2001 Toyota RAV4 Power Train Problems
- 62
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 62 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- control module · 12 records
- check engine · 8 records
- light came · 7 records
- engine light · 7 records
- needed replaced · 6 records
- automatic transmission · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 29 |
| 60–100k mi | 15 |
| 150–400k mi | 9 |
| 1–30k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Power Train
I am newly employed with the post office so i need my car. I was out driving my route when all of a sudden it was lagging a little when i went to take off. Then when i was able to get some speed between boxes it was like it slipped into neutral and then jerked really hard and kicked into gear, i took it to a mechanic and also the dealership. After i took it to the mechanic i found out that there was a bulletin put…
ODI 10543178
Engine · Fuel System, Gasoline · Power Train
Ecm/transmission failure...called toyota..refused help..owned vehicle over 10 years...known defect that toyota has not addressed properly...need to replace ecm and transmission out of pocket because of their defective production. *tr
ODI 10533027
Power Train
Ecm/transmission failure at 129000 miles. Cant say much more than has already been said by so many others. Out of pocket expense of about 3500.00. In the shop now but as i read these i'm wondering if i should be fixing it as it seems to reoccur. No help from toyota and they wanted over 5000.00 to fix it. Received no notification from toyota. Missed the warranty by 9000 miles. Seems if you own one its just a matter…
ODI 10533356
Power Train
I have a 2001 rav4 that in 2010 had a problem with the gear and the dealer change the reman transaxle assembly but know i can't drive the car because the car need a new transmission and some other part and the dealer would not fix it when the know that the car had all these problem when i bough the car for 28,000 dollars they were happy if these is the way that toyota get rich stealing from people that believe that…
ODI 10514176
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle shifted very hard and jerked. The contact also stated that the vehicle accelerated very slowly. In addition, the contact mentioned that the failure also occurred when accelerating from a complete stop. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and it was confirmed that there was an internal failure and that the transmission and…
ODI 10500896
Electrical System · Power Train
Harsh vehicle jerking with bad automatic shifting/acceleration. Used emergency lights and narrowly avoided accident with badly performing vehicle. Problem is diagnosed as failed ecm. *tr manufacturer is aware of this issue (toyota document t-sb-0156-10) but did not inform owners. Ecm failure in my car caused a very dangerous driving situation. This could have been easily avoided by pro-actively replacing the factory…
ODI 10488641
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
October 11, 2012. On or about october 8 2012 i began having hesitation and jumping into gear as i am driving my 2001 rav4. This happens mainly when accelerating from a stop sign/light. I am aware there has been a recall on many 2001 rav4 vehicles. I bought my rav4 from carmax in north attleboro mass on april 19 2012. So, i have not even had my vehicle for 5 months yet. On thursday october 11 2012 i took my rav4 back…
ODI 10479841
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the transmission was exhibiting behaviors of a manual transmission when it was an automatic. The engine rpms would increase excessively before shifting and then the transmission would fail. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told that the engine control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the…
ODI 10470624
Power Train
Apparently there was a tsb issued on this and a customer care ticket issued and a recall but being as my car is 11 years old and 137,000 it falls outside of the parameters toyota set of 10 years or 150,000 miles toyota will not fix this problem that will cost upwards of $4000!! I cannot understand how a problem that they acknowledge will happen has happened and they don't want to fix it. I don't know what else to…
ODI 10462138
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
When attempting to accelerate from a stop, the car stalls. Automatic transmission does not hold on to a gear and when a gear is finally engaged, the car jerks violently forward. This is extremely frightening; i thought i was going to be hit because i stall in dangerous situations. Trying to enter a fast paced road is highly risking the chance of being read ended, and at times i would attempt to accelerate from a…
ODI 10446937
Electronic Stability Control · Power Train
The transmission suddenly began slipping and jerking when accelerating from a stop or while in low gear and shifting from a low speed. I became aware of the ecm problem known to occur in my make and model of toyota upon calling the dealership; however, i am being told that the warranty only covers ten years from the date of purchase (i purchased my car 11 years ago) despite the fact it is known that the ecm, the…
