This is a well known safety hazard toyota will not acknowledge with 2001-04 rav4s. My well maintained 2003 rav4 with 135k miles suddenly hesitates/jerks on acceleration. Never had issues with car until few days ago with mild hesitation intermittently. Now car bucks violently, shakes, skips gears and lurches ahead when accelerating and before coming to full stop. Car is at dealership and no defects found. They are now testing for engine control module failure at my request based on what I have learned from reading scores of similar complaints. Part is estimated at $1500 but toyota will not cover as it has over 80000 miles - they knew of this defect since at least 2006 and issued a service bulletin but did not alert me and other owners to get this issue repaired. It is a serious safety hazard.
2003 Toyota RAV4 transmission complaints
Page 7 of 8: complaints 161 to 190 of 209, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2003 toyota rav4 that I bought used and luckily have not had any problems with until now. 2 days before christmas I was in town running errands and had stopped at a traffic light. When the light changed and I pressed on the gas, the vehicles engine revved up but the truck hardly moved. Then it jerked as if someone had rear ended me. I thought it was weird but went on. Stopped at another light and same thing. Only this time I was almost rear ended twice before I could get the vehicle to move. So I drove straight home and called the dealership. I took it in on christmas eve (almost getting rear ended at every intersection I went through between my house and the dealer ship 32 miles away) only to be told it was the engine control unit and would cost me $1350.00 to repair. Since then I have gone online and realized that there are numerous others with the same complaint. How can there be a question as to whether this is a safety issue or not. Any vehicle that stalls in the middle of an intersection is a safety hazard. My vehicle is readily available for the federal safety agency to test and determine this is a safety hazard.
Upon a recent trip to tennessee, I started noticing the slipping of the transmission during accelerate . After taking the vehicle to a repair shop I was informed that toyota was aware of the problem and has no plans to help remedy the situation. When ever you try to accelerate it does not want to stay in gear leaving the driver in doubt of weather or not the car stay in gear. It seems the ECM module is defective and is not under any recall even though they are fully aware of it.
My wife's 2003 toyota rav4 2 wheel drive transmission suddenly stopped driving in traffic while at a traffic light. It revved up but wouldn't move. Then it finally took hold and drove off in a higher gear. Then while driving on the road in traffic it did it again (very dangerous-she could of been hit from behind. Apparently after reading up on it, toyota issued in march 06' a report to toyota service centers about their ECM causing this problem, but hasn't warned consumers, or done anything about it.
I bought a brandnew 2003 rav4 6 years ago and already have 95,000 miles on it. The transmission starts to slipped and drag a couple of days ago. It almost caused an accident on my way home because the transmission slowly shifts gear on 2nd and 3rd with a high idling. I have read some forums about the rav4 2001-2003 ECM issues. I would like to complaint that toyota would not do a recall to the faulty part that can cause death and serious accident while driving a rav4 (2001-2003) model with a defective ECM. There are over 488 complaints that I've read in one forum alone. I hope you will find a way to have toyota accountable for this ECM failure to my 2003 rav4 and hope to have them replace all the rav4 (2001-2003) ECM module free of charge.
I own a 2003 rav 4 and recently within the last 4 days the car jerks and does not shift right between second and third and when in first going to second it has a short jerk to the shift. Then the rpms rev up to 5 nearly getting me hit by a diesel on the freeway. I am aware this problem is happening for many people with this car and is a model defect toyota needs to own up to this problem and fix it. Unfortunately for those who are not under warranty like myself it comes out of pocket how can you guys aka toyota feel right robbing people like this in a time like now. Somebody needs to answer these complaints!
Transmission problems on 2003 toyota rav 4.
I own a 2003 rav4, after 100k miles the car stalks and will not accelerate in traffic. Had it checked by a mechanic and the ECM is bad. Called toyota dealer about the ECM recall and they refused to cover for it since it's over the 80k miles.
Toyota rav 4 automatic transmission suddenly failed.
