NHTSA Complaint #10315035 — 2001 TOYOTA RAV4

HELLO, MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2001 TOYOTA RAV 4 IN 2003. IT SERVED US WELL UNTIL ABOUT A MONTH AGO, WHEN AT 93,500 MILES IT BEGAN TO HAVE SHIFTING PROBLEMS. WHEN THE CAR WAS COLD, I WOULD STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR WOULD CRAWL ALONG; THEN IT WOULD BEGIN TO SLIP, AS IF I HAD HIT A PATCH OF ICE--THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. AND I HEARD A LOUD AND OMINOUS CLANKING NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR AS I CRAWLED ALONG. AS THE ENGINE WARMED UP, THE PROBLEM SUBSIDED SO I HEADED HOME. AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE CAR STALLED MOMENTARILY. THANKFULLY, NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED, THOUGH I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR-ENDED. AFTER MANY HOURS SPENT WITH MY MECHANIC, OUR SELLING TOYOTA DEALER, AND A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE ECU MODULE IN THE RAV WAS GOING BAD AND THAT IS WHAT WRECKED OUR TRANSMISSION. WE NEEDED A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AND A NEW ECU MODULE. GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WORK: A WHOPPING $4500! I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND READ THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM; THAT IN 2006 TOYOTA ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN TO ITS DEALERS, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH ECUS IN RAVS MODEL YEAR 2001-2003. BUT THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES WERE NEVER NOTIFIED, LEADING TO A BURN-OUT OF RAV TRANSMISSIONS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST TOYOTA TO GET THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS. I CALLED TOYOTA; THEY POLITELY BUT FIRMLY REFUSED TO PAY FOR ANY OF THE WORK, SIMPLY CLAIMING THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THEN I SPOKE WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP--SAME ANSWER. THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A MATTER OF MONEY AND INCONVENIENCE; THESE VEHICLES ARE DANGEROUS AND I BELIEVE IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INTO AN ACCIDENT AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THESE DEFECTIVE PARTS THAT TOYOTA INSTALLED IN ITS VEHICLES. PLEASE PRESSURE TOYOTA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM IT HAS CREATED! THANK YOU. *TR