transmission problem
9.1
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$2,147.00
Average Mileage:
85,635 miles
Number of complaints:
15 complaints
Most common solutions:
- engine control module was replaced (7 reports)
- not sure (6 reports)
- put in another ecm aft 7 mths (1 reports)
- replaced catalytic converter (1 reports)
Helpful Websites About 2002 Toyota RAV4 engine conrol module failure
2008Jun 18
RAV4 V4
- Automatic transmission
- 87,000 miles
Around 2 months ago our car started to bump, we did diagnostics paid 75$ and they said its the 2nd gear costs $2,000. So if this is a toyota mess up why are they not taking care of it? Please help
2008Jun 23
RAV4
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
While driving, my car decides to jerk and not accelerate, and of course almost causing an accident where I would have been killed or severely injured. I took it to a Foreign car specialist to have it diagnosed. There where no other symptoms like the engine light coming on or anything else. Anyway, he said it was the transmission. I then did research online, and stumbled across this website. What a blessing, that I'm not alone in this. I then went to the Toyota dealer where I bought my new car six yrs ago and had them diagnose the problem. First they tell me no code or shifting problems could be found. I was ticked that they wanted their $85 and couldn't even tell me what was wrong, but suggested it MIGHT BE the ECM. At $1500.00 they could replace it for me. Needless to say I spoke at that time to the General Manager, and had the tech person ride with me, and of course my car rode just fine. Left my car there for the week to have them drive it and figure out what the hell is wrong with it, they just called saying it was the ECM, and I get a discount of 250.00, so now I'm looking at only $1250.00 for their piece of work. I NEED TO KNOW FROM SOMEBODY WHO HAS JUST HAD THE ECM REPLACED, NOT REPROGRAMMED IF THEIR STILL HAVING PROBLEMS, AND IF SO DID THEY HAVE TO GO AND REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AFTERWARDS???????? EVERYONE NEEDS TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) THE MORE COMPLAINTS WE HAVE FILED THE MORE LIKELY OF HAVING TOYOTA PAY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE AND DANGEROUS TRANSPORTATION. IF ANYONE KNOWS OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT GOING ON, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE, GOT A FEELING WE WILL NEED IT.
2008Jun 02
RAV4
- Automatic transmission
- 129,000 miles
My problem with my beloved Toyota began on a recent trip to Florida. The day after we arrived, my 2002 Toyota rav 4 started jerking and not wanting to shift into 1st and 2nd gear as normal. The next day I took it to a dealership and they came back with a dreadful prognosis. New tranny, new ECM, and O2 sensor replacement; approximately $5k for the whole thing.
Obviously could not afford that, so I decided to get a second opinion on it. I then took it to AAMCO. After having them diagnose the problem as a bad O2 (reason for check engine light)sensor probably causing the ECM to malfunction, therefore causing the transmission to malfunction, they replace the O2 sensor for $250. After this supposedly fixed the problem, the rav 4 started doing the same thing again. So we took it back again, and this time AAMCO said that the problem now has to be the ECM causing the solenoids in the transmission to shift slow and hard between 1st and 2nd gear. ECM replacement will run about $1200. and even then a new ECM would still have to be programmed for another "nominal fee." I did not even ask about cost of replacing the solenoids.
I am upset with this problem because I trusted the quality and reliability of Toyota. Even thought My car has over 100K miles, I have faithfully maintained the vehicle since day 1 with regular oil changes and transmission fluid changes. Even a safeguarding transmission flush at 98k miles.
Since so many other Rav 4 owners have this problem, I hope that Toyota will step up to the plate and keep their loyal customers happy by ordering a recall for the ECM and transmission.
I am in the process of formally complaining to toyota about this issue, hoping possible for some recompense.
2008Apr 26
RAV4 2WD 1.8L 4-cyl
- Manual transmission
- 113,680 miles
To continue, I took the car to my mechanic and he scanned the car's computer and confirmed my finding. He went to an online database for Tech Bulletins issued by Toyota and found their recommended fix which ios to reprogram or replace the ECM with an upgraded ECM. The mechanic obtained the ECM from a Toyota dealer and installed the unit. He inspected the transmission and flushed the system for good measure to ensure no damage was sustained.
