It was really scary, I almost had an accident when I tried to accelerate to merge with traffic and suddenly my car began like haggling,sluggish and holding me backwards.! I thought it was something wrong with the gas that I had put, I went out of the Freeway and stopped my car, waited around 15 minutes thinking that maybe the heat caused this problem, going back to the freeway and almost arrived to my destination the car was feeling better, but before this incident my car was feeling weird and sometimes was making noises. I took the car to the Toyota Dealer and they said that the computer burned the transmission and if we wanted this to be fixed it would be around $5000.00!!! Out of work and without a car I feel miserable! But I began my research in the Internet about Toyota cars and unfortunately found all these problems but never received any letter from any dealer. Now we are going to complain to CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY or do whatever it takes to make Toyota pay for the repair of our car. Thanks for this magnificent forum you have to warn other people about this type of problem.

On January 10, 2011 I took my car to Aamco after having it diagnosed at Autozone. Their computer diagnostics were the same and it was the transmission. My car had been slowing down on its own and lunging forward at a seemingly random rate. Because this seemed to be a serious issue I took it in right away. NO DELAY.

Aamco wanted my first born child to fix the issue. I just didn't have the funds... so I went to Mr. Transmission.... They too wanted my life and I could not afford the charges. I called around and found a place-That Transmission Guy Inc. to take care of the problem. They told me they could fix it for less than 2k.

TTGI did a full transmission rebuild on the car and did it for less than 2k. HOWEVER, when I got the car back it did the same exact thing as before. Slow down and lunge forward totally randomly. I took the car back of course and now I'm waiting for Toyota to get back with them about the E.C.M. piece. We've been waiting on that call for roughly 2 weeks now.

After reading up on the issue it seems that I'm going to be out of pocket another 2k to have this component replaced on my car since it's not a recalled piece. I'm still paying for this vehicle and nothing is under warranty now. I am a pizza delivery driver and need my car to make a living. Currently all these costly repairs are being paid for through my student loans, which I would rather be using for school related expenses. I've shelled out 2k and it's been 2 months and I still have no car to drive. Lovely.

+

This problem began very suddenly... one day all was well the next, the car would jerk between 1st, 2nd and 2nd and 3rd gears. I starting to look on the internet for information about transmission issues and resolutions for Rav4 and I found this complaint site and started reading and found that many people experience the same issue. All of a sudden I remembered a notice I received from Toyota regarding Hard Shifting problems, I went hunting for this notice and found it to be related to the problem that I thought was my transmission. The notice indicated that Toyota extended the warranty for this issue to 10 years or 150000 miles and if anyone has already had service on their vehicle to correct this issue they would reimburse the cost within guidelines. I hope this helps someone who may experience this same problem. I will be at the dealership in the morning and hope the process of getting my vehicle fix goes smoothly.

I have a 2003 Toyota Rav4 it has 185,000 miles on it I bought it new hoping to have a car for a long time, Out of the blue it seemed like the transmission was going bad, slipping, rpm racing, not shifting into 1 to 2nd, or 3rd, 4th gear, reverse started goin in hard. Took it for a tranny flush cost 100.00, the problem continued.

Went on the website for toyota car problems to discover that this is a common problem in this car. A internal memo was sent to all the dealerships in 2006 but the consumers did not know. Then they extended the warranty without telling the consumer, I had no idea and now my car is out of warranty. Took it to a toyota dealer prestige in Kingston ny and they said it was my transmission a code of EVAP was coming up, no other codes. They said it would cost 2800. I was not convinced it was the tranny so I found a guy in Brooklyn, NY that would fix my ECM unit for 250.00 so I gave it a chance and I am so happy to say my car is running better than ever. He said it had a crack in it and that all the computers get cracks they get to hot, and Toyota knows the problem it should be a recall.

My car has no more codes and the transmission is running great no problems. Check engine ETC Stillwell ave Brooklyn ny 718-449-7763 or 718-449-1734 he saved me alot of money and he gives a 1 yr warranty I highly recommend his work.

