NHTSA Complaint #10267202 — 2002 TOYOTA RAV4

THERE EXISTS A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF ECM FAILURE IN THE 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 VEHICLES THAT IS CAUSING SHIFTING PROBLEMS IN THE TRANSMISSION. THIS DEFECTED PART NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AS NEEDING REPLACEMENT (NOT JUST "REPROGRAMMING" AS TOYOTA HAS TRIED TO DO). WHEN I BEGAN EXPERIENCING THESE PROBLEMS WITH MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV4 ON APRIL 17, 2009, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR, MY CAR WOULD NOT GO. IT EVENTUALLY VERY SLOWLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE BUT EVERY TIME I HAD TO STOP AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, IT WOULD BARELY GO AGAIN. I WAS TERRIFIED THAT I WAS GOING TO GET HIT EVERY TIME I HAD TO CROSS OVER A STREET WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION...SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT ONE OF THESE DAYS BECAUSE THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN THIS BEGINS TO HAPPEN - THE CAR JUST WON'T GO AT TAKEOFF. MANY OF US WHO OWN THE 2002 RAV4 HAVE WASTED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON MISDIAGNOSIS OF THIS PROBLEM...I HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID FLUSHED, I HAD A TOP ENGINE CLEANING TO REMOVE BUILDUP IN THE THROTTLE, I WAS EVEN TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY CAR MAT WAS GETTING IN THE WAY OF THE ACCELERATOR AND THAT WAS ADDING TO THE PROBLEM. ONLY AFTER NONE OF THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM DID THEY COME BACK AND FINALLY SAY THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE RUINED. THIS REPAIR IS GOING TO COST ME $1300.00 BECAUSE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 80,000 MILES AND MY VEHICLE IS AT 84,000 MILES. I AM GOING TO FIX THIS CAR SO THAT I CAN TRADE IT IN (THE DEALERSHIP EVEN SUGGESTED THAT I TRADE IT- THEY MUST KNOW HOW SERIOUS THIS IS). I CAN'T TAKE THE RISK THAT THIS VEHICLE WILL BE SAFE TO DRIVE EVEN AFTER THE ECM IS REPLACED BECAUSE I'VE READ THAT THE NEW ECM MAY NOT COMMUNICATE CORRECTLY WITH THE OLD TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A DEVASTATING LOSS FOR THOSE OF US WHO BOUGHT OUR VEHICLES BASED IN LARGE PART ON THE TOYOTA REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITY. *TR