Prior to this Toyota issued a letter to bring the vehicle in for ECM reprogrammiing which I did. This was in December 2006. My questions are: Was it actually reprogrammed? If it was, why did this occur just the same? Could it be that the ECM was a lemon at the outset? If Toyota issued an upgraded ECM to replace the originally installed unit isn't it an acknowledgment that a lemon was installed?
I would really be interested in what consumer advocates say in a case like this.
2008Apr 26
RAV4 2WD 1.8L 4-cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 113,680 miles
One day I was driving and the car was running smoothly. After parking for a short period. I started the engine and when I shifted to drive I felt a sudden jolt when the gear passed thru "R". And when the shifter got into "D" the transmission was jerking. I repeated the process to confirm and it did feel like a transmission problem. From stop I and on "D" I stepped on the gas to move and I noticed a distinct hesitation by the transmission as if the gears did not engage.
This went on for about 20 miles until I reached home at which point I noticed the Check Engine Light was already on. I used my Carchip (a OBDII computer reader) to pull out a trouble code. The trouble code said the source of the problem is the transmission shift solenoid.
I took the car to my mechanic
2008May 12
RAV4
- Automatic transmission
- 83,264 miles
I own a RAV 2002 and I have the same problem as all other complaints for this particular model... the transmission is not shifting good it's bucking! Especially in smaller gears. I took it twice to Toyota dealer but each time they took it on a test drive it doesn't happen to them so the problem is... I'm crazy! A few months ago the check engine light was on but it went off by itself so I don't know what to tell them... I have read all other complaints about this problem but it's not clear to me what I have to replace to fix the problem forever. Do I have to replace the ECM or the whole transmission or computer. It's still under warranty for a few miles but I would really like to fix everything before it's over. The guys at dealer don't seems to have heard anything about that kind of problem when I explained it to them... or maybe they just pretend. Anyway if could walk in there and tell them that I have made my research and tell them what they need to do in order to fix the problem that would be just great... so please someone let me know exactly which part needs to be replace???? thanks!
2008May 13
RAV4 L 2.0L 4
- Automatic transmission
- 106,500 miles
Car started shifting erratically and whole car would shutter when I tried to accelerate from a standstill. Then for awhile everything would work just fine. As it got worse and shifting became more erratic, I took it in to Crown Toyota and they checked everything with their diagnostic check for $69 and they said everything looked fine and they could find nothing wrong. Did this twice and the second time had the fluid changed as they thought that might be the problem for $164. Neither time could they find anything wrong. Three days after the fluid was changed, it started to seem like it was slipping when starting from a standstill or it had no acceleration like the emergency brake was on. Then the check engine light came on. So I thought that was good in that maybe they would find something this time. Sure enough when I took it in, they said the code showed that the engine control module needed to be replaced for about $1150, but they would not know if the transmission had been damaged due to the faulty ecm until after they replaced it and tested the transmission again. So that is currently where I am at in deciding whether or not to replace the ecm and trying to get the dealership or Toyota to help with the cost since I have seen so many others having the same problems on this site. I am think of trading it but how much can it be worth to anyone with problems such as this!!
2005Jun 01
RAV4
- Automatic transmission
- 56,000 miles
In 2005, my RAV4 was due for its first emission inspection. It would not pass because the "Check Engine" light was on. The emissions inspection shop recommended that I take it back to the dealership since anything wrong should be under warranty. I took it back in and was told that the ECM needed to be reset and that this would cost $80. I regretfully paid the money and picked up my car to have the emissions reinspected. It did not pass emissions again. They said that I had to drive for at least 300 miles for the computer to reset, so I drove, and drove. Once again, it failed.
I took it back to the dealership at which point he said that I needed a new catalytic converter. This would be covered under my warranty. They supposedly replaced my catalytic converter and I finally passed my emission inspection.
