Problems with 2002 Toyota RAV4 POWER TRAIN

A safety problem occurred on our 2002 toyota rav4 when the transmission suddenly stopped engaged the gears correctly. this is a safety issue because when driving in traffic and or trying to turn when oncoming traffic was approaching and not knowing if or when the car would move or engage gears was frightening. this problem occurred overnight. with 47,717 miles on the car, the transmission had to be rebuilt. this problem occurs because toyota has put a faulty computer into the 2002 rav4 that makes the parts inside the transmission prematurely fail. toyota will not pay for the repairs or issue a recall. perhaps toyota will when someone is injured or killed? toyota claims there is not a problem with the computer but toyota replaced the computer when the car was taken there by the transmission mechanic. why would toyota replace the computer if there was no problem? please have toyota recall this vehicle and have them be responsible for the needed repairs so that the 2002 toyota rav4 will be safe to drive! thank you! *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 began intermittently bogging down and hard jerky shifting. i'm unable to accelerate when this happens and the car looses forward momentum. i encountered a close call when i attempted to pull out into traffic, the rav4 bogged down, would not accelerate and i narrowly missed being hit by oncoming traffic. fortunately i live in a low traffic area. my mechanic said the problem is the engine control module (ecm) and because of this faulty module there may be damage to the transmission. toyota would not offer any financial assistance to repair or replace the problem stating my rav4 is out of warranty by miles ( i have about 118,000 miles) and time. something should be done before someone gets hurt. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4. i've been the sole owner of this vehicle and purchased it band new in 2002 from a local honolulu toyota dealer. in mid/late 2009, the vehicle started having transmission problems: hard shifting in lower gears 1, 2 & 3, hard shifting when placing the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle shaking and vibrating when slowing down and sudden acceleration from the stopped position when the gas pedal is slowly pressed.. i took the vehicle in to determine the problem. an independent mechanic informed me that toyota issued memo outlining the problems i described above possibly due to the transmission and/or the ecu (computer that controls the transmission). a toyota servicing mechanic informed me that my 2002 rav4 was no longer under drivetrain warranty, so repair cost are my responsibility. a quick web search of "rav4 transmissions" shows that many other rav4 owners suffer from similar problems, resulting in very high repair costs, anywhere from $3,000 up to $8,000. the vehicle still suffers from the above mentioned problems, but due to the high repair estimates i am unable to fix the vehicle. *tr

Re: 2002 toyota rav4 - at approximately 56,000 miles, this vehicle's transmission began erratic behavior, i.e, stalling in traffic, hesitating and unpredictable shifting. safety was a main concern as the vehicle was stalling during merging with fast-moving traffic. transmission failure was diagnosed by a technician and a factory rebuilt transmission was installed to correct the failure. the ecm was replaced as well. *tr

I own a 2002 toyota rav4. on august 22nd, 2009 i noticed that when i would come to a complete stop, it would take a while for the car to accelerate and pick up speed. once it did get moving, the car would jerk forward and eventually pick up speed. everytime i would come to a stoplight, i would be deathly afraid that my car wouldn't start up again and that i would be hit from behind. when driving on the highway, it would slow down all of a sudden and then jerk violently forward. this happened everytime i drove. on friday, august 28th i took the car to my mechanic and he said that it was a transmission issue and recommended a shop. my car is currently at the transmission shop getting rebuilt at a cost of $3,000+ i called the toyota dealership where i bought my car and they said they would not rebuild the transmission but would send it to be remanufactured at a cost of no less than $5,000. further research on the web indicates that this is a huge problem with 2002 rav4 owners and that toyota has known of this for a while but done nothing about it. apparently the issues is with a faulty ecm that causes the transmission issues. unfortunately, by the time the transmission goes out, most of the cars are out of the warranty period and the cost is left up to the consumer. my fear is that even with the transmission replaced, if the problem is with the ecm, it is going to re-occur and i am going to incur another staggering repair bill. i called toyota's corporate number and spoke to a customer care rep who advised me that there are no recalls at the time on this model year and that i could not speak to his manager as they do not talk to consumers. i want toyota to be held responsible for this issue. had they notified their buyers to replace their ecm's ahead of time, this would have prevented these costly repairs down the line. *tr

