NHTSA Complaint #10343675 — 2002 TOYOTA RAV4

ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO MY 2002 TOYOTA RAV 4 TRANSMISSION/SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEARS ACTED UP. IT WASN'T A SMALL, NAGGING ISSUE THAT BUILT UP, IT WAS PRETTY SUDDEN. ONE WEEK IT WAS FINE AND THEN I HAD 2 SMALL SHIFTING INCIDENTS (SHAKING) IN A 2 WEEK PERIOD, AND THEN THE NEXT WEEK, AFTER ABOUT 5-8 DAYS OF MORE LOCAL 'STOP AND GO' DRIVING, MY LOWER GEAR'S SHIFTING WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY - EVERY SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND WAS DELAYED AND HARSH. MY 2002 RAV4 HAS 98K ON IT. I MAY NEED TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION AND/OR ECM AND I DON'T THINK TOYOTA WILL COVER ANY OF THE COSTS OF EITHER. I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT TRADING IT IN SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES, BUT I DO LIKE MY RAV 4. I AM HOPING (AFTER DOING ALL THE ONLINE RESEARCH AND MAKING SOME OFFICIAL COMPLAINTS TO CR, BBB AND OTHER SAFETY GROUPS) THAT MAYBE TOYOTA WILL PROVIDE (OR BE FORCED TO PROVIDE) PAYMENTS OR COVERAGE IN SOME WAY FOR THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE (ESSENTIALLY "STALLING" IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS, WHEN NEEDING THE ACCELERATION FROM A STOPPED POSITION.) WHEN SPEAKING WITH TOYOTA SERVICE AND HAVING HAD THEM PERFORM THEIR $100 COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS (BEFORE THE 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT CAME ON - THE LIGHT HAS SINCE COME ON AND REMAINS ON- OBVIOUSLY I HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW) I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD "MOST LIKELY' NEED TO BE REPLACED. I HAD ONLY DRIVEN IT FOR 3 WEEKS AFTER FIRST NOTICING THE PROBLEM AND REALLY ONLY 1 SINCE THE TROUBLE WAS CONTINUOUS AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I HOPE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY EITHER HAVING THE ECM REBUILT ($500) OR PURCHASING A NEW ONE ($1000). HOPEFULLY, L DIDN'T DRIVE IT TOO MUCH BEFORE THE ECM RUINED MY TRANSMISSION ($5000). SINCE THE CAR IS ONLY WORTH ABOUT $6000 TOTAL ANYWAY. *TR