2003 Toyota RAV4 Power Train Problems
- 97
- 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 97 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- failure mileage · 14 records
- check engine · 13 records
- needed replaced · 11 records
- extended warranty · 10 records
- engine light · 10 records
- independent mechanic · 8 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 39 |
| 100–150k mi | 36 |
| 150–400k mi | 6 |
| 30–60k mi | 5 |
| 1–30k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Power Train
THE ECM IS MAKING A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR
ODI 10705511
Electrical System · Power Train
Bought car used and didn't notice the shift problem til later.shifts hard from 2 to 3rd gear. Many people have issue with this mostly being the ecm going bad then destroying the transmission. Both are expensive fixes and both are dangerous leading to accidents. *tr
ODI 10689970
Power Train
The car was shifting very harshly and with a very strong shaking like a shimmy. I called the toyota dealers repair shop and it was decided to have the car towed in for repairs rather than continue driving. The technician said i needed a new transmission ecu and possible a new transmission. Ecu cost $1300.00 and transmission, if needed, is $4,000.00.no one told me that toyota paid to have these fixed by extending the…
ODI 10673096
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Power Train
Experiencing abnormal behavior when shifting gears (auto trans). Transmission was shifting oddly - harsh shift condition . It was not a frequent problem and no engine light and i took it to the local mechanic and he connected to his computer and could not find any error codes. The problem happens every time i move from a stop. Found out that toyota put out a technical service bulletin in early 2006 after defects…
ODI 10670525
Power Train
I pulled onto the highway, and pushed the accelerator down to get into traffic, and the vehicle failed to accelerate instantly as it always had done. The transmission slipped, slowly getting into gear, and then only gradually caught, causing me to almost get hit in the interim by at least one car and a tractor trailer. Told by my mechanic that this was unusual for toyota transmissions, he said i should go online and…
ODI 10676954
Power Train
Car sitting in my driveway. Took emergency brake off, stepped on brake, put car in reverse. Car gave a violent jerk backwards. Backed out of driveway, put car in drive and stepped on accelerator. Car jerked forward a little, engine revved up, slow acceleration after pressing on accelerator. Had to put more pressure on accelerator to gain adequate speed to pull forward. Stopped at stop sign, tried to accelerate, car…
ODI 10662291
Electrical System · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Last week, on the freeway entrance the car would not accelerate, then "bucked" and "raced". I nearly got rear-ended by the car behind me - a frightening experience. Then, driving city streets - to the mechanic - the same experience - stalled then raced ahead. After replacing the transmission fluid and filter ($400), the problem continues and the mechanic advised replacing the ecm ($928.46 plus labor). This is a…
ODI 10653967
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav 4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the transmission failed to shift from second to third gear and started to jerk violently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 98,000.
ODI 10660676
Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
On 9/30/2014 was trying to pull out of a parking lot to turn left and my car would not accelerate. I almost got hit by approaching cars that i would have ordinarily had plenty of time to clear. I was able to steer into the left turn lane and stop to avoid collision but had trouble after that picking up enough speed to get to the right lane. I took my car in immediately for inspection and it was noted that the…
ODI 10641291
Electrical System · Power Train
This letter is in reference to an issue, namely, harsh shift condition, on our 2003 toyota rav4, the vehicle presently shows approximately 119, 600 miles. According to toyota warranty policy bulletin no. Pol 10-03, dated 07/09/10, page 1, toyota has received reports that certain 2001 through 2003 model year rav4 vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle may exhibit a harsh shift condition if this condition…
ODI 10639673
Engine · Power Train
I'm the owner of a 2003 rav4, purchased from a toyota dealer in 2011. Last week, i experienced a time lapse of my car shifting into first gear, in my opinion, a safety hazard. This morning i took the car to a mechanic and began searching the web for any recalls for a 2003 rav4, there are none. However, on this site, i discovered that i am one of many who have this complaint, and that we ,the consumer, all share the…
ODI 10631106
Engine · Power Train
I purchased a 2003 toyota rav4 from the toyota dealership that only had 13 miles on it in august 2003. In august of 2014, i started having trouble with the automatic transmission shifting harsh when changing. The car would strain to change gears, then all of a sudden it would jerk into gear. No lights came on at all. I took it to the toyota dealership to have the problem inspected and they told me about an extended…
ODI 10660707
Electrical System · Power Train
Harsh shifting; automatic shifting erratic; lurching, especially when starting from stop. Local garage says transmission is shot and requires replacement ($3100).
