2002 Toyota RAV4: sudden unintended acceleration

Filed Mar 2, 2017 · Acceleration, Transmission · 53,612 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted into second gear and lunged forward. The vehicle came to a complete stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was driven home. The following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module failed; however the class action settlement ended in 2012. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,612. Updated 04/25/17 lj

Filed Aug 13, 2013 · Transmission · 80,000 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. The contact stated that when shifting gears, there was a delay before the vehicle would engage, causing the vehicle to hesitate and lunge forward abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the ECM was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 80,600.

Filed Dec 20, 2010 · Transmission · 54,000 miles · MA

2002 toyota rav4. The transmission slips from 1st to 2nd gear uncontrollably and causes a sudden surge in the vehicle that makes driving it not only dangerous but a liability to me. Toyota should be concerned with this, considering their recent problems with sudden acceleration and braking. The car was bought through a toyota dealership, which makes it all the worse because of the fact that they knowingly passed this car through their inspection process and did not do a [xxx] thing. Tell toyota to fix this problem for the safety of millions of people on the road. *tr information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jun 24, 2010 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · MS · crash

I was coming home and waiting for my garage door to open when my 2002 toyota rav4 suddenly accelerated (even though I quickly put my foot on the brake) and crashed through the bottom half of the garage door side-swiping another vehicle in the garage. I took the vehicle to a body shop to get fixed and also took it to a service shop, and neither place could find anything wrong with the car. Since then, I have noticed on a few rare occasions that, upon shifting the car into reverse, there is a sudden jerking action. I am beginning to think that this all my be related to the ECM transmission module that I've been reading about lately.

Filed May 12, 2010 · NY

S10 appropriate handling re toyota vehicles sudden unintended acceleration fwd fm owner of a 2002 rav4, 2002 corolla and a 2007 toyota prius *tgw the consumer was informed that none of the 2002 vehicles were included in the recall. The consumer stated her other two vehicles, which are much newer were not recalled either and could potentially accelerate and cause injury or death. The consumer also addressed questions in her complaint. *jb updated 05/24/10

Filed Apr 15, 2010 · Transmission · 97,666 miles · IL

While driving my 2002 toyota rav 4 with 97,000 miles, I experienced a sudden problem when shifting into 2nd gear. The car would stick and then suddenly accelerate as if the gear finally caught. After taking it to the mechanic I found out I not only needed to replace my transmission but also the ECM. This was a costly repair of over $3300 for a car that should have gone well over that mileage prior to needing a transmission change. Also it took 2 ecms before we found one that could work. The car worked fine and then suddenly had this problem.

Filed Apr 14, 2010 · Acceleration, Transmission · NY

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.

Filed Mar 11, 2010 · Acceleration · 86,900 miles · MA

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.

Filed Mar 11, 2010 · Transmission · 87,000 miles · MA

I own a toyota rav4 2002.....it has been known by toyota that this model has had problems with its ecu.....which makes the car shift at the wrong revs\times, at times at traffic lights or merging into highways the car completely looses power, sometimes at traffic lights it completely stalls leaving you completely vulnerable to other cars....it sometimes to revs to over 4000 revs and then suddenly engages into gear, which results in unintended acceleration. This might cause serious problems especially in congested traffic. I took the car to the toyota dealer in acton, ma they told me I had to pay 4500 dollars to fix their own design flaw, which popestrous. There are soo many blogs that complain about this, type "rav4 transmission problem" on google. You are bound to find thousands of blogs complaining about this. I'd like to think that this government does indeed take care of its people\ looking out for them and fighting for them in battles they can not win alone. All I ask for is for toyota to be held responsible for their own flaws. They have put millions of people in serious risk, this is not something that should be overlooked, especially after discovery of their faulty acceleration pedals. This is what you get for trying to cut cost and then making the consumers pay for this mistake. Its high time toyota came clean about their shady designs. Everyone and I mean everyone should boycott toyota products until they once again become the trustworthy and reliable company it once was -do not buy the coffin car.

Filed Feb 22, 2010 · Transmission · 31,000 miles · HI

I own a 2002 toyota rav4. I've been the sole owner of this vehicle and purchased it band new in 2002 from a local honolulu toyota dealer. In mid/late 2009, the vehicle started having transmission problems: hard shifting in lower gears 1, 2 & 3, hard shifting when placing the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle shaking and vibrating when slowing down and sudden acceleration from the stopped position when the gas pedal is slowly pressed.. I took the vehicle in to determine the problem. An independent mechanic informed me that toyota issued memo outlining the problems I described above possibly due to the transmission and/or the ecu (computer that controls the transmission). A toyota servicing mechanic informed me that my 2002 rav4 was no longer under drivetrain warranty, so repair cost are my responsibility. A quick web search of "rav4 transmissions" shows that many other rav4 owners suffer from similar problems, resulting in very high repair costs, anywhere from $3,000 up to $8,000. The vehicle still suffers from the above mentioned problems, but due to the high repair estimates I am unable to fix the vehicle.

Filed Feb 18, 2010 · Electrical · 82,000 miles · TN

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the ecu board failed on the vehicle and that the dealer said that they were aware of the failure. The dealer stated that the ecu board normally failed at 75 miles on his year, make and model vehicle. After the ecu failed the vehicle began to lunge forward when it shifted. The failure mileage was 82,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. Updated 05/10/10 *bf updated 05/11/10.

Filed Feb 4, 2010 · Acceleration · 60,000 miles · MA · crash · 3 injuries

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.