Problems with 2002 Toyota RAV4 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The car does not respond properly when attempting to accelerate. the car jerks/transmission jerks and remains at a slow speed, responding much later. this is dangerous when merging or simply driving on a highway. i bought this car for my teenage daughter from a major toyota dealer. when i test drove it, it seemed fine. the dealer apparently, did not know what was wrong. i took it to another toyota dealer who identified the problem. this car was apparently in excellent condition, obviously a falsehood. i have had the car checked over - this is the only problem - a deadly one. *tr

I began noticing that my automatic 2002 rav 4 was jerking when shifting, would rev at high rpms before shifting and at times felt like it would not shift at all. like others, i did an internet search and found that it is a problem with the ecm that many others have experienced. my car has 119k miles on it and is out of warranty so i am evaluating my options on how to deal with this problem. the car is undrivable, as it is a safety risk when the car is unable to accelerate normally in stop and go traffic. it looks like this problem will cost about a thousand to get a new ecm, and much more if the damage it has done to the transmission now requires a transmission rebuild. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 has been intermittently not shifting into gear. it balks and clunks, and eventually shifts. this is a safety issue when entering traffic, because you don't know if the car will be able to accelerate to the speed of traffic or not. it is also a safety issue at stop lights, because you don't know if you will be able to make it across the intersection before the light changes or not. this started in january 2009, but was not consistent. in july, it finally created a "check engine" condition. i took the vehicle to a reputable mechanic, and he changed the transmission fluid and replaced solenoids, which the engine code suggested. i then took it to a toyota dealer, and they replaced the ecm, at a cost of $1500. that did not solve the problem, and they say i need to replace the transmission for $3500. toyota has known about this problem since 2006, and at that time issued a bulletin. however, i feel they should have issued a recall due to the safety issues and the cost involved. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 - ecm/transmission failure - at 125,000 miles, driving last week, automatic transmission started bucking. car slowed without cause in heavy traffic, and i had to pull off road in adverse conditions. driving to dealer, then driving to transmission shop wrecked transmission. after paying $2700.00 to get transmission fixed, found out the transmission problem is really a ecm failure problem. found 1000's of complaints online about this. called toyota customer svc., and toyota is not recognizing as a recall problem. i am unemployed and this cost is overwhelming, and should be a recall. *tr

Around the 1st of july my toyota rav 4 starting jerking and refused to go into second gear. the rav 4 has had all of the regular required maintenance and showed absolutely no signs of failure. the transmission and the ecm were going out. i had my 16 year old grandson in the car when this happened. i did not realized that toyota has been aware of this problem for around 3 years until i started doing some research. this is definitely a safety hazard and should have been addressed by the toyota company immediately. i am just now learning that there are several hundred toyota customers that have filed complaints concerning the same issue but of course the toyota company will not remedy the situation. if my grandson and i had been on a busy highway i do feel the outcome would have been much more devastating. *tr

The toyota rav4 (year 2002) indiscriminately speeds up and maxes out the rpms (6000) for not reason. i was going 65 and all of a sudden the rpms went up to 6000 from 3000 and the car sped up to 85 and then went into neutral with me touching any gears or any pedals. luckily i was allowing enough distance between me and the other vehicles to safely get it pulled off to the side. there would have been no way to control the vehicle to keep it from crashing into someone directly in front of me and both sides and the rear had vehicles in them. the ecm, transmission and vss (variable speed sensor) were replaced and the problem still occurs. toyota disavows any knowledge of these types of issues; however, there are hundreds of thousands of complaints for the same issues and millions of dollars being spent to solve them and it's not being solved. there are lives at stake here. toyota should be held accountable for these problems. the models effected are the toyota rav4's from 1999 to 2009. and it appears that it's still an issue and still being pushed under the rug so to speak. action or lives....that's what it all boils down to now. incident date is most current. numerous past dates. *tr