I own a rav4 toyota. Last thursday my ar started having problems with the transmission, was rough shifting and stalling from in first and second. I took the vehicle in to the dealership, 45 km from home, crossing a major highway the vehicle "kangaroo jumped" over the intersection. The dealership had the vehicle for 3 hours and found nothing wrong with it so I returning home the problem started happening again. When I phoned the dealership back they said they had been calling me to say they had found information that there was a problem etc. And they had ordered the part which would take 2/3 days, then I will have to drive my vehicle back out there on a busy highway. I just wanted to add my concerns to the may you have received regarding the 2003 rav4. I feel that the rav4 should be recalled to correct the problem. On reading all the complaints on the e-mail I was surprised that the dealership were not aware of the problem and had to research it.
I own a toyota rav 4 2003. In a matter of days, my car started slipping gears while accelerating. My car was unable to accelerate safely in 45 MPH bumper to bumper traffic. I took my car into the dealer to find out that there is a faulty ECM that affects transmissions that toyota has known about. I think it is unethical practice for a car maker to know that there is a faulty design in a car that can affect something as an important and as expensive as a transmission. What would have happened if I was merging on to the highway, and it did not accelerate?
My 2003 toyota rav 4 has had the transmission rebuilt twice, the computer replaced, and the solenoids replaced twice. My mechanic once thought the ignition switch was burning up the solenoids. I am at my wits end. I have had the vehicle in the shop six times between june 2009 and october 2009 for the same transmission problem. It shifts fine for about a week, and then the same thing: it becomes unreliable as to whether it will shift into 2nd or 3rd gear properly. It jerks, it slips, at other times it revs up to 4000 rpms before it goes into gear and then it lurches forward like a rocket. Sometimes the rear wheels skip off the pavement. I haven't been involved in an accident yet, but it's a matter of time. I cannot merge into traffic like normal vehicles and I fear being rear-ended from a stopped position. I feel like putting a sign on the back of the vehicle explaining why I'm not moving. I just got the vehicle back from the transmission shop thursday. By friday, the transmission was already slipping again. I wanted to pull off the highway and cry. I paid $2400 to have the transmission rebuilt and fortunately, all of my return trips were covered by the transmission warranty. But I have also paid $1300 in rental vehicles for all the time the rav 4 was in the shop. I did find the toyota service bulletin, but the codes from my vehicle did not match the codes in the bulletin. Toyota, please help us! We just want our cars fixed! What the heck is wrong with them? Are they all lemons? My rav4 has 93,000 miles on it. I am the 2nd owner, it has a clean title, and was manufactured in japan.
No prior notice of any problems. All of a sudden vehicle will barely start from stopped position. I drive a 2003 toyota rav4. All indication is that the ECM is faulty causing the transmission not to shift correctly. Pulling into or out of traffic with the said vehicle is extremely dangerous.
My 2003 toyota rav4 had a very harsh shift into reverse, hesitant shift or no shift into 1st. If it did shift into 1st, there was a ramp up in RPM to 4000+ and shaking to get from 2nd to 3rd. I took it to a certified mechanic who did a full diagnostic and informed me that there were no problem codes, however I should flush the tranny fluids to begin with. After a complete flush, the problems didn't go away so I did some research on rav4 transmission problems and discovered the ECM issue with my model. I had the ECM serviced and a vast majority of the issued were solved, however the faulty ecu had already done permanent damage to the transmission where it had a horrible shift from 2nd to 3rd (a horribly harsh shift into 3rd gear with RPM ramp up to 5000+ rps) requiring additional work from a certified mechanic to replace solenoids and transmission work.
My 2003 toyota rav4 sometimes stalls in traffic, due to what seems like the transmission slipping. The engine races for a while, then the transmission will catch and the car will surge forward. There is no pattern to when this happens.
Toyota 2003 rav4- car started bucking when accelerating after traffic light. Did not accelerate evenly into traffic. Had to pull over and let cars pass. Onboard computer (ECM) had failed and was not communicating with the transmission. Toyota had not informed consumers of this known defect.
