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2001 Toyota RAV4 transmission complaints

Page 7 of 7: complaints 161 to 190 of 190, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2001 Toyota RAV4 transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Aug 6, 2009 · Engine, Transmission · 97,323 miles · MD

Somewhere around the later part of june, 2009 my car began hesitating. I took it to the dealer and they could not find what was wrong with it. I took it back and then was informed the it was my ECM. I contacted toyota to have this problem fixed since it was a manufacturing problem during production. They informed me that it was my responsibility to get it fixed. My vehicle has around 97,000 miles on it. This is happening on a regular basis. Several times my family and I were endangered because someone almost hit my vehicle from the back because of the hesitation. As of today, I have not been successful at getting toyota to offer any assistance in getting this repairs. The consumer stated the vehicle would loose acceleration and the RPM spiked. Whenever the consumer stopped at a light, the vehicle failed to move immediately. The technician informed the consumer the transmission was slipping, due to a problem stemming from the ECM, which was not reading properly which was affecting the transmission. Updated ivoq. 08/07/09.

Filed Aug 4, 2009 · Transmission · 121,000 miles · MO

All of a sudden out of the blue my transmission started slipping and hard shifting. We drove it home to park it until we could figure out the problem. $1000 later and no thanks to toyota it is fixed. It was the computer that needed reprogrammed. Thankfully the transmission wasn't shot b/c we didn't drive it after it started to hard shift and slip. Took it to toyota and they were going to charge us $5000 for a new transmission. But we found someone to help us with the computer problem.

Filed Jul 27, 2009 · Electrical, Transmission · 106,000 miles · 00

Faulty ecu in 2001 rav4 automatic causes internal transmission failure. Slipping & double-shifting between 2nd & 3rd gear, longer ecu is used the worse the slipping occurs. Resetting ecu fixes problem for several hours and tranny will work perfect, then it starts acting up again.

Filed Jul 21, 2009 · Electrical, Transmission · 81,000 miles · AZ

Our toyota rav 4 is having electronic control module is a bust. It controls among other things our transmission, and the shifting of gears. The ECM has pretty much ruined our transmission. There has been many rav 4 owners with this same problem. And toyota is (was) a reputable company. One would think they would make this right. Our warranty was up last year. And there was recalls on different computer things from them but, they will not help us. And we do not have the money to fix this. And this is our only family car. One we need to help us get to work. Any suggestions?

Filed Jun 11, 2009 · Electrical, Transmission · 83,150 miles · WA

My car is toyota rav4 2001 2wd automatic. Recently, the car on acceleration started doing hard shift. Many people have complained about it. Http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2001/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml. When I purchased the car from private party, I had asked toyota of kirkland (wa) to check for ecu module. I was told it is the right module and not the recalled one. So, I purchased this car from the private party. After 9 months of using this car, I get the same problem which so many people have experienced. The car jerks when accelerating. Sometimes it refuses to accelerate. Toyota extended the warranty on the car but when I purchased it was not under warranty. I think it is a faulty part in the car. If replacing ecu does not fixes the problem then we have to fix the transmission which will cost me additional $4000. To replace new ecu or ECM, it costs $1100+. Please ask toyota to recall the rav4s. This is a big blow to us in this economy.

Filed Apr 14, 2009 · Transmission · 99,820 miles · NY

My 2001 toyota rav4 is a victim of the ECM failure that causes transmission issues. This is a well known issue with 2001 and 2002 rav4's that toyota refuses to acknowledge. The ECM unit fails, and destroys the transmission in the process.

Filed Mar 19, 2009 · Transmission · 123,000 miles · NH

I am one of the many unlucky people who own a 2001 toyota rav-4 which has had check engine light issue for years. After brining to toyota more than once to have them not be able to turn off I am now facing a failed transmission- over $2,500 to fix. As I see all these complaints regarding the faulty ECM and toyota's lack of acknowledgement I am disgusted. Shame on toyota and as a once loyal owner I will never buy a toyota again and would not recommend to anyone.

