Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 00805 | 08/01/2005 | 10016636 | U140f transmission solenoid identification. *tt | 09/26/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| SB-0156-10 REV 2 | 06/22/2010 | 10037585 | Toyota: there may be a harsh shift condition or a malfunction light on with five possible trouble codes stored. 2001-2003 rav4. *rm | 05/26/2011 | |
| SB-0156-10 REV 2 | 06/22/2010 | 10037585 | Ready | 05/26/2011 | |
| POL-10-03 | 07/09/2010 | 10034508 | Toyota: 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. *pe | 11/22/2010 | |
| TSB-0156-10 | 06/22/2010 | 10034126 | Toyota: 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-10-034 | 07/08/2010 | 10034070 | Toyota: 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/or | 10/15/2010 | |
| 00504 | 08/26/2004 | 10009397 | Proper identification of the 5 solenoids used in the u240e/u241e automatic transaxles. *tt | 09/29/2004 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 00206 | 03/03/2006 | 00206 | 10019667 | Harsh shift and/or m.i.l. on dtc p0750, p0755, p0758, and/or p1760. *tt | 04/17/2006 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 12/21/2012 | 126000 | 1 | |
| We purchased our rav 4 as a certified used car from folwer toyota inc. 955 north interstate norman oklahoma january 2005. we were told the certified used car included a 160-point quality inspection, certifying the car is in good working order. the dealer never told us about the problem with the transmission computer and they never transferred the name of ownership to toyota, inc. in december of last year we began to experience problem with the transmission jerking forward and shifting hard between 1st and 2nd gear. it also shifted hard into reverse. we took it to our mechanic who suggested that we service the transmission and see if that might be the problem. the problem persisted and we called toyota and talked to a customer service agent that informed us that toyota had an extended warranty on the transmission and that the warranty for our car ran out december 31st 2012 and we would not qualify. we did not know anything about the transmission defective computer until we called toyota and after looking on the internet discovering that the extended warranty was the result of a class action suite. toyota knew about the problem with the transmission computer but failed to inform us about the extended warranty or the potential problem with the transmission. now we are told that to replace the computer is between $1500.00 and $1900.00 and if there has been damage to the transmission caused by the failure of the computer it will cost us $5000.00 to rebuild the transmission. we believe that toyota dealer that sold us the rav 4 should have ensured that our name and address was sent to toyota informing them of our purchase in case there was a recall or in this case an extended warranty covering a defective part. we also believe that toyota would not listen to our appeal because we called after the warranty time limit. | |||
| 02/01/2013 | 90145 | ||
| Trouble with harsh automatic transmission shifting - delays - clunks - noise. dealer says 99% sure trouble is ecm hence the ecm and transmission need replacement . toyota canada denies any knowledge of the goodwill warrantee on the phone - even after checking with a manager. and says it is only a usa issue even thought the dealer readily acknowledges an wab #### service bulletin. the dealer says i will have to suppena the service advisary through a lawyer to get the information that toyota canada says they do not seem to know about? (in 2013!!!) the dealer says i am 2 months past their secret deadline in the secret goodwill warrantee so toyota denies responsibility. feels like very shoddy customer relations that i feel will cost toyota far more than their actual minuscule cost (<$200 their cost?) to replace with a proper ecu - engine control unit before the transmission is damaged beyond repair! they claim that they cannot test the ecu units and do not know which ones are bad until the customer (like me) comes in needing many thousands of dollars in repairs. ok go ahead and wait but at least warn the customer to watch for issues and have it checked if any issues arise right away. - not wash their hands after a secret time line passes how convenient for them! this is a ludicrous situation. less that 90,000 miles and toyota has the gall to tell me to pay them to fix a part they acknowledge is defective and then pay an extra lump of thousands of dollars for the transmission they themselves say is 99% certain to have been caused by the faulty ecu problem for good measure! have you no shame toyota canada, or is it too much fun rolling around in a pile of my money? - the canadian border should not be something a giant elephant of a company should be allowed to hide behind in my humble opinion. the way toyota canada is handling this issue is a major fail for toyota! | |||
| 12/21/2012 | 126000 | 1 | |
| We purchased our rav 4 as a certified used car from folwer toyota inc. 955 north interstate norman oklahoma january 2005. we were told the certified used car included a 160-point quality inspection, certifying the car is in good working order. the dealer never told us about the problem with the transmission computer and they never transferred the name of ownership to toyota, inc. in december of last year we began to experience problem with the transmission jerking forward and shifting hard between 1st and 2nd gear. it also shifted hard into reverse. we took it to our mechanic who suggested that we service the transmission and see if that might be the problem. the problem persisted and we called toyota and talked to a customer service agent that informed us that toyota had an extended warranty on the transmission and that the warranty for our car ran out december 31st 2012 and we would not qualify. we did not know anything about the transmission defective computer until we called toyota and after looking on the internet discovering that the extended warranty was the result of a class action suite. toyota knew about the problem with the transmission computer but failed to inform us about the extended warranty or the potential problem with the transmission. now we are told that to replace the computer is between $1500.00 and $1900.00 and if there has been damage to the transmission caused by the failure of the computer it will cost us $5000.00 to rebuild the transmission. we believe that toyota dealer that sold us the rav 4 should have ensured that our name and address was sent to toyota informing them of our purchase in case there was a recall or in this case an extended warranty covering a defective part. we also believe that toyota would not listen to our appeal because we called after the warranty time limit. | |||
| 02/01/2013 | 90145 | ||
| Trouble with harsh automatic transmission shifting - delays - clunks - noise. dealer says 99% sure trouble is ecm hence the ecm and transmission need replacement . toyota canada denies any knowledge of the goodwill warrantee on the phone - even after checking with a manager. and says it is only a usa issue even thought the dealer readily acknowledges an wab #### service bulletin. the dealer says i will have to suppena the service advisary through a lawyer to get the information that toyota canada says they do not seem to know about? (in 2013!!!) the dealer says i am 2 months past their secret deadline in the secret goodwill warrantee so toyota denies responsibility. feels like very shoddy customer relations that i feel will cost toyota far more than their actual minuscule cost (<$200 their cost?) to replace with a proper ecu - engine control unit before the transmission is damaged beyond repair! they claim that they cannot test the ecu units and do not know which ones are bad until the customer (like me) comes in needing many thousands of dollars in repairs. ok go ahead and wait but at least warn the customer to watch for issues and have it checked if any issues arise right away. - not wash their hands after a secret time line passes how convenient for them! this is a ludicrous situation. less that 90,000 miles and toyota has the gall to tell me to pay them to fix a part they acknowledge is defective and then pay an extra lump of thousands of dollars for the transmission they themselves say is 99% certain to have been caused by the faulty ecu problem for good measure! have you no shame toyota canada, or is it too much fun rolling around in a pile of my money? - the canadian border should not be something a giant elephant of a company should be allowed to hide behind in my humble opinion. the way toyota canada is handling this issue is a major fail for toyota! | |||
| 11/02/2012 | 117241 | 1 | |
| Erratic transmission shifting. this was already complained about on 7/2010. toyota needs to honor what you told them to do. transmission/ecm. i want a refund for my out of pocket expense on this issue $995.98. extended warranty 10 years or 150,000 miles ..updated 01/17/2013 *bf | |||
| 11/02/2012 | 117241 | 1 | |
| Erratic transmission shifting. this was already complained about on 7/2010. toyota needs to honor what you told them to do. transmission/ecm. i want a refund for my out of pocket expense on this issue $995.98. extended warranty 10 years or 150,000 miles | |||
| 12/01/2012 | 69000 | 1 | |
| I backed up in reverse and then put 2003 rav 4 into drive expecting to go forward when motor began to race and car flew backward over 12-foot high embankment into woods while engine continued racing. car did not roll over but swung around 130 degrees in a flat area and came to a stop facing a tree 4 feet straight ahead. a second or two later the car then leaped forward into the tree with engine roaring, car continued to race at high rpms with front bumper wrapped around tree. the only way i could stop the high revs was to turn off the ignition. i injured my back. *tr | |||
| 07/10/2012 | 157000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started to shake and stalled without any warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 157,000 and the current mileage was 167,000. | |||
| 07/10/2012 | 157000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started to shake and stalled without any warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 157,000 and the current mileage was 167,000. kmj | |||
| 07/10/2012 | 157000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle started to shake and stalled without any warnings. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 157,000 and the current mileage was 167,000. pm | |||
| 03/05/2012 | 117461 | ||
| My 2003 toyota rav 4 started shifting poorly and inconsistently by not shifting to the next gear, slipping in between gears and slamming into gear. there are times when the transmission functions correctly and then there are days when it never does. i am scared to death to drive this car not knowing whether it will be a good day when my rav4 behaves as it should or if its going to leave transmission parts all over the road, get us in an accident or at the very least, leave us stranded. nerve racking and incredibly unsafe. | |||
| 04/13/2011 | 66000 | ||
| My car lost power. i could not drive more than 10 miles an hour. intermittent loss of power happened several times last years and this years. just recently on 04/04/2012 at 4:55pm i was driving with my wife and her sister and i had to pull on shoulder and turned on hazard warning light and drive in lower gear ( 2nd gear ). | |||
| 10/06/2011 | |||