After 30 mins of hwy/pkwy driving, the car shut off without warning while traveling approx 45 mph. no warning lights before incident and no previous issue at all. steering and brakes became sluggish, and we lacked basic accident avoidance measures. had we been traveling faster and/or in denser traffic the car would have presented a major obstacle to oncoming vehicles, placing both us and other drivers etc. in danger. the dealer could not duplicate the problem and so made no repair. the car shut off again in stop-and-go traffic 2 weeks later. the dealer eventually replaced a transmission chip. the car then ran with hesitations and some delay in shifting for some weeks. finally, at 60 mph in highway traffic the car started to jerk, fail, and buck. again the dealer could not duplicate the problem and refused to address it. we discovered through research on line that this model toyota rav4 2002 has a problem with its onboard computer or ecm, for which toyota extended its warranty. our car is within the warranty limits both as to years and mileage. toyota is supposed to replace the ecm in this model under this warranty. our dealer has refused to do so and has sent us back out on the road without any security against another full engine stop in highway traffic. *tr

At 84,000 miles the car started surging for no reason, stalling while moving on the highway, and stalling while approaching intersections. happened two to three times daily, causing a number near miss accidents, rear ends. took it to the dealer who replaced the computer. this was very dangerous and easily could have caused an accident. *tr the consumer stated he experienced sudden acceleration. updated 07/26/10.*jb

2002 toyota rav4 has defective ecu which has in turn fried transmission...my wife noticed problems when the shifting automatic transmission on a merge and was almost run over by a semi-truck. we then took the vehicle to the dealer who told us the engine light was not on so they could not diagnose and advised us to drain the transmission fluid. 2 weeks later, my wife was on the highway and the transmission spontaneously shifted into low gear causing her to swerve off road. we have been told that we need to replace the ecu and transmission at $5,000. i have gone online and read that toyota has been aware of this problem for over 2 years and will not issue recall as not enough people have complained...this is a safety issue my wife was almost killed!!! please address with toyota!! *tr updated 03/22/10.*jb

1. toyota 2002 rav 4 starting jerking uncontrollably at 80,300 miles while driving on highway at around 60 mph. 2. took it in the next day and toyota dealer stated that it was an engine control module failure which was making the transmission jerk. 3. they replaced the engine control module and stuck us with the bill since our car was 300 miles over warranty although we had brought it in 4 times prior for engine control module problems. *tr

Toyota rav 4 2002. a month ago, my car started jerking and bucking and stalling mid intersection. i immediately took it to my local toyota dealer for servicing. the service dept. could not determine the problem so they changed transmission fluid (charge almost $200.00) and sent me on my way with notice that if the engine light came on i should return. two weeks later, i was driving on the highway approaching a double merge driving 60 mph when my car suddenly downshifted into first gear causing me to lurch and lose control of vehicle while one tractor trailer truck was merging to my right and another directly behind me causing truck behind me to lay on brakes and veer off the road...i managed to get myself off the road...no accident occurred but the threat to my life was serious. i did investigation on line carcomplants.com and found that there was a service bulletin issued to all dealers in 2006. i was never informed of defect therefore was endangering myself and my family every time i drove the car without any knowledge. i took the car to a different local toyota dealer and paid $150.00 for diagnostic: faulty ecm (see carcomplaints.com). quoted a cost of replacement at ($1,200.00) that might solve the problem but they would not know condition of transmission until after they replaced the ecm. i was uncomfortable with this answer and felt i might have better service with original dealer so i paid for car to be towed ($100.00) and rented a car. original dealer determined ecm needs replacement no guarantee that transmission would be okay. i asked that dealer speak on my behalf to toyota to see if they were willing to share some of the responsibility and cost of replacement of faulty ecm. toyota refused. after being without family's only car for 2 weeks,paying for rental (over $200.00) the ecm was replaced ($1,000.00) car seemed to be okay for one week. 4 days ago engine light came on again. returning to yet another dealer tomorrow. do you value my safety? *tr

