I LOVED my Rav4... UNTIL NOW!! My car all of a sudden starting puttin & jerkin one day just out of nowhere. It lasted for 2 days then stopped for a month. When it happened again I took it into a service shop well basically they didn't know what was wrong & since I was a woman who knows NOTHING about cars had me fix everything but what was causing the problem & $1,600 later they tell me that its transmission problems & that there is a recall with the ECM & If I take it to my Toyota dealer that it will be fixed FOR FREE!!!! so I spent my tuition money on a problem that Toyota should have told me about in the 1st place! Toyota doesn't need anymore bad publicity & they just keep digging their own grave! Im so angry at the car shop & Toyota I cant see straight.... This will be my last Toyota they have truly dropped the ball on customer service skills.

I was driving my 2001 Rav4 home from work one day and it felt like it was stuttering, by the time I got to my driveway it was really crawling. I turned the car off, waited a moment and then turned it back on and it started so I parked it. I knew something was really wrong and didn't attempt to drive it except to take it to be fixed. I never made it to the mechanic, the car died half way there and had to be towed. It was the transmission, it had to be replaced. I didn't purchase the warranty when buying the car used because it's a Toyota, they are supposed to last forever. What a lie. If that was once the truth it isn't any longer. It cost my about $3500 US to get a new transmission.

So I did get the transmission fixed and before I had driven it all the way home (about 50 miles) it started with the lurching jerking and whatever else you want to call it and it's been sitting in my driveway ever since. I now know that the ecm and transmission should have been replaced at the same time, but don't have the money to fix it. Especially since I have a new transmission with less then 60 miles on it. I know other people are brave and drive with this problem, but I live in the mountains and am too afraid a tourist will run into me when it stalls or I won't be able to make it up the various hills around town or it will just die and I'll be stranded. I loved the car but am now hoping a big tree will fall on it and put it out of my misery!

rav4 had no power pulling out, found out it was trying to pull out in 2nd gear, code PO755 came up so they replaced the solenoids at a cost of $700. 2 days later car was slipping in 2nd gear and still sometimes trouble pulling out, took it back to mechanic who said we need a rebuilt transmission. took it somewhere else for a second opinion they had my car now 2 days they say the engine transmission control is causing the problem $1000 to fix, this is the computer I am not sure if it is the same as the ECM mechanic told us that once this is fixed, the transmission may still be damaged and I will need to spend up to $2K - $3K more if thats the case

My rav4 Toyota started giving problems once in the while on shifting than I took the car to Ira Toyota in Milford MA. They charged me $350,00 and did not fixed the problem and did not gave my money back. Few weeks after the car were really bad I couldn't even drive I took to another mechanic and end up spending more money and no solutions. Finally my friend recommended his friend"s shop "Franklin Transmission". They found out that my car need to replaced EMC costing me $1,121.18. The worst came when he said that the transmission has been ruined and will have to be rebuilt too. I end up spending $4,000.00 to get my car running again. Plus all the money on rentals I spend for almost a month until I decide what to do and have the money to fix the car. If Toyota had sent a letter telling us about the problem I would have to replace only the EMC but they knew the problem and didn't do anything. It is a shame what they did. We need to stand up and ask for our rights.

My 2001 Toyota RAV4 started to hesitate when shifting between 1st and 2nd gears. This seemed to start overnight. Independent NAPA service center told me to take it to a Toyota dealer for a reflash, Eau Claire Wisconsin Toyota Dealer drove it and said there was nothing wrong with it except it was a quart low on tranny fluid. Left the Toyota dealer and it continued to hesitate when shifting at low speeds and lower gears. Took to an Independent Transmission Repair shop. They said, the transmission is bad, needs to be rebuilt. $3000 to $3500 is the estimate. I went home and googled "Toyota RAV4 Transmission problems" and found this web site and hundreds of stories. Based on a couple of stories and went back to the Transmission shop, showed him the stories. He did research on his own and decided the best thing to do first is replace the ECM. That will cost me $900. I will get the word on whether it fixed the shifting problems or if the transmission has been ruined and will have to be rebuilt too. More to follow.

I was driving on the InterState when the first incident of shifting occurred. It scared me, but it didn't happen again until about a week later. I had the transmission flushed and it ran well for about 2 days. Now it occurs daily and I've been trying to find a solution. I took it to a transmission repair shop and the mechanic said I needed to have it rebuilt because the gears were stripped at a price of approximately $1800. I was going to take it to another transmission shop tomorrow; but after reading these complaints I don't know what to do. I can't afford a new transmission or the cost of the ECM. I've driven Toyotas since 1986 and I've never had a problem like this before. This will be my last Toyota. Please let me know if a class action suit is started. I am calling Toyota today!!!

