Problems with 2002 Toyota RAV4 POWER TRAIN

Toyota rav4 (2002) jerked uncontrollably into traffic while preparing to make a left turn onto a busy boulevard. cars screeched to a halt. could have been fatal. rav4 has faulty computer (ecm) that toyota did not recall and holds consumers responsible for replacing (appx$1400). faulty computer often destroys transmission also. i am facing $5500 in repairs and toyota has admitted that the car has a problem. this is totally unfair and people will lose their lives. i am lucky i didn't. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 which it almost had my family life taken. last weekend we were getting in the highway and the car didn't speed up a rollback maneuver his way out luckily the driver acted quick at scene. my vehicle transmission fail to proceed, it wouldn't speed up. we were like baits for the oncoming traffic not knowing if to get out of car or get hit. we were terrified so we all scream. later the transmission rep up. we pulled over to the side to relax. now i'm trying to figure out what happen, what went wrong? but now i now i know is the freaking car. my question is why toyota did not gave us a warning about the defects of the vehicle? i hope for others families not to go through this terrifying experience. please informs to others to take action with this vehicle or it may be to late. i do not know where to go or what to do now with this vehicle. i'm not driving it and putting my family at risk again!!!. be careful driving this vehicle. but please le me know what to do next. should i junked the car or go to the dealer and deal with them. i'm not going to give away to to her . that will be like given them a ticket to the cemetery. *tr

Transmission slipping and slamming into gear. vehicle shudders like it was going to stop running, then rpm's jumped up to about 4,000 and slammo! slams into gear. almost got hit by a large truck behind me. check engine light doesn't come on . took it to dealership and they say without error codes they cannot diagnose the problem. had a recall on ecm a couple of yrs. ago. had it done(re-flashed) at dealership. no help from toyota. *tr

Check engine light came on and transmission started to shift hard,going into reverse from park with a huge clunk. also, slipping at times. when making a left/right turn from a road to another, car would sluggishly move-very dangerous. took it to a dealer and was told a new computer was needed to verify if the problem was ecu related or the tranny..i asked why a new computer wasn't available to test whether it was the computer or tranny."we don't stock computers". i was quoted $1200.00 for "new" ecu to see if it fixed the problem. if that didn't work then a "new" tranny for 4000.00 to 5000.00 would be required. this is a 2002 2wd with 99k miles worth about $5000.00(in great shape otherwise). also learned that the ecu tends to throw codes unrelated to the tranny issue. when i brought my rav4 in i told them about my issues with the tranny and that there was a tsb to install new software to try to fix the issue. i was then told no, you need to try a new ecu for $1200.00. why not throw a "new" ecu in to see if it fixes the problem? why don't they acknowledge a defect instead of easter egging at my expense? charge me $1200.00 for an ecu(or any part) that may or may not solve the issue is criminal and to hear that the ecu problem eats the tranny is also criminal quick to take your cash but to deny a very common part defect (ecu) that ultimately destroys another expensive needed component. this is a safety issue. i have made left/right turns and the transmission decides to buck/hesitate as oncoming traffic is expecting my vehicle to move appropriately. *tr

My daughter purchased a used 2002 rav4 as her first car in 2010. it had engine and transmission problems within months of purchasing. she also had transmission issues where it would not go into gear or it would act sluggish while driving on the california freeways. it was very dangerous, especially for a young driver. we learned of the class action suit for this issue and got on board with it. unfortunately we lost, as we knew we would, since toyota does not want to stand behind its warranties or technical service bulletins. we paid for a transmission replacement so she could safely drive this vehicle and the tsb clearly states that any prior out-of-pocket repairs related to this issue would be reimbursed. even though we eventually had the ecm and transmission replaced at their expense, she was to be reimbursed for the prior work done but was not. we will never purchase another toyota product. too many recalls and issues. and they do. not. honor. their. agreements. i know we aren't the only ones....there are legions of dissatisfied consumers. something this dangerous should be addressed. never had these problems with ford or pontiac vehicles. *tr

