Transmission Failure problems of the 2001 Toyota RAV4

Ecm/transmission failure at 129000 miles. Cant say much more than has already been said by so many others. Out of pocket expense of about 3500. 00. In the shop now but as I read these I'm wondering if I should be fixing it as it seems to reoccur. No help from Toyota and they wanted over 5000. 00 to fix it. Recieved no notification from Toyota. Missed the warrenty by 9000 miles. Seems if you own one its just a matter of time and it will happen. . . . Stand behind your product Toyota!!!!!.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that the transmission was exhibiting behaviors of a manual transmission when it was an automatic. The engine rpms would increase excessively before shifting and then the transmission would fail. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told that the engine control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 200,000.

I have a 2011 rav 4 with 151,000 miles on it. I had my transmission fluid flushed when I got my oil changed in early June of 2011. My transmission starting "jumping" in early August of 2011 when in almost any gear. The problem came on very suddenly with no warning signs. The day it happened, I called my local Toyota dealership who has done all of my servicing and asked if it could have possibly had to do with the flushing of the system two months prior and if there had been any recalls on my vehicle for this sort of problem. They said that it was unlikely to have anything to do with the flushing and no, there had been no recalls that they were aware of. I was referred over to a transmission shop that rebuilds transmissions and got it into the shop that very next morning. The shop rebuilt my transmission and charged me over $3000 to do so. When I picked my vehicle up and drove it, it jumped when only driven half of a block. The transmission shop owner suggested I drive it a little bit more and take it from zero to 60 mph on the interstate. I did so but two days later, my transmission failed to accelerate when I pulled out into traffic, which was extremely frightening seeing that I am five months pregnant, and it also began to jump again, in almost any gear after it finally accelerated. I took it back to the transmission shop and after three days, they determined that it must be the ecm. They replaced this for me and charged me another $600 to do so. Once again, when I picked my vehicle up and drove it, it jumped when only driven half a block. I am beyond broke and frustrated that a) Toyota sent out no notifications to owners of this year and model warning owners of the potential dangers associated with a failed ecm and b) that even with a new ecm and rebuilt transmission, that my transmission is still not operating as it should.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 35 mph his automatic transmission failed. The transmission had also previously malfunctioned. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Transmission failure due to faulty ecm on 2001 Toyota rav 4. Toyota issued a service bulletin in 2006 to the dealers but failed to notify me, the only owner of the vehicle.

2001 Toyota Rav4 with 81,000 miles. Ecm failed causing transmission to fail. Safety issue created due to poor acceleration and erratic shifting. Toyota will not accept responsibility of the transmission failure due to the ecm failure.

Toyota 2001 Rav4: check engine light has been on since at least August, 2004 (documented). Toyota claimed to fix per a recall notice. From February 2002 to date, there has been intermittent groaning beneath car, whining in first gear, and what felt like clunking. Could not pass smog tests because of check engine light code. In October, 2009, car died. Could not restart, had to wait for tow (midnight on a dark road). Had work done in oct, 2009, and I requested the parts. They replaced my coils, plugs and air filter for $1,330. I have had brakes replaced , fluids changed, O2 sensors replaced ( since then, the car is mis-shifting, clunking or groaning, rough engine. On 3/25/2010, I took it in and Toyota service recommended that I "let it go" and buy another car. They told me to just come and get the car without any work done, because it would cost me between $6,000-$7,000 for repairs. I was never told that I had ecm and transmission problems throughout all of these visits to Toyota service. I believe that Toyota "waited me out" so that they could just sell me another car instead of revealing the true cause of my problems. The ecm and transmission for this car is no longer available as a new item, so I would have to get a rebuilt transmission, which the defective ecm would end up destroying. I am afraid to drive the car because of the possibility that the transmission will fail.

I have 2001 Toyota Rav4. I brought this vehicle in 2001 at molle Toyota, kansas city, mo 64114. I am the first owner of this vehicle. Transmission suddenly failed while driving this vehicle, and it is snowing on that day. Luckily there are no vehicles behind my SUV. This vehicle only has 61000 miles. This is the first time I had any problem on this vehicle and it's a big one. I use this vehicle daily to drop my kid at school. I am filing this complaint as a safety concern. Reported this problem to Toyota. They told be to file a complaint here as well.

1. Transmission failed despite Toyota dealer having replaced the ecm on the 2001 Rav4. 2. Car not shifting correctly between 1st and 2nd gears with new transmission and replaced (in 2007) ecm. Could be dangerous in certain situations. 3. Toyota replaced the part in 2007, but the problem was not fixed. Have since discovered that they retooled this part 3 times since 2007, which tells me that the new part was just as faulty as the original. Toyota will not replace the part for free because it was replaced once already and the new part only had a 12 month warranty.

