[gkiv]

Hey guys, just purchased a 03 RAV4 Sport automatic 2WD. Relatives and I own or currently have owned several Toyotas but this is the first RAV

I have read about half this thread and came to the conclusion that the best solution for the ECM fix seems to be rav4ecm.com. With that said, the car has 153k miles and runs/shifts excellent. The only thing I've noticed is a slightly delayed reverse engagement. Other than that, it works perfectly. My questions are:

At that mileage, with the ECM issue being so common, is it likely that the problem has already come up sometime in the past, and already been dealt with? Or have there been vehicles where the problem first happens at 150k miles or more? I did not see any post talking about the problem first starting at around this kind of mileage, but there are still several pages I have not read

The Carfax shows two previous owners and no mention of any transmission or ECM related work. Is there a way to find out if the ECM has been upgraded/replaced before?


Thanks for all your help

Mine happened at 79K miles...the only way is probably to take out your ECM and look at it to see if it's been tamper with.

 

[duque00]

Hey All ,

I had this problem last weekend - 2002 Rav4 AT - with 129,000 miles.

Lucky for me this happened near my house - less than a mile away. Got home and parked car - haven't drive it since. Towed to dealer who told me that I was out of warranty - love that BS and need new ECM.

Original part # was 89661-42820. Told replacement was same #.

I was like what? Huh? - the TSB says 04009-39542

I called another dealership and they told me based on VIN that it should be 89661-42822 (I would be buying part wholesale).

Anybody have information on this - and what the correct part # should be.

Thanks for all your help.

P.S. - Anybody on LI can recommend a good Toyota Dealership as well - my local one sucks.

 

[howardc64]

Hey All ,

I had this problem last weekend - 2002 Rav4 AT - with 129,000 miles.

Lucky for me this happened near my house - less than a mile away. Got home and parked car - haven't drive it since. Towed to dealer who told me that I was out of warranty - love that BS and need new ECM.

Original part # was 89661-42820. Told replacement was same #.

I was like what? Huh? - the TSB says 04009-39542

I called another dealership and they told me based on VIN that it should be 89661-42822 (I would be buying part wholesale).

Anybody have information on this - and what the correct part # should be.

Thanks for all your help.

P.S. - Anybody on LI can recommend a good Toyota Dealership as well - my local one sucks.

Toyota parts listing shows 42822 is the new part number and supercedes 42820

https://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/p.../index.cfm?searchText=89661-42820&make=Toyota&action=oePartSearch&siteid=214329

04009-39542 is a lot cheaper

https://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/p....cfm?make=Toyota&year=&searchText=04009-39542&action=oePartSearch&siteid=214329

Camelback Toyota has one of the lowest prices online. You might call them and ask if 04009-39542 is applicable and why so much cheaper.

Curious why you aren't thinking of just repairing it for $100+

 

[duque00]

I know the parts are cheapest at Camelback. I love em - they rule.

I was trying to get some relief from Toyota HQ on this since I was over the warranty and all that BS.

In order to get any relief I had to bring it into the dealer. Dealer told me the ECM is shot and needs to be replaced. He wants to install 89661-42820.

Camelback with my VIN said 89661-42822.

The 04009-39542 is a dealer internal that shouldn't be sold. I think it is what they use when they replace the ECM via warranty.

Right now I am on the hook for $100 for dealer diagnostic, I might do chkengine.

Anyone else know of the elusive 04009-39542 part????

 

[duque00]

Hey All,

Update -got the ECM replaced with part/labor/tax - $1000

Here is my printed report:
Install ECU as per customer request, road test
(Did i ask you to install it -NO, you told be it had to be replaced)
(Road test - funny the TSB said 20 min drive. - get car back with +1 mile)
Trans does not seen to drop out of gear but 2-3 shift is very late and sluggish - trans will have to be replaced.
(Funny, no one at the dealer told me this, no service adviser, no service manager, no one. Wow, and you allow me to drive it home like this??)

No wonder this dealer sucks!! PM if you want the dealer name.

Any solutions to the 2 gear to 3 gear shift - other than that it runs fine.

