[rahzel]

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.

I sold my 2002 RAV4 with ~12x,000km a year ago to my sister in-law and her car just got hit with the ECM issue. Contacted my local dealer and Toyota Canada and they won't do anything about it... wanted to charge her $400 for the part and for 4 hours of labor, when in reality it would take an hour tops. I am aware that several people fix this for a few hundred dollars, but it's still a big inconvenience and makes things kind of awkward since I was the one who sold it to her. After selling my RAV4, I took possession of my dad's nearly new 2002 RAV4 that had less than 50,000km. Now I'm worried that this will happen to my vehicle.

Our family have owned several Toyota vehicles over the years and still currently own a few, but this tarnishes their reputation for us big time. We have also owned many Hondas and have had very few issues. We have been notified of any recalls and to have them fixed for free. The fact that Toyota didn't do a recall on this when it could completely mess up your tranny, and so many people were affected by this issue yet they won't do anything about it makes me angry and makes me think a lot less of Toyota. To be honest, I don't think that I will buy another Toyota vehicle again.

 

[Matt in C N SA]

Add me to the list.

Our '02 with 121,000 miles was occassionally struggling to downshift when accelerating on Wednseday, and the check engine light came on. Had the code checked and it was P0750, which appears to be the most common code associated with this problem.


Now it is Saturday, and the shifting has seemed normal through Friday and today. Is the conventional wisdom that it would be OK to continue driving it while we wait for a replacement ECM? Or should we park it until it is replaces?

We don't have an extra car so we are struggling about how to go several days without the ECM if we send it to Brooklyn or Van Nuys, and I am thinking about buying one from

Toyota RAV4 Engine Computer ECU ECM Replacement | eBay

so we don't have to go without a car for several days. Thoughts?

And do you have to take the ECM out to get the part number? I dropped the glove box and looked but did not see a number. Thanks.

 

[Matt in C N SA]

Bizarre update--the car has been driving OK for the last couple of days and tonight the Check Engine light went off! Maybe it cured itself. I still intend to replace the ECM, though.

 

[rahzel]

Bizarre update--the car has been driving OK for the last couple of days and tonight the Check Engine light went off! Maybe it cured itself. I still intend to replace the ECM, though.

My sister in-law's RAV4 also was fine the next day. However we went ahead and got our ECM fixed because it was probably a sign that it's going to fail soon. We didn't let Toyota do it though... not paying $1400 for 4 hours of labor when in reality it's <1 hour job. Sent it to Speedotronix in Canada via express shipping and got it back within a week for less than $200. Thanks for nothing Toyota.

 

[sandys5324]

I have a 2003 Rav 4 which I bought in 2007 and have only had to replace the serpentine and the water pump and regular maintenance. Feb 2012 I took it in for service to Toyota dealership as the transmission seemed off, not quite sure what was wrong, but it was not 'right'. Wasn't hard shifting yet, but there was hesitance on occasion, brakes were soft and not as responsive as should have been. Gave the dealership almost a blank check to make sure any possible issue was resolved. I was told the brakes were fine and the transmission was bleed and filled. Now both the breaks and the transmission have gotten progressively worse. Took to local shop (toyota is in another city) and they replaced entire front breaks because they were ceased up, did complete trans flush & filter & both were black. I cannot drive the vehicle as the hard shifting is now almost a regular occurrence. Yet no mention of it was made when I talked to Toyota in 2012 when I TOLD them of the issue. They claim there were no codes for it at the time and therefore no reason to. I asked why it was not told to me since I was practically begging them to fix anything the might go wrong and the service manager told me that I would have received a letter from Corporate about the issue so it was my responsibility to ask for the repair. I contacted corporate since the dealer was not going to come to any resolution other than to tell me to pay for it. Corporate claimed the letter was sent in 2010 June. I was the registered owner at that time and no letters were mailed to me about this issue! I have had this vehicle in the Toyota shop 3 time for maintenance and NOT once was a service bulletin mentioned. No recall was mentioned. I just spoke with the Parts department and this guy says that no letter was sent as it is a service bulletin and ONLY recalls get letters sent to the customers.

