Problems with 2001 Toyota RAV4 POWER TRAIN

The ecu computer on a 2001 toyota rav4 caused the automatic trans to not shift like it should. it got so bad that it felt like it went into park coming to a red light. computer ecu had to be repaired and the trans rebuilt and the trans shop that did the work was not so good. toyota wants $4200 to fix. *tr

I am one of the many unlucky people who own a 2001 toyota rav-4 which has had check engine light issue for years. after brining to toyota more than once to have them not be able to turn off i am now facing a failed transmission- over $2,500 to fix. as i see all these complaints regarding the faulty ecm and toyota's lack of acknowledgement i am disgusted. shame on toyota and as a once loyal owner i will never buy a toyota again and would not recommend to anyone. *tr

Rav4 do not shift gear. some times it was like jerked shifting and i searched about this problem in internet and found several problem reported in carcomplaints.com site. this is what happened to me. "i took car to a dealer - lombard toyota, il, and told about gear shifting problem. at first they did not say anything about the known problem with rav4. when i said, i researched about this problem in internet and found that rav4 has a gear shifting problem and toyota knows about it, and there is a tsr-tech service bulletin, and it needs to repair free. they told me let us take a look at. after half an hour, they told me i am lucky it is still under warranty 8yr/80000. i purchased this one on 2/??/2001. so i am luckily covered. i did a little argued that even if i am out of warranty, toyota should take care of this problem because it is a defect. they did not care much. and i did not press on it. so here is the problem-according to toyota service bulletin tc002-06 revised model 2001-2003 rav4 equipped with automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift and/or m.i.l "on" dtc p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758, and/or p1760. improvements have been made to the engine control module (ecm) sae term - powertrain control module/pcm) manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring. use the following procedure to repair the vehicle. they replace a r&r engine control module. my rav4 drives good now. i still think my rav4 is really not smooth. or atleast that is the way i feel. this is it for right now. if anything comes up i will update later. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota rav4 utility. the contact stated that intermittently the vehicle would down shift. as a consequence his risk for vehicle crash was increased. he has taken the vehicle to multiple dealers, in which the technician have reprogrammed the ecu, replaced the computer module and transmission. none of the repairs have remedied the failure. he contacted the manufacturer and was only offered a $300.00 discount toward future repairs. the failure mileage was 75,473. the current mileage was 80,426. bl

My 2001 toyota rav 4 started experiencing hard shifting late last year. the shifts became harder early this year particularly between 2nd and 3rd gear. i've never had any serious problems with my vehicle and at that time i had probably 78000 miles. when the hard shifting occurred, my vehicle would almost stall completely while driving. i started doing some research and discovered a known transmission trouble "supposedly" solved by reprogramming my ecm card(which i had done). this however did not solve my problem. according to other's who had the same thing done, the transmission will have to be replaced because the faulty programming has already damaged my existing transmission. i am still driving my rav4 waiting for it to completely fail. toyota should be responsible for replacing the transmission. i bought a toyota at a higher price point, for it's reliability! the 1st major repair made on my vehicle should not be the transmission. *tr

My 2001 rav4 developed a shifting issue, and eventually produced a check engine code, which indicated an issue with the transmission solenoid. the transmission shop tells me that i need a new transmission at the cost of $3200. they also tell me that this is a common issue with the 2001-2003 rav4s, and that toyota is aware of it. a techinical service bulletin was issued in 2006, indicating that there was an issue with some rav4s, and that the ecm should be replaced - if not the transmission may be ruined. i was never informed of any possible issue, and now my vehicle is ruined. it is extremely dangerous to drive, and would not shift into gear correctly. this is a safety issue in that i was unaware that there was any issue, and until the check engine light came on, i was unaware that my car may not shift correctly at any given moment. *tr

