When I went on merger ramp on highway .the car not accelerate enough or transmission not shift correctly. The car behind me hit my car.
2002 Toyota RAV4 acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 36 of 36, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Today my toyota rav4 2002 began to have automatic transmission shifting issues. It has an excessive jerk when shifted from park to reverse, it is slow to shift from 1 to 2, and it jerks like I was rear ended when shifting to the next gear. I contacted my local toyota dealer and was told there are no outstanding recalls on my car, the ECM software was updated before I purchased it used. I asked if they had any issues with the transmission on this model and year and I was told "no". They recommended I bring it in for a diagnostic check for $104 just to check it out. Afterwards I thought I would check the net. I found numerous threads regarding the 2001-3 ECM/transmission issue. It appears a number of owners have submitted complaints to the federal safety agency. Please add me. They are ignoring this issue and pretending they do not know anything about it.
Original owner of 2002 toyota rav4 awd. Was driving home from a friend's house and stopped off near my home for an errand. Left the store, (car was running, family inside) and proceed to drive towards my house. The engine was running but the car was barely moving. The tach was at 4,000 and I was barely going 5 MPH. Suddenly and without warning the car raced forward at a high rate of speed. I slammed on the brakes to avoid a rear-end collision. After it was safe to move, I stepped on the gas again and the car sluggishly moved at about 5mph again. The whole ride home (less than 5 minutes) the car was either slow or fast without much pressure on the accelerator. Upon arriving at home and trying to parallel park the car, I noticed that the transmission was sluggish and made loud noise when shifted into reverse. This wasn't normal and it troubled me. I looked up online the symptoms and saw the tsb and the class action lawsuit against toyota. I never received any information on this. This is my first time hearing about this. Ok 10 years/150,000 miles from 1st drive. Here's my problem - I bought the car in 11/2001 - I am over the years and under the mileage, so I don't qualify? The class action lawsuit was settled in jan/feb 2012. Tell me what happens to the people who purchased their car before jan/fen 2002 - are the out of luck? I am no longer driving this car till this is fixed and safe. Please the federal safety agency - make it a mandatory recall - over 250,000 SUV's are affected. Make it right - make it safe!!
I just got a toyota rav 4 2002 auto and when driving with family the vehicle started to run sluggish, jerks when pressing gas, starts slow real slow after coming to a stop and this situation almost got us into an accident in us 81 near front royal virginia. Additionally the check engine light came on. After taking vehicle to a mechanic it shows a code p0755 and reading about the problem is not a solenoid but it is ECM or ecu malfunction that the toyotas rav 2001-2003 are presenting which makes the car show a ghost code not a transmission code but rather a defective computer malfunction that cannot be repaired but replaced. Toyota knows about this problem and I do not see toyota assumed responsibility and had passed the cost to vehicles owners and not a general recall to be fixed at manufacture expenses. Please research and make this issue a immediate recall because it had caused accidents due to the malfunction.
First the engine light came on then while trying to accelerate, the car hesitates and then shifts hard and jerks the car forward. The safety issue is that the car hesitates and acceleration is affected so it is unsafe to try to get on the highway with oncoming cars behind you. I talked to toyota about this issue but they stated my car was not covered by the recall of (harsh shift condition and/or malfunction indicator light).
On starting, the car the battery light came on and stayed on. A month or so later I noticed a clunking in the transmission as the automatic went to a higher gear. This problem still remains.
Out of the blue while in rush hour traffic, my car started shaking, jerking, slamming into gear, not accelerating, and at times it felt like the brake was being applied when I stepped the gas. When I first took it to the dealership a day after this happened the first time, they could not find anything because they could not duplicate the issue during a test drive. Literally minutes after picking my car up and driving off the dealership lot, it started happening again in stop-and-go traffic. This time it was much worse and I was afraid as the person behind me almost rear-ended me. I took it back to the dealership and they tell me I either need a new ECM or a new transmission. But after researching this on the internet, it is a huge issue that is happening to a lot of 2002 toyota rav4 owners. And we as the owners are at the mercy of the unknown - this happens out of no where and is horribly unsafe and yet toyota takes no responsibility.
