general problems of the 2002 Toyota RAV4

My car engine light goes on and off due to transmission fault. It continuously has a hard time shifting gears in between 2500-3000 rpm and gives a jerky stop before continuing to speed up/accelerate despite when I have not let go of my foot from the pedal. After taking it to the auto shop, I was told this is the same problem other Toyota rav 4 between 2001-2003 experiences and the mechanics told me that there was a lot of recall for the same code my car is giving (2 codes that the computer diagnosed were p0775 and p0161). While Toyota extended the warranty to 10years/150,000k and my car is 1-2 years past the warranty, it's only been barely 80,000mi and it should not be causing this problem. This transmission/ecm problem puts me and the passengers to risks because both the speed and rpm don't go past certain numbers which is low at most times, limiting myself as the driver to go even within the speed limits. All the more, with this happening more frequently these days than it had in the past, I am highly concerned for my safety and not feel safe to have someone in my car. I have been to 4 different mechanics and they have told me the same problem and that it's the same case as they saw from different Rav4's recall problem. This car was handled very carefully and this is the only occurring problem. With engine light being on and off, it is my concern that I need to have this car inspected, related to Toyota Rav4 recalls.

I was driving my Toyota and my wife was a passenger. All of a sudden, a lady ran a stop sign and swerved and hit us head-on. We could not get out of my vehicle, the doors were jammed and the vehicle was on fire. The fire dept. And police came and quickly put the fire out and pried the front doors open. None of the airbags in my vehicle deployed. I incurred severe injuries to my head, chest, neck and left arm. My Toyota was totaled and the other driver was cited for the wreck. I have been in and out of the hospital several times since the wreck happened and if my airbags would have deployed, I might not have been so severely injured. My Toyota was totaled and the other driver was cited for the wreck. I would like to know why none of the airbags deployed in my vehicle. I probably have takata airbags in my 2002 Toyota Rav4 which did not work.

2002 Toyota rav 4 engine control module/transmission failed on 82,264 miles, erratic driving, very dangerous to drive. Toyota is aware of this problem but not doing any thing to resolve. Spent almost $1000 to replace the ecu alone, may need complete transmission replacement.

Car seemed to struggle getting to 1st gear then lurched into 4th gear. Struggled to get it driven to the dealership. Ended up being a failure of electronic control module (ecm), failed code po 755. This was covered under a warranty enhancement of a NHTSA id#10037585 known problem that expired after 10 years from purchase or 150,000 miles. I purchased the car new in 2003 from the same dealership that did the repair. Toyota corporate office would not offer any help in fixing this known malfunction problem even though my mileage was less than 43,000 miles. I feel a known safety issue should be addressed in some way by Toyota beyond their stringent time limits. 1-9-2015 cost to replace ecm. . . $1,435. . . . With no guarantees it did not ruin the transmission.

Ecm malfunction.

When traveling the transmission is slamming into gear. In 2012 there was a class action law suit. The law suit was won and rav 4 owners whom filed were reimbursed for cost of fixing. Toyota also agree to extend warranty on transmission. Toyota failed to inform owners of Toyota rav 4 of this problem. I have not owned this rav 4 for long but feel it should have been recalled. Please advise if we can extend class action law suit or add this to the recall list as it should have been. Thank you.

When I went on merger ramp on highway . The car not accelerate enough or transmission not shift correctly. The car behind me hit my car.

On September 9, 2013 while driving my rav 4 to work , I experienced a strange behavior , the car suddenly stopped moving and I had to press on gas several times and it would move as if like it is choked , in a minute everything went normal as it has always been, I was a little worried but then after driving about 2 miles and stopping at a stop light , this thing happens again and when I try to push on gas it started moving a little and then there is this "thud" sound as if something was holding wheels of my rav 4 from moving and then suddenly it let the wheels run. I took the car to Toyota service center (Toyota scion of concord) and been told that my car needs a ecm to begin with and that Toyota has a TSB out there as well "extended warranty" which in my case is expired since my car is 2002 and the warranty is 10y/150 k miles , whichever is earlier. I am concerned as to why this discrepency , Toyota knews or had known over a period of time that their vehicle had an issue and they cant be putting life's of buyers at risk by not doing a recall of that . Please I am requesting that some action needs to be taken on this and such continued acts of concealing information with owners / sub-owners of vehicles and that this condition leaves at lot of lives at risk besides financial loss.

