NHTSA Complaint #10614590 — 2002 TOYOTA RAV4

I PURCHASED MY TOYOTA RAV4 IN AUGUST, 2002. ELEVEN MONTHS LATER WHILE DRIVING BY THE STATE CAPITAL I WAS GOING TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN AND WHEN I DID, I ALMOST HIT THREE PARKED CARS BECAUSE THE MAIN DRIVE BELT HAD BROKEN. THIS DRIVE BELT CONTROLS ABOUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH STEERING, AIR CONDITIONING AND ETC. I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I HAD TO PAY FOR THE LABOR AND NEW BELT BECAUSE I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT MY WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THIS. THEN I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE RAV4 TRANSMISSION. IT STARTED TO MAKE A GROWLING SOUNDS AND WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS CORRECTLY. SOME TIMES I HAD TO COMPLETELY STOP, BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT WORKING. THIS ALMOST CAUSED OTHER CARS TO HIT ME OR ME TO HIT OTHER CARS. I MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX MY TRANSMISSION AND THEY WOULD NOT.I CALLED TOYOTA MOTORS CORP. USA AND TRIED TO EXPLAIN MY PROBLEMS WITH THE TOYOTA PEOPLE. THEY TOTALLY BLEW ME OFF AND THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO FIX MY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I QUIT DRIVING THE RAV4 FOR THREE YEARS BECAUSE IT WAS UNTRUSTWORTHY AND TOYOTA WOULD NOT FIX THE TRANSMISSION. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW SAID THAT HE COULD PROBABLY FIND A USED TRANSMISSION FROM A VEHICLE PARTS PLACE AND THAT HE WOULD INSTALL IT FOR ME AT NO CHARGE. I ENDED UP PAYING $1200.00 FOR A USED TRANSMISSION THAT WAS FROM A WRECKED 2005 TOYOTA RAV4. AFTER THE TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THE USED TRANSMISSION. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A LAWSUIT AGAINST TOYOTA OVER TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS IN THEIR 2001, 2002 AND 2003 RAV4 SUV'S. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR THE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES THAT I HAVE INCURRED. *TR