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.
2002 Toyota RAV4 electrical complaints
Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 92 of 92, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2002 toyota rav4 has defective ecu which has in turn fried transmission...my wife noticed problems when the shifting automatic transmission on a merge and was almost run over by a semi-truck. We then took the vehicle to the dealer who told us the engine light was not on so they could not diagnose and advised us to drain the transmission fluid. 2 weeks later, my wife was on the highway and the transmission spontaneously shifted into low gear causing her to swerve off road. We have been told that we need to replace the ecu and transmission at $5,000. I have gone online and read that toyota has been aware of this problem for over 2 years and will not issue recall as not enough people have complained...this is a safety issue my wife was almost killed!!! Please address with toyota!! *tr updated 03/22/10.
There exists a documented history of ECM failure in the 2002 toyota rav4 vehicles that is causing shifting problems in the transmission. This defected part needs to be recalled as needing replacement (not just "reprogramming" as toyota has tried to do). When I began experiencing these problems with my 2002 toyota rav4 on april 17, 2009, I was in the middle of traffic and no matter how hard I pressed on the accelerator, my car would not go. It eventually very slowly began to accelerate but every time I had to stop at a light or stop sign, it would barely go again. I was terrified that I was going to get hit every time I had to cross over a street with oncoming traffic. This is a dangerous situation...someone is going to get in a serious accident one of these days because there is no warning when this begins to happen - the car just won't go at takeoff. Many of us who own the 2002 rav4 have wasted hundreds of dollars on misdiagnosis of this problem...I had the transmission fluid flushed, I had a top engine cleaning to remove buildup in the throttle, I was even told at the dealership that my car mat was getting in the way of the accelerator and that was adding to the problem. Only after none of this fixed the problem did they come back and finally say that the ECM needed to be replaced or the transmission would be ruined. This repair is going to cost me $1300.00 because the warranty ran out at 80,000 miles and my vehicle is at 84,000 miles. I am going to fix this car so that I can trade it in (the dealership even suggested that I trade it- they must know how serious this is). I can't take the risk that this vehicle will be safe to drive even after the ECM is replaced because I've read that the new ECM may not communicate correctly with the old transmission. This is a devastating loss for those of us who bought our vehicles based in large part on the toyota reputation for reliability.
Car shuttered and stopped rolling in an intersection, then abruptly went into gear again with a lurch. Transmission shop replaced valve assembly. Problem returned and car was returned to shop. New valve assembly installed, problem came back. Returned to shop, transmission removed, replaced, 3 times. Seals replaced. Same problem.ECM was suspect. Car was taken to local toyota dealer, was told ECM was fine, ECM was re-programmed and we were charged $275.00. Problem continued. Long story short-ECM was replaced, programmed, and paid another $1200. Works fine. Toyota owes me big time. They know of this problem, and ignore. I have owned 5 toyotas in my life, and have an fj cruiser as well. Will not consider toyota in the future unless they admit the problem, and assist in repairs.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. The contact noticed that the transmission would repeatedly slip out of gear without warning. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the on-board computer needed to be replaced because it was defective. They further stated that the failure was common with his year, make, and model vehicle. Immediately after the repair, the failure resurfaced and the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. He took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that they would have to replace the transmission because the on-board computer mechanically failed. As a result, the transmission failed and would cost $4,000 to replace. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer did not assist. The failure and current mileages were 126,605. Updated 6/8/09 *cn updated 06/11/09.
I brought my rav brand new in 200. Have had no problem with it up until a few days ago. It was running just fine but the next day I noticed that it would jerk when I shifted in/out of reverse. Not only that but it had trouble accelerating and would jerk from 1st to 2nd gear. Read multiple complaints on this issue via www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and found that I am not alone in this problem....this is unacceptable.. I have a four year old and I am scared of driving anywhere because im scared of pulling out in traffic for the fear that the car wont move and I may get hit.....this need to be addressed....
Suddenly, my car starting shifting very roughly into reverse. It happens every time I put the car into reverse. I was told the ECM needed to be replaced because it was defective. This is the same ECM that had a factory recall issued that I had serviced last year.
Car began having shifting problems. I was told by a shop that the ECM is a known problem. It is a safety hazard since it often fails in intersections.
