general problems of the 2003 Toyota RAV4

I was driving my 2003 Toyota Rav4 and attempted to merge into another lane when I experienced a very hard shift from the transmission causing the vehicle to stall with a reving engine noise and avoided being rear ended by a truck. I purchased my Rav4 brand new in 2003 to accomodate my disability needs and only have 82,000 miles. I checked with my mechanic today and he looked up the Toyota recall on these Rav4 transmission failures and not once did Toyota inform me about the recall. How is disabled individual on fixed income to afford $3000. 00 for a transmission on a well maintained Toyota with only 82,000 miles. I wish Toyota would show some empathy to accommodate an individual whose sole purpose of a brand new Rav4 would fulfill his daily physical challenges in life and now left with a Toyota with 82,000 miles in need of a transmission. This Rav4 is no longer safe to be driven given its nature of safety concerns.

Harsh shifting, jumping from gear-to-gear, sluggish acceleration and transmission/electronic control module failure. Called Toyota regarding the extended warrenty. They refused to honor the extended warranty despite not providing notice to the correct address.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 30 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle jerked. As a result, the vehicle became stuck in second and third gear. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was undetermined; however, the technician discovered that the computer damaged the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Electric control module (ecm) is bad, causing harsh shifting, failure to accelerate correctly, and rpm's to jump. This is a known problem with this model and should have been recalled. This vehicle only has 112,000 miles on it. The part is $800+ or $1100 from dealer.

Bought car used and didn't notice the shift problem til later. Shifts hard from 2 to 3rd gear. Many people have issue with this mostly being the ecm going bad then destroying the transmission. Both are expensive fixes and both are dangerous leading to accidents.

Experiencing abnormal behavior when shifting gears (auto trans). Transmission was shifting oddly - harsh shift condition . It was not a frequent problem and no engine light and I took it to the local mechanic and he connected to his computer and could not find any error codes. The problem happens every time I move from a stop. Found out that Toyota put out a technical service bulletin in early 2006 after defects started surfacing stating to replace the car's computer ecm/ecu and possibly the transmission. . The company did not inform owners about this defect which is now surfacing and did not recall due to cost of replacing the ecu and transmission it destroys. The defective ecu burns up the clutch and other parts in the transmission.

This letter is in reference to an issue, namely, harsh shift condition, on our 2003 Toyota Rav4, the vehicle presently shows approximately 119, 600 miles. According to Toyota warranty policy bulletin no. Pol 10-03, dated 07/09/10, page 1, ¿Toyota has received reports that certain 2001 through 2003 model year Rav4 vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition ¦ if this condition occurs, the check engine light may illuminate and/or the vehicle may begin to shift harshly. This warranty is being offered for 10 years or 150,000 miles ¦ please verify VIN applicability for this csp by performing a VIN inquiry before completing the repair. ¿� on page 2 we checked the applicable VIN ranges and observed that our vehicle was included in this customer support program (csp). Our respectful request is that Toyota honor the warranty enhancement for our Rav4. Based on a telephone call to Toyota motor sales custumer experience center in torrance CA, the company rep. Said Toyota would not honor the extended warranty. I believe that the part (ecm) was defective and should be replaced under extended warranty because the vehicle is under 150,00 miles but just over the ten year limit. Thank you.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle would suddenly stop acellerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the ecm unit was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 162,000. Jft.

Harsh shifting; automatic shifting erratic; lurching, especially when starting from stop. Local garage says transmission is shot and requires replacement ($3100).

Basically Toyota will not honor the replacement of my ecm because I notified them 10 after their "extension" had expired. I did not receive any notifications regarding this issue. I spent a week from mechanic to mechanic, getting estimates. Finally someone told me about the recall and suggested I reach out to Toyota. They refused to make an exception because the delivery date to the original owner was 8/31/2003. They even had the previous owner on their database. My daughter pleaded with the assistant to the ceo and she refused to even review this again with him. I was very disappointed with this decision and need guidance as to what is legal. The defective computer was installed by them and sold to the consumer with this problem. Shouldn't they be responsible regardless of the timeframe they set on their own? it is absurd to have them admit it was part of the diagnostic codes that were their fault, but since I called a week later, they got off scott free. Please let me know what my options are.