The main computer in the transmission on my 2002 toyota rav4 malfunctioned causing my vehicle to begin shifting on its own while driving. the mechanic informed me that it was attempting to shift into reverse while driving. the first incident happened the last weekend in may, 2010. i have not been able to drive the car for 3 weeks now, it is currently waiting repair. total cost thus far $1,586.00 to replace the computer so that the computer can tell them what other damage has been done to the transmission. we have not been able to locate a functional used computer for repair. *tr

Check engine light came on and transmission jammed. vehicle towed to nearest dealer. told it was ecm problem and repair cost was $1440.94. *tr

On may 25th, my wife was merging into traffic on a local bypass (speed limit 55 mph). as she began to merge, our 2002 toyota rav4 hesitated and wouldn't shift into second gear. my wife had to swerve off the road to avoid being rear ended by traffic. i brought my car to the repair shop the next day and they flushed the transmission and added new fluid. they tested the car and it was ok so i picked it up and brought it home. by the next day the car was hesitating again so i brought it back to the shop and they took the car to the local toyota dealership to have them check the problem. i then received a call from my repair person stating that i needed a new transmission. the car is only 8 years old with 61,000 miles on it but all warranties have expired. i then find out that toyota has known about the problem with 2002 rav4 transmissions but have never contacted the buyers or had a recall due to expense. now i'm stuck with a car that doesn't work or a repair bill for $5,000 plus. i bought a toyota because i thought that it was dependable. the dealership said that nothing can be done to repair it without cost to me since i have no more warranty coverage. i'm now looking for a new car since i'm not putting $5,000 into an 8 year old one. do i have any legal alternatives since toyota knew about the problem but said nothing? *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav-4. i have taken proper car of the car, like oil changes, tune-ups, the whole nine yards. except recently the transmission in the car has failed. it just recently started happening and i don't understand how this issue has come about. i am almost at 102k miles on my car. i was almost hit by another suv due to the transmission failing. i have recently found articles by usa today and cbs5 stating how owners of toyota rav-4's 2001-2003 models have had transmission failures. *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

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. the contact stated while driving at 40 mph and attempting to accelerate onto the highway, the vehicle would not respond and began decelerating. the contact was advised by both an independent mechanic and an authorized dealer that the transmission was failing. the failure and current mileages were 60,450. updated 07/26/10. *lj updated 08/03/10*jb

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

The automatic transmission was shifting very hard from gear to gear and had problems starting in first gear from a stop. it looks like it is very common on 2001-2004 rav4's per complaints online. a service bulletin was put out by toyota in march of 2006 about the problem. the dealer is recommending replacement of the ecu. the bulletin proves toyota knew about the defective ecu. many people are being forced to buy a transmission also after the faulty ecu destroys theirs. this is a safety issue, such as driving onto a freeway and the transmission stalling when merging with traffic. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while entering a busy highway at speeds of less than 5 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate. the vehicle would not shift gears and within moments, the failure seemed to correct itself but became progressively worse as he continued to drive. the manufacturer advised the contact that there was a technical service bulletin that addressed the failure and would not provide any further assistance (nhtsa item number 10019667). the dealer had not yet been contacted nor had the vehicle been repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 91,000.

2002 toyota rav 4 transmission slips and jerks at odd times. especially though, when trying to merge or pass in traffic. *tr

