Problems with 2002 Toyota RAV4 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2002 rav4 ecu shifting problem (dtc code p0755). the car jitters when switching from gear 1 to 2 as well on reverse. it also jitters when it drives on low gear. there is an well known problem with rav4 2001-2003 but toyota has failed to recall it, despite being a safety hazard as it has caused accidents and bodily injury. it has the high likelihood to destroy the transmission.

The past couple weeks my car had been laghing more an more when at complete stop. this past week it has been the worst. whenever i try to accelerate from.a complete stop my car with lag and jerk like it is trying to shift into gear but cant. when i took it in to a transmission specialist they said it was my ecm and that this year specifically has had problems recorded fron others with the same issues with the emc. one incident i had specificaly was when inwas trying to go up a mountain to get to work my rpms were spiking as my rav was trying to shift gears to get up the mountain and my car staller out. i had no clue it died untill i was driving down the mountain and turning my steering wheel became a struggle. i had to put on my e break just to stop and try and turn it on to shift into neutral so i could get down the mountain. i have had serveral cases when i have almost been re ended because of the jerking has been so rough.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. after starting the engine, the vehicle would not properly accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal. the vehicle was taken to fred anderson toyota (9101 glenwood avenue, raleigh, nc) where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module and transmission were faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. the failure mileage was 91,000. *tt consumer stated transmission failed while in traffic, car was able to accelerate properly and was longer shifting gears.*jb

The ecm which controls the transmission failed.

Car went into neutral while negotiating an intersection on several occations. has bucked stalled pulling into traffic, and failed to shift while passing, im told its a know problem with ecu, but toyota cut a deal and did not have to notify owners! bought this car new now there telling me 6000 to 9000$

Ecm malfunction. *tr

My mother had the engine control module fixed june of 2013. she had to pay for this repair herself because toyota refused to fix it, even though they sent letters out to people saying that they would cover the cost to repair this known issue. after 1900.00 later, she paid for it. a year later i own this same vehicle and the same thing has gone bad. its just out of the warranty. i almost got hit due to the car stalling when i pulled out at an intersection. this is a known problem, and it was paid for by another family member. yet it has the same issue. toyota needs to fix this problem. horrible costumer service. *tr

The ecm malfunction. *tr

We bought this car off my mom (who was the original owner and has taken immaculate care of it!) just two months ago! out of nowhere the car started to experience "hard shifting". because it couldn't shift like it should, it was a road hazard/safety issue! we took it into the toyota dealership that very day. they told us it was the ecm and maybe even the transmission! the approx. cost would be $1,100 to replace the ecm, and thousands more if it was the transmission. they said they would have it done by tuesday (christmas eve.) i started researching the problem because it didn't make sense that this car that had such low miles would have this problem. well, i found out this is a widespread problem with the rav4. toyota knows about it and has not recalled this part! there was even a lawsuit against them, but that only led to an extension of the warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first! our car only has 88,900 miles but because it is 11 years old, it won't be covered by a warranty! we are out $1,180 right at christmas time! and they did not get the car fixed until dec. 27th! (kind of puts a damper on christmas plans when you don't have your car!):( i called toyota in hopes that they would help us because they know this part is faulty, but i was met with an unsympathetic response! basically, "its out of warranty so it won't be covered!" toyota needs to recall this part, and reimburse those who have already had to fix it, not only because it is their moral obligation to do so, but also because someone could be killed if they don't! please recall this part, be decent human beings, instead of being worried about your bottom line! there are more important things than money, toyota! as mad as i am about being out the money to fix this problem (that toyota knew about) i am glad that i am only out the money, rather than mourning the loss of a loved one. *tr

Today my toyota rav4 2002 began to have automatic transmission shifting issues. it has an excessive jerk when shifted from park to reverse, it is slow to shift from 1 to 2, and it jerks like i was rear ended when shifting to the next gear. i contacted my local toyota dealer and was told there are no outstanding recalls on my car, the ecm software was updated before i purchased it used. i asked if they had any issues with the transmission on this model and year and i was told "no". they recommended i bring it in for a diagnostic check for $104 just to check it out. afterwards i thought i would check the net. i found numerous threads regarding the 2001-3 ecm/transmission issue. it appears a number of owners have submitted complaints to nhtsa. please add me. they are ignoring this issue and pretending they do not know anything about it.

