NHTSA Complaint #10682923 — 2001 TOYOTA RAV4

I BOUGHT A TOYOTA RAV4 TWO WEEKS AGO, AND SAW THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, BUT ASSUMED THAT TOYOTA WOULD REPLACE IT IF MINE NEEDED REPLACED. MY VEHICLE'S ECM HAD BEEN REPROGRAMMED, SO I ASSUMED IT WOULD BE FINE. I WAS WRONG. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, MY VEHICLE STARTED SHIFTING HARSHLY, AND I HAD TO CRAWL ALONG A BUSY EXPRESSWAY WITH MY FOUR-WAY LIGHTS ON WITH CARS FLYING PAST ME. AND I HAD TO LIMP THROUGH INTERSECTIONS, THEN IMMEDIATELY STOP MY CAR FROM LURCHING FORWARD -- WHAT IF A PERSON HAD BEEN WALKING ACROSS THE INTERSECTION?? TOYOTA SAYS MY VEHICLE'S TOO OLD TO BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL TO REPLACE THE ECM. ABSOLUTELY APPALLING. IF THEIR FIRST RECALL OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T WORK, OWNERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A HUGE MISTAKE TOYOTA MADE. IT IS ONLY FAIR THAT THIS IS COVERED FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR. IT IS NOT FAIR FOR PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO HAVE TO BUY A USED CAR. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HASN'T BEEN INVESTIGATED YET. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A SAFETY ISSUE SEEING AS THE CAR CRAWLS THROUGH BUSY INTERSECTIONS AND SOMEONE COULD EASILY HIT YOU. OR YOU COULD BE TRYING TO MERGE ONTO A HIGHWAY AND THE CAR COULD REFUSE TO ACCELERATE AND A CAR COULD HIT YOU THEN. OR IF IT'S A SNOWY OR ICY DAY AND YOU TRY TO CLIMB A HILL, YOU COULD EASILY NOT MAKE IT UP THE HILL AND ROLL BACKWARDS INTO THE CAR BEHIND YOU. OR THE TRANSMISSION COULD GO OUT ALTOGETHER SUDDENLY, SEEING AS THIS IS A KNOWN RISK WHEN THE CAR STARTS SHIFTING HARSHLY. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO DIE OR BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BEFORE THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE FOR THIS HUGE PROBLEM. IT IS ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN INJURED OR ANYONE ELSE AROUND ME. *TR