TOYOTA CORPORATION SUX you screw your customers and I will never own another Toyota ever again.

We bought a used 2003 Toyota Rav4 with 60,000 miles on it two days ago. The very next day we started having problems with it. We did a quick search on the car before we bought it and did not find any complaints so we thought we were making a good purchase. Toyotas are supposed to be reliable cars, right? WRONG! The car would not respond when we pushed the accelerator and then would lurch forward. It felt like the car didn't know what to do (I know that sounds anthropomorphic, but that's the best description I can give). This happened as I was merging and I almost got hit by another car. After more extensive research specifically geared towards transmissions on this car we found an unacceptable amount of complaints! We called the dealership and told them to come tow the car....we did not feel safe driving it anywhere. We're not sure what our options are but we're hoping to cancel the purchase. I will NEVER purchase a Toyota again. If a company can't stand behind their product after numerous, similar complaints they do not deserve business and we will not be supporting them.

My car started to not shift out of first gear... Took it to the dealership, which said I needed a new transmission due to a solenoid problem. $4000. Took it to the local transmission dude who said the same thing, but scratched his head because it wasn't a common Toyota problem. After 3 weeks, I googled Rav4 transmission problems, and found an internal memo from Toyota saying the problem was often with the computer, not the transmission. I gambled and told the local guy to replace the computer only... problem solved for less than $1500. Guess the dealership guys didn't get the memo.

I was told there was a problem with my solenoid in the transmission. I called another garage and was asked which solenoid it was...didn't know there were multiples in cars. Said the problem was automatic transmission shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. Was told that there is a separate solenoid for that, that I would probably have to have the transmission taken apart and that I was looking at a hefty repair cost, but that the car was worth saving. I don't have the money for this as I am unemployed!

I decided to go on the Internet and found out my complaint was a common one. My concern: I am currently visiting family out of state (from NH to NJ). The problem popped up here. Can I approach a local dealer on this? I bought the car used (a 2003 in 2007). It's warranty is expired. What should I tell the dealer if I go to a local one?

I had the same problem that has been mentioned several times in these posts. I was astounded by the fact that at approximately 50,000 miles I was having such difficulties with my RAV4. I had purchased a Toyota to specifically avoid such problems. On the advice of a mechanic, I researched the 'symptoms' on-line' prior to bringing my car into the dealer. I described the problem thoroughly - with the appropriate terms, when I brought it in - yet, even after keeping the car for several hours - they found nothing, and sent me away with the advice of trying 'different gas'. When I returned a second time, they kept the car overnight - the mechanic did experience the jerking, skipping, slowing, etc - and I was told that "I had trained my vehicle incorrectly", thus the missed gears, slowness in changing gears, etc. I told him I wasn't stupid, and if this was the case, why wasn't I experiencing the problem within the first 25,000 miles? He had no answer, but did 'reset' my computer. On my way home, my vehicle jerked and slipped so much I nearly hit a bus! I phoned the head mechanic immediately and demanded service - I didn't pay for an extended warranty for such shoddy service. Upon returning to the dealer again, they replaced the computer. Again I complained that this did not correct the problem! They again took my RAV4 for several days, and it was returned to me with a new transmission. I asked him why this wasn't done in the first place - when what I had described was what occurring exactly in other RAV4 models/years? He had no response. My RAV4 runs fine now, although I'm not convinced it runs as well as it should. I can not say if I would ever buy another Toyota.

I am having the same problems as the 100+ other people on this page. In July 2009 I noticed that my 2003 Rav4 would jerk when switching from 1st to 2nd gear and would not shift past third gear at all! The next week I took my truck to a mechanic who told me that the transmission was shot and quoted me over $3000. I am a single mom and live paycheck to paycheck so I parked the vehicle in my driveway and told myself that I'd use my income tax return to buy a replacement transmission. Now, after reading all of the reviews, I don't know if replacing the transmission will even fix the problem. I bought this vehicle brand new because I was told that Toyotas were solid, dependable cars and now I feel duped...Toyota needs to be held responsible for this obvious manufacturer defect and replace the ECMs and the transmissions free of charge!!

