NHTSA Complaint #10249989 — 2007 TOYOTA RAV4

I OWN A 2007 TOYOTA RAV4 LIMITED 4WD V6 AND THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY AT LOW SPEEDS. A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF THE PROBLEM IS SEEN AFTER SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN ONTO ANOTHER STREET. THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT OUT OF OVERDRIVE, SO WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE ENGINE SPEED INCREASES AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE. THE COMPUTER THEN REALIZES THAT THE CAR IS TRYING TO ACCELERATE AND "SLAMS" INTO GEAR. THIS CONDITION ALSO OCCURS IN TRAFFIC AND MAKING LANE CHANGES IS VERY DANGEROUS AT LOW SPEEDS. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA'S TECHNICAL SERVICE HOTLINE AND HAD THE LEAD SERVICE TECHNICIAN AT MY LOCAL DEALER RIDE WITH ME TO SEE THE PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE CAR IS "WITHIN NORMAL OPERATING PARAMETERS", BUT AFTER LOOKING AT SEVERAL WEB SITES, I HAVE SEEN THAT THIS A WORLDWIDE ISSUE WITH EVERY CAMRY, SIENNA, AVALON, RAV4 AND TUNDRA BUILT IN THE PAST SEVERAL MODEL YEARS. THE LOCAL SERVICE TECH TOLD ME THAT IN HIS 28 YEARS OF REPAIRING TOYOTA VEHICLES, HE HAS NEVER SEEN PROBLEMS LIKE THIS AND THE CARS ARE BEING DESIGNED IN SUCH A WAY THAT A MECHANIC CANNOT FIX THE CAR. I COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITHIN THE FIRST 5000 MILES OF OWNERSHIP, AND AFTER 18 MONTHS, THERE STILL ISN'T A FIX OR ADMISSION FROM TOYOTA THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH THE RAV4, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE RELEASED TCM UPDATES FOR SOME CAMRY AND AVALON VEHICLES TO CORRECT THIS VERY ISSUE. *TR