I am tired of the lying and the run around. The only way a recall is going to happen is if a VOLUME of owners tell the DOT and the NHTSA about the dangerous and hazardous position we are put in when driving these vehicles that "don't have any issue". A class action suit was completed in California, why not anywhere else? We NEED everyone with this vehicle issue, past or present to file a complaint with the NHTSA. It only takes a minute and only then can we get Toyota to be held responsible for their defect. Or should we wait for some family to be plowed over by a semi because mom was driving and panicked when the car did this and didn't know what to do to get out of the way in time? (not that you can do much) Do we have to wait for people to die to demand it be fixed?

Just go to
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
fill out the form (its short) give details including any close calls or safety issues that you experienced. If it is not a safety issue no recall will ever happen.

I love my Rav4 but I am furious that even when I ASK for repairs for issues no one tells me about a known issue that has been around for over 6 years! I should not have to research the service bulletins to find out what repairs should be done on my vehicle before I take it to the 'professionals'!! WHY do we pay them the outrageous hourly labor rates if they are not going to be informed or keep us informed? :wall

Please fill out the complaint and lets get Toyota to fix it (or pay you back) for these repairs.

Did you see this?
Toyota Will Pay Additional $32.425 Million as Result of 2 DOT Investigations
Additional Information on Toyota Recalls and Investigations | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Because Toyota failed to comply with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act for reporting safety defects to NHTSA they were fined the MAX allowed because they refused to notify customers in a timely manner. There is no way they will ever take care of this issue unless WE the Toyota owners step up and tell them we demand it. I am going to start talking to lawyers and I recommend others do the same!

 

[sandys5324]

Mine is over 200,000 and I think I noticed hesitance back at 150,000 which wasn't bad, just thought it was getting old. It just didn't seem to have the power as fast/quick as it used to. Now it is hard shift - big difference. It is parked until I can come up with $500 for an ECM and praying I have not killed the Tranny too! I have read ALL the service bulletins on this and it is recommended to drive it for 20-30 miles after replacing it. (FYI)

I am asking everyone to file a complaint on this SAFETY issue with NHTSA

What happens if you keep driving it and your on the highway when the tranny dies? Not gonna be good.

 

[WrJr]

Just a quick update on my ongoing issues with our rav 4, sent the ecm in to the place in NY(these guys are fast and really reliable! they got in 3 days we got it back refurbed in 1 day) and after about mile 22.7 to be exact on the car it feels totally fine now! Just insane how this one part caused the issues with the tranny! Im really urked and pissed at toyota demanding the transmission be replaced, we will see it seems fine now after the fixed ecm was put back in! No more hard shifts or clunks! It was idling a bit low at first but this is totally normal. Gonna get the transmission fluid all drained and flushed and new stuff put in tomorrow to be safe.

This forum saved me alot of headaches and money, thank you all!! I sincerely mean that! I just have to say that I agree with what sandy posted above, something more drastic needs to be done about this! Corporate was unwilling to do anything for us even after we proved our case, sickening and this will be the last toyota we will ever buy no matter how good or how much we like them! Says alot about a company and corporation when you get the shaft and are treated like this!

 

[GregInLA]

Hi - I just joined Rav4World in order to thank the community for the information about this issue and share my data points about it.

I recently redid the ECM on my wife's 2003 (manuf. 12/02) RAV4 with 80K miles, via ChkEngine in Brooklyn. It took me considerably less than an hour each to remove and re-install, and less than $300 altogether to ship the ECM and receive the fixed on back to my door. I mailed it on a monday morning, received it back on wednesday afternoon.

The car is running like a top now and -- I'm not normally one to shill and I promise I'm a genuine person -- I'd highly recommend the above-mentioned service. I did a little research, and it seemed like there were a few alternatives but some discussion on whether they do as good a job. Shop around if you want, but I would have been happy with this guy at twice the price.

The scary part was, my usual mechanic did not know about the issue and pointed me to a transmission shop and a $3K+ rebuild.

We had hesitation and funky shifting issues. For whatever reason, I got it checked out right away, so we drove minimal mileage on it. And we did observe some intermittent disappearance and reappearance of the issues. (The issue was notably worse in hills, esp uphill grades.)

If you even think you might have this, I'd recommend you park your car, bite the bullet, and do the swap. Or get someone to do it for you.