| This is my wife's primary mode of transportation, she was the one who first noticed the herky/jerky operation of the transmission when she attempted to place it in reverse to back up, she then notified me of the problem. i proceeded to test drive the vehicle the next day, when we were pulling into traffic from a parking lot, it suddenly shuddered between gears and finally settled into the proper gear after i let off of the accelerator. once we made it home after about 10 miles, we parked the car until i had a chance to drive it to toyota for an assessment. they drove it around and noticed the same herky/jerky operation, but stated to me that they couldn't do anything until they received a code from the computer stating either ecu or transmission trouble, after 2 or 3 days they were unable to retrieve any such code. | |||
| 10/05/2011 | 170000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission and computer were defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 170,000. | |||
| 10/05/2011 | 170000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission and computer were defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 170,000. kmj | |||
| 10/05/2011 | 170000 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph the vehicle transmission started to jerk violently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission and computer were defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offered any assistance since the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 170,000. pm | |||
| 10/03/2011 | 115000 | ||
| Car will not moves very slowly when it stops and you try to accelerate, very dangerous! | |||
| 12/03/2010 | 89000 | ||
| Check oil light came on and would go out, after checking the oil level all appear fine, the car would burn 1 quart every two months. after driving along the express way for 30 miles and using a two lane road for about 3 miles the check engine light and oil light all came on at a stop light and then the engine make noise and quit running, after towing the car to a auto repair shop we were told the car needed a new engine. the car is a rav 4 2003 with about 89,000 miles on it. | |||
| 05/28/2010 | 1 | ||
| Was slightly skipping gears. was taken to dealership. was told that if it was the ecm, the engine light would have come on, it did not. was told that it was the transmission, hard to believe as there were no noise except the rpms. they recommend transmission replacement and transmission computer est. $5512,00 +tax. 2003 rav4 should of at least go beyond 10 years without any mayor repairs. i told them no. do not start work on it, i will pick it up this evening. about 4:45pm i arrived at the dealership to pick up the suv and noticed that it was much worst than when i dropped it off. luckily my wife was behind me to slow traffic in order for me to get our suv back in our garage before anything happens especially during traffic hours. the gears and the loud transmission shift could now be heard. that did not happen before then. going up hills now it took its time. have to put it reverse so that i can get it in straight into the garage and boom, then i heard like coil springs popping. i put it back on drive and was able to get into the garage. toyota knew about this problem a long time ago and failed to notify us. bennet toyota @2300 hanover avenue @ (610)437-6711, did not even want to talk to me. they must have done something to the transmission when i told them no. because now it is 99% failing compare to when i took it when i noticed the safety hazards/ and the noises when i shift gear from drive to reverse. now i hear big thumps when i shift and coils springing. the rav4 is automatic by the way. hope you can help with this. just remember, toyota new about this. p.s. almost hit a little girl on a bike the same day. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 2 | ||
| S10 appropriate handling-letter to the secretary from re toyota problems *tgw 2003 toyota rav4. the consumer stated when plugged into the electric charging system, the vehicle rolled away. the consumer stated it can happen if the gear is inadvertently shifted out of park and into neutral if the vehicle is parked on a slight slope. *jb | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 84000 | 1 | |
| Hello, i just recently submitted a complaint on the toyota rav4 that is having wide spread transmission problems due to a faulty ecm. i just spoke to the dealership and they are aware of it, but the consumers are not. it is only taken care of after the problem starts and if you take it to a toyota dealer who runs a service bulletin check. this is just not acceptable for all these people that are suffering the huge expense of this, and was not even aware of a problem with this cars main computer (ecm). i just hope i can help to make a difference for all of us. not a safety issue....bs! my teenage daughters are driving this car and i'm afraid of what would happen if this problem continues and the car stops working on the freeway or where ever it may happen. who is to say the new ecm is even good. please go to aboutautomobile.com on tc002-06 and see complaints. also just search tc002-06 rav4 to see how many people are having problems. thank you! *tr | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 102000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. she noticed that when she stopped the gear will fail it will stay in drive. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the diagnosis indicated that the failure was caused by the electronic control unit. the dealer replaced the ecu and the failure was corrected. the failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 104,236. updated 03/30/10. *lj | |||
| 12/27/2009 | 134000 | 1 | |
| This is a well known safety hazard toyota will not acknowledge with 2001-04 rav4s. my well maintained 2003 rav4 with 135k miles suddenly hesitates/jerks on acceleration. never had issues with car until few days ago with mild hesitation intermittently. now car bucks violently, shakes, skips gears and lurches ahead when accelerating and before coming to full stop. car is at dealership and no defects found. they are now testing for engine control module failure at my request based on what i have learned from reading scores of similar complaints. part is estimated at $1500 but toyota will not cover as it has over 80000 miles - they knew of this defect since at least 2006 and issued a service bulletin but did not alert me and other owners to get this issue repaired. it is a serious safety hazard. *tr | |||
| 12/02/2009 | 59701 | 1 | |
| My wife's 2003 toyota rav4 2 wheel drive transmission suddenly stopped driving in traffic while at a traffic light. it revved up but wouldn't move. then it finally took hold and drove off in a higher gear. then while driving on the road in traffic it did it again (very dangerous-she could of been hit from behind. apparently after reading up on it, toyota issued in march 06' a report to toyota service centers about their ecm causing this problem, but hasn't warned consumers, or done anything about it. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2009 | 98000 | 1 | |
| I own a toyota rav 4 2003. in a matter of days, my car started slipping gears while accelerating. my car was unable to accelerate safely in 45 mph bumper to bumper traffic. i took my car into the dealer to find out that there is a faulty ecm that affects transmissions that toyota has known about. i think it is unethical practice for a car maker to know that there is a faulty design in a car that can affect something as an important and as expensive as a transmission. what would have happened if i was merging on to the highway, and it did not accelerate? *tr | |||
| 08/27/2009 | 108100 | 1 | |
| Toyota 2003 rav4- car started bucking when accelerating after traffic light. did not accelerate evenly into traffic. had to pull over and let cars pass. onboard computer (ecm) had failed and was not communicating with the transmission. toyota had not informed consumers of this known defect. *tr | |||
| 09/09/2009 | 92000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 toyota rav 4 that began shifting hard in the lower gears and the transmission was skipping. i took my vehicle to the shop that i normally use and was told that i would need to take it to the dealership since there was a bulletin out about a possible computer problem. a month before the problem, my car was serviced at my normal shop and a transmission flush was performed. i picked my car up from the shop and took it to the toyota dealership in duluth, ga the following morning for a diagnostic test. within 2 hours the dealership called me and told me that i would need a transmission flush but no computer problems were found. i was told various other recommendations that needed to be done as well, such as changing the belt, 90k service, and a few bulb replacements. i told the dealership that i had the transmission flushed a month prior and they said that the wrong fluid was probably used since i did not have it done at a dealer. i opted for only the transmission flush and bulb replacement at this time. a couple hours later, the dealership called me back and told me that i did need to have the computer replaced and possibly a new transmission. i was told that there was a bulletin out concerning the computer but i am over the warranty and the cost would be $1,286. i have done some research on the internet and found several other people that have had the same problem. had i known about the bulletin, i could have had the computer replaced while still under warranty. *tr | |||
| 05/31/2009 | 92792 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 rav4 brought new at 0 miles with 92,000 miles never a problem or check engine light until may 31 09 on my way home from work the transmission did not want to engage properly. the car was taken to the dealers tech the next morning. they have always serviced this car they informed me that i needed a remanufactured 3122.24 trans and a 1145.89 ecu.i was never told that there was a problem with the ecu in this model or that a tsb had been issued. they was never a issue with the car before that one day yet these repairs are what i'm told i would have to pay for an issue that toyota as it turns out is well aware of to the point of making and upgrade for the ecu but are not recalling. this is a safety is your trans just goes in traffic. *tr | |||
| 04/22/2004 | 100 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact has experienced multiple failures with the vehicle ever since it was purchased. while driving at any speed, the transmission stalls and prevents the vehicle from accelerating. the computer was removed from the vehicle and sent to the manufacturer to be serviced. the vehicle is currently being repaired at the cost of $400. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 100 and current mileage was 111,000. | |||
| 04/16/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| For a few months now the problem has progressively gotten worse. it is a constant issue. when in park or stopped the car idles high. when driving the car (automatic transmission) the shift of gears is not smooth, it is jumpy and jerky. also when switching to drive, reverse etc, its not a smooth transition. i feel like the transmission is not safe and could fail while im driving. my passengers often tell me i am a crazy driver as of late, because the car is jerking them around, although i haven't changed my way of driving. i have done some research online and feel that this is a common problem among 2003 toyota rav4's. *tr | |||