Automatic transmission on a 2002 toyota rav4 suv began slipping and shifting hard. took it to trusted garage and they determined that transmission had failed and was unsafe to drive. it had to be replaced. in researching the vehicle and the model's service history for recalls and service bulletins they determined that the transmission involved was only used for 16 months by toyota before it was replaced because of poor performance and safety issues. the ecm (engine control module) was found to be faulty and was causing the transmission failures. (toyota tsb tc002-06). toyota deemed not to alert vehicle owners of this condition or to offer any preventive action to be pursued to prevent the ultimate transmission failure resulting in replacement. warranty on replacement transmission not valid if the ecm unit is not also replaced. total cost = $5,000. original warranty was extended to 96 months or 80,000 miles. my vehicle has 119,000 miles in 90 months of use. toyota dealer service department stated the vehicle parts were out of warranty. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4's transmission is starting to fail to operate correctly. after coming to a complete stop, the car will not accelerate for several seconds even though i am pressing very hard on the accelerator. it just slowly moves during those seconds. this is very frightening when i attempt to merge with traffic after making a right turn. sometime it feels like the turn will not complete before on coming traffic approaches. my mechanic has told me that i need a new transmission that will cost $3500. *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

While trying to merge on an interstate, the rav4 would not shift gears and would hang for a moment. emergency maneuvers had to be made to avoid getting rammed by a semi-truck. after pulling over and checking the car, although there was now a cel, it did not seem like anything was wrong until i shifted from park to drive. the transmission made a clunking noise. driving home, the car would not shift properly. without a properly shifting car, i had to get the vehicle towed to a shop. that is when my mechanic pulled up tsb number: tc002-06 from toyota which states the exact problem that i have. i have never received this tsb or any other notices from toyota about this problem. even though my 2002 rav4 is under the "age limit" for the warranty, i am over the mileage limit which means that toyota has denied my claim. it currently sits unfixed until i can come up with the money to get it repaired according to the tsb. *tr

When pulling into traffic transmission slipped and car stopped in middle of intersection. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 jerking and lunging into gear from a stop. car drops into neutral causing a sudden slow down and dangerous condition for cars behind me who have to stop suddenly for me. 70,000 miles, took into dealership this a.m. and was told they would try re-programming the computer and then if that did not work they would replace the computer for $1,100 and if that did not work they would replace the transmission for $3,000-$4,000. left dealership after "re-programming" the computer and immediately car started lunging into gear, shifting into neutral, thumping into gear and the engine light came back on. *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

Have a 2002 toyota rav4 i was driving near home - began to accelerate on area highway and experienced a jolt or hard shift while the car was accelerating between approx. 25-30 mph. caused car to decelerate rapidly. consider myself blessed children were not in the car and no one was immediately behind me as would most likely have been involved in a rear end crash. check engine light came on - immediately contacted mechanic who advised to take to toyota dealership due to a faulty ecm computer that controls the transmission. currently still sitting there waiting for response from toyota on how they will remedy. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4 which was bought new. it has 103k miles. in the first week of april, 2010, as i pulled out of my driveway to visit a friend, i noticed an abrupt occurrence of transmission slippage from 1st -2nd gears. there was a feeling of downshifting that evened off at 3rd gear. this happened every time the car was accelerated after a stop, going up a hill. there was a clunk sound when the care was put in reverse. i did not know what was happening since this came about overnight. no warning lights have ever come on, even now. my boyfriend said it sounded like the transmission. i took the car to toyota dealership for diagnostics and was told that the transmission was failing and needed to be replaced for $5100. i am unemployed and there was no way i could come up with that amount of money. i am afraid to drive more than a few blocks, to my boyfriend's, as the car continues to have slippage. i can not accelerate fast enough after a stop, and other cars come bounding down on me, honking and switching lanes at the last minute. i took the car home, researched the internet, and found out about the numbers of complaints people have on this issue. then i find out about tc002-06, in which consumers were not made privy to. this is deliberate consumer fraud, costing trusting consumers to pay for defects the manufacturer was aware of, but refusing to acknowledge or correct their defect. this seems to me, just as illegal as insider trading, knowing something, making a profit, and not telling how they know. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 began suddenly jerking when i slowed down then would lag when i tried to accelerate. it had less than 67,000 miles on it. the local toyota dealer told me i would need to have the transmission replaced at the cost of $4800. i called toyota national customer service and asked for an extention of the warranty, having been told by the dealer that this problem was not covered by my warranty any longer. i got absolutely no help. i am astounded that at 67,000 miles this was not covered. i had to get rid of the car when i didn't want to and am asking for restitution.