I began disputing the previous charge for resetting the ECM when the catalytic converter had to be replaced. The dealership said that it needed both repairs. I asked him to fax over the information that lead him to believe that the ECM needed to be reset. Surprisingly enough, the bottom of the information he sent said that this should be a covered repair and I demanded my money back at that time. It took several more demands before my money was returned, but it was returned.
My husband said that the catalytic convereter was never replaced, but since I could now pass emissions and buy a tag, I didn't go borrowing problems.
I received notification of an ECM problem in the mail during the summer of 2007. We took the car to another dealership. I was quite surprised to find that the ECM problem I had been erroneously charged for in 2005 was not reported on the VIN. Further yet, the repair that was being proposed with the recall would cause the vehicle to "drive rough". The rough drive could be repaired by flushing the system, but this expense was not covered by Toyota. We left at that point and decided to wait since the car was driving fine at this time.
2008Apr 08
RAV4 4 cyl.
- Automatic transmission
- 97,891 miles
My wife and I purchased a 2002 Rav4 new at Penn Toyota in Greenvale, NY and it now has 97,981 miles on it. 2 weeks ago it started jerking/jumping when trying to upshift and we brought it in for service at Penn Toyota.
Once there the service center advised us to have the transmission fluids flushed and refilled, which we did. They also stated that they would do an update to the ECM, which they also did. While driving the vehicle home (after the repairs), the car was jumping/jerking worse than when we brought it in.
My wife and I did some research, found this site, are finding that there are more than several of the same type of complaints about this particular problem and Toyota itself has extended the warranty on this product to 96 months or 80,000 miles. We fall out of that range, but there is obviously a problem with this product (which is why Toyota put out the notice) and we would like it fixed as "in warranty".
We immediately brought it back where it was re-evaluated and we were now told that the ECM would have to be replaced at a cost of $1589.00.
After this, my wife and I brought the vehicle into an Aamco dealer who told us that it "definitely" wasn't an ECM issue and I should have the Transmission rebuild at a cost of $2500 (give or take).
At this point we are getting a third opinion, but I have also emailed Jim Lentz (President of Toyota USA) to resolve this issue through corporate.
Our only solution to this problem is to have everyone email Mr. Lentz and tell him of our combined complaints. We must take this to the next level and when that fails, we should take it to the next level. These failures are not our fault but rather Toyota's.
Please email Mr. Lentz at
- Jay Palmer
2008Mar 12
RAV4 Limited
- Automatic transmission
- 108 miles
I posted a complaint back in Jul/Aug 07 regarding Miller Toyota putting in a new transmission then finding that I needed a new ECM. Now 7 mths later, after the check engine light comes on again, a different dealership is saying that I need another ECM. I'm schedule to take it back to Miller for them to look at it on Monday, 17 March. I believe that they are trying to get out of paying for this ECM because they thought I had paid too much when they replaced the transmission so they "gave" me the ECM. They were trying to cover their butts when they didn't charge me for the ECM because they didn't follow the bulletin back in Jul where it says to check the ECM first prior to replacing the transmission. Instead they replaced the transmission then replaced the ECM. I believe that I have a faulty ECM again.....this will be the 4th time I believe that I've had problems with the ECM.
2007Dec 01
RAV4 ES
- Automatic transmission
- 84,000 miles
Add me to the list. Took the Rav4 in for the recall to have ECM updated. Came away with a car that can't shift, that can't find the right gear. It's shaking when accelerating out of a stop, very unsafe to drive. Luckily, I found this site along with the Rav4 forum before taking back in to fix. After reading the horror stories, my wife and I are weighing our options. It's sounding like replacing the ECM will hopefully fix the problem, but I haven't seen many of the earlier people who complained come back to update the site with what their ultimate fix was. We'll be going back to the dealer in the next few days. This is a major bummer and reasons like these are why we bought a Toyota. Issues like this aren't suppose to happen to Toyota's. These fixes aren't cheap. When I am done with fixing this car, I will be sending complaints to as many organizations as I can find.