Original owner of 2002 toyota rav4 awd. was driving home from a friend's house and stopped off near my home for an errand. left the store, (car was running, family inside) and proceed to drive towards my house. the engine was running but the car was barely moving. the tach was at 4,000 and i was barely going 5 mph. suddenly and without warning the car raced forward at a high rate of speed. i slammed on the brakes to avoid a rear-end collision. after it was safe to move, i stepped on the gas again and the car sluggishly moved at about 5mph again. the whole ride home (less than 5 minutes) the car was either slow or fast without much pressure on the accelerator. upon arriving at home and trying to parallel park the car, i noticed that the transmission was sluggish and made loud noise when shifted into reverse. this wasn't normal and it troubled me. i looked up online the symptoms and saw the tsb and the class action lawsuit against toyota. i never received any information on this. this is my first time hearing about this. ok 10 years/150,000 miles from 1st drive. here's my problem - i bought the car in 11/2001 - i am over the years and under the mileage, so i don't qualify? the class action lawsuit was settled in jan/feb 2012. tell me what happens to the people who purchased their car before jan/fen 2002 - are the out of luck? i am no longer driving this car till this is fixed and safe. please nhtsa - make it a mandatory recall - over 250,000 suv's are affected. make it right - make it safe!! *tr

While driving on hwy i85 at 70mph my toyota rav4 suddenly locked up and caused vehicle to skid off the road. thankfully, no one was injured, but car was towed to mechanic and estimated that the transmission transfer case may be cause...since then i have learned that toyota had a recall on their ecm for rav 4 cars 2001-2003 that resulted in transmission shifting problems yet i was never notified because my vin number was n/a indicating that my car would not experience any of the transmission shifting problems commonly associated with this recall. unfortunately, the transmission shifting and lock-up problems that i am having is directly related to the computer faulty design of toyota's ecm and yet they are not taking any moral or financial responsibility for my repairs. i'm filing this complaint because there has to be other toyota owners that were not informed about the ecm recall such as myself that also like me, could be driving along the road in a well maintained car and suddenly skid out of control perhaps next time causing a fatality that could be avoided! proper notification regardless of vin numbers so consumers can have cars inspected specifically for recall issues would have been the right thing to do and potentially offset the car repair issues i currently face. *tr

Trans began to race, while car was moving slowly. shifting became slow and loud. acted like it was stuck in the low gears and was having difficulty shifting from 1 to 2 to 3, etc. the trans was laboring to make the necessary shift from the low to the higher gears have not driven car since that date except for analysis, etc.. to date, the various experts (joke) ( toyota included ) say i need either the ecm, trans., or both the current price for repair is $6,775.00 + tax ( this was a special price that was quoted by a toyota dealer ) i have dealt with the car dealer,toyota(corp) sales managers, etc and, to a person, received their sympathy, but, no support whatsoever. how is it possible for this corp. to continue to refuse to correct an obvious fraud ( they new abt this problem since day one ) and continue to refuse to provide corrective steps? i bought this auto in aug of 2011 with 47,00 miles on it. i drove it for 4,400 miles when the trans. failed. now, having learned about the prob. with this model, how is it possible that this auto was sold without any of the problems ever being disclosed at the time of the sale ? as a matter of fact, it was stated that "this car will last me a lifetime, given its low mileage and pristine condition " i have learned that toyota issued a directive in 2001( ?) that extended the warranty to 10years or 150,000mls,, whichever comes first. i then found out that i was not entitled to any assistance as i was outside the 10 year period. how is it they can use this logic when they have acknowledged that a problem exists and one that will not go away or correct itself regardless of time or mileage? knowing the inherent problems with the auto, the manufacturer should be held accountable and correct all problems without any exclusions or fine print items. *tr

This past summer the 2002 rav 4 started giving indications that something might not be right. the car had always gotten its required mileage maintenance which was also due at the time. so those things were done. however, over the last three weeks the following started: --the engine light came on, then off; --there was hesitation when accelerating/ a harsh jerk and shift when changing gears --the vehicle would sometimes slip back into neutral and stall while driving three independent toyota-certified technicians diagnosed that there is a problem with the transmission, so we took it to darcars toyota where the car was purchased. the technician there confirmed the diagnosis but said we needed to contact the warranty enhancement department. after placing me on hold for about 5 minutes, she told me that the car had exceeded the time for the warranty by about 3 months and therefore nothing could be done. is toyota willing to jeopardize the long-term customer loyalty and more importantly, the safety of their customers, just because the car chose to display its problems 3 months later? *tr