Wife is still looking at those CRV's from Honda

 

[cutthroat22]

Hey All,

Update -got the ECM replaced with part/labor/tax - $1000

Here is my printed report:
Install ECU as per customer request, road test
(Did i ask you to install it -NO, you told be it had to be replaced)
(Road test - funny the TSB said 20 min drive. - get car back with +1 mile)
Trans does not seen to drop out of gear but 2-3 shift is very late and sluggish - trans will have to be replaced.
(Funny, no one at the dealer told me this, no service adviser, no service manager, no one. Wow, and you allow me to drive it home like this??)

No wonder this dealer sucks!! PM if you want the dealer name.

Any solutions to the 2 gear to 3 gear shift - other than that it runs fine.

Wife is still looking at those CRV's from Honda

Well that stinks. :wall

FYI you have to drive it for a while after installing new computer to smooth the shifts out. Mine did some funny shifts the day I installed fixed computer.

 

[duque00]

Yeah I've done that - added about 50 miles to it. Still the 2nd to 3rd problem.

I am going to keep it for awhile, don't have the $$ to buy a new one.

Anybody else fix the 2 to 3 problem?

 

[Sause01]

same problems as everyone else. 01 114,000 miles, its parked right now until it gets fixed... I'm gonna send the ECU out on Monday. Any difference in results between chkengine and Van nuys? I'm east coast so chkengine should have the faster turn around but van nuys is considerably cheaper.

 

[mdp]

ECM Rebuild worth it.

On 9/21/13 my 2002 Toyota Rav4 with 163,000 miles began to have automatic transmission issues. When shifted from Park to Reverse it jerked, when the AT attempted to shift from 1st to 2nd it slipped and took seconds to engage, when shifting from 2nd to 3rd it would jerk forward like the car was hit from behind. That day I replaced the AT fluid but it did not resolve the issue. I parked the car started my online search (Rav4World.com) and found numerous others have had similar problems stemming from poor solder joints on the ECM board. I also called my local Toyota service center and they gave me the impression they did not know anything about it but for $104 I could bring the car in for a diagnostic inspection. At that point I decided it take a chance on the ECM rebuild solution.

It narrowed it down to 2 possible vendors, from EBay I found Module Repair Pro – Van Nuys, California (Module Repair Pro INC) for $95 (EBay price) and from Rav4world.com I found Check Engine Etc – New York City (Home) for $250. I choose Module Repair based on the total cost of repair and shipping. If the NYC vendor was cheaper I would have sent it there being from NY. I shipped my ECM via the US Postal service Priority Mail Express on 9/23/13. It received by MRP on 9/24/13, fixed and shipped on 9/25/13 via USPS Express Mail, I paid extra for the expedited service so it was delivered overnight to my home by 3 pm on 9/26/13. USPS overnight service was much cheaper then FedEx or UPS if you use the USPS internet site. MRP also reset the ECM before shipping.

Great You Tube video showing the removal – search for:
2001, 2002, & 2003 Toyota RAV4 ECM ECU Removal & Repair

It took 5 minutes to reinstall the unit back in car, took longer to stuff my stuff back in to the glove box. When I started the car and shifted from Park to reverse there was no jerking. I took it for a 30 minute drive of stop and go not trying to exceed 30-40 mph as advised by MRP, the major gear slip and jerking was gone. It was worth the money to avoid additional transmission problems, project done. Good job MRP and thank God for the internet.

It appears Toyota is aware of this issue after all and extended the warranty accordingly but I was never contacted because it was not an official recall. Based on my high mileage I was not able to take advantage of the offer. So I’ve also submitted a complaint to the US government DOT National Highway Safety Administration with as many owners with a similar issue Toyota should be held accountable (http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchVehicles).

 

[Sause01]

same problems as everyone else. 01 114,000 miles, its parked right now until it gets fixed... I'm gonna send the ECU out on Monday. Any difference in results between chkengine and Van nuys? I'm east coast so chkengine should have the faster turn around but van nuys is considerably cheaper.

Update: I decided to go with chkengine, I used the buy it now from their eBay auction on a Saturday evening and sent the ECU out via FedEx on Monday night around 6PM Standard Overnight Service.

At this point the Rav would not go into 1st gear at all and Neutral to Reverse was quite rough.

I got a tracking number Tuesday night from chkengine and decided to work from how on Wednesday so I could sign for the package. The New ECU arrived before Noon and I was driving the Rav around the block by 12:30. it took about 30 minutes of stop and go for the idle to normal out. I have put over 800 miles on it since and its been absolutely perfect! Great work by chkengine :thumbs_up:

 

[cutthroat22]

Congrats on your fix. Big sigh of relief eh?

