NHTSA Complaint #10246791 — 2001 TOYOTA RAV4

I HAVE A 2001 TOYOTA RAV4 WHICH UNTIL RECENTLY HAD BEEN WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A GOOD PURCHASE. IN DECEMBER 2007, WE RECEIVED A LETTER INSTRUCTING US TO BRING OUR VEHICLE IN TO HAVE THE ECM (ENGINE CONTROL MONITOR) REPROGRAMMED WHICH WE HAD DONE IN JANUARY 2008. ON TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN STUTTER FOLLOWED BY A LOUD NOISE WHILE DRIVING, ALMOST LIKE WHAT I WOULD IMAGINE A MUFFLED BACKFIRE MIGHT SOUND LIKE. THEN THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO STUTTER AND ALMOST FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. IT WOULD HESITATE WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE. I MADE IT TO WORK AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICING AND TOOK THE VEHICLE IN THAT AFTERNOON. THE ADVISOR TOLD ME THAT I WOULD NEED A REPLACEMENT OF THE ECM AND MY TRANSMISSION. IT WOULD COST $4900! HE EXPLAINED THAT I COULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED THIS FROM HAPPENING; THAT THE SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS HAD BEEN FOLLOWED AND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LOOKED FINE. HE ADDED THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT REPLACE THE ECM WITHOUT REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. HE ALSO EXPLAINED THAT THE SERVICE CODES INDICATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. I OBTAINED A COPY OF THE TOYOTA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TC002-06) FROM MARCH 3, 2006 WHICH INDICATED THAT IMPROVEMENTS HAD BEEN MADE TO THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF THE ECM AND TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM, R&R ECM, WHICH WAS NOT DONE IN MY CASE..SINCE I DID NOT RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION UNTIL DECEMBER 2007, THE TRANSMISSION WAS EXPOSED TO A FAULTY ECM THAT SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED ITS FAILURE. THERE IS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO WHICH I HAVE CONFIRMED BY SPEAKING TO ASE CERTIFIED TOYOTA AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR MECHANICS. *TR