Car jerks and loses acceleration, almost caused an accident as i was entering an intersection. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav 4. about 1 month ago, the car begin shifting hard into reverse and second gear. at some times the shifting would stall, i.e. it would not shift into second gear right away and when it would, it would shift hard. i did research online and learned about the ecm/ecu problem that is causing 01-04 toyota rav 4s to have trouble with shifting. i took it to toyota and they followed the procedures on their service bulletin. they tested the ecm and said it was fine and told me i had to replace the transmission for $4,100. i took the car to a transmission care center. i had the solenoid b replaced for $560 because this was malfunctioning. the car still had the same problems after the solenoid was replaced, so i had the transmission overhauled for a total of $3,100. the tech stated there was about 200,000 miles worth of wear on the transmission, the car itself only has 90,000. there were various pieces that were not functioning properly due to wear on the transmission; these were replaced. the car is still having difficulty shifting-the same problems are occurring. i believe that it is the ecm/ecu malfunctioning. many other people have had this same problem, where they are told the ecm/ecu is fine, have their transmission replaced and then the car still malfunctions and they have to have the ecm/ecu replaced. *tr

2002 rav4 jerks at low speeds while automatic transmission is trying to shift gears. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota rav4 in which i recently replaced the computer for the transmission. my car would not accelerate from a stoplight, then would jerk from 1st into 2nd gear--a definite safety issue when attempting to gain speed on a highway. after i replaced the computer, the car ran fine for about a month, and now the "check engine" light went back on and it is starting to jerk again and not accelerate properly. the transmission specialty shop to which i took the vehicle indicated that if the computer replacement, at a cost of about $1300, did not fix the problem, they might have to replace the transmission at a cost of about $4,000. i do not have $4,000 to replace the transmission. i hope with enough complaints about safety issues related to faulty transmissions, you can force toyota to recall their transmissions on these vehicles. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. while driving between 45-50 mph the transmission exhibited gear shifting failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician concluded that the transmission had slipped gears,therefore the vehicle was repaired. after the repair the failure resurfaced. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and repaired. however none of the repairs have remedied the failures. the failure mileage was 82,000. the current mileage was 83,000.

Transmission/ecm failure. transmission would "flare" while accelerating. when shifting while accelerating, transmission would not engage and power was not transmitted to wheels. engine would rev up for 5-10 seconds until transmission would violently engage in next gear. this was particularly dangerous while attempting to cross or merge with traffic, as the vehicle had no ability to accelerate during the event. symptoms quickly became very regular/repeatable. vehicle was repaired and the problem was identified as a faulty ecm module and damaged transmission. *tr

The car just began jerking after i put gas in one day. i waited a week to see if the problem would go away, but it got worse. the day i brought it to the shop, the car would barely drive. it would hesitate shifting from first to 2nd gear and the check engine light came on. i brought the car back to the dealership with only 150 miles before the power train warranty expired. they told me it was the ecu and it wasn't the first time they heard about this problem. the dealership fixed it and i only had to pay a deductible. however, this problem masked that there was an issue with the o2 sensor, and the check engine light came on again after 2 days. so i brought it back and the dealership fixed it under the power train warranty even though it had already expired. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 and the transmission is slipping gears. the car stalls upon takeoff and it is very dangerous. i pulled out into traffic with my son in the car and the car wouldn't take off. we were almost hit in the side. *tr

After regular service, car began shifting poorly this week with just over 85k miles with no initial indication of problem including hard clunking/shifting in the lower gears.. i have had near rear-end accidents this week as a result of the intermittent behavior of the engine. after taking the vehicle to dealer whom diagnosed then un-diagnosed transmission/ecm failure have researched and found that there is a large community of users reporting this same issue. *tr

Sudden transmission failure in 2002 toyota rav4. this is a well known and well documented issue both with the thousands of consumers who have had it happen to and with the toyota company. toyota is refusing to be of any assistance whatsoever and this is known to be a $6,000 problem to repair. *tr

2002 rav4 that i will need to replace the transmission and ecm on - despite the fact that this is a known issue with these cars. repair cost $5,000. although there were no injuries associated with this there very well could have been, as transmission went out as i was merging onto a very busy interstate highway. these cars are a deathtrap and toyota needs to recall them and fix the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav 4. while driving 15 mph the vehicle down-shifted and stalled. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. a transmission specialist replaced the transmission to correct the failure; however, the failure resurfaced. the current and failure mileages were 74000. updated 12/7/09 *cn the consumer stated when she attempted to make a turn, the vehicle downshifted erratically. the consumer was informed the engine control module needed to be replaced. updated 12/08/09.