My 2001 toyota rav4 began acting up and would not shift correctly. it would shift very hard, and would often hesitate before shifting into gear. the check engine light came on, and the vehicle was taken to a transmission shop. the shop recommended replacing the transmission and ecm monitor to correct the issue, as they were very aware of the issue with the rav4's and also because metal shavings were found in the transmission pan. toyota is well aware of this issue, and continues to try and avoid their responsibilities with these vehicles. in march 2006, toyota sent dealers a technical service bulletin warning them that some consumers might complain about harsh shifting. it said improvements were made to the computer ?manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring.? it then told the dealers to replace the module and if that did not work to replace the transmission. but consumers owning the vehicles were never notified about the problem. toyota also refused to do anything is the vehicles mileage is over the 80,000 warranty period, and lucky for them, most vehicles do not have any issues until they are out of the warranty period. *tr

My 2001 toyota rav4 is a victim of the ecm failure that causes transmission issues. this is a well known issue with 2001 and 2002 rav4's that toyota refuses to acknowledge. the ecm unit fails, and destroys the transmission in the process. *tr

On november 8, while traveling to worcester to see a friend recovering from a serious medical next i called two of the major transmission specialists in the area; cottman transmission in northampton and the tranny shop in palmer, where brian and scott told me that toyota's reprogramming didn't work, and that i'd need to buy a new module out of pocket for $900-1100. they both said that if i caught it early, i wouldn't need a new transmission. it seems toyota is aware of this problem, but unwilling to pay to make it right. *tr

Fall '08 2001 toyota rav4 began stalling unexpectedly while changing gears between 2 and 3 rpms. sudden jerks and halts occur after coming to complete stops and attempting to accelerate to go. diagnostic test claims solenoids but toyota dealership suggests replacing ecm and/or transmission. an expense of about $4500 without guarantee of fixing the problem. extremely dangerous when driving in highway, keeping up with traffic pace suddenly halts and looses power. *tr

2001 toyota rav 4 started with check engine light coming on and off then toyota sent ssc-601 in march of 08 that i needed to have ecm reprogrammed which i did{took tech 2 times to get it right} now my transmission started slipping so i took it in to toyota and they did a diagnostic and sure as pie they said ecm has failed and they want 940.00 to replace it. this is a widespread problem that has been seen by toyota and is a manufactures defect that they expect us the consumer to eat i've had nothing but runaround from both local dealer and their corporate office. no one seems to care and is unwilling to do anything about this. *tr

2001 rav 4 transmission not shifting right. just started to happen. cannot drive the car, i do not have the money to fix it. dealer and another garage said it needed a new transmission. i guess that ravs have this problem and toyota won't acknowledge the fact that they do and keep selling them and people keep getting ripped off. *tr

Acceleration frequently hesitates causing driver to pull out into traffic without power. this problem has recently gotten worse and happens every time i drive. internet research suggests a bad ecm is causing the problem. *tr

Our 2001 toyota rav4 recently started shifting very hard and the check engine light came on. i took the car to the dealer and started to do some research. the car was very dangerous to drive as there were large hesitations before the next gear would catch. i found out that toyota put out tsb tc002-06 in regards to a defective ecm computer that controls the transmission. our ecm did need to be replaced, but toyota needs to take responsibility for this serious safety issue. they should be replacing this part for free. toyota has admitted the part is defective, yet will not stand behind their product. the damages to our car due to this computer could have cost in excess of $5,000 to repair. *tr

I have a toyota rav4 2001 car. its an auto transmission with 117,000 miles on it. suddenly about 10 days ago i started feeling the harsh shifting / bucking / jerking while taking the car. i then went to a near by toyota dealer for diagnostic test and what they have found was a fault code p0755 (harsh shift and/or m.i.l. ?on? dtc p0750/p0753/p0755/p0758/p1760) which is basically recommending to replace the engine control module. i then searched about this fault code on the internet i ended up on a website (http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml) where i could see numerous similar complaints. it looks like toyota has made a fault ecm and have installed in so many rav4 (b/w 2001 - 2003 model year), which made so many customers like us to go through a lot of service expenses. please do the needful so that toyota makes a reimburse the expenses for all the customers who has gone through some financial burden due to this. *tr