 

[WrJr]

Ok So I might as well join the crowd here and post my adventures with our Toyota Rav 4 as well! Started back in 09 with lots of sensors being replaced and just a bunch of tiny inexpensive things going here and there. Our local mechanic never mentioned anything about this recall or problems described on the forum(we lived in a very small country setting in missouri up until now) and error codes would keep coming up or check engine light constantly coming on, never had no problems with the tranny up until about 2 weeks ago!

Let me state that our rav 4 is automatic 4cyl 2002 and was given to us by my girlfriends parents in 03(had 20,000 miles on it at the time). So our old mechanic in missouri after replacing sensors with new ones kept having error codes pop up about the same sensors still being faulty so he just kept resetting stuff to save us money. Fast forward to 2011 car finally gets drove to springfield missouri toyota dealership to have some belts replaced that were shot, to my knowlege(will have to find these papers its important!) they never mentioned nothing about this recall! Again I need to dig the paperwork out and find them cause at that point the car was still under the 10yr 150,000 extended warranty for this? I know the year was ok but not sure what mileage this thing had on it at the time(maybe it was over 150k not sure will update this post later).

So now we fast forward to now where we are living in fayetteville arkansas and recently the car(2 weeks ago) started this slipping of the tranny going from first to second gear and thumping hard going into 3rd(no problems in reverse). Stop driving it cause it was getting worst so it gets taken to toyota here(5 miles away)...toyota here states this on the receipt printed up. Error codes come up as P0755, P0758 for shift solenoid malfunction. Needing computer. Found metal shavings in transmission, transmission needing replaced.(bear with me guys im typing this exactly as stated on the receipt)....Codes for bank one sensor two failing and bank two sensor two failing....found tsb. Vehicle out of extended tsb. We were quoted that the tranny and computer(doesnt state which one) needs replacing. Quoted 4,500 bucks to have everything done!!!

Now my question is do you think the tranny really is shot(we only drove it probly 20 miles or so after the problems started then stopped driving the car, never noticed any problems before this other then some weird grinding sound up front underneath that sounded like sticks being drug). Do you think I should just get the ecu shipped off as stated here and refurbished and see if it fixes the problem?

If i can find these papers(we move alot!) from springfield and it states the car was under that extended 150k miles and them not doing squat about it do you think we should still have this done free? I know this is alot of writing and questions but this is alot of money for us to chuck out of pocket.....I have the 4,500 but if i can get this done cheaper or even free that would be wayyyy nicer! The car right now has 160,826 miles on it....has been one hell of a car minus this recent problem!!! I thank you all for your time and reading my "wall of text"

Walt

 

[cutthroat22]

I would try the free route of course but I doubt you will have any luck with Toyota.

Myself and others have driven more miles than you with the broken computer and transmission issues but once the computer is fixed all is good again. :thumbs_up:

 

[keithfival]

Auto Module Source?

So, my 2003 just started doing this 2 days ago, delayed acceleration with no power, then sputtering, then once it gets going it's fine. Was bought in April '03 so I missed the 10 year by 4 months even tho I only have 104k miles. Called Toyota, no help.

I am considering the Check Engine route. Looked on eBay and saw a company called Auto Module Source selling refurbed EMCs for $139. You give them your VIN and auto details and they send you the box. Then when you confirm it works you send them your old one. All good reviews on ebay. Seems a bit quicker (and cheaper) since you don't have to send yours to them first.

Anyone used Auto Module Source?

 

[WrJr]

I would try the free route of course but I doubt you will have any luck with Toyota.

Myself and others have driven more miles than you with the broken computer and transmission issues but once the computer is fixed all is good again. :thumbs_up:

Is good to know, maybe the tranny is fine. A quick update reveals my girlfriend did in fact take the car twice to toyota in springfield, the second time was because of the recall. We never did receive recall papers on this. She said toyota acknowleged it all the second time but could not reproduce the error lol!!! I had not known about this until now. So they knew and it was still under the warranty, was under 10yrs and the car had 135k miles on it then, still they did not fix this issue and I would think they should have!!!!! This is bullcrap and Im going to take this up with corporate headquarters now.

