle was safe to drive and being our only vehicle my wife was forced to drive it. toyota rome oked the replacement of the ecm, the actual fault of the vehicle but has refused to replace the transmission the result of the faulty part. now the transmission is completely shot and looking on line thousands of american consumers are paying thousands of dollars out to replace a product that is the result of toyota's engineering flaws. i personally feel that they are responsible the transmission and the replacement. further investigation is requested. *tr
07/02/20081
 The check engine light comes on continuously. at stop signs and traffic lights the vehicle begins jerking and hesitating when you push on the acceleration peddle. when you press down on the acceleration to go forward that is when the hesitation and jerking begin. once the vehicle takes off it continues to jerk. which is dangerous when you have passengers and small children in the vehicle because the jerking pulls your neck forward abruptly. the diagnostic said that it is the computer which cost roughly between $800.00 to $1200.00. several complaints have been made regarding this problem to toyota but there have not been any recalls for this particular computer part on the 2002 toyota rav 4. *tr
08/21/20081126971
 2002 toyota rav4 just stops, it doesn't shift 2nd and 3rd gear , the engine light turns and some times it work correctly with no problem but in the middle of a drive the rav4 it just stop jerking almost to a dead stop. dealer said you need a new transmission and it will cost you $4,989.00 dollars. *tr
08/19/20081500001
 Accelerating and shift failure in automatic transmission -toyota issued tsb on march 2006 to change ecm which controls shift sequencing. defective ecm could cause transmission failure. as a toyota owner i think this should be a recall item. my opinion is this is a safety issue. *tr
08/13/2008148000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while the vehicle was stopped, the contact began to remove her foot from the brake pedal and the vehicle suddenly jerked forward three times. while driving 15 mph, the vehicle jerked forward three times again while making a left turn. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. there were no warnings prior to the failures. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 148,000.
07/05/20081370001
 Check engine light came on - slippage of transmission. evaluated by dealer and informed that it was the ecm/transmission. ecm was adjusted and failed to alter problem. recommendation replacement of ecu/ecu. *tr
06/01/20081
 Vehicle suddenly started hesitating and has difficulty shifting from 1st to 2nd gear in an automatic transmission. the first repair, transmission flushing, did not correct the problem. near accident due to erratic shifting problem of rav4 2002. apparently related to the ecm. the vehicle has a very sluggish start from a standstill as if the emergency brake is on. attempting to turn across oncoming traffic and vehicle would not move and almost hit by oncoming traffic. vehicle also shifts erratically when driving. very dangerous to drive. toyota does not appear to be aware of this very serious and dangerous problem that should be recalled before someone is injured. other complaints of the same nature at autobeef.com. *tr
08/01/2008960001
 I drove my car saturday 8-1-08 and noticed that from park to reverse the car was shifting very hard. i had the tranny drained and filled and additive placed. the shifting was so violent that i called around and did internet research. after reading http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?s=eec4529e47f582cec0a62327b81dbe0c&showtopic=28020&pid=308037&st=450&#entry308037 it has become clear that a documented history of malfunction exists with this toytoa transmission. i have thus far had the drain and fill performed and am going to see a diagnostic test from the dealership. i am concerned for my safety. i worry that my car will have the shifting and jerking and failures during the travel, as is described elsewhere. because of my safety concerns and inability to pay for $4,000 in repairs, i intend to sell this vehicle and experience a hardship as a result. *tr
07/20/2008550001
 I bought my 2002 toyota rav4 new at toyota of hollywood, fl in 2002. my wife has been driving the vehicle and i have performed all service at the dealership. the car has only 55k miles on it. recently the car has been experiencing hesitation when shifting. we took the vehicle to the dealership and they replaced the computer under warranty. this is something that should have been done 2 years ago when the tsb was first put out. the tsb would have prevented this transmission problem from appearing. now the dealership is saying that it didn't fix the problem and that they must replace the solenoids but the are not sure if that will fix the problem. had they fixed the problem with the computer 2 years ago, we wouldn't have a problem now. the car only has 55k miles. the transmission on a toyota should not fail in 55k miles. that's the reason i bought a toyota. this is well know issue. thousands of people ar writing about this issue on the internet every day. these are just some of the links. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c4213/0 http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15515 toyota should replace the transmission under warranty for free since i wouldn't have this problem now if the dealership had performed the work that was supposed to be done. *tr
07/27/2008970001
 2002 toyota rav 4 2 wheel drive, driven for 2 years by my wife, last week started shifting from first to 3rd. also it slips now. *tr
07/04/2008680001
 This certified, pre-owned vehicle suddenly started hesitating and has difficulty shifting from 1st to 2nd gear in an automatic transmission. the first repair, transmission flushing, did not correct the problem. it is now in the shop with a transmission specialist for a check engine code for solenoid/transmission problem, code 1760 and/or 770 - not covered under warranty. the first mechanic stated the transmission fluid was burnt. there are an unbelievable amount of documented complaints about this same problem, there needs to be a recall. i have only owned this car for 20,000 miles and owe alot of money on it. according to the complaints i have read, people are losing thousands of dollars, out-of-pocket trying to fix their vehicles. i am next. it is extremely dangerous to attempt to accelerate onto the highway when the transmission won't kick in. i have had several close call accidents. *tr