There exists a documented history of ecm failure in the 2002 toyota rav4 vehicles that is causing shifting problems in the transmission. this defected part needs to be recalled as needing replacement (not just "reprogramming" as toyota has tried to do). when i began experiencing these problems with my 2002 toyota rav4 on april 17, 2009, i was in the middle of traffic and no matter how hard i pressed on the accelerator, my car would not go. it eventually very slowly began to accelerate but every time i had to stop at a light or stop sign, it would barely go again. i was terrified that i was going to get hit every time i had to cross over a street with oncoming traffic. this is a dangerous situation...someone is going to get in a serious accident one of these days because there is no warning when this begins to happen - the car just won't go at takeoff. many of us who own the 2002 rav4 have wasted hundreds of dollars on misdiagnosis of this problem...i had the transmission fluid flushed, i had a top engine cleaning to remove buildup in the throttle, i was even told at the dealership that my car mat was getting in the way of the accelerator and that was adding to the problem. only after none of this fixed the problem did they come back and finally say that the ecm needed to be replaced or the transmission would be ruined. this repair is going to cost me $1300.00 because the warranty ran out at 80,000 miles and my vehicle is at 84,000 miles. i am going to fix this car so that i can trade it in (the dealership even suggested that i trade it- they must know how serious this is). i can't take the risk that this vehicle will be safe to drive even after the ecm is replaced because i've read that the new ecm may not communicate correctly with the old transmission. this is a devastating loss for those of us who bought our vehicles based in large part on the toyota reputation for reliability. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated that the ecu board failed on the vehicle and that the dealer said that they were aware of the failure. the dealer stated that the ecu board normally failed at 75 miles on his year, make and model vehicle. after the ecu failed the vehicle began to lunge forward when it shifted. the failure mileage was 82,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. updated 05/10/10 *bf updated 05/11/10. *jb

In 2009, 2010, and 2011 my 2002 toyota rav4 exhibited sharp, rough shifting into and out of gear, often when on the freeway. the vehicle also had a check engine light that repeatedly came on. i was initially advised by a non-toyota repair shop that the issue was with the transmission and it had to be replaced. however, upon taking the car to a toyota dealership they stated the problem was with the ecm. in 2009 they re-programmed the ecm, in 2010 they re-programmed the ecm and in 2011 (after the extended warranty was issued by toyota corp) they replaced the ecm. they never did any service on the transmission. now in april 2013 just 17months after they replaced the ecm it happens again and they tell me i need a new transmission and i have to pay for it because it's out of the extended warranty. since the ecm was throwing the transmission in & out of gear for 3 years, isn't it obvious that the transmission was damaged by the ecm? it was even mentioned in the service bulletins that the ecm was possibly causing damage to the transmission and the dealerships may also have to replace the transmission at the same time the ecm was replaced. yet because they chose not to repair or replace the transmission on my car in 2011 while it was under warranty, i now have to pay for what should have been done in the first place. toyota has been aware of this problem since 2006 yet they never issued a recall or notified owners until a class action lawsuit was filed. toyota needs to satisfy their customers by issuing a recall and admitting that both the ecm and transmission need to be replaced on any 2001-2003 rav4 that experiences rough shifting, or shifting in & out of gear, or codes that reflect a problem with the ecm or transmission. this is dangerous for drivers and toyota is negligent in preventing injuries and deaths due to a known defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact noticed that the transmission would repeatedly slip out of gear without warning. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the on-board computer needed to be replaced because it was defective. they further stated that the failure was common with his year, make, and model vehicle. immediately after the repair, the failure resurfaced and the engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. he took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that they would have to replace the transmission because the on-board computer mechanically failed. as a result, the transmission failed and would cost $4,000 to replace. the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure and current mileages were 126,605. updated 6/8/09 *cn updated 06/11/09.*jb

Check engine light came on. took to toyota. they told me i needed a new ecm that there was a tsb on the make model and yr of my vehicle rav4 2002/i drove home and told my boyfriend that the ecm replacement is 1600 dollars. one week later i was driving to toyota to have fixed and my car would npt accelerate. it would stop and go and i barely made it through a very busy intersection.. i was at 83,000 miles and out of warranty when this happened. of course i had to absorb the cost.. *tr

I brought my rav brand new in 200. have had no problem with it up until a few days ago. it was running just fine but the next day i noticed that it would jerk when i shifted in/out of reverse. not only that but it had trouble accelerating and would jerk from 1st to 2nd gear. read multiple complaints on this issue via www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and found that i am not alone in this problem....this is unacceptable.. i have a four year old and i am scared of driving anywhere because im scared of pulling out in traffic for the fear that the car wont move and i may get hit.....this need to be addressed....*tr

