general problems of the 2001 Toyota RAV4 - part 1

My 2001 silver Toyota rav 4 had a sudden unintended acceleration problem when I was decelerating to a complete stop at an already congested intersection with traffic lights. I was applying brake pressure from 20 mph, down to 15,10,5, down to 2 mph, coming to a complete stop, my rav 4 engine suddenly started to rev-up/race wildly and very loud in a matter of 3, or 4-5 seconds (the engine/rpm sounded similar one would hear when you would be accelerating entering a freeway via the entrance ramp). My rav 4 shot forward so fast like it was on some rocket launching pad. My foot was on my brake pedal almost to the car floor and I could not stop the car from moving into the back - and rear ending the car in front of me which was about 10-15 feet in front of me, that was stopped waiting for the light to turn green at the already congested stop light intersection. Damage was done to the rear end of the SUV door hatch and the attached tire mounted on the back of the SUV in front of me. Damage on my rav 4 was car hood folding back and up and my front upper and lower section of my bumper and plastic grill area. I immediately reported the unintended acceleration problem to t he Toyota motor company the next day and they sent a 3rd party engineering analysis to examine my car. The investigator spent 4-5 hours examining my car and couldn't elaborate his findings but has submitted the information he was able to retrieve, back to the Toyota motor CO. Apparently, my 2001 rav 4 is a first generation model/version and didn't have the elaborate detailed edr devices installed in them, however some other device/devices, could possibly be retrieved? the final report by Toyota taken by the 3rd party field engineering analysis will take 3-4 weeks from this report I have posted. A police report was filed (please see the scanned info- for further investigation).

My rav 4 2001 has about 140,000 miles on it and has developed a serious problem. To clarify, a massive acceleration problem is occurring when I've been driving the car for 15 to 20 minutes, then suddenly - while I'm at a stop light, the SUV's engine races wildly loud like what you hear at the indy 500. . . It jerked and felt like it internally controlled my accelerator foot pad! I had to apply a massive amount of pressure on the brake pad before I had a chance to quickly shift my car into park to prevent running over pedestrians and hitting cars in front of me at the stop light! my rav 4 engine was still racing loudly wanting to shoot forward like a rocket! I have had the faulty ecm replacement recall done when Toyota issued a warning to have the Rav4 ecu unit replaced several years ago. Now I'm experiencing this engine racing/acceleration problem with my rav 4. Will my local Toyota service center charge me for the parts and the labor to fix this defective mechanical problem?.

The Rav4 would not shift. The transmission needed to be replaced.

The ecm on my 2001 Rav4 was calibrated in 2008 by a local dealer. Under recall 601. In 2008 the car had just over 63000 miles. It now has 124000 and the transmission is hard shifting again.

My wife was driving car and it started doing strange changes with the transmission, such as slipping between gear changes and jerking movements. At one point, she told me getting on freway on ramp was a hazard, because of irratic behavior of transmission!!.

The automatic transmission is shifting irratically, sometimes it will take off slowly until the gear engages. Sometimes there is a clunking sound as the transmission shifts gears.

My 2001 Toyota Rav4 has 63192 miles on it. It began exhibiting transmission/acceleration problems yesterday while driving my granddaughter from school, about a 2 mile round trip on city street traveling approximately 35-40mph. The car refused to pick up speed and began to jerk due to shifting/missing gears, all by its self. The car has an automatic transmission so should not exhibit these problems. I found out today that this was a known problem to Toyota and there was a voluntary recall that I had no knowledge off. I contacted Toyota and they refuse to assist with rectifying this problem saying the date for the recall has passed, but I was never notified of said recall to begin with. The problem just started and although the vehicle is 15 yo, it has always been immaculately maintained and serviced and only has 63k miles on it so should not be having any transmission issues. I want Toyota to rectify this problem as it is a problem with their module and not due to the age or condition of the car. There have been many reports of this same issue with this exact vehicle year and model and Toyota has knowledge of these issues. The car is not safe to drive and this should be addressed by Toyota and fixed immediately. In an article found online, Toyota admitted to this manufacturer defect and despite the defect, Toyota did not offer any special warranty coverage. Instead, the bulletin said repairs would be covered under the federal emissions warranty of 80,000 miles or eight years from the time the vehicle was sold. But this is not an issue with the age of the vehicle and it has less than 80k miles on it, and it is due to a manufacturer defect which should be covered.