 

[rstar99]

Just picked up my '01 from the dealer tonight. I tried a company in Florida for there ECM's. After installing 3 of them, I threw in the towel. Each time I would get one back from them, my Rav would shift differently. I got tired of dealing with it and sent it to the dealer. Bill to diagnose and replace ECM was $1068.17 and they told me there was still a slight slip in second gear. Mechanic rated the improvement from when we brought it in to 90%. Even though we drove the vehicle less than 50 miles when the first issue with the transmission happened, they said it still may have damaged it. I've been reading blogs about people stating that the vehicle needs to be driven 50-75 miles after the ECM install to see if the issue is resolved. I'm uncertain about that. I'm considering trying some Lucas Transmission Fix additive to see if a solenoid is stuck or whatever. Any suggestions my friends? I'm stumped. We've had this car for over a month and its cost me almost $1800 since we bought it.

 

[kzabrisk]

Just picked up my '01 from the dealer tonight. I tried a company in Florida for there ECM's. After installing 3 of them, I threw in the towel. Each time I would get one back from them, my Rav would shift differently. I got tired of dealing with it and sent it to the dealer. Bill to diagnose and replace ECM was $1068.17 and they told me there was still a slight slip in second gear. Mechanic rated the improvement from when we brought it in to 90%. Even though we drove the vehicle less than 50 miles when the first issue with the transmission happened, they said it still may have damaged it. I've been reading blogs about people stating that the vehicle needs to be driven 50-75 miles after the ECM install to see if the issue is resolved. I'm uncertain about that. I'm considering trying some Lucas Transmission Fix additive to see if a solenoid is stuck or whatever. Any suggestions my friends? I'm stumped. We've had this car for over a month and its cost me almost $1800 since we bought it.

Drive it around town for 50 miles or so before you do anything else. It takes the computer a little while to 'learn', and shifting will change a little during that time.

 

[Collegekidwithproblems]

Good Morning everyone--2002 Rav4 owner here. Have some questions as I've been experiencing some trans issues over the last few day..

Well lets start with I read through almost all of the pages on this thread hoping to get a better answer, yet no avail.

Over the last few days I have begun experiencing hard shifting when up shifting(only between 2nd & 3rd) and a spun on shift from (1st to 2nd)

If you drive normal the trans will not slip, when I noticed this issue I tried to drive a few different ways to come up with all the possible scenarios.

If you baby it--and I mean baby it like a grandma on Sunday it will slip out of gear at around 2k rpm after it makes it shift into second.

I would like to believe this is a clogged filter(as my fluid is full and a good red color)

However, does any of this sound indicative of the ECM issue you guys are talking about?

As my username says I'm a college kid so dropping 1k for an ECM is out of the question, let alone a trans rebuild.

The trans has been babied its whole life. I've had this thing worked on at the dealer since its been mine(My mother owned it prior and was just a religious as me about this) I believe my last trans flush was at 85,000 miles. I am now at 125k. Going strong until this issue.

I would like to mention that this was not a gradual decline. All of a sudden--my trans start acting funny. .I was actually driving home from running an errand for my father and it just kinda slipped and gave me a hard shift and its been doing it ever since.



Any help you guys can offer would be appreciated--as I don't really want to drop $$$$ on an new ECM(maybe someone can hook me up with the name of that place in NY) or heck even change the trans filter if it doesn't need it.

 

[santamo]

My regular mechanic just asked me for the phone number of Module Repair Pro in Van Nuys, who refurbed my 2002 RAV4 in June of this year (had it towed to them from Santa Monica). I posted about it upthread. I paid $179 for the repair and installation (so $84 for the labor over the internet price). My car has been running great. I don't drive a lot, so posting mileage is useless, but wanted to report that I'm still a happy camper six months on. They were very efficient, very pleasant to deal with (they're also Russian like the guy in Brooklyn--coincidence I guess), and I would definitely recommend them, especially if you're in the LA area.