Dangerous transmission problems occurred in this car. The car would stall before going into second gear. Once it occurred as I was in an intersection. There are low miles on this so there should not be a need for repair or replacement at this time.
2002 toyota rav4 - while driving on the freeway, my car may automatically go from 60 to 40 mpr in matter of seconds. Or my car will get stuck on 60mpr & violently jerk. Twice have I taken it in for an ECM recall. My engine light has been on ever since 60,000 miles and now it's at 150,000. The extended warranty has been issued but my car is over the limit (154,000 miles). This extended warranty should have been issued "years ago" now it's too late. My car has had problems ever since my check engine light has turned on at 60k.
My wife was driving our rav 4 with my son aboard. The car began experiencing trouble accelerating, car would hesitate, then all of a sudden it would lurch forward. It was totally unsafe to drive at that point. I have learned that this is due to a faulty ECM which has caused this vehicle to be extremely unsafe. Ii took the car to my mechanic and sure enough the car showed the p0755 obd ii code which indicates that the issue is with the ECM. F left unattended, the transmission will require replacement at a cost of $4000 - $5000. I talked to toyota about it and they said a repair was covered under a customer support warranty extension program (*case # 1010011845). However, now I talk to fitzgerald toyota in gaithersburg (judith) and they indicate that they haven't even heard of this program.
2002 rav4 electronic control module malfunctions and causes vehicles not to be able to shift gears. My car wouldn't accelerate past 20 MPH in a heavy traffic area. Toyota has not reached out to rav4 owners to notify them of this problem.
For a long time the check engine light kept turning on in my 2002 rav4. I went to a dealer immediately. He said that this only happened because I didn't screw the gas cap tightly enough. He manually turned off the light and I went on my way. The light kept coming on and I kept going back to the dealership who said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. Then suddenly, in may of 2009, the car started jerking and shaking while I drove. At times it would stall almost to a stop and nothing I did, even applying the gas did much more than rev the engine. I ended up having to fork over more than $3k to get it fixed, but that wasn't the end of it. My check engine light up again. I took it to a different shop, as I had moved across the country at the time. They ended up having to replace my 02 sensors, all 4 of them. That cost me another $500. I only found out later from a friend that toyota had sent out a recall on the ecu and transmissions for vehicles with less than 80k miles on it. Mine was already over 100k and did not help me one bit. Needless to say, I no longer have any confidence in this company. My family bought toyotas for years. I recently got a note explaining that they would pay for my repairs... Now I'm scrambling to find the receipts and hope they will honor their promise. They cannot undo the potential danger their mistakes could have cost me and my passengers. There is not one note of apology in the recall either. I felt the need to file a complaint despite the recall because toyota should be made to fully reimburse their customers who have had to go through not only the headache of dealing with the mechanical problems, but also because of the other people and families this negligence may have physically hurt, or god forbid, killed. The fear and danger of driving this road hazard is also motivation enough to make sure as many complaints are heard and addressed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While attempting to accelerate from a stopped position, the contact noticed that the vehicle would hesitate to gain speed and would suddenly jerk forward when driving over 30 MPH. The vehicle had not been inspected at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 87,000.
2002 toyota rav4 with unintended acceleration. *kb the consumer stated his daughter was driving the vehicle, and had difficulty stopping the vehicle, because the accelerator became stuck. The incident only occurred once to date. In august 2008 the vehicle was serviced for a harsh shifting within the transmission. A rebuilt transmission was installed. The consumer continued to experience problems with the transmission. *jb the consumer stated he was given a copy of a tsb that had been issued regarding the transmission which stated if the harsh shifting persists after the ECM replacement, the automatic transaxle assembly may also require replacement. Updated 04/29/10. *jb the consumer stated the computer in the vehicle was defective and eventually replaced. However the consumer believed the new computer is also defective in light of the recent toyota recalls. Updated 05/04/10.