ODI 10640991
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. While driving at 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated when depressing the accelerator pedal and the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure occurred multiple times .the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ecm needed to be…
ODI 10702501
Engine · Power Train
Vehicle driven by elderly widowed mother (josephine beasley, age 70) no more than 6,200 miles per year and began experiencing harsh shift in transmission in march 2014. Aamco informed us that a malfunctioning electronic computer module (ecm) caused the damage to transmission. Aamco technician notified us that the ecm repair claims are covered under a toyota settlement agreement (www.[redacted].com). Repair cost for…
ODI 10620672
Power Train
My 2003 rav4 developed a very harsh shift taking off between first and 2nd gear. I took it to our local toyota dealer (berglund oak ridge toyota> lynchburg, va) and they confirmed a diagnosed stored trouble code p0755-shift "b" malfunction. They quoted about $4700.00 to replace the ecm and put in a rebuilt transmission. No financial help from the dealer, even though they were aware this has been a major problem for…
ODI 10574598
Power Train
I was stopped at a red light for several minutes and upon acceleration my vehicle was extremely sluggish. After a few seconds it seemed to "jump" into gear. I also noticed that when i was slowing down it would almost do the same thing, being sluggish. Fortunately there were no accidents involving my vehicle, but i took it to toyota and they said the computer needed to be replaced. I was not aware of any recall of…
ODI 10568335
Power Train
My 2003 toyota rav4 had a faulty ecm affecting the transmission and had to be replaced. This was causing the transmission to shift very erratically and could have caused an accident/injury. Toyota knew about this faulty part and there was not a public recall; they replaced parts as they failed and extended that warranty because of a class action lawsuit. Now the warranty is 10 yrs/150,000. So i am outside of the…
ODI 10563124
Power Train
While driving approximately 0 - 5 mph, transmission failed. The failure recurred several times and check engine light came on. The vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission computer would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74500. *tr
ODI 10562997
Power Train
I was driving my 2003 rav4, entering a highway when the transmission failed to engage immediately when i accelerated. It hesitated for a few seconds then finally lurched forward. I was very nearly struck by a vehicle on the highway because i was unable to accelerate as expected. Now the rav frequently behaves oddly when shifting, sometimes refusing to upshift, suddenly downshifting at inappropriate times. The dealer…
ODI 10560563
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when the accelerator pedal was engaged and the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the ecm failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
ODI 10563251
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, the vehicle would sporadically accelerate without warning. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic, who stated the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The failure mileage was 96,000. *tr
ODI 10555465
Power Train
Toyota has known for years that its ecm unit would ultimately fail. This failure has caused transmissions to fail as well. Pulling out into a busy intersection in 3 rd gear, as they are prone to do could cause an accident. Toyota should recall these. My vehicle is exactly 3 months too old to be repaired under their warranty. *tr
ODI 10554146
Body · Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Experience a hard shift jerking motion when driving my car and almost got hit twice due to the car jerking and immediately slowing down. I took it in to kendall toyota of anchorage right away and then read online that there was a class action lawsuit and enhanced warranty of 2001-2003 toyotas because of the malfunction of the ecm and transmission. This car is not safe to drive! Toyota kendall said it would be $6,000…
ODI 10551328
Power Train
My husband and i purchased our 2003 toyota rav4 with an automatic transmission in june 2003. The car now has 103,000 miles on it. It recently began to have a serious safety problem. Aside from the issue of fairness to the customer, this is a serious safety issue. I am asking the nhtsa to order a recall to have toyota fix this problem before someone gets killed or seriously injured. The problem is that the car often…
ODI 10551579