Just as others have written, my car suddenly went from shifting normally one day to jerking, hesitating and almost getting us wiped out in an intersection due to an inconvenient 3-4 second PAUSE while making a left turn. Scary way to find out the extent of my new car problem. I recently got the thing paid off, of course it is off warranty and I cannot afford to bring it to a mechanic. Thank goodness for the internet. I was able to find out what the problem was and send the ecm to checkengine.com for repair. They were fast and the car is running great. I like my rav4, but I won't ever buy another Toyota--I bought the car new in '03--Toyota knew about the problem since '06 but never notified owners just their rip-off dealer shops.

A few days ago I started on my way in to work. Within the first half mile, my car started "acting up." When pulling away from a stop sign, for example, my car would just take off--skipping first gear altogether and going right into second gear.

Of course, I had to keep going, and thought maybe it was doing this because it was a cold morning and the car hadn't warmed up enough. But even while traveling at higher speeds, out of nowhere, the transmission would just kick in and jump up to 4-6,000 RPM without me even trying to accelerate. This problem literally appeared overnight--I never had the check engine light come on or anything.

When I got into work, I asked our garage mechanic to take a look at it. He took it for a drive and said the transmission was definitely slipping. Someone suggested I do an online search to see if anyone was having that problem and, sure enough, it seemed as though every RAV4 owner was experiencing this.

I took it in to a local transmission shop, where they hooked up a computer and found absolutely nothing wrong--although they, too, drove it and knew there was obviously a problem.

To cut a long story short, I saw that quite a few people had recommended a shop out of Brooklyn, NY called Check Engine. They said they could rebuild the Engine Control Module (ECM) which is the real problem...not the actual transmission. (However, they do add that if you continue to drive the car with this problem, the faulty ECM will eventually fry the transmission and then you will have to replace both the ECM and the transmission to fix the problem). I had called Toyota and they wanted $1121 to order a new ECM, plus $95 an hour for labor. But of course wanted to "look at it" before replacing it.

No, thanks. The part was no longer covered under warranty so I decided to take my chances with the NY shop. Following instructions from their website, I removed the ECM and shipped it out overnight on Thursday evening. (Both removal and re-installation took about 30 minutes total).

Amazingly, the shop had the rebuilt ECM back to me on Saturday morning around 11 AM. Talk about quick service. Since installing it, there have been no problems at all. I am fortunate that I caught it early and seemed to have saved myself a blown transmission.

For all of you who experience this, stop driving the car right away and look into getting the ECM rebuilt. It will save you a ton of money. And considering that Toyota has been too greedy to issue a recall on a potentially life-threatening ECM malfunction, I prefer to give my money to someone else to fix this. I would recommend the place I used, but I am sure there are other places that will rebuild these ECM's. Good luck--and keep me posted on any class action lawsuits out there.

Have owned several Toyotas in the past, with no problems. Toyota needs to issue a recall with so many people having the same problem. Can't afford to have it fixed.

Update from Sep 22, 2011: Toyota is now saying that my vehicle doesn't fall into the settlement because it has over 150,000 miles on it, even though the trouble started over 2 years ago. Said if I had fixed it back then ($4900.00 worth), they would reimburse me but since I couldn't afford to have it fixed, I am out of luck. Said my only options are to contact the BBB or seek legal counsel. With they would just do what is right and fix the car.

Everything was going well with my Rav4, I was keeping up with it, doing all the right things as a responsible owner, oil changes, check ups etc. My first car was a Toyota Corrola 1977 and it was a great car. I decided to buy a Toyota again based on my first experience with a new car, what a mistake that was. Last Saturday my car started acting scary hesitating and jerking. I was hoping for the best until my engine light when on and then I had it checked out. They say that I need a new computer $1,180.00. I started asking a lot of questions and found out that if my light goes on again I will probably need a new transmission at $3,500.00.