My 2002 toyota rav4 had tc002-06 performed on it in january 2007. the recall was to address issues with the ecm and transmission shifting issues. my vehicle is out of warranty and has 85,000. i contacted toyota and they informed me that a logic update was performed to resolve this issue. from what i have read online, the ecm should have been replaced and not updated. i also found that the ecm carries an 80,000 mile warranty. the problem i am having is now the transmission has failed and i was informed that the problem was due to the ecm not being replaced. all major service work on this vehicle has been performed at a toyota dealership. the independent service agent has informed me that the transmission needs to be rebuilt and the ecm replaced at a total cost of over $4200. i contacted a toyota dealership and a rough estiamte for this repair is $5000-$6000. when i contacted toyota and asked about this tsb, they informed me that it is simply a manual addendum and nothing else. they refuse to help with this issue at all. it is serious because the vehicle begin to fail and would not accerlerate when i was trying to drive onto a major road from being stopped at a red light. i have researched this issue on the internet and i have found that many people have had this same issue around the same mileage with this model year vehicle. please help!

My car had a check engine light on, then it started jerking and was very hard to move after stops and in low speeds. had it diagnosed and was told to change two oxygen sensors. two oxygen sensors were changed but the jerking did not stop. i paid $853.00 for this service. the check engine light came back on after driving the car for only about 5 miles. took the car back to the shop and was told that two additional sensors needed to be changed. i paid additional $600 (discounted) for this repair and was told that the ecm on the car is bad and that it needs to be replaced because the vehicle was not shifting correctly in low gear. after i had spent over $1400 to fix the oxygen sensors, i was told to spend additional $5,000 to $6,000 to fix the ecm and the transmission. i called toyota and was told that the vehicle is out of warranty for both the transmission and the ecm. toyota knew about this problem but they did not recall the cars that are affected: 2001-2003 rav4. we don't want to wait till someone gets killed or hurt before we take action. *tr

I had the same issue that was supposed to be fixed by toyota in 2007. it concerns technical service bulletin (tc002-06). after driving the car for thirty minutes, the car would then start to shift harshly/delayed shift causing a loss of acceleration. i had this service done in 2007 and then last month had to have the ecm replaced because of the same issue. *tr

Having issues with toyota rav 4 gear shifting transmission issue vehicle diagnostics report indicates p0750 failure toyota release a tsb in march 06 and yet my dealer did nothing to replace the ecm even in my service done in 2008 i am now at 101k miles

The automatic transmission in my 2002 toyota rav 4 failed suddenly and unexpectedly. engine power was lost as the vehicle's shifting became erratic; starting from stop in 3rd gear, then downshifting to second. merging with traffic difficult and dangerous at best. i took the car to a transmission shop. they diagnosed that the ecm caused the transmission to fail. their estimate to replace the computer and repair the transmission was over $4000. i have since found numerous similar complaints online from other toyota rav owners. and i found that toyota knew about this design flaw over 7 years ago, which i believe is a safety issue as well as a major consumer product issue. now out of warranty (97k miles) the costs to repair my car are almost equal to its value. i don't know at this date if i will fix it as loan payments remain. considering the number of similar complaints over toyota rav 4 transmission failures i wholeheartedly request your agency review this situation closely. i don't know where else to go for help. *tr

