The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has logged more than 120 complaints about transmission problems with RAV4s from the 2001-03 model years. Consumer complaints to the Center for Auto Safety have included a $4,000 repair and a transmission failure on the highway that nearly led to a fatal accident.
The problem seems to be with the engine control module, which tells the transmission what to do. Toyota sent its dealers a technical service bulletin in March 2006 that warned consumers might complain about rough shifting, but it only instructed dealers to replace the ECM or — if that didn’t work — the transmission. The automaker did not notify vehicle owners of a problem.