Have been experiencing harsh shifting for the last week or so but the most debilitating transmission problem occurred on 6/5/2015 while driving 35 mph. I ended up driving directly home using "low" gear because I was afraid of damaging the car further. I am the original owner of this car and purchased it new in 2001. 7 years after purchase, back on 3/10/2008, it was serviced by Toyota under a "special service campaign" where they reprogrammed the ecm under warranty. I imagine it was for the harsh shifting problem (see t-sb-0156-10). It has obviously come back 7 years later. Programming only good for 7 years?.

Vehicle shifts very harshly and jerks. I suspect it has something to do with the transmission and the electronic control module.

Harsh shift between 2 and 3, probably due to ecm failing.

I bought a Toyota Rav4 two weeks ago, and saw there was a recall on the engine control module, but assumed that Toyota would replace it if mine needed replaced. My vehicle's ecm had been reprogrammed, so I assumed it would be fine. I was wrong. After about a week, my vehicle started shifting harshly, and I had to crawl along a busy expressway with my four-way lights on with cars flying past me. And I had to limp through intersections, then immediately stop my car from lurching forward -- what if a person had been walking across the intersection?? Toyota says my vehicle's too old to be covered under the recall to replace the ecm. Absolutely appalling. If their first recall obviously didn't work, owners should not have to pay for a huge mistake Toyota made. It is only fair that this is covered for the lifetime of the car. It is not fair for people like myself who have to buy a used car. I don't know how this hasn't been investigated yet. It is obviously a safety issue seeing as the car crawls through busy intersections and someone could easily hit you. Or you could be trying to merge onto a highway and the car could refuse to accelerate and a car could hit you then. Or if it's a snowy or icy day and you try to climb a hill, you could easily not make it up the hill and roll backwards into the car behind you. Or the transmission could go out altogether suddenly, seeing as this is a known risk when the car starts shifting harshly. We should not have to wait for someone to die or be seriously injured before there is a recall for the lifetime of the vehicle for this huge problem. It is only by the grace of god that I haven't been injured or anyone else around me.

We were almost hit at a street light. Upon accelerating our car the engine died due the transmission or malfunction of the electric control module. We were lucky if the person behind had not slammed on brakes we would have been hit. Also the car has problems with shifting while drive on freeway. We always now stay in the slow lane because we fear to pass,.

Recently the ¿check engine¿ dashboard light on our 2001 Toyota Rav4 came on. I took the vehicle to an auto parts store that offered a free diagnostic check; it indicated troubleshooting code p0770; the technician explained that the transmission tries to simultaneously shift into 2nd and 3rd gears due to faulty signals from the ecm (electronic control module) that regulates the transmission. This explanation seemed consistent with the car¿s behavior (not climbing even a small hill and having to restart it) and numerous accounts we¿ve read online that suggest the ecm defect ¿ remedied for a while by a recall in 2007 and evidently a few years after that by a class action suit no longer in effect ¿ is still an ongoing problem. We towed the rav to our closest authorized Toyota repair facility, then explicitly asked if they would check both the ecm and transmission. The service rep gave a $4200 transmission replacement estimate, but made no mention of the ecm module, even though I specifically asked about this. 1) Toyota should extend their recall on the ecm modules indefinitely and pay for both ecm and transmission replacement, since this is a fundamental design defect and a significant safety issue. If the circuitry in the ecm were to malfunction at high speeds it might cause fatalities or serious injuries. 2) the specific Toyota dealer should have included the ecm in their estimates and made greater efforts to work with Toyota to remedy this specific situation and all affected vehicles in general, for the safety and welfare of their customers. It would appear that this dealership¿s service department intentionally diverted attention from the ecm defect and it¿s liability to avoid the expense and complicity involved in what would seem to be a legitimate on-going safety issue.

Ecm was replaced in 2007. No problems at that time. In may 2014 brakes plus misdiagnosed problem and fixed almost everything possible. Check engine light never went on until the day before the problem. Transmission started acting up and when I went to pass a person on a bicycle slipped into neutral. Then it jumped back and forth like trying to go from one gear to another, with nothing happening. I could have been hit by a truck at this point, but avoided. Took the rav back to brakes plus. They said it was the transmission. Would cost $4500-5000 repair. They never even checked the diagnosis - which when we took to auto zone (which will read the problem as ecm). Then towed the the car to the dealer. They said the transmission is "smoke. " called the Toyota rep and only got a case number. Of course the car is 13 years old and we have had it 12. It is at 175,000 miles. We can't put another $4,500 in this car. The ecm should not have gone out again. The check engine light should have gone on in may from what we assess considering the problems we experienced at that time. I would not advise anyone to purchase a 2001-2003 Rav4. I am not sure I'd every purchase another Toyota. It looks like Toyota has stuck us with a nearly $5000 repair if we want a new trans. And we just put $2,700 into it in may.