Filed Mar 12, 2009 · Transmission · 61,696 miles · IL

Rav4 do not shift gear. Some times it was like jerked shifting and I searched about this problem in internet and found several problem reported in carcomplaints.com site. This is what happened to me. "I took car to a dealer - lombard toyota, il, and told about gear shifting problem. At first they did not say anything about the known problem with rav4. When I said, I researched about this problem in internet and found that rav4 has a gear shifting problem and toyota knows about it, and there is a tsr-tech service bulletin, and it needs to repair free. They told me let us take a look at. After half an hour, they told me I am lucky it is still under warranty 8yr/80000. I purchased this one on 2/??/2001. So I am luckily covered. I did a little argued that even if I am out of warranty, toyota should take care of this problem because it is a defect. They did not care much. And I did not press on it. So here is the problem-according to toyota service bulletin tc002-06 revised model 2001-2003 rav4 equipped with automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift and/or m.I.l "on" dtc p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758, and/or p1760. Improvements have been made to the engine control module (ECM) sae term - powertrain control module/PCM) manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring. Use the following procedure to repair the vehicle. They replace a r&r engine control module. My rav4 drives good now. I still think my rav4 is really not smooth. Or atleast that is the way I feel. This is it for right now. If anything comes up I will update later.

Filed Jan 7, 2009 · Transmission · 98,500 miles · NY

My 2001 rav4 developed a shifting issue, and eventually produced a check engine code, which indicated an issue with the transmission solenoid. The transmission shop tells me that I need a new transmission at the cost of $3200. They also tell me that this is a common issue with the 2001-2003 rav4s, and that toyota is aware of it. A techinical service bulletin was issued in 2006, indicating that there was an issue with some rav4s, and that the ECM should be replaced - if not the transmission may be ruined. I was never informed of any possible issue, and now my vehicle is ruined. It is extremely dangerous to drive, and would not shift into gear correctly. This is a safety issue in that I was unaware that there was any issue, and until the check engine light came on, I was unaware that my car may not shift correctly at any given moment.

Filed Nov 21, 2008 · Electrical, Transmission · 85,400 miles · MA

On november 8, while traveling to worcester to see a friend recovering from a serious medical next I called two of the major transmission specialists in the area; cottman transmission in northampton and the tranny shop in palmer, where brian and scott told me that toyota's reprogramming didn't work, and that I'd need to buy a new module out of pocket for $900-1100. They both said that if I caught it early, I wouldn't need a new transmission. It seems toyota is aware of this problem, but unwilling to pay to make it right.

Filed Nov 6, 2008 · Transmission · 124,000 miles · MA

2001 rav 4 transmission not shifting right. Just started to happen. Cannot drive the car, I do not have the money to fix it. Dealer and another garage said it needed a new transmission. I guess that ravs have this problem and toyota won't acknowledge the fact that they do and keep selling them and people keep getting ripped off.

Filed Sep 12, 2008 · Electrical, Transmission · 104,500 miles · PA

2001 toyota rav 4 started with check engine light coming on and off then toyota sent ssc-601 in march of 08 that I needed to have ECM reprogrammed which I did{took tech 2 times to get it right} now my transmission started slipping so I took it in to toyota and they did a diagnostic and sure as pie they said ECM has failed and they want 940.00 to replace it. This is a widespread problem that has been seen by toyota and is a manufactures defect that they expect us the consumer to eat I've had nothing but runaround from both local dealer and their corporate office. No one seems to care and is unwilling to do anything about this.

Filed Sep 11, 2008 · Transmission · MD

Circuit board for transmission failed and valve.

Filed Jul 29, 2008 · Transmission · 92,000 miles · PA

I have not been injured, but believe the issue with my transmission is not only a manufacturer's defect, but poses a safety issue depending on the severity. There are hundreds of others experiencing this same issue with their toyota rav4s that were produced between the years 2001-2003. A defective computer part is causing damage to the transmission, ultimately destroying them if not caught early and replaced at a cost of $1200! In many cases, the transmission still needs to be replaced at an additional cost of around $3500 or more. It is sickening that a company such as toyota would not recall this part and cover the cost of malfunctions! It is a safety issue, as you never know how severe the lurching and skipping of the transmission will be. It can come out of nowhere and that certainly creates the potential for accidents. I think this issue is on the rise because it tends to happen with higher mile vehicles. I truly hope more consumers will file complaints so that toyota will be forced to stand behind their product. I am glad that I have heard of no reported injuries at this point-I hope that remains the case.

