general problems of the 2002 Toyota RAV4 - part 2

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.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle hard shifted independently into a different gear without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as the transmission needing to be replaced. The dealer offered to cover the cost of fifty percent of the repairs costs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was not available and the current mileage was 118,000.

Driving normally nearing a stop sign/light/potential need to stop. Apply brakes, vehicle jerks. Beginning to release brake and continue driving engine shuts off and all warning lights on panel light up. Shift gear normally into park, start engine, it turns over, shift gear into drive and engine shuts off. Try shifting into 2nd gear, 1st gear and engine shuts off. If car sits for a while (not able to determine that amount of time it varies) it may start. Has happened at intersections and am placed in the center of an intersection trying to get started. This has occurred in rush hour traffic several times. Have taken car to dealer where it is now for the fifth time. They placed a computer on the computer to get a reading and it did not display anything. I cannot afford to purchase a new car and cannot afford thousands in repair costs.

I have a 2002 Toyota rav 4 and am experiencing transmission problems. I understand that there are numerous Toyota customers with the same problem. I also understand that Toyota will do nothing to fix the problem and that writing you would be my best bet. The problem is caused by a faulty ecm (engine control module) and costs about $1200 to replace. Driving the vehicle as is also hurts the transmission which can lead to an additional $4000 to fix. Please let me know what or if anything can be done. Thanks. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Rav4. While driving 30 mph up a hill, the vehicle lost power. The vehicle will be taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. Report 1006100118 was filed with the manufacturer; however, they will not offer any assistance with the repairs since warranty has expired. The failure and the current mileages were 47,680.

The automatic transmission was shifting very hard from gear to gear and had problems starting in first gear from a stop. It looks like it is very common on 2001-2004 Rav4's per complaints online. A service bulletin was put out by Toyota in March of 2006 about the problem. The dealer is recommending replacement of the ecu. The bulletin proves Toyota knew about the defective ecu. Many people are being forced to buy a transmission also after the faulty ecu destroys theirs. This is a safety issue, such as driving onto a freeway and the transmission stalling when merging with traffic.

My 2002 Toyota Rav4's transmission is starting to fail to operate correctly. After coming to a complete stop, the car will not accelerate for several seconds even though I am pressing very hard on the accelerator. It just slowly moves during those seconds. This is very frightening when I attempt to merge with traffic after making a right turn. Sometime it feels like the turn will not complete before on coming traffic approaches. My mechanic has told me that I need a new transmission that will cost $3500.

I purchase my vehicle a 2002 Rav4, automatic, new. The vehicle has been well maintained. Approximately in March of 2010 my vehicle starting jerking, I look at my gas gauge and thought I must be lower on gas then the gauge is showing. I got gas and the problem stopped. About 2 weeks later the same problem. I got gas and the situation stopped. Sporadically, in the 2 week time frame my vehicle seemed to lose power. I did take my car into my mechanic and he had the car and did test drives with no problems. Again, in April the problem arose again and the car when to my mechanic and again they could find no problem. On April 22, 2010 upon leaving work I started my vehicle and there was a horrible jerking, shaking and at times seemed to have no power I finally was able to make it home (1 mile away) with the tires barely rolling down the road. Immediately, the next day I took it to my mechanic and as we were doing a test drive the vehicle began the jerking, shaking and lost power, the car was not operable any longer. The diagnosis: transmission burnt and new ecm (my third in this vehicle). The vehicles engine check light never came on or any other sensors in the vehicle. When the ecm was tested it did not display any codes or problems with the vehicle. I contacted the dealership and explained the situation and was advised I needed to bring it in for them to look at it. I explained to them it does not run and not going anywhere and would these (I would have had the vehicle towed with an expense of anywhere from $250 to $300. 00, a hours drive away) expenses be covered. Response "warranty expired 60 days ago. " after many days of an agonizing decision, I advised my mechanic to go ahead and fix the car at the tune of $3500. 00, replacing the ecm and transmission. The vehicle is still being repaired and I will have it back next week.

I own a Toyota Rav4 2002. . . . . It has been known by Toyota that this model has had problems with its ecu. . . . . Which makes the car shift at the wrong revs\times, at times at traffic lights or merging into highways the car completely looses power, sometimes at traffic lights it completely stalls leaving you completely vulnerable to other cars. . . . It sometimes to revs to over 4000 revs and then suddenly engages into gear, which results in unintended acceleration. This might cause serious problems especially in congested traffic. I took the car to the Toyota dealer in acton, MA they told me I had to pay 4500 dollars to fix their own design flaw, which popestrous. There are soo many blogs that complain about this, type "rav4 transmission problem" on google. You are bound to find thousands of blogs complaining about this. I'd like to think that this government does indeed take care of its people\ looking out for them and fighting for them in battles they can not win alone. All I ask for is for Toyota to be held responsible for their own flaws. They have put millions of people in serious risk, this is not something that should be overlooked, especially after discovery of their faulty acceleration pedals. This is what you get for trying to cut cost and then making the consumers pay for this mistake. Its high time Toyota came clean about their shady designs. Everyone and I mean everyone should boycott Toyota products until they once again become the trustworthy and reliable company it once was -do not buy the coffin car.

