The problem started after 4 years, it was obvious and very annoying after 5 years 72k (warranty expired). Took the car to Toyota Erin Mills with expired warranty, the tech confirmed that few other RAV4s have the same issues , so they've extended the warranty on the torque converter with no additional cost. I was disappointed with Toyota quality, and happy with the resolution of Toyota Erin Mills.
2013 Toyota Rav4 - shudders around 40mph. It will happen on acceleration while cruising around 35-40mph. Once it reaches 45-50+ it stops on high speeds. Torque Converter going bad. Please recall.
Had my Transmission Fluid Changed. NO FLUSH. Added Instant Shudder Fix that comes in a tube $10 Bucks
Dealership couldn't diagnose the problem and noted it. The torque converter failed 5 months later on vacation. Took three weeks to order parts and fix the car. When they reinstalled the transmission the misaligned the shifter slider and when I took it back they said that it was unrelated to the repair.
I purchased a used- one owner RAV4 XLE AWD in Virginia. Good CARFAX history, no issues. After having it for a week I noticed in ECO Mode and regular mode a rumble from 1500 to 2000 RPM's from as slow as 15mph to about 40 when accelerating. In Googling the issue and lot of people mentioned the torque converter. I took the car into the dealer and he agreed and replaced the converter at no cost to me since I had just bought the car. The part had to be ordered and the service tech said that torque converters in RAV's rarely fail. Hope he is right.
- William D.,
Midlothian, VA, US
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
This looks like a typical problem with RAV4s that if you run them in ECO mode torque converter will go away! It looks like car tries to run in higher gears which will damage torque converter. I was getting vibration and rattling in speeds between 40-60 and low RPM. Try not to save on gas by running your car in normal mode, this is the solution!
I got lucky with this as the warranty was still good for another 5000 miles. I have never had a torque converter go bad never mind at 55000 miles. Makes me nervous after I saw another vehicle getting the same work done. They extended the warranty by 12000 miles or 1 year. This vehicle just isn't up to the old Toyota standards. I shifted to Toyota many years back because of crappy American made quality. My last one has 340,000 miles with no major problems. Not convinced the new Toyota's are at the same standard unfortunately.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Transmission shutter around 30 - 40mph. Expected the worse because I never had the Transmission oil changed or flushed.
Took it to MK Matic Transmission in Dubuque, Iowa. They said it was very dirty. Flushed it and replaced with brand new.
They drove it after service and said shutter immediately went away. My wife has driven it for a couple days now and still seems to be ok.
Moral of the story; service Rav 4 transmission when is says to and keep it out of eco mode.
- Robert C., La Motte, IA, US