Jump to content


jb1411

Regular Member
  • Posts

    12
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Toyota Model
    Rav4 Cruiser
  • Toyota Year
    2002
  • Location
    New South Wales

Contact Methods

  • First Name
    Jo

Recent Profile Visitors

994 profile views

jb1411's Achievements

Explorer

Explorer (4/14)

  • First Post
  • Collaborator
  • Week One Done
  • One Month Later
  • One Year In

Recent Badges

1

Reputation

  1. Hi- you will need to replace the computer ( about $7-800 )- try Hi-Tech in Alexandria NSW if you are not too far away...but you may need to get a reconditioned transmission - about $4000....and then you need to complain to Toyota ( won't get you anywhere, but put it in writing and send them copies of your receipts ) and there is a link somewhere where you can make a formal complaint to a Govt department that may lead to a class action..I hope someone else posts the link here...Good Luck!!
  2. Not necessarily - the problem happens all of a sudden - it konks out....and feels like it is going to stop. The transmission guys told me to drive it in manual - thats 1st or 2nd gear from memory ( never knew that!!) to get it to the workshop....but if it has had a new computer, I would be wary of the transmission IMHO. Re the accident - the merc driver's insurance has paid for everything - about $5000 in hire car, plus taxis, plus a car steam clean because the first lot of repairers left the windows down in all the rain, a new battery because the turkeys left the lights on, plus a second repair job and soon some more paint work as soon as I get the quote- i.e a disaster. It would have been cheaper to write it off!
  3. Hi Simon I would recommend you get in writing any/all representations made . There have been so many Toyota RAV4's with this problem its not funny! Maybe take the car somewhere to get the computer checked - a reading might show up problems you should know about It seems to me that once the computer goes, the transmission is not far behind - even with a new computer. Someone suggested replacing the fuel filter on my car to see if that helps make it go faster up hill..haven't done it yet as a Merc smashed into it last November!!!!
  4. You might like to post your messages here - a few more people are posting the same sort of issues here: http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/15177-rav4-transmission-problems/page-3 Toyota has lost all credibilty in my books - won't be buying a Toyota again - not because of the car problem but because of the way they have treated all its Rav4 customers. I am totally disgusted
  5. Hi Trent However, just like you and me, I'll bet they are reading these posts. Which means they could post a message - just like anyone can. If they aren't reading these posts, they should sack the marketing guys because they are not doing their ' image' job properly :-) Its simple - post a message saying '"please contact so and so at Toyota head Office on PH..... and we will resolve your issues"....that took 30 seconds or less to type
  6. hi K-wow Thanks for posting here....after having a new ECU put in, the oil etc checked ( it had all been changed about 1 year or so before and was in good order) and then 10 momths later having to get the transmission fixed- and the car is STILL gutless - max speed up a hill - about 55k's, ( plus phone calls to Toyota ) I am obviously very upset with Toyota Its a pity Toyota Head Office or those super clever marketing guys - you know those ones that came up with 'oh what a feeling' haven't posted here offering some help. No, they just take our money and leave getting killed or sent bust to us. Nice company. Sneaky too. Sneaky because they have known since at least 2006 about the problem. Oh what a feeling indeed.
  7. Hi again I took the car back to Hi tech in Alexandria and they allegedly checked everything - the filter had been changed not long ago ( finally looked at my log book :-)) )- was given the all clear - so was told the transmission had got damaged ( 4 days of driving it!!!)....anyway, I am not convinced about what I am getting told, particularly, by anyone! but will try to find a minute soon and phone Toyota to follow up my complaint of many months ago....it is sounding like a tractor these days and gets up to 40kms when driving up a hill - had to drive up Mt Ousley recently and had my heart in my mouth- max speed about 50km and it felt like it was failing - was grateful for a bit of flat road at the top! Did you see Toyota recalled yet ANOTHER model of car not long ago - I have lost count of how many models they have recalled.
  8. Hi Vinni See if you can negotiate that price - I paid $770 incl gst...good luck - my car has not fully recovered :-(( Jocelyn
  9. Hi Tess Well, I have been meaning to post back here after I had the new ECU installed - I am still having trouble with the gears not changing and being very sluggish - its better than before the new ECU was fitted though ( not dangerous and I can now drive up hills!!)- so Gary at Hi-Tech suggested it will be the oil filter - these are meant to be changed every 40,000kms but he said a lot of mechanics don't do it because they have to remove things /engine ( something like that!!)..anyway, I am going to give that a try as soon as I can get back to the mechanic that charged me a small fortune a year ago claiming among other things that they changed the oil filter ( Midas Alexandria ).....my guess the problem could be both - if you haven't had the filter changed for ages you will need to do that anyway...so maybe start there....I don't understand Toyota - they have recalled so many models of cars lately but will not do anything for Rav4 owners- the problem seems to be the same or at least very similar to a lot of the recalled vehicles. Let us know how things go Jocelyn
