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 | |||||
| 00504 | 08/26/2004 | 10009397 | Proper identification of the 5 solenoids used in the u240e/u241e automatic transaxles. *tt | 09/29/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 06/04/2012 | 101500 | ||
| I have a 2004 toyota rav4. the check engine light and vsc light came on while driving at 30 mph. noticed that as i continued to drive home at approximately 65 mph, the car was not shifting into overdrive and the rpm's were very high. took it to the dealer, and they said the code showed that the solenoid was bad. the part was replaced at a cost of $750. then told that did not correct the problem, needed a new transmission and another $4300. i know there was a class action lawsuit for the 2001-2003 toyota rav4 transmissions, think it should have been expanded to include the 2004 as the problems seem to be the same. this problem is dangerous and could have caused serious accident and damage to myself or others. bought a toyota for reliability and what i thought were great vehicles. very sad when i read all of the complaints with this vehicle. i know what my next car will not be. | |||
| 04/26/2012 | 94000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle shifted from fourth gear to neutral independently. the failure recurred the following day. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was advised that there were complaints on the vehicle and provided no further assistance. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the transmission. the failure and the current mileage was 94,000. | |||
| 04/26/2012 | 94000 | ||
| Tl -the contact owns a 2004 toyota rav 4. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle shifted from fourth gear to neutral independently. the failure recurred the following day. the manufacturer was notified and the contact was advised that there were complaints on the vehicle and provided no further assistance. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the transmission. the failure and the current mileage was 94,000. kmj | |||
| 04/14/2009 | 94046 | ||
| Vehicle was not shifting properly on the highway. the rpms were above 3000. had to slow down to 50 -55 miles per hour and remain in the slow lane. rest of the traffic was traveling at 65 mph. | |||
| 11/12/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2004 rav4. accelerator has become erratic in the last 3 months. car will leap ahead with virtually no pressure on pedal. only does it occasionally. pedal is mounted quite high, above the brake pedal, and cannot contact floor mats. while pulling into a right angle parking spot at low speed and with foot on brake, vehicle suddenly surged ahead. i was only 5 feet from a brick wall and could not respond quickly enough to brake the vehicle. impact with wall plaster (about 1 foot wide) crushed the bumper, grill and buckled the hood. apparently speed was not great and the airbags did not deploy but seatbelts caused chest injury to both my passenger and myself. perhaps fortunate that the wall was so close or my passenger and myself might have been more seriously injured. will be trading this car in as soon as it is repaired. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 02/24/2011 | 77836 | ||
| I have a 2004 toyota rav4. the check engine light came on and after about 20 miles the car started shifting hard and finally wouldn't get in gear. took it to the dealer, and they said the electronic control module (ecm) is at fault (error p0766- shift solenoid d stuck). they replaced the ecm but the problem persisted. the dealer told me the only way to fix the problem is to replace the transmission. i spoke to toyota corp but they told me the problem with the shift solenoid is a wholly separate issue. i told them about the 2001-2003 extension of warranty that toyota did the rav4 but they refused to cover the transmission replacement. this problem is very dangerous because the transmission can just disengage from the motor and leave you stuck in the middle of the road when you pull out of driveway or on the ramp entering a highway. | |||
| 01/03/2011 | 2 | ||
| 2001 toyota rav 4. consumer states problems with computer and transmission *tgw the consumer stated a few months after the vehicle was purchased, the check engine light illuminated. the consumer took the dealer to two dealers who gave him different stories as to what the problem was. he finally took the vehicle to his personal mechanic for the check engine light. and it was determined the oxygen sensor need to be replaced. also, the transmission would slow down in first gear and then activate hard in second gear. the consumer was informed a letter was mailed regarding problems with the transmission. however, the consumer stated he never received a letter and the vehicle was serviced several times at the dealer and no one mentioned it. *jb | |||
| 04/27/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota rav4. the vehicle would jerk violently while changing gears and experience trouble accelerating. the failure would occur while driving at any speed. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was told the transmission fluid was black. the transmission fluid was replaced. the failure continues to recur intermittently. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 62,600. sm. | |||
| 12/22/2010 | 49500 | ||