I have a 2002 toyota rave 4, I have even complained to the dealership where I bought the vehicle. I complained about it speeding out of control when I used the cruise control and it still does and I can reproduce it every time on the same road. I also had complained about steping on the breakes and the car not wanting to stop. Dealership told me "it was in my head, and that they couldn't find anything wrong with it." I was actually in a car accident on my way into the dealership to have them check the same problem again. I reported it several times to them an I have had the car since 2005.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While sitting idle, he depressed the accelerator pedal when there was an atypical sudden increase in engine rpms of up to 4,000. The vehicle then attempted to stall without warning, however suddenly the vehicle shifted gears and abnormally accelerated. The contact continued to depress the brake pedal in an attempt to decrease vehicle speed. He was able to stop the vehicle and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they verified the electronic control module (ECM) was the cause of the unintended acceleration. The contact advised this was not the first time he encountered unintended acceleration in this vehicle. There were no repairs made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 86,900 and the current was 87,000.
In the fall of 2008, the factory installed cruise control on my 2002 toyota rav 4 functions intermittently. It will work for a short period on any long trip then will cause vehicle to decelerate. Sometimes cannot get it to work again. Light will flash on and off on the dashboard. Have taken it in to local toyota dealership who cannot get it to duplicate. The mechanic states everything is fine. Due to semi-functional cruise, the mileage on a long distance trip has decreased from 30-32 mpg to 24-26mpg.reported this to toyota in 2009 and given a case # which I have misplaced. They did not appear to be concerned or admit they had a problem. Extended warranty (to 100,000 miles) will not cover the repair. There is indeed an electrical issue going on, but no one seems to solve the problem or care. In searching I have found other people who have posted comments regarding the same issue without resolution.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While driving 25 MPH on a local road the vehicle suddenly accelerated from 25 MPH to 85 MPH. She quickly made a left turn to avoid a collision and crashed into an island and a cement retaining wall. The insurance company didn't give her a report on what could have caused the failure to occur. The vehicle was destroyed. She broke her right ankle, and her lower back was injured. One of the passengers sustained a broken left hand and injuries to the neck. The other passenger received injuries to the neck. The police report information was not available. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and the current mileages were 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While shifting the vehicle in drive the vehicle would not accelerate past 4 MPH. Then without warning the vehicle began to rapidly accelerate. Eventually he was able to gain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to the toyota dealer and the technician stated that the computer was overriding the transmission. A new computer was installed in the vehicle. All the repairs have been done under the owners expense. The failure has been reported to the office of consumers affairs and to toyota. The failure mileage was 111000. The current mileage was 111400. Updated 02/18/10. *lj updated 03/04/10.
At 84,000 miles the car started surging for no reason, stalling while moving on the highway, and stalling while approaching intersections. Happened two to three times daily, causing a number near miss accidents, rear ends. Took it to the dealer who replaced the computer. This was very dangerous and easily could have caused an accident. *tr the consumer stated he experienced sudden acceleration. Updated 07/26/10.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While driving 2 MPH in reverse and with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated. The contact applied more pressure to the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not stop. The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle and was then towed to the dealer. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The road conditions were dry. The current and failure mileages were 70,000. Updated 3/5/08
Vehicle accelerates on its own.
When the brake was applied, the vehicle surged foward due to fuel throttle leakage. Dealer notified.
Vehicle accelerates on its own without pressing accelerater. Vehicle was involved in two collisions because of this problem. Please provide any further information.*jb....
When backing up, the vehicle either accelerated or the gas pedal got stuck. Ts
Re: fuel throttle linkage failure: high idle speed; unpredictable idle speed oscillation / surges, unpredictable acceleration / deceleration (particularly when engine is cold). Car will sometimes fail to decelerate after taking foot off gas when at low speeds (10-25 MPH), for example, when turning a corner or driving down a residential street. This manual transmission car will sometimes drive/lurch forward on its own without pressing on the gas pedal when in 2nd or 3rd gear, once rpms drop to about 1500. Told by the dealer and toyota that this is the result of a new emissions control computer, and that the car is operating as designed. Re: structure - roof rack: piece of the covering to the roof rack fell off when driving down the freeway. Could have been dangerous if there would have been a car driving behind me at the time.
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