 

[olen37]

hi does anyone know what the dates[ start and stop] on the rav4 with the ecm trouble I have a rva4 that was built in 9-03 is it part of the recall it is titled 04 let me know thank you all and have a nice day

 

[projectdiy]

I think yours is covered by that recall. Check the internet concerning a class action lawsuit from the state of Michigan. This will give you some contact info. Mine was involved and i found the problem before the recall. I was later refunded the $1250 i spent on a new ELM.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[projectdiy]

Your problem is the ELM. There is a recall involving your vehicle. The dealer should have informed you of this but mine was involved and I took mine to the dealer to try and determine what was the problem. I later took it to an independent who found the ELM to be defective. Later I received word of the recall and was refunded my costs by Toyota. Check this out and you should get yours repaired at no cost to you.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[marvin54]

hello

i have a rav4 2003 auto 4x4 2.0 i need to replace gear box

gear box are compatible 2001 to 2005 ?

 

[projectdiy]

There was a class action suit filed in Michigan. Google Rav-4 suit in Michigan and it will take you to the site. Toyota agreed to reimburse those who have had repair done. Check this out.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

[Tucker]

Just wanted to add my name to the list of people who have experienced the ECU/transmission problem and had it fixed by repairing the ECU. I have had the Rav for 2.5 years (it has 202 KMs now) and it always shifted fine, I was hoping I would be spared the problems somehow. But, due to this forum mainly, I was well aware of the issue and ready to attack it at the first signs.

Last week I seemed to notice some clunky shifting from 2-3 but couldn't rule out a pothole or driving over an ice chunk. I never had the delay into reverse, never had a Check Engine light. Finally I knew things were going south when while pulling away from a red light it barely moved, revved high and felt like it was in 3rd gear, then clunked hard and started driving normal.

Pulled the ECU that day by following the directions in the Youtube video posted by Circuit Board Medics. I decided to send mine to Speedo Tronix in Concord, Ontario since they advertised the job for $200 CDN, which saved me money compared to Check Engine, Etc ($250 US + higher cost for me to ship to USA). Plus there would be no worry about unexpected duty charges, the guy on the phone seemed to know what he was talking about (said they fix 20 of these a month for transmission shops in the Toronto area), and another poster on here said they used this outfit before. I sent it on Monday and had it back Thursday. As expected (but still thankfully) all symptoms have disappeared and the car drives just fine. I will still do a tranny drain and fill as the fluid was very dark brownish purple and old looking... but it works just fine. Thanks to the posters on this board and those who have perfected the fix.

 

[mysweetrav42002]

Here's the problem I'm experiencing with my 2002 Rav4 guys:
1st of all, car drives fine but a little sluggy and slow moving on 1st gear while taking off.

Here's my main issue: "Transmission has been stucked on 3rd gear and won't go to 4th gear
speed to make the engine freely to run faster as it should, meaning as a result, the vehicle
is compressed and you cannot go any faster other than less 60MPH.

The issue cause my check engine light remains on with the code: P0368 Solenoid D electrical. So I bought one from ebay, I installed it no problem, but the problem remain the same, there were no changes whatsoever. so I immediately returned it and get my refund back.

I'm personally thinking it this one of the electrical solenoids inside the transmission that have the problem....??

 

[Keninblaine]

I had the ECU in my 01 RAV4 repaired in October 2012 by chkengine in Brooklyn, and the car has run perfectly ever since....until a few days ago. Got in the car one foggy morning last week, started it, put it in reverse but it didn't engage. Put it in Drive and it engaged. Back to Reverse, no go. Had to use my other car to run an errand. So later in the morning I decided to try again, hoping that perhaps the damp cold morning had caused the problem. This time it wouldn't start. Lights worked, radio, etc, but nothing from the starter when I tried to start it. Today I did some diagnostics and verified there was power at the battery connection to the starter, and power to the ignition lead to the starter when the ignition was turned full to the right for starting. So this led me to believe the problem was with the starter, and not in the ignition switch or neutral safety switch. Bought a new starter and installed it. First time I tried, nothing happened. But second time, it started fine, and actually engaged Reverse as well (I couldn't understand the connection, but hey, it works).
A while later I went to start it again, and no starter action again. Have tried numerous times since, and still no action.
Now I'm wondering if these somewhat random issues are indicative of a problem with the ECU. The other day I did an OBD test and got a code P1730 which apparently describes a problem with the intermediate shaft speed sensor. Sounded bizarre to me.

Anyone else experienced anything like this? I intend to contact chkengine folks on Monday to see what they have to say.