I was driving my car last Saturday, when suddenly it started hesitating when taking off from a complete stop. It would finally engage and then I was able to continue on. Then the check enging light came on. I had my granddaughter in the car with me and decided I had better get home before we had an accident.

Later, I was speaking to my daughter about it and she told me to check to make sure my gas cap was on tight. I shrugged off her suggestion, but later that evening went out and removed the gas cap and put it back on. The next morning I got up and took the car down to the store. The engine light was no longer on and the car was no longer acting up. I was amazed that the gas cap was such an easy fix. The next day I drove my car the 50 miles round trip to work and everything seemed fine. I was really happy and grateful that I had been so lucky. Little did I know that my luck was about to run out.

The following day on the way to work the car started acting up again. I got to work and tried the gas cap fix again, but that didn't work. I promptly dorve my car to my mechanic. He checked it out and told me it appeared to be a transmission problem and suggested I take it to an AAMCO in a nearby city.

The following morning I took my car to AAMCO. On the way there, the check engine light came back on and the car began having problems not only between 1st and 2nd gears, but also between 4th and 5th. I made it to AAMCO and after waiting for 2 hours for them to look at it and diagnose the problem they came out and told me that the problem was inside the transmission and they would have to take it out to find out exactly what was going on. The cost to remove the transmission to diagnose and provide an estimate for repair was $350.00. I gave them the go ahead and went home to wait for their call. They called me back a couple of hours later and told me that there was 2 broken mounts and the transmission needed to be rebuilt as there was a lot of "munched parts" inside. The cost was going to be $2800.00. I couldn't believe it, but after scrambling to get together the money for the repair I called them back and gave them the go ahead. I was already in it for $350.00 and felt like I didn't have much choice as I have not been able to get my money tree to grow. They told me that my car would be ready on Friday so I told them I would be there after work to pick it up.

On Friday I called AAMCO about an hour before going over to get the car. I was told that they weren't quite done, but it would be ready in an hour. When I arrived to pick it up, they came out after about 10 minutes and told me there was a big problem. I was advised the transmission had been repaired and it was fine, but that the computer needed to be replaced as it was making the transmission to act up as it was before. They advised me that my car was not operable because if I did drive it

In addition to the transmission problem, I also have had check engine light issues for over 2 years.

When the car is started, 1st thing in morning, the transmission will hesitate when attempting to shift into the next gear range. I am compelled to take my foot off the gas pedal in order to make it shift. When cruising on the freeway there are no problems.

When driving to work, sometimes it will not accelerate when I step on the gas, and if it does it will jerk significantly to make the car jump. This is the case every time I come to a stop or red light. Trying to get the car moving is problematic. Almost every time I leave a stop it either won't go into gear at first or then finally pops into 1st.

It happened without warning. The car doesn't want to shift anymore. It makes a big thump when if finally changes gear. I spent $250 getting an analysis and the transmission fluid changed, and told to come back in three weeks, from an import car repair shop. THey did tell me the computer analysis showed that two sensors are bad and it would be $700 to repair them. They do not affect the transmission. However, when I came home and searched online, I find that both are a very common and extremely expensive problem and the dealers don't want to admit it. I will call the Toyota dealer, but I do not expect them to help.

I paid extra for a Toyota because I expected the quality to be better. Since I wasted my money paying extra and did not get the quality, and now I"m reading that the company is not fessing up to the problem....and did not warn us....I will not buy another. Do not reward a company that doesn't treat you right.

Update from Oct 12, 2009: I've been in touch with my local Toyota dealer. They noted that there was a recall on the ECM and they reprogrammed mine a year or two ago. I responded, why would it go bad again? I told him about all the complaints I read about. He said if you have a problem you should take it to the dealer because they are in touch with each other and know the most about your car. It will cost me $87 tomorrow just for diagnostics. THey cannot tell me what is wrong until then. He mentioned that it could be a cellinoid or anything else. I can tell they will not own up to a poorly built transmission. He said that all cars have something wrong with them. I started to tell him that when I chose to buy a Toyota, that I paid extra up front for quality, and I didn't get it. I told him that I looked online and Rav4's had the most complaints of all the Toyotas. He sorta had to go real quick. Really....everyone.....he does have a point. I wasted $250 going to an auto import repair shop and they didn't know what it was. So I still have to go to the dealer's repair shop to get it figured out. Go directly to the dealer the first time for this repair.