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

Engine control module (ecm) incorrectly programmed by manufacturer leading to difficulty shifting between 1st and 2nd gears, hard shifts, jerking, misfiring, problems accelerating. can pose a definite danger to traffic due to failure to accelerate or shift as needed while driving. can also lead to severe transmission damage and possible failure if ecm problem is not caught and ecm replaced immediately. check engine light occasionally comes on and then goes off - registers a problem with solenoid a & b. toyota technical service bulletin tc002-06 details the problem and recommended repair, including replacement of ecm and possibly of transmission. after 3-4 weeks of hard shifting, problems accelerating and stuttering, diagnostics identified problem. vehicle is currently waiting for replacement ecm and possible transmission flush. *tr

Toyota 2002 rav4 problem with automatic transmission hesitating and jerking in low gears. problem started in july 2009 and within one week was occurring all the time. rav4 was well past its warranty of 50k or 5 years. ourisman chantilly virginia toyota dealer said it needed new transaxle for $5,500. miller toyota of manassas virginia replaced ecm module which was still under emissions warranty of 80k or 8 years. this has corrected the problems so far. *tr

There is a known problem with the ecm in 2002 toyota rav4s. this control unit causes the transmission to have problems shifting and can also lead to transmission failure. i state that the problem is known because toyota extended the warranty period for the ecm, but any damage done to the transmission by the malfunction of the ecm is the responsibility of the owner. this issue should be considered for recall because a failing transmission can lead to serious or even deadly problems. *tr

Because there is problem with the computer sensor systems that causing it to stall. and toyota knows about this problem. i almost got rear-end twice. i had to have my transmission fixed at a cost of $3000 which could have been avoided with a recall was done. because the stalling out scared me so bad. i have it fix. *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

My 2002 toyota rav4 is having a hard time shifting and sometimes it almost doesn't want to move with an a/c on... but when i turn off the a/c it runs fine... living in arizona we need as much a/c as we get... and toyota won't make any recall about this issue. hope you guys will be able to help us regarding this issue. *tr

An investigation should be conducted into the transmission slippage problem of the toyota rav4 2002 and later models. mine rav4 had a problem with this issue and i reported to toyota company about the issue, but no recall has taken. i had done some research and found out that many owners of this type of vehicles have had the same problem. as i have experienced, the slippage can create a very dangerous situation while traveling on the road. i strongly recommend the nhtsa to look into this problem as well. *tr

About a month after having my 90,000 tune up at my local toyota dealer, i noticed my transmission was slipping; from first to second and second to third. it started intermittently and then became more frequent to the point that i needed it to be inspected. on my way to the dealer my car stalled in the middle of an intersection; cars were honking and i was thankful no one rear-ended me since i was exiting off a ramp. at the dealer they said they could not duplicate my problem (don't know how they couldn't ;everyone driving in my car noticed!) and i drove it away without any problems for almost 2 weeks; the slipping started again. this time my check engine light came on. after taking it back for a second inspection they determined that my ecm needed to be replaced at a cost of $1,200. it has been almost 2 weeks and my car is working great after they replaced the ecm. what upsets me is the fact that toyota knew there was an issue with the ecms. back in 2006 i was notified by my dealership that my ecm needed to be reprogrammed. i had mine reprogrammed but it didn't help. i just hope that no one is injured as a result of these defective ecms. *tr