On or about may 5, 2013 I noticed my car started to hard shift, though I was driving as usual. The problem happens off and on and is most noticeable when waiting at a stop sign, red light or drive thru at a restaurant. The shift jolt is most noticeable when needing to accelerate or shifting into drive--it doesn't happen when I go into reverse. The shift jolt sometimes is accompanied by a thud noise. On may 7, 2013 I contacted Toyota headquarters and discuss this with a customer service representative at 1-800-331-4331. She transferred me to a rude and cantankerous woman who seemed to have heard the story before. She stated I need to go to a dealership and get a diagnostic, which costs $100 in my area. She then stated that if any of the following codes appear: codes:  p0750, p0753, p0755, p0758 or p0760 that I would need to replace ecm module first, if still problem the faulty module could've messed up the transmission. She conceded that Toyota issued a bulletin to the dealerships and apparently it is a widespread problem. At some point I received a Toyota internal case number. She said there was nothing she could do for me as I am not under warranty. I have 188,000+ miles on my car and apparently if it is not under 150,000 mile warranty. I take very good care of my car and it is not my fault the problem did not appear within a randomly selected mileage they chose. Toyota admitted they knew of the problem and they are liable for any manufacturer's defect of the ecm/transmission. I request your assistance in getting my car repaired for free as it is Toyota's faulty/defective part that is now causing my car problems. The consumer stated after getting the repairs done, Toyota refused to reimburse her for the repairs. They wouldn't even consider partial payment. Even though, a customer service representative initially told her she would need to get the repairs done and ten Toyota would reimburse her. Updated 12/16/13.

The clips securing the electrical console on the driver's door gave way and fell into the door, for no apparant reason. Now the console is loose and keeps riding up from it's positon. I'm concerned this is going to cause an electrical shortage or will get wet when door or window is opened during rain, snow etc. I had someone look at it at a nearby Toyota dealer and was told the whole electrical console on the driver's door needs to be replaced because it's one unit. . . . No way to just replace the clips. The cost of the part alone was quoted as $514. 00, with labor extra. If this was caused by negligence on my part I wouldn't mind, however I did nothing to it. I just heard a noise and something fell into the door, then saw what had happened. I feel this should be a recall so Toyota absorbs the cost, not me. The vehicle had less than 98,000 miles on it when it happened and it has been well cared for. Please let me know what, if anything, can be done for me. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I own a 2003 Toyota Rav4. My car was running in good working order, with just over 99000 miles on it. On may 2nd 2012, I experienced issues with the car's transmission and ecm. The car would rev when I pressed on the gas, but it would not move. Also, when shifting gears, the car would slow to a brake and then there was be a bump or grinding in the gears before the car would proceed to move. This would put me in danger of a rear end collision because my car would suddenly brake without me pressing on the brakes to signal the driver behind me that I was going to slow down. I have learned that Toyota is aware of this issue with many of its Rav4's (2001-2003). Is there any help on Toyota's part to correct this issue that they know of without passing along the cost to the innocent customer? thank you for your time. Updated 06/22/2012.

Original owner of 2003 Rav4. The vehicle was parked. When notified by college security that car had erupted into flames. Car was totally consumed by fire and was wrecked at junkyard. The car had never been crashed, had all maintenance up to date and was in perfect shape.

My car has a problem well known by manufacturers,as,harsh shift of automatictransaxles , or (ecm)code p0755. Toyota sent service bulletins to dealers but I was never notified>now I have to repair my car at a cost of over $6000. Toyota headquarters in California has refused to honour my repair,even though they honoured for California. Reason being am out of warranty by the miles,which I have 175000,but im still in warranty by the years of 10 years.

Hi about my 2003 Toyota Rav4, its seems to stall and shutting off the engine while driving. For exaple it happen more then 5 time on me this month7/1/2011, and almost getting bump in rear end. I took it to Toyota dealer, and paying $100 for what they could find anything wrong. This model should be recall or accident will happen.

