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Toyota RAV4 Transmission Troubles

2

Comments

  • bbeekbbeek Member Posts: 1
    If you have a 2001-2003 RAV4 that has had a transmission problem due to a defective ECM, Toyota will pay for the entire repair. Please see this article for details. You can call the Toyota Customer Experience Center in Torrance, CA. to go over exactly what documentation is needed to get a refund. I will be getting $4300 back for my transmission and ECM repair. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/toyota-extends-warranty-on-troubled-2- 001-3-rav4/
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Thanks for the link. Interesting that CARB in California put the pressure on and Toyota responded by extending the warranty to owners nationwide. Good to see.
  • liujnliujn Member Posts: 27
    My wife complained about her 2001 Rav4 3 weeks ago. She is senseless to cars so when she used word - STALLING, I knew something really bad was happening, so I took a test drive immediately. The car had 89K of miles and didn’t have any problems in its almost 10 years of life. During a 7 miles trip, I hit this problem 4 times. In one occasion, I was almost hit by another car because when I step on the gas, engine rev up but the car doesn’t move. Worse, the tranny behaved like its going to fall apart. I said to myself, oh-oh, this is going to cost me. Stepped into the house and worried, suddenly, I remembered a ECM extend warranty letter I received last year. Bing-go! I pulled out the letter, read 3 times. What a horrible explanation of the symptom! Searched online including this site, I was able to link ECM issue to our problem. Today, I took the car to a nearby Toyota dealer. Up front, they asked me to sign a paper work for $59 checkup fee. I asked, “Will I be charged if the problem is covered by the extend warranty.” No, service manager said. “Good, I also hope I won’t walk out of here with a broken wallet.” Two hours later, he stopped by and told me that they have replaced the ECM, reprogrammed it, test drove the car and washed the car; the problem is fixed at no cost. I couldn’t be happier. The invoice said that dealer charged Toyota $800 for the job. Two months before the extended warranty expires, our car exhibited the problem and was fixed at no cost. Thanks to the class action filed by owners who made Toyota bend.
  • telynnbtelynnb Member Posts: 1
    Back in August 2010 took my 2002 Rav4 into the dealer to check engine light on & "slippage" I was feeling in the transmission. I had received the notice about the ECM. Dealership said they would check and if it was the ECM there would be no charge and it would be replaced. Came back and said "The Codes showed it was a canister hose leaking not the ECM" issue but recommended transmission flush, etc. which I did. The Canister hose replacement would be $400+ for a $125.00 hose. I had them on other occaisions prior to this look at the engine light being on and it was always said to be the gas cap issue. Took it to another mechanbis who checked and could not find any hose leakage or breakdown. The this week, with 79,900 miles...the slippage started again and when the mecanic drove it sounded like the transission would fall apart!!! AM FURIOUS that, after researching this site and others, that Toyota knew how bad this issue was and did'nt investigate my complaint further back in August!!! Am now on hold whether to go ahead and take it to transmission specialist to have checked, or back to dealership. The service manager won't be in until Monday...so I will be calling him..and also Toyota's Customer Service in Ca. as listed here. Any suggested form you all will be appreciated. Have copied the info here and have my copy of the work order from August cearly stating I complained of feeling transmission slip!
  • rickwhitneyrickwhitney Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the problem that a lot of you are talking about, however, not getting support from Toyota on it. I know my case might be a stretch, but is anyone else having the experience that I'm having...erratic check engine light, not informed of warranty extension, etc? You can see details of my case here:

    http://www.rickwhitney.com/offline/toyota-my-rav4-transmission-problem-help-plea- se/

    Any help or insight would be much appreciated! Thanks a lot.
    Rick
  • gonz3gonz3 Member Posts: 5
    Hello Rick.

    About getting help for implementing the warranty, I guess that you will unfortunately have no success, as many of us have tried before with no luck. There was even a class action attempt and none have progressed.

    Lots and lots of dealers, either do not know about this or are just ignoring it, but believe me, most will bring no help at all, even telling them the whole story. I just don't know what are they up to about this.

    One thing that they said to you is true and it is that if you keep using your RAV4 like that, you will have a dead transmission soon. In my case, everything was as you described and it all suddenly disappeared for good after bringing my ecu to the guys I mentioned above in post #54.

