2003 Toyota RAV4 acceleration problems

Filed Mar 16, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · MO

The vehicle is very delayed shifting and will slow down without pushing the breaks

Filed Aug 10, 2018 · Acceleration, Transmission · 79,279 miles · NV

Takata recall" I was driving on a city street on my way home late afternoon...auto started to jerk and felt like something was pulling at it...it slowed up then jerked again...it continued on...I was driving at 45 speed limit...as I was turning the shifting was sounding like it was sticking...I parked it at home and next morning I had it checked and diagnosed as solenoid problem causing transmission burnout...also toyota revealed problems with the ECM and transmission failure

Filed Sep 14, 2016 · Acceleration, Electrical · 143,000 miles · NJ

Harsh shifting, jumping from gear-to-gear, sluggish acceleration and transmission/electronic control module failure. Called toyota regarding the extended warrenty. They refused to honor the extended warranty despite not providing notice to the correct address.

Filed Nov 10, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 99,300 miles · CA

Last week, on the freeway entrance the car would not accelerate, then "bucked" and "raced". I nearly got rear-ended by the car behind me - a frightening experience. Then, driving city streets - to the mechanic - the same experience - stalled then raced ahead. After replacing the transmission fluid and filter ($400), the problem continues and the mechanic advised replacing the ECM ($928.46 plus labor). This is a serious financial strain on me. I take my car in for service every 5k miles and it is way below the extended warranty mileage of 150k, however, it is now 11 years old. I never, ever, received any recall notice from toyota! I strongly believe that toyota should reimburse me for these repairs since they have been and are well aware of the safety issue the failed ECM causes.

Filed Oct 3, 2014 · Acceleration, Transmission · 146,000 miles · CA

On 9/30/2014 was trying to pull out of a parking lot to turn left and my car would not accelerate. I almost got hit by approaching cars that I would have ordinarily had plenty of time to clear. I was able to steer into the left turn lane and stop to avoid collision but had trouble after that picking up enough speed to get to the right lane. I took my car in immediately for inspection and it was noted that the transmission and ECM needed replaced. I have since found information on a recall I never received for defective ECM's that cause transmission failure. Apparently a 10 year or 150,000 extended warranty was issued in 2010, but I was also never informed of that. My mileage qualifies but I bought my car in dec 2002 so I am past the time limit. Since repairs exceed the blue book value of my car, it has no trade in value. This was an unsafe situation (that could have been worse on the freeway)' and an unfair outcome for me financially.

Filed Nov 13, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · 136,000 miles · MA

Hi I own a toyota rav4 2003 since 2009 this is a serious safety issue. I am asking the federal safety agency to order a recall to have toyota fix this problem before someone gets killed or seriously injured. The problem is that the car often does not accelerate as it should. When headed up and accelerating from a stop, the car sputters before jerking into gear and accelerating. And then about 5-8 seconds later the car would jolt into gear. Also, when already moving and going up even a slight hill, when I press the accelerator to maintain speed, the car sputters as it shifts from second to third gear before jerking into third gear. Through the internet,I almost got hit a few times. I learned that the ECM is a computer (electronic control module) that controls the transmission and other components, that toyota has known about this ECM manufacturing defect on 2001 to 2003 rav4s now I have to spend lots of money that it wasn't in my budget,..the toyota knew about this problem, why they never had a recall? Can someone do something about it?

Filed Nov 7, 2013 · Acceleration, Body · 65,507 miles · AK

Experience a hard shift jerking motion when driving my car and almost got hit twice due to the car jerking and immediately slowing down. I took it in to kendall toyota of anchorage right away and then read online that there was a class action lawsuit and enhanced warranty of 2001-2003 toyotas because of the malfunction of the ECM and transmission. This car is not safe to drive! Toyota kendall said it would be $6,000 to replace both the ECM and transmission and that toyota would only pay half because the car was 10 years old. This car only has 60,000 miles on it and the enhanced warranty has been extended twice due to complaints with the court. I did not get my car fixed because I could not afford it and I think toyota should pay the full 6k to fix it. I'm amazed at how many other people have had this issue and toyota first issued a recall and was sued in court because they refused to acknowledge the serious malfunction of their vehicles.

Filed Oct 20, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 76,970 miles · GA

2003 rav4 with automatic transmission started having trouble accelerating from a stop. There seemed to be hardly any power when the gas pedal was pressed, and then about 5-8 seconds later the car would jolt into gear. This problem would happen also when increasing speed, or any time the gas pedal was pressed down. The car was taken to an auto shop where they said the transmission was broken and needed to be replaced. I am a very conservative driver (I never try to accelerate too quickly), and this trusty toyota hasn't ever had any engine problems... Ever! There are less than 77,000 miles on the vehicle.

Filed Sep 30, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 80,001 miles · CA

I purchased the rav4 in late july, 2013. The rav4 had 78,000 miles on the odometer. I paid $9,000+ for the rav4. At 80,000 miles the automatic transmission began having shifting problems such as jerking between gears, very sluggish response during acceleration and horrendous gas mileage. I get about 8 miles per gallon. Took it to the dealer, they ran diagnostics on my car and discovered that the problems fall "within the parameters" of the service bulletin no.: tc-10-034 except the "in service" date of my vehicle was march 8, 2003 thereby making me ineligible for the 10 year warranty by 4 months. This is ridiculous!!! This is a toyota screwup and has nothing to do with road conditions or owner neglect. I bought this car so my daughter can continue her daycare. She shuttles pre-school age children to various recreation facilities and my wife, who has terminal cancer, often accompanies her so she can spend as much quality time with her before the eventuality. Now I'm reading that this particular rav4 problem can be extremely dangerous. If toyota "cares for it's customers", how can this be a service bulletin and not a recall. This defect should be addressed regardless of mileage or date of service. I just spent over $9,000 for a 10 year old car because it was a toyota. "it'll last forever". I called the toyota customer complaint phone number and all I got was contempt. Her name was [xxx] and her argument was "toyota was very kind in extending the warranty for you", it's your fault for not reading it". Yeah right, it's my fault for not following your screwups for the past ten years. I want my car fixed!! I can't afford $5,000 for a transmission, ECM and computer reboot. This is a toyota problem and I, the customer, demand to be heard. If toyota truly "cares for its customers", they have an obligation to do the right thing. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jul 1, 2013 · Acceleration, Transmission · 127,000 miles · MA

The car would engage 2nd and 3rd gears at the same time causing temporary lock up of the rear wheels and loss of control. Found out about a tsb and class action suite regarding this issue affecting the ecu while researching the problem. Contacted toyota regarding the issue and they informed me that my 2003 rav4 was not covered because it had been put in service june of 2003. I am appalled this is not a recall as it is clearly a safety issue if loss of control of the vehicle is possible. This could be fatal if it were to happen to on a slippery road or going around a corner.