I gave the rav 4 gas the engine was revving up but the car did not move. i put it in neutral and then drive to no avail. i had to be pushed off the road since the car did not move . i had to have the transmission rebuilt at a cost of $3700. *tr

My '01 toyota rav4 began experience shifting problems in aug07, it would not shift properly, and would suddenly slam into gear. this happened sporadically on and off, check engine light would go on and off. due to this problem, it made it very dangerous to merge onto highways, as i'm trying to accelerate and the car won't go beyond 1st gear, and then once i'm running, it slams into gear, almost causing me to hit the car in front of me. in nov07, based on a notice from toyota, i sent car to dealer to get ecm reprogrammed. apparently this was causing the problem. well, it did nothing. so in june08, as the problem got even worse, i sent it back to dealer. they said i needed the ecm replaced, this caused my car to get worse. so a week later, i took it to a transmission specialist to get transmission rebuilt. *tr

I have not been injured, but believe the issue with my transmission is not only a manufacturer's defect, but poses a safety issue depending on the severity. there are hundreds of others experiencing this same issue with their toyota rav4s that were produced between the years 2001-2003. a defective computer part is causing damage to the transmission, ultimately destroying them if not caught early and replaced at a cost of $1200! in many cases, the transmission still needs to be replaced at an additional cost of around $3500 or more. it is sickening that a company such as toyota would not recall this part and cover the cost of malfunctions! it is a safety issue, as you never know how severe the lurching and skipping of the transmission will be. it can come out of nowhere and that certainly creates the potential for accidents. i think this issue is on the rise because it tends to happen with higher mile vehicles. i truly hope more consumers will file complaints so that toyota will be forced to stand behind their product. i am glad that i have heard of no reported injuries at this point-i hope that remains the case. *tr

January 2008 i had the ecm reprogrammed by toyota after receiving a letter to come in for this. on june 3, 2008, i experienced a sudden stutter followed by a loud noise while driving. the following morning while driving to work the vehicle stuttered and felt like it was going to stall. it would hesitate on acceleration. i called the dealership for servicing and took the care in. the advisor told me to replace the ecm and transmission. the service code indicated that the transmission failed. the toyota tech service bulletin (tc002-06) from 3//3/06 indicated that improvements had been made to the manufacturing process of the ecm and to repair this problem, r&r ecm which was not done in the recall. *tr

As described by many others that own a toyota rav-4 (2001) , my car experienced major problems shifting. after researching the problem, i discovered that it was described in a service bulletin released by toyota. i took my car to the dealership and demanded that they replace the ecm instead of simply resetting it as they were planning on doing. the problem has not returned to date, but had it not been for the information provided by others (on various websites), i would not have known to make this request. i was lucky that my vehicle was under the specified mileage and that the costs were covered by the warranty. *tr

Cost of repair: 2684.47 & car was at dealership for app. 1 month total. my rav4 started occasionally shifting hard and would not go into the next gear. when it finally went into the next gear it felt like a sudden jump. the engine would rev and the rpms would increase while the car was in neutral. it reached a point where it would not go into the next gear at all. i took it to toyota dealership. i spoke with service advisor ,he said that the problem was due to the engine control module. a service bulletin (tc002-06 89661-42650) instructed in cases such as mine the ecm was to be replaced. and he also strongly advised that the transmission fluid needed to be flushed, although it did not show any need to be, but he and the master mechanic felt it would be needed. the original quote for the above was over $1500. when i complained that i didn?t feel it was right that i should pay when it was a known bad ecm the price dropped for ?customer loyalty, blah, blah?. they felt they did me a favor and only charged me $740.47 . two days after i got it out of the shop it did the same exact thing. i had been very disgusted with the service i received, the not returning of phone calls, etc. the last place i wanted to go was back to the dealer. on or about may 2, 2008 i took it back to the dealership. the engine oil light had begun to flicker. the original problem still existed. they were unable to duplicate the problem. the check engine light was on. they said the engine oil light and the check engine light was on due to oil gelation and the catalytic converter. i went for a ride with service advisor tom druzynski and we quickly were able to duplicate original problem. i was then told the transaxle needed to be replaced and the engine rebuilt. service adv told me repairs would cost $7000. i unsuccessfully complained to corporate toyota 2 times. repair cost went from 7000 to 1800.the a/c hasn't worked since. *tr