Update from Oct 13, 2009: OKay....I really did not need to go to the dealer because it was the same thing wrong that everyone else is describing. But, when I called the Toyota 1-800 number and complained, the girl told me that I needed to go to the dealer and have it diagnosed. So, I spent $87 for the dealer's repair shop to tell me that, guess what, my ECM or ECU...needed replaced. Price: $1385.65. I asked if the transmission was damaged. Well, they could not tell me that until the EMC was replaced and then they could tell. Cost for new transmission? $3700 more. Total would be: $5200. I was flabbergasted. I told the guy the blue book value of the car was that much.

So, I flipped through the phone book and found a Transmission shop and talked at length to a sympathetic person. He said he would try to get a used EMC. I said NO! They are not made right. They've "improved" them. If you put in a used one, the same thing will happen again. He then said he could try to rebuild the transmission depending how bad the damage is. He said the dealer's repair shop will just install a new one. So, I drove the car to the transmission store and am waiting to see what happens after he installs the EMC.

I also called the Toyota place: 1-800-331-4331. They tell me that when I got my recall letter, it was to reprogram the EMC. They would not say that it was faulty. Then they said that they had extended teh warrenty to 80,000 miles. I said, well if you extended teh warrenty, that means you knew that there was something wrong with it. And what good does that do us? It goes bad after the warrenty is over. I also told him that from what I read, by the time the engine warning light goes on, it's too late. The damage to the transmission is done. I told him that the least the company could have done was warn us to have the EMC changed to the "improved" version so we could have avoided the transmission damage. I told him that people reported that it was dangerous when they drove their cars adn they wouldn't shift and almost caused accidents. I told him that this car was my sixth Toyota, but there will not be a seventh purchase and that from what I read, the other people felt the same way, and that we would be mentioning our experience to our friends and family. I feel that the company has gotten "too big for their britches". They did not want to admit a fault, so they let us get blindsided with an enormous, needless repair. If they had warned us that the EMC could go bad and what the consequences would be, we could have prevented the repair of teh transmission. So, I say to all of you. call that 1-800 number and tell them of your experience and how you feel about it. The more complaints they have, the more likely they will be to do something about it. By the way, the transmission repair person, said that Ford has been making some pretty reliable cars lately.

Toyota should have a recall on this...apparently it is a known issue with this vehicle. The ECM goes haywire and destroys the transmission. The result is you need a new ECM=$800 and a new transmission =$2800. Toyota has admitted this problem to me and actually paid for half of the ECM cost after much harassment. The headquarters tried to get me to pay for the full amount and they would reimburse me...lol. Taking me for an idiot, I suppose. I refused so they credited the Toyota dealership for half the amount. This shows they need to recall it...everyone has this problem and because of this hassle I will never, ever buy a Toyota again..and then they wonder why they are not doing so well in the American Market.

I have 108,000 on my RAV 4L 2WD. I definitely take my car in for regular maintenance and treat my car as though it were a child. However, this week the car started kicking like a horse between 0-30. Initially, I thought I had it in the wrong gear, but after paying close attention, I noticed the check engine light came on.

My friend owns an Auto shop and he did a free computer diagnostic test on my car and said it was the solenoid. He made a few phone calls to Toyota to see if it was an approved recall and said Toyota is aware of the problem, but "claim" it is a wear and tear on the vehicle.

Toyota said, you could try to change the solenoids, but there is no guarantee it will work, then said once you purchase these parts, they are non-refundable. They found no metal in my transmission.

So my friend-mechanic said it would be gamble to pay $800 for parts to labor, only to find out it may not fix the problem. He said its a gamble.

Another option he recommended was to rebuild the transmission. He called 3 different shops and got 3 different quotes for the transmission, $1600, $2200, $2800. Each said that even if the transmission was rebuilt, there is no guarantee that the computer will read it and will malfunction. Next and final step would be to drop another $600 (minimum) to have TOYOTA reprogram to the transmission.

At first, I thought what did I do to cause this expensive, and unexpected repair. My car has 108,000 miles and I do everything that is required for the recommended maintenance. I am very frustrated, and did not expect the repairs to be this costly. I really have no choice, but to pay for a new transmission.