I was driving my 2002 toyota rav4 down the interstate when the check engine light came on at the same time that the rpm's of the vehicle began escalating far beyond where they normally would. after testing the vehicle at different speeds, i determined that the car would not shift from fourth to fifth gear. took it to my local mechanic, who determined that there is nothing wrong with my transmission. what's wrong is that the electronic control module (ecm) that controls the transmission had failed. he contacted a local toyota dealer to see if he could source the part and discovered that it was a known failure and we needed to take the car to the dealership. we did so, where we were told because we purchased the car new in may of 2002 (ten years, five months ago) that they were refusing to repair the car's ecm as it fell outside of their 'adjusted' warranty period. i contacted toyota's corporate customer assistance, where i was told that yes, toyota knows that the part is going to fail. they extended the warranty to cover more of the cars that would be affected. however, since i purchased my car five months longer than their arbitrary ten year coverage period regardless of the fact that the mileage of the car falls far below the listed coverage that they are not going to do anything to repair my vehicle. not only that, but the dealership quoted $1400 for the ecm repair and another $4800 for the transmission - saying that the transmission had to be replaced, even though they hadn't inspected it (i asked!!) and i had already had an independent mechanic check it out and said that it was fine. i do not understand how it is okay for toyota to sell millions of people cars with known safety defects and say that they are not responsible for the repair - knowing that if the repair isn't made, that people will be killed driving these cars. *tr

On starting, the car the battery light came on and stayed on. a month or so later i noticed a clunking in the transmission as the automatic went to a higher gear. this problem still remains. *tr

Harsh shifting and jerking, particularily 1st & 2nd gear slow to accelerate launching and bucking hard engagement when put in reverse revs up from 2 to 3 - 4 rpms. *tr

Toyota 2002 rav4, automatic transmission problem when switching into first / second gear, car will hiccup, and or not accelerate as expected. aamco transmission specialists confirmed defective ecm module failure, and require a full transmission rebuilt. toyota apparanty knows about this problem, and has issued service advisory, but no recall. problem can resurface any anytime, very high potential for accidents as car will fail to accelerate or just stall when entering intersections and or freeways.

I was going north on molly lane and going to turn right on us hwy 92 going east. i pulled into oncoming traffic when my car stalled and it acted like the transmission slipped. i was almost rear ended. i drove and picked up a pizza on townlake parkway and the same thing happened when i pulled out of papa johns. i knew there was a bad problem at that point. i was going to drive it home and have it towed to toyota. upon turning onto the entrance ramp it stalled again and had no power. the cars behind me were blowing their horns. at the top of the ramp it revved and then surged. i drove it home and had it towed. toyota says that the ecm is bad and needs to be replaced and then they can check the transmission. i looked on the internet and found there have been numerous problems with the 2001 - 2003 rav4's. this is a definite safety risk and toyota should be made to do a recall to fix the ecm boards.

I experienced sputtering and hesitation while driving my 2002 toyota rav4 a few weeks ago, the friday before memorial day. the car has around 72,800 miles on it. over the memorial day weekend the car was fine. the next week i experienced the same problem. once i stopped the car at a light and then accelerated, the car would lurch and sputter. i feared the car would shut off in traffic or i would not be able to keep up with the flow of traffic. i stopped driving it. two different mechanics (non-toyota) have told me i need a new transmission. i then took it to a toyota dealer after calling the national customer service number, mentioned in a new york times article from august 2009. there was a recall on the ecm which the dealer who i bought the car from was uncooperative in replacing. so far the car is still at a different toyota dealership undergoing "diagnosis". *tr

Federal emissions warranty for the ecm on 2001-2003 toyota rav4's palm springs toyota failed to notify or advise that this much needed repair needed to be done, however did notify and repair thousands of dollars of other repairs in the open available and allotted time frame that this ecm should have been replaced.