Filed Jul 22, 2008 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · VA

Acceleration frequently hesitates causing driver to pull out into traffic without power. This problem has recently gotten worse and happens every time I drive. Internet research suggests a bad ECM is causing the problem.

Filed Jul 15, 2008 · Transmission · 117,000 miles · NJ

I have a toyota rav4 2001 car. Its an auto transmission with 117,000 miles on it. Suddenly about 10 days ago I started feeling the harsh shifting / bucking / jerking while taking the car. I then went to a near by toyota dealer for diagnostic test and what they have found was a fault code p0755 (harsh shift and/or m.I.l. ?on? Dtc p0750/p0753/p0755/p0758/p1760) which is basically recommending to replace the engine control module. I then searched about this fault code on the internet I ended up on a website (http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml) where I could see numerous similar complaints. It looks like toyota has made a fault ECM and have installed in so many rav4 (b/w 2001 - 2003 model year), which made so many customers like us to go through a lot of service expenses. Please do the needful so that toyota makes a reimburse the expenses for all the customers who has gone through some financial burden due to this.

Filed Jul 10, 2008 · Transmission · 83,000 miles · IL

Our 2001 toyota rav4 recently started shifting very hard and the check engine light came on. I took the car to the dealer and started to do some research. The car was very dangerous to drive as there were large hesitations before the next gear would catch. I found out that toyota put out tsb tc002-06 in regards to a defective ECM computer that controls the transmission. Our ECM did need to be replaced, but toyota needs to take responsibility for this serious safety issue. They should be replacing this part for free. Toyota has admitted the part is defective, yet will not stand behind their product. The damages to our car due to this computer could have cost in excess of $5,000 to repair.

Filed Jun 19, 2008 · Transmission · 134,833 miles · NJ

My '01 toyota rav4 began experience shifting problems in aug07, it would not shift properly, and would suddenly slam into gear. This happened sporadically on and off, check engine light would go on and off. Due to this problem, it made it very dangerous to merge onto highways, as I'm trying to accelerate and the car won't go beyond 1st gear, and then once I'm running, it slams into gear, almost causing me to hit the car in front of me. In nov07, based on a notice from toyota, I sent car to dealer to get ECM reprogrammed. Apparently this was causing the problem. Well, it did nothing. So in june08, as the problem got even worse, I sent it back to dealer. They said I needed the ECM replaced, this caused my car to get worse. So a week later, I took it to a transmission specialist to get transmission rebuilt.

Filed Jun 6, 2008 · Transmission · 68,000 miles · CA

As described by many others that own a toyota rav-4 (2001) , my car experienced major problems shifting. After researching the problem, I discovered that it was described in a service bulletin released by toyota. I took my car to the dealership and demanded that they replace the ECM instead of simply resetting it as they were planning on doing. The problem has not returned to date, but had it not been for the information provided by others (on various websites), I would not have known to make this request. I was lucky that my vehicle was under the specified mileage and that the costs were covered by the warranty.

Filed Apr 23, 2008 · Transmission · 112,000 miles · WA

2001 toyota rav 4 has premature transmission failure causing slipping, and delayed shifting.

Filed Mar 28, 2008 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · CT

I have a toyota rav 4 4wd 2001 model. At 47,000 miles I had an engine replacement done by lynch toyota under warranty. 25,000 miles later vehicle was diagnosed with a cracked flex plate. Repair was done by aamco and in their written report they state that due to an alignment dowel that was cut off when lynch replaced the engine, the engine became misaligned and the flex plate cracked. In addition the torque converter also had to be replaced. The reports were handed to lynch and their service manager does not accept responsibility for this and reported that the cracked flex plate was more than likely due to poor materials. I still have the flex plate and would like to know if there is a way to have it checked to find out if indeed it was made from poor materials. Aamco don't appear to believe this to be the case.

Filed Mar 28, 2008 · Transmission · RI

I have not had an accident or injuries to what my complaint is about. I personally think this is a safety issue. I drive a 2001 toyota rav4 and recently started having shifting issues. I started to research this issue and came across this website called carcomplaints.com and found many others with the same issue. Toyota is aware of the problems because they came out with a tsb in 2006. When you come to a complete stop and then go to drive the car forward the vehicle doesn't shift properly therefore could be a safety issue with not being able to move out of the way of on coming traffic. Please visit this website and see the amount of people having the same issues and I like many others feel there is a defective ECM in these vehicles sending faulty signals to the transmission causing the vehicle to not shift properly and could potentially cause accidents. The other problem is that this is not happening all the time, its sporadic and even the dealer is having difficulty duplicating the problem. I hope more people make complaints and I would be interested in seeing how many have. Thanks!