    Believe me, you will feel so good at driving it after their service, that you will forget all about the whole issue and move on.

    I was very happy because in my case, the issue was so annoying that I was almost sure that it was the transmission, but it wasn't and these guys were not even expensive.

    Just my 2 cents,

    R. Gonzalez
  • austinsaustins Member Posts: 9
    Alldata.com is a great site for checking out TSBs for your specific vehicle. Another site is Autobeef.com, it has an extensive database of owner-submitted problems and also gives you a breakdown of the top problem vehicles, etc.
  • jnb757jnb757 Member Posts: 3
    Hi,..
    In April 2009 my transmission blew on my 02 RAV4.. when it was towed to AAMCO there were 5 other Rav's with the same issue.. Trans was relaced... flatbedded to Toyota and an new ECM put in.. 18 months later? They repaid me... HOWEVER.... the new (or supposedly new) ECm started gived errors and AAMCO inspected the car 2 times and replaced a solenoid valve.. In May 2011 I took the car to Toyota and the dealer told me the ECM was defective... I had to pay $1000 & Toyota said "sorry" you were covered the first time and now the car has more than 150,000 miles Tough Sh--... I just brought the car back AGAIN because the banging on the O/D was getting bad and now? They tiold me I knew a new transmission AGAIN... And I called Toyota and their answer was "Sorry"... Is anyone interested in beginning another class action suit? The additude by TMC is so uncaring 3 times they replaced the ECM and now it has damaged the transmission AGAIN but they claim "it's not their problem' PLEASE can ANYONE help...
  • beaker30beaker30 Member Posts: 2
    My mother's RAV4 pooped out this week with the ECM problem. We found this forum and contacted Toyota who was doing just fine in resolution until they decided they weren't going to cover the repair because the car, while a '01 model year, was purchased in Nov. 2000. Had it sat on the lot for eight more weeks, no problem, but since the person she bought it from bought it early (as a fleet vehicle), she's S.O.L.

    Keep this little tidbit in mind. We're currently in talks with a lawyer. I'd love to see that company try to defend that ridiculousness in court.
  • mdoyelmdoyel Member Posts: 1
    I am currently going through the same issue. I would love to know how things are progressing with the lawyers, because I may be interested in doing the exact same thing. I am a college student, where i need to drive back to school and im left without a car to get back if they decide not to fix my car. I was quoted by an automotive shop for $5189 to fix the ECU and transmission due to this very recall which I was never informed about by Toyota.
  • rrocksrrocks Member Posts: 13
    beaker30, Before Toyota fixed my Rav4 I was quoted $1300 to fix the problem with the shifting of gears (slipping and slow shift). This did not involve a new transmission. I also learned that some non-Toyota shops didn't know what they were doing on this front.
  • juliaannjuliaann Member Posts: 2
    Just was so encouraged to see everyone's struggles with the Rav4. We purchased ours used- with no warning about the known transmission/computer issues- several years ago and have the 2003 model. It's been unreliable for a year now and we just drive it locally within 30min radius of where we live...don't trust it anymore than that. (have a second car thank goodness) Pretty much driving it-the RAV4- into the ground since we dont have the 6000 to throw into it to fix like we've been quoted.

    We're having all the problems afore said in the blogs with the computer/transmission jerking, slow acceleration at stoplights etc. Some days better than others dependent on the heat/cold but the slow acceleration seems to be a mainstay now. We really need our RAV4 as a second vehicle so that's why we've been on the road with it babying it carefully and cautiously.

    Where do we begin this process of getting it fixed WITHOUT OUR PAYING FOR IT????? We were told that we were over warranty and over mileage and that toyota wouldn't pay for it. We really need our 4WD for this coming winter's 2 hour commutes at times as it's just around the corner for where we live in snowland and we have an extra baby on the way in addition to a 3 year old so will be needing more passenger room sooner than later than the other spare vehicle/junker we are currently driving in the absence of the reliability of our 03 RAV4 for long distances and snowy weather.