My 2003 Rav4 has always been very sluggish from a dead start and any kind of sudden acceleration but I knew that I would eventually reach the legal speed limit. Driving 1 1/2 weeks ago, however, brought my attention to another, far more serious acceleration problem, far worse than just sluggishness. The SUV was shifting out of gear automatically and I feared for my safety as I was in moving traffic and I was having trouble moving. I immediately decided to take it to the Toyota dealer. Luckily, the dealership was close to where I was. They kept my car from approx. 3:30 pm that Friday until the following Monday. At first, they thought it was the transmission and said they needed until Monday to know for sure. I was told by the service rep. To not worry, that it may be far less expensive than I think. That Monday, I got a call from the serviced rep that he had both good news and bad news. They found the problem - an ecu problem but that I was out of warranty and I would have to buy a new one. I told them to go ahead and install it as I couldn't see any alternative. The work was done and the final cost for the unit and labor was $1,300. 00. I told the service rep that I felt shafted because the warranty expired after 80,000 and I had 84,000 miles at the time. Further, I had the SUV for just 7 years, not the limit of 8 years under the original warranty for the ecu. I went on the internet and discovered the NY times July, 2010 letter announcing many problems like mine with transmission damage as well and Toyota would now cover it all. According to the letter, Toyota had extended its warranty for the transmission to 150,000 miles and 10 years for the ecu ! I called the service rep and he said Toyota headquarters rep was there and said I had no extended warranty. The service manager never returned my call. I finally called Toyota headquarters and filed a complaint with them. I received a letter from a Toyota manager offering me $1,000 to buy a new Toyota vehicle. 11/03/10.

My wife's' 2003 Toyota Rav4 just started having transmission problems. We took it immediately to a repair shop. On the way there were serious problems with the transmission shifting which was particularly dangerous during the acceleration and deceleration in intersections. The dealer repair shop said the computer and transmission would need to be replaced. I called Toyota customer service and they told me a service bulletins had gone out, but that our particular VIN was not part of the bulletin, even though the problem is exactly the same as has been widely noted and recognized by Toyota.

Ecm and transmission problem in 2003 Toyota Rav4 create a very dangerous condition - severe hesitation and delay/disruption in shifting when other vehicles are behind you or when you are trying to cross lanes of traffic in low gears.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Rav4. She noticed that when she stopped the gear will fail it will stay in drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the diagnosis indicated that the failure was caused by the electronic control unit. The dealer replaced the ecu and the failure was corrected. The failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 104,236. Updated 03/30/10. The consumer stated when she made a stop, the vehicle would not go into gear and the engine revved, then slipped into gear and lurched forward. The consumer was told it was a computer problem and sending faulty signals to the transmission. The consumer stated there have been no other problems since. Updated 07/15/jb.

I bought a brandnew 2003 Rav4 6 years ago and already have 95,000 miles on it. The transmission starts to slipped and drag a couple of days ago. It almost caused an accident on my way home because the transmission slowly shifts gear on 2nd and 3rd with a high idling. I have read some forums about the Rav4 2001-2003 ecm issues. I would like to complaint that Toyota would not do a recall to the faulty part that can cause death and serious accident while driving a Rav4 (2001-2003) model with a defective ecm. There are over 488 complaints that I've read in one forum alone. I hope you will find a way to have Toyota accountable for this ecm failure to my 2003 Rav4 and hope to have them replace all the Rav4 (2001-2003) ecm module free of charge.

Toyota 2003 Rav4 has a malfunctioning ecm. It has caused the car to speed up and slow down almost causing accidents 2 times while driving on the road. Please take action. I have found that Toyota knew about this defect in 2006 and will not fix the problem. I think that Toyota should give a 100% refund to everyone who bought this car because they knew that this defect might kill people and they did nothing. So I have this car and I am afraid to let anyone drive it because they may not be able to control the speed. I hope that this can be taken care of soon because we need a car to drive that is safe.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota rav 4. The contact stated that when attempting to accelerate, the accelerator pedal resists application, which caused the vehicle to hesitate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a technician concluded that the ecm needed to be replaced. No repairs were made. The failure mileage was 142,700 and the current mileage was 142,882. Updated 10/22/09.

Long hesitation in changing gears. Jerking when accelerating. Lack of acceleration.