I have a 2001 Toyota Rav4 and have a problem with the transmission. The car lost its ability to drive because the ecm for the transmission broke. It cost about 1,000 dollars to fix and the car still doesn't sound or drive like it used to. I am afraid the transmission will fail in bad weather or on a hill and I will hurt people. The mechanic told me that other cars with this ecm problem later do have transmission problems and calls to Toyota are not fruitful. There is approximately 69,000 miles on this car and I am the original owner of this car. The power train should not be a problem to a relatively young car like this it should be under warranty to 100,000 miles not 60,000 miles. This car and the other Toyotas I am reading about should be recalled they are dangerous.

2001 Rav4 transmission just failed today. Read anytimes article about ecm problem. When I called Toyota, I was told that nothing could be done even though they knew that ecm problem would cause transmission to fail. This should have been recalled or at the very least notify owners so that we could have the problem fixed before truly expensive repairs need to be made. This is not the first issue I have had with my car that Toyota failed to notify me of in time to correct.

The ecm computer on my 2001 Rav4 is failing, causing the transmission to stall during automatic shift change. This occurs each time you start in 1st, moving to second gear and is very dangerous. This lasts several seconds and can repeat in second gear. Traffic behind you can easily run into you and if you are entering a freeway, you can be seriously injured by transmission failing or stalling as a result. Toyota issued a TSB in 2006 to dealers yet did not notify owners. This is a serious safety issue and an immediate recall should be issued to repair this problem. My mechanic and one dealer I talked to indicate that the ecm computer and transmission need to be replaced at an estimated cost of $5000. My mechanic indicated he has seen over 100 vehicles on this at his business alone. This is not an isolated problem. Since my vehicle is over 8 yrs old and 115k mileage, there is no extended warranty. Why did Toyota notify its dealers in March 2006 of the problem and not notify the customers. Why have you not addressed this issue by asking Toyota to issue a recall to correct this very serious issue. If the computer fails completely, the car will more than likely stop in traffic. My mechanic indicates that a new computer must be put in and the transmission must be re built. This started on Friday, sept 18th, about 4pm as I was driving home on the freeway. I had the vehicle immediately checked and this was the determination. I have parked the car since and cannot drive it until repaired. Please advise on this before someone is seriously injured or killed. Thank you.

Faulty computer. I am the original owner. The computer caused the transmission to engage into wrong gears,resulting in transmission failure. Cost to me of $4,847. 00. I was never notified by Toyota of this problem. Technical bulletin #1046.

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.

Engine control module and auto transmission failure. Bought rav used July 2007 with 109,230 mi. Check engine light was on (has remained on) but was diagnosed as O2 sensor & rav operated perfectly (live where emissions check not required). May 2009 tranny started alternating between working good, shifting rough, slipping between gears, and not downshifting at slow down or stop. Had mechanic with over 15 yrs experience at Toyota dealership check it (after hours). He was unaware of connection to faulty ecm so we thought trany was bad & he flushed tranny. That reduced frequency of symptoms but did not stop them. We still thought problem was mechanical & tranny rebuild/replace was inevitable & I drove it longer to save up money for repairs. I live on a semi-rural ohio state route with 55mph posted limit & 65mph average speed. I had numerous near misses when the vehicle would not accelerate properly or began to accelerate normally then slipped, hesitated, or refused to shift. My 18yr old son drove the rav in Dec & pulled out of our driveway in front of a semi tractor trailer rig with what would have been safe distance except that the rav decided not to accelerate. The truck was able to pass, but had there been oncoming traffic, it would not have been able to slow enough in time. Intermittent symptoms continued until 12/14/09 when 2nd & 3rd gear burned out & I drove home 20 miles in 1st. Just parts thru Toyota will cost $2000 for rebuilt tranny plus $1000 for ecm. Independent repairmen can fix the ecm for $65. Had I at least known root cause of the symptoms was ecm not tranny (Toyota's known since 2006 or before) I could have saved $4-5k & avoided 7 months of risky driving. I challenge anyone who thinks this is not a safety issue to drive one of these and rely on it when it fails in 65mph traffic. Or we can wait until someone is killed where there is enough evidence to show this problem was the cause of the accident and not poor driver judgment.

2001 Toyota rav 4 has premature transmission failure causing slipping, and delayed shifting.

Toyota Rav4 2001 model - standard transmission that failed at about 74,000 miles.

Circuit board for transmission failed and valve.