In the fall of 2008, the factory installed cruise control on my 2002 toyota rav 4 functions intermittently. it will work for a short period on any long trip then will cause vehicle to decelerate. sometimes cannot get it to work again. light will flash on and off on the dashboard. have taken it in to local toyota dealership who cannot get it to duplicate. the mechanic states everything is fine. due to semi-functional cruise, the mileage on a long distance trip has decreased from 30-32 mpg to 24-26mpg.reported this to toyota in 2009 and given a case # which i have misplaced. they did not appear to be concerned or admit they had a problem. extended warranty (to 100,000 miles) will not cover the repair. there is indeed an electrical issue going on, but no one seems to solve the problem or care. in searching i have found other people who have posted comments regarding the same issue without resolution. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) i purchased my 2002 toyota rav4 from my dealer, rich toyota of huntington, wv in spring 2002'it was his demo car, vin#[xxx] ; model #4416a. at 107,00 miles, out of the clear-blue, the rav4 check engine light came on for about two hours, then went out, but then shifting became erratic. i have serviced this vehicle faithfully since i purchased it and expected to get another 100,000 more miles, but, my dealership, where it has been serviced since purchase, said it was going to cost over $1,200 for the ecc/ecm (engine control computer/engine control module), and even if i replace just the ecc/ecm, it still may not work with the old transmission, so it was recommended that i replace the transmission too for another $3,500 because the defective ecc may have destroyed the transmission. they also suggested replacement of the air-fuel sensor for a total of $5,189.00 in repairs before taxes. i had never realized that there were ever any serious problems like this with the toyota product line until i went online to research this transmission problem. what an eye-opener!!! there were many, many problems documented with many of toyota's products! considering that this rav4 was a $22,000 vehicle when i purchased it, doesn't it seem strange that after just 6 years it is inoperable and even dangerous! after e-mailing and sending a letter to toyota usa in torrence california about this issue, i called the toyota customer assistance center at 1-800-331-4331 and talked with a real person. plus, i have been assigned a case number, which goes into their database and logs the issue should they have enough complaints to warrant a recall or other remedy. i have since replaced the transmission and defective ecu at a cost of about $4,500. after researching your complaint files on this rav4 issue, why hasn't nhtsa done something about it with toyota!!!!???? *tr

Suddenly, my car starting shifting very roughly into reverse. it happens every time i put the car into reverse. i was told the ecm needed to be replaced because it was defective. this is the same ecm that had a factory recall issued that i had serviced last year. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rave 4, i have even complained to the dealership where i bought the vehicle. i complained about it speeding out of control when i used the cruise control and it still does and i can reproduce it every time on the same road. i also had complained about steping on the breakes and the car not wanting to stop. dealership told me "it was in my head, and that they couldn't find anything wrong with it." i was actually in a car accident on my way into the dealership to have them check the same problem again. i reported it several times to them an i have had the car since 2005.

Car began having shifting problems. i was told by a shop that the ecm is a known problem. it is a safety hazard since it often fails in intersections. *tr

I purchased my used 2002 toyota rav4 on 12/10/05 from south coast toyota of costa mesa. shortly after purchasing it, i received some kind of "adjustment notice" asking me to bring the car in, which i did. i asked what they needed to do to the car, they would not directly answer my question and said it "was nothing, just a minor adjustment." in september of 2008, shortly after my warranty had expired and my car was just over 83,000 miles, the transmission began slipping completely out of gear while i was driving it, and then it wouldn't shift into gear, and i would suddenly have no control over the car so i had to stop, and then try to get it in gear, or drive home in 1st. i had to drive from 1st gear or 4th. i was unable to drive it on the freeway to get to work, and had to stop driving it all together on the street. the dealer would not replace the transmission. the price he quoted me to "replace the transmission and ecu" was around $4,500. i was furious, as the reason i purchased toyotas was because they drove 200,000 miles as long as you properly maintained them, which i always did. i went and had to pay $2,593.00 at irvine transmission center in irvine, ca on 9/24/08. after replacing the transmission and test driving it, it was ready for pickup. when they got in the car to drive it up to me, suddenly the new transmission wouldn't shift. so, they researched the problem and told me the computer (ecu) apparently had to be replaced also, and they had discovered through online sites that toyota was having problems with this vehicle. the dealer charged me $500 to replace the ecu. the dealer sold me a rav4 they knew was having transmission and ecu failure. i wrote toyota a complaint. i believe i should be reimbursed the money i am out, and this car should be recalled with the hundreds of complaints, if not thousands, that have been reported. i request you take action! *tr