I own a toyota rav4 2002.....it has been known by toyota that this model has had problems with its ecu.....which makes the car shift at the wrong revs\times, at times at traffic lights or merging into highways the car completely looses power, sometimes at traffic lights it completely stalls leaving you completely vulnerable to other cars....it sometimes to revs to over 4000 revs and then suddenly engages into gear, which results in unintended acceleration. this might cause serious problems especially in congested traffic. i took the car to the toyota dealer in acton, ma they told me i had to pay 4500 dollars to fix their own design flaw, which popestrous. there are soo many blogs that complain about this, type "rav4 transmission problem" on google. you are bound to find thousands of blogs complaining about this. i'd like to think that this government does indeed take care of its people\ looking out for them and fighting for them in battles they can not win alone. all i ask for is for toyota to be held responsible for their own flaws. they have put millions of people in serious risk, this is not something that should be overlooked, especially after discovery of their faulty acceleration pedals. this is what you get for trying to cut cost and then making the consumers pay for this mistake. its high time toyota came clean about their shady designs. everyone and i mean everyone should boycott toyota products until they once again become the trustworthy and reliable company it once was -do not buy the coffin car. *tr

Rav 4 2002 owner. i started having trouble with shifting on my automatic transmission rav 4. when starting out to drive, it does not shift smoothly. it feels like the emergency break is on (it isn't) then it "jumps" or surges forward. finally, after a week or two of this the "check engine light" came on and the car will l not shift thru all the gears. i went online and found that thousands of other owners of rav 4's (2001 thru 2003, but apparently especially 2002) have described my exact experience. the part required costs $1,000 ( and this does not include labor!). then, once it is put in, you get to learn if your gear box has been destroyed! if so, another $5,000 to $7,000 repair! and toyota knew!!!!! this is outrageous! *tr

Have a 2002 toyota rav4 with a transmission problem related to the ecm. the vehicles transmission hesitates, makes noises, does not shift correctly. there is a toyota tech. service bull. (tc-002-06) issued in 2006. toyota never notified owners of this problem and therefore owners have driven past warranty time frames. (which is my case by 1 month) as there is only 73000 miles on the vehicle. toyota should of contacted owners once they knew there was a problem. *tr

Hesitation accelerating from stop. lack of power going up a steep incline. improper shifting from one gear to another.vehicle became undrivable 03/01/2010. pcm/ecm module defective- needs replacement at a cost of 1693.41. *tr

My wife was driving our 2002 rav4 last week, she pulled away from a stop sign and our 2002 rav4 started jerking and then slowed to a sudden stop right in the middle of the intersection. after a "scary moment", it started driving normally again. we took the car to our mechanic the next day to have the transmission serviced, it was about due . we were told the transmission is probably "shot". while shopping on-line for a replacement, i came across numerous web sites with hundreds of rav4 customers experiencing the same transmission problems! turns out he problems were identified, by toyota themselves a few years ago, as a malfunctioning ecm (electronic control module) causing the failures of the transmissions within 50 miles of driving. toyota notified their service techs, but did not notify it's customers of this problem. we maintain our vehicles routinely and have never had any problems with the rav. but this is a serious safety issue. a car stalling in the middle of an intersection is extremely dangerous if not deadly. toyota motors has known about this safety issue for years, and they have the responsibility to inform their customers of such dangerous situations and to repair and/or replace any malfunctioning parts in their customers cars that could cause such a situation. *tr

On february 25th 2010, while attempting to enter 105 freeway, my 2002 toyota rav4 refused to accelerate, almost resulting in my car been rear-ended. this progressed into erratic shifting. *tr

I have a 2002 rav 4 with 139k miles on it. lately my car has been having trouble shifting from first gear to second gear. i noticed it within the last two weeks of february. but there would be days when it would act normal and it was fine and some days it had its problems. within this past week it has become worse. now when my car comes to a complete stop and tries to shift it would hesitate, jerk, shift again and become almost idol and then go. this would make me not want to stop at all when driving because i don't know if it will just die on me. i would get really afraid if i would get rear ended for my car having trouble shifting. the problem is the transmission and the ecm. in order to fix the problem i have to get the transmission fixed which costs over $1,000 dollars. i did some research and noticed i am not the only one with this problem. i think that toyota should recall all 2002 rav 4 because of its faulty transmission and i shouldn't have to pay so much. i could've caused an accident with my car but that's not my fault and toyota already knows it's a problem but is not doing anything about it. *tr