Auto: 2002 toyota rav4 issue: ecu or ecm complaint: toyota refuses to repair any transmission damages associated with the faulty computer part. description: when pressing the gas while accelerating from a complete stop, the transmission will not shift properly. jerky movements in the lowest gears and reverse; sluggish when pedal fully pressed. current resolve: toyota will replace the ecm, though the part will take 2-3 weeks due to high demands. toyota will not repair any other transmission damages associated with the faulty part. *tr

I have a toyota rav4 and its computer broke. we took it to manufacture and they said the computer is free to replace under warranty, however, they charge us repair cost around $700. is it legal to charge for the repair for anything under warranty? *tr

My wife was driving our rav 4 with my son aboard. the car began experiencing trouble accelerating, car would hesitate, then all of a sudden it would lurch forward. it was totally unsafe to drive at that point. i have learned that this is due to a faulty ecm which has caused this vehicle to be extremely unsafe. ii took the car to my mechanic and sure enough the car showed the p0755 obd ii code which indicates that the issue is with the ecm. f left unattended, the transmission will require replacement at a cost of $4000 - $5000. i talked to toyota about it and they said a repair was covered under a customer support warranty extension program (*case # 1010011845). however, now i talk to fitzgerald toyota in gaithersburg (judith) and they indicate that they haven't even heard of this program. *tr

2002 toyota rav4. after stopping at an intersection i took off and the automatic transmission seemed to be in high gear, then it jerked and the engine raced and the transmission down shifted. this happened two other times within 10 miles. the ecm unit had failed. i researched this problem on-line and found that many other people had the same issue. toyota claims that this problem was fixed in 2008 on this vehicle but we have owned the vehicle since may of 2007 and did not have any repairs done. *tr

I have been a loyal toyota owner with a 1995 camry and a 2002 toyota rav 4. i noticed the terrible jerking that started while driving the rav4 on my way to work. i could not even attempt to speed up when necessary and once i did, the car jerked so much, i had to pull over and eventually get the car towed to the mechanic. they stated that the transmission was the problem so we paid to replace it and resolve that issue. not even a week later, i had the same exact problems going home from work. i brought it back to the mechanic and now it's the ecm that needs to be replaced. i cannot afford to get it replaced since i just paid for the new transmission. the mechanic attempted to reset the ecm but that did not help at all. now we are down to the 95 camry and crossing our fingers that we don't have issues with our "old reliable". *tr

2002 toyota rav4 started jerking and shaking,, then slowing down at 111k miles at in the middle of traffic concerned for safety, had to pull over and call for a tow truck to tow car home. i took the car to the dealership, but they said that it could be ecm, which is $1500, but no guarantees it would work. researched issue, and found out that this is known issue since 2006, but toyota didn't notify owners. *tr

I recently had a failure of the control module (ecu), i was told by my mechanic that this problem came up frequently for rav 4s of years 2002 and 2003 and that toyota was aware of this issue since 2006 ' but never recalled the cars! after searching on the internet i noticed that there were hundreds of complaints regarding exactly the same issue and even a class action lawsuit for the same matter filed in 2009. the replacement cost me $758.50 to replace (with a refurbished one) and i had to rent a car during the replacement process ' which cost me $131.32 ' therefore a total of $889.82. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 transmission failure. this vehicle has been maintained excellently with all recommended services performed at toyota dealers or authorized facilities. in 2009, toyota sent a recall notice about a "faulty ecm" (electronic control module) and the vehicle was taken in and the ecm was reprogrammed. after this service, the car started shifting erratically and as of june 26, 2010, the transmission suddenly failed with 118,000 miles on the car. toyota knows that the ecm causes the transmission failure and is refusing to make this right. toyota needs to be held accountable and responsible for this lack of integrity and for putting consumers at risk of death or injury, due to transmission failures in 2002 rav4's, camry's and corollas. google this information to see that this is becoming more common with this model of car, now that they are reaching 100,000 miles. *tr