ODI 10439946
Electrical System · Power Train
The transmission suddenly began slipping and jerking when accelerating from a stop or while in low gear and shifting from a low speed. I became aware of the ecm problem known to occur in my make and model of toyota upon calling the dealership; however, i am being told that the warranty only covers ten years from the date of purchase (i purchased my car 11 years ago) despite the fact it is known that the ecm, the…
ODI 10439793
Electrical System · Power Train
My vehicle was experiencing harsh shifting and hard engagement. I took it to the dealer today and was told the ecm needed to be replaced. I did some internet research and discovered toyota received thousands of complaints regarding this issue as far back as 2006 in the 2001-2003 models. They extended the warranty to 10 years and 150, 000 miles. However, my vehicle is 6 months beyond the date (only 103,000 miles). I…
ODI 10437988
Power Train
Failed to speed up when i was merging into traffic. *tr
ODI 10435081
Power Train
Transmission slippage/failure did not allow me to accelerate to highway speeds on an on-ramp. *tr
ODI 10430642
Automatic Transmission · Power Train
Automatic transmission sometimes hesitates when shifting and sometimes starts in 3rd gear instead of 1st. Check engine light came on a week ago, similar to when shifting problems began. *kb
ODI 10429382
Electrical System · Power Train
Started having problems with my 2001 toyota rav4. It seems to happen mostly after i have come to complete stop and try to accelerate. It will start to move and then automatic transmission will not shift and it stops accelerating. I have almost been hit from behind several times. Also check engine light has been on for two years. Dealership told me it was due to needing new catalytic converter, which i found out…
ODI 10410340
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota rav 4. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift gears while driving. Once she was able to get the vehicle to shift, the vehicle began jerking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the failure was diagnosed as an electrical failure within the computer. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10389746
Electrical System · Power Train
Ecm failed on my 2001 rav4 and toyota refused to pay for repairs. When it failed it put me in an extremely dangerous situation. This was after a recall on the ecm. So i had already brought my car into the dealer and had the ecm reprogrammed. If i had died in an accident would anyone have checked the ecm to see it was not working? I definitely could have been killed and people should not be on the road driving these…
ODI 10346670
Power Train
Suddenly, while merging onto the highway, my toyota rav4 (2001) seemed to go into neutral gear and then harshly shift into 2nd then 3rd gear with a lurch. Now, whenever i accelerate after a stop, the same thing happens. I have been told my ecm and possibly transmission needs replacement. *tr
ODI 10332567
Electrical System · Power Train
My 2001 toyota rav4 was jerking forward while driving causing me to almost cause a major accident while my 3 year old was in the car. The car would do this intermittently then it became worse. I was very scared to drive the car and had no choice but to borrow money so i could take the car in for repair costing me approx. 1800.00 to replace the ecm. *tr
ODI 10325602
Power Train
1. Transmission failed despite toyota dealer having replaced the ecm on the 2001 rav4. 2. Car not shifting correctly between 1st and 2nd gears with new transmission and replaced (in 2007) ecm. Could be dangerous in certain situations. 3. Toyota replaced the part in 2007, but the problem was not fixed. Have since discovered that they retooled this part 3 times since 2007, which tells me that the new part was just as…
ODI 10297538
Power Train
1 & 2. Recently i had to have the transmission rebuilt on my 2001 toyota rav4. The engine control module (e.c.m.), which tells the transmission what to do, apparently is faulty (a problem that toyota has acknowledged but failed to do anything about) which causes the transmission to essentially self destruct. I was driving through an intersection when my engine started revving and my car dramatically slowed down.…
ODI 10293019
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota rav4. The vehicle would not shift from first to second gear. Also when the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, the vehicle would lurch forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. However a mechanic discovered that the electronic control module was sending the wrong message to the transmission. The computer…
ODI 10291245
Power Train
2001 toyota rav4 - manufacturer-programmed ecm failure leading to hard shifting, problems accelerating, and misfiring. Unfortunately, toyota is only covering the repair cost if under 80,000 miles. Appears this is happening to many people no matter what the mileage is and since this is a safety issue, a recall should be made to repair this free of charge to the owner. I had to pay over $1300 to get this fixed. *tr
ODI 10284115