I haven't made any decision yet it is the Labor day weekend and I am borrowing a car. I want to know if anyone out there actually went through the process of replacing the transmission and how long did it last after that?

Ok, lets see where should I begin. I have a Toyota, RAV4 and my car begin to decrease speed and then about two weeks later it begin to start jerking and driving in a lower shift. My check engine light was on so I stopped by Auto Zone and had them to do a quick check. I was told my shift solenoid is going bad. So then I took my car to my mechanic who told me again after he checked it came up with the same code. My shift solenoid is going bad. So he told be I could just have the shift solenoid replaced which may resolved my problems but if not then I would probably need a new transmission. Until I stumble on this site, I am not sure what to do. I am trying to see if I should pay $170.00 to replace the bad solenoid or should I just look into having the EMC reset? I am highly upset and I just don't want to lose my money. I am going to contact and file a complaint to the Toyota headquarters and to some of the numbers I jotted down from this site. What should I do now?

When the trans first started slipping and I looked for help on internet and found this site! What a great find. I took the car to dealer for ECU check, they wanted 1,395.00 to replace, no recall or $$ help was available from Toyota unless your under warranty? Next I went on e-bay and found a place to send the ECU in Tenn for rebuild, it was 325.00 but now only 275.00, just type in rav4 ecu and the site will come up, you can read the feed back, they even have directions on how to remove ECU. 3 weeks later the car is still shifting and running great. It,s not hard to remove the ECU and they will have it back to you in a week. Other then this problem my rav4 has never had problems runs great and is still very tight. Hope this helps someone save some $$$.

My husband and I have been buying Toyota's for almost 14 yrs. When I finally bought my 2003 Rav4, I was very happy with it and this year I would have been even more happier because I would no longer have a car payment. No car payment now..but now I have issues that is costing me more then what my monthly payments. I had to replace the catalytic converter which ran me $750.00 after feeling the car jerk on me on several occasions when I would come to a stop then continue on. I really can not afford to purchase a new car. What I can not understand, if there has been so many complaints, why do the car dealers not say anything? When I called to report this issue, the dealer rep informed me to bring it in to see what the status is, but I would need to pay for the diagnosis. Why? If you know there issues with the transmission/P0755..Is there a real recall on these models? What can we do?

Drove to work one morning no problem. Time to got home stared the car pulled off then the car started jerking engine raced then back to normal. made it home to in to toyota for service. After several hours was taken into the GET IN YOUR POCKET ROOM as was told i need a transmission and ecu for the car at a cost of $6000. I told him hell no how can the trans just go with no warning. Thats when i was told i could take it up front and trade it in because it is in good shape. I vetoed that also.He then said i could just replace the ecu at a cost of $1000. I said i would thick about it. went back home got online and discovered that there are many 2001-2004 rav4 with the same problem which Toyota doesn't seem to want to acknowledge. The tech that told me the outrageous cost of repairs. I said that the ecu is just the computer that has to be replaced and you drive he did not want to answer Now i see that Toyota send out a letter fo dealer tech about the ecu failure without a recall.Does greed overshadow safety with Toyota? Are they still in our pocket if we pay for the ecu and trans that we don't need if you don't continue to drive the car with the bad ecu. Is that the way to become the # one automaker? NO RECALL THERE IS NO PROBLEM IN RAV LAND.Sell them anyway

Update from Jun 21, 2009: Sent my ecm to check engine etc in NY on a Thurs got it back Sat around noon put it back in low and behold no transmission problem. The car rides and shifts just fine.No thanks to the folks at toyota whom won't fix a defect that they are aware of. I was going to purhase a new truck from the but this incident has changed my mind. For anyone that needs it # for check engine etc 718-449-1734. they saved me big time.

