NHTSA Complaint #10233982 — 2002 TOYOTA RAV4

I STARTED HAVING ISSUES WITH MY CAR ON 6-20-2008. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR & NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE IT WASN'T ACCELERATING PROPERLY. THEN I NOTICED THAT AS THE CAR WAS SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR IT WOULD STALL & THEN SUDDENLY SHIFT REALLY HARD INTO 3RD GEAR. SOMETIMES AS I WOULD ACCELERATE THE CAR WOULD START SHAKING & THEN SHIFT HARD INTO 1ST GEAR. THIS MADE ME VERY NERVOUS BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC & FEARED THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD CREATE AN ACCIDENT. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY, BUT IT WAS HAPPENING MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. WE LOOKED AT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID THINKING IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO THE WAY IT WAS SHIFTING. WE CHECKED THE FLUID & FILLED THE FLUID. MY HUSBAND DROVE IT A LITTLE & IT DIDN'T ACT UP FOR HIM. SO I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WELL THEN I STARTED DRIVING IT AGAIN & IT CONTINUED TO SHIFT HARD & NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. I HAD MY UNCLE LOOK AT IT & HE THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT ENGAGING. SO I FINALLY TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE ($84 LATER) THEY COULDN'T GET THE PROBLEM TO OCCUR. I WENT TO PICK THE CAR UP THE NEXT DAY & THEY SAID THEY FOUND A BULLETIN ON 2001-2003 TOYOTA RAV4'S THAT IF THERE WAS A HARD SHIFTING THAT THE ECM NEEDED REPLACING. $1500 LATER THE CAR IS FIXED. OF COURSE TOYOTA DOES NOT COVER THE COST OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY A BULLETIN & SUPPOSEDLY DID NOT CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE & COME TO FIND OUT MY MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY IS PAST & MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOESN'T COVER IT EITHER EVEN THOUGH IT'S A MAJOR PART THAT KEEPS THE CAR RUNNING & FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED WITH THE TOYOTA SERVICE & THEIR WAYS OF HANDLING PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT THE CONSUMERS FAULT BUT TOYOTA'S MANUFACTURING FAULT. *TR