Week of 2/23/10 snow day driving home and my vehicle started having shifting problems with out warning. the next day the problem seemed to be un noticeable. week of 3/1/10 on my way home from work the problem started again with out warning. this time it was severe shifting problems. i drove it to a toyota dealership and was told i needed a new transmission. this is turning out to be a several thousand dollar problem. i did research online and found that hundreds of toyota customers have had the same problem. i found that toyota has known about the problem for years but only covers it if found under the warranty period if the problem presents itself. but after that toyota place the financial burden on their customers for the known problems found between the ecm and the transmission. mileage on day of incident is aprox 97,000 miles. it seems like toyota's unsaid motto is lets sell vehicles with known defects, don't tell out customers, and do noting for our customers. too many people have the same problem around the same mileage. i was told that i was buying a rock solid car because it was toyota. with me having to bare the financial burden of a known problem tells me that toyota does not and will not back their products.. *tr updated ivoq 11/12/10

I am the original owner of a 2002 rav4 and have been taking it to toyota for service. as i was leaving work at 5pm one friday, my car would hard-shift into first and struggle even more to get to second, etc. i drove it straight to toyota carlsbad. they contacted me the following day after changing the transmission fluid. they said i needed a new transmission and computer. come to find out there had been a service bulletin in 2006 that only toyota knew about that recognized the potential for transmission problems. i was not informed of this when i had the transmission serviced by toyota in 2007. the total cost to me would be $4800 without tax, which i could not afford. since i needed my car for work and i take care of my elderly mother, i scrounged together the nearly $2000 for the computer replacement as well as the thermostat replacement (the idiot light code said it had a loose wire, and not total replacement!). i was told the transmission would definitely need to be replaced in a very short time, and they suggested i purchase another car very soon. the service bulletin should have been shared with me, the client. they knew about and kept the potential problem from me and now the problem is a costly one to repair. i would like toyota to replace the transmission for free and reimburse me for my costs to replace the computer. after researching this rav4 problem, i have learned that this has been a big and continuing problem for 2002 rav4 owners and should be investigated. i believe that the computer (or ecm) was the cause of this problem. i am hoping the transmission will not have to be replaced. i purchased this expensive (for me) toyota because it was said to last longer than other vehicles. i truly think this problem needs to be brought to the light and included in the federal investigation of toyota. *tr

Very suddenly my transmission felt like it would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear. it would free spin, then force into gear. toyota replaced ecm, apparently the problem referred to in a 2006 tsb. unknown if my transmission was damaged. *tr

We have a 2002 toyota rav4 . the transmission started acting up due to the ecm valve not allowing gears to change . slipping gears & no power at take off from stops. it has 103000 miles on it.we bought this car used at a toyota dealership in 2004. we have not repaired it yet. it is to costly and the car isn't paid off yet. something needs to be done. car has been parked we are afraid to let our daughter drive it. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4, which i bought 2.5 years ago. i recently had to have my transmission rebuilt and clutch replaced after it suddenly began slipping gears. i had no prior warning light alerting me that there was a problem occurring with my cars engine. the transmission repair shop had done extensive repair and ultimately had to keep my car for three weeks trying to determine why it still wouldn't run properly. it was finally taken to freeman toyota in petaluma ca to have the computer "flashed". my mechanic was told the computer was dead and would need replacing for just over $1,000.00. i had already been quoted $3,300.00 for prior repairs to the transmission and clutch. had i been alerted by an a warning that the engine was having problems, i could have avoided needing to replace the transmission and clutch. i have since learned that toyota had a "dealer" recall for the 2002 toyota rav4. the freeman toyota dealership has denied this. i am out $4,300.00 and am a single mom with ms. *tr