| I drove my 2004 (6 1/2 year old) rav4 sport awd today as usual to work (16 miles). it has just short of 50,000 miles on it and is ready for the next oil change in more than 1000 miles. i have done the majority of maintenance at the dealership. i drove the car from my office at 169 and 62, on 62 then north on i35w to minneapolis and then on i94e to st. paul. soon after i got on i94 i noticed sudden failure to accelerate with a jerking and high revs (to about 4500) when going from 55 to 60. the gears did not fully engage and rumbled and did not change or drive fully in any gear. i was concerned about transmission problems and stopped at a service station (mike's bp in st. paul downtown) that had done an oil change on my car. the service person checked my transmission fluid and said it was filthy but full. he said it may need a new transmission. i chose to cancel my trip out of state for work, and drove directly home after setting up with my regular mechanic for next tuesday, the earliest open appointment. i was surprised to have this issue come up so suddenly and it is a clear danger since i mostly would drive on interstate highways in rush hour traffic or long distance for work and it could cause a crash. i will not drive the vehicle. this car had no issues at all so far - only replaced the wipers a year ago. i am concerned to have further damage to the transmission as the car drove so unpredictably and makes strange noises now if it is shifting. i have a toyota purchased extended warranty good until end of june 2011 and i'll work on getting this covered. it is frightening to have this happen to my vehicle as i depend on my car for work trips and for commuting. i'm glad i have the warranty and will have the work done to fix the problem if that is possible. my car goes through regular maintenance at a toyota dealership and they run checks for any recalls every time it is in the shop. there has been nothing at all on the vehicle thus far. | |||
| 04/27/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota rav4. the vehicle would jerk violently while changing gears and experience trouble accelerating. the failure would occur while driving at any speed. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the contact was told the transmission fluid was black. the transmission fluid was replaced. the failure continues to recur intermittently. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 62,600. sm. | |||
| 12/22/2010 | 49500 | ||
| I drove my 2004 (6 1/2 year old) rav4 sport awd today as usual to work (16 miles). it has just short of 50,000 miles on it and is ready for the next oil change in more than 1000 miles. i have done the majority of maintenance at the dealership. i drove the car from my office at 169 and 62, on 62 then north on i35w to minneapolis and then on i94e to st. paul. soon after i got on i94 i noticed sudden failure to accelerate with a jerking and high revs (to about 4500) when going from 55 to 60. the gears did not fully engage and rumbled and did not change or drive fully in any gear. i was concerned about transmission problems and stopped at a service station (mike's bp in st. paul downtown) that had done an oil change on my car. the service person checked my transmission fluid and said it was filthy but full. he said it may need a new transmission. i chose to cancel my trip out of state for work, and drove directly home after setting up with my regular mechanic for next tuesday, the earliest open appointment. i was surprised to have this issue come up so suddenly and it is a clear danger since i mostly would drive on interstate highways in rush hour traffic or long distance for work and it could cause a crash. i will not drive the vehicle. this car had no issues at all so far - only replaced the wipers a year ago. i am concerned to have further damage to the transmission as the car drove so unpredictably and makes strange noises now if it is shifting. i have a toyota purchased extended warranty good until end of june 2011 and i'll work on getting this covered. it is frightening to have this happen to my vehicle as i depend on my car for work trips and for commuting. i'm glad i have the warranty and will have the work done to fix the problem if that is possible. my car goes through regular maintenance at a toyota dealership and they run checks for any recalls every time it is in the shop. there has been nothing at all on the vehicle thus far. | |||
| 01/01/2007 | |||
| Transmission issues, not shifting properly all the time! dealer tells me trans needs $3000.00 in repairs! | |||
| 04/09/2008 | 102000 | 1 | |
| Was driving down the road and the transmission started making noises. it cracked real loud one time and i had no power. when i came to a red light and tried to go again it wouldn't take off. took me 3 hrs to drive 55 miles to get my rav home. contacted a garage that specializes in transmission. was told they just received a notice from toyota that the computer chip in the transmission was failing but that i had to many miles to qualify. the garage put in a new computer chip (recommended by toyota) and it didn't completely take care of the problem so they ended up putting a whole new transmission in to the price of $4611. *tr | |||
| 12/04/2009 | 135000 | 1 | |
| 2004 rav 4 automatic transmission began shifting very hard. i have researched the internet and there are many complaints on this same issue. took it to aamco for testing. it is related to the computer module and caused internal damage to the transmission. *tr | |||
| 10/18/2009 | 50000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota rav 4. the vehicle would only drive normally when the engine was warm. while idling on top of a hill the vehicle would also roll backwards. the dealer has not diagnosed the failure. the current and failure mileages were 50,000. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 12/24/2006 | 67000 | 1 | 06/18/2004 |
| Automatic transmission shift cable broken while selecting to park, this vehicle could roll forward or backward upon releasing the brake. if in case the cable broken without knowing while cruising i have no option to downshift in case of emergency on a downhill road or brake system failure. i've replaced the part at a cost of $196.00 + labor. *nm | |||