Anyone have a better solution,

Lara

I was driving my car last Saturday, when suddenly it started hesitating when taking off from a complete stop. It would finally engage and then I was able to continue on. Then the check engine light came on. I had my granddaughter in the car with me and decided I had better get home before we had an accident.

Later, I was speaking to my daughter about it and she told me to check to make sure my gas cap was on tight. I shrugged off her suggestion, but later that evening went out and removed the gas cap and put it back on. The next morning I got up and took the car down to the store. The engine light was no longer on and the car was no longer acting up. I was amazed that the gas cap was such an easy fix. The next day I drove my car the 50 miles round trip to work and everything seemed fine. I was really happy and grateful that I had been so lucky. Little did I know that my luck was about to run out.

The following day on the way to work the car started acting up again. I got to work and tried the gas cap fix again, but that didn't work. I promptly drove my car to my mechanic. He checked it out and told me it appeared to be a transmission problem and suggested I take it to an AAMCO in a nearby city.

The following morning I took my car to AAMCO. On the way there, the check engine light came back on and the car began having problems not only between 1st and 2nd gears, but also between 4th and 5th. I made it to AAMCO and after waiting for 2 hours for them to look at it and diagnose the problem they came out and told me that the problem was inside the transmission and they would have to take it out to find out exactly what was going on. The cost to remove the transmission to diagnose and provide an estimate for repair was $350.00. I gave them the go ahead and went home to wait for their call. They called me back a couple of hours later and told me that there were 2 broken mounts and the transmission needed to be rebuilt as there was a lot of "munched parts" inside. The cost was going to be $2800.00. I couldn't believe it, but after scrambling to get together the money for the repair I called them back and gave them the go ahead. I was already in it for $350.00 and felt like I didn't have much choice. They told me that my car would be ready on Friday so I told them I would be there after work to pick it up.

On Friday I called AAMCO about an hour before going over to get the car. I was told that they weren 't quite done, but it would be ready in an hour. When I arrived to pick it up, they came out after about 10 minutes and told me there was a big problem. I was advised the transmission had been remanufactured and it was fine, but that the computer needed to be replaced as it was making the transmission act up just as it was before. They advised me that my car was not operable because if I did drive it, the transmission would be destroyed again. They advised me it was going to be another $1100.00 to replace the ECM.

I was speechless. This repair bill was now $3907.14. I'm not sure if a 2001 RAV4 is even worth $3900.00. I was l already in this repair for $2800.00, did not have a second vehicle and had arranged a loan for the repair. I felt sick and was not sure if what they were telling me was the truth. I was over a barrel and felt I had no choice at all. Again, I okayed the repair and went home. I came home and did research and found that this computer/transmission issue was for real and was happening to a lot of people.

Yesterday morning I went and picked up my RAV. It appears to be running okay. I am not sure what to do at this point. I now owe $3400.00 plus interest for this repair.

It is my understanding that Toyota has known about this computer/transmission problem for years and has chosen to do nothing about it. My receipt from AAMCO states "After installing transmission we found it was trying to engage two gears at once which is same condition as orginal failure (binding up). Found bad computer was sending bad info to trans is what caused original failure. If computer had not failed transmission would not have failed."

This is not the first problem I have had with my RAV. While I initially loved this car, I don't think I would ever buy another Toyota.

While I do understand that my car is 8 years old and things will go wrong, I don't believe these kinds of things should be happening. If they knew about this problem and chose to ignore it instead of recallind and correcting the problem, they should be held accountable.

I am a 52 year old grandmother. I am not rough on my vehicle. It has never been in an accident and I believe I have been doing all I can to maintain the vehicle but in the past 2 years I have had over $7000.00 in repairs.

I will write to Toyota and if I don't get any satisfaction, I will file a complaint. Class action suit, count me in.

As many others have mentioned I too, have a 2001 Toyota rav4 that's having difficulty changing gears. It seems to happen between 1st and 2nd gear. While at a complete stop and then trying to accelerate the engine seems to slip as if you are free revving and or neutral. After the slipping it would catch up to the right gear after knocking the engine around. All other gears were ok and downshifting was no problem. While putting it in reverse and then drive seemed to be beating on the tranny.(loud clunking noise)took it to the dealership and they said my transmission was good & that it was the computer. Also took it to auto zone where they had hooked it up to there computer and came up with a code of P0755-low tranny fluid and faulty solenoid. And here we are trying to figure out what route to take. Why do I have a feeling if I get the computer fixed---that they are going to say that the tranny needs replaced also........