    If anyone has any updates on the current status of the class action lawsuit that's been filed, please let us know...we don't really know much about how to get involved in this whole thing, we just want to have our RAV4 fixed before the snow flies in a couple months or have it replaced or something! It would seem to me that in a lawsuit, we wouldn't get it operational like it should be by this winter-which is our greatest push at this point...since lawsuits can take years sometimes? Well, we are totally open to advice on this subject as we are pulling for all sorts of options for the deadline of this winter and our commutes. Just not much "mulah"(money) to work with at all!!!!!!

    If we did get involved in the lawsuit, what would be the perks? Seems that sometimes people get next to nothing in the settlements after a case like this? ...Compared to all the money they sank into the payments for the vehicle not to mention repairs etc.???? and then there's the lawyer fees????? I don't know if we understand this all right, but we are open to suggestions---like I said earlier!

    Thanks for your help! :cry:
  • rrocksrrocks Member Posts: 13
    juliaann- Once Toyota fixed my RAV4 it ran really well -- I sold it a few months later and was surprised by how it held its value. I believe the extended warranty for that shifting problem was 10 years or 150,000 miles, so unless you are past the 150, you should be covered. In my experience, an independent shop didn't do well with this problem and it was the toyota dealer service that took care of it. The website below has an article about it and there are links to two jpg pages with a Toyota bulletin and a warranty extension statement. I printed that warranty extension and handed it to the dealer when I dropped off the car.

    http://qcwo.com/technicaldomain/harsh-shifting-problems-on-toyota-rav-automatic-- transmission-and-problem-repair
  • juliaannjuliaann Member Posts: 2
    Thanks "rrocks"!

    I just looked at the info you shared and discovered from my hubby that we are at 210,000miles! I guess that's way over the 150,000 miles limit! I am reminded now that is the reason we were turned down from toyota in the past, just the local dealerships we have had contact with. We might start looking into the lawsuit? Thanks for your input...it was encouraging till I found out about our high mileage!!!!! :-) We'll keep pluggin away!
  • wilinmspwilinmsp Member Posts: 2
    edited September 2011
    On my 2001 RAV. So apparently someone already started one ... There is a four page leaflet on the ECM class action lawsuit so way too long to post here. However, if you don't get one soon, here is an address for info: Toyota RAV 4 ECM Settlement Claims Administrator, P.O. Box 905, El Segundo, CA 90245-0905. Here is a phone number for info: 877-235-4599. And website is: www.RAV4ECMSettlement.com. ;)
  • speedracer83speedracer83 Member Posts: 1
    OMG, i think i might have the story to top em all. Please let me know how we can get invovled and save ourselves $5500 to replace this mess.

    June 2011 transmission cooked, replaced by Toyota quickly. THank you Toyota, it only cost us a week with no car and a huge headache.

    Sept 2011 Transmission slips on highway. Engine rods are likely COOKED. Dealer says it will cost me $1200 to take apart engine to build a case that the transmission faults caused the engine rods to bend and break.

    So now i can either pay $5500 to replace the engine. Or $1200 to TRY and prove that Toyota's Transmission problem (although fixed on their dime) also cooked my engine in the recent gear slip on the highway. I find it just to ironic after reading all these posts.

    I am calling the 877-235-4599 number and visiting Rav4ecmsettlement.com at lunch break!