I brought my rav brand new in 2002. Have had no problem with it up until a few a year ago when the engine light came on intermittent. Every time I was going to take the vehicle into get checked it would go out. When I arrived at my present duty station I was deployed almost immediately. Within two months of my deployment my wife told me that car was having a hard time moving and could hear the transmission slipping. She then took the vehicle to the mechanic and they told her that the transmission was broke and needed to be repaired. Only 52000 miles on the vehicle. The mechanic also told my wife that there could be a tsb out on the vehicle pertaining to the electronic control module, part that tells the transmission to shift gears, "ECM"and there was several that pertained the problem and what needed to be replaced. Being in italy she contacted the states rep for toyota and was told that they couldn't locate our car because we bought it from a licensed dealer "american spec vehicle" from germany. She then contact the agency that is authorized to sell "american spec cars" and was informed that the vehicle fell under the warranty and that they "american toyota" should pay for it based on an american tsb. Called toyota again and nothing. When I came home, we took the vehicle to local dealership and because it was an american tsb they would consider the replacement. In the mean time they assured us that the vehicle was safe to drive and being our only vehicle my wife was forced to drive it. Toyota "rome" oked the replacement of the ECM, the actual fault of the vehicle but has refused to replace the transmission the result of the faulty part. Now the transmission is completely shot and looking on line thousands of american consumers are paying thousands of dollars out to replace a product that is the result of toyota's engineering flaws. I personally feel that they are responsible the transmission and the replacement. Further investigation is requested.
I started having issues with my car on 6-20-2008. I was driving my car & noticed that when I would accelerate it wasn't accelerating properly. Then I noticed that as the car was shifting into 2nd gear it would stall & then suddenly shift really hard into 3rd gear. Sometimes as I would accelerate the car would start shaking & then shift hard into 1st gear. This made me very nervous because I was unable to keep up with the flow of traffic & feared that the problem would create an accident. The problem seemed to happen intermittently, but it was happening more often than not. We looked at the transmission fluid thinking it might be something wrong with the transmission due to the way it was shifting. We checked the fluid & filled the fluid. My husband drove it a little & it didn't act up for him. So I thought the problem was fixed. Well then I started driving it again & it continued to shift hard & not accelerate properly. I had my uncle look at it & he thought it sounded like the transmission was not engaging. So I finally took it to a toyota dealership to have them look at it. Of course ($84 later) they couldn't get the problem to occur. I went to pick the car up the next day & they said they found a bulletin on 2001-2003 toyota rav4's that if there was a hard shifting that the ECM needed replacing. $1500 later the car is fixed. Of course toyota does not cover the cost of the problem because it was only a bulletin & supposedly did not cause a safety issue & come to find out my manufacturers warranty is past & my extended warranty doesn't cover it either even though it's a major part that keeps the car running & functioning properly. I am extremely dissatisfied with the toyota service & their ways of handling problems that are not the consumers fault but toyota's manufacturing fault.
Car not shifting into gear (slipping) and then banging and jerking into gear at first told by the dealer that I needed a new transmission. Later after I saw the technical service bulletin and with many calls to toyota corporate they performed further test and determined that it was the ECM they are replacing it but only paying for half of the cost current mileage 89,000 they are saying it is out of warranty by 9,000 miles even though it was reprogrammed last year (april 07) at 72,000 miles I have noticed many complaints on the 2002 rav 4 and truly believe they should be forced to do a recall and pay the total amount.
In the past few years the check engine light kept coming on and my local dealer would fix something that was supposed to be causing the problem twice. The 3rd time toyota had a recall on the computer and reprogrammed the ecu. Now the 4th time the car would not go when pushing the pedal or it would stop in traffic with the hopes of not getting into a wreck. Barely made it back to the dealer who said it had a bad main computer failure and the "shift solenoid b" was bad. All this with only 83k miles. This seems somewhat very low to be having this kind of a problem. I contacted toyota, gave them the info and they investigated and said it was way out of warranty so the case is "closed". The total cost of repair was to be $4998 but with the dealer giving me a "one time good will 50% split and a senior citizens discount", it had a final price of $3,725.63.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and became difficult to shift into first gear. The vehicle jerked and the engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician stated that the failures were related to the computer failure, which also caused the transmission to fail. The computer and transmission are currently being replaced at the cost of $4,600. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 95,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While idling or driving at very low speeds, the vehicle would consistently fail. The dealer stated that the electronic control module needed to be reprogrammed. Immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. The dealer replaced the ECM at the cost of $1,225.69, without the contact's approval. The repair was not included in her extended warranty. She called the manufacturer, but they referred her back to the dealer. The failure and current mileages were 89,000.
Ecu or engine computer unit. This computer is bad. When shifting .the automatic transmission in the computer does not know what gear to shift in. This is scary when in traffic. It would start in lets say 2nd gear then bang back to 1st gear. What a jolt for you and the driver behind you.