07/10/2008670001
 Automatic transmission shifts erratically and completely loses power at any given time. i was coming off of the freeway and slowed down for my exit when it lost all power . when i got power again it began jerking and shifting on it's own. it was really a dangerous situation as there were many vehicles behind me that had to basically stop on the exit of the freeway. please help us rav4 drivers get a recall for this problem from toyota. *tr
07/10/20081090001
 I was driving on the freeway when my transmission started slipping. i was in heavy traffic and was scared that i was going to lose my automatic transmission completely and be stuck on the road or rear-ended due to it hesitating badly between gears. it happened so quickly i was thrown off by what i should do but i did manage to make it home then i parked it until i could get it to a local repair shop. *tr
07/17/200878846101/01/2002
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled and lost power while attempting to make a left turn. the contact applied pressure to the accelerator pedal numerous times before the vehicle gained power. in addition, the gears shifted roughly and the automatic transmission was jerking and vibrating. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the engine control module. the vehicle repair was covered by the manufacturer warranty. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure and current mileages were 78,846. updated 09/24/08. *lj updated 09/26/08. *jb
07/04/20081289501
 1. driving the car, as normal, i came to a red light. when i began accelerating and the car went to shift gears it had trouble from 1st to 2nd gear. it quickly got progressively worse from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd. when i finally made it home i decided to try and find a mechanic right away. when driving it i felt the car had shut off 1st gear and started right into 2nd gear shifting to 3rd ok but then wouldn't shift into 4th gear. then after not finding a mechanic open on july 4th i was driving home and 1st gear was back but having a real hard time changing into 2nd and 3rd but smooth in 4th gear. i've researched this problem and found a website http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. this website shows many others with the same problem and for many on this site the faulty computer has destroyed their transmissions and forced them to not only get a new transmission but a new ecm as well. this faulty ecm is a manufacturers defect and should be replaced with no cost to the consumer. as for the people that also have a bad transmission due to the ecm, like myself, i believe toyota should replace that at no cost as well. again, this is a manufacturer defect with the ecm that causes transmission damage and should not be a consumer issue. toyota even did a recall on the 2001-2003 rav4 because of the ecm and they would reprogram the ecm to try and solve the issue. unfortunately for myself and many others this did not solve the problem and still have to get a new ecm. *tr
06/23/2008539651
 In the past few years the check engine light kept coming on and my local dealer would fix something that was supposed to be causing the problem twice. the 3rd time toyota had a recall on the computer and reprogrammed the ecu. now the 4th time the car would not go when pushing the pedal or it would stop in traffic with the hopes of not getting into a wreck. barely made it back to the dealer who said it had a bad main computer failure and the shift solenoid b was bad. all this with only 83k miles. this seems somewhat very low to be having this kind of a problem. i contacted toyota, gave them the info and they investigated and said it was way out of warranty so the case is closed. the total cost of repair was to be $4998 but with the dealer giving me a one time good will 50% split and a senior citizens discount, it had a final price of $3,725.63. *tr
02/03/2008650001
 Transmission failure transmission was rebuilt for the 3rd time and not completed and was never fixed. *tr
06/14/2008951001
 I was driving my rav4 one day and it started to jump and went into a 'wrong gear start.' it would start in about 3rd gear and jump into gear when it would finally catch up. i took it to a mechanic and they said it was the transmission. sure enough, i had metal in my pan and a bad planetary gear and my entire transmission had to be rebuilt. $3,300 later, the problem persisted. i took it back to my transmission specialist and they said that it was a problem with the computer, the ecm to be exact. i had taken my car in for a recall that had happened with this exact part of the computer brain and they did a re-flash for free, which was supposed to fix it. now that it is causing more problems, toyota refuses to fix it for free, i guess they felt they did their part by doing the 're-flash' which didn't do jack. i bought this car because it was a toyota and i am so disappointed. the transmission going out that early was very possibly due to this defect. if they further refuse to fix the problem, i am taking them to court. there are many complaints of this happening on this model. be aware! *tr
06/20/2008963321
 My car started shifting hard on 6-20-2008 on my way home from work. i took it to the dealer on 6-24-08 and was told i need a new transmission, $3,542.00 so i came home got online to see what it might cost else where. and i came across a site for complaint for this particular vehicle, so i checked it out. i found 56 complaints that were just like mine. i printed out this information and called an 800 toyota number. they said the ecm had been recalled. so i took the car back to the dealer today and they adjusted the ecm. car has same problem, actually runs a little rougher, anyway i asked the service manager if he had any other people with this problem and he indicated that this was not news to him. he then suggested i have both transmission and ecm replaced $5,000. so now i am complaining to anyone and everyone. toyota knowingly sells these cars with problems and expects us (the consumer) to suck it up and that's just plain wrong! *tr
06/20/200895000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle hesitated and became difficult to shift into first gear. the vehicle jerked and the engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the technician stated that the failures were related to the computer failure, which also caused the transmission to fail. the computer and transmission are currently being replaced at the cost of $4,600. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 95,000.
