2001 RAV4 transmission problems...

..Subtitled, a very large piece of scrap metal.
My 2001 Rav4, with just over 80K on it, just went belly-up. TWO days before the extended warranty expired (bought it Certified Used), the tranny started slipping, disabling the car 2 hours from home (on New Year's Eve, no less, try getting repair or a rental car on a holiday). The dealer it was towed to said they couldn't find anything wrong with it, put in 3/4 QT of tranny fluid, called it good.
Now that it is out of warranty, it once again died on a trip, again 2 hours away from home. The dealer I had it towed to this time said it needs a new transmission, that'll be $3000, please. I'm currently in what I'll call "negotiations" with Toyota and the extended warranty company about who's going to pay for this, since I originally reported the problem prior to the warranty expiring.
I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any other 2001 Rav4's with a similar problem. If you've come across this, please let me know- I may need more ammunition in my arsenal to effect a warranty repair.
Thanks so much-
Lisa

I'm having this issue right now. Please let me know how you proceeded!

Edited to say: I just got the same diagnosis. Cha-Ching.

What ended up happening for us was that Toyota agreed to cover the whole repair- including the cost of the rental car for 9 days- because we had reported it and had it "fixed" prior to the warranty expiring. Although we got a new tranny, and I'm very pleased that Toyota stepped up to cover it, I have to say I'm not feeling all that confident in the car yet- at times, it shifts really rough. I'm hoping that's the "characteristic hesitation" I've read about while researching this problem.

I wish you luck with yours!

Lisa

Hi,

I have experienced the similar problem with my 2002 Rav. I did a bit of research on the net and found that the actual cause of this transmition problem is to do with the ECU/TCM and not the tranny itself. Have a word with Toyota and insist on a new ECU esp if you new tranny is still lumpy, they are aware of the problem! Also take a look at this forum,http://rav4world.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6 you'll see numerous threads of this nature.

Good Luck!

Hi,

I have experienced the similar problem with my 2002 Rav. I did a bit of research on the net and found that the actual cause of this transmition problem is to do with the ECU/TCM and not the tranny itself. Have a word with Toyota and insist on a new ECU esp if you new tranny is still lumpy, they are aware of the problem! Also take a look at this forum,http://rav4world.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6 you'll see numerous threads of this nature.

Good Luck!
Interesting to see how many of these cars have tranny problems. In our case, the tranny itself was apparently bad- I know NOTHING about cars, but the dealer who eventually fixed it said there was "metal in the pan", whatever that means, and replaced the whole thing under warranty.

Since my last post, it's driving much better- smoother shifting. Either it's broken in or I've gotten used to the difference between the old transmission and the new one. Here's to hoping this car holds up as well as my hubby's Camry, 210K and still goin'!

Lisa :)

I have had the same problems with my 2002 RAV4. My dealership did not make me aware of the ECM recall on these vehicles. I just had my transmission rebuilt for $3,800 and it did not fix the hard shifting/jerking of the vehicle.

I'm hoping that by getting the ECM replaced it will fix this issue, but I'm not confident it will. I am looking into sueing Toyota on this issue. These cars really need to be recalled.

I will never purchase a Toyota again.

We have an 01 Rav4L with just over 100k on it. We just started having a few transmission issues, lurching and hard shifting and even slipping on occasion, so since i had the recall notice from Toyota in my hand for the ECM upgrade(free), i made an appointment and asked them to check out the trans while they were pinging the ECM. The dealer called and said they were pretty sure it was the Transmission computer as the trans actually worked fine at times with no slippage at all. So i told them to put in a new transmission computer ($708) and that fixed the problem. Now the car gets 26 MPG, runs smoother, has more power, and shifts smoother than it did when i bought it brand new.
Good Luck!!
Bill