Pulling away from a stop, the transmission acted like it was slipping and would not speed up. i drove the vehicle 1 mile home, with similar slip/shift issues. in addition, when i shifted between drive and reverse in my driveway, the transmission has a hard clunk. i had the ecm refurbished at my own expense, and the problem appears to be mostly gone. i am still concerned about slightly erratic shifting between second and third, and am concerned that the transmission may have been damaged. if this problem would have occurred at highway speeds, which i drive routinely, there would be a safety issue at the 75mph speeds that are normal on i15. *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

2002 rav4 faulty ecm damaged my transmission. i bought this car for my daughter for college and it ran fine for 3 years until now. the car started jerking (pulling) when accelerating the car. i did my research on the internet and found out about the problem with the ecm. i found hundreds of complaints from other rav4 with the same problem. i decided to call toyota and opened a case number. a week later i called them back and they told me that the warranty no longer cover this. i also found out that toyota never notified customers about this problem reported on bulletin tc002-06 dated 3/3/06. i received a recall for "check engine light" but never received a recall to replace the ecm. i took the car to the dealer and they said i have to replace both the ecm and the transmission and it will cost me about $3000, which i think this could have been prevented if toyota would have replaced the ecm earlier. *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

One day out of the blue my truck had trouble accelerating each time i came to a stop, it then alternate between jerking forward and hesitating before it actually got going. i had to try not to hit anything in front of me and not get hit by the car behind me thinking i'm taking off. i was terrified merging onto the highway because it wouldn't accelerate and then did the hesitating and jerking thing. went straight to mechanic, diagnostics showed possible transmission issue. which would cost $4,200 new and about $3k used. did online research and found hundreds of same complaints and recommendations to replace ecm before it did ruin the transmission. i took the chance and replaced the ecm and truck is running fine now. i had called my toyota dealership who told me my warranty was up (5yrs/50k miles - and i am at 70k miles). could not get thru to toyota headquarters because of gas pedal recall. this is dangerous and research shows toyota knew of this problem since 2006 and has not done a recall. total cost: $1,300 for new ecm and $300 for car rental. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 transmission is jerking at low speeds. it seemed that the automatic transmission was not working properly. the jerks would be particularly strong when going up or downhill. after releasing the brake pedal during a complete stop, the car does not roll forward normally either. *tr

I am the owner of a 2002 toyota rav-4 with 60,000 miles and have a transmission issue. i read online that this has been a recurring issue with 2001-2003 toyota rav-4s and that toyota has known about it since 2006, yet they continue to sell them. my issue started in january of this year, when i noticed that the vehicle stalled going from 1st to 2nd shift. then all of a sudden it jerked and moved forward, sometimes doing this several times continuously until reaching about 35 miles/hr. it was hard going up hill and at times felt unsafe with vehicles traveling very close behind me. i brought it to the toyota dealership and they told me that it was the ecm sensor that went. they also mentioned that they had seen this issue with many other rav-4s and toyota issued no recall. so this was fixed and within a couple of days my car was bad again. i contacted toyota, and they charged me again to look at it and them told me that the transmission went due to this sensor issue and i needed a new one. also that although it was toyota's problem, they would not cover it. they wanted to charge over $6000 and when calling other transmission specialists they wanted anywhere from 3000-5000. this is a huge issue for not just myself but i'm sure many other consumers who are left feeling unsafe driving these vehicles and without the cash to fix it. i haven't driven it in weeks, since the last time i drove it i was pulling out onto a busy street and i had plenty of time to make it onto the road but in the middle of my turn my car felt as if it would stall and took a while before it got into 2nd gear to drive off. in the meantime a car that was driving at about 30-40miles/hr was coming at me and i barely made it onto the rode and drove off in time. had the car been any closer, and he was pretty far initially, he may have hit me. i don't feel safe driving this vehicle and have read of others failing on the freeway. this is not right. i hope that an accident or even death doesn't result. *tr

Toyota 2002 rav4 transmission jerks, car doesn't run right, computer problem causes tranny failure. *tr