Very suddenly my transmission felt like it would not shift from 1st to 2nd gear. It would free spin, then force into gear. Toyota replaced ecm, apparently the problem referred to in a 2006 TSB. Unknown if my transmission was damaged.

My 2002 Toyota Rav4 transmission is jerking at low speeds. It seemed that the automatic transmission was not working properly. The jerks would be particularly strong when going up or downhill. After releasing the brake pedal during a complete stop, the car does not roll forward normally either.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that she experienced problems shifting. All of the gears were affected whether the vehicle was accelerating or slowing down. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the electronic control unit and the transmission needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 101,830. The current mileage was approximately 105,000.

In 2004 we purchased a 2002 Rav4 Toyota after checking with consumer reports. The car has not turned over 100,000 miles and the transmission and the computer went out. The charge for replacing both was $3708. Research shows that the computer/transmission problem for 2001 to 2003 Toyotas is growing. We are retired living on social security and did not have this kind of money for this problem. There should have been a recall or some type of adjustment by Toyota for the computer/transmission problems.

This complaint is regarding the 2002 Toyota Rav4 about a year ago I noticed that the vehicle was stopping and having problems changing shifts. I researched and found a lot of people saying that it was the computer of the engine which was messing up my transmission. I went ahead and paid around $2000. 00 to have the computer changed. The dealership told me that the old computer which was put at the factory had damaged my transmission. It ran well for a while but a couple of weeks back I was turning left and the vehicle unexpectedly stopped I was scared out of my mind because there were cars coming at a high speed I pushed the gas about 3 times for it to jerk into gear. A lot of other incidents like that have happened with this vehicle where the engine just wont react and place me in dangerous situation. Now its even worst where it is really staining itself to at least get to 40mph I'm going to once again have to take it to a shop to get fixed or maybe trade it in all together, because it's a danger to me and my family.

Problem with my Toyota Rav4's electronically controlled transmission. The computer was recalled in 2007 for reprogramming. Now it has failed, and the transmission potentially along with it. Toyota claims no responsibility for it, even though it was recalled and I had the reprogramming done, because I am not under warranty. Scary to be driving and have the car shift automatically down to first gear and not shift back. I'm a single mother driving two small children around - seriously scary.

Our ecm, engine control module, is faulty and has been sending our transmission the wrong signals and telling the transmission to shift at the wrong intervals. This caused our transmission to hard shift and mis-shift between 1 and 2, and 2 and 3. As a result, my wife and I almost got into a accident because our SUV would not move until it finally went into gear.

All of the sudden, my transmission started acting funny. The gears shifted really hard and it started slipping. I almost had an accident because the slipping kept me in an intersection for too long. . Read more...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Toyota Rav4 started slamming into gear. While driving I would have my foot down on accelerator and the vehicle wouldn't go into gear and when it finally did it would lurch forward while slamming in gear. I was told by my maintenance mechanic that there was a tbs on this very problem however when I took it to the dealership they told me 1st. "someone already replace it (which wasn't the case then 2. "it must have been caught at the factory". There are over 200 complaints regarding the very problem and Toyota's irresponsible response to the problem. I have now been told that they will "start with replacing the grounding wires" and "go from there". I have an extended warranty that expires in July 2009. This is a safety issue and I feel that Toyota (based on all the complaints found) will continue to nickel and dime me with non-warranty charges and then when the real problem is addressed for the power train my vehicle will be out of warranty. I am the original owner and my vehicle only has 47,315 miles on it. The reference number for the TSB in this case is tc002-06 from 3-06/ the dealerships I spoke to were unaware of the tbs until I brought in a copy of it. The codes for this problem don't even show up. It is my understanding that NHTSA is looking for people who have had this problem to establish a need for an investigation. Please consider me as one of those people. I truly feel this problem is not only a costly one but a extreme safety concern as you never know when this problem will happen.

My Toyota Rav4 2002 seems to have a transmission problem. I have noticed 2-3 times a difficulty in shifting from reverse to 1st gear. However, on the day of this incident, I was driving in traffic at about 20 mph. I tried to accelerate to keep up with traffic and my car would not- it started to shutter. I have read online that many others have this problem and it is a defect with Toyota Rav4s made in that year. I do not want to have to pay to have this fixed, and that was a dangerous situation to be in when I am in traffic.