  10. Hi Luke Glad to have been of help - remember to take BOTH keys with you as they need to be re-programmed - I forgot to take my second one in and have consistently forgotten it and it is now Thursday!!:-)) Did you see on the news last night that Toyota is recalling the PRIUS car due to what sounds like a VERY similar problem but have not and seems will not recall the RAV4 2001-2003 models. Do they want us to hate them forever or something :-)) According to one of the dealers I spoke to the other day, they sell about 4 ECUs a month - its not a big dealership, so multiply that by 12months, by say 30 dealers by say 8 years Toyota has known about the problem = 11,500 RAV4s - and this figure does not include the Auto Electricians who also replace them ( probably more of them do it for all we know) nor does it include other countries - I found even Nigerians are having the same problem. Its very dangerous to have an erratic car especially in high speed zones. Maybe a journalist somewhere could find out exactly how many replacement ECUs have been installed Australia wide. Toyota will surely know. Regards Jocelyn
  11. As promised, I am posting back with the latest update regarding my 2002 Rav4 gear changing problem. I now have a new ECU fitted and the car is driving like a dream. I was very fortunate that Gary of HiTech Auto Electrical, 15 Ralph St Alexandria NSW was able to fit my car in as his workshop is overflowing with cars. The folks there did a great job, all done in a day ( actually about an hour) - unlike Toyota Sydney City at Waterloo, and the cost? They charged $600 + GST and $100 Labour + GST - $770 all up compared to Sydney City Toyota who first quoted $700 for the ECU and $214 labour ($914)- then reduced the total to $827.50 as a ' Fleet Rate'- and then didn't even fit it. What a joke.they are. HiTech Alexandria NSW is moving to Gardeners Road soon but I can highly recommend them - they understand the customer ( their sheer panic!) and really help out. Now for some attempts to get reimbursed by Toyota!
  12. I bought a 2002 RAV4 in late 2003 and was very happy with it until Friday night when it suddenly stopped changing gears properly- I nearly didn't make it up the hill to my house. I googled and found info re the class action in the USA etc. I rang Toyota and was told it was a transmission issue and I would need to have the car towed. When I started asking questions, the guy said he wasn't a mechanic, only a despatcher. Later he offered me Toyota Roadside assistance for an annual fee of $78 but that as I have reported an existing problem, I would have to pay the $100 towing fee if my car breaks down due to the transmission. I advised that a) its a KNOWN PROBLEM for Toyota,(not me) b) the call centre guy could not possibly diagnose the problem as an existing one for MY car if he is just a despatcher...anyway,I signed up and drove the car all weekend as I needed to - with the problem nbeing intermittently worse or OK. This morning I took it to the Sydney City Toyota Waterloo NSW Service Centre and was quoted $914 to have a new ECU fitted and possibly $9000 to fix the transmission - one guy told me he knew of another customer who drove his car for a year with the problems and it didn't damage the transmission, so my car should be OK. When I challenged them on the fact Toyota knew about this problem and IF the transmission HAS been damaged, and no one from Toyota even gave owners the heads up, why should we pay anything? He just said sorry, but you'll have to call Toyota Head Office......which I did.....and was told that the recall in the USA was because the Rav 4 is made in Canada but the Australian Rav4 s are made in Japan and Japan has not issued a recall. He admitted there had been a few calls about this problem but not many. I pointed out the problem is the same no matter where the Rav4 has been made. I asked for someone to contact me after Japan has been notified and was told it was unlikely for anyone to contact me and that what Waterloo told me was correct - ie that I would have to pay. He also said it could take months before Japan makes any decision about a Recall ( after all these years of knowing about the problem????) So I advised him I won't be waiting months for a reply as I will be contacting the Department of Fair Trading well before then. The Dept of F T has just advised that I need to contact Toyota first, if not happy to call them back and lodge a complaint !! Just had a call from Waterloo telling me they need to keep the car overnight to test it for hot and cold starts, but there are no courtesy cars available...so how to get home. So I have phoned other dealers and found it takes an hour to install a new ECU. Just got another phone call fromToyota saying the technician has gone home without installing the new ECU and the glove box and aircon have been removed so will have to keep the car overnight, that they have tried to help me as usually they need a weeks notice and ‘the ball is in your court’. I told them the ball is in Toyota’s court actually. They reduced the price to ‘ Fleet ‘ rates : $827.50. Now they are going to put the glovebox and aircon back in and I will drop the car off again tomorrow- they could have explained all this this morning, as I was there for about an hour and a half. I am now going to lose 2 days of part of my business activities – lost sales etc plus I have to walk 1.8kms back to Toyota and do it all again tomorrow – 2 days = 7.2kms of walking with a foot injury. Not happy and I object to all the ducking and weaving and general dishonesty regarding this problem. I will be lodging a formal complaint with the Department of Fair Trading as there needs to be an URGENT recall on these vehicles and Toyota needs to be held responsible for the trouble and expense it has caused its customers. One of the dealers I called this afternoon said they sell lots of these ECUs every month, so a lot of Australians are unware of the US class action and Toyota obviously wants to keep it that way. Just phoned a local auto electrician and he said he can do the job for about $700 - by tomorrow afternoon - he is about 5 minutes walk away, so Toyota have missed out. Will post back with the results of the local guy. My fingers are crossed
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership