Transmission slipping and slamming into gear. Vehicle shudders like it was going to stop running, then RPM's jumped up to about 4,000 and slammo! Slams into gear. Almost got hit by a large truck behind me. Check engine light doesn't come on . Took it to dealership and they say without error codes they cannot diagnose the problem. Had a recall on ECM a couple of yrs. Ago. Had it done(re-flashed) at dealership. No help from toyota.
2002 Toyota RAV4 transmission complaints
Page 6 of 14: complaints 131 to 160 of 376, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Toyota rav4 automatic transmission went crazy and car started lunging forward and then not going when it should. It caused a minor accident some time ago, but is very dangerous and unsafe and we have not felt safe enough to even keep the car on the road. If people are not as fortunate as us to have another vehicle or can not afford to get this problem fixed, it could very well cause a fatal accident. We are surprised that the transmission problems was not included in the recall business with them. Ours only had 60,000 miles when it happened to us and from what I read on the internet there is major cause for concern.
I have a 2002 toyota rav-4. I have taken proper car of the car, like oil changes, tune-ups, the whole nine yards. Except recently the transmission in the car has failed. It just recently started happening and I don't understand how this issue has come about. I am almost at 102k miles on my car. I was almost hit by another SUV due to the transmission failing. I have recently found articles by USA today and cbs5 stating how owners of toyota rav-4's 2001-2003 models have had transmission failures.
Toyota rav4 2002 transmission failure at 88,000 miles with a perfect maintenance. Since two days ago a problem with the transmission began. I search in the internet and toyota knew the problem since 2006 without telling the owners, now to fix the transmission could cost around 5,000 and its suppose to be the computer.
I purchase my vehicle a 2002 rav4, automatic, new. The vehicle has been well maintained. Approximately in march of 2010 my vehicle starting jerking, I look at my gas gauge and thought I must be lower on gas then the gauge is showing. I got gas and the problem stopped. About 2 weeks later the same problem. I got gas and the situation stopped. Sporadically, in the 2 week time frame my vehicle seemed to lose power. I did take my car into my mechanic and he had the car and did test drives with no problems. Again, in april the problem arose again and the car when to my mechanic and again they could find no problem. On april 22, 2010 upon leaving work I started my vehicle and there was a horrible jerking, shaking and at times seemed to have no power I finally was able to make it home (1 mile away) with the tires barely rolling down the road. Immediately, the next day I took it to my mechanic and as we were doing a test drive the vehicle began the jerking, shaking and lost power, the car was not operable any longer. The diagnosis: transmission burnt and new ECM (my third in this vehicle). The vehicles engine check light never came on or any other sensors in the vehicle. When the ECM was tested it did not display any codes or problems with the vehicle. I contacted the dealership and explained the situation and was advised I needed to bring it in for them to look at it. I explained to them it does not run and not going anywhere and would these (I would have had the vehicle towed with an expense of anywhere from $250 to $300.00, a hours drive away) expenses be covered. Response "warranty expired 60 days ago." after many days of an agonizing decision, I advised my mechanic to go ahead and fix the car at the tune of $3500.00, replacing the ECM and transmission. The vehicle is still being repaired and I will have it back next week.
Automatic transmission on a 2002 toyota rav4 SUV began slipping and shifting hard. Took it to trusted garage and they determined that transmission had failed and was unsafe to drive. It had to be replaced. In researching the vehicle and the model's service history for recalls and service bulletins they determined that the transmission involved was only used for 16 months by toyota before it was replaced because of poor performance and safety issues. The ECM (engine control module) was found to be faulty and was causing the transmission failures. (toyota tsb tc002-06). Toyota deemed not to alert vehicle owners of this condition or to offer any preventive action to be pursued to prevent the ultimate transmission failure resulting in replacement. Warranty on replacement transmission not valid if the ECM unit is not also replaced. Total cost = $5,000. Original warranty was extended to 96 months or 80,000 miles. My vehicle has 119,000 miles in 90 months of use. Toyota dealer service department stated the vehicle parts were out of warranty.
Starting the end of april 2010 my 2002 toyota rav4 starting giving me problems with shifting gears and when I pressed the accelerator it didn't want to move and really sluggish and would jerk. I was afraid that someone would rear end me. I kept up all my maintenance on the vehicle. I had a transmission service done march 2008. The dealer said I needed a new transmission. My car has 90,000 miles. I had another transmission service done, but it just got worse. I took it to another repair shop and they said there was a computer defect and the transmission needed to be replaced. My car is in the shop for repairs.
The automatic transmission was shifting very hard from gear to gear and had problems starting in first gear from a stop. It looks like it is very common on 2001-2004 rav4's per complaints online. A service bulletin was put out by toyota in march of 2006 about the problem. The dealer is recommending replacement of the ecu. The bulletin proves toyota knew about the defective ecu. Many people are being forced to buy a transmission also after the faulty ecu destroys theirs. This is a safety issue, such as driving onto a freeway and the transmission stalling when merging with traffic.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. While entering a busy highway at speeds of less than 5 MPH, the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle would not shift gears and within moments, the failure seemed to correct itself but became progressively worse as he continued to drive. The manufacturer advised the contact that there was a technical service bulletin that addressed the failure and would not provide any further assistance (the federal safety agency item number 10019667). The dealer had not yet been contacted nor had the vehicle been repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 91,000.
2002 toyota rav 4 transmission slips and jerks at odd times. Especially though, when trying to merge or pass in traffic.
2002 toyota rav4, while putting in drive the car stalls for a second then jerks into gear...I had ECM work done for 1300.00 dollars and the car still jerks into gear and sometimes there is no power...I am worried that my wife will be in traffic and the car will lose power causing an accident.
Have a 2002 toyota rav4 I was driving near home - began to accelerate on area highway and experienced a jolt or hard shift while the car was accelerating between approx. 25-30 MPH. Caused car to decelerate rapidly. Consider myself blessed children were not in the car and no one was immediately behind me as would most likely have been involved in a rear end crash. Check engine light came on - immediately contacted mechanic who advised to take to toyota dealership due to a faulty ECM computer that controls the transmission. Currently still sitting there waiting for response from toyota on how they will remedy.
While trying to merge on an interstate, the rav4 would not shift gears and would hang for a moment. Emergency maneuvers had to be made to avoid getting rammed by a semi-truck. After pulling over and checking the car, although there was now a cel, it did not seem like anything was wrong until I shifted from park to drive. The transmission made a clunking noise. Driving home, the car would not shift properly. Without a properly shifting car, I had to get the vehicle towed to a shop. That is when my mechanic pulled up tsb number: tc002-06 from toyota which states the exact problem that I have. I have never received this tsb or any other notices from toyota about this problem. Even though my 2002 rav4 is under the "age limit" for the warranty, I am over the mileage limit which means that toyota has denied my claim. It currently sits unfixed until I can come up with the money to get it repaired according to the tsb.
When pulling into traffic transmission slipped and car stopped in middle of intersection.
2002 toyota rav4 jerking and lunging into gear from a stop. Car drops into neutral causing a sudden slow down and dangerous condition for cars behind me who have to stop suddenly for me. 70,000 miles, took into dealership this a.m. And was told they would try re-programming the computer and then if that did not work they would replace the computer for $1,100 and if that did not work they would replace the transmission for $3,000-$4,000. Left dealership after "re-programming" the computer and immediately car started lunging into gear, shifting into neutral, thumping into gear and the engine light came back on.
My 2002 toyota rav4's transmission is starting to fail to operate correctly. After coming to a complete stop, the car will not accelerate for several seconds even though I am pressing very hard on the accelerator. It just slowly moves during those seconds. This is very frightening when I attempt to merge with traffic after making a right turn. Sometime it feels like the turn will not complete before on coming traffic approaches. My mechanic has told me that I need a new transmission that will cost $3500.
My car had a check engine light on, then it started jerking and was very hard to move after stops and in low speeds. Had it diagnosed and was told to change two oxygen sensors. Two oxygen sensors were changed but the jerking did not stop. I paid $853.00 for this service. The check engine light came back on after driving the car for only about 5 miles. Took the car back to the shop and was told that two additional sensors needed to be changed. I paid additional $600 (discounted) for this repair and was told that the ECM on the car is bad and that it needs to be replaced because the vehicle was not shifting correctly in low gear. After I had spent over $1400 to fix the oxygen sensors, I was told to spend additional $5,000 to $6,000 to fix the ECM and the transmission. I called toyota and was told that the vehicle is out of warranty for both the transmission and the ECM. Toyota knew about this problem but they did not recall the cars that are affected: 2001-2003 rav4. We don't want to wait till someone gets killed or hurt before we take action.
2002 toyota rav4: ECM computer problem causes the transmission to burn out. The ECM has a design blunder which causes it to lose its ability to control the solenoids. The transmission is damaged quite suddenly.
I had the same issue that was supposed to be fixed by toyota in 2007. It concerns technical service bulletin (tc002-06). After driving the car for thirty minutes, the car would then start to shift harshly/delayed shift causing a loss of acceleration. I had this service done in 2007 and then last month had to have the ECM replaced because of the same issue.
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.
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.
Rav 4 2002 owner. I started having trouble with shifting on my automatic transmission rav 4. When starting out to drive, it does not shift smoothly. It feels like the emergency break is on (it isn't) then it "jumps" or surges forward. Finally, after a week or two of this the "check engine light" came on and the car will l not shift thru all the gears. I went online and found that thousands of other owners of rav 4's (2001 thru 2003, but apparently especially 2002) have described my exact experience. The part required costs $1,000 ( and this does not include labor!). Then, once it is put in, you get to learn if your gear box has been destroyed! If so, another $5,000 to $7,000 repair! And toyota knew!!!!! This is outrageous!
I own a 2002 toyota rav4 which was bought new. It has 103k miles. In the first week of april, 2010, as I pulled out of my driveway to visit a friend, I noticed an abrupt occurrence of transmission slippage from 1st -2nd gears. There was a feeling of downshifting that evened off at 3rd gear. This happened every time the car was accelerated after a stop, going up a hill. There was a clunk sound when the care was put in reverse. I did not know what was happening since this came about overnight. No warning lights have ever come on, even now. My boyfriend said it sounded like the transmission. I took the car to toyota dealership for diagnostics and was told that the transmission was failing and needed to be replaced for $5100. I am unemployed and there was no way I could come up with that amount of money. I am afraid to drive more than a few blocks, to my boyfriend's, as the car continues to have slippage. I can not accelerate fast enough after a stop, and other cars come bounding down on me, honking and switching lanes at the last minute. I took the car home, researched the internet, and found out about the numbers of complaints people have on this issue. Then I find out about tc002-06, in which consumers were not made privy to. This is deliberate consumer fraud, costing trusting consumers to pay for defects the manufacturer was aware of, but refusing to acknowledge or correct their defect. This seems to me, just as illegal as insider trading, knowing something, making a profit, and not telling how they know.
2002 toyota rav 4 transmission problems. Purchased the vehicle used with 20,000 miles on it in sept. 2006. Noticed sometimes a slippage but it did not occur regularly so I ignored it. Went to get inspection the following year and the check engine light was on and was told there was a recall on the vehicle and I took it to toyota and they fixed the ECM or something to that effect because it was still under warranty. Now the vehicle has been inoperable since march 2009 because I need a new transmission. I am still paying $380 a month plus insurance on this vehicle that I cannot drive and I see where hundreds of others have reported the very same complaint with the transmission in their 2002 toyota rav 4. Why is toyota not liable for this defect? I need my vehicle fixed and I cannot afford to continue paying $500 a month for a car I cannot drive and definitely cannot have repaired at a cost of $5000!!! Please help!