I brought my rav brand new in 2002. have had no problem with it up until a few a year ago when the engine light came on intermittent. every time i was going to take the vehicle into get checked it would go out. when i arrived at my present duty station i was deployed almost immediately. within two months of my deployment my wife told me that car was having a hard time moving and could hear the transmission slipping. she then took the vehicle to the mechanic and they told her that the transmission was broke and needed to be repaired. only 52000 miles on the vehicle. the mechanic also told my wife that there could be a tsb out on the vehicle pertaining to the electronic control module, part that tells the transmission to shift gears, "ecm"and there was several that pertained the problem and what needed to be replaced. being in italy she contacted the states rep for toyota and was told that they couldn't locate our car because we bought it from a licensed dealer "american spec vehicle" from germany. she then contact the agency that is authorized to sell "american spec cars" and was informed that the vehicle fell under the warranty and that they "american toyota" should pay for it based on an american tsb. called toyota again and nothing. when i came home, we took the vehicle to local dealership and because it was an american tsb they would consider the replacement. in the mean time they assured us that the vehicle was safe to drive and being our only vehicle my wife was forced to drive it. toyota "rome" oked the replacement of the ecm, the actual fault of the vehicle but has refused to replace the transmission the result of the faulty part. now the transmission is completely shot and looking on line thousands of american consumers are paying thousands of dollars out to replace a product that is the result of toyota's engineering flaws. i personally feel that they are responsible the transmission and the replacement. further investigation is requested. *tr

In the past few years the check engine light kept coming on and my local dealer would fix something that was supposed to be causing the problem twice. the 3rd time toyota had a recall on the computer and reprogrammed the ecu. now the 4th time the car would not go when pushing the pedal or it would stop in traffic with the hopes of not getting into a wreck. barely made it back to the dealer who said it had a bad main computer failure and the "shift solenoid b" was bad. all this with only 83k miles. this seems somewhat very low to be having this kind of a problem. i contacted toyota, gave them the info and they investigated and said it was way out of warranty so the case is "closed". the total cost of repair was to be $4998 but with the dealer giving me a "one time good will 50% split and a senior citizens discount", it had a final price of $3,725.63. *tr

I started having issues with my car on 6-20-2008. i was driving my car & noticed that when i would accelerate it wasn't accelerating properly. then i noticed that as the car was shifting into 2nd gear it would stall & then suddenly shift really hard into 3rd gear. sometimes as i would accelerate the car would start shaking & then shift hard into 1st gear. this made me very nervous because i was unable to keep up with the flow of traffic & feared that the problem would create an accident. the problem seemed to happen intermittently, but it was happening more often than not. we looked at the transmission fluid thinking it might be something wrong with the transmission due to the way it was shifting. we checked the fluid & filled the fluid. my husband drove it a little & it didn't act up for him. so i thought the problem was fixed. well then i started driving it again & it continued to shift hard & not accelerate properly. i had my uncle look at it & he thought it sounded like the transmission was not engaging. so i finally took it to a toyota dealership to have them look at it. of course ($84 later) they couldn't get the problem to occur. i went to pick the car up the next day & they said they found a bulletin on 2001-2003 toyota rav4's that if there was a hard shifting that the ecm needed replacing. $1500 later the car is fixed. of course toyota does not cover the cost of the problem because it was only a bulletin & supposedly did not cause a safety issue & come to find out my manufacturers warranty is past & my extended warranty doesn't cover it either even though it's a major part that keeps the car running & functioning properly. i am extremely dissatisfied with the toyota service & their ways of handling problems that are not the consumers fault but toyota's manufacturing fault. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving approximately 5 mph, the vehicle hesitated and became difficult to shift into first gear. the vehicle jerked and the engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. the technician stated that the failures were related to the computer failure, which also caused the transmission to fail. the computer and transmission are currently being replaced at the cost of $4,600. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 95,000.