| 04/18/2008 | 70000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. whenever the vehicle is at a complete stop, it lost power. if the air conditioning were to be on, the vehicle would not lose power. while driving when the vehicle changed gears there wasn't a smooth transition and the vehicle would jerk. he took the vehicle to aamco transmission and the mechanic stated that the vehicle has a worn clutch. also, the second and third gears failed. the contact was informed that the cause for the transmission failure was due to a faulty power train control module. the dealer stated that there was no recall; therefore, they were not liable for the repairs. the dealer also stated that the vehicle would have to have less than 80,000 miles for the warranty to be in effect. the current mileage was 106,000 and failure mileage was 70,000. | |||
| 03/01/2008 | 89000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 toyota rav4- seems to be exact same problem everyone else is having--no problems until early this year 2008, transmission was skipping gear 2 to 3, took to mechanic then to transmission specialist, where the same procedure occurred. computer chip replaced, few days later, same problem occurred. transmission replaced at 89,000 miles, 3400 dollars total. otherwise, the car is great. no accident, just too much hassle, money, and several stressful, scary rides home. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 07/29/2011 | 76763 | ||
| Vehicle started to begin off takeoff really slow and hesitant, and then shift really hard with a jerking motion into second. not safe for taking off with traffic or crossing intersections. very scary to operate. could ruin transmission, shafts, and other parts. quote from dealership to replace ecm is around 1500+. then transmission around 3000+. i am currently dealing with toyota back and forth on getting repair approved. parts are available. all necessary calls have been done up the chain of command. they are not warranting this claim at this time. | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 212000 | ||
| Hi about my 2003 toyota rav4, its seems to stall and shutting off the engine while driving. for exaple it happen more then 5 time on me this month7/1/2011, and almost getting bump in rear end. i took it to toyota dealer, and paying $100 for what they could find anything wrong. this model should be recall or accident will happen. | |||
| 04/10/2011 | |||
| I have 2003 rav4 with 70000 miles, all of sudden the gear started jump and jerk, i asked a dealer how to fix it, the dealer told me to pay $4000, this is very bad i hope there shuold be a recall because everybody with rav 4 has the same problem..this is so bad.. | |||
| 04/25/2011 | 102058 | ||
| 2003 toyota rav4. started having vague problems last year with the car not wanting to shift at the appropriate times. on dec 22, 2010 we took it to greentree toyota in danbury ct and they replaced an ecu unit. it seemed to be working better but not optimal. it started shifting bad again and at times not wanting to shift at all so we returned the car to milton ruben toyota in augusta ga on 4/25/11. these symptoms are sporatic and some days it runs better than others. upon driving the car they are telling me that because the check engine light is not on and the codes are fine, as well as the fact that they can not get it to reproduce any of the symptoms i am complaining of i.e. difficulty merging into traffic b/c it will hardley go at times, upon taking off on an incline, at times, it will not go over 30 mph with the gas pedal to the floor, at times it will go over 4.5 rpm before it decides to shift, i will not let my daughter drive this car because i am afraid she will pull out and not be able to go in time. the symptoms are very obvious but i am being told that that they don't see any symptoms at all and the car is running beatifully and that they can not put forth a claim to toyota for this issue without a set criteria. this is so frustrating and now i will have to pay them money to tell me that the car is fine when it is not. i so wish i had not bought this toyota and will never buy a toyota again. | |||
| 03/10/2003 | 109000 | ||
| Hi, i am writing to complain about my 2003 toyota rav-4. i have experience some troubles with what seems to be the ecm and transmission. i have been in extremely close calls for a major accident because of the transmission malfunctioning while accelerating. the ecm/transmission suddenly downshifts or accelerates out of sequence and it causes the entire vehicle to abruptly jerk in a forward/backward motion. the estimated cost for repairs is well above $4,000 dollars for what does not seem normal for a vehicle that only has 100k miles. in an economy like this, it is difficult for me to obtain that amount of money for repairs. i trusted toyota for its reliability but after this my thoughts have changed. i am extremely disappointed to be dealing with this frustrating issue. i have read many more complaints on this issue on edmunds.com under costumer reviews. i wish that toyota recalls this problem like they have for other models since this problem can be life threatening. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 167000 | ||
| In october, 2010 my 2003 rav4 started acting sluggish and shifting poorly. it would almost stall out in traffic and several times i was almost rear ended because the car would balk shifting from second to third gear. i took it to arlington toyota in palatine, iiinois. they could find nothing wrong. in january, 2011 the problem got worse. the dealer reflashed the ecm module which controls the transmission. the problem got worse. they told me that i would need a new ecm .cost $1400. mileage out of warranty so it would not be covered. they contacted toyota regional who also said they would not cover it. i contacted toyota customer relations but they also said even though i had received a recall notice, they would not cover the cost. | |||
| 06/19/2009 | 73000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 30 mph he engaged the accelerator and the vehicle did not accelerate at first, it took a few seconds before the vehicle accelerated. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the dealer advised him that the transmission needed replacing and the ecm card needed reprogramming. the failure started in june 2009. the vehicle has not been repaired and the vehicle was not driveable. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage and current mileage were 73,000. vwb | |||
| 11/09/2010 | 103319 | ||
| I was recently warned that my 2003 toyota rav4 had many, many transmission complaints. not 2 days later, my rav began showing signs of transmission failure. i researched the issue on the internet to find that there were an unusually large number of owners with similar problems, but found no relief with toyota. after taking my vehicle to the dealer for analyzing, i was informed it needed a new transmission to the tune of almost $4,000. this is on a vehicle that has been driven by only me and had preventive maintenance done regularly. | |||
| 06/19/2009 | 73000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 30 mph he engaged the accelerator and the vehicle did not accelerate at first, it took a few seconds before the vehicle accelerated. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the dealer advised him that the transmission needed replacing and the ecm card needed reprogramming. the failure started in june 2009. the vehicle has not been repaired and the vehicle was not driveable. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage and current mileage were 73,000. vwb | |||
| 11/09/2010 | 103319 | ||
| I was recently warned that my 2003 toyota rav4 had many, many transmission complaints. not 2 days later, my rav began showing signs of transmission failure. i researched the issue on the internet to find that there were an unusually large number of owners with similar problems, but found no relief with toyota. after taking my vehicle to the dealer for analyzing, i was informed it needed a new transmission to the tune of almost $4,000. this is on a vehicle that has been driven by only me and had preventive maintenance done regularly. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Toyota rav4 2003, tranimission issue, during driving, the car sometimes slowdown, in highway, during driving time, the car sudden slowdown, just like deep step on the break pad. it is happen all the time during driving. | |||
| 11/09/2010 | 103319 | ||
| I was recently warned that my 2003 toyota rav4 had many, many transmission complaints. not 2 days later, my rav began showing signs of transmission failure. i researched the issue on the internet to find that there were an unusually large number of owners with similar problems, but found no relief with toyota. after taking my vehicle to the dealer for analyzing, i was informed it needed a new transmission to the tune of almost $4,000. this is on a vehicle that has been driven by only me and had preventive maintenance done regularly. | |||
| 10/10/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Toyota rav4 2003, tranimission issue, during driving, the car sometimes slowdown, in highway, during driving time, the car sudden slowdown, just like deep step on the break pad. it is happen all the time during driving. | |||
| 10/03/2010 | 90000 | ||
| 2003 toyota rav4 at 90,000 miles the vehicle showed signs of an issue with thje transmission or computer that controls the transmission, symptoms include rough shifting and delayed engagement (3-9 seconds) of the drive train on acceleration | |||
| 09/24/2010 | 84898 | ||
| My 2003 rav4 has always been very sluggish from a dead start and any kind of sudden acceleration but i knew that i would eventually reach the legal speed limit. driving 1 1/2 weeks ago, however, brought my attention to another, far more serious acceleration problem, far worse than just sluggishness. the suv was shifting out of gear automatically and i feared for my safety as i was in moving traffic and i was having trouble moving. i immediately decided to take it to the toyota dealer. luckily the dealership was close to where i was. they kept my car from approx. 3:30p.m. that friday until the following monday. at first, they thought it was the transmission and said they needed until monday to know for sure. i was told by the service rep. to not worry, that it may be far less expensive than i think. that monday, i got a call from the serviced rep that he had both good news and bad news. they found the problem - an ecu problem but that i was out of warranty and i would have to buy a new one. i told them to go ahead and install it as i couldn't see any alternative. the work was done and the final cost for the unit and labor was $1,300.00. i told the service rep that i felt shafted because the warranty expired after 80,000 and i had 84,000 miles at the time. further, i have the suv for just 7 years, not the limit of 8 years under the original warranty for the ecu. i went on the internet and discovered the ny times july, 2010 letter announcing many problems like mine with transmission damage as well and toyota would now cover it all. according to the letter, toyota had extended its warranty for the transmission to 150,000 miles and 10 years for the ecu ! i called the service rep and he said toyota headquarters rep was there and said i had no extended warranty. the service manager never returned my call. i finally called toyota headquarters and filed a complaint with them. i received a letter from a toyota manager offering me $1,000 to buy a new one. | |||
| 09/20/2010 | 86000 | ||