    Any other advise? :sick:
  • 2003rav42003rav4 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 rav with 150k miles and all the same crazy symptoms. To make long story shorter... I just took out my ECU myself. (there is a step by step instructional video on YouTube that inspired me.I then bought an upgrade service from OtherDeal.com
    It cost me $250. Plus shipping to Puerto Rico
    It took about a week to get back. I put it back in last night and so far so good. All the symptoms seem to be gone. The check engine light even came off for the first time. I need to get my inspection sticker tomorrow. The car now even goes in reverse like a normal car. No slamming into gear.
    I then will fill out a claim form to try to get reimbursement from Toyota .
    Good luck people.
    P.s. The ECU is behind the glove compartment and not too hard to get to.
  • fbf1248fbf1248 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 2001 RAV4 purchased as a lease trade in from a toyota dealer in 5/2003. Has 109,000 and is maintained 100%. On Thursday, September 15, 2011 (yes, 2011) i rec'd the class action suit letter regarding the ecm. Can't even believe the car began exhibiting signs of issues just a couple of days later on Satuday. Stopped driving it as it was at the mechanic. It through the ecm code and as per the service center at the deal it was towed it as it was covered. Got a call stating that the new date of the car was 5/31/2001, so i missed the conditions of the class action suit and extened warrantly by just 5 months.
    they basically said i was SOL as i did not use the deal for maintainence. It didn't matter to them that we have purchased 3 toyotas from them, just that i didn't do service there. they will gladly do the ecm for over $1000, but, it that doesn't work, it will be my financial burden to cover the transmissiom repair. It made no difference that i had received the letter or that they told me to have the car towed there for repair. toyota....you suck. anyone having similiar issues, i'd jump on board. I can't understand how i didn't get notification until 2011 for a known problem for at least 5 years. the time line of warranty extention of 10 years on a 2001 is curious.
  • wishewwishew Member Posts: 2
    What happened with your case?
    I just dealt with a similar situation, but in my case it was only 9 days over the warranty period! Mine is a 2002 car and was bought on Oct.1 2001(which I didn't know beforehand, because I'm not the original owner). The transmission problems started on Sept 30, 2011 only ONE DAY before the enhanced warranty expired! Unfortunately, I was going out of the country on Sept 30 for 9 days, so couldn't bring it in until Oct 10. (IF I had known when exactly the car was purchased, I would have tried to get in before I left!)
    When I brought it in on Oct 10, what they ended up doing was, Toyota covered the cost of the ECM, but I paid $240 for labor. I didn't know if I should try to argue the point and try to get them to pay the entire amount, but I need to have my car working, so I agreed to the $240 and was happy to not have to pay the full amount (which would have been over $1100, according to them). But the timing was sooo close to the deadline I feel the pain!
    I also feel that $240 was a lot for the labor, since it only took them an hour to do the work.
  • wishewwishew Member Posts: 2
    In my case it was only NINE days over the warranty period.
    Mine is a 2002 Rav4 and was bought on Oct.1 2001 (which I didn't know beforehand, because I'm not the original owner). The transmission problems started on Sept 30, 2011 only ONE DAY before the enhanced warranty expired! (talk about timing!)Unfortunately, I was going out of the country on Sept 30 for 9 days, so couldn't bring it in until Oct 10. (IF I had known when exactly the car was purchased, I would have tried to get it in before I left!)
    When I brought it in on Oct 10, what they ended up doing was, Toyota covered the cost of the ECM, but I paid $240 for labor. I didn't know if I should try to argue the point and try to get them to pay the entire amount, but I need to have my car working, so I agreed to pay the $240 and was happy that they didn't try to make me to pay the full amount (which would have been over $1100, according to them). But the timing was sooo close to the deadline I feel the pain!
    I also feel that $240 was a lot for the labor, since it only took them an hour to do the work.
    What do you think? Did I get a good deal, or should I have tried harder for the full warranty coverage?
  • beaker30beaker30 Member Posts: 2
    There's a class action settlement letter floating around. I don't have a copy of it but my mother received it while we were reading our fight. She's covered under that letter. You probably are too. Toyota is paying for all related costs, is my understanding.
  • blevinsslblevinssl Member Posts: 2
    I just received a letter from Toyota saying that I am eligible to be included in a class action lawsuit against Toyota for those who had to replace or repair the transmission on a 2002 Rav4. Unfortunately, in August of 2007, I had my Toyota towed to the dealership and followed behind it because my instinct told me that this kind of thing shouldn't happen on a vehicle that's only 5 years old and had been well maintained. As with many of you, I was told that I would have to pay for the replacement of the transmission AND that the warranty had expired, so I had no recourse.

    At that time, I was in no position to be without a vehicle. They promised me that they'd take good care of me. By this point, I was in tears and told the manager my concern about getting a decent deal on another car because I was obviously stuck. Of course they reassured me and seemed very nice at the time. My mom co-signed for me on a new vehicle since I was upside down still on my load for the RAV4.