2002 toyota rav 4 electronic control unit has a manufacturer's defect that cause the car's automatic transmission to disintegrate with little or no warning. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 all of a sudden wouldn't shift between 3rd and 4th gear. to ok in immediately into dealership to be checked. said it was the ecm. it was already taken in for recall and is another malfunction of same problem. if you drive it will ruin your transmission. i am very disappointed in the dealership as they only said to call toyota. i have done that and am waiting a response. there are many complaints on this and 220,000 toyota vehicle have issues. my car only has 56000 miles on it and should still be covered but they stop at 8 years. i am 25 days past warranty. due to them knowing and already recalling them they should be liable. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 i purchased used in may 2010 for $9,000. a few days after purchasing it, the transmission started slipping. almost had numerous accidents when needing to accelerate when pulling out into a busy road and the transmission failed to get out of 2nd gear into 3rd gear. had the transmission replaced/rebuilt for $3,500, the ecm flashed for $265, 3 new oxygen sensors put in for $900. now the car is still doing what it did even after all that money spent. looking up on the web, found many owners had the same problem and almost all had to replace the ecm. i am now trying to get an appointment with a toyota dealer to get this done. very disappointed in toyota. *tr

Whiplash and cervical disc herniation due to negligence of toyota rav 4 2002 transmission and ecm problems. around 4/20/10 i took my toyota to this dealership due to ongoing jerking and forward thrust when starting from a stop position, also the engine light was on. they kept my toyota from 4/19/10 till 4/21/10. reset the engine stating that it is o2 sensor problem and replaced it. also diagnosed transmission problems but i was told by the dealership persona,l" i don't want to stamp your car as condemned, take it back and when problem gets worse bring it back" he did not warn me that if i did not get it corrected right away, i can be jeopardizing my safety and safety of people on the road. it is apparent from the paperwork they handed me that they had diagnosed a serious problem and should have corrected it right away. around middle of may the problems with the transmission got worse, on 2 occasions the car stalled completely while going at 30 mph and then severely thrust forward again. in another 3-4 days i started experiencing severe muscle spasms and headaches. since then i had been to er, received ct and mri showing disc prolapse and tear of my 2 vertebral discs. i have been receiving physical therapy, cervical traction, pain medication, cervical collar, and am scheduled to receive an epidural injection in 2 weeks. i have seen my pcp twice, a neurologist, 2 neuro surgeons and have received numerous medication, some with serious side effects and have detailed information about these visits. i am a physician and due to this problem have missed days at work jeopardizing my clinical care. yesterday almost got in an accident when my car slowed down instead of accelerating and i almost hit another car, this incident made me realize i can hurt other people if i continue to drive this car. i took it in to dealer today and they are going to run a diagnosis on it again, and it might cost me 6,000 dollars. please help.*tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 check engine light came on. the light went off a few days later, but my husband took it to a mechanic to have it looked at. the mechanic said the ecu (computer) failed. a few days later the car had problems shifting, and it started bucking on the highway. i did some research on the internet, and came to find out that this is a known defect with the 2002 toyota rav4. there was a toyota internal memo written in 2006 admitting the defect. my husband and i bought this car brand new. the car has only 60,000. miles on it. we called toyota to see if they would honor the warranty (we are three months over the warranty) and the dealership said no, and toyota headquarters gave us a case number, and referred us back to the dealership. we have been loyal toyota customers. we also bought a 2007 toyota sienna. it is unconscionable that a company is putting its customers at risk with a defective part, and then hiding it from the vehicle owner. we never received a memo about the danger of this vehicle. does someone have to be killed in order for our government to get involved? toyota should be ordered to replace the defective parts that it willfully sold to its customers and then tried to cover it up! *tr

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. *tr

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. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 began having problems shifting in april 2010. it was intermittent, and wasn't cause for concern until my check engine light came on in may 2010. the symptoms of the problem with my vehicle are that it stalls, hesitates, and has a stop / go (jerking) type of action while driving it. at that time, i took it to a service technician at my local toyota dealer where i purchased both of my toyotas. they told me that the ecm had to be replaced and would cost around 1,300 dollars. mind you, i had to pay 75 dollars for the diagnostic check. the following week, i took my rav4 to a local transmission shop, had it diagnosed for a second opinion and he confirmed that the ecm unit was bad and needed to be replaced, which cost me yet, another 75 dollars for the diagnosis. he also instructed me not to continue to drive the car because it could possibly harm the transmission. since doing so, i have been down to one car for two and a half months because i simply don't have the money to have it repaired. after doing some research online, i found out that toyota has known about this problem since 2006. it is a serious safety issue when entering traffic, or trying to move from a stop light or stop sign, as you don't know when the car is going to shift into gear or not. toyota has not issued a recall, nor has not done anything to resolve the issue. i am disgusted that in 2006 toyota realized there was an issue with the ecm, which could ruin the transmission. instead of letting consumers know about this issue as soon as they realized, they sent a technical service bulletin to dealerships and service areas, but failed to let their own customers know. according to internet research, this problem generally starts around 90,000 miles and causes considerable danger with jerking and shifting problems. according to internet research, this problem generally starts around 90,000 miles and causes considerable danger with jerking and shifting problems. *tr

