2002 Toyota RAV4 Rav 4 from North America - Comments

This is a continuation to the post on 1/2/08. I just got word from Toyota Customer Service Center that they will NOT REIMBURSE for the faulty transmission. They did, however reimburse me $76.55 for other repairs when I sent the car for service regarding the ECU. According to them, the recall of the ECM did not result in the faulty transmission. This experience has caused me to boycott Toyota for life and will trade this vehicle in IMMEDIATELY!

I would recommend anyone with this car to get rid of it before the end of the warranty since it appears to break down right about that time.

I also have a 2002 RAV4. I bought it in 2005 and purchased an extended warranty for another 50,000 miles. It was up just 2 months ago, at which time I brought the car in and asked them to give it a good look-over, since the warranty was about to expire. They assured me everything looked good, and now my transmission suddenly started slipping and the transmission specialist just told me it's gonna be 2500-3000 for a rebuilt. He says it's a very common problem with these cars, because the transmissions are not made well (seals stink, etc). One difference: my engine light has never come on, so I had no warning at all. I have 96,000 miles.

I also had a problem with my 2002 RAV 4. I brought the car back to dealer who replaced the ECU. No charge, transmission is fine now.

I understand the warranty has been extended to 80 thousand miles. Please check your Toyota web site for warranty info

Thanks, Lou in CT.

I had the same problem on my 02 Rav4. Toyota paid 50% on a new computer and it's working.

I have a 2003 Toyota Rav 4 and my engine light was turned on about 15 minutes after I left from work. The car seems to run fine (as far as I can tell.. I have already driven approximately 12 more miles after the engine light came on). So far I haven't been able to smell any burning oil smell from the engine.. Not sure what's wrong with it. Is this a common issue on 2003 RAV 4 as well?

I am experiencing the same issues. The car has a hard time shifting from 1st to 2nd. The check engine light just came on the other day even though the problem has been for about 2 months. Now, the check engine light went off by itself, very strange. I wish I knew what do to about this hesitation problem. I find it very, very dangerous. There is a clicking noise when the problem is at it's worse coming from under the hood, kind of like when you are low on oil. I checked the dipstick, and my oil is full. What do I do? Should I call Toyota and ask about getting a new ECM put in before the transmission goes?

FYI...I have a 02 RAV4 with 41,000 mls, I brought it to the dealer for the "check engine" recall on 6/2007, on 4/2008 the "check engine" light came "on" toyota dealer diagnostic was faulty "air sensor" and charged me $360.00 for the replacement.. my wife has not noticed the transmission problem... what it seems to be tire noise is present even after replaced all four tires and full wheel aligment...

I too have a 2002 Rav4 Toyota. At about 60K miles the check engine light came on. I had it reset and after a couple of months it came back on. Then I received a notice from Toyota that there was a recall for the check engine light. I brought it in and they fixed it, it has never come on again. Now at 115K miles, the transmission is slipping, it will need to be replaced. Not sure if it had something to do with the check engine light or not. But if anyone has a check engine light, don't pay for it. Bring it to Toyota and ask them about the recall. It should be covered for anyone with a 2002.

I purchased my 2002 Toyota RAV4 from my dealer…it was his demo car and my ECM (Engine Control Module) and Transmission issues just popped up at 107,000 miles. Like many here, I had owned another Toyota previously, a Camry, and got 225,000 worry-free miles out of it. In fact my friend has a Toyota Celica she is still driving with 275,000 miles on it!!!

Out of the clear-blue two days ago, the RAV4 check engine light came on for about two hours, then went out, but the shifting then became erratic. I have serviced this vehicle faithfully since I purchased it and expected to get another 100,000 more miles, but, my dealership, where it has been serviced forever, said it was going to cost over $1,200 for the ECM (which is also not warrantied…what is with that?!?!?!?) and even if I replace just the ECM, it still may not work with the old transmission, so it was recommended that I replace the transmission too for another $3,500 because the defective ECM has destroyed the transmission.

In trying to develop some alternate strategies to approach the problem I suggested that we drop the transmission to physically inspect it for damage so then we could isolate the repair to just the ECM, but, as the dealership service manager told me, in their experiences with this problem, with which they have had several encounters on the RAV4 as well as Avalons, the only solution seems to be to undergo this complete and costly major repair.

And, with the market value for the car at only $6,000, it almost makes more sense to trade it in and get a new vehicle.

After pricing some of the vehicles on their lot as a reference point (I really need a pick-up with 4wd now more than the RAV4 2wd anyway) I had them reset the ECM to see if it might correct itself…like rebooting a computer, you know, to just get me home and to buy a little more time to determine an appropriate course of action. And don’t get your hopes up, I got home OK, but the Transmission is still slipping.

I had never realized that there were ever any serious problems like this with the Toyota product line until I went online and “Googled “Toyota Transmission problems” you will be amazed at how many of their products and models, Rav4’s, Avalons, Tundras, even 2008 Camrys are plagued with similar transmission malfunction issues.

Here’s another twist. After e-mailing and sending a letter to Toyota USA in Torrence California about this issue, I called the Toyota Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-331-4331 and talked with a real person and did get some valuable info which follows. Plus, I have been assigned a case number, which goes into their database and logs the issue should they have enough complaints to warranty a recall or other remedy. So do contact them.

I also found out that my dealer SHOULD have offered me a 12-month warranty on the new ECU, but they didn’t…It seems this up to the dealer’s discretion. Plus the replacement transmission also has a 12 month, unlimited mileage warranty, and from Toyota’s own on-line parts catalogue, the replacement transmission has an MSRP of $2,457.40. Granted, the $3,560 which the dealership quoted me includes labor, there may be some additional wiggle-room off the tranny MSRP.

I have since scheduled an appointment at another Toyota dealership to see what they diagnose and get another quote so perhaps I can better leverage my decision.