2003 Toyota Rav4. Consumer requests ramification to unsuccessful attempts to fix the manufacturer's defect in workmanship the consumer stated the check engine light illuminated. Prior to the engine light illuminating, the consumer noticed the vehicle would stall as she applied the accelerator pedal after a red light and it would surge with force once it accelerated. The consumer was charged $664. 87 for a sensor and v-ripped belt. On March 24, 2010, the check engine light illuminated again. Upon researching on the internet, the consumer discovered a TSB for the pcm and ecm. The consumer also complained of a squeaking noise coming from the front of the vehicle at the slightest road bump and hearing a thump when turning the wheels to the far right. The consumer stated the dealer never mentioned the TSB's regarding the ecm/pcm.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 30 mph he engaged the accelerator pedal and it took a few seconds before the vehicle would accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who advised him that the transmission needed to be replaced and that the ecm card needed reprogramming. The failure started in June 2009. The vehicle was not repaired and the vehicle was not drivable. The failure and current mileages were 73,000. Updated 2/28/11 updated 03/07/11.

I have a 2003 Toyota Rav4, at 86600 miles it appeared my transmission was slipping, when I would pull out in front of anyone it was stall and slip while going into 1st and 2nd gear. (automatic transmission), the dealership (Toyota) said it was internal in the transmission so I took it to a transmission place, they said they could not find anything wrong with it. After review the complaints on the internet it seems that this is happening with Toyota's 2001 thru 2003 and it is the ecm that goes bad and if you drive your car it will tare up the transmission. I went back to Toyota and showed them the bulletin put out by Toyota and after some back and forth with them they installed me a new ecm, this was just 2 days ago, they are not sure if this will fix the problem or not, but I believe Toyota should recall these vehicles before someone get killed, this is a real expense to the car owners.

I have a 2003 Toyota Rav4- seems to be exact same problem everyone else is having--no problems until early this year 2008, transmission was skipping gear 2 to 3, took to mechanic then to transmission specialist, where the same procedure occurred. Computer chip replaced, few days later, same problem occurred. Transmission replaced at 89,000 miles, 3400 dollars total. Otherwise, the car is great. No accident, just too much hassle, money, and several stressful, scary rides home.

The consumer 2004 Toyota Rav4 burst into flames after having oil changed, destroying vehicle. The consumer had several problems with the dealer's service prior to this fire. She contacted the dealer and the told the that it was not their problem. The consumer spoke to another dealer who indicated that several Rav4's were catching on fir due to a faulty remote start and alarm, which the consumer had installed in her vehicle. The consumer request reimbursement for the damage.

As my husband and I drove we smelled a strange odor we thought it was the air outside. My husband noticed there was smoke rising from the hood. He drove to the shoulder and got out of the vehicle. Sparks began to appear and very quickly the entire car became engulfed. We were very luckily not to be injured. We lost a significant amount of our belongings. We were going away for the weekend to our home in PA. And were carrying clothing, luggage,etc. To store.

I am writing to let you know about my 2003 Rav4 ecm/transmission problem. I brought our Rav4 into our local Toyota dealership two times earlier this year, complaining of a lurching issue. After my third attempt to bring it in at 68,827 miles, mind you I had the platinum warranty which covers up to 75,000 miles, on June 9, 2009. After only being gone for 20 minutes after dropping it off, I got a phone call stating that nothing was wrong, when clearly, in the TSB it states it would take atleast 30 min to detect. Needless to say it was detected later that day. When the technician that fixed it, gave the car back to my wife, he told her that if this did not fix the problem then the transmission would need to be replaced. So far so good. . . . Until today, October 16. I took it in because it was having the same issues as before and slipping of the transmission. I brought it in and they finally came to that conclusion after having to take it out twice. When I left the last time, in June, they gave me the impression that anything that happens under this ecm chip would be covered under 80000 miles. I was at 79515 when I took it in. They informed me that the transmission was not covered by any warranty, including my platinum warranty that I had. I asked them if the ecm chip would have caused the damage, and atleast three assistant service managers told me that there was no relation between the chip and the transmission failure. Upon further investigation, Toyota stated in a nytimes article that the chip would cause transmission damage. Needless to say I am expected to pay $3700 dollars for a new transmission that has failed due to the lack of attention in changing the ecm chip. Yeah!!!!.

S10 appropriate handling-letter to the secretary from re Toyota problems 2003 Toyota Rav4. The consumer stated when plugged into the electric charging system, the vehicle rolled away. The consumer stated it can happen if the gear is inadvertently shifted out of park and into neutral if the vehicle is parked on a slight slope.