Car not shifting into gear (slipping) and then banging and jerking into gear at first told by the dealer that i needed a new transmission. later after i saw the technical service bulletin and with many calls to toyota corporate they performed further test and determined that it was the ecm they are replacing it but only paying for half of the cost current mileage 89,000 they are saying it is out of warranty by 9,000 miles even though it was reprogrammed last year (april 07) at 72,000 miles i have noticed many complaints on the 2002 rav 4 and truly believe they should be forced to do a recall and pay the total amount. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while idling or driving at very low speeds, the vehicle would consistently fail. the dealer stated that the electronic control module needed to be reprogrammed. immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. the dealer replaced the ecm at the cost of $1,225.69, without the contact's approval. the repair was not included in her extended warranty. she called the manufacturer, but they referred her back to the dealer. the failure and current mileages were 89,000.

Ecm is faulty. causing vehicle to "misshift" from 1st to 2nd gear. the misshifting causes car to stall for a few seconds till shifting is completed, causing potential rear-end or side-hit(at intersections) accidents. have almost been hit twice. suggested by dealership to "reflash" ecma; completed; no change. now suggested to replace part (estimated cost of + labor) researched on internet, there are several web sites that have customers complaining to toyota with no solution (such as http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/rav4/2002/transmission/problems_shifting.shtml and http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0c40d0/573) contacted toyota and they offered no solution because a there wasn't a "special service campaign" aka recall. advised me to seek outside help. *tr

Car shuttered and stopped rolling in an intersection, then abruptly went into gear again with a lurch. transmission shop replaced valve assembly. problem returned and car was returned to shop. new valve assembly installed, problem came back. returned to shop, transmission removed, replaced, 3 times. seals replaced. same problem.ecm was suspect. car was taken to local toyota dealer, was told ecm was fine, ecm was re-programmed and we were charged $275.00. problem continued. long story short-ecm was replaced, programmed, and paid another $1200. works fine. toyota owes me big time. they know of this problem, and ignore. i have owned 5 toyotas in my life, and have an fj cruiser as well. will not consider toyota in the future unless they admit the problem, and assist in repairs. *tr

May 19th of 2007, my 2002 toyota rav 4 4x4 was in an accident. it was hit in the front passenger side doing 25-30 mph. after struck, i applied the brakes twice, while the car continued to accelerate at an increasing high speed, resulting in hitting a glass bus stop ending up hitting a brick school. it continued to accelerate although i was unable to go anywhere. no injuries reported. *tr

Ecu or engine computer unit. this computer is bad. when shifting .the automatic transmission in the computer does not know what gear to shift in. this is scary when in traffic. it would start in lets say 2nd gear then bang back to 1st gear. what a jolt for you and the driver behind you. *jb

Ecm/transmission failure on my 2002 rav 4. i ended up cleaning out my savings over this car. after recent bulletin from toyota, i submitted necessary paper work for some reimbursement. i was told that i was not eligible because the car was made in puerto rico, not us!!!!!! i bought it used from a toyota dealer in va. why did toyota send me the notice????? *tr

November 17, 2006 - after being parked in my driveway for approximately 30 minutes the engine caught on fire. the rav4 engine compartment and entire interior was demolished, tires exploded, glass exploded over at least a 20 foot radius. two engine trucks and 10 responders later the fire was out. 63,000 miles, no prior problems, 50k maintenance completed by dealer jan 2006. vin has zeros and letter o which are indistinguishable. try both. *jb

The car suffered mechanical defect and the front end bar was broken, when front end bar broke it lost direction and hit another car in front. the highway patrol came to take the accident report. we were driving at 25mph on freeway number 405. i have called my auto insurance and i was given a case number. i have full cover. i am waiting for a response from my auto insurance to fix the car. i have contated toyota and i also have a case with them. the case number is 200603011457. i have toyota and the claims representative is christy. christy have said to wait at least 60 days. i can't wait 60 days. i need my car. the auto insurance has not given me a rental. i have complaint to the commissioner of auto insurance in california. they will conduct and investigation. the case number with my auto insurance is 10000148757. my auto insurance carrier is infinity. what i want is toyota to replace my car. the car is a total loss. i feel this broken bar should be recall.*ak