    Once I saw that legal action was impending, I started to wonder if they gave me the value of a 2002 RAV4 utility with upgrades minus a working transmission or not. (I'm guessing not.) So I found my original bill of sale. I purchased a new vehicle on August 4, 2007. The only thing wrong with my RAV4 other than the transmission was a small dent in the rear bumper. Everything else was in great condition. They gave me $5000 for the vehicle. I've researched online to try to find the 2007 version of Blue Book so I know whether or not I should pursue legal action. Any advice out there? Is anyone else in the same boat?

    Thank you so much!
  • jnb757jnb757 Member Posts: 3
    Hi...
    Well $5k was not a great deal...BUT? The dealer knew it needed $5k of work(their cost was maybe $3k) and it was trade in value which is always lower...
    I had mine done.. they repaid me.. the new ECM failed 2 years later Toyota sent another fefective ECM to replace a defective one .....But new ones was Out of warranty (1yr) but it damaged the trans AGAIN and I got the class action suit that says Sorry we only pay once... but now? I had to buy new ECM & $3600 for new trans... so my only recourse is small claims court..
  • jnb757jnb757 Member Posts: 3
    Hi... Toyota replaced the ECM & trans and paid me for it... The problem? The new ECM failed 2 years later and damaged the trans... so now I have to pay for both(settlement says when they pay? Thats it... and my mileage is now past their 150k warranty but the ECM only had 40k on it.. same with trans.Toyota said sorry... not our problem The dealer is GREAT and has been trying to help but to no avail..
    ..anyone have any ideas what to do? Small claims court>
  • gonz3gonz3 Member Posts: 5
    Well, I received this reply from Richard from RAV4 Repair when asking him about this new issue.

    "Yes, I have heard and seen that new ECMs are failing for the same in about one or two years. Unfortunately, odd as it may sound, this is happening some times. The truth is that Toyota improved the process of manufacturing those ECMs, so this problem does not resurface again and it is a good thing, but it is also true, that while those newly manufactured ECMs will not fail again, there are plenty of ECMs from the "old batch" in the shelfs, awaiting to be sold.

    I have seen both upgraded and not upgraded ECMs and there really exists a difference between both. So I can not tell for sure, but I guess that ECMs that failed again were from the "old batch".

    The problem is the cost of a new ECM from the "new batch" and the fact that there is no easy way that we know, for identifying one from the other, unless opening it and an experimented technician inspects the circuit.

    I guess that the best thing to do is "properly" repairing and reprogramming the one that you already have and it will not fail again. Just do it before the transmission fails and you will be save from many headaches.