| My wifes' 2003 toyota rav4 just started having transmission problems. we took it immediately to a repair shop. on the way there were serious problems with the transmission shifting which was particularly dangerous during the acceleration and decelaration in intersections. the dealer repair shop said the computer and transmission would need to be replaced. i called toyota customer service and they told me a service bulleting had gone out, but that our particular vin was not part of the bulletin, even though the problem is exactly the same as has been widely noted and recognized by toyota. | |||
| 09/13/2010 | 113000 | ||
| Toyota rav4 2003 has transmission problems. the mechanic said this is common with this car so i did some research and quickly found that many other people had the same problem. there is a problem with the computer asking the car to shift to first and second gear at the same time. this causes the car to slow down then rapidly accelerate. | |||
| 09/06/2010 | 89800 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that he experienced transmission problems; the gears would slip at times. the vehicle was inspected by a mechanic who stated that the problem was most likely the engine control module; no codes were produced. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 89,800-bk | |||
| 06/19/2010 | 110000 | ||
| No warning when transmission slipped from stopped to first. would jerk then be fine. drove approximately 50 miles while this was happening with hazard lights on. took to a local transmission shop & was quoted $3,200 for a new transmission. no mention of the ecm being the cause or needing repaired. will have to trade in. failure 110,000. | |||
| 06/16/2010 | 131000 | ||
| Car suddenly started having shifting problem, hestates from a start, very jerky, then difficulty shifting into second gear | |||
| 05/31/2010 | 105000 | ||
| Rav4 transmission slips, jerks and slams into gear. very unsettling and unsafe. no check light. took it to the dealer and they gave a lame excuse about my husband driving it and confusing the computer. symptoms never stopped so i took it to a trusted independent shop and am having to pay $4000 for repairs. toyota should be held accountable, especially since they know about the problem and even issued a tsb on it. unfortunately, that only covers up to 80k miles. please lean on them to make this right! | |||
| 05/24/2010 | 85200 | ||
| My toyota rav4 2003 has 85,200 miles and transmission is giving me a lot of problems.its jerking the first and second speed and when i took the car to the dealer(findlay toyota) they told me there is no warranty so i have to spend $1,600 buying a new computer and if the problem persist i will have to spend money fixing the transmission.there is a bulletin from toyota about this fails(rav4 2001-2003) but was sent to dealers and no to owners. | |||
| 05/14/2010 | 101000 | ||
| My 2003 rav4, suddenly began having intermittent transmission problems - the transmission sticks in first gear then bangs into second; jerking sporadically - not moving, then lundging forward. it is dangerous. my mechanic said that it was a common problem with my toyota and that the transmission would have to be replaced along with the computer that controls it. $3,500. my car has just over 100,000 miles. it is young. i looked online and it turns out that the new york times did an article in august 2009. toyota knew about this since 2006. the article mentioned something about a bulletin that said they would repair the problem up to 80,000 miles and 8 years. i was never notified. and now my car is under the years and over the miles. at carcomplaints.com i found a lot of others that have been through this. most of the mileage is over 80,000. i called toyota and they told me that because of my mileage...they can't help me. but, it was their defect. it should have been recalled. why wasn't i notified earlier so it could be replaced? they told me that there isn't a recall. is that because no one died because of it yet? | |||
| 05/14/2010 | 101000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving at approximately 15 mph, the vehicle experienced trouble shifting from first to second gear and would abruptly jerk when doing so. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission and electronic control module (ecm) would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted intermittently. the failure and current mileages were 101,000. | |||
| 05/17/2010 | 60000 | ||
| My 2003 toyota rav4 is slipping, bucking, and dragging: transmission problems, just like all the rest! what more is there to say? besides the fact that i don't feel safe driving it with my 6 month old daughter in there, and i have no money to have it fixed! | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 144000 | ||
| Driving my rave4 2003 when all of a sudden it had no power struggled to shift it felt like i was riding a bull. it is very scary. when you have no power and need to accelerate at a light. please protect the people. force toyota to so a recall. this is a known issue. do not wait till someone gets hurt or killed. i am now having to replace a transmission and computer.$3300. my car is in the shop so i do not have the vin# plus when you take it to the repair shop they do not know what is wrong with it. it does not show on the computer that it is the transmission or the euc. | |||
| 04/10/2010 | 87000 | ||
| Vehicle jerks, sometimes fails to accelerate or it will suddenly slow down while in motion and then suddenly surges forward. it is really a scary situation everytime it happens. | |||
| 05/04/2010 | 91000 | ||
| Driving on the highway my 2003 toyota rav4 transmission jerks and change gears for no reason all the time very dangerous! almost caused an accident has 91k miles not repaired yet (waiting to find more information about a recall for the problem) it is a common problem for this year rav4 | |||
| 12/02/2009 | 98000 | ||
| Engine light has been on for awhile. i spent 1400 to get it fixed last year so that i can pass emission but still failed and had to get a waiver. on december of 2009, a friend of mine and i was driving and it started to lose its power and started jerking. we immediately parked the car and turned it off. we waited a little while to see if we can get help somewhere but we were in a place where we can't get any cell signal so we decided to turn the car back on and at least try to drive to a place where we can get signal. car drove ok that day but since then had jerking or shifting problem several hours after first used in the day. i had the ecu changed this year and it cost 1500. it drives better now but now the problem starts during the first use of the car each day. it doesnt happen all the time but it is annoying and might damage my engine more than the old emu had damage it. also the seat belt on the passenger back seat during the use for the last couple of years(it didnt have much use before 2008) had started snagging to the point that it has unraveled. we found out that the metal loop that the seat belt goes though is very sharp and had caused the seat belt to get shreded | |||
| 04/17/2010 | 116911 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, the vehicle began to hesitate and the transmission failed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership to have the transmission replaced. while returning to pick up the vehicle from the dealership, the dealer stated that the computer that controlled the transmission also needed to be replaced; the computer was also replaced by the dealer. the contact did not feel that the transmission should have to be replaced after seven years. the failure mileage was 116,911. | |||
| 04/06/2010 | 77698 | ||
| I purchased my toyota rav 4 2003 on october 2007 with about 58,000 miles. about 3 weeks ago my car started jerking while changing gears. i had my car parked and when i wanted to move it it was making a weird noise and making a jump. at red lights or stop signs car would not move if i press the gas. noise began to be louder and when driving in highway it was not changing gears. car would not move at times even if it was on driving. problems became more severe. i took it to service and was informed that i need a new computer transmission and the cost will be around $1400+tax+part and labor. i had bought an extended warranty that is not covering any costs at all. i had never had a problem with the car for the past 3 years. | |||
| 09/02/2008 | 80300 | ||
| In september 2008, my rav4 suddenly began having shifting problems. i pulled out of a shopping center and in the middle of street the car would not accelerate. it was a very frightening experience as other vehicles ware approaching and as i pressed on the gas peddle nothing happened. the car just idled high then it jolted into gear. i took it to aamco the next day. after further investigation by aamco, they provided me with the tsb tc002-06 issued by toyota. aamco advised me that the transmission needed to be replaced before they could determine if it was in fact the computer system that caused the transmission failure, which it did need a new ecm computer as per tc002-06. also in feb 2009 i needed to replace the ecm coolant temp sensor. my rav4 at the time had 80,300 miles on it and the slone toyota that i purchased it from would not honor the 80/8 warranty. they did however give me 50/50 goodwill assistance (if you can even call it that since it still cost over $900 for the computers.) the new transmission cost $3,750 due to the malfunctioned computer. now in april 2010, 18 months and 16,000 miles later, i am going through this all over again. i was driving on the pa turnpike and all of a sudden my vehicle would not go over 60 mph and then it went to 40 mph. i could not get it accelerate. i had 3 children in the car and was very scary for us as other vehicles were quickly approaching behind us and i could not get the vehicle to drive. the location were i was driving did not have anywhere for me to pull over. again the car jolted into gear and the check engine light came on. once again my car is at the aamco. at this time we are unsure if the computer failed again or if there is an issue with the new transmission i had installed. regardless i need another transmission. i would like to know how toyota claimed in 2006 steps were taken to prevent this from happening again. once i receive a diagnosis for this latest incident i will post a complaint. | |||
| 04/06/2010 | 132000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph when the accelerator pedal was engaged without a power response. the vehicle began to accelerate normally after a few moments; however, when the gear was shifted into another gear position the vehicle surged forward. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic which stated that the transmission required replacement. the contact had concern of the safety issue. the failure mileage was 132,000. | |||
| 07/13/1997 | 12894 | 1 | |
| On oct. 5, 2002, i bought a brand new 2003 toyota rav4 from star toyota of bayside inc. as of this writing, the automobiles mileage is only 15, 782 miles. on july 13, 2009 (8 | |||
| 03/19/2003 | 116000 | ||
| Transmission unresponsive at times. hard shifting in reverse. hesitates at 1st gear... | |||
| 03/01/2010 | 95000 | 2 | |