In the beginning of june i noticed my rav4 would slightly pause when i pres the gas pedal and would jerk when it's suppose to automatically shift gears, my registration is due & of course i need a smog certificate. the "transmission would slip" only sometimes. i'm just guessing it's the transmission. not sure yet... of course my "extra care" expired 05/30/08 mileage 100,000 but my mileage is only 91,000. i figure this is going to cost me a load of money that i don't have and this car helps me get to work. with the economy being so bad this doesn't help out much at all it's always one thing after another especially when i thought i was buying a car that is actually worth it and i thought since i was buying it brand new i was making a good choice. my fiance and i were driving home and i was on the hwy 880 sb going about 65 mph my rpm seem a little high but i was on cruise control so i thought it was normal. when all of a sudden my engine light came on, than my car starting making a noise, than my oil light came on, battery light came on and something from underneath my car flew off and as i look in my rear mirror i saw pieces of an object went flying and i notice cars swerving to move from the flying objects that were burning and i was sooo scared as my fiance said to pull over slowly. i cut cars off and i couldn't press the gas pedal no longer the engine shut off and i stopped in the middle of the slow lane i called aaa and towed my car to my house and unfortunately i can't take it to the dealer/mechanic yet b/c i don't have that kind of money. i find it very strange that i had no warning lights before hand or no sensor. for example the oil light comes on when i need oil/change, etc. what type of paperwork do i need to send b/c i haven't took it to the shop yet and may i add that the lighter doesn't work. once i find out what the actually problem is than i will mail copies.i i truly believe ...

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

Several years ago, toyota became aware of an issue with their engine control module that were used in 2001/2002 rav4 vehicles. a quick search of the internet uncovers hundreds of people now experiencing the ramifications. toyota issued a technical service bulletin to their dealerships while these cars were still young; however, failed in any way to make their loyal customers aware. the faulty engine control module generally lasts until consumers are just out of warranty, thus toyota refuses to take any responsibility at all. in my case (and as documented by many others), my bad ecm caused my car to jerk violently when trying to accelerate. it was also hazardous that often the car would not be able to pick up any speed at all and then when it did, it would once again jerk and accelerate all at once. in essence, the failure of the ecm causes the transmission to die. my rav4 finally died on june 26, 2009. the cost to replace the ecm and the transmission will be about $3700; however, many folks out on the consumer complaint websites have paid up to $5000. this safety issue is huge, as toyota knew about it long ago and with the huge cost of the repair, i'm certain that many people will drive their cars far too long with this defect. *tr

A normal driving day for our 2002 toyota rav4, maybe 30 miles of errands. the car was running fine in the morning but we were barely able to limp it home by that same afternoon. our mechanic said that the transmission was shot, which i found hard to believe, since the car was asymptomatic that morning. the transmission specialist said that he has seen this problem many time before and knew exactly what the issue was. the computer that controls the automatic transmission (part # 89661-42820) can malfunction without warning and in the process destroy the transmission. he had received tsb# tc002-06 from toyota detailing the issue, and has rebuilt several transmission for the same reason. we were strongly advised to replace the ecm, a $1300 part, or our new transmission would last for about 30-50 miles before coming apart again. after rebuilding the 2nd and 3rd clutches and replacing the ecm, our bill came to about $3500. i reported all of this to toyota and after several weeks time and much negotiation, they offered me a $1500 customer retention incentive, good if i buy a new or certified used toyota in the next 2 years. the entire process has been documented with toyota national headquarters under file #0906113635. *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

While driving my 2002 toyota rav 4 with 97,000 miles, i experienced a sudden problem when shifting into 2nd gear. the car would stick and then suddenly accelerate as if the gear finally caught. after taking it to the mechanic i found out i not only needed to replace my transmission but also the ecm. this was a costly repair of over $3300 for a car that should have gone well over that mileage prior to needing a transmission change. also it took 2 ecms before we found one that could work. the car worked fine and then suddenly had this problem. *tr

2002 rav4 with 95,000 miles and routine service. began jerking and hesitating when trying to accelerate, seems like shifting problems. three different shops - two dealerships - unable to determine exact problem. recommended flushing transmission fluids, replacing transmission, replacing solenoid - no one was able to guarantee these fixes would correct the problem. the internet is full of hundreds of similar problems. many people replaced transmission with no fix. the car is dangerous to drive because of stalling during acceleration. tsb #00206 issued in 2006 mentions replacing ecm. many people who have done this have had success. toyota should ensure all dealerships know about this problem and correct it before suggesting costly transmission replacements. *tr