Was driving in a 55 mile highway car felt like was driving through sludge. engine light came on. then car stared jerking got to side of road and had towed to toyota dealer ship said the transmission chip was bad cost around $1300.. and new transmission altogether would cost me $6000.*tr

Purchased 2002 toyota rav4 new from toyota dealer in october 2001. experienced hard shifting several years ago when traveling uphill and a highway speeds. told that the car was shifting fine. now the engine control module needs to be replaced and possibly the complete transmission. toyota issued a tsb in 2008 but i was never informed. this is a very dangerous situation since the car can stop at any time. *tr

Toyota issued a secret bulletin on 3/3/2006 (tc006-02), but failed to notify owners of 2001-2003 rav4 vehicles regarding their hard shifting, ecm problems, and transmission failures. despite my reporting this problem within warranty period at 54,000 miles in 2006, and again in 2007, toyota claimed unable to duplicate problem. they are now charging me 1/2 the cost of a new transmission at approximately $2,000 including the cost of flushing the old one and diagnosing the problem. *tr

After having an oxygen sensor replaced in the exhaust system of my 2002 toyota rav4 on 02/02/10, i noticed that my car began accelerating sluggishly. approximately 50 miles after the service was performed, i noticed my car jerked when shifting through gears 1-3 and the tachometer would rev to 3000 rpms. the car then ran fine for app. 4 days with no gear slippage. a week later the gears started slipping again without warning and the car seemed to have no power when the gas pedal was fully engaged during a right hand turn to merge with oncoming traffic. the car then bucked violently. this resulted with my passenger and i becoming anxious/scared because we didn't know if the traffic coming toward us would have hit us if we suddenly lost power. i immediately drove my car home where it has remained parked and set an appointment with a toyota dealer explaining the problems. according to similar stories from fellow rav4 owners, there is a problem with the electronic control module causing irreversible damage to the transmission. i am taking the car to the dealer to have it 'officially' diagnosed although it only codes to have the o2 sensor replaced, which i did. *tr

No problems were apparent until overnight the transmission appeared to be slipping. independent mechanic cited failing transmission as probable issue. toyota dealership stated the ecm/ecu was failing. turns out ecm was defective in the model year of this vehicle. toyota' response was to "reprogram/reflash" defective ecm. this only postponedthe failure of the ecm. the defective ecm would send incorrect codes to the transmission stuttering or halting shifts thus leaving the vehicle effectively in neutral. this stuttering/slipping quickly destroys the transmission. the failure of the ecm would not allow the transmission to shift which put us in danger of being in a rear end collision while trying to get onto busy highways or stalling in an intersection. this occurred multiple times in the trip to the dealership alone (the vehicle went in the next open business day after the first occurrence). the failure occurred in the first three gears. this is a very serious safety issue which was given an ineffective solution. the dealership replaced the ecm at a significant cost to the consumer. when asked about the defective ecm, the service department stated the replacement of the ecm, although agreed to be defective, was the responsibility of the consumer and not toyota. *tr

My toyota rav4 (2002) with less than 90,000 miles has been slipping and it has caused me to be in some pretty risky situations, such as nearly getting into a fatal car accident when stopping and trying to proceed again at stop lights and stop signs. apparently the ecm is causing damage to the transmission and instead of them trying to fix the problem as a company, they are recommending me to spend over 4,000 to fix a problem that they have fell to resolve. it has become a financial nightmare and i don't want to have to choose between my house and my car because i need both! *tr

2002 toyota, rav4, my check engine light came on, the car only has 50,000miles on it, i have just recently hearing about this same problem with many other toyota rav 4 owners. *tr