| My problem is with my 2003 toyota rav 4. recently i was driving and the vehicle started to have some problems. first, the vehicle would not accelerate as i would be entering traffic, for example, on highways. a number of times it would start accelerating and then slow down or lose acceleration, this caused many anxious moments as often a car/truck would be coming up behind me. i would try to accelerate and step on the gas and the car would not really move until all of a sudden the gears would shift and the car would jump forward and suddenly start moving. this was scary on a number of occasions, especially when i had my son in the car. also, the car would automatically shift gears, or drop gears while driving. i would be in traffic and we would be moving along when suddenly the car would jump into gear and literally jump forward sometimes propelling the car forward a little. also while driving, both local roads and on highways the car would drop gears and suddenly slow down and then shift back into gear. the car has 95000 miles on it. we were told by a mechanic (who is not fixing the car) that toyota had advised that there is a problem with a computer-the ecm- in the rav 4, that will cause the car to jump and shift gears and possibly ruin the transmission. we have recently been informed by toyota that the ecm needs to be replaced and that the transmission in damaged and also needs to be replaced. *dt | |||
| 03/18/2010 | 126000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that the vehicle stalls while in park. also while driving 25mph the vehicle does not pick up speed. he took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer informed him that the transmission needs to be replaced. the contact notice numerous complaints regarding the transmission for this year make and model and make and feels the manufacturer should issue a recall. the failure mileage was 126,000. | |||
| 03/01/2010 | 119000 | ||
| I was driving my 2003 rav4 about 2 weeks ago when it refused to accelerate from a stop at a red light, i was in the middle of the intersection(coasting basically) with a line of unhappy traffic behind me before it slammed violently into high gear and almost caused me to crash into the overpass walls. it has since then been intermittent, being fine for a day or so then doing the same thing, in varying degrees of severity. the check engine light went on, and i made an appointment to bring it in to toyota for diagnostics. they quoted me $6800 to replace the ecm computer and the transmission. this vehicle has been regularly maintained and only has 119,000 miles. i have since found out that this is a very dangerous and common problem with this year of toyota that they have known about for a while now. i can't drive the car at all until the computer is replaced, and then it will need a transmission shortly afterward according to both toyota and the other rav4 owners in this situation. if the computer had been replaced prior to the problem demonstrating itself in the shifting difficulties, there would have been no damage to the transmission at all. i think that toyota is to blame for not advising rav4 drivers of this dangerous defect and the relatively cheap repair that could have saved me much time and money. i need a car to work, so i either pay toyota $6800 or buy a new car, and in this economy i don't know if i'll be able to get the financing to do either. | |||
| 10/15/2009 | 107000 | 1 | |
| After accelerating from a stop the vehicle hesitated and then sped up quickly and i almost hit another vehicle. it did that about 4-8 times before i did some research and found it was out of warranty and that toyota wouldn't fix it, according to my research and toyota's reluctancy to recall the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 03/06/2010 | 73468 | 1 | |
| Transmission was burned up by a faulty ecm. *tr | |||
| 02/26/2010 | 65050 | 1 | |
| 1. jerking transmission at low speed 2. loss of power 3. dealer replaced ecm to transmission (warranty) in accordance with tsb. *tr | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 84000 | 1 | |
| We have a 2003 toyota rav4 that obviously has a defective part and safety issues. we bought this vehicle for our teenage daughter approximately 1 1/2 yrs ago from a dealer and it had 74,000 miles. thankfully we did get a extended warranty, but not one that will cover this problem. this last november our daughter was driving the car and was stuck going up a hill as the car would not shift into the right gear. she was stranded on the mountain highway until we could come get her. thankfully she did get off the road, but it scared us to think that this car could of done this if she was at a high speed or couldn't have got off the road in the dark mountain terrain. we had the vehicle towed to a local shop and they concluded that it needed a new transmission. we had only put maybe 10,000 miles on it since purchase. the warranty covered the $4000 replacement cost of a new transmission. after picking up the vehicle it seemed to run ok but still had shifting problems at the speed of 20-30. a harsh jerking. our daughter was driving the car and again it stopped working in a business district. so back to the shop. well now we are stumped on what could be wrong. even had 2 sensors replaced and still the same problem. so we have a toyota, which we bought for our teenage daughters because of their reputation of being a great vehicle, but now worried what it will do as they are driving it. so the latest is i did some of my own research on this year vehicle. came across a website called rav4world. there are pages off complaints on transmission failures for rav4 2001-2003. i guess toyota didn't do a recall for a supposedly defective ecm that is the main computer in car and it is leading to transmission failure. toyota did put out an extended warranty on replacement which is 96months or 80,000 miles. our car is at 84k. the problem with this is how many people are driving this car and have no idea that this defective ecm is destroying the transmission??? also it is a safety issue! *tr | |||
| 07/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| Car wouldn't shift properly. toyota dealer said i needed a new transmission due to a problem with the solenoid. after internet searching the problem, i asked that the local repair shop replace the computer (much less costly) and the car started working again. an internal memo to dealers stated that this was a common problem on the make/model but the local dealer did not mention such a memo. i only found it after searching online. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2010 | 103000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact was driving 5 mph out of a parking space. the rpms rapidly began to increase. whenever shifting from second gear to third gear range there was a jerking sensation. the vehicle was able to continue in operation. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated that the failure could be possibly related to the electronic control module (ecu). the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction at this time. the failure mileage was 103,000. | |||
| 02/18/2010 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Transmission on 2003 rav 4 (toyota) does not work properly it hesitates and does not move the auto when the accelerator is pressed it also jumps and shifts gears roughly when accelerating this could well lead to problems and possible crashes on freeway ramps and at stop lights and signs. *tr | |||
| 11/12/2009 | 157000 | 1 | |
| When driving my 2003 toyota rav4, the transmission slipped at about 20mph. i was about to enter an interception, and a 18 wheel truck, started to make a turn in front of me. i was unable to proceed, and narrowly missed the truck hitting me head-on. competition toyota of middle iland, ny put a new ecm in for $1400, but the trans. continued to slip. i spent $5,700+ on a rebuilt transmission from jasper corp., but i was with-out a vehicle for 7 weeks. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 97000 | 1 | |
| 2003 toyota rav4. with no warning or check engine light, car began bucking between 1st and 2nd gears - but then smoothed out in the higher gears and also as the car warmed up. no other cars around so no danger to myself or others. thought the transmission needed fluid, so i tried that. seemed to improve somewhat for two days - then the slipping became very bad and the check engine light came on. that same afternoon i brought car into my mechanic, whose computer diagnosed a defective solonoid. after replacement ($117), transmission was still slipping. found a transmission shop and they diagnosed a faulty ecm. cost for replacement: $1450. don't know at this time whether or not transmission has been irreparably damaged. cost to replace transmission: $3500. *tr | |||
| 01/29/2010 | 98095 | 1 | |
| 2003 toyota rav4 with automatic transmission & 4wd. transmission will not allow proper acceleration from standing stop, rough shifting resulting in a slam into gear, hangs between gears when trying to shift. flush of fluid alleviated problem for 1 week (approx 200 miles 0 but it has returned. ecu error code: p0755. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 960000 | 1 | |
| 2003 toyota rav 4 transmission failure due to faulty pcm- technical bulletin #1046. transmission experienced bind up and harsh shifting january 2010. vehicle transmission started binding up, car would not run properly. towed to transmission shop. entire transmission and faulty pcm had to be replaced at cost of $4600.00. toyota is aware of issue, released a tsb regarding repair issues. tsb is limited to 8 years or 80,000 miles. toyota and dealer have refused to help in any way. *tr | |||
| 02/11/2010 | 84000 | 1 | |
| Toyota rav4 with only 80,000 miles, the transmission has failed. there are thousands of complaints and here is yet another. totally ridiculous that toyota won't stand behind this known issue. all i can say is where do i sign on the lawsuit? quoted over 3,000 to replace and that's not going to happen. i'm sure i speak for all of us when i say, there is something that needs to be done now. car would not accelerate in the middle of an intersection causing a major safety hazard. *tr | |||
| 01/21/2010 | 79100 | 1 | |
| How many times does a person have to file a complaint?? my 2003 toyota rav 4 has a major transmission problem that toyota has known about for several years!! it wasn't until i pulled out on a highway and my vehicle would not move (and just missed getting plowed into by an oncoming vehicle) that i discovered there was a very serious issue with my car!! i took the vehicle to a transmission specialist that informed me about a bulletin that was sent out in 2006 about a defect in the computer component that operates the transmission!! what good is a bulletin if the consumer knows nothing about it?? oh thats right...it's just another way for toyota to get off cheap!! a recall would have cost them millions!! i did get the component replaced (since i only have 79,100 miles on my car) at no charge. however, the transmission is shot!! toyota deserves everything they get right now!! they are dishonest and could care less about the safety of the consumer!!!!! *tr | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 100000 | 1 | |
| Around 12/1/2009, i noticed that the automatic transmission seemed to have problems shifting, for example when you would think that the car would shift from 1st to 2nd gear, it would not, or when you were at a stop light and tried to accelerate, car would not move. it was as if the car was in neutral so stepping on the accelerator did nothing but cause a loud revving sound. in most cases within a few seconds, it did get into gear and the car did accelerate however when this happened, the car would jerk sharply. within a few days the problem was occurring alot (at every stop, every time the car needed to shift between 1st and 2nd gear or 2nd and 3rd) so i stopped driving it since i did not feel it was safe, for example, when the car was moving in traffic but then would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear, i could not accelerate and go the posted speed limit. i researched the problem online and spoke to my mechanic and we agreed the car seemed to be exhibiting problems described in a toyota service bulletin tc002-06 (a problem with the engine control module). as my car had just over 100000 miles, toyota refused to consider this as covered by warranty so i had to pay to get it done (ended up going to a private shop). car is better now, though it may also need get the transmission rebuilt as there are still some issues when the car shifts from 1st to 2nd gear or 2nd to 3rd gear. *tr | |||