06/19/20081070001
 2002 toyota rav 4 - transmission problem - aamco service rep states computer problem and total trans rebuild costing about $4000. i have contacted toyota dealer and making arrangements to have the vehicle towed to dealer. *tr
06/02/20081180001
 Sluggish transmission when accelerating into 1st and 2nd gear and trouble shifting from 1st to 2nd. *tr
06/01/2008700001
 Transmission failure. the ecm is defective and the transmission doesn't shift. occasionally it shift by itself, hesitation in shifting. there are quite a few rav4 owners with the same problem http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/. *tr
04/20/2008960001
 Written in early may to planetfeedback.com: my wife and i purchased a 2002 rav4 new at penn toyota in greenvale, ny and it now has 97,981 miles on it. in late april it started jerking/jumping when trying to upshift and we brought it in for service at penn toyota. once there the service center advised us to have the transmission fluids flushed and refilled, which we did. they also stated that they would do an update to the ecm, which they also did. while drive the vehicle home (after the repairs), the car was jumping/jerking worse than when we brought it in. we immediately brought it back where it was re-evaluated and we were now told that ecm would have to be replaced at a cost of $1589.00. my wife and i did some research and are finding that there are more than several of the same type of complaints about this particular problem and toyota itself has extended the warranty on this product to 96 months or 80,000 miles. we fall out of that range, but there is obviously a problem with this product (which is why toyota put out the notice and extended the original warranty) and we would like fixed as in warranty. there is no reason for a car that has been well maintained to have a failure of this kind before 100,000 miles. update (6/9/08): penn toyota has replaced the ecm as a good will gesture but we still are having the problem with jerking/jumping between 2nd and 3rd gears as well as when going in reverse. they have said that we could replace the faulty ecm probably caused an issue with the transmission and we should replace the transmission and harness as well. they stated that they would be unable to cover this as a good will gesture but it would cost an estimated $3800 for me and my wife. *tr
06/06/20081161111
 2002 toyota rav 4 - transmission jerking severely. my automatic transmission jerks when first accelerating as well as while driving. from what i understand this is an ongoing problem with then vehicle. *tr
06/01/2008876411
 I own a 2002 toyota rav 4. the vehicle has been running great. one day 1st & 2nd gear began to slip. the car will accelerate then just stop until 1st gear catches abruptly jolt. the transmission is automatic. the car has just over 87,000 miles. after researching i saw there were several vehicles with the same exact problem. toyota did put out an alert stating that there are computer problems but those forms were not sent to the owners only to the service centers. now i have to take my vehicle in have solenoids changed and possibly the engine computer. these are the problems listed in the alert sent out. if toyota knows 2002 rav 4's are having these issues why have there been no recalls. i also must say that it is unjust that we as consumers have to spend thousands of dollars on parts and labor for what it seems to be manufacturer defects. i've added a link where one can view several other complaints on the same defect. thank you for your time. http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr
05/15/20081158001
 My 2002 toyota rav 4 started having shifting problems. it's out of warranty. i took it to an independent transmission specialist. why take it to a dealer, right? he rebuilt the transmission to the tune of $2500.00. he took it for a test drive and it still wouldn't shift. he talked to a service technician at toyota and was told that toyota knows about an issue with the ecm having bad computer code and that's what was tearing up transmissions. but since my car is out of warranty and i took it to an independent transmission place, toyota will not even listen to my complaint. *tr
06/04/2008871351
 I own a 2002 toyota rav4, there was a recall and i had the ecm recalibrated. i understand this controls the transmission. now i have ecm and transmission failure to the tune of $4900. i have goggled this problem and note there are a number of other consumers who have had the exact same problem - the car stutters almost to a stall in traffic, check engine light comes on and the toyota dealership dx as ecm failure/transmission failure, not preventable by consumer. other complaints of the same nature at autobeef.com. *tr
04/30/20081050001