I have a 2002 rav4 that started having shifting problems. when i would put the car into reverse it would jerk and jolt this is how it started. then about a week later it started doing this when the car shifted from 1st to second and so on. after about 3 weeks of this i took the car into the dealer and told them to please look at it. they called me later that day saying that they thought i needed new engine mounts. that they were causing car to jerk when it changed gears. he said that they needed to be ordered and that they needed the car overnight. so the next day got a call from the dealer saying that they drove the car some more and realized it was my transmission. that i needed to replace the transmission and the computer that controls it. this would cost me $5200.00. i called a very good friend of mine who has been a mechanic for 30 years and he called a friend of his who works parts at toyota. the person who works for toyota told my friend that they have been having these problems with the rav and that it is only the computer that needs replacement, not the transmission. so, he sold us the part and my friend the mechanic replaced the computer. now my car drives perfectly. so, i instead spent only $1100.00 as opposed to the $5200.00 that the toyota dealer wanted to charge me when it was not my transmission at all. i have all the paperwork from the dealer showing what they wanted me to replace and spend. i am very upset that an accredited toyota dealership was going to have me spend that much money on something when it was not the problem. i bought my car there and i have had it serviced there ever since- 7 years! *tr

During a recent rain i was transporting my grandkids from school when i noticed that my car seemed to slip and jolt forward each time i accelerated. each time the car would hesitate and the slipping and jolting was significant. i was afraid that my car would stall in traffic. i was very glad to get my grandkids home safely. i called the toyota dealer where the car was purchased and made an immediate appointment. i was told that my transmission had to be replaced as well as the ecu at a cost of over $6,000! i was very upset because my extended warranty had expired the year before and during the warranty period i had complained about transmission problems and the "engine" trouble light which kept coming on. each time they told me that either an adjustment was made to correct the problem or that they could not find anything wrong. i also called toyota headquarters and was told that there was nothing they could do for me. i was referred back to the local dealer who told me to call headquarters again. i felt like a ping-pong ball. in the end no one could or would help me. i ended up going to another toyota dealership to have just the ecu replaced at a cost of $1500. the car still jolts whenever i accelerate, however i am retired and cannot afford $4000 for a new transmission at this time. *tr

The transmission started slipping so we decided to add some atf. that seemed to work for a day but the shifts became harder after that. at times the car would not accelerate properly and would bog down. we took the car to the dealership and they started giving us the runaround. they said the tranny needs fixing (the car was something like 500 miles out of the warranty), then they said that they will replace the computer to see if that fixes the problem. it didn't, since as we all know the original computer has already caused the transmission to break and the new one would not help. at this point i started researching the problem and found many more people with the same issue on the internet. i called toyota to complain and they did not want to do anything even though: a) the car was just out of the warranty, b) they provided a tsb to the dealership which ignored it and did not do the update to the computer before the problem showed up, c) all maintenance work was done at the dealership. in the end we paid to get the transmission fixed out of pocket which was not cheap. *tr

Coming from a full-stop, the car jerked when i stepped on the gas. rpm was increasing however the car was barely moving once it started moving it jerked a few more time. toyota did a recall previously on the ecu, it was reprogrammed however the same problem resurfaced and cause damage to the transmission. *tr

My 2002 toyota rav4 start to have gear changing problems in first and/or second. i think toyota should do a recall on this make & model. *tr

2002 toyota rav4 began jerking and stalling. car wouldn't accelerate from a stop. was turning left into traffic when this first occurred and oncoming traffic had to stop. was stuck in the middle of a major intersection for five minutes, until after multiple attempts at pressing the accelerator pedal did the car begin to crawl in a jerky motion. drove 2 miles with the jerking and stalling on stop and with no acceleration. literally rolled into local mechanic's shop. found out that the transmission has totally failed and must be replaced. there were absolutely no problem indications, no warning lights, engine lights or an other previous problems. the car has only 65,000 miles on it. i am very disappointed and dishearten at the response from the toyota manufacturer. the 2002 rav4 transmission report in consumer reports sticks out like a sore thumb. my daughter was in the passenger seat when the car stalled in the intersection. i thank god she wasn't hurt. what will it take to have these automobiles recalled? a serious injury or death? *tr