Vehicle accelerated by itself while driving at 45mph. I had to use both brakes to stop the car and experienced a harsh shift condition while trying to shift to park. Dealership checked it out and stated that the ecm has been reprogrammed in 2007 and they were unable to duplicate anything at this time because no warning light came on during the incident even though I reminded them about the class action lawsuit for 2001-2003 model year Rav4s.

Car had no spark when cranking, my mechanic checked and traced the problem to the car's main engine and transmission computer (ecm), I ordered a used ecm for the same vehicle, car started but transmission was shifting was very abnormal, shifting was harsh making a loud thump when put into drive or reverse and starting off on third gear. The damage on the transmission was already done so I went and ordered a transmission and a new ecm since I found out that all ecm's had been updated due to all ecm's being damaged from factory. A lawsuit took place back 2012 in the case that was entitled milligan v. Toyota motor sales u. S. A in which Toyota acknowledged that the problem existed Toyota has ever since extended their warranty to 170,000 miles, even when they know the problem is there they still won't recall these vehicles for proper repairs.

Just purchased this vehicle in September of 2013 with only 95,000 miles. Two days after purchase, the check engine light came on. Dealer said it was the catalytic converter. So it was replaced at a cost of over $600. Then two days later, the check engine light came back on. Dealer said it was the O2 sensor, that bill was nearly $350. Now for the icing on the cake. Four days after that repair, I was pulling out of my driveway to go to work and the vehicle did not want to shift in to gear, lunged forward and I nearly ran over some children at a bus stop! the dealer said the issue is with the ecm and possibly the transmission. The ecm was replaced at nearly $1100 and the problem still exists! dealer said next step is to replace transmission. That cost is $5700 and I can't afford it. There are so many complaints about this vehicle for similar problems. Why can't the government mandate that Toyota has to stand behind this problem? children were nearly ran over because of this problem and Toyota will not do a damn thing about it. Very sad.

Was entering a limited access highway and wanted to merge onto highway. When I pressed down on gas pedal to speed up, the car hesitated, lurched forward, stopped, and then shifted harshly once again. I had thought I gave myself plenty of room to enter but because of the possible transmission problem, my car almost ended in a car wreck - an approaching car had to take drastic moves in order to avoid hitting my car. I then found out that Toyota knew about this problem with their ecms ruining these cars transmissions - something I was not aware, nor notified about. When I called them up - their Toyota customer service line, I found out they still had my old address from 2005! even though I've been going to my local Toyota dealership for years and they had my latest data. Toyota says they can do nothing to help with a possible $6,000 bill. My car is only worth about $8k if that. Their negligence caused these problems, and almost caused a serious accident and human injury and/or death.

I have a 2001 Rav4 that in 2010 had a problem with the gear and the dealer change the reman transaxle assembly but know I can't drive the car because the car need a new transmission and some other part and the dealer would not fix it when the know that the car had all these problem when I bough the car for 28,000 dollars they were happy if these is the way that Toyota get rich stealing from people that believe that they are buying a good product.

Harsh vehicle jerking with bad automatic shifting/acceleration. Used emergency lights and narrowly avoided accident with badly performing vehicle. Problem is diagnosed as failed ecm. Manufacturer is aware of this issue (Toyota document t-sb-0156-10) but did not inform owners. Ecm failure in my car caused a very dangerous driving situation. This could have been easily avoided by pro-actively replacing the factory installed ecm if I had been given the t-sb-0156-10 information. I was driving with my 2 and 4 year old daughters at the time. This part failure is a recurring problem for this car. Please have Toyota notify owners before this happens to them. Thanks.

Apparently there was a TSB issued on this and a customer care ticket issued and a recall but being as my car is 11 years old and 137,000 it falls outside of the parameters Toyota set of 10 years or 150,000 miles Toyota will not fix this problem that will cost upwards of $4000!! I cannot understand how a problem that they acknowledge will happen has happened and they don't want to fix it. I don't know what else to do.

Failed to speed up when I was merging into traffic.