 I recently had to replace the transmission on my car because the car was shifting erratically. after the transmission was replaced i still had the problem and was told that there was a technical bulletin from toyota tc002-6 which said that a faulty engine control module (ecm) will cause harsh shifting. toyota did not communicate this problem to me back in march 2006. if toyota would have communicated this defect, i could have had the ecm checked and probably saved my transmission. *tr
03/25/20081160001
 My car started acting up in march 2008. i had my transmission rebuilt in april and got the car back still acting up! i am trying to go by the dealership who sold it to me and get their mechanic to look at it and he is too busy when it is messing up. it only does it sometimes now but it seems to get more frequent. the tsb i read mentioned the ecm and the transmission going bad so is that my next costly expense? *tr
05/01/2008920001
 My toyota rav iv was recalled to have the ecm reprogrammed. i took it to toyota to have it reprogrammed, the problems where fixed for a couple of days but then they came back. the car does not respond for a while when shifting from first to second gear, then it jumps making a loud noise and restarts running in 2nd gear. the engine light came on. this is very dangerous, specially when there are cars behind, i almost was hit by cars going behind me at least twice. i took it to aamco, and they said the transmission is ok, it is just a computer problem. toyota should fix the entire problem with the ecm. a lot of people have replaced their transmission just for the problem to reoccur, others have had to replace the computer at their own cost. this seems to be a very common problem for this model owners, there are many blogs regarding this problem: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr
05/30/2008900001
 Near accident due to erratic shifting problem of rav4 2002. apparently related to the ecm. the vehicle has a very sluggish start from a standstill as if the emergency brake is on. attempting to turn across oncoming traffic and vehicle would not move and almost hit by oncoming traffic. vehicle also shifts erratically when driving. very dangerous to drive. toyota does not appear to be aware of this very serious and dangerous problem that should be recalled before someone is injured. *tr
05/02/20081870001
 I bought in 2002 a toyota rav 4 brand new, i have been the sole owner, just about 3 to 4 weeks ago (may 2008) and with 87,000 miles it started to haul while driving, i took it to a certified toyota mechanic who ran a computer diagnostic giving a signal that the transmission could be damage, when he took it apart the transmission filter was filled with metal particles and when he dismantle it the planetarium was broken. i was in shock to find out that a 6 year old car and specially a toyota could have a bad transmission, the mechanic spoke to toyota to see if there is any warranty and they told him the car was covered up to 80,000 and since mine was 87,000 it is not under the warranty and now i have to pay well over $2,000.00 unbelievable, could you tell me if there is anything i can do to have toyota cover for the damage because i definitely believe is a manufacturer defect. *tr
05/01/2008822001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4 l; auto transmission; odi 82,200 miles. the car began having hard shifting problem. shifts erratically from 1st to 2nd, sluggish from start. i feel it's become very dangerous, especially when i am on the highway. the car didn't want to accelerated, and then would shift very hard. so i took my car to the toyota dealer and was told that it would need at the least a new ecm, and possibly even a new transmission. the cost for the ecm $1300, and perhaps the transmission $4000. that's $5,300!!!! how could i even find that kinda money. i am just a student who tries to make it through day by day, supporting myself through school while working full-time. i can barely pay my rents or even tuition. and i am solely deepening on my car to make it to work and school; without it i would be in a big mess. certainly, i wouldn't be able to fix it and i really had no idea what to do. if toyota knows about this problem, they should repair or recall all ecm's before more people end up spending this kind of money. i'd like to also refer to my other following rav4 drivers like me who have the same problem on the link below. http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. *tr
12/18/20071110001
 The automatic transmission of my rv4 failed at 111,649 mileage. however, the mileage is the problem, aamco technician reported that the following vehicles ; lexus ex 300, lexus rx300, rv4, toyota camry and toyota highlander are all equipped with bad transmissions u140f and u140e. those transmissions are made for failure. toyota company is aware of the problem but refused to take responsibility to either repair it or reimburse customers. it cost me 2,760.58 dollars to have my transmission rebuilt. also within two months, the computer engine failed and was replaced for 1,403.53 dollars. once again, that was another matter toyota had to be accountable. the same model had a recall in march 2007 and nothing was done. *tr
