general problems of the 2001 Toyota RAV4 - part 2

Faulty ecu in 2001 Rav4 automatic causes internal transmission failure. Slipping & double-shifting between 2nd & 3rd gear, longer ecu is used the worse the slipping occurs. Resetting ecu fixes problem for several hours and tranny will work perfect, then it starts acting up again.

2001 Toyota Rav4 ecm and transmission replaced in may of 2009. Paid out of pocket. Replacement was a rebuilt transmission installed by dealer (victory Toyota in canton, mi) second transmission failed after 17,000 miles. Paid out of pocket again. No help from dealer or Toyota corporate. Found out that dealer just swapped trans, did not actually rebuild trans. Took it to an independent trans shop. Independent discovered a washer missing that caused third gear to strip (defect in second trans). Trans repaired, but then got a hard downshift into first gear when stopping, check engine light and p0420 p0430 codes. Independent trans shop cleared codes, and told me that if it happened again to have dealer re-flash ecm. Worked ok for about five days, then got the hard downshift into 1st gear again. Took it to dealer. Now they say the charcoal cannister needs to be replaced. I will submit for re-imbursement under extended warranty, but am seeking reimbursement for second transmission which was a direct result of the first ecm and trans failing.

My car is Toyota Rav4 2001 2wd automatic. Recently, the car on acceleration started doing hard shift. Many people have complained about it. . Read more...

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

2001 Toyota rav 4 started with check engine light coming on and off then Toyota sent ssc-601 in March of 08 that I needed to have ecm reprogrammed which I did{took tech 2 times to get it right} now my transmission started slipping so I took it in to Toyota and they did a diagnostic and sure as pie they said ecm has failed and they want 940. 00 to replace it. This is a widespread problem that has been seen by Toyota and is a manufactures defect that they expect us the consumer to eat I've had nothing but runaround from both local dealer and their corporate office. No one seems to care and is unwilling to do anything about this.

First my 2001 Rav4 started shifting really hard (the lower gears) and I could see the rpm going up high. After a day of having this problem my check engine light came on. The transmission fluid is at a good level and it's nice and pink.

I have a 2001 Toyota Rav4 which until recently had been what I thought was a good purchase. In December 2007, we received a letter instructing us to bring our vehicle in to have the ecm (engine control monitor) reprogrammed which we had done in January 2008. On Tuesday, June 3, 2008, I experienced a sudden stutter followed by a loud noise while driving, almost like what I would imagine a muffled backfire might sound like. Then the following morning while driving to work, the vehicle started to stutter and almost felt like it was going to stall. It would hesitate when I would accelerate. I made it to work and the check engine light came on. I immediately called the dealership for servicing and took the vehicle in that afternoon. The advisor told me that I would need a replacement of the ecm and my transmission. It would cost $4900! he explained that I could not have prevented this from happening; that the service recommendations had been followed and the transmission fluid looked fine. He added that Toyota would not replace the ecm without replacing the transmission. He also explained that the service codes indicated that the transmission had failed. I obtained a copy of the Toyota technical service bulletin (tc002-06) from March 3, 2006 which indicated that improvements had been made to the manufacturing process of the ecm and to repair this problem, r&r ecm, which was not done in my case. . Since I did not receive this information until December 2007, the transmission was exposed to a faulty ecm that subsequently caused its failure. There is a direct relationship between the two which I have confirmed by speaking to ase certified Toyota automotive repair mechanics.

Own 01 Toyota rav 4 that has faulty computer, Toyota will not admit that these models are faulty. Vehicle is no longer under warranty. Replacing computer can also make transmission go out. A very expensive mistake by Toyota at my cost. I paid 12,400 for this vehicle less than 2 yrs ago. It is shifting so hard that it is dangerous to drive. I wish I had read car complaints. Com before I purchased it, there are tons of owners with 01-02 rav's with same problem. I think Toyota need to correct at their cost. This is my 3rd Toyota but will be my last!!!!.

My wife drove the 2001 Toyota rav 4 to work this morning. It was a 5 mile drive. After parking the car a fellow employee told her the car was on fire. The fire department responded and put the fire out. But the car was a total loss. The fire inspector located the origin of the fire, along the firewall directly in the middle of the wall, but said he was unable to determine the cause. He said no accelerant was used, and that the fire was probably the result of a cracked fuel-line or some other fluid leaking onto the engine. We noticed no fluids leaked onto the driveway at home. I am posting this in case any one else had a similar situation.

: the contact stated while attempting to enter the highway, with the accelerator pedal applied the engine revved, but did not move forward. The vehicle operated at a reduced speed in a jerking motion. The vehicle was seen by a dealer for inspection. The dealer determined the computer needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was alerted.

The vehicle has a hesitation during acceleration making it difficult to determine if I can safely merge into traffic. I took the vehicle to the dealer ,and they said that they had to clear the onboard computer's memory, and the problem should be cleared up. Nothing was said on how or why this would fix the problem but it did not. The day after the clearing of the memory the vehicle did this again. I was told to bring it into the dealer again for another clearing of memory. What measures can I take to resolve this issue? I cannot be expected to bring this in every week.

Premature wearing of brake pads, making vehicle hard to stop. The vehicle makes noise. At first the dealer turned pads, second the dealer installed updated front brake pads, then replaced both rear drums but the problem remains unsolved. While driving with the a/c fan on there was a vibration in dash area. The roof rack screw was loose and fell out. The center seat belt was missing trim piece. The rear door rattles while closing.

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

Letter from congressman on behalf of constituent regarding alleged safety defects in the ecm computer on his 2001 Toyota Rav4. The consumer stated the failure of the ecm caused a pause in the transmission with the 1st and 2nd gears. Toyota claimed the problem was corrected in 2004.