| 12/14/2009 | 110000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 toyota rav 4, approx. two months ago the transmission went out on it. as i have learned this is a common problem with 2001-2004 toyota rav 4's. it seems many of the above noted year rav's have a faulty ecu in them, this ecu tells the transmission to do the wrong thing, therefore causing the transmission to fail. i have been quoted a price to repair my rav4 it will cost me well over $5,000.00, really? i cannot believe this is not a recall situation since so many rav 4 owners are suffering from the same situation. i believe the company should take care of its customers, at least they should have warned us about the faulty ecu. i had always loved my rav4, i am so disappointed in the toyota corporation. *tr | |||
| 09/09/2009 | 125000 | 1 | |
| The first thing i noticed was a hard shift into reverse. like a lurch. about 2 days later i noticed the shift from 2nd to 3rd was taking longer than it should. on about the 4th day, at a light when stopped, i hit the gas and didn't move. there was a notable hesitation and i nearly was rearended. finally on about the 5th day, i had the pedal to the floor and was crawling along the road basically. we turned around and parked it, and it has sat ever since, for about 6 months now. we can't afford to fix it and we only half own it. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 140000 | 1 | |
| We recently encountered a problem with our 2003 toyota rav4 where the transmission intermittently seemed to slip when engaging first gear from a stopped position, shifted harshly between first and second gears, or at times seemed to slip between shifting from first and second gear. the result of the hesitation to shift gears represents a real safety issue in traffic, and we feared this issue would cause an accident. we immediately stopped driving the vehicle and took it to our local toyota dealership (apple valley toyota in martinsburg, wv) to look into the problem. we dropped off the vehicle overnight, and received a call from the dealership the next day informing us that we needed a new transmission (quoted $3800). researching this issue on the internet, we found the known issue with the ecm for this model year vehicle, and the fact that toyota has known about the issue since at least 2006- although they did not inform the owners of these vehicles, nor did the mechanics at the dealership seem to know that this was an issue- despite a 2006 tsb on the subject. unfortunately we did not find this out until after we had taken the vehicle to another shop and had the transmission rebuilt and the solenoid box replaced. now, after almost $4000, we are still experiencing the same issue with the transmission which has left the vehicle undrivable. we feel that toyota has a responsibility to their customers and that this is clearly a safety issue that warrants a recall. and that even if a recall is not ordered, they should have at least alerted their customers to this issue and prepared their dealerships on how to identify and resolve the issue correctly. please be proactive and investigate this issue before lives are lost. this problem makes operation of the vehicle unsafe! *tr | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 85000 | ||
| 2003 toyota rav4 automatic transmission jerking, stopping and going by itself. *cn | |||
| 07/10/2009 | 83000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the computer module for the transmission failed. while driving approximately 45 mph. the vehicle began shaking excessively. there were no related recalls. the warranty expired at 80,000 miles; although, the failure and current mileage was 83,000 the manufacturer agreed to repair the vehicle. | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 158000 | 1 | |
| Ecm and transmission problem in 2003 toyota rav4 create a very dangerous condition - severe hesitation and delay/disruption in shifting when other vehicles are behind you or when you are trying to cross lanes of traffic in low gears. *tr | |||
| 04/24/2009 | 94744 | 3 | |
| I had a 2003 toyota rav4. on april 24th 2009 i pulled out into traffic and my transmission made my car stall almost causing an accident. that was the first time that my transmission acted it up. the torque converter burned up in it. this is a very serious problem and many people have had the same issue. toyota needs to do something about. a company on ebay rebuilds the defective ecms told me that toyota has a real big problem on their hands and that they have rebuilt tons of the ecms. *tr the consumer stated she had to take the vehicle back 3 times, because the vehicle was not shifting properly. updated 03/24/10.*jb | |||
| 12/23/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| My toyota rav4 automatic suddenly began to run roughly, and clunk when shifting. i attempted a left turn at a light into a parking lot to check the car when it hesitated for several seconds in the middle of the busy intersection. the oncoming traffic was alert enough to avoid me but it was close. i would not have attempted that turn if i had known the extent of the car's problem. i was able to get the car home and the hard shifting, hesitating and skipping gears continued. i researched the problem on the internet and found this to be a common problem with '01-03 rav4's. well known to the owners as well toyota since 2006. i bought the car new in '03 and this is the first i have heard of it. i had the ecm rebuilt-not by toyota-and the car seems to be running fine now. *tr | |||
| 01/14/2010 | 75000 | 1 | |
| Car has been revving at high rpm levels periodically. just recently the transmission went into low gear while driving on the highway. it was like the brakes were put on me, went from going 45 mph to 1 mph on a busy highway heading towards the off ramp. very scary. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2009 | 138723 | 1 | |
| Car was having trouble shifting. it felt like the emergency brake was on. i pulled out into traffic and the car would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear. i had to pull over. i called my mechanic who said it sounded like the transmission and recommended a transmission specialist. the transmission was rebuilt. they also replaced the computer. they told me the computer failure is what caused the transmission failure. the parts listed are the computer, converter, overhaul kit for awd, and transaxle oil filter. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2010 | 106500 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 toyota rav-4. the transmission started to slip, so i took it to the dealer and was told i would need a re-manufactured transmission. i went online to look up costs and saw a ton of complaints about the same problem. i am either going to have the transmission fixed or buy a new car because my car is worth the same as the fix. apparently from what i am reading it is a common problem with the engine control module and toyota has known about it for some time and has not issued a recall to fix it. *tr | |||
| 12/17/2009 | 129000 | 1 | |
| 2003 toyota rav was stop instead of accelerating on highway starting 12/17, brought to dealership on 12/22/09 and they changed spark plugs; brought back 12/29 they changed water pump and then test drove and called me to tell me it could be transmission but to replace the ecm first since they knew it could cause transmission problems. *tr | |||
| 12/23/2009 | 126000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 toyota rav4 that i bought used and luckily have not had any problems with until now. 2 days before christmas i was in town running errands and had stopped at a traffic light. when the light changed and i pressed on the gas, the vehicles engine revved up but the truck hardly moved. then it jerked as if someone had rear ended me. i thought it was weird but went on. stopped at another light and same thing. only this time i was almost rear ended twice before i could get the vehicle to move. so i drove straight home and called the dealership. i took it in on christmas eve (almost getting rear ended at every intersection i went through between my house and the dealer ship 32 miles away) only to be told it was the engine control unit and would cost me $1350.00 to repair. since then i have gone online and realized that there are numerous others with the same complaint. how can there be a question as to whether this is a safety issue or not. any vehicle that stalls in the middle of an intersection is a safety hazard. my vehicle is readily available for nhtsa to test and determine this is a safety hazard. *tr | |||
| 12/02/2009 | 127000 | 1 | |
| Upon a recent trip to tennessee, i started noticing the slipping of the transmission during accelerate . after taking the vehicle to a repair shop i was informed that toyota was aware of the problem and has no plans to help remedy the situation. when ever you try to accelerate it does not want to stay in gear leaving the driver in doubt of weather or not the car stay in gear. it seems the ecm module is defective and is not under any recall even though they are fully aware of it. *tr | |||
| 11/28/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| I bought a brandnew 2003 rav4 6 years ago and already have 95,000 miles on it. the transmission starts to slipped and drag a couple of days ago. it almost caused an accident on my way home because the transmission slowly shifts gear on 2nd and 3rd with a high idling. i have read some forums about the rav4 2001-2003 ecm issues. i would like to complaint that toyota would not do a recall to the faulty part that can cause death and serious accident while driving a rav4 (2001-2003) model with a defective ecm. there are over 488 complaints that i've read in one forum alone. i hope you will find a way to have toyota accountable for this ecm failure to my 2003 rav4 and hope to have them replace all the rav4 (2001-2003) ecm module free of charge. *tr | |||
| 11/17/2009 | 91000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 rav 4 and recently within the last 4 days the car jerks and does not shift right between second and third and when in first going to second it has a short jerk to the shift. then the rpms rev up to 5 nearly getting me hit by a diesel on the freeway. i am aware this problem is happening for many people with this car and is a model defect toyota needs to own up to this problem and fix it. unfortunately for those who are not under warranty like myself it comes out of pocket how can you guys aka toyota feel right robbing people like this in a time like now. somebody needs to answer these complaints! *tr | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 75200 | 1 | |
| Transmission problems on 2003 toyota rav 4. *tr | |||
| 11/06/2009 | 100000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 rav4, after 100k miles the car stalks and will not accelerate in traffic. had it checked by a mechanic and the ecm is bad. called toyota dealer about the ecm recall and they refused to cover for it since it's over the 80k miles. *tr | |||
| 11/04/2009 | 1 | ||
| Toyota rav 4 automatic transmission suddenly failed. *tr | |||
| 10/31/2009 | 1 | ||