03/15/2008780001
 Vehicle would hesitate from a stop creating a potential hazard. brought car to dealer who claimed nothing was wrong with car, changed transmission oil as part of 75,000 maintenance. next day car broke down completely with my six year old grandson in car. dealer said i needed a new transmission for $4000. it was not until i started reading on-line complaints that i learned that it is a common problem with 2002 rav-4 and can be fixed with a new ecm for $$1,200. they do however have a technical bulletin that addressed the transmission hesitation to the faulty ecm? *tr
03/20/2008880001
 I have a 2002 toyota rav4, i had to have the transmission rebuilt because from what i have read toyota found there was a problem with the ecm. but there was never a recall for this problem and the warranty was for 80,000 mine when at 88,000. i had the transmission rebuilt but the vehicle is exhibiting the same problem. i have since learned that the ecm needs to be replaced and can damage a new transmission if not done. no notice from toyota about this i had to find this out on the web. i also learned that the ecm cost $1200 and toyota is not offering any discounts even though they knew of the potential problem and damages that may occur. *tr
03/28/200810300010
 Car started to hesitate and jerk into 2nd gear when accelerating. this created dangerous situations at intersections , going around corners and trying to merge into traffic. check engine light came on. dealer said needed to replace an ecm module in the transmission hoping this will fix it (cost 1350) if it doesn't i will need a transmission (3500). found 38 similar complaints on exact same thing on internet. why aren't we made aware and why not a recall before someone gets killed. *tr
02/09/2008165078112/29/2001
 Transmission problems (shifting) with my 2002 toyota rav-4, although it has auto transmission it wont go into gear after a stop and i have safety concerns since i drive mostly on the freeway and for long distances and traffic is always and issue to and from work. *tr
09/25/200761059301/06/2004
 Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while stopped at a traffic light, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would not move. a few seconds later, the vehicle began to move. the vehicle shifted completely out of gear and then went shifted back on its own. the failure continued during the drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that there was a recall on the ecm and it was reprogrammed. the failure recurred the following day while driving 30 mph. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they rechecked the ecm. they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and he stated that the ecm was faulty, which caused the transmission to fail. the vehicle experienced the same failure when the contact retrieved it from the mechanic. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they discovered that the ecm was faulty and made the replacement. there is a tsb for the ecm. the current mileage was 61,800 and failure mileage was 61,059. updated 02-13-08 *bf updated 02/13/08 *tr
10/20/20071200005006/01/2004
 Repeated problems with transmission, ecm that have cost in excess of $4000 and still the car is dangerous to drive. toyota refuses to acknowledge the fact that someone will soon be killed from this problem. when pulling into traffic and they should be accelerating, these cars stall. this is my second report and no one responds from here or from toyota!!! *tr
06/14/200784000104/05/2002
 I started to have intermittent issues with my toyota 2002 rav4 transmission; concerning hard shifting and lose of power during acceleration. i have been informed by the dealer that i require a new transmission. after searching the internet (www.carcomplaints.com, www.tundrasolutions.com, & rav4world.com) i was able to find quite a few instances of people having the same issues with their 2002 rav4. each story ends up with the individuals paying an average of $4500 to have the transmission replaced then having to go back and have the ecu replaced ($1000). after all was said and done, the problems still existed. after speaking with toyota they feel there is no issue and do not plan on investigating the issue to determine if a recall is required. i just had my transmission replaced and the issue is still there. i am in the process with my local amoco transmission co. to resolve the problem. the problem can occur at anytime without notice during acceleration from a stopped condition or during normal driving causing the car abruptly slow down in traffic, which could put the driver in a life or death situation. *tr
05/15/200713000007/15/2004
 2002 toyota rav4 transmission not shifting or shifting inappropriately nearly causing crashes as drivers pull into traffic or drive in traffic.
