NHTSA Complaint #10352501 — 2001 TOYOTA RAV4

ON 06/05/10, MY PERSONAL VEHICLE (2001 TOYOTA RAV4) BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE WHICH DEVELOPED INTO "HARSH SHIFTING"; THIS PROBLEM WORSENED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS BUT, DUE TO THE CAR'S ELECTRONICS FAILURE (FROM A KNOWN MALFUNCTION WHICH TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF BUT FAILED TO EVER NOTIFY ME ABOUT) THIS WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIED AS A TRANSMISSION-RELATED ISSUE. UPON FINALLY REACHING DANGEROUS LEVELS OF JERKING AND DECELERATING ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS, ETC., I FINALLY TOOK THE RAV4 TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY INFORMED ME OF AN ECM "RECALL" RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION -- OF WHICH I HAD NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION. THE REPROGRAMMING DID NOT WORK AND THE HARSH SHIFTING WORSENED. I HAD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK ABOUT A WEEK LATER, AT WHICH POINT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER. I DID SO, ONLY TO RECEIVE A NOTICE 3 WEEKS LATER FROM TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS STATING THAT THEY KNEW ABOUT A "HARSH SHIFT" MALFUNCTION RELATED TO THE ECM IN 2001-2003 RAV4 MODELS. HOWEVER, ALL TOYOTA DID WAS EXTEND THE WARRANTY TO 150,000 (MY REPAIR WAS DONE AT 154,000) RATHER THAN ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL. THIS IS UTTERLY LUDICROUS, AS MY CAR HAD THE POTENTIAL TO JUST SUDDENLY STOP MOVING IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MY SEVERE INJURY OR EVEN DEATH. THE ISSUE APPARENTLY DEVELOPED AROUND 06/05/10 AND LED TO THE VEHICLE NEEDING TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT AS OF 08/21/10. THE HARSH SHIFTING TOOK PLACE OVER SEVERAL WEEKS BETWEEN THOSE DATES. *TR