2002 toyota rav4, 4wd,at transmission jerking and hashing, reporting code p0750, p0755... i called toyota dealer in portland, or and speak to master technician. i've been told by the master tech that rav4 2001-02 and 2003 rav4 needs a new updated ecm for about $800.00 + labor. he warned me that without replacing the new updated ecm, my rav4 transmission will be damage and it could cost about $5,500.00 parts + labor. toyota warranty only 8 yrs or 80k miles since this is their flaw software programming and why don't they do a recall campaign to eliminate the possible safety problem. instead they only notify their service center of their dealership. please help rav4 owners.... *tr

For a long time the check engine light kept turning on in my 2002 rav4. i went to a dealer immediately. he said that this only happened because i didn't screw the gas cap tightly enough. he manually turned off the light and i went on my way. the light kept coming on and i kept going back to the dealership who said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. then suddenly, in may of 2009, the car started jerking and shaking while i drove. at times it would stall almost to a stop and nothing i did, even applying the gas did much more than rev the engine. i ended up having to fork over more than $3k to get it fixed, but that wasn't the end of it. my check engine light up again. i took it to a different shop, as i had moved across the country at the time. they ended up having to replace my 02 sensors, all 4 of them. that cost me another $500. i only found out later from a friend that toyota had sent out a recall on the ecu and transmissions for vehicles with less than 80k miles on it. mine was already over 100k and did not help me one bit. needless to say, i no longer have any confidence in this company. my family bought toyotas for years. i recently got a note explaining that they would pay for my repairs... now i'm scrambling to find the receipts and hope they will honor their promise. they cannot undo the potential danger their mistakes could have cost me and my passengers. there is not one note of apology in the recall either. i felt the need to file a complaint despite the recall because toyota should be made to fully reimburse their customers who have had to go through not only the headache of dealing with the mechanical problems, but also because of the other people and families this negligence may have physically hurt, or god forbid, killed. the fear and danger of driving this road hazard is also motivation enough to make sure as many complaints are heard and addressed. *tr

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

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota rav4. on april 22, 2009, the driver attempted to shift into drive; however, it failed to engage until it reached 3000 rpms. in addition, when the brakes were engaged the vehicle stalled; although, the failure occurred intermittently. a mechanic stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the contact is aware of the safety risk. the failure mileage was 128,000.

Transmission began slipping while accelerating from stop. there were hard shifts when changing from 1st to 2nd and to 3rd gears. the next morning, there seemed to be no problem. this is unsafe since one can not depend upon the transmission / engine control module when pulling out into traffic. *tr

Transmission failed on my 2002 toyota rav 4 fwd autotransmission with less than 52000 miles. no engine lights ever appeared to alert me of problem. first sign was while driving 65mph on interstate 80 heading to erie, pa from youngstown, oh. car taken in to nearest transmission shop, aamco where it was determined that clutches were completely damaged/burnt and needed to be completely rebuilt at a cost of $3000. now being told that the ecm needs to be replaced because of voltage problems and gears still missing with rebuilt trans. replacement ecm covered under toyota's tsb tc002-06 if under 8 years/80,000 but local toyota dealership stating that current part number is the replacement part. i contacted my toyota dealership back home who did a reprogramming recall but did not replace ecm. reprogramming / recoding / flashing ecm was not the procedure to resolve on above tsb and i believe the dealership back home simply relabeled ecm with new part number since they confirmed that it was not replaced with new ecm. a new ecm would have prevented the transmission failure from happening. aamco dealership fighting to get me an ecm covered under the tc002-06 tsb. vehicle has been in shop for almost 3 weeks and no end in sight. cannot take vehicle back home even with rebuilt trans because it is not roadworthy without ecm and testing. need to rent vehicle to get myself back home until contacted by aamco regarding resolution. *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

Normal driving conditions. at every stop light, in drive, car would rev up as if in neutral, then slam into gear. dealership replaced ecm at cost of $1200 to me. *tr

The computer was telling the transmission to shift to the wrong gears and caused the transmission to break down. :the car was towed to the mechanic and a new computer was installed, in addition to having to have the transmission rebuilt. *tr