| I own a rav4 toyota. last thursday my ar started having problems with the transmission, was rough shifting and stalling from in first and second. i took the vehicle in to the dealership, 45 km from home, crossing a major highway the vehicle kangaroo jumped over the intersection. the dealership had the vehicle for 3 hours and found nothing wrong with it so i returning home the problem started happening again. when i phoned the dealership back they said they had been calling me to say they had found information that there was a problem etc. and they had ordered the part which would take 2/3 days, then i will have to drive my vehicle back out there on a busy highway. i just wanted to add my concerns to the may you have received regarding the 2003 rav4. i feel that the rav4 should be recalled to correct the problem. on reading all the complaints on the e-mail i was surprised that the dealership were not aware of the problem and had to research it. *tr | |||
| 06/19/2009 | 92000 | 6 | |
| My 2003 toyota rav 4 has had the transmission rebuilt twice, the computer replaced, and the solenoids replaced twice. my mechanic once thought the ignition switch was burning up the solenoids. i am at my wits end. i have had the vehicle in the shop six times between june 2009 and october 2009 for the same transmission problem. it shifts fine for about a week, and then the same thing: it becomes unreliable as to whether it will shift into 2nd or 3rd gear properly. it jerks, it slips, at other times it revs up to 4000 rpms before it goes into gear and then it lurches forward like a rocket. sometimes the rear wheels skip off the pavement. i haven't been involved in an accident yet, but it's a matter of time. i cannot merge into traffic like normal vehicles and i fear being rear-ended from a stopped position. i feel like putting a sign on the back of the vehicle explaining why i'm not moving. i just got the vehicle back from the transmission shop thursday. by friday, the transmission was already slipping again. i wanted to pull off the highway and cry. i paid $2400 to have the transmission rebuilt and fortunately, all of my return trips were covered by the transmission warranty. but i have also paid $1300 in rental vehicles for all the time the rav 4 was in the shop. i did find the toyota service bulletin, but the codes from my vehicle did not match the codes in the bulletin. toyota, please help us! we just want our cars fixed! what the heck is wrong with them? are they all lemons? my rav4 has 93,000 miles on it. i am the 2nd owner, it has a clean title, and was manufactured in japan. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2009 | 98500 | 1 | |
| No prior notice of any problems. all of a sudden vehicle will barely start from stopped position. i drive a 2003 toyota rav4. all indication is that the ecm is faulty causing the transmission not to shift correctly. pulling into or out of traffic with the said vehicle is extremely dangerous. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 84989 | 1 | |
| My 2003 toyota rav4 had a very harsh shift into reverse, hesitant shift or no shift into 1st. if it did shift into 1st, there was a ramp up in rpm to 4000+ and shaking to get from 2nd to 3rd. i took it to a certified mechanic who did a full diagnostic and informed me that there were no problem codes, however i should flush the tranny fluids to begin with. after a complete flush, the problems didn't go away so i did some research on rav4 transmission problems and discovered the ecm issue with my model. i had the ecm serviced and a vast majority of the issued were solved, however the faulty ecu had already done permanent damage to the transmission where it had a horrible shift from 2nd to 3rd (a horribly harsh shift into 3rd gear with rpm ramp up to 5000+ rps) requiring additional work from a certified mechanic to replace solenoids and transmission work. *tr | |||
| 09/25/2009 | 123541 | 1 | |
| My 2003 toyota rav4 sometimes stalls in traffic, due to what seems like the transmission slipping. the engine races for a while, then the transmission will catch and the car will surge forward. there is no pattern to when this happens. *tr | |||
| 08/26/2009 | 86000 | 1 | |
| My toyota rav4 2003 had the same transmission problem that i know you have received complaints about. toyota never recalled or informed any owners of these vehicles and now what i'm reading has happened to my car. this is dangerous and toyota should be made to notify all owners. all of a sudden my car started to not accelerate and buck forward. i almost got into an accident, almost rear ended because the car was not accelerating. we took it to our mechanic and were told we needed a transmission, had the transmission replaced and then it was doing the same thing. upon further investigation the mechanic found out that it was the ecm and that was replaced and now is fine. toyota should be notifying all customers, if you were on the highway you would be killed if this started to act up!!! they should be made to be responsible for the cost everyone has encountered. if notified i would have been on the lookout for this and probably would have only had to pay for the ecm. i was without my car for over 3 weeks. this should be a safety recall. *tr | |||
| 09/13/2009 | 91000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that intermittently the transmission slipped out of gear and the engine stalled without any prior warnings. as a consequence, her risk for a vehicle crash was increased. an authorized technician advised her that there was a technical service bulletin for the transmission. since the contact was ineligible for a free remedy, the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage and current mileages were 91,000. | |||
| 09/02/2009 | 92000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 toyota rav 4 with an automatic transmission. while driving on the highway the car slipped out of gear and hesitated and the car sputtered losing speed and nearly causing me to be rear ended by a tractor trailer. i am being told that it is a ecm module control problem that you may be aware of. i spoke to a representative at toyota and the told basically to bad for me. i would like to file a formal complaint with your organization. *tr | |||
| 08/25/2009 | 98800 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. the contact noticed that the vehicle skipped gears when she attempted to shift from 1 to 2 or 3 to 4. the gear slippage increased the risk of a vehicle crash. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and a technician concluded that there were no problems with the transmission. no repairs have been made. the current and failure mileages were 98800. | |||
| 01/15/2009 | 93000 | 1 | |
| I became aware of your site after a reading a ny times article about rav4 transmission problems. hard shifting and lurching began in my 2003 rav 4 when it was at around 93,000 miles. when i took it in for service, my mechanic informed me that the computer code that was diagnosed indicated serious transmission problems. i researched it on the web and discovered that this was a problem for many rav owners. since it was out of warranty, i had the work done by a transmission specialist that my mechanic recommended. i paid $1100 for the new ecu and $2400 for a transmission rebuild. toyota has refused to compensate me for any of the repair work that was done. *tr | |||
| 08/02/2009 | 94395 | 1 | |
| Transmission is hesitating, jerking, stalling, loss of power, and rpm's racing in lower gears of my 2003 rav4 - automatic transmission. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2009 | 153000 | 1 | |
| From a complete stop, harsh shift/jerk from park to reverse, hesitation and jerking changing gears, most times consistent during entire ride, then ok for a while after adding fluid or flushing tranny fluid. starts about 10-15 minutes into ride. started when getting off highway ramp during rush hour. came to a stop, and gears were not engaging properly on take off, lots of jerking. car shaking and felt like it was going to stall and would not switch gears without hitting gas pedal hard. car tested with 3 computers and no codes. transmission flushed 2x, pan dropped, no evidence of metal or gunk. after research found bulletins had been posted (by toyota) for these concerns several times. ecm/transmission will need to be replaced. cost will be between $3k-5k! *tr | |||
| 05/06/2009 | 85000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift into first or second gear, and the vehicle would jerk. the vehicle shifts from first to third gear without incident. in addition, the vehicle loses power and jerks when driving in reverse. the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the solenoid was diagnosed as the cause of the failure. the failures are identical to the ones mentioned in the service bulletin for the transmission control module. the dealer stated that the vehicle could not be repaired because it was not under warranty. the failure and current mileages were 85,000. | |||
| 03/17/2009 | 68000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving between 20-30 mph, the vehicle began jerking, stalling, and slipping out of gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not make any repairs because the check engine light did not illuminate. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the spark plugs could be the cause of the failure. the spark plugs were changed at that time; however, the failure continued. the vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and the contact was informed that the transmission could be the cause of the failure. the filter and transmission fluid were changed, but the jerking worsened. the manufacturer stated that they never heard of a toyota vehicle having transmission issues. the vehicle was taken back to the transmission shop and they took apart and rebuilt the transmission. the failure recurred and the vehicle was towed back to the transmission shop. the contact discovered a tsb regarding the transmission (tc002-06), but the dealer never acknowledged a tsb for the transmission or ecm. the current and failure mileages were 68,000. | |||
| 03/10/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Around early march after several prior repairs from dec. 08-feb. 09 my toyota rav 4 starts driving really rough, won't accelerate, then lurches you forward, etc. huge safety issue. you go to accelerate and someone is behind you and you literally cannot get the car to go, then it finally shoots you forward. i immediately called the service advisor at the dealership, they thought it was a catalytic converter problem. i called to get an estimate and mad hatters had the best price. mad hatters did repair and cleared off codes and car drove fine for 48 hours. on way home from work that monday evening it drove the worst it ever has, wouldn't allow me to accelerate through an intersection, then shot me forward, the right side of the car started violently shaking. i almost got hit by another car waiting to turn after me and a woman behind me. i prayed i would make it home. called toyota took it back to mad hatters at their suggestion. mad hatters checked and indicated it was a transmission code. we called toyota to immediately tow it to the dealership. toyota called and indicate it is the emc and it needs to be replaced immediately, car is not safe to drive. $1300. i researched and there are hundreds of complaints about this problem as well as a old toyota service bulletin so they know this problem existed. two weeks later after i got the money together i was able to pick up my car. they replaced the computer module and the car seems to drive fine, although after picking it up i drove for 10 miles and now the engine light is on again. this is a huge problem and i pray it has not destroyed my transmission. thank god there were no accidents involved. *tr | |||
