CarComplaints.com Notes: If you're looking for a vehicle with one of the most complained about transmission on the road, look no further than the 2001-2003 Toyota RAV4.
In 2001 Toyota completely redesigned the popular SUV. While some enjoyed the new look, they did not enjoy the harsh shifting, jumping from gear-to-gear and eventual transmission failure that cost owners well over $3,000 to fix. The problem stems from a malfunctioning Electronic Control Module (ECM).
Consumer outrage coupled with pressure from different agencies led Toyota to extend the warranty nationwide back in 2010. The previous power train warranty only covered 5 years/60,000 miles, while the extended warranty now covers the transmission and ECM for 10 years/150,000 miles. Toyota also pledged to reimburse any owners who had previously paid for repairs, if they had "proper proof". Good luck collecting on that one.
8.8
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,250
Average Mileage:
97,400 miles
Total Complaints:
137 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
not sure (56 reports)
rebuild the transmission, replace ECM (41 reports)
Toyota Extends Warranty on Troubled 2001-3 RAV4 - Toyota is extending the warranty on automatic transmissions and electronic control modules on almost one quarter of a million 2001-2003 RAV4s and offering to reimburse owners who had already paid for repairs.
We bought this 2002 RAV4 in June 0f 2013. It was used and only had 97,000 miles on it It is the L model with a manual transmission and sun roof. Oh boy, I thought. My experience with Toyotas "was" excellent. I drove the 22R trucks for years and they were awesome. Anyway, this car has been a disaster. It never shifted right and had to finally put a new clutch in at 140,000. (It should have been done at around
i like my toyota never had a problem until my transmission started going from first to third gear and clunking when put in reverse. my next all wheel drive will not be a toyota now its in the repair shop i am waiting for the ecm that i sent out to be repaired. i hope when i get it back it solves the problem
I'm so pissed off. After this started happening, I find out that Toyota has known about these problems for quite awhile and they are still on the road unfixed. I know that buying a used car you always take the risk of there being some problems, but a problem like this that can cause serious accidents and serious damage to your wallet should be taken care of by car dealerships before they are put back out on the road.
- Michael L.,
Bremen, OH, US
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Same as everyone! 2002 Rav 4, ECU failed, transmission got cooked, car lost power on the freeway and dropped speed rapidly before revving like crazy and jolting forward. Toyota totally uninterested, even had the nerve to stay "Toyota is unaware of any problems with the 2002 Rav 4 ECU"
I just bought a used Rav 4 and I already will have to go to a transmission shop. The car stays in 1st gear unreasonably long when you first start off in the morning. After it warms up, it doesn't continue, but I know it will cause damage if it is not fixed
I am sorry that I didn't see all the prior posts about this Rav 4 problem before I bought the vehicle. Very unhappy !!
this vehicle complaint is out of the covered warranty period, however with such low mileage for a garage kept car that was in perfect condition i strongly feel that Toyota should reimburse me for the repair. This Transmisson should have gone 250 thousand miles with minimal problems. I just had to vent on this. $1200 is 12 $100 bills.
Just got off phone with Toyota and of course the warranty of 10 yrs or 150,000 miles expired march 2012. I bought the car with 36,440 miles and the warranty applied to the first owner. Bought the car from a dealer in 2006 at which time I find out that the dealers had been notified of this shifting problem in2006. If owners had been aware of this, maybe we could have prevented the damage to our transmissions. It is a shame that Toyota will not step up to the plate and cover the expenses to fix this problem. I will never purchase another Toyota again, and I was just getting ready to trade this one in for a new Rav4, not now!!!!!
The transmission was slipping going from gear to gear. Sometimes, when first accelerating, it would start in 3rd gear rather than 1st gear. Consequently, there was no power. This car was definitely a safety hazard on the road. Because of a class action lawsuit against Toyota for this problem, Toyota extended their warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles whatever came first. Although my car only has 46,666 miles, the time exceeded the warranty by 5 months. Toyota refused to pay even though there was only 46,666 miles on the car! Toyota could care less about customer service. They have lost two customers--my husband and me. We both own Toyotas. However, we will not buy Toyotas in the future!!!
I LOVE MY LITTLE RAV4 but my transmission started to give me problems a few months after I bought it. When I first start to drive I cannot go to hard on the gas because when the transmission goes from first to second gear it really jerks and jumps. I have to let go the gas and go easy and from there it will be A OK, but there is no way that I am going to stay with this car for the next 10 years with that problem.
Toyota paid for ECM part I paid labor only after i went online and found out about this issue. Had I not they would have charged me $1,250.00 After putting in the new computer chip The dealership said it was good to go! After i got it back it still shifts hard and maybe slips between gears. I may need a whole new transmission but I can't afford it. They said it could cost $4,000 and not covered under any warranty. I'm really pissed because I have loved my car til this problem happened after owning it for 10 years and 1 month (not longer under toyotas extended warranty for this!) I'll never buy another Toyota given how they handled this problem!
After doing an internet search of the transmission problems I was experiencing with my TOYOTA RAV (2002), I was amazed with the number of complaints that TOYOTA owners were experiencing. I was always under the impression that TOYOTA was a reliable and customer service company. It appears that their quality control of this transmission problem has never been addressed or acknowledged by the company.
I have recently purchased a 2010 Toyota RAV 4 and having known what I know today about how the company is handling this 2002 transmission problem, I would have never purchased the newer RAV 4. I am disappointed with the company response to this issue and fear that this is a known safety issued that has not be dealt with. Unfortunately it will take a serious bodily accident as the result of the transmission malfunction in order to acknowledge the problem.
I paid 4200.00 for a transmission that I never needed. My rav4 wouldnt shift properly, it was shifting really hard so I thought it was the transmission. Well it turned out to be the ecm. Dealer quoted me 1565.00 for a new one. I found a company online and they fixed it in 2 days http://www.ecmoutlet.com/rav4-ecm.html Its been one month since the repair and it seems to be working great.
Like hundreds of other 2002 RAV4 owners I had the ecm fault wrecking the transmission problem. I caught it early in the transmission failure stage and my wise mechanic said. "Trade it in now while you can still drive it to the lot." Recommended solution! Worked like a charm to just buy a Realota. Alternatively try http://www.rav4ecu.net/documents/warranty.pdf
Toyota has apparently caved on this problem and issues an extended warranty. Good luck to you all.
I also had the same issue with my 2002 Toyota, Rav4, transmission. Out of the blue, it was no longer shifting. It was fine past 60mph on the highway, but anything in low gear was very hard to shift. I would have to push down very hard on the gas and the engine would rev up and then finally jerk into gear. I also called Toyota about it to check on a recall and was told it was not covered. I could take it in and pay to have them figure out the problem, but at that point I already had it at a mechanic who had the transmission rebuilt and a rebuilt ecm put in all for $1695 including labor. I was thrilled, as I really wanted to keep it at least another 2 years. I did check into a new car but figured it was best to keep this one and fix it rather than start all over with car payments. If any of you live in south FL and have this problem, I have a great mechanic who can help for less than 1/2 the cost of Toyota!
Just developed transmission problems (slipping in lower gears) on my 2002 Rav4 with 220,000 kilometers. Took it to my local Toyota dealer and they have agreed to replace both the ECM and the transmisson at zero cost. Mind you I had to remind them that I'd read about all the problems with the 2001-2003 Rav4s (ECM / transmission issues) and that Toyota USA had extended the warranty on this problem to 10 years or 150,000 miles before they looked into it further and discovered that Toyota Canada was following suit.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
did not expect from toyota to have transmission run out at low mileage.
- Henry S., VICTORIA, BC, Canada