2001 toyota rav 4 has premature transmission failure causing slipping, and delayed shifting. *tr

I have not had an accident or injuries to what my complaint is about. i personally think this is a safety issue. i drive a 2001 toyota rav4 and recently started having shifting issues. i started to research this issue and came across this website called carcomplaints.com and found many others with the same issue. toyota is aware of the problems because they came out with a tsb in 2006. when you come to a complete stop and then go to drive the car forward the vehicle doesn't shift properly therefore could be a safety issue with not being able to move out of the way of on coming traffic. please visit this website and see the amount of people having the same issues and i like many others feel there is a defective ecm in these vehicles sending faulty signals to the transmission causing the vehicle to not shift properly and could potentially cause accidents. the other problem is that this is not happening all the time, its sporadic and even the dealer is having difficulty duplicating the problem. i hope more people make complaints and i would be interested in seeing how many have. thanks! *tr

Transmission slipping on 2001 toyota rav4. service bulletin issued requiring replacement of computer to fix this problem. bulletin extended warranty to 80,000. consumer never notified of this problem. computer went bad at 87,000 miles. toyota and consumer currently going round and round over whether toyota or consumer must pay for computer replacement. consumer also told that transmission may now need to be replaced. toyota has received numerous complaints about this problem from rav4 owners and in many cases the shift problems related to the computer failure has resulted in damage to transmission which toyota will not pay for. *tr

I have a toyota rav 4 4wd 2001 model. at 47,000 miles i had an engine replacement done by lynch toyota under warranty. 25,000 miles later vehicle was diagnosed with a cracked flex plate. repair was done by aamco and in their written report they state that due to an alignment dowel that was cut off when lynch replaced the engine, the engine became misaligned and the flex plate cracked. in addition the torque converter also had to be replaced. the reports were handed to lynch and their service manager does not accept responsibility for this and reported that the cracked flex plate was more than likely due to poor materials. i still have the flex plate and would like to know if there is a way to have it checked to find out if indeed it was made from poor materials. aamco don't appear to believe this to be the case. *tr

Toyota rav4 2001 model - standard transmission that failed at about 74,000 miles.

I have toyota rav4 2001 . i bought it in 2007 from toyota dealer and 5 month after the transmission started acting up.the car is about 80,000 miles right now. i don't know what i coud do . *tr

Rough shift in low gears causing engine to rev but car does not move. had solenoids replaced, problem still exists. told ecm needs to be replaced but other owners said this has not corrected the problem. car revs but goes no where and creates dangerous situation especially in dense traffic with big trucks. *tr

Circuit board for transmission failed and valve. *tr

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2001 toyota rav 4 at 65 mph (with 80000 failure mileage the vehicle began to make a clinking noise. the contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned the vehicle off. the vehicle would not restart. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic, who stated that there was a sludge build up, and the transmission had to be replaced. *ak

My 2001 rav4, with just over 80k on it, went belly-up. two days before the extended warranty expired (bought it certified used), the transmission started slipping, disabling the car 2 hours from home. the dealer it was towed to said they couldn't find anything wrong with it, put in 3/4 qt of tranny fluid, called it good. in february, after it was out of warranty, it once again died on a trip, again 2 hours away from home. the dealer i had it towed to this time said it needed a new transmission. the code was p0770 for solenoid malfunction. after long negotiations with toyota they replaced the transmission. *tr