About a week ago my car began having issues shifting gears. If I pulled into a turn lane I would slow and start creating a danger for both me and other drivers. I took my car to a transmission specialist, with over 30 years of experience. He let me know that 2002 Rav4's have a recall on the computer that controls the transmission. He also said that in certain cases he knew Toyota had replaced the transmission as well. I took it to the dealership where the computer was replaced and I was told that the transmission had an extended warranty of 10 years or 150,000 miles. My car was 19 months and 10,000 miles over the extended warranty. The transmission specialist let me know that the transmission was directly damaged by the computer. When I called the manufacturer they let me know that they didn't agree with the program, thought that it should have been a recall instead of extended warranty but there was nothing they could do for me. The manufacturer representative also let me know that there are others in my same situation.

Out of the blue while in rush hour traffic, my car started shaking, jerking, slamming into gear, not accelerating, and at times it felt like the brake was being applied when I stepped the gas. When I first took it to the dealership a day after this happened the first time, they could not find anything because they could not duplicate the issue during a test drive. Literally minutes after picking my car up and driving off the dealership lot, it started happening again in stop-and-go traffic. This time it was much worse and I was afraid as the person behind me almost rear-ended me. I took it back to the dealership and they tell me I either need a new ecm or a new transmission. But after researching this on the internet, it is a huge issue that is happening to a lot of 2002 Toyota Rav4 owners. And we as the owners are at the mercy of the unknown - this happens out of no where and is horribly unsafe and yet Toyota takes no responsibility.

First the engine light came on then while trying to accelerate, the car hesitates and then shifts hard and jerks the car forward. The safety issue is that the car hesitates and acceleration is affected so it is unsafe to try to get on the highway with oncoming cars behind you. I talked to Toyota about this issue but they stated my car was not covered by the recall of (harsh shift condition and/or malfunction indicator light).

We had just left a parking lot in our 2002 rav 4 and as we came up to speed the transmission began to jerk and try to shift into different gears. I all of a sudden had no power and a truck coming down the road almost hit us. As I depressed the accelerator the car revved up and all of a sudden engaged and spun out. Very scary and we were lucky!.

Harsh shifting and jerking, particularily 1st & 2nd gear slow to accelerate launching and bucking hard engagement when put in reverse revs up from 2 to 3 - 4 rpms.

Computer fails.

Federal emissions warranty for the ecm on 2001-2003 Toyota Rav4's palm springs Toyota failed to notify or advise that this much needed repair needed to be done, however did notify and repair thousands of dollars of other repairs in the open available and allotted time frame that this ecm should have been replaced.

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.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Rav4. The contact was driving approximately between 35-45 mph on normal road conditions, proceeding to a traffic stop signal. The engine reved excessively high. The transmission exhibited a harsh shift as a result of an unexpected acceleration. The driver was able to continue in operation with caution. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure was contributed to the engine control module (ecm). The vehicle vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 104,000. Updated 11/16/10.

I have a 2002 Toyota rav 4 with 82k miles on it. At the beginning of November, 2009, I was driving my vehicle and it began to jerk violently when I accelerated between 1st and 2nd gears. I had difficulty maintaining control and avoided an accident. Subsequently, I took the car to the dealer and learned that I had a common problem for 2002 rav 4's -- a faulty engine control module. I researched the problem and learned that many people have also had this problem in 2001 and 2002 rav 4's. Toyota is not taking responsibility for this problem. This should be a recall item.

Toyota Rav4 2002, 98367 miles, taken to Toyota dealer for recall on ecm reprogram, after done the recall by Toyota dealer, transmission shifting very erratically. Took car back to dealer and they said that transmission needs to be replaced. Also it is dangerous to drive due to loss of transmission.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Rav4. While the contact was driving approximately between 30-40 mph, the oil pressure warning light illuminated intermittently. The failure would occur at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician was unable to locate a problem. The failure progressed over a period of time. Recently, the "service engine" warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician detected an engine oil sludge and low oil pressure. Also, he recommended the engine be replaced. The contact stated that the manufacturer should be liable for the repair; however, the manufacturer refused to take financial responsibility. The vehicle was at the dealer and had not been repaired. The contact planned to have the vehicle towed to his residence. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

My 2002 Rav4 has been diagnosed as having engine oil sludge and needs total replacement. Oil changes have been performed between 3,000 - 4,000 miles.

November 17, 2006 - after being parked in my driveway for approximately 30 minutes the engine caught on fire. The Rav4 engine compartment and entire interior was demolished, tires exploded, glass exploded over at least a 20 foot radius. Two engine trucks and 10 responders later the fire was out. 63,000 miles, no prior problems, 50k maintenance completed by dealer Jan 2006. VIN has zeros and letter o which are indistinguishable. Try both.