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. i have taken my car to the dealer for the changes of oil and filter. twice they suggested a wynns system engine cleaning which we paid for. the last one was done on april 2005. last october 7, 2005 i was driving my car on the expressway and all of a sudden the oil light lit up and the car stopped. the car was towed from the highway to our house and the next day was towed to the dealer adriel toyota in rio grande, puerto rico. about two hours later they called me and stated that the motor stalled and the warranty was not going to pay since i had not taken the car to them for the last oil change. i reminded them that just nine months earlier a wynns motor engine cleaning had be done by them and that it was impossible for the motor of the car to have sludge if they had done the job correctly. the toyota company of puerto rico called to tell me the same thing. i made a complaint at the consumers affairs in puerto , i am waiting for a decision. today i showed the pictures to an automotive expert who states that the motor have not had any oil changes and the worst was that there was no way that the engine had be cleaned. the dealers states that they have not had any motor sludging on any rav 4 in puerto rico but consumer report states that toyota has this problem most commonly with camry's . today i found out that rav 4 have the same engine camry's have. am i supposed to be punished for whatever problem toyotas engines have?

I had driven about 3 miles then got stuck in a traffic jam. at that time, i could smell something burning but i thought it was the car in front of me. finally, i got off that road and drove another 10 miles but i again noticed the burning smell. i checked the panel and the car was not running hot. next, a small curl of smoke came from under hood on passenger side. then suddenly smoke began billowing from under the hood and into the car through the vent. i lost steering and braking. i removed the key from the ignition, but the car continued moving forward. then the car abruptly stopped. flames engulfed the engine. the fire department came out and extinguished the fire but the car was totaled. *ak

On july 7, 2003 i was on my way to work when the battery discharge light came on and i had no steering capability. i was travelling about sixty miles per hour on the interstate. i almost hit the median divider before i could steer the vehicle to the side of the road. i called the dearlership and explained what had happened. they told me to have the vehicle towed in, they didn't even offer to have it towed. incidentally this is a new vehicle with less than 1100 miles on it and i had only driven the vehicle about one week before the above happened. the dealership kept my vehicle for two days and i went to get my rav4 and asked what had happened. the service manager said that the drive belt pulleys had not been properly installed on my new rav4 and that caused the drive belt to come off of the pulleys and broke the tensioner and the housing guide. i took the car home and the next morning, the new rav4 would not start. i jumped srtarted the rav4 from my wifes vehicle and let it run for about fifteen minutes thinking that the battery just needed a charge. my wife was going to use the neew rav4 vehicle that day to shop. she called me about mid-morning and informed me that the new rav4 vehicle would not start as she had gone to the mall. that evening my wife and i went to the mall and jum started the vehicle agin and i finally got it home and it is now in my garage, it just will not start. i called and talaked to the service director about all of the problems that i was having with my new rav4 suv. he equated my break-downs to going to the store and buying a box of four light bulbs and taking the light bulbs home and putting a new light bulb in a lamp that had a burned out light bulb and when the lamp is turned on then the new light bulb burns out. this really made me angry. i told him that there was big difference in a fifty cent light bulb and a $25,000.00 new vehicle with only 1100 miles on it. *ak

Engine compartment caught on fire right after consumer parked vehicle. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

Starting the end of april 2010 my 2002 toyota rav4 starting giving me problems with shifting gears and when i pressed the accelerator it didn't want to move and really sluggish and would jerk. i was afraid that someone would rear end me. i kept up all my maintenance on the vehicle. i had a transmission service done march 2008. the dealer said i needed a new transmission. my car has 90,000 miles. i had another transmission service done, but it just got worse. i took it to another repair shop and they said there was a computer defect and the transmission needed to be replaced. my car is in the shop for repairs. *tr

When driving for more than 15 miles and stopping the vehicle shakes. took vehicle to dealer and they stated that it was normal for vehicle to shake. *ak consumer states that the engine is loud, when stopping, it feels like the brakes lock up and when the vehicle is turned off the power windows continue to work and the lights go on and off. *slc