NHTSA Complaint #10282192 — 2002 TOYOTA RAV4

DURING A RECENT RAIN I WAS TRANSPORTING MY GRANDKIDS FROM SCHOOL WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY CAR SEEMED TO SLIP AND JOLT FORWARD EACH TIME I ACCELERATED. EACH TIME THE CAR WOULD HESITATE AND THE SLIPPING AND JOLTING WAS SIGNIFICANT. I WAS AFRAID THAT MY CAR WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC. I WAS VERY GLAD TO GET MY GRANDKIDS HOME SAFELY. I CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND MADE AN IMMEDIATE APPOINTMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AS WELL AS THE ECU AT A COST OF OVER $6,000! I WAS VERY UPSET BECAUSE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED THE YEAR BEFORE AND DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND THE "ENGINE" TROUBLE LIGHT WHICH KEPT COMING ON. EACH TIME THEY TOLD ME THAT EITHER AN ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM OR THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I ALSO CALLED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. I WAS REFERRED BACK TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO TOLD ME TO CALL HEADQUARTERS AGAIN. I FELT LIKE A PING-PONG BALL. IN THE END NO ONE COULD OR WOULD HELP ME. I ENDED UP GOING TO ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO HAVE JUST THE ECU REPLACED AT A COST OF $1500. THE CAR STILL JOLTS WHENEVER I ACCELERATE, HOWEVER I AM RETIRED AND CANNOT AFFORD $4000 FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION AT THIS TIME. *TR