I was horrified to read the complaints about the awful shifting issue and the check engine code p0755. I took it to a local mechanic who said it need to go to a Toyota dealer for an ECM (computer) so I did. When my mechanic said it was a "known issue" with the vehicle I decided to call Toyota Headquarters to ask about this "known issue" they say that the mechanic was incorrect. They suggested I ask the dealer for some "out of warranty assistance". I prayed the whole way to the dealer that I get there safely. I was so scared because I was stuck in stop and go traffic on RT I93 and this makes the "issue" bad when you have to stop and go. You can feel the RPM's going up but the car feels sluggish and does not want accelerate. Once it gets going it drives like new. I brought it to Woburn Foreign Motors in Woburn, MA where I purchased the vehicle and after diagnosing the problem they told me it needed an ECM and a new Transmission price $5k. I was now faced with a decision either to fix which is not worth it or buy a new car which I was not planning on having to do for a long time since I purchased what I believed was a reliable vehicle. When I asked about the out of warranty assistance they said because you are not a loyal Toyota customer and do not get my scheduled maintenance done by them that they where not able to assist me. I was so upset because where I do my oil changes should not matter, My husband and own a 2001 Corolla and the 2003 Rav-4 that is my Toyota loyalty which to them meant nothing! The dealership sales guy offered to trade in my car for $4k if I bought a new car with them and of course they are not willing to budge on the MSRP price. I began doing some intensive research online and discovered that this was in fact a "known issue" and came across the official Toyota Service Bulletin #TC002-06 dated March 3, 2006 which explain the problems we are all having! I called Toyota Headquarters very upset after my discovery, they are currently looking into this. I hope after all I have read that Toyota recalls these vehicles. Read the Bulletin it explains EVERYTHING!

Update from Jun 18, 2009: Toyota unable to assist with any out of warranty assistance. Took the vehicle for a second opinion to Toyota of Nashua. Toyota of Nashua was very helpful and knew exactly what the problem was before they even looked at it. They told me it was a 50/50 chance I may need a new transmission but they could not say for sure until they replaced the ECM. I authorized them to replace the ECM and it fixed the problem! I did not need a transmission in fact they said my car was in great condition. When I told Toyota of Nashua what Woburn Toyota said about needing a new transmission they said they should have never jumped to conclusions on this issue. Toyota of Nashua keeps extra ECM on hand and my car was fixed in one day. My car drives great and am thankful I took it for a second opinion! If I've learned anything is that I should always get a second opinion, I would have spent $4k in a new transmission that I did not need. I recommnend Toyota of Nashua and appreciate their honesty.

i started having the same problem with the transmission as the others, the feeling of slipping, the jerking, etc. my 2003 rav4 has 127,774 miles on it. and of course its paid for. im just sick about this as i don't make a whole lot of money, im checking to see how much the pcm computer will be and hope that i can borrow the money. i have someone who can take out the computer and replace the new one, thanks GOD!!!, i intend on calling toyota in the morning and voicing my complain, i would suggest if any one buys a rav4 to get this checked out before the truck runs out of warranty. i love my toyota rav4 and have done but praised it, but toyota needs to replace this problem. if i thought i could collect pain and suffering, from all this i would defiantly go for it because this has put me into a big pickle, all the way around. i have to try to find transportation to and from work now, and still be able to get this thing fixed. i will keep u posted

Update from Jul 2, 2009: WHOO-HOO!!!!!! I FOUND A PLACE THAT IS BBB CERTIFIED, THAT WILL REBUILD THESE STUPID ECMS, AND GIVE LIFETIME WARRANTY. I JUST RECIEVED MINE BACK TODAY AND ITS NOW INSTALLED AND IM ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!! I HAD PLACES TELL ME IT WOULD COST ABOUT $150.00 TO REMOVED AND PUT ANOTHER ONE IN,

IF U CAN HELP IT DONT LET THEM, ITS SO SIMPLE. ITS ON THE FIREWALL UNDER THE GLOVE BOX, UNPLUG AND U R DONE. THIS PLACE CHARGED ME $325.00 TO REBUILD MINE. U PAY THE SHIPPING TO THEM AND PAY SHIPPING BACK. I SHIPPED MINE ON A THURS NITE, 2 DAY PIROTY, THEY GOT IT ON MONDAY, IT WAS SHIPPED BACK OUT EITHER THAT FRI OR THAT MONDAY, I GOT MINE BACK YESTERDAY. ITS SIMPLE TO INSTALL BACK IN AS WELL!!!

