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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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Toyota RAV4 engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments

problem #1

Dec 312002

(reported on)

RAV4

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Consumer stated the vehicle that he purchased did not come equipped with cruise control, so the dealer offered to add it, it was soon discovered that the cruise control was faulty, when the cruise control is actuated to maintain a certain speed, in order to stay with the flow of traffic the vehicle accelerates 3-4 mph above the desired speed then drops back 3-4 mph below the desired speed, then slowly moves up to the desired speed, the second cruise control was installed and acted exactly as the first, in the end the consumer was informed that the universal cruise control was not compatible with the consumer's vehicle and if a unit became available the dealer would install the new unit.

- Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

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