    As I always mention, these RAV4 vehicles are excellent. Their only flaw is at its ECM computer. Do not dump it for something that can be easily solved.
    "
  • blevinsslblevinssl Member Posts: 2
    So sorry to hear that. I think I'm done with Toyota after all of this. The reliability scares me, not to mention that the resale is probably horrible now with all of the bad press. Good luck in small claims court if you pursue that.
  • rav4victimrav4victim Member Posts: 1
    I received the paper asking me to enter in the lawsuit, but have lost it. Does anyone have the information. I had a Rav 4, 2001 and it started about 160,000 miles, they told me that it had to be 150,000. Seems like if it was a defect it was a defect. And after I brought it to the dealer to check on it, it was immediately worse, and then totally gone 3 days later. Funny how that happens.
  • bseskafbseskaf Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I am new here, have a question. Are all these transmission/ECM problems (2001-2003) limited to only AUTOMATIC transmission (2001-2003), or also MANUAL transmission? Reason I ask -- I am interested in purchasing a MANUAL transmission 2003 RAV4L, and want to make sure that I will not be encountering this problem, and thought someone on this discussion would know/best.... Thank you in advance for any replies.
  • donewithtoyodonewithtoyo Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2001 RAV and and at only 72,000 miles the transmission went out. Toyota quoted me $4,500 for a new transmission and a $1,000 for a new ECM. I took the car to a recommended transmission shop and had it done for less than $3,000. They then told me not to drive it until Toyota replaced the ECM so we towed it there. Two days later they tell me the ECM doesn't need to be replaced. I drove it home and 4 blocks from home it started doing the same thing again. No first gear, then a pop, then the car shimmies, then it regains first gear long enough for me to get home the rest of the way. I am so frustrated I can't even think straight. I'm into rental cars about $600. Two tows from home to the transmission shop and from the transmission shop to the dealer. Two weeks of up and down scheduling to get repairs done. Toyota says, "you don't need a new ECM." and here I am. I am p***ed! This is an AUTOMATIC transmission. I will NEVER buy another RAV or a Toyota and I LOVE MY RAV. They are crooks!
  • daisychaindaisychain Member Posts: 1
    So, the transmission on my 2001 RAV4 seems to have gone out- Only has 81,000 on it...but now is 11 years old...so just a few months out of warranty...but my question is this...would I be covered under the settlement/ enhanced warranty? The website says "Toyota will continue to provide a warranty enhancement to any class member for a period of 10 years or 150,000 miles from the class vehicles in service date, whichever occurs first..." Today would technically be my "in service date" as I brought the vehicle in this morning...no? Help anyone?
  • donewithtoyodonewithtoyo Member Posts: 6
    Oh I feel so sorry for you. I saved money by having my transmission rebuilt. The transmission shop owner told me to get the ECM fixed before I drive it. However, two Toyota dealers says that without the error code they cannot replace the ECM. Since they are the only ones who can touch the ECM, I am SOL. Between tows, rental cars and transmission rebuild I am into this for over $4,000 and now am faced with the transmission at risk because the dealer will NOT replace the ECM, even though I offered to pay for it. The corporate office said they would NOT pay for any of the transmission repairs or the ECM. I will submit my transmission repair bill along with my story to the Class Action Lawsuit which stays open until 2014. That's the only chance I have to get my money back.
  • aliceb47aliceb47 Member Posts: 1
    I read your post and was wondering how to go about getting a check on my 2002 RAV4's transmission. I was just told by a reputable transmission company that I needed a new transmission.
    My car started bucking and gasping for gas everytime I slowed and excellerated or came to a complete stop. I immediately took it to my mechanic who had the pan dropped and transmission checked. But to no avail; I was told it was shot & needed to be replaced.
    I have been checking online for any information about recalls on this make & model (RAV4 2002).
    Can you give me any help ?
  • sweetred69sweetred69 Member Posts: 1
    I have an opportunity to purchase a 2002 RAV4 with 57,500 miles on it. The dealership has confirmed that the engine control module was reprogrammed in August 2007. According to the Carfax, the vehicle has been driven for more than 20,000 miles since that repair. Is this enough to ensure that I will not experience these transmission issues or is it possible that I could still experience them? Please let me know, as I am really interested in purchasing this vehicle. Thank you.
  • mpgrigsbympgrigsby Member Posts: 1
    i have a 202 RAV 4 - how do I find out if it's still under warranty
  • donewithtoyodonewithtoyo Member Posts: 6
    10 years or 150,000 miles. I had 10.4 years at 71,000 miles.
  • sunstar9211sunstar9211 Member Posts: 2
    My 01 Rav4, 72000 miles is awesome, always has been. I took it to trade up to a Tacoma and when they test drove it, found a clunk when putting it in reverse. I was astonished. I had done the recall for the computer a couple years ago, asymptomatic. Why, the day I go to trade it in, do we find a problem....?

    So my question is, after consulting the Rav4ECMsettlement.com and listening to the frequently asked questions from the toll-free line.... How long is it taking to get reimbursed? I haven't actually gotten it fixed yet, but is sounds like I have to fork out a lot of money!
  • sunstar9211sunstar9211 Member Posts: 2
    Update: I traded my Rav4 in with the broken transmission back in May 2012, they gave me $9985 trade in for it toward a new Tacoma, I was/am overly satisfied!
  • gaz222gaz222 Member Posts: 1
    Hi
    I am driving a 97/98 plate rav 4 for the last 6b months with no problems. But last night driving on the motorway, I started to hear a high pitched squeal from behind my dash which changed in pitch whenever I put or took my foot on the gas. I was thinking possible fan belt issue. However, about 20mins later, it popped out of 5th gear which was a bit scary on the motorway at 70mph!!

    Now, it won't stay in 5th gear but all the gears work fine and there is no apparent change in how it handles. The high pitched whine is still there also.