FOR THOES LIKE ME WHO DONT HAVE ANY MONEY(I BORROWED THIS) AND CANT AFFORD A NEW ONE, THIS IS THE WAY TO GO. WARNING, THE LONGER U DRIVE UR CAR WITH THIS PROBLEM U R GONNA END UP HAVEING ANOTHER TRANSMISSION OR REBUILT ONE, IF U NEED THE INFO ON WHERE TO SEND YOURS SEND ME AN E-MAIL I WILL GIVE U THE INFO.....TCHRIS1645@AOL.COM,

The situation is the same as what's been described here on many other occassions. Hard shifting, lurching and missed shifts. I bought the RAV used in 06 and was very happy with it until a few months ago. Of course, my extended warranty ended back in November. As I began to research the problem, I was very disappointed to find out that this is all too common yet Toyota refuses to do anything about it other than issue a TSB.

I was not surprised when the mechanic called me to inform me that the ECM was bad and that it had fried the transmission. So now I'm out $700 for the new ECM and $2,400 for the transmission rebuild.

If Toyota went so far as to develop an upgraded ECM for this problem, why the hell didn't they recall it? With that in mind, I did not have the repairs done by a local Toyota dealer. My regular mechanic recommended a transmission guy that was very helpful. A small gesture, that they will never feel, but it made me feel a little better.

Update from Jun 29, 2009: The final bill for all the repairs was $3,500. $1,100 for the new ECM and $2,400 for a transmission rebuild. I sent a letter to Toyota requesting reimbursement and followed up with a phone call. The representative that I spoke to put me on hold to "research" the issue. He informed me that since there were no recalls there was nothing that they can do. When I brought up the TSB regarding this specific issue, he seemed a bit put off and told me that he could be of no further help. I'm now waiting for a call back from his supervisor. I'm not going to let this drop.

Update from Aug 25, 2009: I finally spoke with a supervisor (Reginald) who informed me that since my car was out of warranty and that I wasn't eligible for any loyalty compensation, I was SOL as far as Toyota was concerned. After a few minutes of complaining about their lack of accountability I ended the call. Reginald was the perfect corporate drone and refused to even acknowledge that the TSB was applicable to my situation. He suggested that if I was still unhappy, I should seek relief "outside of Toyota" which means "get a lawyer". I've already spent enough money on this and now I have to lawyer up to get restitution?

I've got a bad ECU in a box and $3,500 less in my checking account. This has totally soured me on Toyotas and I will never buy another one.

Update from Oct 14, 2009: After paying out of pocket to have the repairs done and the ECM replaced, and getting no satisfaction from Toyota, I decided that enough was enough. Yesterday I traded it in for a Honda CR-V. I will never buy another Toyota again.

Update from Jul 15, 2010: VICTORY IS OURS!!!!!

Toyota has announced that it will voluntarily repair a number of issues that have arisen with 2001-2003 RAV4 crossovers as well as certain 2009-2010 Matrix and Corolla vehicles. According to Reuters, around 235,500 RAV4 models will be repaired outside of a recall for a "hard shift" problem. Owners have complained that under certain circumstances, the vehicle's transmission would either abruptly shift or otherwise fail to change gears properly. The culprit is typically a faulty engine control module, though in some cases, damage to the transmission may lead to outright replacement. Owners who have previously had to pay for this work out of pocket can apply for reimbursement.

Update from Sep 22, 2010: After sending in tons of documentation, I was informed by Toyota Customer Care on 9/21 that my reimbursement had been sent on 9/20. After nearly 1 1/2 years, I'm finally satisfied.