NHTSA Complaint #10320207 — 2003 TOYOTA RAV4

I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 RAV4 ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO WHEN IT REFUSED TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP AT A RED LIGHT, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION(COASTING BASICALLY) WITH A LINE OF UNHAPPY TRAFFIC BEHIND ME BEFORE IT SLAMMED VIOLENTLY INTO HIGH GEAR AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO CRASH INTO THE OVERPASS WALLS. IT HAS SINCE THEN BEEN INTERMITTENT, BEING FINE FOR A DAY OR SO THEN DOING THE SAME THING, IN VARYING DEGREES OF SEVERITY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON, AND I MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING IT IN TO TOYOTA FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THEY QUOTED ME $6800 TO REPLACE THE ECM COMPUTER AND THE TRANSMISSION. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND ONLY HAS 119,000 MILES. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR OF TOYOTA THAT THEY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT FOR A WHILE NOW. I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR AT ALL UNTIL THE COMPUTER IS REPLACED, AND THEN IT WILL NEED A TRANSMISSION SHORTLY AFTERWARD ACCORDING TO BOTH TOYOTA AND THE OTHER RAV4 OWNERS IN THIS SITUATION. IF THE COMPUTER HAD BEEN REPLACED PRIOR TO THE PROBLEM DEMONSTRATING ITSELF IN THE SHIFTING DIFFICULTIES, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION AT ALL. I THINK THAT TOYOTA IS TO BLAME FOR NOT ADVISING RAV4 DRIVERS OF THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT AND THE RELATIVELY CHEAP REPAIR THAT COULD HAVE SAVED ME MUCH TIME AND MONEY. I NEED A CAR TO WORK, SO I EITHER PAY TOYOTA $6800 OR BUY A NEW CAR, AND IN THIS ECONOMY I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE ABLE TO GET THE FINANCING TO DO EITHER. *TR