My toyota rav4 2003 had the same transmission problem that I know you have received complaints about. Toyota never recalled or informed any owners of these vehicles and now what I'm reading has happened to my car. This is dangerous and toyota should be made to notify all owners. All of a sudden my car started to not accelerate and buck forward. I almost got into an accident, almost rear ended because the car was not accelerating. We took it to our mechanic and were told we needed a transmission, had the transmission replaced and then it was doing the same thing. Upon further investigation the mechanic found out that it was the ECM and that was replaced and now is fine. Toyota should be notifying all customers, if you were on the highway you would be killed if this started to act up!!! They should be made to be responsible for the cost everyone has encountered. If notified I would have been on the lookout for this and probably would have only had to pay for the ECM. I was without my car for over 3 weeks. This should be a safety recall.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. The contact stated that intermittently the transmission slipped out of gear and the engine stalled without any prior warnings. As a consequence, her risk for a vehicle crash was increased. An authorized technician advised her that there was a technical service bulletin for the transmission. Since the contact was ineligible for a free remedy, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage and current mileages were 91,000.
I have a 2003 toyota rav 4 with an automatic transmission. While driving on the highway the car slipped out of gear and hesitated and the car sputtered losing speed and nearly causing me to be rear ended by a tractor trailer. I am being told that it is a ECM module control problem that you may be aware of. I spoke to a representative at toyota and the told basically "to bad for me". I would like to file a formal complaint with your organization.
I have a 2003 toyota rav 4 that began shifting hard in the lower gears and the transmission was skipping. I took my vehicle to the shop that I normally use and was told that I would need to take it to the dealership since there was a bulletin out about a possible computer problem. A month before the problem, my car was serviced at my normal shop and a transmission flush was performed. I picked my car up from the shop and took it to the toyota dealership in duluth, ga the following morning for a diagnostic test. Within 2 hours the dealership called me and told me that I would need a transmission flush but no computer problems were found. I was told various other recommendations that needed to be done as well, such as changing the belt, 90k service, and a few bulb replacements. I told the dealership that I had the transmission flushed a month prior and they said that the wrong fluid was probably used since I did not have it done at a dealer. I opted for only the transmission flush and bulb replacement at this time. A couple hours later, the dealership called me back and told me that I did need to have the computer replaced and possibly a new transmission. I was told that there was a bulletin out concerning the computer but I am over the warranty and the cost would be $1,286. I have done some research on the internet and found several other people that have had the same problem. Had I known about the bulletin, I could have had the computer replaced while still under warranty.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. The contact noticed that the vehicle skipped gears when she attempted to shift from 1 to 2 or 3 to 4. The gear slippage increased the risk of a vehicle crash. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and a technician concluded that there were no problems with the transmission. No repairs have been made. The current and failure mileages were 98800.
I became aware of your site after a reading a ny times article about rav4 transmission problems. Hard shifting and lurching began in my 2003 rav 4 when it was at around 93,000 miles. When I took it in for service, my mechanic informed me that the computer code that was diagnosed indicated serious transmission problems. I researched it on the web and discovered that this was a problem for many rav owners. Since it was out of warranty, I had the work done by a transmission specialist that my mechanic recommended. I paid $1100 for the new ecu and $2400 for a transmission rebuild. Toyota has refused to compensate me for any of the repair work that was done.
Transmission is hesitating, jerking, stalling, loss of power, and RPM's racing in lower gears of my 2003 rav4 - automatic transmission.
From a complete stop, harsh shift/jerk from park to reverse, hesitation and jerking changing gears, most times consistent during entire ride, then ok for a while after adding fluid or flushing tranny fluid. Starts about 10-15 minutes into ride. Started when getting off highway ramp during rush hour. Came to a stop, and gears were not engaging properly on take off, lots of jerking. Car shaking and felt like it was going to stall and would not switch gears without hitting gas pedal hard. Car tested with 3 computers and no codes. Transmission flushed 2x, pan dropped, no evidence of metal or gunk. After research found bulletins had been posted (by toyota) for these concerns several times. Ecm/transmission will need to be replaced. Cost will be between $3k-5k!