She said toyota here does in fact have the papers from springfield stating nothing was done to the car, why the guy here didnt press the issue or take it up with headquarters himself to get this car fixed is beyond me!!! I refuse now to spend out of pocket precious money when this all could have and should have been avoided and fixed in the first place! Sorry for my rants Im just disgusted by this now after finding more info out tonight.

 

[cutthroat22]

Is good to know, maybe the tranny is fine. A quick update reveals my girlfriend did in fact take the car twice to toyota in springfield, the second time was because of the recall. We never did receive recall papers on this. She said toyota acknowleged it all the second time but could not reproduce the error lol!!! I had not known about this until now. So they knew and it was still under the warranty, was under 10yrs and the car had 135k miles on it then, still they did not fix this issue and I would think they should have!!!!! This is bullcrap and Im going to take this up with corporate headquarters now.

She said toyota here does in fact have the papers from springfield stating nothing was done to the car, why the guy here didnt press the issue or take it up with headquarters himself to get this car fixed is beyond me!!! I refuse now to spend out of pocket precious money when this all could have and should have been avoided and fixed in the first place! Sorry for my rants Im just disgusted by this now after finding more info out tonight.

As far as I know it wasn't a recall. It was a TSB that the dealer only dealt with if transmission issues were brought to their attention.

Talking to Toyota Canada just ticked me off and I just gave up. The whole thing seems like a joke to me. They could have easily repaired or replaced the defective computers BEFORE they go bad.

 

[WrJr]

As far as I know it wasn't a recall. It was a TSB that the dealer only dealt with if transmission issues were brought to their attention.

Talking to Toyota Canada just ticked me off and I just gave up. The whole thing seems like a joke to me. They could have easily repaired or replaced the defective computers BEFORE they go bad.

Man I really hope I can have some better luck, We need this car and I just refuse to pay 4,500 bucks. If I cant get it done I guess I will find somewhere to send the ecu/ecm whatever it is in to be refurbished and hope that fixes all the issues!

 

[keithfival]

Check Engine fix seems to be working - does low idling go away?

Update: I went with Check Engine due to the number of positive reports on here and on eBay. Paid $220. Sent my ECM at 4:50pm Thursday, USPS express mail for $30, received it back Saturday morning at 11am. Had it back in the car 15 minutes or so.

Just drove around the neighborhood for 10 minutes or so, shifting is totally normal. It is idling pretty low, like 600-700 RPM, at stops. Almost felt like it was going to stall at one. I think some folks have mentioned this on here.

Unbelievable that I got this fixed for $250. (I missed the 10 year warranty by 4 months.) Toyota dealer quoted me $1500 to replace the ECM alone (plus towing it there). O'Reilly quoted me about $900. Just astonishing.

2 questions:

1) Does the low idling go away after a bit of driving?

2) Any way to check on the tranny? I stopped driving the car the second time I noticed it, probably drove less than 15 miles.

 

[cutthroat22]

Update: I went with Check Engine due to the number of positive reports on here and on eBay. Paid $220. Sent my ECM at 4:50pm Thursday, USPS express mail for $30, received it back Saturday morning at 11am. Had it back in the car 15 minutes or so.

Just drove around the neighborhood for 10 minutes or so, shifting is totally normal. It is idling pretty low, like 600-700 RPM, at stops. Almost felt like it was going to stall at one. I think some folks have mentioned this on here.

Unbelievable that I got this fixed for $250. (I missed the 10 year warranty by 4 months.) Toyota dealer quoted me $1500 to replace the ECM alone (plus towing it there). O'Reilly quoted me about $900. Just astonishing.

2 questions:

1) Does the low idling go away after a bit of driving?

2) Any way to check on the tranny? I stopped driving the car the second time I noticed it, probably drove less than 15 miles.

Good news on the fix!

1) Should go away. Mine took a day or so for everything to be perfect again.

2) Not sure. Seems the transmissions are pretty tough on these vehicles and I think it should be fine.. With all the slipping and clunking mine did I was sure it was toast but have had zero symptoms since.

 

[keithfival]

Good news on the fix!

1) Should go away. Mine took a day or so for everything to be perfect again.

2) Not sure. Seems the transmissions are pretty tough on these vehicles and I think it should be fine.. With all the slipping and clunking mine did I was sure it was toast but have had zero symptoms since.

Yes, drove to work tonight and everything is just like normal!! Geez, so glad I found this forum, could have been a nightmare!!!

Count me as another satisfied customer of Check Engine in Brooklyn.