In 2009, 2010, and 2011 my 2002 Toyota Rav4 exhibited sharp, rough shifting into and out of gear, often when on the freeway. The vehicle also had a check engine light that repeatedly came on. I was initially advised by a non-Toyota repair shop that the issue was with the transmission and it had to be replaced. However, upon taking the car to a Toyota dealership they stated the problem was with the ecm. In 2009 they re-programmed the ecm, in 2010 they re-programmed the ecm and in 2011 (after the extended warranty was issued by Toyota corp) they replaced the ecm. They never did any service on the transmission. Now in April 2013 just 17months after they replaced the ecm it happens again and they tell me I need a new transmission and I have to pay for it because it's out of the extended warranty. Since the ecm was throwing the transmission in & out of gear for 3 years, isn't it obvious that the transmission was damaged by the ecm? it was even mentioned in the service bulletins that the ecm was possibly causing damage to the transmission and the dealerships may also have to replace the transmission at the same time the ecm was replaced. Yet because they chose not to repair or replace the transmission on my car in 2011 while it was under warranty, I now have to pay for what should have been done in the first place. Toyota has been aware of this problem since 2006 yet they never issued a recall or notified owners until a class action lawsuit was filed. Toyota needs to satisfy their customers by issuing a recall and admitting that both the ecm and transmission need to be replaced on any 2001-2003 Rav4 that experiences rough shifting, or shifting in & out of gear, or codes that reflect a problem with the ecm or transmission. This is dangerous for drivers and Toyota is negligent in preventing injuries and deaths due to a known defect.

Driving down the highway going 65 miles per hour and the engine just stopped, completely shut down. 2002 Toyota rav 4.

My 2002 Rav4 transmission went bad (shifting improperly) over 100 complaints on line about same problem. There are no recall or extended warranties from Toyota.

Car had very sluggish acceleration onto highway after ecu failed and transmission is slow to get into gear. Had to pull over to shoulder as the vehicle could not get up to interstate speed.

2002 Toyota Rav4 transmission - transmission is not working properly in shifting. Rough shifting from 2/3 gear. Had to find information on federal 8year/80k mile mandated free reprogramming to try to fix this. But reading accounts this may not work and even then the transmission may be damaged already. There should be a recall regardless of miles driven as this is a constant problem on this year/model. Thank goodness I was low mileage but this problem occurs regardless of mileage. This is a Toyota defect in the transmission.

The 2002 Toyota Rav4 has a faulty ecm and has caused the transmission to go out. I almost had an accident the other day. Toyota is aware of the problem but did not do a recall. . Read more...

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.

I own a Toyota 2002 Rav4. It is experiencing major problems with the transmission. It jerks and hesitates and is extremely dangerous to drive as you never know if it is going to proceed forward or not. Pulling out in an intersection is dangerous.

Ces light came on. Trans started slipping. Took to dealer. Diagnosed known ecm problem. Performed Toyota recommended ecm update, but said trans would have to be rebuilt due to damaged already caused. Had trans rebuilt. Developed same slipping problem. Said it would ruin trans again unless ecm was replaced. This is a Toyota problem that they need to fix.

I purchased a 2002 Toyota Rav4. SUV. And within the first six months of owning it, my drive belt broke and almost caused me to wreck and hit three other vehicles. I had my new car towed back to the dealership where I had purchased the vehicle and they told me that the drive belt was not covered under my warranty. A few months later I noticed that my transmission was making a weird grinding sound and was hard to shift. Sometimes the car would not shift and it would come to a complete stop and this almost caused me to wreck via hitting other vehicles or other vehicles hitting me. I took it to my dealership and told them that they had sold me a lemon and I wanted to know if they would give me another Rav4, that is dependable. They told me no. I let the rav 4 sit in my garage for two years and my brother-in-law said that if he could find a used transmission from a wrecked vehicle then he would install it in my rav 4. He found a transmission and I had to pay in cash $1,300. 00 for the transmission and I gave him $400. 00 to install the transmission. Recently I found out that Toyota has recalled 2001, 2002 and 2003 Toyota Rav4 SUV's for transmission problems. I contacted the Toyota sales USA about their recalls of my vehicle and they told me that they were not going to do anything for me. I feel that Toyota should reimburse me for the cost of buying a used transmission and for paying to have the transmission put in my Rav4suv. Please advise.

Transmission sticks from 1st to 2nd. Has done it since I bought it new in 2002. Took to dealer way back then they told me I had "special transmission fluid and I would have to pay to get it fixed". I never had it fixed and it still sticks. Takes about 1/4 mile to shift. Purchased from kissimmee Toyota which is now Toyota of orlando(?) adding complaint for engine seize.