04/10/2006290001
 Vehicle was plugged in to a charger, charging normally. driver returned to the car, and neglected to remove the charging cable. driver turned the key, and shifted from park to reverse. vehicle rolled away from the charging station and damaged the cable and the charging station, disabling the charging station until it could be repaired (at a cost of $1200 to $1500). vehicle should not be able to shift out of park when connected to a charging station. (date is approximate.) *nm
02/19/2004315003
 On february 19, 2004, i took my 2002 toyota rav4 to the dealership for a problem that involved the vehicle unexpectedly surging forward. and failing to shift gears. i was told that the speed sensor was replaced and the vehicle was released to me. the problem continued that day and i returned the vehicle to the dealership on february 20, 2004. i was told that a part had to be ordered and that they would call me when the part was in. i was told that in the meantime, the vehicle was safe to drive. on february 23, 2004, my husband drove the vehicle and was stopped at an intersection when the vehicle surged forward into the intersection. we immediately phoned toyota, telling them that vehicle was not safe to drive and requested that they tow the vehicle to the dealership. the vehicle was towed and has been at the dealership since february 23, 2004. principle complaint: my vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surges or accelerates and fails to shift gears. *ak
10/06/20031
 When driving up a hill vehicle began to stall. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)
03/26/200896172104/28/2005
 Vehicle would hesitate from a stop creating a potential hazard. independent garage told us that it was a transmission issue. transmission was covered under our extended warranty so we took vehicle to toyota dealer. they advised us that issue was ecm (electronic control module) issue and not covered by the extended warranty. when i asked if toyota would cover i was advised that they would not as this issue was not subject to any recall? they did however have a technical bulletin that addressed the transmission hesitation to the faulty ecm? i replaced the ecm ($1612) and it appears that it corrected the problem. my research has shown that this problem is very common to the 2002 rav4 model only in the toyota family of suvs. is this a design defect? *tr
09/04/2007114000212/27/2001
 Automatic transmission damaged because the ecm toyota installed in 2002 rav 4 had programming logic issues. *tr
11/05/200788250403/14/2002
 Faulty engine control module. it has failed and caused transmission to fail as well. after $4k replacement transmission is shot again. transmission misses gears and has stalled in the middle of intersection. nothing was done to correct. dealership is stating to replace transmission first then come back to fix computer. for other complaints of similar nature see: www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifiting.shtml *tr
09/17/200796000106/29/2002
 Hard shift prob from 2/3rd gear with toyota 2002 rav4 took car to dealer on 9-17-2007. recall for emission problem caused the engine light to come on. i described problem to the dealer and asked them to look at this problem. dealer said any other problems should show on computer. picked car up asked about shift prob. they said nothing came up on the computer diagnostic ( i later learned that they test drove the car and could not duplicate problem) and it sounded like it could be a transmission problem. they said to make an appointment to have the transmission looked at. i asked for cost and they said they had no idea it would depend on how long it took to find problem. i took car to transmission shop. they hooked car up to computer and said internal transmission failure and need transmission rebuilt. i had this repar done at cost of 2,639.81. called me after transmission was rebuilt there is a problem. they researched database and found that there was a bulletin put out by toyota on march 3, 2006. powertrain control module that causes a shift problem in 2001-2003 toyota rav4's. it explains the diagnostic and repair for this problem in detail and states that the ecm may need to be replaced. i am informed that in order for my transmission to work need to have ecm replaced. toyota knew about this problem when i took my car to them they could have fixed the problem then and saved me $2,639.81. i paid dealer to have the ecm replaced for $1003.81. part to me for a wholesale price. the car is now finally running fine. i was told that they do not search for bulletins on cars that are in for service. they said there are just too many of them for them to keep up with. i saw time it took for the tech to look up the bulletin on laptop info came up immediately. my research shows that other 2002 rav4's have same problem. i have failed ecm that was removed from car. *tr
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
11/22/2010103000
 My 2002 rav 4 check engine light came on at 96,000 miles; when the code was checked it related it to the catalyst system, but i called toyota customer service and they informed me that the ecm had to be updated as part of a recall for my vehicle and i needed to take it to a toyota dealer; doing this would cause the faulty check engine light to be reset. they performed the service, and now 3 weeks later the vehicle spontaneously pops out of 5th gear, causing the vehicle to dramatically decrease unpredictably at highway speeds. dangerous!!! although after looking on the internet and discovering countless others with this same problem, toyota has not yet issued a recall for the transmission problems; they have done nothing to address this dangerous and costly-to-fix problem. supposedly in 2006 toyota realized there was an issue with the ecm, (which could apparently damage the transmission). instead of letting consumers know about this issue as soon as they realized, they sent a technical service bulletin to dealerships and service areas, but failed to let their own customers know. according to internet research, this problem generally starts around 90,000 miles.

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