November 17, 2006 - after being parked in my driveway for approximately 30 minutes the engine caught on fire. The rav4 engine compartment and entire interior was demolished, tires exploded, glass exploded over at least a 20 foot radius. Two engine trucks and 10 responders later the fire was out. 63,000 miles, no prior problems, 50k maintenance completed by dealer jan 2006. Vin has zeros and letter o which are indistinguishable. Try both.
The car suffered mechanical defect and the front end bar was broken, when front end bar broke it lost direction and hit another car in front. The highway patrol came to take the accident report. We were driving at 25mph on freeway number 405. I have called my auto insurance and I was given a case number. I have full cover. I am waiting for a response from my auto insurance to fix the car. I have contated toyota and I also have a case with them. The case number is 200603011457. I have toyota and the claims representative is christy. Christy have said to wait at least 60 days. I can't wait 60 days. I need my car. The auto insurance has not given me a rental. I have complaint to the commissioner of auto insurance in california. They will conduct and investigation. The case number with my auto insurance is 10000148757. My auto insurance carrier is infinity. What I want is toyota to replace my car. The car is a total loss. I feel this broken bar should be recall.
I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. I have taken my car to the dealer for the changes of oil and filter. Twice they suggested a wynns system engine cleaning which we paid for. The last one was done on april 2005. Last october 7, 2005 I was driving my car on the expressway and all of a sudden the oil light lit up and the car stopped. The car was towed from the highway to our house and the next day was towed to the dealer adriel toyota in rio grande, puerto rico. About two hours later they called me and stated that the motor stalled and the warranty was not going to pay since I had not taken the car to them for the last oil change. I reminded them that just nine months earlier a wynns motor engine cleaning had be done by them and that it was impossible for the motor of the car to have sludge if they had done the job correctly. The toyota company of puerto rico called to tell me the same thing. I made a complaint at the consumers affairs in puerto , I am waiting for a decision. Today I showed the pictures to an automotive expert who states that the motor have not had any oil changes and the worst was that there was no way that the engine had be cleaned. The dealers states that they have not had any motor sludging on any rav 4 in puerto rico but consumer report states that toyota has this problem most commonly with camry's . Today I found out that rav 4 have the same engine camry's have. Am I supposed to be punished for whatever problem toyotas engines have?
I had driven about 3 miles then got stuck in a traffic jam. At that time, I could smell something burning but I thought it was the car in front of me. Finally, I got off that road and drove another 10 miles but I again noticed the burning smell. I checked the panel and the car was not running hot. Next, a small curl of smoke came from under hood on passenger side. Then suddenly smoke began billowing from under the hood and into the car through the vent. I lost steering and braking. I removed the key from the ignition, but the car continued moving forward. Then the car abruptly stopped. Flames engulfed the engine. The fire department came out and extinguished the fire but the car was totaled.
On july 7, 2003 I was on my way to work when the battery discharge light came on and I had no steering capability. I was travelling about sixty miles per hour on the interstate. I almost hit the median divider before I could steer the vehicle to the side of the road. I called the dearlership and explained what had happened. They told me to have the vehicle towed in, they didn't even offer to have it towed. Incidentally this is a new vehicle with less than 1100 miles on it and I had only driven the vehicle about one week before the above happened. The dealership kept my vehicle for two days and I went to get my rav4 and asked what had happened. The service manager said that the drive belt pulleys had not been properly installed on my new rav4 and that caused the drive belt to come off of the pulleys and broke the tensioner and the housing guide. I took the car home and the next morning, the new rav4 would not start. I jumped srtarted the rav4 from my wifes vehicle and let it run for about fifteen minutes thinking that the battery just needed a charge. My wife was going to use the neew rav4 vehicle that day to shop. She called me about mid-morning and informed me that the new rav4 vehicle would not start as she had gone to the mall. That evening my wife and I went to the mall and jum started the vehicle agin and I finally got it home and it is now in my garage, it just will not start. I called and talaked to the service director about all of the problems that I was having with my new rav4 SUV. He equated my break-downs to going to the store and buying a box of four light bulbs and taking the light bulbs home and putting a new light bulb in a lamp that had a burned out light bulb and when the lamp is turned on then the new light bulb burns out. This really made me angry. I told him that there was big difference in a fifty cent light bulb and a $25,000.00 new vehicle with only 1100 miles on it.
When driving for more than 15 miles and stopping the vehicle shakes. Took vehicle to dealer and they stated that it was normal for vehicle to shake. *ak consumer states that the engine is loud, when stopping, it feels like the brakes lock up and when the vehicle is turned off the power windows continue to work and the lights go on and off.
Engine compartment caught on fire right after consumer parked vehicle. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.
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