    Any ideas what this is

    Thanks in advance.
    Paul.
  • grizzlyadamsgrizzlyadams Member Posts: 1
    My 2007 RAV 4 sometimes Jumps out of Reverse when I hit the accelerator harder than normal. The transmission is an automatic and does not slip and changes gears fine otherwise. Any ideas. I don't want to have to rebuild it for one mechanical problem. Does anyone know what may be causing this?
  • doodledrbdoodledrb Member Posts: 1
    We had a problem with our 2003 rav 4 transmission. It was the computer sending the wrong signal to the transmission. After the dealership told us the thing cost over $1000 and also said the transmission would have to be repaired. We called toyota. National. They said there was a bulletin about and that the dealere should know about it. the dealer suddenly remembered the bulletin after we said we called toyota. They replaced it for free because if it was less than 10 years old and had less than 150,000 miles. At that point the dealer couldn't find anything wrong with the transmission. It works like new now.
  • donewithtoyodonewithtoyo Member Posts: 6
    You were lucky. The dealerships act like cheating spouses - deny deny deny even at times when faced with the truth. I bought a new Toyota and traded in my bad one and got full blue book for it. Now they will have to deal with it. I will check online for recalls every 6 months from now on. I was only at 75,000 miles on a 2001 RAV. They wouldn't budge because I was over the 10 year limit by two months. If the RAV wasn't such a good car (usually), I would never deal with Toyota again.
  • grngogrngo Member Posts: 2
    Tim N - Automotive Scientific Inc. http://www.autoecu.com/

    I just left feedback on eBay, but only 80 characters doesn't do it justice so I want to tell you my whole story and encourage you to share it with potential customers on your website or any other way you wish.

    I purchased a 2003 RAV4 in Houston in January of 2011 with the intention of shipping it to Costa Rica after driving it in Houston for 8 or 9 months. It had just under 90,000 miles on it when I purchased and ran great. The transmission was a little rough shifting on cold mornings, but I didn't give it much thought. In September 2011 I shipped the RAV to Costa Rica with 100,000 miles on it and drove it here from October until last Saturday (3/16/13) when the transmission started to act up at 103,000. Hard shifting, not shifting out of first, down shifting on hills even though I had already manually shifted to 2nd. My first thought was low fluid since I had driven it really hard in the hills here using second gear most of the time to climb and brake on the downhill. Well I went straight home and parked the car. Checked the fluid and it was clean and full.

    At that point I went to the Google and discovered the ECU issue with this model. It sounded right on, and while my logical mind can't quite comprehend a computer failure of this nature based on higher mileage, I decided it must the problem. Although the Check engine light hadn't come on before, it did come on when I moved the car about 300 feet just to park in a better location. I didn't even bother checking the code. I just instinctively knew based on all I read that it was the ECU failure. Then I went back to Google and began shopping for a replacement. I found $1200 new, $1050 new at discount parts outlets, $250 to $500 rebuilt. Then I found Automotive Scientific Inc at $129 free shipping and no core charge. I have to say I was skeptical since I sometimes believe we get what we pay for, but the feedback was good and I felt it was worth a shot. I didn't even bother to shop here in CR knowing there is no way I would beat this price, even with added shipping and duty.

    First, I ordered on Sunday. You called and emailed me Monday morning for my VIN to verify the correct unit was shipped. Next, you shipped immediately. Since I am in Costa Rica and use a freight forwarding company, there are added expenses and time. One big added expense is import duty which of course is based on value. Obviously the lower price drastically reduces the duty. I use Aero Postal / Aero Casillas for shipping from Florida to Costa Rica. I ordered from you Sunday 3/18. You shipped 3/19. UPS delivered to AeroCasilles in Miami 3/21. The unit arrived in San Jose 3/22 and I picked it up here in Ciudad Quesada this morning 3/23 at 10AM. Shipping, duty and taxes were $40. Total investment $170. My wife asked on the way home from picking up the part if I was sure that was the problem. My response, even if it isn't, its worth the cost to get it off the list of possible problems since a transmission shop would want to sell me one anyway at a much higher cost.

    Installation took less than one hour thanks to a YouTube video by one of your pricey competitors. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQIFV5JOfg ) By 11:30 I was test driving and by Noon I was convinced the project was a success.