Automatic transmission sometimes hesitates when shifting and sometimes starts in 3rd gear instead of 1st. Check engine light came on a week ago, similar to when shifting problems began.

Ecm failed on my 2001 Rav4 and Toyota refused to pay for repairs. When it failed it put me in an extremely dangerous situation. This was after a recall on the ecm. So I had already brought my car into the dealer and had the ecm reprogrammed. If I had died in an accident would anyone have checked the ecm to see it was not working? I definitely could have been killed and people should not be on the road driving these cars that could at any minute start acting erratically.

Suddenly, while merging onto the highway, my Toyota Rav4 (2001) seemed to go into neutral gear and then harshly shift into 2nd then 3rd gear with a lurch. Now, whenever I accelerate after a stop, the same thing happens. I have been told my ecm and possibly transmission needs replacement.

My 2001 Toyota Rav4 was jerking forward while driving causing me to almost cause a major accident while my 3 year old was in the car. The car would do this intermittently then it became worse. I was very scared to drive the car and had no choice but to borrow money so I could take the car in for repair costing me approx. 1800. 00 to replace the ecm.

1 & 2. Recently I had to have the transmission rebuilt on my 2001 Toyota Rav4. The engine control module (e. C. M. ), which tells the transmission what to do, apparently is faulty (a problem that Toyota has acknowledged but failed to do anything about) which causes the transmission to essentially self destruct. I was driving through an intersection when my engine started revving and my car dramatically slowed down. After pulling over and putting it into park, I shifted to drive and my car lurched forward, almost crashing into another car. I feared for my life in both situations and feel that this product is extremely faulty. 3. My transmission will need to be rebuilt for approximately $3,500, but if Toyota had notified customers about this problem earlier then we would have been able to rectify the ecm before it caused a transmission problem and endangered my life.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Rav4. The vehicle would not shift from first to second gear. Also when the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, the vehicle would lurch forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. However a mechanic discovered that the electronic control module was sending the wrong message to the transmission. The computer monitor was repaired . However because of collateral damage the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,500 and the current mileage was 60,700.

2001 Toyota Rav4 - manufacturer-programmed ecm failure leading to hard shifting, problems accelerating, and misfiring. Unfortunately, Toyota is only covering the repair cost if under 80,000 miles. Appears this is happening to many people no matter what the mileage is and since this is a safety issue, a recall should be made to repair this free of charge to the owner. I had to pay over $1300 to get this fixed.

I was sent a letter about the class action suit on the 2001-2003 Toyota Rav4. I asked to have my vehicle fixed, but was denied, because I did not request until after the extended warranty and the 150,000 had passed. I appealed their decision and I was denied again. I did have the module replaced with a new Toyota one, which was installed by a mechanic that does not work at a Toyota dealership. This module worked for a short period of time, but my rav is back to the same hard shifting safety issues it had before. I can't afford a new transmission or the new module to completely fix the safety issue. Even if they replaced the module again, I believe it has done too much damage to the transmission that will not be repaired by the replacement of this part. You pay for an extended warranty and maintain it like you are supposed to and Toyota does not take care of their customer. They made their money and that's that.

2001 Toyota Rav4 began shifting very jerky while on way home from store. Very scary. Would lunge and jerk to start out but after 2nd or 3rd gear was okay. Was told by Toyota I needed a new transmission. Took it to my mechanic and his transmission servicer had a much better price. The transmission CO reported back to me that I needed a new computer as well as a rebuilt transmission ($2700) and that this (faulty computer) was a condition Toyota was fully aware of. Apparently the computer for this year/model was known to be faulty and in this case was telling the transmission to access 2 gears at the same time (according to them). Reported this to Toyota national headquarters and the woman said I was out of luck because the car is out of warranty. I was never made aware that there was a problem with the computer, even though I had called Toyota several times because of an engine light that kept coming on.

Had to replace transmission on 2001 Rav4 (Aug 09) and then it was repaired once again after the transmission started doing the same thing (Nov 09). I was told it was due to a faulty ecm. Which I have never been notified that there was even a problem from the manufacture. Have paid for rebuilt transmission & ecm unit.

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...

Fault ecm causes transmission shifting problems. No service bulletin issued to owners.

My 2001 Toyota Rav4 is a victim of the ecm failure that causes transmission issues. This is a well known issue with 2001 and 2002 Rav4's that Toyota refuses to acknowledge. The ecm unit fails, and destroys the transmission in the process.