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle would not shift into gear. After a couple of seconds, the vehicle returned to the correct gear, followed by a loud banging sound. The vehicle also jerked during this time. There were no failures or warning indicators prior to the failures. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that the transmission was failing. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer confirmed that the transmission and TCM failed, and stated that the repair would cost $6,500. The manufacturer would not provide compensation because the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact was later informed that if she had the vehicle repaired at the cost of $6,500, the manufacturer would reimburse her in the amount of $2,500. The contact discovered a technical service bulletin for the failure with the transmission, which stated that a warranty was offered that would cover the emission failure of the transmission for up to 80,000 miles. The manufacturer stated that they will investigate and call the contact back. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 67,548 and current mileage was 68,270.
I have a 2003 rav4 brought new at 0 miles with 92,000 miles never a problem or check engine light until may 31 09 on my way home from work the transmission did not want to engage properly. The car was taken to the dealers tech the next morning. They have always serviced this car they informed me that I needed a remanufactured 3122.24 trans and a 1145.89 ecu.I was never told that there was a problem with the ecu in this model or that a tsb had been issued. They was never a issue with the car before that one day yet these repairs are what I'm told I would have to pay for an issue that toyota as it turns out is well aware of to the point of making and upgrade for the ecu but are not recalling. This is a safety is your trans just goes in traffic.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact has experienced multiple failures with the vehicle ever since it was purchased. While driving at any speed, the transmission stalls and prevents the vehicle from accelerating. The computer was removed from the vehicle and sent to the manufacturer to be serviced. The vehicle is currently being repaired at the cost of $400. The contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 100 and current mileage was 111,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift into first or second gear, and the vehicle would jerk. The vehicle shifts from first to third gear without incident. In addition, the vehicle loses power and jerks when driving in reverse. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the solenoid was diagnosed as the cause of the failure. The failures are identical to the ones mentioned in the service bulletin for the transmission control module. The dealer stated that the vehicle could not be repaired because it was not under warranty. The failure and current mileages were 85,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. While driving between 20-30 MPH, the vehicle began jerking, stalling, and slipping out of gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not make any repairs because the check engine light did not illuminate. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the spark plugs could be the cause of the failure. The spark plugs were changed at that time; however, the failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic and the contact was informed that the transmission could be the cause of the failure. The filter and transmission fluid were changed, but the jerking worsened. The manufacturer stated that they never heard of a toyota vehicle having transmission issues. The vehicle was taken back to the transmission shop and they took apart and rebuilt the transmission. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed back to the transmission shop. The contact discovered a tsb regarding the transmission (tc002-06), but the dealer never acknowledged a tsb for the transmission or ECM. The current and failure mileages were 68,000.
Around early march after several prior repairs from dec. 08-feb. 09 my toyota rav 4 starts driving really rough, won't accelerate, then lurches you forward, etc. Huge safety issue. You go to accelerate and someone is behind you and you literally cannot get the car to go, then it finally shoots you forward. I immediately called the service advisor at the dealership, they thought it was a catalytic converter problem. I called to get an estimate and mad hatters had the best price. Mad hatters did repair and cleared off codes and car drove fine for 48 hours. On way home from work that monday evening it drove the worst it ever has, wouldn't allow me to accelerate through an intersection, then shot me forward, the right side of the car started violently shaking. I almost got hit by another car waiting to turn after me and a woman behind me. I prayed I would make it home. Called toyota took it back to mad hatters at their suggestion. Mad hatters checked and indicated it was a transmission code. We called toyota to immediately tow it to the dealership. Toyota called and indicate it is the emc and it needs to be replaced immediately, car is not safe to drive. $1300. I researched and there are hundreds of complaints about this problem as well as a old toyota service bulletin so they know this problem existed. Two weeks later after I got the money together I was able to pick up my car. They replaced the computer module and the car seems to drive fine, although after picking it up I drove for 10 miles and now the engine light is on again. This is a huge problem and I pray it has not destroyed my transmission. Thank god there were no accidents involved.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Toyota RAV4?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history