    THANK YOU,

    Michael

    cc: Friends, Facebook, Costa Rica Living
  • tmmortmmor Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone,
    So I just learned about the transmission problems with the select 2001-2003 models, a little late unfortunately. I took my car into Aamco to get it looked at b/c it wasn't shifting properly and they told me they needed to rebuild the transmission and remove damaged parts and replace the ECM, for an estimated $2700-3500. My car has 157K miles so it's past the enhanced warranty. I still called Toyota HQ to see if there was anyway they could help. I had never received any notification about the problem, they claimed to have sent it out July 2010 and I never go to dealerships b/c they're so expensive. They said no. I said I was willing to pay 50%, a compromise, since it's a defect in the system. They didn't care. My car had been jerking into reverse for awhile but I didn't think anything of it. When it started to rev up when I pushed on the gas and it took a while to shift and did so harshly, I decided to take it in. Has anyone had better luck with Toyota? Any suggestions? Is that price reasonable? I am a full-time student on loans so money is really tight and I know nothing about cars. Thanks!
  • grngogrngo Member Posts: 2
    If you didn't drive much after symptoms started the transmission may not be damaged. Good luck.
  • gene107gene107 Member Posts: 1
    a friend of mine has a 2003 Rav4, her transmission went out 3 months past the 10 year limit, Toyota won't do anything to help. any suggestions on what she can do? Dealer quoted her $5k to repair
  • 2003rav42003rav4 Member Posts: 2
    I got my ECU reprogrammed online at Rav4repair.com. It cost me approximately $250. And I had to send the ECU to Puerto Rico. It came back in less than a week. I watched a video on You Tube that showed me how to remove it. It is located behind the glove compartment. Once I put in the reprogrammed ECU the car drove awesome thereafter. No more Check Engine light, jumping in reverse, clicking, etc. the best money I ever spent. The icing on the cake? I got reimbursed by Toyota for the $250 because I was right under the 150,000 miles by a couple hundred miles! I will never buy another Toyota after all this because they were so sneaky... It should have been a recall in the 1'st place.
  • donewithtoyodonewithtoyo Member Posts: 6
    edited September 2013
    After I spent 4 grand at a local transmission shop, it was still giving me trouble because there is an issue with the EGM computer I think is what I remember and the dealer swore that wasn't the problem. I tried everything and toyota was not helpful one bit. I only had 71,000 miles. I went to a local dealer and traded it in for a brand new RAV. I made sure I got no less than 80% value for my car off the sticker price. It was my weird way of forcing THEM to deal with their own mess, while I walk away with a new car. What else was there? I've done my part about warning other people. That's all I can do. However, my next car will be from another company, maybe Honda.
  • jamievsjamievs Member Posts: 2
    I have the same issue.....my 2002 just started having tranny issues shifting in 1st & 2nd...it's at the mechanic. In 6/08 Toyota did a "Perform Recall SSC601" on the ECM but no repair/replace was done. I am wondering if this qualifies as an original service date as specified in the settlement?
  • natraviolinatravioli Member Posts: 2
    Well it finally happened to me. The transmission has been hanging then jerking for about 2 weeks on my Rav 4 2001. Put in the shop this morning and just go the sad news. The trans needs replacing (they do not rebuild) for about $2000, maybe more once they find an available trans in our area.

    Oh yeah. I wasn't surprised just still in sticker shock. Can't complain. The car has been WONDERFUL. I've spent practically no money on it the entire time i've had it - 6 yrs. It was my aunt's car before and she didn't spend money on it either except for oil change, tires, brakes, etc. just like me.

    I didn't know anything about these probs though until i began researching a couple of nites ago. How come we didn't receive anythng from Toyota on this?
  • donewithtoyodonewithtoyo Member Posts: 6
    I'm sorry. You didn't say how many miles you had on it. I'd just be interested in knowing that if you want to tell me. The RAV4 transmission is controlled by a thing they call the ECM, Electronic Control Module. According to my research, a faulty computer program is responsible for the transmission failures before their time is up. Supposedly, Toyota sent out a Recall notice but I never got one. I hope your repairs are only $2,000. After spending more than that, the same thing happened and Toyota said it's not the ECM. I am sticking to my story, "I think it was the ECM".
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