2001 rav4 manual transmission - the gear shift started moving back and forth in the 5th gear position when pressure was applied/released from the gas pedal. went to balise toyota in west springfield, ma and was told that this was normal behavior (even though i had the car for 5 years and it just started happening. about a week later, the car started "popping" out of 5th gear. balise then admitted that this was not normal and "repaired" the problem (there was a service bulletin from toyota out about the problem). when i got the car back, the gearshift did not move when in 5th gear. it is now december and the gearshift is once again moving back and forth in 5th gear and balise toyota is telling me it is normal and they refuse to fix the problem while the car is still under the extended warranty. there are other people on the internet who have reported this same problem. toyota should have a recall to fix the problem as having a car drop out of gear is a safety hazard, especially at highway speeds when it would be most apt to happen. *nm

Vehicle hesitates frequently when engine cold. will not accelerate even with accelerator pedal fully depressed. hesitation last for several seconds. extremely dangerous pulling into traffic because one is never sure if vehicle will accelerate normally or limp along for several seconds. *jb

Not easy to explain, i have been having this problem on going mildly for the past four years but every time i would bring it in nobody could see the problem. i have been having a problem mostly starting the car and then after braking it almost feels like a clog. i was told about two years ago it was the cat converter, had it repaired for $1000 and it did not cure the problem. i just brought it in because it is getting so much worse, i was told it was my spark plugs and cylinders so i had that repaired and after driving for 5 minutes experienced the same problem was told it was the computer and it had to be replaced for $1300 dollars. (was told that this problem did not show before i had the cylinders repaired.) i live in the northeast and am terrified when the snow and ice begin because when in clogs or bucks i am open to losing control of the car. *tr

Event 1: 1. shortly after buying car, noted engine revs would soar by 700 to 800 rpms between gears while shifting manual transmission. found this happened by just disengaging the clutch without shifting even with foot not on the accelerator pedal. 2. the rev soaring happened consistently. no consequences except for an unpleasant driving experience. 3. computer was reprogrammed by the dealer from whom i bought the car. rev jumps reduced to about 400 rpm. a second reprogramming reduced it to about 200 rpm. this behavior still exists. event #2. 1. about six months after purchasing the car, noted that when cruising with rpms above 2800 rpm in 5th gear with cruise control engaged and foot not on accelerator pedal, on disengaging the clutch, the engine revs would soar to 3,200 rpm to 3,500 rpmand remain there for periods ranging between 5 seconds to over a minute. this occurred while the car was coasting and slowing while not under power. 2. this behavior frequently occurred under the above conditions. no consequences except as a profession engineer and former sports car racing driver, i knew this behavior was not normal. 3. behavior examined by my local toyota dealer. mechanic hooked up recording box to car, but i was unable to replicate the behavior on this occasion. data examined by a toyota engineer who pronounced there was not a problem. later, i was again able to replicate the behavior. after yet another computer reprogramming, this behavior of remaining at a high rpm seems to have stopped. however, the engine revs still will surge to about 3,400 rpm before dropping off. *tr

Vehicle exhibits intermittent hesitation upon acceleration from stop or low speed.hesitation has occurred since shortly after vehicle purchase date, with increased frequency during last 60-90 days. hesitation occurs both with air conditionong on and off, and with 4-speed automatic transmission overdive on and off. 2-3 occurrences per week are currently experienced. most frequent when vehicle is making slow turn (both right and left) and lasts 5-10 seconds even if accelerator is nearly fully depressed. hesitation has also occurred when moving straight ahead from stop or from low speed (5-10 mph) stop and go traffic. dealer has been notified and could not replicate problem or offer a solution, however vehicle was driven for only a short time by dealer's service technicians. dealer indicates no report of similiar problems either at this dealership or to toyota usa although i know of other 2001 rav4 owners who have reported a hesitation problem to their dealers and have not had the problem resolved. while this problem is intermittent, this is,in some ways, worse than if it happened every time because there is no way to pedict the event and compensate for it.*ak

The transmission shifts slowly, pops into reverse while in the car wash and the rpm gauge shows high rpm's when accelerating in third gear. nlm