Filed Mar 13, 2008 · Electrical, Transmission · 87,000 miles · RI

Transmission slipping on 2001 toyota rav4. Service bulletin issued requiring replacement of computer to fix this problem. Bulletin extended warranty to 80,000. Consumer never notified of this problem. Computer went bad at 87,000 miles. Toyota and consumer currently going round and round over whether toyota or consumer must pay for computer replacement. Consumer also told that transmission may now need to be replaced. Toyota has received numerous complaints about this problem from rav4 owners and in many cases the shift problems related to the computer failure has resulted in damage to transmission which toyota will not pay for.

Filed Nov 18, 2007 · Electrical, Transmission · 15 miles · NY

Rough shift in low gears causing engine to rev but car does not move. Had solenoids replaced, problem still exists. Told ECM needs to be replaced but other owners said this has not corrected the problem. Car revs but goes no where and creates dangerous situation especially in dense traffic with big trucks.

Filed Apr 2, 2007 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · MA

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2001 toyota rav 4 at 65 MPH (with 80000 failure mileage the vehicle began to make a clinking noise. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned the vehicle off. The vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic, who stated that there was a sludge build up, and the transmission had to be replaced.

Filed Dec 28, 2006 · Transmission · 73,000 miles · CT

2001 rav4 manual transmission - the gear shift started moving back and forth in the 5th gear position when pressure was applied/released from the gas pedal. Went to balise toyota in west springfield, ma and was told that this was normal behavior (even though I had the car for 5 years and it just started happening. About a week later, the car started "popping" out of 5th gear. Balise then admitted that this was not normal and "repaired" the problem (there was a service bulletin from toyota out about the problem). When I got the car back, the gearshift did not move when in 5th gear. It is now december and the gearshift is once again moving back and forth in 5th gear and balise toyota is telling me it is normal and they refuse to fix the problem while the car is still under the extended warranty. There are other people on the internet who have reported this same problem. Toyota should have a recall to fix the problem as having a car drop out of gear is a safety hazard, especially at highway speeds when it would be most apt to happen.

Filed Aug 21, 2004 · Transmission · 31,000 miles · MA

Vehicle hesitates frequently when engine cold. Will not accelerate even with accelerator pedal fully depressed. Hesitation last for several seconds. Extremely dangerous pulling into traffic because one is never sure if vehicle will accelerate normally or limp along for several seconds.

Filed Feb 13, 2002 · Acceleration, Transmission · IL

The vehicle doesn't respond to throttle pressure and transmission doesn't shift down properly. This is noticed as a hesitation. When the transmission finally down shifts it shifts all the way to first gear, then roars for a few seconds, then shifts quickly.

Filed Aug 27, 2001 · Acceleration, Transmission · IL

Vehicle exhibits intermittent hesitation upon acceleration from stop or low speed.hesitation has occurred since shortly after vehicle purchase date, with increased frequency during last 60-90 days. Hesitation occurs both with air conditionong on and off, and with 4-speed automatic transmission overdive on and off. 2-3 occurrences per week are currently experienced. Most frequent when vehicle is making slow turn (both right and left) and lasts 5-10 seconds even if accelerator is nearly fully depressed. Hesitation has also occurred when moving straight ahead from stop or from low speed (5-10 MPH) stop and go traffic. Dealer has been notified and could not replicate problem or offer a solution, however vehicle was driven for only a short time by dealer's service technicians. Dealer indicates no report of similiar problems either at this dealership or to toyota USA although I know of other 2001 rav4 owners who have reported a hesitation problem to their dealers and have not had the problem resolved. While this problem is intermittent, this is,in some ways, worse than if it happened every time because there is no way to pedict the event and compensate for it.

Filed May 19, 2001 · Brakes, Engine · MI

The transmission shifts slowly, pops into reverse while in the car wash and the RPM gauge shows high RPM's when accelerating in third gear. Nlm

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