My friend has a 2003 Toyota Rav4 and it just hit to 100,000 mile mark...A few weeks ago the tranny started slipping and jerking so she took it to the local Aamco shop here and the gentalman fixed it,,then 2 days later same thing...It go so dangerous she could start into traffic and wouldnt know when it would happen,,but it would drop out and slip so bad and finally catch ahold ...The service man at Aamco was stumped as well cause he is well respected in this area,,so we all done some reserch on this on the net...
There is a chip in the computer that works the tranny and Toyota knows this for the 2001 to 2003 Rav4's but didnt send out a recall,,but just a service bullentin for that model..
What we found online..and called the local Toyota dealership and they well fix this for free,,and I hope they pay her for the work Aamco did for damage it did to her tranny.....
July 13, 2010, 5:04 pm
Toyota Extends Warranty on Troubled 2001-3 RAV4

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN10:17 a.m. | Updated
Under pressure from the California Air Resources Board, Toyota said on Tuesday that it was extending the warranty nationwide on automatic transmissions and electronic control modules on almost one quarter of a million 2001–3 RAV4s and offering to reimburse owners who had already paid for repairs.
Toyota previously refused to help consumers whose vehicles were out of the normal power train warranty [[five years or 60,000 miles) when their transmissions were damaged, apparently by a malfunctioning electronic control module.
Toyota has already begun informing dealers of the new policy and will be sending owners a letter soon, said Brian Lyons, a Toyota spokesman.
He said the new policy would cover the transmission and the electronic control module for 10 years or 150,000 miles [[whichever comes first) from the time the vehicle was new. He said about 235,500 vehicles were affected.
With the proper proof, he said, owners who previously paid for repairs will be reimbursed even if they no longer own the vehicle, were not the original owners or the repairs were not performed by a dealership.

The Air Resources Board got involved because under California law the agency can force an automaker to extend warranties or make repairs if the board decides a defect could contribute to air pollution or an emissions-related part causes the failure of another part. That was the case with the RAV4.
While the board cannot force an automaker to offer an extended warranty or make repairs outside California, automakers have often chosen to do so.
Mr. Lyons said Toyota had been aware of many complaints and decided that covering vehicles nationwide was proper. “That is us being more attentive to the voice of our customers,” he said.
Toyota has known about the RAV4 problem for at least four years. In March 2006, Toyota sent dealers a technical service bulletin telling them that some consumers might complain about harsh shifting. It also said improvements had been made to the computer module “manufacturing process to reduce the possibility of this condition occurring.”
Toyota told the dealers it might be necessary to change the computer module, which would be covered under the federal emissions warranty of eight years and 80,000 miles. If that did not work, the transmission was probably damaged and would need to be replaced. But the transmission would only be covered under the five/60,000 warranty.
That policy had left many stunned and furious consumers facing bills that could total $3,000 or more.
“I will never buy a Toyota again after this experience. Toyota has resorted to ripping us consumers off after earning our trust after all these years,” wrote an Arizona woman in a complaint filed on the Center for Auto Safety Web site.
Mr. Lyons said customers who wished to be reimbursed should send the repair bill, proof of payment and proof of ownership at the time of the repair to Toyota Motor Sales, Customer Experience Center [[WC-10) 19001 South Western Ave., Torrance, Calif. 90509.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to investigate despite more than 300 complaints from owners. Many said they were frightened and almost had accidents when their vehicles failed to accelerate as expected when they tried to merge with traffic or cross a busy intersection.
Last year, when there were about 100 complaints, a spokesman for the traffic safety agency said it was monitoring the situation. More recently, over several weeks, the agency did not provide a comment on the issue.
This is not the first time consumers nationwide have benefited from investigations by the California board. Many automakers have extended California remedies nationwide. Toyota did so last year. After discussions with the air resources board that went on for 18 months, Toyota agreed to a nationwide campaign to help owners of the 2001–3 Prius hybrid. The problem involved the throttle body, which in turn caused the electronic control module to malfunction, resulting in starting problems.
The board said it had begun investigating after a consumer complained that Toyota had denied his warranty claim. The board’s investigators found that the replacement rates for the electronic control module approached 30 percent. Eventually, Toyota agreed to extend the warranty on the throttle body on 52,000 hybrids nationwide.
It's funny how they wont tell anyone about this but you have to either search,,or hear from word of mouth....Anymore if I have a prob. that seems odd,,I'l do a search for recalls and to add to did,,,back in 1988 GM had a service bullentin
on the GM trucks certian colors that had paint flaking off...Low and behold,,my brothers truck was covered under that and they had to paint his GMC pickup....
Hope this helps others to take a few mins to do some researching.... Peace and love to all....