| 11/27/2008 | 81008 | 1 | |
| Toyota rav4 2003, two weeks ago i notice a shifting problem with the car, more so from a stop and go motion. i took the car to transmission expert, he said the transmission oil filter needs changing. a day later i noticed the same problem, took the car back. they told me they could not duplicate the problem. a week later i noticed the same problem, i took it back. now they told me the toyota rav4 have a known issue with the computer, that may at this point contributed to problem with the transmission, and if i wanted to fix the problem, i need to replaced the transmission and computer, which can run to thousand of dollars, i don't have that kind of money at this time. my question is if toyota know this to be an issue why not recall the cars and fix the problem? i have gone to carcomplaint.com and read many other car owners with the same problems. those owners paid alot money up front to try to get the problem fix, unfortunately, their cars had high mileage, and out warranty. something needs to be done, i am for whatever actions needs to be taken against toyota to fix the problem. daniel *tr | |||
| 10/02/2008 | 1 | ||
| I own a 2003 toyota rav4, 138000 miles. i purchased this vehicle new in 2003. this car jerks, jumps gears, and suddenly slows which has caused me to come close to having an accident. now it won't go over 40 and it won't go in reverse. i called continental transmission and have been told they have repaired many toyota rav4's for this same problem and it is going to cost me approx $3500.00. it seems the defective ecu burns up the clutch and other parts of the transmission. also, when searching on line their are many complaints from other rav4 owners who are having the same issues so obviously it is not a random problem. this is a safety issue and one of these times someone is going to have a car accident and/or get hurt and hopefully not killed. toyota has known about this problem and has failed to do a recall. my husband has called toyota and they have refused to take any responsibility or help compensate in any way. we had believed in toyota for quality, after this i will not ever consider buying another toyota. with today's economy in such a financial disaster it is a shame they can get away with this. *tr | |||
| 10/24/2008 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Toyota rav 4, 2003, failed to shift properly in lower gears leading to near rearenders. looked on a car complaint site and found numerous people with the same problem. the ecm needs to be reflashed at the service centers to prevent transmission failure. not listed as a recall but a technical problem. i am now having to have both the ecm replaced and the transmission rebuilt. 125000 miles which is better than most reported. everyone having trouble with toyota. seems to have cropped up in the 2002 models first. *tr | |||
| 10/19/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Jerking and shifting to the wrong gear. dealer found out bad transmission . need to spend $5000. i'm surprise for toyota product. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2007 | 70000 | 1 | |
| I have toyota rav 4 2003 and the transmission is damage. *tr | |||
| 03/12/2008 | 140000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2003 toyota rav 4, at 140,000 miles the check engine light came on. was told by toyota dealership, the car needed a new exhaust system. had repairs done, light came back on at 160,00 . dealer says needs need transmission. started doing more research and found this forum at www.carcomplains.com and discovered there are a lot of rav 4 owners that are having the same problem and toyota is ignoring our cry for help. *tr | |||
| 07/18/2002 | 930000 | 1 | |
| In october 2004, i purchased a 2002 toyota rav4 from modern toyota in winston-salem, north carolina on a six-year payment plan. i also purchased out what was left of the three-year warranty, and a one-year maintenance plan. i have continued to get oil changes and tune-ups at regular intervals. the car is at about 93,000 miles. on friday, july 18, i was driving to a doctor | |||
| 07/18/2008 | 130000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 55 mph, the transmission suddenly began to downshift and upshift on its own. the contact did not notice any differences in the vehicle prior to the failure. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 130,000. | |||
| 05/28/2008 | 102000 | 1 | |
| Toyota rav-4 has serious transmission problems leading to failure of the transmission. will not shift from first gear to second in heavy traffic, at intersections etc. have come close to being hit by on coming traffic on two occasions. toyota will acknowledge this problem. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 103000 | 1 | |
| My 2003 toyota rav-4 with 103,000 miles on it is having severe transmission problems. the car will not shift from 1st to 2nd without lunging, clunking, and hesitating to the point where it hardly moves. just had the 90,000 mile tune up done and the dealer could not id the problem. after getting the car home it is undrivable-we did not think we would make it to the auto repair shop. they tell me it is a transmission problem-very expensive to fix. i have read that many others are having this same problem. it is dangerous and a clear manuf. defect that needs to be fixed. my car is now sitting in the shop with no hope of a solution. *tr | |||
| 05/17/2008 | 86600 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 toyota rav4, at 86600 miles it appeared my transmission was slipping, when i would pull out in front of anyone it was stall and slip while going into 1st and 2nd gear. (automatic transmission), the dealership (toyota) said it was internal in the transmission so i took it to a transmission place, they said they could not find anything wrong with it. after review the complaints on the internet it seems that this is happening with toyota's 2001 thru 2003 and it is the ecm that goes bad and if you drive your car it will tare up the transmission. i went back to toyota and showed them the bulletin put out by toyota and after some back and forth with them they installed me a new ecm, this was just 2 days ago, they are not sure if this will fix the problem or not, but i believe toyota should recall these vehicles before someone get killed, this is a real expense to the car owners. *tr | |||
| 06/26/2007 | 107000 | 2 | |
| My toyota rav4 wd, 2003, transmission failed in a major intersection and again traveling up a hill. *jb | |||
| 02/06/2007 | 93000 | 1 | 04/15/2003 |
| The following are the events leading up to the failure of my '03 toyota rav4: - current mileage: 93k miles - after coming to a full stop at a street light i started to accelerate and noticed my car started to stall. i figured my foot may have slipped off the gas pedal and didn't think much of it. - later that week the stalling worsened and my car would then start to shutter uncontrollably. - this led me to take notice that the stalling/shuttering occurred after my car was warmed up and i had driven about 20 mins. - i brought my car to the toyota dealership where i purchased this car. - diagnostics tests were performed and i was told my transmission was the cause of the stalling/shuttering. - the technician recommended to replace the entire transmission because toyota recommends to do so instead of finding out what the true cause is. - they proceeded to tell me it would cost me $4,000 to replace which has led me to this point in posting this complaint. - i am not pleased with the service options i was given and was under the impression that toyota is a dependable car. i've only had this car for 3 years and am very disappointed. *jb | |||
| 09/20/2005 | 85000 | 1 | 09/20/2005 |
| My wife's 2003 toyota rav4 has 85000 miles. several weeks ago it started shifting poorly and eventually would not move easily from rest. we took it to the dealer and were told that the transmission was bad. we could not believe this and took it to a local cottman transmission shop for repair. after 2 weeks and the replacement of many internal parts, mechanical and electrical, we paid $4000 for our car and drove it away. within 100 miles the same symptoms returned. we had it towed to the cottman transmission shop and were told that the engine control module was defective and they wanted another $1100 to replace it. whether cottman transmission is being honest or not remains to be seen but we feel that toyota should have some responsibility in this matter. so far toyota usa has been unhelpful or unresponsive. i discovered a tsb (tc002-06) that discusses the engine control module. the tsb states that it is part of the emission control system and that replacement will be covered by warranty up until 96 months or 80000 miles. leaves us out but others may be interested. *jb | |||
| 2 | |||
| While coasting down a hill driver began to depress the brakes and there was no brake pressure. also, driver had difficulty with the vehicle down shifting at anytime. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 07/13/2009 | 2 | 10/05/2002 | |
| 2003 toyota rav4. consumer requests ramification to unsuccessful attempts to fix the manufacturer's defect in workmanship *tgw the consumer stated the check engine light illuminated. prior to the engine light illuminating, the consumer noticed the vehicle would stall as she applied the accelerator pedal after a red light and it would surge with force once it accelerated. the consumer was charged $664.87 for a sensor and v-ripped belt. on march 24, 2010, the check engine light illuminated again. upon researching on the internet, the consumer discovered a tsb for the pcm and ecm. the consumer also complained of a squeaking noise coming from the front of the vehicle at the slightest road bump and hearing a thump when turning the wheels to the far right. the consumer stated the dealer never mentioned the tsb's regarding the ecm/pcm. *jb | |||
| 06/16/2009 | 67548 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. while driving 30 mph, the vehicle would not shift into gear. after a couple of seconds, the vehicle returned to the correct gear, followed by a loud banging sound. the vehicle also jerked during this time. there were no failures or warning indicators prior to the failures. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the transmission was failing. the vehicle was not repaired. the dealer confirmed that the transmission and tcm failed, and stated that the repair would cost $6,500. the manufacturer would not provide compensation because the vehicle was out of warranty. the contact was later informed that if she had the vehicle repaired at the cost of $6,500, the manufacturer would reimburse her in the amount of $2,500. the contact discovered a technical service bulletin for the failure with the transmission, which stated that a warranty was offered that would cover the emission failure of the transmission for up to 80,000 miles. the manufacturer stated that they will investigate and call the contact back. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 67,548 and current mileage was 68,270. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 09/18/2003 | |||
| I had my hand resting on the gear shift (automatic on the floor) and bumped it from drive into neutral. i did not push the button designed for shifting. i was stopped on a hill; when i took my foot off the brake to start, i drifted backward toward another car. *nm | |||