Having issues with toyota rav 4 gear shifting transmission issue vehicle diagnostics report indicates p0750 failure toyota release a tsb in march 06 and yet my dealer did nothing to replace the ECM even in my service done in 2008 I am now at 101k miles
My 2002 toyota rav4 began suddenly jerking when I slowed down then would lag when I tried to accelerate. It had less than 67,000 miles on it. The local toyota dealer told me I would need to have the transmission replaced at the cost of $4800. I called toyota national customer service and asked for an extention of the warranty, having been told by the dealer that this problem was not covered by my warranty any longer. I got absolutely no help. I am astounded that at 67,000 miles this was not covered. I had to get rid of the car when I didn't want to and am asking for restitution.
In 2006 my transmission just disintergrated with 103000 miles, had it rebuilt the transmission shop said that the computer was not doing it's job than come to find out that toyota had a tsb on it and never notified anyone. Now about in march of 2009 at about 145000 miles 2nd to 3rd gear started to slip again. Now so this is my second time I'm having this problem it seems I can't get more than 100,000. Sad these should last longer, at this rate $3500.00 each four years, someone is making $$$$$. Thanks
I have a 2002 toyota rav4 with only 77,000 miles. It was monday last week (march 15) when I noticed my car kind of lost it's accelerating power when I cruised up the coronado bridge (san diego, ca) but it was wednesday that same week when I experienced this slipping/ jerking/ harsh shifting movement of the transmission while accelerating even on a regular highway. I thought at first it was the engine but to find out that it was the transmission. I took the car to toyota that friday morning which they told me that they have to replace the computer and maybe the transmission but few days later I was told that the transmission was still good. (don't know how true that is and how thorough they've conducted their inspection). With this incident at 77,000 miles, toyota should extend the warranty coverage of their computer and transmissions given the fact that they had a tsb released march 2006 which I just found out researching for my car's possible defect. Now I'm worried that since my transmission was already subjected to this harsh problem, it'll no longer last... And with just 6k miles warranty for the new computer, I'm not financially ready to buy another transmission or yet, another car. I've read so many complaints regarding computer problems with 01-03 rav4 (www.carcomplaints.com) that I am hoping the federal safety agency can come up with something demanding toyota to extend its warranty coverage for this specific problem. Thank you.
My 2002 toyota rav4 had tc002-06 performed on it in january 2007. The recall was to address issues with the ECM and transmission shifting issues. My vehicle is out of warranty and has 85,000. I contacted toyota and they informed me that a logic update was performed to resolve this issue. From what I have read online, the ECM should have been replaced and not updated. I also found that the ECM carries an 80,000 mile warranty. The problem I am having is now the transmission has failed and I was informed that the problem was due to the ECM not being replaced. All major service work on this vehicle has been performed at a toyota dealership. The independent service agent has informed me that the transmission needs to be rebuilt and the ECM replaced at a total cost of over $4200. I contacted a toyota dealership and a rough estiamte for this repair is $5000-$6000. When I contacted toyota and asked about this tsb, they informed me that it is simply a manual addendum and nothing else. They refuse to help with this issue at all. It is serious because the vehicle begin to fail and would not accerlerate when I was trying to drive onto a major road from being stopped at a red light. I have researched this issue on the internet and I have found that many people have had this same issue around the same mileage with this model year vehicle. Please help!
Have a 2002 toyota rav4 with a transmission problem related to the ECM. The vehicles transmission hesitates, makes noises, does not shift correctly. There is a toyota tech. Service bull. (tc-002-06) issued in 2006. Toyota never notified owners of this problem and therefore owners have driven past warranty time frames. (which is my case by 1 month) as there is only 73000 miles on the vehicle. Toyota should of contacted owners once they knew there was a problem.
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