Approximately 3 weeks ago i began noticing hesitation, jerking, and slipping coming from what i thought was the transmission. when the problem continued, i took it to a local big ten tires to see what they thought. they thought it was a defective engine mount. that did not remedy the problem. i realized then it was a transmission problem. i took it to the dealer that sold me the vehicle,and they confirmed that it was a transmission problem, but they told me to live with it because it was intermittent! they did not tell me it was the same problem that at least hundreds if not thousands of 2001-2003 rav 4 owners are having as we speak, namely, a defective engine control module (see new york times article dated 8/26/09). the defectively designed ecm is sending the wrong messages to the transmission. this causes the transmission to malfunction. this presents two problems: over time it destroys the transmission and more importantly, it is a safety hazard. on two occasions i pulled out in traffic and the transmission suddenly (without warning) refused to shift from first to second. this hesitation almost caused other vehicles to hit me. it finally "jerked" into gear and i was able to avoid the collisions. had it not done so, i could have been seriously injured. it is an absolute disgrace that toyota has known about this problem since at least as early as 2006 when it issued a tsb to it dealers pertaining to this exact problem. i am going to be honest. i also think it is a travesty that toyota has not been forced to make a recall. to conclude that this is not a safety issue is flat out wrong. just because it does not occur on the "open highway" is, with all due respect, ludicrous. i can be just as seriously injured if my car is hit by someone going 40 mph because i can't get out of their way. no parts have been replaced. please do the right thing and make toyota fix this problem do not let this become another pinto gas tank case. thank you. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 had issues with the ecu (computer) which controls the gear shifting. the symptoms are stalling/pausing between 1st and 2nd and/or 2nd and 3rd gear. when it happens, pressing on the gas has no effect - car does not accelerate. occurs quite frequently after the problem surfaces. on 10/8, as i was taking a left turn onto a main road, i had a stall and could not accelerate. there was an oncoming car that had enough time to stop and did not hit me. i had my mother and 14 month old daughter in the back. i researched the issue online and found this same complaint for hundreds of rav4 owners. the ecu (computer) fails after significant mileage (i'm at 135k), causing the transmission to be affected. if the ecu repair does not solve the problem, the transmission needs to be rebuilt. i had the ecu re-built for $1,413 ($1200 for the part alone) and it seems to have fixed my issue. *tr

I have a 2002 rav 4 with 60k miles and the ecm is faulty and is causing my transmission to slip, flare up, and almost got me killed in car accident ad my vehicle would not move in traffic until it finally grabbed and went forward. now, i have to spend $4000 to have my transmission fixed at 60k miles. i am outraged that toyota has not recalled this faulty computer ecm. it's dangerous and defective and needs to be recalled. i will be contacting an attorney as 1000's of others are having the same problem and discuss a class action lawsuit. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4l. my problems started yesterday. the car is not shifting properly. it stalls as if the car were put into neutral at 20mph and again at about 40mph. i was almost hit by another car because my car would not move when the gas was pushed it just revved the engine. i am afraid to drive this car. i purchased it in dec of 2006 and am still paying for this car. from what i have read i have the same type issue as most others- the ecm. this is unsafe and toyota needs to fess up. they knew about this problem in early 2006 because a tsb was sent out to all toyota dealers. if we had been notified of this at the time of purchase or in 2006 the 2002 would have most likely still been under warranty. they kept it quiet until now and people are catching on. i have sent a complaint to the dealership where my car was purchased and am waiting to hear back what they intend to do in this case. i am willing to take it as far as i need to go to make them repair the car at no costs to me. from what i have read it would cost more to repair the car that what the value of the car actually is at this point. i am very disappointed and will never buy another toyota again because of the deception and the inconvenience and lack of concern of the safety of the consumer from toyota. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 has a known defect with the electronic control module which causes the transmission to go bad which results in the car hesitating and jerking which almost caused an accident. i had the car towed to toyota dealership and they refused to fix anything because they will only fix this faulty ecm if the car in under 80,000 miles, mine had 80,800. *tr

Ecm failed on 2002 toyota rav4 causing erratic auto transmission shifting and car speed to vary widely while in traffic. no 'check engine' light warning. toyota knows of the problem and did not provide any warning. i had to pay a repair bill of $5358.00 to replace the ecm and transmission. *tr