2007May 09
RAV4 L V4
- Automatic transmission
- 101,000 miles
Check Engine light kept coming on my 2002 RAV4 L. I brought it to different mechanics (at different dealerships) & received different answers - problem was the catalytic converter (2 places), the transmission, the ECM. I finally left the car at a local Toyota dealership and they claimed they spoke w/ their engineers & were advised to replace the ECM first and see if that would correct the problem - and if not, to then replace the transmission (yikes!). I specifically asked the different dealerships if this was a problem common in these vehicles and I was told NO. I paid $1600 for the work in May 2007. Never mind that I had to take MetroNorth into work for about a week, costing me $250 (travel 140 miles round trip a day). I now received the Special Service notice and am told they will not pay for the replacement of the ECM - when their own engineers advised me to replace it. Said it is not the same problem!!! ??? Sounds like it to me.
2007Jun 08
RAV4
- Automatic transmission
- 84,000 miles
Do not replace your tranny! I ended up spending $4000 dollars to fix damages caused by the ECU, including replacement of the ECU. Have the ECU replaced as soon as possible to ensure your tranny does not get damaged. I had a thrust washer snap and work its way through the transmission. After all repairs the issue was still there. Aamco worked with their corporate office engineers and figured out a way to test the ECU. The ECU was putting out the wrong voltages which destroyed the tranny. The ECU tells the transmission when to shift depending on what RPM's are being registered to the ECU. My local Toyota dealer tried to work with Toyota Headquarters, but Toyota is denying all responsibility and do not plan on starting any kind of recall, even though this is becoming a growing issue. I tried to tell the dealer from the beginning the ECU was the problem, but they said the ECU would not cause these problems. I tried dealing with a factory rep for some kind of compensation with no resolve. I have tried every avenue for filing a complaint, but as you can predict nothing has ever happened except a big denial from Toyota. Since having my ECU replaced my car runs like a champ, after speaking with the service manager at my local Toyota other vehicles have been serviced for the same problem. Guess what they did to fix the problem; they replaced the ECU. I hope this helps. Make sure you call Toyota Headquarters and file a complaint. We need to file a class action law suit, anyone interested.
2007Jul 30
(reported on)RAV4 L 3.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 11,400 miles
I originally brought in my car to the local dealership , because I got a recall notice in the mail from Toyota about the ECM<(engine control module) to make a long story short, after they touched the ECM, my car was not working correctly. When I stepped on the gas pedal the car would go forward, but it was shaking and felt like it was going to stall out. especially going in an upward hill . The dealership said I needed a new transmission. After getting the rebuilt transmission in my car, I still had the same problem!
Another dealership said that the air flow sensor was bad (P1150) traced solenoid B SL2 circuit failure to faulty. They also replaced the ECM at no charge and only charged for labor.
Do you think the ECM unit and this transmission problem was related? I sure think so. I've reported this to the dealership and they gave me very poor customer service. I am awaiting a response from toyota corporate and also B. A. R. (bureau of auto repair)
I will never buy another toyota ever again!
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Oct 09
RAV4 Limited 2.0L, 4-cyl
Problem: I noticed very rough shifting into reverse, out of the blue, never noticed anything like that before.
What I did: I took the car to Toyota the next day to have it diagnosed for $90. They called me the next day telling me it would be $1600 for parts and labor. Then I went on this website and found all the different complaints about the ECM/transmission, etc.
What have I done as of today: I told the service people at Toyota about the website and all the various complaints I have read about and am going back to talk with them tomorrow about a potential solution. I am hoping to have them cover the cost. I was also part of the 2006 ECM reprogramming recall, so this should be an existing condition. I also decided to call Corporate Services at 1800-331-4331. They logged my complaint, and had records that I had followed the recall procedures and this is still an issue regarding the ECM. I am currently waiting for the local customer relations manager to contact me and see what type of agreement we can reach.
My 2 cents: If you have any type of transmission problem on the 2002 rav4, call and make a formal complaint to Corporate Toyota. It takes 5 minutes and will help our case for getting Toyota to cover the costs of these repairs. Wait for the customer relations manager, be as polite as possible throughout the whole process, and go from there. That is my plan. I will keep you posted and let you all know the outcome once we reach one.
Cheers!
jvgallag
Redondo Beach, CA, USA
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